Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
mactheknife
Jul 20, 2004

THE JOLLY CANDY-LIKE BUTTON

Twat McTwatterson posted:

Thank you for recognizing that smoking a plastic cigarette that gives you nicotine is in fact still smoking.

Don't plan on getting another one of them. Didn't really do much for me besides satisfy the motor addiction. Barely felt any nicotine at all and that poo poo tastes goddamned weird.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Boner Slam
May 9, 2005

mactheknife posted:

Don't plan on getting another one of them. Didn't really do much for me besides satisfy the motor addiction. Barely felt any nicotine at all and that poo poo tastes goddamned weird.

why do you even do it, then?

We do a lot of stuff and justify it, but it is important to reckognize that most of th things related to smoking make no sense at all, objectively. We are really, really good at lying to ourselves, though.

WARDUKE
Sep 18, 2012

Muscly armed warrior with glowing eyes and shit.
I kept getting bad sinus infections after smoking for a several years whenever allergy season came around (Cedar). On one doctor visit to get some meds for that, I mentioned wanting to quit, and he prescribed Zyban to help (this was quite a long time ago).

That really cut my desire to smoke to the point where I just didn't have the urge at all. Not sure if that is something that is still suggested, or if there are better products out there, but if you are having problems quitting, and have tried all the patch/lozenge/gum stuff already, you might want to check with your doctor.

mactheknife
Jul 20, 2004

THE JOLLY CANDY-LIKE BUTTON

Boner Slam posted:

why do you even do it, then?

We do a lot of stuff and justify it, but it is important to reckognize that most of th things related to smoking make no sense at all, objectively. We are really, really good at lying to ourselves, though.

Because satisfying the motor addiction was nice.

Ran out of juice last night so now it's back to no nicotine at all, feelin' fine so far. Despite my trial of the e-cig thing, my urge to smoke actual cigarettes has been more or less zero for the month or so I've been smoke-free.

CupBoy
Aug 7, 2002

It's a bloody cup.

Skarsnik posted:

Thats great and all, but if you give up the nicotine, you'll feel picked up all the time. At this point, all you're doing is easing a craving. It's not a pick me up, whatever you convince yourself

When this finally clicked in my head, my motivation to quit increased tenfold. It's just so hard to acknowledge that the cigs aren't giving you a boost of whatever and that they're just keeping you down when you're not smoking. Going on 6 years and 8 weeks now. Moving to a new city with a new non-smoking girlfriend definitely helped too, though.

I also read Allen Carr's book after recommendations here on SA (must've been 7 years ago or so). While I didn't manage to quit then it did help me change how I viewed my smoking habit.

You guys rock, keep on not smoking!

Bulgogi Hoagie
Jun 1, 2012

We
Hello goons quitting smoking, I am a non-smoker, however, many of my friends do smoke, and I do stand near them and socialize while they're at it.

My question is, do the clouds of poisonous chemicals they emit in my face actually hurt me more or as much as if I actually smoked myself?

Gothmog1065
May 14, 2009

Lichy posted:

Hello goons quitting smoking, I am a non-smoker, however, many of my friends do smoke, and I do stand near them and socialize while they're at it.

My question is, do the clouds of poisonous chemicals they emit in my face actually hurt me more or as much as if I actually smoked myself?

It really depends on how much you're inhaling. The smoke from the tip is the worst. What comes out of their nose/mouths isn't bad, but it's not good.

Basically if you're not in an enclosed room or they're not breathing directly into your face it shouldn't be too bad.

Hoekie
Apr 22, 2010
Got to day four then had a cigarette this morning. Then threw out the pack. Back to day one :smith:

Black Cat
Mar 22, 2012
Long post incoming. Google hasn't turned up any information on this topic and I'd like to know more so hopefully goons can help me out.

There's going to be a lot of personal experience here, and plenty of :tinfoil: to go around.

