|
Ugh, I quit a while back and am now smoking more than I was before - still only about 4-5 cigs a day but I want to stop completely. Two things that I'm using as excuses now: two of the guys I get along really well with at work go out for smoke breaks constantly. It's a great break from work and gets me out of the office, and I like hanging out with them. More importantly, I told my fiancee I was done. I was, but I was laid off last year and started again. Now I do it behind her back (not too bad, maybe once a night) the problem is weekends when I can't sneak off to do it, and she wonders why I'm being cranky. I know if I quit cold turkey I'll have to tell her why I'm being an absolute bastard, but I don't want the guilt of me having lied to her and gone behind her back for the last six months. I know she'd rather have me quit for good, but I'm really pushing back that fight...
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 19:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 00:59 |
|
|
I smoked for 12 years, and the last 6 I was at about 2 packs a day of Dunhill's. Last year I tried Champix/Chantix and holy gently caress was it terrible. I was nauseous everytime I took the pill, I had the worst time trying to sleep, and when I did I would have horrible nightmares. It made me a very bitter person, and I still smoked while on it. This time around I read The Easy Way and I quit as soon as I finished. That was just over 3 months ago. I still get the odd craving but big loving deal. Just chiming in to say it isn't impossible to go from Constantine levels of cigarettes to nothing over night and be pretty good about it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 20:18
|
|
|
I gave up on tuesday, i'm on a mix of patches and the inhalator which is working wonders this time around. The last 2 times i tried to give up i relied on patches alone but was back smoking in a matter of days. This time i'm holding on strong.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 20:31
|
|
|
Flaggy posted:I have been quit for 2 years now. I took chantix. This is a question for everyone who took chantix. I want to try it but I have just heard so many people say that it can make you flip the gently caress out and act like a psycho if you have a reaction. I even had a first hand story of a guy I work with who told me he was taking it and he blacked out and woke up all bloody with his shirt off. His friends said he basically went into a rage and had to be restrained. It sounded like such an insane unbelievable story but considering the side effects and the other stories I have seen I am hesitant to try it. Can someone who knows more on the subject tell me how often this REALLY happens and if there are any factors that make flipping out more likely. I'd like to quit but the idea that I could black out and go nuts doesn't sit well with me.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 20:44
|
|
|
I smoked for the better part of about 6 years and I quit just over a year ago. The sudden realization that I had to stop smoking happened while I was living in Japan. Cigarettes are dirt cheap compared to cost of a pack in Canada and I was smoking almost a pack a day. After coming back to the great frozen northlands, I just stopped... cold turkey. I was worried after hearing the horror stories of people doing the same thing, but aside from a few headaches for the first week, I never really felt anything other than an occasional craving and even then, those would only happen were I to be near someone smoking. Looking back, I am not sure that I would go about it differently had I given it more thought before quitting. I was expecting it to be much more difficult than it was, seeing how other people around me have been struggling with it. To be honest, I almost feel guilty that I was able to do it as easily as I did. But I am glad I did quit.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 20:45
|
|
|
ApexAftermath posted:This is a question for everyone who took chantix. I want to try it but I have just heard so many people say that it can make you flip the gently caress out and act like a psycho if you have a reaction. I even had a first hand story of a guy I work with who told me he was taking it and he blacked out and woke up all bloody with his shirt off. His friends said he basically went into a rage and had to be restrained. It sounded like such an insane unbelievable story but considering the side effects and the other stories I have seen I am hesitant to try it. Once I woke up running. Not like I was running down the street, I was still laying down in bed, but my legs were doing the running motion. It's an evil little pill.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 21:10
|
|
|
Temper Trudeau posted:Once I woke up running. Not like I was running down the street, I was still laying down in bed, but my legs were doing the running motion. It's an evil little pill. Haha wow, that sounds ridiculous. I've been thinking of trying it, but I think I'd be better of by trying to quit cold turkey.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 21:22
|
|
|
