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I'm a month and a half in after smoking on/off at least a pack per day for six years. This is either my 10th or 11th time going through the physical withdrawal and it's going to be the last. I still don't feel completely right but running helps. @Rolo & Warthog-it always takes me at least a month before I start dreaming again, and longer before I can think 100%. Good luck everyone. Sooner or later the smell of cigarette smoke will seem just as disgusting to you as it once did.
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Mar 18, 2011 06:23
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My last attempt completely failed and I fell off the wagon. I've had a lung infection which may be bronchitis for the last couple weeks, and every day that I have a cigarette I wake up and it's worse than the day before. This is my third respiratory infection in 6 months; I'm a person who used to get sick once a year. Yesterday I woke up from sleeping short of breath and it felt like my upper lungs and throat were packed with gauze, which caused me to call in to work because I thought I was sick something fierce. I didn't smoke yesterday, woke up today and I can actually breathe again. Time to kick this poo poo. I'm really, really done with it. It's horrible. It's self-destructive masturbation. When you "enjoy" a cigarette you literally pay a cost with your health. There's no 'occasional' or 'social' smoking because smoking is addictive, and if you smoke at all you will smoke more. You become addicted to killing yourself slowly. A cigarette has never advantaged a single person in any way. Also, be aware that Mucinex gives you some hosed up dreams.
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Mar 18, 2011 12:12
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I just can't sleep, quit on Sunday and this entire week have been hell. Free coffee at work is the only thing that keeps me going during the day. I had plans to start working out and quit smoking but I can't summon the energy to do anything. I just wish I could get a good nights sleep.
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Mar 18, 2011 13:52
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zalderach posted:I just can't sleep, quit on Sunday and this entire week have been hell. Free coffee at work is the only thing that keeps me going during the day. I had plans to start working out and quit smoking but I can't summon the energy to do anything. I just wish I could get a good nights sleep. It oscillates for me. One night I will sleep like the dead. Then for about three nights I may as well not even get in loving bed. The lovely night's sleep is one of the worst aspects of quitting, in my opinion. Edit: Also for an energy boost during the day, you might want to try taking B vitamins in the morning. Swoon fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Mar 18, 2011 |
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Mar 18, 2011 14:24
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67 days smoke free and I feel amazing. The first month was the hardest including the fatigue and not being able to sleep. I do still have a minor cough but the best part about quitting is this breath of fresh air I get every time I walk outside. If you are having trouble getting through the withdrawal just stick to it the reward after you make it through is so worth it. My withdrawal was horrible. My face broke out really bad with acne, I couldn't sleep yet I was so fatigued I couldn't do anything. My nose and throat hurt a lot. I made it through and am so glad i didn't fall of the wagon. You can do it goons just think of how much healthier you will be in a year.
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Mar 18, 2011 17:12
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I just had one of those 8hr turned 12.5 hr shifts where nothing went right. I was starving, tired, and was really upset because I almost had to work a Saturday when I had plans. The weather was beautiful too. All these things have been triggers for me. And not only did I not smoke, I didn't even want to. I mean sure, the thought came to mind, but I didn't feel that denial feeling or the need. Not smoking today felt amazing. Realizing that I've been smokefree for 4 days is even better!
