Quitting Smoking

[caseydog]

So the wife and I quit together 3 weeks ago today (National Smoke out Day) , made a good target date. About 25 years of pack a day (more or less) each. The nicotine fix was the easiest part to kick , the habits and associations are much tougher , eating , driving , talking on the phone all make me flinch for my shirt pocket.
Sense of smell is already heightened , looking forward to other positive changes like the house staying cleaner and smelling better as well as health changes for the better . prayers and positive thoughts welcomed !  

Ray

[Guest]

The hardest part for me was breaking the routines as well. I constantly found myself having little 5 minute blocks of time where I didnt know what to do with myself. I also *constantly* patted my pocket on the way out the door to check for a pack of smokes that wasnt there.

The best part is when you wander outside and start reaching for your cigarettes without even realizing that you dont smoke anymore.

[esheato]

I'm proud of ya.

I know it's dumb, but take it one day at a time.

Ed

[Guest]

No kidding..congrats. If you've gone this long, you've got it licked, so stand your ground.

[280plus]

The hardest for me to get past was that first one in the morning. I used the patch and that's what finally worked. The second toughest was seeing other people smoking in their cars...

FYI - you can take the highest dose patch and divide it instead of going through the "staged" patches that they offer. Saves a bundle of cash. Start with the full patch. After a couple weeks use half then in a couple more weeks use a quarter. After that you should be free.

Ciggys ruined my otherwise good health. Even 12 years after quitting I STILL don't (and never will) have the stamina I used to.

STill glad I quit though. One thing you'll notice is how BAD active smokers actually smell. You're not aware of it when you smoke. Makes me darn near gag now. That's why smokers who have quit are "worse" about it to smokers than those who never did.

GOOD LUCK!!

[El Tejon]

I took up heroin, that was much easier to stop than cigarettes!:D

[280plus]

I took up heroin, that was much easier to stop than cigarettes!:D

Gee, why didn't I think of that?



Cigarettes are tough...

[RaggedClaws]

Congratulations and good luck!  I quit cold turkey in July and I'm still quit today (though I did smoke a cigar for the birth of my daughter in August).  It gets easier and easier as time goes by.  

It was actually a lot harder in some ways than I thought it would be and alot easier in other ways.  For instance, I didn't realize that being hungry made me crave cigarettes to a ridiculous degree, even today.  Now I eat small meals and snacks throughout the day and I have no cravings ever really (though I did put on about 10 pounds, but I was skinny to begin with and some of that weight is muscle).  When people smoke around me, I thought that would be hardest, but it doesn't induce me to smoke at all.  Smokers smell disgusting to me when they're done smoking, literally like an ashtray.  The only good smell is the freshly burning tobacco and that is gone when the cigarette is out.

Toothpicks were my savior.  If you keep fumbling for something to hold and put in your mouth, get a pack of toothpicks (59c for 250, much cheaper than smokes and they last a heck of lot longer).  Toothpicks really helped me break the need for the physical act of smoking. I'd even step outside and walk around the block with a fresh toothpick.  Worked like a charm.

Agan, congratulations and good luck!  You won't ever regret quitting, of that I am sure...

[El Tejon]

280, that's me--always thinking!:D

[280plus]

LOL...

[caseydog]

Thanks for all the kind words and support everyone !

Each of the ex-smokers that posted said at least one thing that hit home for me:

Cyeager , darn if I don't forget that I don't smoke sometimes , walk out after a meal and slap my pocket and then it hits , oh yeah I don't smoke anymore !

280 , that first one in the morning is the one I still want every day , I found ways to work around the others but that first one is a bear. But hey the nicotine is gone after 3wks so I'm just fighting my demons now.

Ragged , hunger definately trips the trigger , seems you could postpone the hunger pangs with a smoke more than I realised , no wonder people gain weight when they quit, now I postpone it with liquids , water or soda rather than munching something once an hour.

People smoking around me is ok , in fact it lets me see and smell what I used to look like which reinforces my decision.

Thanks again all

Ray

[esheato]

I don't know if this will help, but I typed up a sheet of paper with all the pros of quitting in a large font. Printed off about 10 copies and pasted them all over my house. One over my bed so that I saw it when I woke up. One on the bathroom mirror so that I could read it when I was brushing my teeth. One on the back of my front door so that I saw it before I went to work. One on the dash of my truck so I could read it while driving. One on my computer monitor, etc... I left them up for a couple weeks and the constant positive reinforcement really helped me stick to my guns. On the negative side, I got a lot of snickers from my friends, but I think it was a worthwhile tradeoff.

BTW, I just hit my year on Thanksgiving after 10 years of a pack a day.

Ed

[Brian Williams]

I quit 23 May 1980, and that was after getting up to 4 pack a day.  Keep it up.  The desire never really left me but I do not want to smell like an ashtray.  I used to chew and smoke at the same time, quit both and feel much better.  Now Coffee will always be in my veins, thinking about getting a shunt to do it intervenous.

[280plus]

It took the patch to get me past that first one. I'm not sure I'd have made it without it.

[Desertdog]

Congratulations!  When I quit  the hardest part was fighting the "triggers".
 
I had quit smoking and stopped drinking coffee for 6 months.  Then I went back to drinking coffee.  After about 2 weeks I was smoking again also.

Then when I quit for good (7/19/81) I also quit the coffee.  Just the smell of coffee still makes me think of having a cig.

[P95Carry]

Hey Ray - well I said the other evening - well done ya both.

I should be stronger willed, really I should.  Trouble is, despite the risks etc - I darned well enjoy it.  Other thing is Bonnie also smokes and so (unfortunately now) do the kids.  To succeed we would have to do it together and make the house smoke free - not an easy prospect.  Always so easy to keep saying - yeah, tomorrow.

I admire your grit and determination.  It has made me think harder on it.

[Strings]

But man, weren't ya told? Nobody likes a quitter... :neener:

 Sorry... yes, I smoke. Congrats on quitting: I just don't want to yet. But to each their own!

>If you keep fumbling for something to hold and put in your mouth, get a pack of toothpicks (59c for 250, much cheaper than smokes and they last a heck of lot longer).  Toothpicks really helped me break the need for the physical act of smoking. I'd even step outside and walk around the block with a fresh toothpick.  Worked like a charm.<

 Another one (larger outlay, maybe cheaper in the long run) is to buy a cheap pipe, and keep the stem in your pocket. When you get that urge, chomp on the stem. Might look a lil' weird, but it DOES work (and you don't go through loads of tooth picks, or gain masses of weight). I'll use that when I want to cut back...