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Talby
Nov 28, 2002

Schistosity posted:

The only thing I feel like I'll miss is very specific. There's still nothing like sitting outside on a warm night and seeing the glow of a slow burning cigarette, hearing the sizzling burn.

godamn, 3 and a half weeks without a cigarette and this gave me my strongest craving yet

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goodwithcolor
Mar 1, 2005

I haven't had a smoke in four days. Not by choice, but because I'm sick again--my third sickness since October. I've coughed so much that my body hurt when I woke up yesterday. I'm only 25 and have smoked maybe four of the last six years, but I'm finally ready to not do it anymore.

No more phlegm, no more $8 packs, no more worrying about running trays upstairs at work because I smoked a pack overnight. This is the first time I've wanted to quit so I'm hoping it takes!

jase1
Aug 11, 2004

Flankensttein: A name given to a FPS gamer who constantly flanks to get kills.

"So I was playing COD yesterday, and some flankenstein came up from behind and shot me."
16 days smoke free and it's getting a lot easier to resist the urge to smoke. I had the stomach Flu really bad for a week it was the first time I had been sick in about 10 years.

I have been smoking about a pack every 3 days for the last 18 years. The first time I got in my car after being sick and not smoking for a week I finally was able to smell what I really smelled like. It made me sick to my stomach and was the driving force behind quitting.

I can't believe how amazing food tastes now. I also feel really lovely but I assume thats my body getting rid of all the garbage in my system. I notice that I can breathe a lot easier and can smell the faintest of smells now. With a little bit of willpower you can kick this nasty habit I just hope that I haven't done any permanent damage but only time will tell.

sleepyinsomniac
Jun 18, 2004
zzzzz
Approaching a month now since quitting... about 12-13 cigarettes a day for 7 years.

I don't know what I can offer for advice to all my fellow potential quitters. Before I quit, I bought a ton of gum and Nicorette. After a week I returned the Nicorette since I didn't even need it.

I chewed a TON of Trident Layers and Splash gum, and the worst was the first 3 days.

After the worst, it started getting tricky. You basically keep bargaining with yourself just to have a single smoke, but I believe I read somewhere in this thread, to think of it as the nicotine trying to trick you.

So basically, once you lay it out as You vs. Nicotine, anytime you get any kind of desire to smoke, just think of it as the Nicotine talking and to not fall for it...or something.

Worked for me :)

edit: Also wanted to add I had no plans to quit, I simply wandered into this thread randomly and read a few posts, and INSTANTLY thought "I'm done". I didn't smoke the rest of my pack, or carton, or even smoke a celebratory last cigarette. I read somewhere a long time ago that this was also pretty effective.

What the Snap
Dec 7, 2003
Classic.
quick update!

it's been 29 days today I feel AMAZING.

What the Snap
Dec 7, 2003
Classic.

sleepyinsomniac posted:

Approaching a month now since quitting... about 12-13 cigarettes a day for 7 years.

I don't know what I can offer for advice to all my fellow potential quitters. Before I quit, I bought a ton of gum and Nicorette. After a week I returned the Nicorette since I didn't even need it.

I chewed a TON of Trident Layers and Splash gum, and the worst was the first 3 days.

After the worst, it started getting tricky. You basically keep bargaining with yourself just to have a single smoke, but I believe I read somewhere in this thread, to think of it as the nicotine trying to trick you.

So basically, once you lay it out as You vs. Nicotine, anytime you get any kind of desire to smoke, just think of it as the Nicotine talking and to not fall for it...or something.

Worked for me :)

edit: Also wanted to add I had no plans to quit, I simply wandered into this thread randomly and read a few posts, and INSTANTLY thought "I'm done". I didn't smoke the rest of my pack, or carton, or even smoke a celebratory last cigarette. I read somewhere a long time ago that this was also pretty effective.
Pretty much just described exactly what I did, I came in the thread, said gently caress it and I was done, do you find yourself still bargaining? It's been 29 days for me.

sleepyinsomniac
Jun 18, 2004
zzzzz

What the Snap posted:

Pretty much just described exactly what I did, I came in the thread, said gently caress it and I was done, do you find yourself still bargaining? It's been 29 days for me.

I do, but it's quickly expunged by thinking about the smell on me and the nicotine "winning" and laughing its rear end off at me.

Bunk Rogers
Mar 14, 2002

I have to give all the credit in the world to the e-cigarette thread on this forum. I picked one up, bought some juices and never looked back. Roughly two months after starting the e-cig thing mine broke and I've been nicotine free ever since.