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Mar 19, 2011 02:12
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It's officially two weeks today. Still hard but getting noticeably easier now! And my endurance during workouts has already increased dramatically!  I've had a couple of smoker friends ask me my thoughts on quitting overall. I ask them if they want the inspirational answer or the brutal truth. Both answers are true, one is just a bit less spruced up than the other. The inspirational answer is "It was easier than I thought it was going to be." And the brutal truth is "It's really loving hard." Edit: Also the closest I've come to actually entertaining the idea of picking up a cigarette (since quitting obviously) is when I was drinking the other night. I had downed two glasses of Jameson's and cigarettes started to look really good to me. I resisted but it was a close scrape. It made me really angry. But hey, angry + irish whiskey + St Paddy's, I was probably doing it right. Swoon fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Mar 19, 2011 |
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Mar 19, 2011 15:38
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I have been quit for 1 Month, 1 Week, 5 Days, 5 hours, 36 minutes and 20 seconds (40 days). I have saved kr. 2.112,25 by not smoking 1.408 cigarettes. Quitkeeper's first language apparently isn't English. That's $400 btw. 1½ pack a day conservatively. I have cheated a couple of times when drunk  , which has left me with no satisfaction and a lot of shame and remorse. I've been smoking for about 13 years. I am using Chantix. I have also read the Allen Carr book which actually helped to illuminate a lot of things regarding nicotine addiction. This isn't the first time I've tried to quit. There have been numerous times in the past where I've managed to quit for up to 4 months. So this is in no way remarkable. The real test comes when I'm off the meds and and have conveniently forgotten the ill effects of smoking. and then somehow convince myself that just one cigarette won't hurt or that one starter pack (10 cigs) will be a real enjoyment or stress reliever in a certain situation and so on...
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Mar 19, 2011 20:52
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loving poo poo. I have to start over. I lost all my motivation when I got scheduled to work 4 doubles in 7 days, totaling like 11-12 shifts in a week. I couldn't work out at all because I was working or tired, so I went out and bought a pack after almost 4 full weeks of nothing. Back on pretty hard. Going to give it a try either Monday (another double) or Tuesday (off). Life is very depressing sometimes. My mood has been very bad lately, and I'm feeling anti-social as hell which is weird because people see me as more of an A-type.
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Mar 20, 2011 09:43
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After five or so years of intermittent smoking, I guess I'm finally ready to quit for good. Been smoking less for a while, had my last cigarillo five or six days ago. Does anyone else find themselves actually enjoying the craving and twitchiness, in a way? It kind of feels like physical feedback that lets you know the poison is leaving your body both literally and mentally. Thinking of it that way makes the process more satisfying and helps with willpower for me.
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Mar 20, 2011 19:00
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Aardark posted:After five or so years of intermittent smoking, I guess I'm finally ready to quit for good. Been smoking less for a while, had my last cigarillo five or six days ago. I think I have some of this going on, it's like I can feel the toxins draining out of me and that is what makes my body feel like poo poo.
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Mar 20, 2011 20:54
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It's withdrawal, so it means that any so-called "toxins" are already out of your body, and your body is adjusting.
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Mar 20, 2011 21:30
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I've been reading this thread for a while and have noticed that quite a few of the successful quitters report it being easier than they expected. So I did some googling and discovered that in:quote:a large British study of ex-smokers in the 1980s, before the advent of pharmacotherapy, 53% of the ex-smokers said that it was “not at all difficult” to stop, 27% said it was “fairly difficult”, and the remainder found it very difficult http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000216#pmed.1000216-Marsh1 I'm hoping to get some idea what the results might be if I conducted the survey here. Personally, I found quitting easy (if I were to put in it perspective; it's more of a struggle to clean the dishes every night). KingEup fucked around with this message at 04:56 on Mar 21, 2011 |
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Mar 21, 2011 04:54
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I quit roughly a month ago. It was difficult at first, and the 'coughing up brown poo poo' phase was pretty gross, but after that it's been relatively simple. I also like that I'm not spending $7 a day.
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Mar 21, 2011 06:59
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I am coughing up green poo poo, gently caress this. I've been smoking for four years, and never have I started coughing up green poo poo. College ramped up the ol' nicotine addiction, I guess. This time I'll again try cold turkey and hope that I am not an awful subhuman and actually do it.
