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KingEup posted:You didn't answer my question. Do you stop smoking when you apply the patch? Yup. I have psycho rear end dreams when i sleep already. My worst cravings are right when i wake up, so it'd be nice to get over that, but i think one of the reasons i go for a cig straight out of bed is i'll be very exhausted from dreaming all night. I have a big day tomorrow but tonight to Monday morning is free time so i can give it a run anyway.
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Sep 10, 2011 06:48
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Omgawd posted:Yup. Then apply another patch. The reason you feel bad is probably because you're going through nicotine withdrawal which means you're under-dosing yourself with NRT. Look at the graphs I posted on the last page. Do you drink much coffee or consume any other caffeinated beverages? quote:My worst cravings are right when i wake up, so it'd be nice to get over that, but i think one of the reasons i go for a cig straight out of bed is i'll be very exhausted from dreaming all night. The reason people smoke as soon as they wake up is not because they are exhausted, it's because the body goes through withdrawal each night - it's been starved of nicotine. Oh, and persist with the oral NRT. I don't care if it makes you want to gag at first. Start by replacing every second cigarette with a a microtab or inhaler (or other oral NRT product). This will help you get used to it and the gagging will eventually stop. KingEup fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Sep 10, 2011 |
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Sep 10, 2011 06:59
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refraining from that first cigaret in the morning was always a bitch for me, but its the most important one. Sleeping is the longest most smokers go without one, so not smoking right away adds to this streak. Even if you dont quit its better to have long nicotine free periods.
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Sep 10, 2011 07:01
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TheHistoryChannel posted:Even if you dont quit its better to have long nicotine free periods. No it isn't. That's nonsense. You need to quit smoking completely if you don't want to be at continued risk of smoking related illness. KingEup fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Sep 10, 2011 |
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Sep 10, 2011 07:01
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I never brought my smokes to work, and having had 8 hours per weekday of smoke-free time definitely makes the cravings a bit easier to cope with. However, sleeping doesn't really count since you're not exercising any self control, and I'm not trying to advocate cutting back as a lead-in to quitting. Just quit, you pussy.
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Sep 10, 2011 07:12
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I quit smoking in April 2011 with no slip ups since I decided to quit. I used the patch and it worked pretty well. I still have cravings every day because the three people in my house smoke and many of the friends I have at work are smokers too. This is my 2nd time quitting. I've quit once before in my life and started after having quit for over a year.. It takes a ton of willpower to quit, and it takes as much to stay quit. "You cannot smoke when you're drinking, you cannot smoke with your friends, you cannot smoke... ever. There is no reason to smoke if you've quit because it will only make you start smoking again." This was my mantra to myself to convince me that even something so insignificant as a puff would be the end of all my hard work. Finally, I posted my progress on facebook and telling all my friends I was quitting and wearing my patch openly at work so that I was accountable to my friends and family if I failed and started smoking again.
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Sep 10, 2011 08:09
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Sharkface posted:Finally, I posted my progress on facebook and telling all my friends I was quitting and wearing my patch openly at work so that I was accountable to my friends and family if I failed and started smoking again. This is the best tool for me, by far. For some reason I'm more worried about looking like a bitch to people I know than I am about destroying my health 
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Sep 10, 2011 08:49
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Pharmaskittle posted:This is the best tool for me, by far. For some reason I'm more worried about looking like a bitch to people I know than I am about destroying my health I originally decided to quit because a bunch of people at work were quitting. I'm the only one left out of that group who hasn't started smoking again. It definitely changed my opinion about them a little bit.
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Sep 10, 2011 18:51
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Sharkface posted:I originally decided to quit because a bunch of people at work were quitting. I'm the only one left out of that group who hasn't started smoking again. It definitely changed my opinion about them a little bit. Eh, I'd cut them some slack. I'm hard on myself about the idea of starting smoking again because it works and I'm just kind of like that, but honestly quitting is pretty hard and I don't think it's cool to judge people about it.
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Sep 10, 2011 20:24
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KingEup posted:Then apply another patch. The reason you feel bad is probably because you're going through nicotine withdrawal which means you're under-dosing yourself with NRT. Look at the graphs I posted on the last page. Very little caffeine. I was around 4-6 cups of coffee a day for nearly a year. I cut that out 4-5 months ago and have dramatically reduced my smoking as a result.