I'm pretty convinced cigarettes of different brands have distinct noticeable effects. The most obvious would be regular cigarettes compared to all natural cigarettes. Also tobacco companies are utilizing the same techniques drug dealers use to make crack out of cocaine. Marlboro is 9% "crack" nicotine, American Spirits are around 36% if I remember right. Camels are somewhere around 3%. This information is a decade old.

Here are my experiences:

Back a couple years ago, I'd occasionally switch to natural cigarettes, usually American Spirits, for about a week or so. After a while I noticed that, immediately following the switch, I craved cigarettes more. I wouldn't turn into a fiend or anything, but I'd always have that itching urge to smoke, even five minutes after I just finished one. This would always last two or three days, and my cravings would revert to the standard nicotine addiction. I assumed this was an addiction to whatever chemicals the Tobacco companies would use.

A year ago I tried very, very hard to quit. I'd been smoking nothing but American Spirits for months and still couldn't kick the addiction. During this period I hit levels of laying in bed, on the verge of tears, with suicidal thoughts. After a few months I finally googled up some information on American Spirits and discovered how hard they are to quit.

After that I smoked Camel Blues for about a year. I tried to switch to Winstons (natural) but they murdered my throat. Skydancers are another natural brand but they're horrible in just about every way. If cigarettes were food Skydancers would be stale ramen.

In the last six months, I've tried to switch to skydancers to help me quit. Every time I've not only got the chemical addiction crazies of old but I've become extremely irrationally angry. Like if someone cut me off on the road I'd want to follow them and curb stomp their face into oblivion. I'd want to bodyslam toddlers, even while still smoking natural cigarettes.

In the last two weeks motivation to quit has come on pretty strong again. A couple weeks ago I decided my last pack would be some Marlboro Lights and I ended up throwing half of them away. I stopped smoking for more than 16 hours four times, hitting my new record of 32 hours without smoking. One cool thing about that is I noticed the crazies either held constant or maybe even calmed down after about 16 hours. I was even able to drive to the grocery store on that second day (I can't drive at all once I'm withdrawing hard enough).

I've stayed on the Marlboro lights for the following week. I ran out and bummed a Camel Light last night and it caused all sorts of nausea and throat pain to come back after one cigarette. They apparently give me a lot of upper throat/back of mouth pain. At best I feel a tingling in the back of my mouth, at worst its like constant needles pricking me. I also get a bad gag reflex and need gum to keep my throat open.

None of this happens with the Marlboro's, although I still get a little throat pain if I smoke too often.

I got some domestic stresses out of the way last week and I just finished a very stressful work week. During work though I got the irrational anger back full swing, even while smoking a normal quantity of cigarettes. I'm still feeling a little distracted, empty headed, and fidgety, although I'm not angry at anything so maybe I'm at the end of that. All of this has me wanting to chain smoke though. I'm going to take it easy tonight, get some netflix going, and push into a quit attempt, but for seemingly no reason I'm speedy as gently caress. I've worked out and went to the pool today. I think I'm going to go for a run after this post.

I wish more information was about this was on Google. It'd help me figure out what I needed to do to quit but it'd also deter people from starting smoking. Its like I'm having to self-medicate myself and every type of medicine is horrible in a different way.

Oh and I've come across most of these conclusions by analyzing past experiences, so its not a self-fulfilling prophecy. I feel pretty stupid going a month or two of wanting to kill someone every time I switch to a natural cigarette without noticing why I feel that way. I've never had anger issues in my life and I've never really been one to be considered crazy, however maybe I am a nutjob :sigh:

Twat McTwatterson
May 31, 2011

Black Cat posted:

Long post incoming. Google hasn't turned up any information on this topic and I'd like to know more so hopefully goons can help me out.

There's going to be a lot of personal experience here, and plenty of :tinfoil: to go around.

I'm pretty convinced cigarettes of different brands have distinct noticeable effects. The most obvious would be regular cigarettes compared to all natural cigarettes. Also tobacco companies are utilizing the same techniques drug dealers use to make crack out of cocaine. Marlboro is 9% "crack" nicotine, American Spirits are around 36% if I remember right. Camels are somewhere around 3%. This information is a decade old.

