Anbody Quit Smoking?

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Trader5287, May 3, 2003.

  1. How did you do it?

    I'm terrible. Out of control. Worst its ever been. People all over me to quit.

    Looking for something short of being sedated and put into a hospital. Even if it didn't work, tell me. Anything gotta better than this.

    Thanks. Also, no funny people please on this one.


    Geo.
     
  2. exercise and lifestyle change.

    for me, i quit when i went out west to the four corners area. even when you go to bars out there, hardly anyone smokes.

    basically i became really healthy while out there, but still smoked at least 1 or 2 everyday. then i got a chest cold really bad and was sick with it for 2 weeks. when i got better, i decided to never smoke again and that 2 week illness kept me away from cigarettes long enough to give me that break...

    friends i know who quit were only able to do it by taking zyban...

    hope this helps.
     
  3. Honestly, I used to smoke about a pack a week at my worst, but now smoke around 4 or 5 cigerettes a day. I don't even like the taste, but I do it for the social aspects.

    My dad used to smoke two packs of Marlboro Reds each day and had a heart attack at around 44. The doctors said that the cigerette smoking was responsible for hardening his arteries.

    Perhaps you should try nicotine patches? I'm not sure they work, but I know how strong the desire is to just light one up.

    If you know when you smoke and why you are doing it (do you smoke after being stressed out? do you smoke solely for the nicotine?) you might be able to work on redirecting the impulse to smoke towards something else.

    Everytime you feel the need to smoke, do something healthy instead. Destroy all of your cigerettes right now and just kick the habit. Nobody is going to do it but you. I know it is hard, but you could really undo a lot of the damage after a few years of being smoke-free. Also, if you find that you are a social smoker as well and light up when someone else lights up, you'll have to really try hard. Peer-pressure is the hardest part. If I go to a club and someone lights up, I've got to light up, too. It's a bitch
     
  4. Good suggestions guys. I'm gonna try to plan it out. My helper is a freaking chimney too. Guess I'll give her the word next week that the big man is going to try to quit. Might also ask my doctor for some type of sedative that leaves the buildings standing.

    Thanks.


    Geo.
     
  5. MrDinky

    MrDinky

    Sounds like you want to quit, but you gotta realize nothing is going to take away the urge 100%.

    For me, the gum helped. A lot of people say it tastes like crap, but I didn't think it was awful, especially if you get mint flavor. Follow the instructions, especially chewing gum throughout the day before you get cigarette cravings. It's really not all that difficult once you decide you're going to quit for real, it's just a psychological battle. Ironically it feels no different than that voice inside telling me to sell early instead of letting my winners ride. Not saying I'm 100% in that respect either but I'm getting better.

    Aside of using the gum, all I was doing was reminding myself that for all the bull$hit I was really no better than a street corner crackhead, just that my drugs were a little more socially acceptable. But smoking really does nothing except give you a little buzz, everything else is just killing you nice and easy.

    Don't procrastinate, just set a date and do it. You'll be a lot happier down the road. I've never met anyone who was sorry they quit smoking (myself included.)

    :cool:
     
  6. It takes guts for you to ask for help like this in a public forum, regardless of relative anonymity. I applaud you for it. Shows you're serious.

    I quit a month ago. Cold turkey - no patch, gum, whatever. I had been been smoking for over 20 years, pack a day of regular Marlboro Reds, the "cowboy killers." I was planning to quit with the help of a hospital-sponsored support group that was supposed to start the first week of April, but then I got a call that there weren't enough people who had signed up, so the next planned session would be in May. I was tempted just to keep smoking until May, but I decided to go ahead on my own.

    It's all in the mind, man.

    What you need to do is to A) Honestly want to quit, and B) Get mad at yourself for being so weak for so long. Seriously. Smoking is a sign of dependence to something. A weakness. Get disgusted with yourself for not yet having had the discipline or control to overcome it.