RajCooper posted:I never understood what it is people need help with, what is you actually do to help them? Smoking is a habit that is both physical(nicotine addiction) and mental(behaviors/habits). A lot of people don't realize how much the behavioral side of the addiction really plays a part in their ability to stay tobacco free. My job is basically to help people plan for the behavioral side. I use CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) to help people find the break down in their thought process and to help them plan around those break downs to be more successful. Its like a mini therapy session focused on tobacco. We also provide patches, chantix, etc. for people. The typical rate of success for someone trying to quit on their own is something like 30%. My company operates at around 47%. My job is pretty awesome.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 23:32
|
|
|
mufkin posted:My job is pretty awesome.  But yeah, as already stated, a lot of it has to do with various other factors, not simply the drug itself.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2009 23:39
|
|
|
Well, the only side effects I got from Chantix was kind of feeling light headed for the first two days, some really vivid dreams, not a one of them bad, and farting. Lots and lots of farting. Like seriously, I have never been this gassy before in my life. It's like all medicine, sure there's a chance of an adverse reaction, but people tend to focus on that poo poo rather than the benefits. That's why you go talk to your doctor, read the literature that comes with the medicine, and just be aware of the warning signs of any bad side-effects, and contact your doctor if they come up.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2009 02:47
|
|
|
I was smoking for 15 years, and as my wife and I started getting older, I was looking for ways out. One weekend, she was not feeling so well, so I decided to see how long I could go without a smoke. That was in September, and I haven't had one since. I've had my share of crazy nightmares where I've smoked, but other than that, I've been glad I decided to try quitting. The drinking on the weekends took some adjustments,but I've changed my perspective enough to stay off the smokes :P
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2009 11:42
|
|
|
poo poo guys day 5. I have never made it this long before. I feel like I have superhuman powers to smell across thousands of miles, though I do feel like I'm in another world where things can REALLY upset me to the point of feral anger.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2009 02:14
|
|
|
Temper Trudeau posted:Just chiming in to say it isn't impossible to go from Constantine levels of cigarettes to nothing over night and be pretty good about it. I went from two packs a day, to a single pack a day when I banned myself from smoking in the house. Went from a pack a day to zilch a day when I caught pneumonia and was drat near bedridden for 2 weeks straight. Haven't smoked a single cig since. Never even tried any of the gums et al. Did gain 20 pounds though, so thats pretty horrible 
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2009 02:34
|
|
|
I'd like someone else to try out my plan for quitting smoking. Twice this has worked to help me quit for period of up to two years: Buy nicotine patches, but stronger than you need for your habit. The patch companies would like you to buy three different strengths, tapering down your nicotine doses ala and spending more money. Wear the strongest patches, you'll be getting more nicotine than you are used to(if you are like me and only smoked about 10 a day). You'll feel the little sips of joy throughout the day(as if you just smoked and got your reward feeling), if you wear them to bed you get crazy awesome dreams, it's actually pretty cool. After a few days to a week, however, you will be sick of feeling overstimulated all the time, coupled with the itchiness of the patches. It's ok, stop wearing them! Going cold turkey off them is way easier than you'd think. You feel weird for three days or so, then, nothing. I think it works by severing the oral and ritualistic addictions that accompany the nicotine monkey. I didn't even feel that nic-fit anxiety and uneasiness that we're all familiar with, just very off for about three days. Another goon needs to try this and report back. It helps if you really hate your habit and genuinely want to quit.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2009 02:54
|
|
|
Day 6, football season is over. I am eagerly awaiting opening this pack I just bought, but no no, I must wait to savor the moment. A week without cigarettes feels like getting raped in the face.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2009 19:00
|
|
|
I've been smoke free for 6 weeks now, I feel so much better. I went cold turkey this time, I got really annoyed with coughing up flem all the time so I just didn't buy another pack one day and ended up quitting. Good luck to you all!
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2009 19:08
|
|
|
Read Carr's book 2 years ago (it was sort of a fad at my office at the time), and while it didn't work for most of my co-workers, it did for me. I found the book extremely boring and its tone annoying as hell, and I certainly didn't expect much. But it worked when nothing else hadn't. Worth an honest try, in my opinion. I'm having a bit of a relapse right now (probably has something to do with the fact that my whole life has gone to poo poo recently) and thinking of giving it another go, but I've been putting it off because of how bad of a read it is.