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Mar 21, 2011 08:41
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Two weeks now going smoke free. A little help from Allen Carr, Wellbutrin SR (can't take Chantix), a lot of will power, and being basically bedridden, I finally have gotten through it. Hardest part easily was day 2 and 3. Felt like I was crawling out of my skin trying to resist the craving, and even trying to sleep through it wasn't exactly pleasant either. I did smoke some weed to help take a little bit of the edge off, and it just feels great making it through the gauntlet of 72. Now it's been great, and I only took two things from Easy Way that will make sure I don't start again. 1.) Pity the smoker, don't envy them. Amazing perspective that I never got during the countless other times I tried to quit or cut back. Just looking at it now I feel exactly how I used to way before I ever started. I just feel bad now that people around me can't quit. 2.) Anytime I get a craving, I just remind myself that I didn't like the smell or the way it felt, just the entire ritual of smoking. Smoking had its perks that I enjoyed (it helped me be a little more social at nightclubs and such) and it did have that little high, but the price was just... not worth it anymore. I was honestly surprised at how easy it got after the nicotine withdrawals were over. I didn't even feel like I had to relearn how to do things without smoke breaks, I just carried on like I had never had one in my life. I went from about 12-20 a day to zero. I haven't even been coughing up brown or green crap either, but that might have something to do with the pot. Either way, loving being an ex.
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Mar 21, 2011 09:22
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I just read Carr's book cover to cover and have decided to quit for good. I quit for about 4 days earlier this year, but was in the state of mind that I was being deprived all 4 days, so that didn't work out. This time I'm definitely going to make it. No good lucks needed, let's just do it.
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Mar 21, 2011 11:03
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It's been one week since I quit! Seriously. With each previous attempt, I've never been able to go more than 4 days without tearing my hair out or cheating. This time? No major pangs, no struggle, no fantasizing about the odd smoke. I'm going to keep using the patch though, because the last thing I want is for this to fail. Whenever I find myself even remotely thinking about smoking, I just tell myself to stop it and think about something else. Now if only my throat will stop hurting. My lungs are already feeling better! edit: nagycky posted:I just read Carr's book cover to cover and have decided to quit for good. I quit for about 4 days earlier this year, but was in the state of mind that I was being deprived all 4 days, so that didn't work out. This time I'm definitely going to make it. No good lucks needed, let's just do it. Carr's book was really helpful with sorting out those urges. You know you can do this. Schistosity fucked around with this message at 11:07 on Mar 21, 2011 |
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Mar 21, 2011 11:04
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I've actually been having a surprisingly easy time quitting smoking, I think I found a method that works incredibly well, at least for me, so I'm going to post it here in the hopes that someone else tries it and it works. The only problem with this method is that it only works while you're at home, you'll have to find something else to do when you're out and about (I carry some Commit lozenges with me, as well as a pack of gum and some kind of snack). Make a list of everything that you need to do around home. Everything you've been procrastinating on. Got a hole in some drywall that needs patching? Need to clean the garage? Organize your closet? A paper you need to write? A loving devil tree covered in thorns in your back yard that you need to cut down? Write all of this down somewhere (I used a big whiteboard, and hanging it on the wall was the first thing on my list). Every time you get the desire to light up, pick something off of the list and do it. The reason for this is threefold:
And also, as everyone else has said, read Alan Carr's book. Soak in every word as the pure, unadulterated truth. Believe in the book. Blunt Force Trauma fucked around with this message at 11:21 on Mar 21, 2011 |
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Mar 21, 2011 11:14
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" - and the best part is, I already patched the drywall, so now I don't have to! I get to breathe a sigh of relief and feel good about something every time I get the desire to smoke.
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Reading Carr's book was the defining moment in my attitude towards smoking. Before when I would try to quit I'd pull a "Let's see how long I can last without one" or "I'll quit when I'm out of college, that seems reasonable." Now I'm actually excited to quit, I have no desire for a cigarette whatsoever when I had been sucking down a pack a day for the past few months. Definitely recommend Easy Way to anyone who feels like their life will be incomplete without smoking.
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Mar 21, 2011 14:56
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KingEup posted:I've been reading this thread for a while and have noticed that quite a few of the successful quitters report it being easier than they expected. So I did some googling and discovered that in: Thanks for posting that, it goes well to back up the assertion "assisted" people without success may want to give unassisted a chance per this post: ChubbyEmoBabe posted:For those who have tried quitting with assistance (nicotine gum, patches, etc) without success: Try giving it 4 days. Cold turkey for 4 days (and no, not thinking "can't wait for the 4th day for a smoke") *or* quitting with assistance for 4 days and then dropping the "assisted" method. I think the pharm industry has done a very good job in making people think their addiction is a "restless leg" that only medication/assistance can solve.