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Sep 11, 2011 23:43
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GhostDog posted:I'm on day 10 now, after 20 years of a pack a day. And just like that it's a year later. Still clean, not really thinking about smoking any more at all and very happy about it. Also kinda fat, I have to do something about that... My little quitcounter program popped up reminding me of the anniversary. It also told me that I saved some 2000 euros so far, so I'm going to buy myself something nice tomorrow.
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Sep 11, 2011 23:57
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GhostDog posted:And just like that it's a year later. Still clean, not really thinking about smoking any more at all and very happy about it. Also kinda fat, I have to do something about that... Good work, glad to hear your not even thinking about it anymore. I am now a month free of smoking, I did have a smoke a couple of weeks ago in a drunken moment but the next morning it only reinforced my will to quit. I have still have some serious moments of cravings but they pass quickly and 90% of the time I dont even think about smoking. 
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Sep 13, 2011 23:10
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I went on a 3 week party bender and now I'm smoking again gently caress.
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Sep 14, 2011 22:16
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I realised before that I think yesterday was the first day I got through without thinking about smoking at all, not even once. That's about 7 weeks since I quit, with one break in that for a party about four weeks ago. I was a 10 a day smoker for about 6 years for reference.
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Sep 14, 2011 22:36
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KingEup posted:Why don't you just stay on the patches longer? I might stay on a bit longer. I also know of some people who stayed on them for 6 months, eventually cutting them into 1/2's and 1/4'S. When I wake up in the morning, I want a cigarette about 1/2 the time. If I put on a patch and pop a piece of normal chewing gum, it's gone in 10 minutes. Down to the 7MG patches. Not seeing any major increase or decrease in cravings, but I still have one or two a day, usually after a meal or when stressed. They tend to go away with either a bit of exercise or chewing gum. Almost 2 months! I'm liking it. 
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Sep 15, 2011 04:57
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Why do you think you need to wean yourself off patches? Because you don't. Why are you still smoking? Replace those cigarettes with a nicotine inhaler or other oral NRT product. If you're cravings occur in the morning, put your patch on before bed, set your alarm to go off a half our before it usually would, reach over and pop a microtab under your tongue, hit snooze and go back to sleep for half an hour. By the time you get out of bed you should be fully loaded on nicotine and free of cravings. If you are still craving, GIVE YOURSELF MORE NICOTINE (from NRT products). KingEup fucked around with this message at 11:56 on Sep 15, 2011 |
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Sep 15, 2011 11:47
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Been trying to quit off and on for a couple weeks now but kept either running into really rough events that I "needed" smokes to get through or just kept succumbing to the addiction voice and its rationalizations. Putting my foot down now; all the other stuff going on in my life could be made a lot easier if I had more energy and confidence from beating the addiction. I've got some 2mg lozenges but I'm trying to avoid using them as in the past when I've stopped smoking successfully for 6-8 months at a time I just went cold turkey. Patches just kept me at the "climbing the walls" period for weeks on end when I tried them.
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Sep 17, 2011 00:10
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KingEup posted:Why do you think you need to wean yourself off patches? I haven't been smoking. I still get the occasional craving, a couple of times a day, but I have not had a cigarette since July the 18th. I'll make the decision next weekend as to whether or not to continue the patches or add in anything else. Right now, they seem to be working fairly well, but I'm getting close to the end of the proscribed time of using them. I may choose to continue them, but not sure yet.
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Sep 17, 2011 16:26
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blackmet posted:I haven't been smoking. I still get the occasional craving, a couple of times a day, but I have not had a cigarette since July the 18th. Honestly, you're going to have to get over cravings at some point anyway. You ultimate goal is to get rid of the nicotine in your system, and that will never happen if you're still on the patch. Pop off the patch, keep the gum/lozenge for emergencies, and just quit. If you're out of your habitual craving (After dinner/driving/most morning smokes) then get over the physical cravings and be done with it.
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Sep 18, 2011 14:23
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Two months since I quit, and I'm still quit.  I definitely still get occasional pangs of "man a cigarette would be nice now," but it's more habitually / socially influenced than an actual nicotine craving as far as I can tell. I also don't find myself walking behind smokers on the sidewalk to get secondhand smoke anymore either.