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2009 14:59
|
|
|
How are you all doing with this? I've smoked for around 8 years now, and I know that I have to quit. I smell like poo poo today from smoking at the bar last night. Michigan is passing legislature to ban smoking from bars and restaurants. Right about now is when I would be stepping outside for a smoke break here at work. I'm out of cigarettes from last night. I'm in.
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2009 23:46
|
|
|
I'm going to try. I've been wanting to for so long now but I keep it up for some stupid reason. Last time I quit I managed to be cigarette free for 6 months. I started working out and trying to keep my mind occupied when I started to have cravings, they generally only last 3 minutes or so. So far I've been smoking for about 7 years or so.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 00:21
|
|
|
I'm quitting as soon as I'm out of cigarettes. I started Chantix a week and a half ago, so I've gotten up to the full dose now, and I haven't had any major problems with it. I have some funky dreams in which I'm having sex with people I don't want to have sex with, but other than that it's been pretty neutral mentally. My doctor did warn me to have my husband keep an eye on my mood, especially for irrational anger, while I'm on it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 00:39
|
|
|
Got winded shoveling the blizzard out of my driveway as I was going to go get Gin and Smokes. It's hard to drink without smoking, (like REALLY hard) or relax in my porch reading a book without a smoke, but I hated the feeling of my lungs bottoming out. 1 month so far. I don't think about it anymore unless I read about someone smoking, or see it on TV, or I'm drinking, or reading, or driving to town. As a result I've actually cut down on drinking quite a bit too, so my wallet is thanking me. It's more of a habit than an addiction for me, but drat is that habit hard to replace. Gum and goddamn carrots. I might take up Pipe smoking again, as I never inhaled with that stuff, liked the smell, and could do it while reading. I just need to dig up my old pipe. (Canadian Stem) I can totally tell when someone is smoking, and they kinda reek. I never really smelled it on myself before but I did notice leaving a house party where everyone smoked inside and had to dry clean my jacket cause it just stunk. The cats will come out of my roommates room and stink of smoke too, their poor little lungs. It was easy to not smoke back when I lived in California (seemed like no-one smoked), but when I moved to Canada it seemed like everyone drinks and smokes a lot more. Hard to not smoke around co-workers, especially if they offer one...just one...how bad could it be? It's not like a whole pack..... Goddamn carrots. Amish Retard posted:More importantly, I told my fiancee I was done. I was, but I was laid off last year and started again. Now I do it behind her back (not too bad, maybe once a night) the problem is weekends when I can't sneak off to do it, and she wonders why I'm being cranky. I know if I quit cold turkey I'll have to tell her why I'm being an absolute bastard, but I don't want the guilt of me having lied to her and gone behind her back for the last six months. 1) You should tell her, she'll probably support you, as 1 a day is a lot better then a pack a day (or every 4 days) and will explain your crankyness. Tell her you're sorry for not telling her but you've cut down a lot thanks to not wanting her to find out. 2) Don't tell her, it'll help you cut down. With my last girlfriend I hid my smoking and it cut it down a lot for fear of getting caught, even though I knew that telling her would probably be no big deal. She probably knows anyways, it stays on your breath and clothes more then you think. If I thought I don't need to hide it then I would be free about smoking a lot more. When I didn't have that (ungrounded)fear of getting in (light or no) trouble in the back of my mind, I didn't give a gently caress and smoked all the time. I knew it was dumb, and if confronted I probably would've asked her to bitch me out so I felt guilty, but then again I've never got too too cranky when I can't smoke. I just get really restless and frantically try to find something to occupy me. I now know how to sew. (no knitting yet...) Maybe get some Nicotine gum that you can chew on your non-smoking days to stop you from being cranky, or make a supreme effort to not be cranky. It's not her fault and though it's hard to keep the little things from irritating you, make sure you are aware that it's just the Coffin Nails crying out. Try the gum or something, it might help wean you off the real stuff. Crane fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Dec 13, 2009 |
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 01:28
|
|
|