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Mar 21, 2011 17:26
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x
Shitfucker fucked around with this message at 17:26 on May 2, 2012 |
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Mar 21, 2011 19:27
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Aardark posted:After five or so years of intermittent smoking, I guess I'm finally ready to quit for good. Been smoking less for a while, had my last cigarillo five or six days ago. Yeah, I treat the physical withdrawal like a competition with myself. Believe it or not I like the challenge even though I feel like poo poo. I only go back to smoking long after the physical addiction has disappeared.
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Mar 21, 2011 19:40
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So odd thing happening. I finished off my last stage of nicotine patches (7mg) two days ago, and ever since I haven't been able to sleep properly. Whats happening is that I start to fall asleep as normal but just as I'm entering sleep I startle awake, sometimes with my heart pounding. Eventually after a few times the startling stops and I can't really sleep, I just sort of drift in and out for the rest of the night. This didn't happen the last time I quit using the patch and its completely loving me up.
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Mar 21, 2011 20:56
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Sounds like sleep apnea if it happens repeatedly through the night.
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Mar 21, 2011 21:14
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8ender posted:So odd thing happening. I finished off my last stage of nicotine patches (7mg) two days ago, and ever since I haven't been able to sleep properly. The common thread among quitters seems to be weird sleep cycles. I'm just over two weeks quit (cold turkey) and I still have nights very much like what you described a few times a week. Then again I also have nights where I sleep so hard a train wreck wouldn't wake me. (Both extremes are abnormal for me.)
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Mar 21, 2011 22:19
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Quitting smoking in my position is similar to wiping my bum. it's better that I keep on doing it just for the benefit of others around me. But I can also go a month or so without doing one of those and not being bothered by it. You can make your own assumptions on which one I can avoid for that period of time. However, the bottom line is that it feels so good when I decide to do it.  Good luck to all of us.
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Mar 21, 2011 23:25
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StrppngYoungLad posted:@Rolo & Warthog-it always takes me at least a month before I start dreaming again, and longer before I can think 100%. I haven't realized that I haven't been dreaming much, like, at all. More bothersome than anything is me waking up every single night drenched in sweat, no matter the temperature. 53 days today!
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Mar 22, 2011 01:17
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ChubbyEmoBabe posted:Thanks for posting that, it goes well to back up the assertion "assisted" people without success may want to give unassisted a chance per this post: Yeah I know, it's one of the best articles on smoking cessation I've read. The best way to quit certainly seems the have confidence in yourself and 'go it alone' method.
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Mar 22, 2011 02:34
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I quit smoking three years ago this month after having smoked for forty years. I never thought I'd get here, but here I am.
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Mar 22, 2011 03:33
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Was it easier than you expected?
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Mar 22, 2011 04:37
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KingEup posted:Was it easier than you expected? It didn't seem that easy. I failed many times to quit before, but I think the differences this time were that I was strongly motivated due to COPD, and I used Champix (aka Chantix).
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Mar 22, 2011 08:30
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I've posted many times about how I cold turkey'd and it was so easy I barely had to think about it. I failed many times before, the difference was this time I had made up my mind and truly wanted to quit. I had zero withdrawals of any sort. It is easy once you really make the decision; all you have to do is just not smoke anymore. I believe I'm just shy of 3 years 8 months, but it's so long the time span is honestly becoming a bit blurry at this point. I don't even think about cigarettes anymore, unless people around are smoking, but then I just feel bad for them that they haven't beat it yet.
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Mar 22, 2011 09:33
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I have finally managed to kick the habit myself (for at least 5 weeks - 6 this coming Sunday!) Using Nico-bate Lozenges at the moment and they really take the edge off. I was using 4 4mg a day for the first 3 weeks, but now I'm on 3 2mg's a day now. Occasionally 4 if the day is getting really stressful. I found the hardest was not giving up smoking - but rather breaking habits that I had been doing for a really long time - like having a smoke on the way to the bus stop, after dinner etc.