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Sep 18, 2011 16:55
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Three days into the quit. Quite determined. Ive been smoking on/off since I was about 16.5, Now 22. Longest quit period was 6 months in that time. Often 2-3 cigarettes a day but spiked heavily during weekends/when drinking and the last year or so I would be around half pack a day. Getting a good amount of exercise and hitting up the green tea/water seems to help wonders ^_^ Lemonus fucked around with this message at 00:36 on Sep 19, 2011 |
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Sep 18, 2011 22:58
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Day 3 on my final attempt at quitting smoking (because I'm actually going to quit this time). On Chantix. It's a fun little drug. The dreams are intense. I keep waiting for the sex dreams, but so far it's been me living in the books I read, which is messed up if you're into steamy romance novels or something... I'm more determined than ever to be done with this. I find myself constantly doing other things to keep busy. My house is spotless. I'm ripping out large foliage in the yard. My dogs are being walked constantly. I'm painting walls in the house. Basically, I'm a handy man all of a sudden. Mookake fucked around with this message at 13:07 on Sep 20, 2011 |
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Sep 20, 2011 12:51
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Posting as Mookake's quitting cheer section. I know you can do it, it's worth it. I smoked for ~9 years, in the 1 1/2 pack/day range. I quit cold turkey in January 2005, and had a panic attack the 2nd night during which I was convinced I was going to die. Whenever I think about having a smoke, I remember mentally preparing myself for death and talk myself out of it. That being said, I still get the urge to have a cigarette when stressed, and sometimes when I wake up, but I won't. Plus if I have a cig, my wife will kick me out of the house and burn my stuff. Sadly, my reasoning for quitting had nothing to do with the health aspects of it. I simply figured out that I was spending $1500/year on something that made me smell bad, was terrible for me, and made me a social pariah. When I quit, a pack was $3.50 or so, they're about $6.00 now, so I would probably be in the $2500/year range now. Ugh. If you're in this thread, I'm proud of you. It's tough to quit, but you can do it!
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Sep 20, 2011 14:05
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Phosgene is my biggest supporter/my emergency call for the "OH SH*T!!!! I want a smoke so bad!" I recommend one of those if you don't have one. I started smoking when I was 17. I'm 31 now. I was up to 1-2 packs a day depending on the day. I look forward to saving the 2400 bucks from not smoking. I'm quitting for money reasons as well, but I do miss how healthy I was in my youth. Ultimately, I'd like to get to a point where I can tie my shoes without being winded or needing a smoke afterwards.
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Sep 20, 2011 14:09
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I'm gonna hop on this quit smoking train. Started when I was 19, went on and off again for a few years, then started smoking heavily when I was 21, quit for 6 months started again, quit for 11 months, now started again after going on a trip to Vegas (What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas my rear end!  ) On day 3 and doing pretty well, hope I can keep it up.
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Sep 21, 2011 21:42
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Been smoking for over 10 years, more than 20 a day and am on day 3 of quitting. I am using the following method: 1. My dear friend allows me one fag a day at lunch time. If I ask for a fag, he tells me to shut up. I did nearly kill him when I begged for a fag when I got some bad news out of the blue and he said 'no'. + 2. I'm using the spray, not the patch. The spray works pretty good (it tastes like Evil), but I have slipped up in that I was chewing a hole in my finger and missed the smoking action. I have done about 10 fags a day for the past couple of days. I'm pretty confident that I can just do one or none today. I haven't really tried to quit before and having my pal guilting/cheering me has been a great help. Hope my friend doesn't find out I slipped or I probably won't get laid tonight. I decided not to use the patch, because it never worked for anyone I know and the spray allows you to control your nicotine intake better. I'm also getting very little or no morning cravings, which is very helpful. My mouth feels kind of gross and sore, though. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 07:02
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VoodooSchmoodoo posted:I decided not to use the patch, because it never worked for anyone I know and the spray allows you to control your nicotine intake better. I'm also getting very little or no morning cravings, which is very helpful. You can use the patch in combination with the spray. It's better for you to use a combination of products. Look at graphs: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3230647&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=39#post395131420 quote:Short and long term abstinence rates show that the combination of using a nicotine patch for 5 months with a nicotine nasal spray for 1 year is a more effective method of stopping smoking than using a patch only. http://www.bmj.com/content/318/7179/285.full quote:Nicotine intake from nicotine gum, nicotine nasal spray and nicotine inhalers is on average even lower than that delivered by nicotine patches (Benowitz et al., 1987, 1997). http://www.phillycopd.com/PDF/EC06_Benowitz_Suppression%20of%20Nicotine%20Intake%20by%20NRT.pdf e.g. Cigarette vs inhaler:  Why is it so hard to persuade nicotine junkies to use more nicotine!? KingEup fucked around with this message at 09:08 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 08:26
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On day 12 right now, been using 4mg lozenges, apart from 3 or 4 days of being a grumpy bastard it's been okay. Got a bit of a worry coming up though, I'm going out drinking on Saturday. I'm 28, smoked since 14, I don't think I've ever drank without smoking. I'm actually getting stressed out just thinking about it. Does anyone have any advice on how to get through the night?