I bought my little brother one for Christmas and hes is having the same results, in fact, it has worked so well that several of his friend's parents have also jumped on board.

8ender
Sep 24, 2003

clown is watching you sleep
I went on the patch yesterday and had an awesome nicotine fuelled dream last night where I was in a band with all my friends and had to play Buddy Holly songs for our new alien overlords in a post apocalyptic wasteland bar.

Awesome :unsmith:

new friend from school
May 19, 2008

by Azathoth
I quit on the first Friday of last September, so I guess it's been almost 5 months now. This is the longest I've ever quit for in my 8 years of smoking. I kind of slipped up the week of Chistmas/New Year's because I was home on leave and got trashed and smoked maybe 3 or 4 cigarettes at that time, but I just told myself that's just a tiny setback a moment of weakness brought on by being on vacation and being very drunk. I plan on never smoking again. I love it, not only has my health improved for the better, but now I get to act all smug towards smokers (who are all far inferior people to non-smokers), it's great.

Advice: patches never worked for me. I used gum the first couple of weeks, didn't follow the directions. I just had a bunch of the Step 1 stuff (the strong ones) and chewed one whenever I felt like it. Eventually, I ran out and by then I didn't need it.

tysova
Sep 10, 2008

by Fistgrrl
Posting for accountability.

I'm 26, and I've been smoking about 5-8 cigarettes a day for the past 4 months. I recently started a new job that I absolutely love, but it has one big downside. For some reason, the urge to smoke.

I've been a casual smoker since 18, but I've never had a regular, pack-buying routine until I started this job.

Today I've decided that I need to cut this habit out, before I get even more hooked. This is the first job I've actually liked, and I want to keep doing what I'm doing for years. Minus the smoking.

Tomorrow will be my first test, since I go back to work and won't have any smokes.

8ender
Sep 24, 2003

clown is watching you sleep

themarine posted:

Advice: patches never worked for me. I used gum the first couple of weeks, didn't follow the directions. I just had a bunch of the Step 1 stuff (the strong ones) and chewed one whenever I felt like it. Eventually, I ran out and by then I didn't need it.

The patch worked great for me the last time I quit, but I added something to the process. I slapped the patch on and then I bought a pack of fake cigarettes. You can find them at most head shops. They're usually just ground up dandelions or some poo poo. They taste like complete rear end but are just amazing for when you absolutely need to smoke something to get past a craving.

Last time after about a week of smoking maybe one or two of the fakes a day I completely lost interest. Really I'd still be a non-smoker to this day but I made a really big mistake a few years back and bummed a smoke off a friend. That restarted my addiction so fast that I had bought a pack by the end of the day. Now I know, never a single smoke ever again.

User Error
Aug 31, 2006

8ender posted:

Last time after about a week of smoking maybe one or two of the fakes a day I completely lost interest. Really I'd still be a non-smoker to this day but I made a really big mistake a few years back and bummed a smoke off a friend. That restarted my addiction so fast that I had bought a pack by the end of the day. Now I know, never a single smoke ever again.

This mistake ended one or two of my previous quitting attempts. I've learned that as a (former?) smoker I can't have just one. Most people take several attempts to successfully quit, but each failure teaches you something I think.

Are there any cigar smokers here trying to get off the cigs? I enjoy a good cigar every once in a while (few times a month maybe) and would like to continue to do so in the future. I know they're not good for me but they're better than cigs and I'm willing to deal with the health risks. I figure that I should be nicotine free for at least a few months before I ease back into cigars. Has anyone else managed to casually smoke cigars after quitting cigs? The last time I "quit" I made it about a month before I had a cigar, then got into dip for a while, and was back on the butts within a few months. I'd like to avoid the same mistake.

Jezrael
May 1, 2005
the bagel is an adequate vessel of nutrition
I would highly suggest you don't. I did that same thing and now I'm back up to a pack of mini cigars a day, which is both more unhealthy and more costly. I started again with a single cigar and a bottle of whiskey on a beautiful beach at sunset. At the time it was nice, but you already know that it's a very slippery slope.

But oddly it hasn't quite grasped me the way it did when I was smoking cigs. As in, if I'm out with some friends who don't smoke, I never get that compulsion to isolate myself for a craving, because I don't get it. (Oh and no I don't really care if anyone knows I smoke, besides my brother and sister who are at that age)
It's like I smoke either out of boredom or empathy and if I'm in a situation that would've drove me crazy without a fix before, it's not really bothersome anymore.

Of course, I'll set sail for the non smoking dream soon again, wish me conviction! (luck's really only a curse for a smoker)

new friend from school
May 19, 2008

by Azathoth

chem42 posted:

This mistake ended one or two of my previous quitting attempts.

