The SDUGF Quitting Smoking Support Thread.

[exnihilo]

I still have cravings, mostly when drinking coffee at home and when drinking beer out in public, but I haven't cheated!

Yeah, like my morning coffee, or after a big meal! O'well, i was fun while it lasted!

cg

[Rich_T]

My 8th day. Start a new job tomorrow. That'll be the big test, but I'll do it.

I've quit before. When I was in the service back in the late 80s, I stopped and it was easy; just decided not to bring smokes on a long deployment. No problem. Lasted 6 years. Then, all it took was one very bad day, and they were right there. And of course one turned into a pack, which turned into "hey, bad habit, guess who's back." Then in the late 90s, I quit again. But after a smoke-free 2 years, I hooked up with some skank and she smoked, so it didn't take long for me to start up again. She only lasted a week with me, but the smokes stuck.

I guess what I'm saying, and what I'm asking for help about is the fact that for me the HARDEST part (except for the first few days) is YEARS down the road when you've totally got it beat, done, over with, and you walk out of a Mexican restaurant with a bellyful of heaven and sangria and BAM! ...the urge is MASSIVE, because, you remember how frickin awesome one would be right then. It can be easy to bum just one drag from a friend at that moment, esp. since you've "had the habit beat for years now"--and then by the end of the week yer buying packs again.

Can anyone lay some wisdom on me from that angle? It's very discouraging to me. Like I'm worried more about 10 years from now than now, so I may as well smoke now, since I'll eventually cave anyway in the long run. One day at a time, I guess? Anyway, yeah, the black chick on Reno 911, as hard as I could. Wouldn't be an MM2 post otherhow.

Skarey has some good advice relating to this one. It isn't necessarily about quitting cold turkey. Just about getting the time between cigarettes to increase. Eventually it will get up to years between a smoke, but if you do have a quick one once ever ten years, thats a hell of a lot better than one every ten minutes. Just because you have the odd ciggy doesn't mean you have failed at giving up, we all have the odd slip up, or really awful day. Just roll with it.

[MetalMike_II]

Skarey has some good advice relating to this one. It isn't necessarily about quitting cold turkey. Just about getting the time between cigarettes to increase. Eventually it will get up to years between a smoke, but if you do have a quick one once ever ten years, thats a hell of a lot better than one every ten minutes. Just because you have the odd ciggy doesn't mean you have failed at giving up, we all have the odd slip up, or really awful day. Just roll with it.

I'll have to think about that. As an addict, it's always been all or nothing for me. The "odd slip up" has resulted in full blown return to habit. I guess the alternative for me might be to focus on quitting all over again for each hypothetical future slip-up, but to have that determination now, ready to go in the future, if and when. Or some happy crap. Tough to describe, this battling of hypothetical future slip-ups.

[Tor]

Can anyone lay some wisdom on me from that angle? It's very discouraging to me. Like I'm worried more about 10 years from now than now, so I may as well smoke now, since I'll eventually cave anyway in the long run. One day at a time, I guess? Anyway, yeah, the black chick on Reno 911, as hard as I could. Wouldn't be an MM2 post otherhow.

(this is coming from a non-smoker, so I don't have any "credibility" here, but..)

Do what you are able to do. Say you have been smoke-free for 3 years, and then you suddenly light up an entire pack.. Well, that is not as good as having quit forever, but it is still a huge personal victory! If you haven't smoked for those three years, that is infinitely much better than smoking in that period, even though you burst and light up a few ones after those three years.

Don't worry about what will happen in 10 years. You can't do anything about that now, but you can decide whether you smoke a cigarette today or not. That's what matters.


Edit: I am too late with this one.. I opened up a few tabs of forum-threads in the internet browser here, didn't do more about, was out for a drive and got back to eat break-fast, and then replied here. And Rich T was way way before me! Oh well.

[lpmarshall]

I'm starting Chantix on Monday. I went to the doctor yesterday because of sinus issues, and I'm not draining because of the smoking. Hopefully it does the trick, I'm tired of the headaches and feeling like crap.

[sosomething]

I'm living proof that Chantix works. I took ONE month's worth of it, and I have not taken a single puff from a cigarette since March.

[lpmarshall]

I'm living proof that Chantix works. I took ONE month's worth of it, and I have not taken a single puff from a cigarette since March.

That is what I like to hear. I really need to quit since it is causing me all sorts of issues with my sinuses and allergies.

Did you have an nausea/weird dreams?

[Jocelyn]

My last puff was on the night of April 12.. thats thre months plus. Funny thing is i never had all those dreams of puffing a cig until after I completed 3 months its only since the last couple of days that i have been having those dreams.

[sosomething]

That is what I like to hear. I really need to quit since it is causing me all sorts of issues with my sinuses and allergies.

Did you have an nausea/weird dreams?

no nausea. I occasionally have "smoking dreams" where I smoke and then feel bad about it, but that's maybe like 1 time a month.

Understand that it's not a miracle cure.

You still need willpower - you will still want to smoke - but it's a whole lot easier than trying to quit without help.

[Jocelyn]

Yeah that excatly what am talking abt Smoke dreams..... and I kind of fell bad abt.. but then I wake and remmber it was a dream..

[MikeS]

February 17th is still my official quit date. I get a small demerit because a couple months ago I got drunk and took a cigarette from a friend. It tasted horrible and after only two hits I was coughing up a lung, so I put it out. I’m not going to count two puffs while intoxicated against myself, so on August 17th I’ll be celebrating 6 months. I quit cold-turkey and used zero quitting aids, just old fashioned will power and perseverance.

Years ago, during a previous bout with quitting, I opened a savings account for money I saved by not smoking. I calculated the cost of my habit and had that amount automatically deposited into the account. When I fell off the wagon I stopped the automatic deposit. When I quit again I started the direct deposit back up. I figure in a year I ought to be able to buy myself something very nice.

Congrats to you guys who have remained smoke free during the life of this thread. It’s not an easy task, but it’s definitely a manageable one. Keep it up!

[innerdreamrecords.co]

I occasionally have "smoking dreams"

I have those only there is always a woman in them.

[Jocelyn]

Thought I would Revie this thread after Robert S. thread. & Matt's threads
http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/s...d.php?t=155132
http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/s...d.php?t=155121

I went good for a while but during the 1st week of this month I lit up again .. 5-6 cigs i think but have not smoked again ever since.. I dont even know how I craacked up I wasgoing strong.

[Rich_T]

Zombie thread, but this one just came into my mind after spening an evening with a bunch of old friends who mostly still smoke.

How are the rest of you doing? I've only cracked once since this thread was last up, and smoked ten over a couple of days, that was about a month and a half ago, but I haven't really craved since; I'm determined for that to remain a one-off.

[sosomething]

Still smoke free. It's been since March '08.

I have a cigar every once in a while. Less than weekly, and I enjoy it, but it doesn't make me want to smoke more, or smoke cigs.

When I started this thread, I weighed around 145 lbs.

I now weigh about 185 lbs.

I find it about as hard to START exercising as I did to QUIT smoking.