    When the urge hits to smoke, either do pushups or brush your teeth. Sounds crazy but it works. You'll be in great shape and your dentist will be impressed to boot. :)

    Most importantly, it doesn't matter what your wife/friends/doctors do to pressure you. YOU have to desire to quit for yourself, not because of others giving you flack about it. If you don't really want it, you're just going to stop for a while and then go back to it. I really wanted to quit for myself and that's why I went forward on my own without the help of that support group.

    You can do it. :)

    Good luck.

    PM me if you need further encouragement.
     
  7. hapa boy is right, smoking is a sign of weakness and you have to want to quit but deep down inside you enjoy smoking. If you didn't you wouldn't even realize you stopped smoking. Are you quitting for the right reasons? Or is it because it is looked upon as a bad habit. I smoked 3 packs a day at 22 years old and I started smoking in school at about 2nd grade. When I quit smoking I also stopped drinking a bottle of Jack a day. I tryed quieting a few times before I succeeded. I had a terrible cough and I vomited blood in the morning from drinking. My doctor wanted to put me in rehab along with the school nurse. Then one day I realized it was not for me and I looked at my friends that did the same and said I hate this. Then I just stopped and never thought about it. I still drink and smoke at parties but never do I get addicted. There is something that is bothering you that keeps smoking to keep your mind off of it. You know how some people fiddle with there fingers when they are nervous well you have almost the same problem. My advice is this take out a piece of papers, and write down who you want to become and does smoking fit in that goal. If it does you will never quit and if it doesn't the habit will go away in time. Just don't try to quit because it is a bad habit that wont work. Find out why you smoke and work on that. That is the cause and solution. Think about what I wrote for a while and if you are ready to quiet you will know what to do.
     
  8. This thread has some great insights for traders breaking bad habits as well. Keep the great ideas flowing!
     
  9. I quit 12 years ago. Cold turkey is the best way to go. Take the pangs and discomfort.

    Nicotine is probably the most addictive substance known to man, more so than alcohol and hard drugs. Tobacco is almost universally fatal, in that longterm smokers as a group suffer reduced lifespans and greater numbers of deaths from heart and lung disease.

    Once you break the physical addiction, the challenge is to break the mental addiction. After 3 days, you will be over your physical cravings. You desire to light up, however, will remain but slowly diminish over time until it is extinguished. You will hate smoke, smokers smell, you will breath better, taste better, have a keener sense of smell, get sick less often, be more motivated to engage in sports, your lungs won't hurt after a 20 yard dash. Plus, you will get laid more often, that's actually a scientifically proven fact. Unless you are married.

    Clear out a weekend where you have nothing to do and no demands put upon you and go cold turkey. Just stay home, do nothing, watch videos and grit your teeth. By Monday, you will feel much better. If you drink coffee, make sure you have your daily dose, you don't want to battle caffeine withdrawal also. Don't drink booze for at least a week or a month because if you do your self control might slip.

    bupropion hydrochloride also known as zyban or wellbutrin is reputed to reduce cravings.

    If cold turkey doesn't work, try the nicotine patch.

    Whichever way you go, until you get stronger, try to avoid associative behavior, ie rituals, places, activities where smoking was unavoidable for you. Stay away from smokers!

    And most important, if you fail at first, try again, renew your determination. Some people quit the 1st time, but most don't. Don't stop trying to quit until you do. Those who belive they can't quit smoking condemn themselves to a life of physical misery.
     
  10. TGregg

    TGregg

    "There is no try, only do." :D

    Seriously though, one can only alter one's behavior for the right reasons. Those reasons do not include stuff like "My wife hates it" or "It's not cool." My suggestion is to make a list with strong reasons why *you* want to quit. Then, look at that list every day, and say to yourself "I do not smoke because. . ."

    Include one or two "minor" reasons if you want to, but be sure it's mostly strong reasons that resonate within yourself. If you can decide that you are 100% sure that you completely want to quit, you can do it. If you cannot, you are toast.

    Funny thing is, if you are sure, it'll be fairly easy (compared to some of the nightmare stories I've heard). That's from one person who has quit (but still smokes a very occasional stoogie) and who is married to somebody who also quit (who puffs once in a while on my occasional stoogie).
     
    #10     May 3, 2003