IMHO, that's the mistake that ends every quitting attempt. If you're trying to do some mental gymnastics around the fact, DON'T. You can never have just one (unless you're plastered while home on leave, I guess).

new friend from school
May 19, 2008

by Azathoth

tysova posted:

Posting for accountability.

I'm 26, and I've been smoking about 5-8 cigarettes a day for the past 4 months. I recently started a new job that I absolutely love, but it has one big downside. For some reason, the urge to smoke.

I've been a casual smoker since 18, but I've never had a regular, pack-buying routine until I started this job.

Today I've decided that I need to cut this habit out, before I get even more hooked. This is the first job I've actually liked, and I want to keep doing what I'm doing for years. Minus the smoking.

Tomorrow will be my first test, since I go back to work and won't have any smokes.

Great job, I feel your pain because my work is a lot like that. I would go outside every hour before I quit, with a number of other people too. My advice is that you don't have to stop going outside with your friends, just bring gum instead of cigarettes. Best of luck to you, stay strong.

Lifepuzzler
Nov 5, 2009
I haven't posted in this thread yet, but it inspired me to finish any remaining cigarettes after Jan 1, and go cold turkey after. Admittedly, on my drunken walk home after new years, I bought a pack. So I quit at about 2:45 AM on Jan 3rd after smoking more cigarettes in one day then I ever had before.

The thing that's helped me the most is an iPhone app called "Since iQuit." It's a very simple little app that keeps track of how long it's been since you had your last cigarette, and how much money you've saved by not smoking X amount of cigarettes.

The "X" amount really got to me... 5 packs is 100 cigarettes. As of now I'm 4 weeks, 4 days, 13 hours, and 32 minutes. By not smoking ~293 cigarettes, I've saved $78.15 (Cigs are cheap in Missouri).

The only time I get cravings are 1)in my car, and 2)in my car when it's loving nice outside. Directly before Icepocalypse, there were 2 very warm days... probably the hardest days so far. I found myself rolling my windows down, turning my music up, and craving intensely. I chewed some gum, and sang loudly until the cravings went away.

This post has turned out to be a lot longer then I initially planned, but if you're quitting along with me... YOU CAN DO IT.

hisss
Mar 31, 2006
Throwing myself into this. I had planned on it being every three months buy five less packs a month. Which for a pack to a pack 1/2 a day smoker is a good deal. But some of what I've read has changed my mind.

I find myself from routine being oh it's 9:30 go smoke come back and finish this. It's mostly routine for me. So instead of doing that routine. I'm going to wait til it's actually killing me/craving that leads me to a cigarette. I only took one smoke break at work. I tried it out today. Instead of my normal pack I only smoked 8 cigarettes so far. Which is really good for me. Holding myself hostage til it's a I HAVE TO SMOKE NOW is working. So hopefully it will work out. I know I wont quit by year end...I work as a line cook in a high volume/high stress kitchen. There are times you need to leave and that cigarette makes everything better in it's own way (only reason you can leave your station is a smoke). But hopefully I can get it down to just when I need that escape.

Here we go.

Gothmog1065
May 14, 2009

hisss posted:

I work as a line cook in a high volume/high stress kitchen. There are times you need to leave and that cigarette makes everything better in it's own way (only reason you can leave your station is a smoke).

You will probably never quit while at this job. It's bullshit that you can't leave except to smoke.

hisss
Mar 31, 2006

Gothmog1065 posted:

You will probably never quit while at this job. It's bullshit that you can't leave except to smoke.

Seriously. But if I can get it down to smoking at work only. Then I'll be happy.

fyo
Mar 9, 2007
smugly conventional

hisss posted:

Seriously. But if I can get it down to smoking at work only. Then I'll be happy.

That's definitely do-able. Your addiction is strongly tied to situations, so if you make a point of leaving your pack at work, you may be able to not smoke elsewhere after getting over the initial cravings. There was a period when I didn't smoke at all on weekends with no withdrawal, because I was with my girlfriend who hated smoking.

Obviously it's not as good as quitting all together, but hey, less cigarettes is still good.

One downside though (aside from still smoking) is you may see only smoking while at work as an opportunity to go nuts and smokesmokesmokesmoke. Also maybe consider getting ultra-light cigarettes?

Shemp The Mighty
Sep 16, 2004

Semper Ubi, Sub Ubi
4 days in, cold turkey, and I am doing good. Smoked a pack to a pack and a half a day for almost 25 years. Allen Carr is the man. My biggest issue is that I get tired at around 8pm, and some of my dreams are a bit weird. Doesn't matter. I am a non-smoker, and am free of the slavery.