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Sep 22, 2011 09:34
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Don't drink. Don't go to smoky bars. Failing that, find a hot chick at the bar who doesn't smoke and hang on her all night instead
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Sep 22, 2011 13:14
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Don't go. Being aware of your triggers and consequently avoiding them is a big help in getting off the addiction. Willpower (a somewhat disputed concept in psychology anyway) is not going to get you over it, in fact it has been shown that people convinced of their ability to just supress cravings are far more likely to succumb to them, since they don't make a conscious effort to avoid getting into tempting situations. Just stay away for a few weeks until the worst is over. Edit: dstyle posted:Failing that, find a hot chick at the bar who doesn't smoke and hang on her all night instead Or this, if she happens to like grumpy and irritable bastards. GhostDog fucked around with this message at 13:17 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 13:15
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The reason I know I've finally quit for good: after years of pack-a-day bullshit, I was completely drained of energy every evening, and had become a lacklustre lay. And I used to be so energetic! It took one screw with a new girl to realise that I have to stop, forever. Now, no smoking+regular exercise=feel amazing, all the time. Girls are the best motivator.
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Sep 22, 2011 13:32
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Hey thread, I've read the last 10 pages or so but apologies if this has been covered before. As an ex-smoker (smoked around 12 years, been quit around 2 now) I'm really interested in this subject and I try to help people I know, without being that guy. KingEup you seem to really know your poo poo with regards to nicotine replacement and you seem keen on recommending people to get as much nicotine as they need to replace the cigarettes. But does this not then lead to them still being addicted to nicotine and going back to smoking when they come off the patch/gum/inhaler/whatever form of NRT? I quit after reading Allen Carr's book so a lot of my info on NRT and stopping smoking are based on that book. Although I don't fully credit that with my stopping - I was ready to quit myself at that time when I read the book and I think that is really key to the whole thing, if you are not 100% in your own mind that you WANT to stop smoking, I think it makes the whole process so much harder. Anyway, great thread and good to see people getting advice and encouragement, it really does make your life so much better when you are free of smoking
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Sep 22, 2011 13:47
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Xillah posted:Does anyone have any advice on how to get through the night? Don't go out. If your friends give you crap, then they aren't your friends. I've had to pass on a few occasions at bars recently. Some people I know respect my decision. Others don't understand, either because they're too selfish to see that my smoking is an issue for me, or they're just plain retarded. Find other ways of spending time with people. Try something new. Hike, camp, play a sport, watch porn, anything that doesn't trigger your "need" to smoke. I've changed a lot of my old routine. It's tough, but that's what smoking has done to me, it's changed who I am. Forgot to throw in here: Day 5 of no smoking. I haven't killed anyone yet. Most urges don't get to me. It's amazing how things taste now. Mookake fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 18:11
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Thanks for the input guys, pretty much what I was expecting. As my other half isn't up for the idea of me finding a cute girl we're going to show our faces for an hour then go out for a meal instead. I'm quite confident I can have a couple of pints without stressing, no smoking in bars here. I've actually started using my gym membership to occupy my time on an evening, not doing loads it's just something to keep me busy on an evening (have dropped 6lbs since quitting). It actually dawned on my that I've saved over £80 since quitting, probably more since I've been brown bagging it to prevent me having the opportunity to withdraw smoke money
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Sep 22, 2011 20:54
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Xillah posted:I've actually started using my gym membership to occupy my time on an evening, not doing loads it's just something to keep me busy on an evening (have dropped 6lbs since quitting). This is awesome! I'm the exact opposite. I'm constantly moving around and trying to keep active, but the hunger...oh the hunger. Xillah posted:It actually dawned on my that I've saved over £80 since quitting, probably more since I've been brown bagging it to prevent me having the opportunity to withdraw smoke money I love this part. The money saved is exactly why I'm quitting.