Here are my experiences:

Back a couple years ago, I'd occasionally switch to natural cigarettes, usually American Spirits, for about a week or so. After a while I noticed that, immediately following the switch, I craved cigarettes more. I wouldn't turn into a fiend or anything, but I'd always have that itching urge to smoke, even five minutes after I just finished one. This would always last two or three days, and my cravings would revert to the standard nicotine addiction. I assumed this was an addiction to whatever chemicals the Tobacco companies would use.

A year ago I tried very, very hard to quit. I'd been smoking nothing but American Spirits for months and still couldn't kick the addiction. During this period I hit levels of laying in bed, on the verge of tears, with suicidal thoughts. After a few months I finally googled up some information on American Spirits and discovered how hard they are to quit.

After that I smoked Camel Blues for about a year. I tried to switch to Winstons (natural) but they murdered my throat. Skydancers are another natural brand but they're horrible in just about every way. If cigarettes were food Skydancers would be stale ramen.

In the last six months, I've tried to switch to skydancers to help me quit. Every time I've not only got the chemical addiction crazies of old but I've become extremely irrationally angry. Like if someone cut me off on the road I'd want to follow them and curb stomp their face into oblivion. I'd want to bodyslam toddlers, even while still smoking natural cigarettes.

In the last two weeks motivation to quit has come on pretty strong again. A couple weeks ago I decided my last pack would be some Marlboro Lights and I ended up throwing half of them away. I stopped smoking for more than 16 hours four times, hitting my new record of 32 hours without smoking. One cool thing about that is I noticed the crazies either held constant or maybe even calmed down after about 16 hours. I was even able to drive to the grocery store on that second day (I can't drive at all once I'm withdrawing hard enough).

I've stayed on the Marlboro lights for the following week. I ran out and bummed a Camel Light last night and it caused all sorts of nausea and throat pain to come back after one cigarette. They apparently give me a lot of upper throat/back of mouth pain. At best I feel a tingling in the back of my mouth, at worst its like constant needles pricking me. I also get a bad gag reflex and need gum to keep my throat open.

None of this happens with the Marlboro's, although I still get a little throat pain if I smoke too often.

I got some domestic stresses out of the way last week and I just finished a very stressful work week. During work though I got the irrational anger back full swing, even while smoking a normal quantity of cigarettes. I'm still feeling a little distracted, empty headed, and fidgety, although I'm not angry at anything so maybe I'm at the end of that. All of this has me wanting to chain smoke though. I'm going to take it easy tonight, get some netflix going, and push into a quit attempt, but for seemingly no reason I'm speedy as gently caress. I've worked out and went to the pool today. I think I'm going to go for a run after this post.

I wish more information was about this was on Google. It'd help me figure out what I needed to do to quit but it'd also deter people from starting smoking. Its like I'm having to self-medicate myself and every type of medicine is horrible in a different way.

Oh and I've come across most of these conclusions by analyzing past experiences, so its not a self-fulfilling prophecy. I feel pretty stupid going a month or two of wanting to kill someone every time I switch to a natural cigarette without noticing why I feel that way. I've never had anger issues in my life and I've never really been one to be considered crazy, however maybe I am a nutjob :sigh:

I don't want to be mean, good job on wanting to quit.

But you're going on like a loving moron about this. Get counseling help or something. Quitting tobacco is a bitch, but not like you're talking about. You got other issues.

HATE TROLL TIM
Dec 14, 2006

Black Cat posted:

I'm pretty convinced cigarettes of different brands have distinct noticeable effects. The most obvious would be regular cigarettes compared to all natural cigarettes. Also tobacco companies are utilizing the same techniques drug dealers use to make crack out of cocaine. Marlboro is 9% "crack" nicotine, American Spirits are around 36% if I remember right. Camels are somewhere around 3%. This information is a decade old.