BombiTheZombie
Mar 27, 2010
I recently quit smoking cold turkey. From a pack/pack and a half a day to none. Had been smoking for a good five years.

Been smoke free for three weeks now, with no cravings after the first week. I did get really sleepy after i quit though, no idea why.

All it takes to quit is an ounce of willpower.

^^^ Well poo poo, good to know im not alone in feeling tired then.

Teenagers
Sep 5, 2007

hail satan
bought that allen carr book, really don't like the idea of 'self-help' books. am dubious.

DrGreatJob
Oct 3, 2006

we fuck each other very well and we have a lot of energy from eating plantfoods
Welp, a six year habit is going away right now. I'm done smoking this awful poo poo. Hope I can keep it out of my life.

I can't believe I spend an average of $150 or more on this poo poo each month. I've probably spent around $12,000 killing myself on this alone. That is amazing.

Maybe I'll spend $12,000 on more fun recreational activities next time.

TotalLossBrain
Oct 20, 2010

Hier graben!

TotalLossBrain posted:

I quit a week before Thanksgiving. I was tired of the heavy chest, the expense, and the disappointment I was causing in my children. So I quit, cold turkey. I don't have cravings anymore, and I've worked my way up to 4 mile runs with my dog and 20 mike bike rides.

Almost three months smoke-free now.
I run about 25 miles/wk now and bike another 50 miles/wk.

Gothmog1065
May 14, 2009
Well, I've been about 3 weeks smoke free. It's great having all the support, especially from my girlfriend. "I didn't mention I noticed you stopped smoking because I know as soon as we go to my parent's house next weekend, you'll start smoking again."

:negative:

Shemp The Mighty
Sep 16, 2004

Semper Ubi, Sub Ubi

Teenagers posted:

bought that allen carr book, really don't like the idea of 'self-help' books. am dubious.

It's dry as hell and very very boring, and he is repetitive to the extreme. However, it is almost like programming your brain. He tells you to keep smoking while you read, and about halfway through you almost want to flip to the end just so you can stop smoking.

Tad Naff
Jul 8, 2004

I told you you'd be sorry buying an emoticon, but no, you were hung over. Well look at you now. It's not catching on at all!
:backtowork:
OK, I just bought a pack after 11 months, and have smoked four or five. I am away from home and that is no excuse. I do not want to continue this poo poo, but circumstances allowed me to. Dudes, there is no safe amount to play with.

Steve Higginson
Oct 21, 2005
NO NO NO we do not have images of fat guys sucking each others dicks in our custom titles!

FeloniousDrunk posted:

OK, I just bought a pack after 11 months, and have smoked four or five. I am away from home and that is no excuse. I do not want to continue this poo poo, but circumstances allowed me to. Dudes, there is no safe amount to play with.

Throw the pack away. Don't try to rationalise that because you've had a handful already that you should keep going. That's bullshit.

Teenagers
Sep 5, 2007

hail satan

Shempt_The_Mighty posted:

It's dry as hell and very very boring, and he is repetitive to the extreme. However, it is almost like programming your brain. He tells you to keep smoking while you read, and about halfway through you almost want to flip to the end just so you can stop smoking.

didn't like how the first 5th of the book was testimonials and back-patting. i like the idea behind it, but i guess that i read it too fast or whatever? didn't seem to take at all. still smoking. i'm going to reread it later and see if it sticks the second time around.

Wroughtirony
May 14, 2007



accountability/encouragement post.

I had my last cigarette 2 years and 6 months ago. I've saved $4,600 by not smoking.


Also, I'm a cook. The whole "only way to take a break" thing was why I started in the first place, but guess what? You can take a cigarette break and not smoke! I just sit outside for 7 minutes and drink water or eat an apple. It's really the downtime, fresh air and the relative quiet that relax and refresh you, not the cigarette.

Warthog
Mar 8, 2004
Ferkelwämser extraordinaire
I started smoking in 1997 must have been an average of about 10 cigs a day.
I quit on the 19th of January and it's been a pain in the rear end but I manage with toothpicks and Nicorette 4mg

edit: saved about $40 so far counting the $30 for Nicorette

Warthog fucked around with this message at 20:29 on Feb 7, 2011

xcheopis
Jul 23, 2003


Lifepuzzler posted:

The "X" amount really got to me... 5 packs is 100 cigarettes. As of now I'm 4 weeks, 4 days, 13 hours, and 32 minutes. By not smoking ~293 cigarettes, I've saved $78.15 (Cigs are cheap in Missouri).
I never get a good estimate of how much I've saved, since the cost jumped precipitously not long after. At ~$1.50/pack, I've saved over $33K (at an average of 3 packs/day) but the current cost is closer to $4-5/pack, so I'm saving quite a lot more each day.