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Mar 22, 2011 16:30
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It's been four months. I'm still quitterated. Haven't even smoked once. None of the triggers have set me off- drinking? Nope. Fight with the ex wife? Nope. Around a big crowd of smokers? Nope. Nothing even makes me seriously consider smoking. I can breathe deeply. I joined a gym. I walk up to 10 miles a day. I am probably in better physical condition, in some ways, than I was at 16 years old- and I'm 36 now. It's amazing how much quitting has changed my life, all for the better. Also, I've saved myself 600 dollars as a result of not smoking. That's a month's rent.
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Mar 23, 2011 04:13
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Rolo posted:I haven't realized that I haven't been dreaming much, like, at all. The best part are the smoking dreams. I have at least one per week and i really enjoy them.
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Mar 23, 2011 04:48
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Toucan Sam posted:The best part are the smoking dreams. I have at least one per week and i really enjoy them. Goddamn the smoking dreams. I can't remember my dreams well enough to remember if I enjoyed the dream, but I remember just enough to wake up feeling guilty and pissed off that I broke my streak. Then I spend the first hour of the day annoyed with this weird thing in the back of my head that I can't figure out, until I remember it was a dream and I didn't actually cave-in. It's weird. Been quit for a bit over two months now, probably nine weeks. I don't know the exact day 'cause my buddy has it on his iQuit app, we quit at the same time. After the first month it really hasn't been bad at all, except for the occasional smoking dream. Luckily I'm at a low stress time in my life, so I was able to minimize any triggers or conditions that would tempt me back into it. Last night was the most I'd been around cigarettes in a while. It wasn't hard to say no, but there was definitely an urge to go for one. I saw some buddies last night that I hadn't seen in a few months (away at college), and lo and behold they're still smoking. For the past two months, when I was getting focused on the straight and narrow, I've been hanging out with non-smokers, and good thing I did because just being around ambient smoke and an available pack is mad tempting. Anyway, I got some gnarly second hand and my jacket smelled like cigarettes, from the lingering smoke, afterwards. But I didn't cave in and I'm glad I didn't, because my jacket smelled like rear end for a few hours. poo poo I can't believe I used to smell like that. My first post in the thread, but I needed to confess my temptation last night. Nice to know that I can be around available cigs and not just cave like a wet noodle. Hang in there, aspiring quitters, it's definitely worth it. Money, time, health, sense of smell... My favorite part is being able to take a deep breath and feeling my lungs actually respond and stretch. Now I just gotta get them back out to where they were n hundred cigs ago.
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Mar 23, 2011 05:03
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Last time I pussied out Not this time! For me not smoking makes me sleep 10x better as my sinuses don't drip nearly as much and I don't cough as much when I lay down. Cool Web Paige fucked around with this message at 07:48 on Mar 23, 2011 |
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Mar 23, 2011 07:08
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I've had a few set backs, but on the whole I'm doing pretty good! Yesterday I was getting incredibly pissed off with the gearbox of an airsoft rifle; spent ages to get it back together and working, and just managed to work myself into more of a fury. Didn't smoke though, even though I was gagging for one! I think that's maybe the worst-case scenario over with, as being annoyed was my go-to reason for popping outside and having a fag. Next hurdle: Friend's 21st birthday night out tomorrow, but I remain hopeful. Edit: Well, I messed up pretty early. I had 3 cigarettes yesterday (24th March), so today I donated £25 to the Red Cross. I can't justify buying a packet now, because the money isn't just lying around. I don't feel the need for a fag today, so I think I my slip up(s) yesterday weren't that disastrous! Abiggoat fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Mar 25, 2011 |
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Mar 23, 2011 13:17
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 18:05 |
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8ender posted:So odd thing happening. I finished off my last stage of nicotine patches (7mg) two days ago, and ever since I haven't been able to sleep properly. Just an update to this: My ability to sleep is slowly returning, and while I'm still not getting a full uninterrupted night I've gone from being unable to sleep at all to being able to sleep for 3-4 hours at a time, which is much appreciated. It really is the strangest thing though.
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Mar 23, 2011 17:04
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