American Spirits have more nicotine in them than pretty much any other cigarette on the market. 1.5mg/cig, if I remember right. Nicotine is a stimulant. They don't cook them up like crack, I have no idea where you're getting this from, but it's flat out wrong and shows some pretty irrational thinking on your part. I think you may need some professional help.

Black Cat posted:

A year ago I tried very, very hard to quit. I'd been smoking nothing but American Spirits for months and still couldn't kick the addiction. During this period I hit levels of laying in bed, on the verge of tears, with suicidal thoughts. After a few months I finally googled up some information on American Spirits and discovered how hard they are to quit.

You have other major mental health problems going on. Go see a psychiatrist (not a psychologist) ASAP.

Black Cat posted:

however maybe I am a nutjob :sigh:

Yes. Get help please! :ohdear:

KingEup
Nov 18, 2004
I am a REAL ADDICT
(to threadshitting)


Please ask me for my google inspired wisdom on shit I know nothing about. Actually, you don't even have to ask.

Black Cat posted:

Also tobacco companies are utilizing the same techniques drug dealers use to make crack out of cocaine. Marlboro is 9% "crack" nicotine, American Spirits are around 36% if I remember right. Camels are somewhere around 3%.

Is this what you are talking about?

quote:

Ammonia-forming compounds are routinely added to cigarette tobacco. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has argued that this is done to promote the formation of the volatile free-base form of nicotine in mainstream smoke (MSS) particles, thus increasing its availability to the smoker.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es970402f

quote:

Increased knowledge about cigarette additives makes it clear that modern cigarettes are very different from cigarettes of the past, in that they have been extensively engineered to be delivery devices for nicotine and other ingredients. Evidence from tobacco industry documents indicates that additives have been used to increase free base nicotine and addiction potential and to mask and treat symptoms.

Our results indicate that more than 100 of 599 documented cigarette additives have pharmacological actions. Previous research18,21,22 has documented extensive efforts by the tobacco industry to use additives to mask the presence of ETS by reducing the visibility, odor, and irritability of tobacco smoke. Similar to the findings of previous studies, our results show that the tobacco industry used additives (1) that enhance or maintain nicotine delivery and could increase the addictiveness of cigarettes and (2) that mask symptoms and illnesses associated with smoking behavior.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2040350/

quote:

Nicotine is the primary constituent of cigarette smoke responsible for dependence but other components may play a role. Carbon monoxide (CO) is one candidate since it is synthesized endogenously with multiple physiological effects. This investigation was conducted to determine whether CO alters cravings associated with cigarette smoke withdrawal.

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/16066359.2011.583701

KingEup fucked around with this message at 08:58 on Sep 25, 2012

Black Cat
Mar 22, 2012
Yup that's it.

I've never been one to get depressed or even angry. Its only during nicotine withdrawals. Without considering the usual negatives of smoking, I function just fine while being a smoker. I can't afford psychologists anyway.

I googled this website up real fast as a little background of what I'm talking about, KingEup hit most of it though.

http://whyfiles.org/183smoking/2.html

jax
Jun 18, 2001

I love my brick.
Sounds a bit :tinfoil: but yeah thats a thing, "delivery devices for nicotine". Fuckers.

The Insider is a good watch.

MercuryDragon
Dec 10, 2011

Master Arsonist
Thankfully, I've never been a smoker, though I know several people that have had to go through a hard struggle to quit.

I did come across one passage from a textbook (Influence: Science and Practice by Robert B. Cialdini) that actually did make a lot of sense. In the book, he describes how one San Diego woman told him how she quit smoking by a public promise.

"I remember it was after I heard about another scientific study showing that smoking causes cancer. Every time one of those things came out, I used to get determined to quit, but I never could. This time, though, I decided I had to do something. I'm a proud person. It matters to me if other people see me in a bad light. So I thought, "Maybe I can use that pride to help me dump this drat habit." So I made a list of all the people who I really wanted to respect me. Then I went out and got some blank business cards and I wrote on the back of each card, "I promise you that I will never smoke another cigarette."