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Sep 22, 2011 22:22
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Mookake posted:This is awesome! I'm the exact opposite. I'm constantly moving around and trying to keep active, but the hunger...oh the hunger. At about 10-11am I've been having some porridge with a kiddy size bag of raisins stirred in (normally would nip out for a couple of ciggies around then). Fills you up, tastes okay and costs next to nothing. Better than a packet of crisps or chocolate bar if weight gain is a concern. If you're in a job where you can do that try it for a few days and see how it works for you. I find it keeps me going for a while so I end up having a later than normal lunch. I've mixed up my routine a bit during the day, given the heavy mid morning snack I have a late working lunch (home made salad mon-thur then a big loving bacon, sausage, mushroom sandwich delivered from a place next to work on a Friday). I have a wander at about 3pm, generally to a park near the office - it's basically in the opposite direction from anywhere I would normally go and there is nowhere I can by cigarettes. Been thinking about using the extra cash to buy protein supplements and that poo poo but that's a Q&A for another thread. Would be nice to turn my A cup into something more like pecs [STEALTH EDIT] been working with the 4mg lozenges, went to the store tonight knowing I would run out of them over the weekend and impulse bought 2mg ones. Do you think it is to soon go (move?) down. Should I give it a try and see how it goes? A pack of 72 lozenges cost £7 and lasts ma a week, 20 ciggies are about £6.50 and last me a day so I'm not to concerned about having to buy another packet of 4mg. Sorry if I'm making GBS threads up the thread by asking questions that have been answered a dozen times already, this seems like more of a self help one so I didn't think you guys would mind. Xillah fucked around with this message at 23:23 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 23:11
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Xillah posted:At about 10-11am I've been having some porridge with a kiddy size bag of raisins stirred in (normally would nip out for a couple of ciggies around then). Fills you up, tastes okay and costs next to nothing. Better than a packet of crisps or chocolate bar if weight gain is a concern. If you're in a job where you can do that try it for a few days and see how it works for you. I find it keeps me going for a while so I end up having a later than normal lunch. I do a small bowl of instant oatmeal or an oatmeal bar. Not the healthiest, but the whole grains do fill me up (not to mention the pot of coffee). Lunch varies, but it's normally some sort of wrap (chicken or turkey) from a store upstairs from my office. This will normally get me by until I get home. It's at home where I have the biggest issues. I clean, start projects, finish other projects, clean more. Yet I still find that the hunger is there. I've started chugging a glass of water every time I get the urge now. It's a good filler. Xillah posted:Been thinking about using the extra cash to buy protein supplements and that poo poo but that's a Q&A for another thread. Would be nice to turn my A cup into something more like pecs I've been saving my money for a bigger bed. The twin is a bit crowded... Xillah posted:[STEALTH EDIT] been working with the 4mg lozenges, went to the store tonight knowing I would run out of them over the weekend and impulse bought 2mg ones. Do you think it is to soon go (move?) down. Should I give it a try and see how it goes? A pack of 72 lozenges cost £7 and lasts ma a week, 20 ciggies are about £6.50 and last me a day so I'm not to concerned about having to buy another packet of 4mg. I don't know much about the lozenges, but the key is to see if they help the cravings for you at any point in time. Even if you waited longer, they may not do the trick. You can always go back to the 4mg and save the 2mg for later.
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Sep 22, 2011 23:47
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Mookake posted:...(not to mention the pot of coffee).... Just curious, has your coffee intake changed? I've gone from having one on the go constantly between about 7am and 5pm to 2-4 cups a day, seriously I was having over a dozen cups a day. I'm finding myself a little less lethargic. I hasn't been something I thought about over the last couple of weeks. Mornings are still a bastard, I need my go juice. Having one just before I leave work seems to make the gym a bit easier.
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Sep 23, 2011 00:14
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Xillah posted:Just curious, has your coffee intake changed? I've gone from having one on the go constantly between about 7am and 5pm to 2-4 cups a day, seriously I was having over a dozen cups a day. I'm finding myself a little less lethargic. I have a little 4 cup coffeemaker on my desk at work. I usually go through 2 pots of that a day...normally before 10 am. It was that way before smoking, and has been that way so far this week. I'll have to wait and see if it slows down or picks up in the future. One vice at a time I suppose.
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Sep 23, 2011 00:32
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KingEup posted:Helpful info... I do understand what you're saying. It's just that even without smoking I have the weirdest dreams that disturb my sleep, so I was worried about having too much nicotine because it makes it worse. I only had one fag yesterday! Hoorah!
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Sep 23, 2011 07:42
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