Pity I don't actually have that $33K but still...

cerror
Feb 11, 2008

I have a bad feeling about this...
I quit smoking today. After I woke up this morning and reached for my pack, I discovered it was empty. So I thought, "gently caress this poo poo." and just went to work without any smokes. It's been 7 hours. So far so good. I'm feeling a bit anxious and fidgity and I'll sometimes have those annoying thoughts where your mind tries to come up with excuses to smoke. However, I know better from previous failed attempts to quit. My brain lies! Also, I have some motivation this time! I've been working out regularly for about 3 months now. I seem to have hit a plateau where increasing the weights seems more and more difficult than it used to be. Whether or not it's true, I'm going to blame this squarely on smoking interfering with oxygen flow to my muscles. How am I supposed to get swole without oxygen flow, HUH!?! gently caress you, smoking.

Kibbles n Shits
Apr 8, 2006

burgerpug.png


Fun Shoe

comaerror posted:

I quit smoking today. After I woke up this morning and reached for my pack, I discovered it was empty. So I thought, "gently caress this poo poo." and just went to work without any smokes. It's been 7 hours. So far so good. I'm feeling a bit anxious and fidgity and I'll sometimes have those annoying thoughts where your mind tries to come up with excuses to smoke. However, I know better from previous failed attempts to quit. My brain lies! Also, I have some motivation this time! I've been working out regularly for about 3 months now. I seem to have hit a plateau where increasing the weights seems more and more difficult than it used to be. Whether or not it's true, I'm going to blame this squarely on smoking interfering with oxygen flow to my muscles. How am I supposed to get swole without oxygen flow, HUH!?! gently caress you, smoking.

When I kicked the habit I had so much more energy for lifting I couldn't even believe it. It's definitely a huge motivator. As an added bonus, quitting makes your gym membership revenue neutral (plus change perhaps). Good luck!

euthy
Sep 26, 2007

May you and your family live without suffering, but for the rest... Thanks for not breeding VHEMT
Grimey Drawer
I've quit since new years, cold turkey, after smoking for 13 years. It's been easy. Quitting is easy.

chippy
Aug 16, 2006

OK I DON'T GET IT
I only just remembered that this thread is here. Today is day 15 of no smoking for me. Cold turkey, no patches or aids. I was also a daily weed smoker for about 10 years so double the fun. In fact, it's mainly weed that I'm quitting due to anxiety and social introversion starting to get on top of me. That and all my family seem to die of lung rot. Tobacco was always incidental to weed so if I'm not getting high, I don't see the point in smoking tobacco. Although obviously, I won't deny that I am/was addicted to nicotine, that would be ridiculous.

The first few days were the hardest and since then I've been more or less over it and I've even been fine on nights out at the pub or sitting around my friend's houses with them all getting stoned, and with my girlfriend still smoking. However for some reason I'm really craving a smoke this evening and I don't really know why. I might have a glass of wine, I suppose.

I am really appreciating dreaming again and being able to concentrate.

Someone please tell me why I want to smoke so much this evening, I can see absolutely no cause.

chippy fucked around with this message at 00:45 on Feb 8, 2011

Shemp The Mighty
Sep 16, 2004

Semper Ubi, Sub Ubi

Teenagers posted:

didn't like how the first 5th of the book was testimonials and back-patting. i like the idea behind it, but i guess that i read it too fast or whatever? didn't seem to take at all. still smoking. i'm going to reread it later and see if it sticks the second time around.

yeah, the "I smoked more than anyone you know and I am always right" aspect is annoying, but it did help me to keep in mind that dude walked away from a 5 pack a day habit ( although I cannot imagine it. That is a every cigarette 15 minutes.).

I think it is a subconscious thing. You program your mind that you are not really giving anything up and that you can enjoy the withdrawals.

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proj
Jan 4, 2010

euthy posted:

I've quit since new years, cold turkey, after smoking for 13 years. It's been easy. Quitting is easy.

I quit around the same time... It wasn't a conscious decision either, i just stopped...

Had rage issues towards the end of the 2nd week, but its all smooth sailing from now on.

Protip: cut down smoking by not taking any to work with you. You will get sick of asking people for cigarettes and people will get sick of giving them to you.

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