Within a week, I had given or sent a signed card to everybody on my list - my dad, my bother back East, my boss, my best girlfriend, my ex-husband, everybody but one - the guy I was dating then. I was just crazy about him, and I really wanted him to value me as a person. Believe me, I thought twice about giving him a card because I knew that if I couldn't keep my promise to him I'd die. But one day at the office - he worked in the same building as I did - I just walked up to him, handed him the card, and walked away without saying anything.

Quitting "cold turkey" was the hardest thing I've ever done. There must have been a thousand times when I thought I had to have a smoke. But whenever that happened, I'd just picture how all the people on my list would think less of me if I couldn't stick to my guns. And that's all it took, I've never taken another puff."


Definitely sounds like a method worth trying.

Gothmog1065
May 14, 2009

Black Cat posted:

Yup that's it.

I've never been one to get depressed or even angry. Its only during nicotine withdrawals. Without considering the usual negatives of smoking, I function just fine while being a smoker. I can't afford psychologists anyway.

I googled this website up real fast as a little background of what I'm talking about, KingEup hit most of it though.

http://whyfiles.org/183smoking/2.html

If you're getting that violently angry when you quit, there's something else going on. Unless you're exaggerating pretty heavily, you might not be able to quit by yourself without professional help. Most therapists have some sort of sliding scale on payments and prices.

I got really frustrated with the world, but I never suddenly switched to violence mode when I quit. Just bitchy.

Dead.juice
Dec 14, 2011

Sexier than assless chaps
I'm really happy to see this thread here, it's inspired me to start really fighting to quit.

I read this last night, and had a last midnight cigarette before going to bed. (my uncle had quit the same way)
The next morning, I was surprised that I didn't have my usual morning cravings. I went and messed it up by smoking a cigarette, but I didn't even consider how well that worked for a kick start to quitting.
I'm going to try again tonight, and I'm going to keep reading this thread because it's really helping me.

vez veces
Dec 15, 2006

The engineer blew the whistle,
and the fireman rung the bell.
I quit 5 days ago and I'm using the patch. I didn't plan to quit, but I was sick and I just decided, right after I had my morning cigarette and a huge coughing fit, that I was done.

Right after someone close to you dies, you catch yourself thinking that you'll walk into the next room and they'll be there like always. It takes time for the reality to sink in. The past few days have been like that with cigarettes.

"Just got off work, time for a smoke. Wait, I don't smoke anymore. Motherfucker."

Yesterday was the first day I was angry that I couldn't smoke. Just flat out irritable.

Today is better.

Scrum
Dec 12, 2003

All I got for Christmas was this shitty custom title.
Quit September 2nd. Been doing it cold-turkey ever since. No NRT, gum, anything. I found it surprisingly empowering how easy it's been so far. It was nothing like I imagined it would be in terms of difficulty.

I smoked a pack a day for the past 12 years.

Keep it up goons. You can do it. The cravings go away, don't give into them. They get weaker and weaker. Everything you do in life is habit, just get past the first 30 days and the psychological habit of firing up a cigarette after certain occasions will go away. You'll eventually get used to not smoking after meals, etc.

Abisteen
Sep 30, 2005

Oh my God what the fuck am I?
I have not really followed this thread in the past but I just want to share and give some support to goons who may be on the verge of trying to quit.

I started smoking about 8 years ago and quickly ramped up to a pack a day. About two and a half years ago I switched to Snus and hardly touched another cigarette after that point.

On Sunday, Sept 16, I finished my last can of snus of my current order, and had not ordered any more. I decided it was time to give this poo poo a real try to get off of nicotine for good.

Monday. Was. Hell. I was in a vaguely confused and agitated state for the whole day. Tuesday was a bit better. By Wednesday, most of the cravings were gone and it was just the physical *reach for Snus can, realize it is gone, have a moment of anxiety, then relax* That is still happening occasionally, but only once or twice a day now about a week and a half later.

When I really get a craving, I have just been telling myself that I am not going to let a loving plant control my brain. Every day it gets easier.