well I smoked around 2-6 rolled drum cigarettes a day for a year, then I had no money and no tobacco, so I decided to stop. So far it's been two weeks and I don't really feel any different or crave cigarettes or anything, although seeing people smoke is a bit of a pain. This doesn't seem to be nearly as addictive as some drugs have been for me.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 02:11
|
|
|
I quit smoking about two years ago, mostly with the help of the "sickness and poverty" method (I was too broke to buy cigarettes and had the flu for a week and a half, which was long enough to get me over the initial cravings) Here are some tips I used to help me cut down before I finally quit: Don't do anything else while you're smoking. When you have a cigarette, don't do it while doing anything else. Make yourself jump through hoops to get your cigarettes. What I did was I would buy a pack and give them to my friend who also smoked, so that I had to go through her if I wanted a cigarette. Don't finish your cigarettes, only smoke just enough to satisfy your craving and trash the rest.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 02:14
|
|
|
Been smoking almost a box daily for the past 6 years and I'm loving 22. I'm trying to quit, not buying boxes. The rising prices really help as I'm a loving cheapsktake, so now I only buy single cigs from vendors on the street or bum from whomever looks like will be nice enough to give me one. I dunno where to buy a single cig right now and I'm going to a party, so, I dunno what I'll do. They don't even let smoke indoors now, so whatever. It's all for my good, but taking a drag of a cig is loving awesome from time to time.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 03:50
|
|
|
i got my first headache by nicotine withdrawal or whatever yesterday. I decided that i dont want to be addicted like that, so i "need" to smoke so i dont feel like poo poo instead of smoking to feel good. So no more cigs... Well, i'm gonna smoke my last cig tomorrow and then quit cold turkey!
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 04:19
|
|
|
Feels good to be clean, going on one month.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 05:19
|
|
|
One month tomorrow, i still want a cigarette every waking minute. I didn't want to quit but i also don't want to have another heart attack anytime soon. If it wouldn't have been for my health problems i'd still be smoking a pack a day.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 05:32
|
|
|
mufkin posted:Smoking is a habit that is both physical(nicotine addiction) and mental(behaviors/habits). A lot of people don't realize how much the behavioral side of the addiction really plays a part in their ability to stay tobacco free. I think for me, the mental addiction was just as hard to break as the physical addiction. I chain smoked while I drove and i smoke when I drank and I smoked at work. so pretty much everything I did involved smoking. I ended up quitting cold turkey last may and haven't started back up yet and I think i've got it beat. Its nice not to have random coughing and to be able to smell things.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 05:38
|
|
|
I've been smoking for 4 years. I've gone from a pack a day to just one ciggie every couple of days. Less than 5 a week. I'm finally ready to say that I'm quit for good and never pick up another one. I'm not addicted to them anymore, somehow, so I don't think it'll be too hard.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 05:51
|
|
|
Seashell Salesman posted:e: don't cut back on smoking, if anything you should try to increase the amount you smoke as much as possible it'll make it easier to quit
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 06:23
|
|
|
Stopped smoking a month ago. This thread helped, thanks you guys. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 06:51
|
|
|
Well I decided to quit smoking again. Between my last attempt and now, I've managed to cut back from a pack a day to having a pack last 3-5 days, which is a lot better. Between my mom's allergy to smoke and me noticing more that I just don't enjoy the actual act of smoking, I'm really hoping it will go better this time. The fact that it's freezing outside with the snow will help too, since it's impossible to enjoy smoking when your fingers are burning from the cold. Hardest part is going to be learning how to get past the psychological dependence. V V V V V That's one of the motivations I have. I'm so going to start running on the treadmill at home. Being able to run without losing my breath will be awesome. Schistosity fucked around with this message at 08:32 on Dec 13, 2009 |
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 08:20
|
|
|