Congrats to all the goons in this thread who have kicked the habit, with or without NRT. If it was with, hopefully you are able to give it up completely someday if that is your goal.

Black Cat
Mar 22, 2012

Dead.juice posted:

I'm really happy to see this thread here, it's inspired me to start really fighting to quit.

I read this last night, and had a last midnight cigarette before going to bed. (my uncle had quit the same way)
The next morning, I was surprised that I didn't have my usual morning cravings. I went and messed it up by smoking a cigarette, but I didn't even consider how well that worked for a kick start to quitting.
I'm going to try again tonight, and I'm going to keep reading this thread because it's really helping me.

The whole "last cigarette" concept is a bit confounding to me. I've tried to quit so many times that its kind of watered down the idea of "the last cigarette." Also, it seems a bit melodramatic. If you wanted to lose weight, you wouldn't sit on the porch, slowly savoring your last soda, while hearing a sad violin melody in the background. When school or a job requires you to wake up earlier, you don't stand outside at 3:00 AM, whispering to the stars that you can no longer be together, that your life is taking you on a different path, while reminiscing over all the good times you had at 3:00 AM.

I think about things too much :ohdear:

Jezikus
Oct 31, 2006

Walk Walk Walk
One month down with no smokes, keep on trucking dudes. It gets easier.

Experto Crede
Aug 19, 2008

Keep on Truckin'
So, I'm almost 24 hours in to not smoking and it's already being a bit of a ballache (I was quite a heavy smoker)...

Currently using a disposable e-cig as a form of NRT, taking a couple of drags whenever the urge gets strong. Anyone had success with this? I'm a bit concerned that I may just end up addicted to these instead...

What can I do with my hands? If I'm not doing something with them, then they just start to get shaky but I have no idea what is effective with regards to keeping them busy.

Obligatory Toast
Mar 19, 2007

What am I reading here??

Experto Crede posted:

What can I do with my hands? If I'm not doing something with them, then they just start to get shaky but I have no idea what is effective with regards to keeping them busy.
Take up pen twirling.

And I've used the e-cigs. I ended up drawing too much the first time I got it and gave myself mild nicotine poisoning. I don't recommend them if you're aiming to quit period.

VVV You're right. Dragging on them in order to get anywhere close to the same effect of regular cigarettes made me feel like poo poo, though.

Obligatory Toast fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Oct 1, 2012

HATE TROLL TIM
Dec 14, 2006
Yeah, uh, I doubt you got nicotine poisoning from an eCig... You would have to keep taking hits back to back over a long period of time for that.

As for eCigs, they can work just as well as the gum or patch, with a bonus of helping with the oral fixation.

Just get a nice kit from somewhere (I like https://www.volcanoecigs.com) and step down the nicotine levels over a few months.

I ended up really getting into them and now still smoke them with zero nicotine because I like the flavors. It's like an on-demand hookah.

Hollismason
Jun 30, 2007
Feel free to disregard this post.

It is guaranteed to be lazy, ignorant, and/or uninformed.
I have been smoking for 18 years now, and am desperate to quit. I just can't at this point I think it's a psychological compulsion. Has anyone had any success with switching over to the smokeless ciggarrettes?

Maybe I just have weak will power. I don't know I try so hard but just cannot do it. Anyway I am open to anything . Also the nicotine gum I cannot chew as it makes me sick and patches don't seem to work.

Does anyone know of any radical therapies for quitting?

Boner Slam
May 9, 2005
The Carr book flat out stopped my cravings almost immediately and I am as I was before I started smoking.
It's the only thing that ever worked for me and it did so with such a ridiculous ease I can only recommend it.

Culprit beeing it literally involved reversing the brainwashing you did to yourself as a smoker by... brainwashing yourself with something else. It's a thing where you have to suspend your disbelief.
But when you did it, it works ridiculously well. Like I am amazed why I just didn't quit years ago.


Edit: It's also really annoying to read and buying into it is really, really hard as a smoker.

Royality
Jun 27, 2006
I stopped smoking about 24 hours ago (there's this Stoptober thing going on in the UK). Also reading that Carr book about stopping smoking.

It feels good to have quit, I can't wait till my cilia start repairing and making GBS threads out all the awful gunk I have sitting in my lungs. I am also looking forward to saving lots of money and not smelling like poo poo all the time.

Experto Crede
Aug 19, 2008

Keep on Truckin'

Royality posted:

I stopped smoking about 24 hours ago (there's this Stoptober thing going on in the UK). Also reading that Carr book about stopping smoking.

It feels good to have quit, I can't wait till my cilia start repairing and making GBS threads out all the awful gunk I have sitting in my lungs. I am also looking forward to saving lots of money and not smelling like poo poo all the time.

Stoptober five, buddy.

I'm now 24+ hours clean which is a big milestone for me. :feelsgood:

satan is my oppa
Feb 18, 2012
I guess this is my last pack. I can't afford this poo poo, having lost my job. I've quit many times before, for two years once, but my addict rear end keeps going back. My downfall is always "oh, well, I can get a cigar, because just one doesn't hurt" and then I buy more and then I buy a pack. gently caress that, gonna commit not to doing that any more.

forgottenprince
Dec 20, 2006

2 days, 17 hours, 30 minutes since my last smoke ever. gently caress you Marlboro.

GODS NOT REAL
Sep 25, 2012

YOU STUPID BUNNIES
I really want to quit. I've cut down a lot, but the problem is, all my friends smoke. I can resist, but I start thinking "What's the point? I'm just breathing in their secondary smoke and it's gonna do me just as much harm." Any suggestions?

WarMonger
Jun 13, 2001

Gushing Granny posted:

I really want to quit. I've cut down a lot, but the problem is, all my friends smoke. I can resist, but I start thinking "What's the point? I'm just breathing in their secondary smoke and it's gonna do me just as much harm." Any suggestions?

That's junkie thinking. Inhaling secondhand smoke is dangerous, but not NEARLY as dangerous as lighting a cigarette and smoking it yourself. This video demonstrates the difference quite well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Chu5tI4tIc

Be honest with yourself. What you're really doing is rationalizing to protect your addiction. Back when smoking wasn't banned in restaurants and other places, people were constantly being exposed to second-hand smoke against their will. Despite this, ex-smokers were able to remain non-smokers for life by never taking a puff themselves. This article goes into that:

http://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_05_02_how_survive.html

Good luck on your quit. You're not alone, millions of people have successfully quit under all kinds of conditions, and I guarantee that you can do it too.

Dass Niemand
Aug 11, 2005

I HAVE CANCER
I've quit smoking for 2 years now, smoked all through college and grad school, so it was a big deal to stop. Went the cold turkey route and it's worked for me. I threw all my lighters away, all my cigarettes away, and said enough is enough.

I guess the only advice I really have is to surround yourself with nonsmokers, or better yet people who despise it. My wife hates smoking, my baby I'm sure doesn't like it, and I don't hang out with people who smoke anymore, at least not in smoking-situations (e.g. the bar). The hardest part for me was learning to drink without smoking. It took a lot of discipline but my lungs are happy for me for it now.

Hang in there, people. You can quit.

It does get easier once you start to learn to do things without cigarettes. For me driving was the first step, then drinking (TOUGH - your capacity to resist is weakeend so make sure you're with nonsmokers when you drink from now on), then stress, then plain ol' boredom.

Dass Niemand fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Oct 2, 2012

GODS NOT REAL
Sep 25, 2012

YOU STUPID BUNNIES
Thanks for the resources and information guys. Honestly, it was 50-50 the addiction talking. I was genuinely convinced I was faced with the dilemma of "Well, all my friends smoke, and I can quit, but if I'm around them I'm going to be breathing their smoke in and damaging myself anyway. It's either smoke and have company or don't and be lonely." They're my bandmates and college friends; it's not like I can just dump them. They mean a lot to me.

So, even if I do breath in secondary smoke occasionally, my lungs will still recover?