Toucan Sam posted:One month tomorrow, i still want a cigarette every waking minute. I didn't want to quit but i also don't want to have another heart attack anytime soon. If it wouldn't have been for my health problems i'd still be smoking a pack a day. Try doing something you couldn't do as well as a smoker. Especially since your ticker be hosed up tockin, see about cardiovascular exercise, like running or swimming if it isn't too soon after the attack. I didn't stop missing smoking until I started really enjoying the things that not smoking allowed for. At this point, nearly 14 months quit, I like the benefits of not smoking much more than I ever did the benefits of smoking, such as they were. I also chew about ten sticks of gum a day.  Nicotine gum really worked for me, sort of divorced the pleasure reward from the concept of cigarettes pretty effectively.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 08:29
|
|
|
Does anyone have any suggestions for those of us with moderate to severe mental disorders? I've been smoking a pack a day for 10 years now and I recently lost my job. I only have limited resources so I need to be fairly accurate when it comes to my quitting method. I always think I sound whiny when I talk about this, but I have a fairly nasty case of clinical depression so I know that Chantix is out. I've tried using the gum, but I noticed that I ended up chewing too much of it due to it making me "feel good", thus I would come dangerously close to becoming addicted to it. When I've tried cold turkey I always end up throwing fits of uncharacteristic rage that frankly scare me. Any ideas?
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 08:49
|
|
|
Greenaway posted:Does anyone have any suggestions for those of us with moderate to severe mental disorders? I've been smoking a pack a day for 10 years now and I recently lost my job. I only have limited resources so I need to be fairly accurate when it comes to my quitting method. I always think I sound whiny when I talk about this, but I have a fairly nasty case of clinical depression so I know that Chantix is out. I've tried using the gum, but I noticed that I ended up chewing too much of it due to it making me "feel good", thus I would come dangerously close to becoming addicted to it. When I've tried cold turkey I always end up throwing fits of uncharacteristic rage that frankly scare me. Any ideas? If it makes you feel better, I know exactly what you mean. I have clinical depression and a lot of other smokers I know do too. In my worst times, smoking would be the only thing that got me out of bed. I think that's why I've had such a hard time trying to quit over the years. I think what would really help would be to try reading books (libraries are free!) such as Allan Carr's easy method to get you in the mindset for quitting. It's kind of like therapy, you know? Having to deal with not only the physical but the psychological addictions that are going on. And when you do decide to quit, make it a well planned effort, not something spontaneous. And good luck.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 08:57
|
|
|
Shouldn't we at least wait until finals are over with? If you decide to quit smoking during a time in your life that requires you to be motivated and concentrated, it could mean disaster.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2009 09:37
|
|
|
I got Chantix, kind of debating whether or not to start taking it. I've also read Allen Carr's book.. Didn't help much, i didn't enjoy reading it at all and mostly skimmed through it. I really want to quit, even though I just bought a pack of Newports today.  I'm doing a Polar Bear Plunge on 1/1/10, I'm thinking of jumping in with whatever is left in my pack and that be the end of it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2009 08:17
|
|
|
Month and a half Cigarette free after smoking a pack a day since age 16. You goddamn smokers smell terrible and you're wasting your money. Quit. Do it cold turkey, it's easier.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2009 08:25
|
|
|
I've smoked a pack a day for over 20 years. Holy poo poo. I've tried to quit before, but I am committed to quitting Jan 1st. Every other time I'd just wake up in the morning and try to quit all of a sudden and it's never worked. I read that setting a time in the future and being able to prepare yourself for the break might be helpful. So, I've been talking to my cigarettes as I smoke these last few packs. And stocking up on gum and mints and toothpicks. Failure is NOT AN OPTION! 167, 460 seconds to go!
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2009 08:29
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 00:59 |
|
|
I had been struggling for over a decade with smoking and then this summer I just realized I'm a loving rube for paying for these loving things, feeling like poo poo all the time, and not being good at loving. The next day I didn't buy a pack. It was actually pretty easy. The fourth day in was a bit rough but I haven't even craved one since. I feel like this is the only method I've tried that will stick.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2009 08:29
|
|