HATE TROLL TIM
Dec 14, 2006

Gushing Granny posted:

Thanks for the resources and information guys. Honestly, it was 50-50 the addiction talking. I was genuinely convinced I was faced with the dilemma of "Well, all my friends smoke, and I can quit, but if I'm around them I'm going to be breathing their smoke in and damaging myself anyway. It's either smoke and have company or don't and be lonely." They're my bandmates and college friends; it's not like I can just dump them. They mean a lot to me.

So, even if I do breath in secondary smoke occasionally, my lungs will still recover?

The report that everyone touts as second hand smoke being bad for you was from 1992 and it later came out that the data had been manipulated.

Last I heard second hand smoke is not nearly as bad for you as everyone makes it out to be. You're breathing very, very little of it in, and what you do breathe is filtered in your nose first, meaning very few carcinogens actually get in. You probably pick up more pollution being stuck in traffic compared to being around second hand smoke for an evening.

BelgianWaffle
Aug 25, 2002
damn Belgian

BelgianWaffle posted:

252 days smoke free ^__^

just bought a house and I'm going on a 14 days hiking holiday to Sicily in two weeks time.

I feel great!

299 days smoke free! coming from an almost a pack a day habit. Feeling physically greater than ever. I'm having a bit of a nose problem though, it feels like I'm still exhuming nicotine residues from the past through my nose. other than that the symtptons are very positive!

Boner Slam
May 9, 2005

Gushing Granny posted:

Thanks for the resources and information guys. Honestly, it was 50-50 the addiction talking. I was genuinely convinced I was faced with the dilemma of "Well, all my friends smoke, and I can quit, but if I'm around them I'm going to be breathing their smoke in and damaging myself anyway. It's either smoke and have company or don't and be lonely." They're my bandmates and college friends; it's not like I can just dump them. They mean a lot to me.

So, even if I do breath in secondary smoke occasionally, my lungs will still recover?

Yes and you don't need to dump anybody. Someone else smoking has nothing to do with you. Of course you are kneedeep in nicotine addiction right now and you are telling yourself "oh boy if someone else smokes I will be forced to as well" and some poo poo. It's levels of levels of this poo poo in your mind right now.
It's all wrong.

WarMonger
Jun 13, 2001

Just hit 1000 hours without nicotine. Quitting smoking really is a gift that keeps on giving, because every milestone you reach is a new reason to feel empowered and proud of yourself -- not to mention the ever-expanding list of health benefits.

Just curious, what is everyone's favorite part about being an ex-smoker? Let's give the newbies something to look forward to.

For me, it's a toss up between the extra cash and the increased energy. I'm only about 40 days into my quit, and I've already saved SO much money from not smoking that it's hard to believe. I've used that money to both reward myself for quitting and to buy things that I've put off for years in favor of my addiction.

And the extra energy that comes from increased oxygen levels in your body -- holy poo poo. A 2-hour long bike ride that used to completely exhaust me as a smoker now feels like a walk in the park. Exercise isn't a chore any more, it's a hobby.

If you quit smoking recently, hang in there! Always remember that you're literally fighting for your life. As long as you never take a single puff/dip/chew of tobacco, it's impossible to become addicted again, and it only gets easier as time passes. It's worth it, trust me.

WarMonger fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Oct 3, 2012

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

jax
Jun 18, 2001

I love my brick.

WarMonger posted:

Just curious, what is everyone's favorite part about being an ex-smoker? Let's give the newbies something to look forward to.

Apart from no longer paying exorbitant prices just to slowly kill myself...
Not stinking like poo poo, my clothes not stinking like poo poo and my house not stinking like poo poo.

gently caress. I was brought up in a household full of smoke and smoked to 30 and thought 'yeah it smells a bit but it's only smoke', after stopping I've noticed it's worse than poo poo, seriously it loving reeks.

e: and nicotine (tar) stains, gently caress them too and all the lovely places they sneak their way into.

jax fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Oct 3, 2012

  • Locked thread