AFF Quit smoking thread.

[max]

Well said Loftie. Like I said to myself, smoking- there's no future in it!

[BIGJB]

Well I finally got my patches and today will be day 1 for me without smokes.
It will be my 1st day in about 20 odd yrs without a ciggy so imagine it is going to be one hell
of an uphill battle.
So how are the rest of you going? Have you managed to give them up?

[SVTVNM]

it's been 10 days cold turkey now, so far so good!

[Professor Farnsworth]

Originally Posted by SVTVNM

it's been 10 days cold turkey now, so far so good!

you're about a third of the way there, top stuff! don't give up

[BIGJB]

Excellent, you are doing well. How's your fiancee going has she remained smoke free as well?

[SVTVNM]

Yeah, she is doing alright so far too, she is a bit more on edge than I am, It's actually a crappy time to try to quit because we are in the final stages of organising our wedding so the stress levels are high at the moment.

[Iggypoppin']

4 days cold turkey. Been eating a bit more, not really craving the smokes until the lads at work light up, then it gets a bit harder. If I can get through this weekend, I think I'll do ok..

[sarrge2001]

2100 hours, 5th May 2010

Ooooo.....nearly a week since I lit up. Cold turkey. So now i figure if nicotine is only in the body for three days, I'm free of it and would be mad to have even a puff......or patch....or a chewy.

It just got to the right time for me - wasn't enjoying it, too hot to sit outside and smoke, health, cost, social acceptance...... all the usual reasons. But mainly, i just didn't enjoy it.

I know i can do it - done it heaps of times before.... hahaha.

Have given up for 3 years and 2 years at different times but once a smoker, always a smoker. Will have to just keep my guard up this time!

But yeah - nearly a week......

[Professor Farnsworth]

well done guys, you won't regret it, great work.

Originally Posted by sarrge2001

2100 hours, 5th May 2010

Ooooo.....nearly a week since I lit up. Cold turkey. So now i figure if nicotine is only in the body for three days, I'm free of it and would be mad to have even a puff......or patch....or a chewy.

It just got to the right time for me - wasn't enjoying it, too hot to sit outside and smoke, health, cost, social acceptance...... all the usual reasons. But mainly, i just didn't enjoy it.

I know i can do it - done it heaps of times before.... hahaha.

Have given up for 3 years and 2 years at different times but once a smoker, always a smoker. Will have to just keep my guard up this time!

But yeah - nearly a week......

hey mate, nice one so far. the problem for you will start about now, since all the nicotine is gone, your body will go nuts craving. stick it out for another 3.5 - 4 weeks and if you get through that time, you're set. The key from then on is to dis-associate yourself with the habit. relate having a drink to enjoyment, without the need for the smoke to go with it, distract yourself as much as possible.

[max]

Had my last fag on April 30. Going well. I am finding I don't even feel like having one anymore. Having done it for so many years was a mistake. Oh well, it's never too late to learn! It helps to remind myself every day about that, just incase. Plus the liberating feeling that I actually can lead a full and satisfied life without having to slink off somewhere to have that surreptitious smoke!

[Bud Bud]

Originally Posted by sarrge2001

2100 hours, 5th May 2010

Ooooo.....nearly a week since I lit up. Cold turkey. So now i figure if nicotine is only in the body for three days, I'm free of it and would be mad to have even a puff......or patch....or a chewy.

It just got to the right time for me - wasn't enjoying it, too hot to sit outside and smoke, health, cost, social acceptance...... all the usual reasons. But mainly, i just didn't enjoy it.

I know i can do it - done it heaps of times before.... hahaha.

Have given up for 3 years and 2 years at different times but once a smoker, always a smoker. Will have to just keep my guard up this time!

But yeah - nearly a week......

Mate it is a pity you didn't keep going after the 2-3 year times previously. I found that it was around 2.5 - 3 years at least for me before I could honestly feel that my cravings had become more of a memory than a pain. The memory is so much easier to manage. You have done it twice now so at least you know you can do it again and for my mind this is the hardest leg because will power and the other aids run out years before. Keep up the good work!

I smoked for 10 years from 15 to 26 and last year I celebrated 20 years without a single puff. It is still one of the hardest things I have ever done (which I have never forgotten) but now rates as one of the most rewarding decisions as well. I last bought a pack of Winfield red 25's for $2.62 on the 5 of July 1989 which I think was a Wednesday. I smoked a couple and then just like you I really felt that over the past couple of years, I was just not enjoying it anymore. I gave my Mrs what was left in the pack and then walked away from the habit. Unfortunately I did not have a plan so I could have slipped easily in the first 3 months, but luckily will power and bloody mindedness got me through the early part.

What I did find though after a couple of weeks and then months was I needed to make some life style changes as well.

These are some of the things that I either temporally changed or even changed for good.

1) Gave up coffee in the mourning (in fact gave it up during the day as well) for 3 months, I found that this was the most powerful trigger I had to deal with (now I am just 1 cup day and have been for nearly 20 years)

2) Still kept up occasional drinking because I thought that I needed to develop the taste without triggering the urge to smoke. This actually worked and as a consequence my drinking halved and since then I discovered that I really can take it or leave it.

3) I made sure I did not miss out on going out where other people smoked because I figured that it was just me giving up and not them, so I needed to find a way to fit in. Now I am the worst reformed smoker and really do not like being any where near smokers at all these days.

4) Substituted food for cigs, put on 10 kgs over a couple of years and then lost it during my late 20's early 30's health kick which I might add was sporned by ever increasing energy and fitness levels from not smoking. If I had my time again I would not wait to put on weight to start a health kick though.

If there is one or two pieces of advice that I could share, it would be this.

1) Recognise the craving. With that I mean, know when it starts know when it ends treat it like an enemy treat it like you are done with it. When an attack occurs count to 100. Don't stop counting until you are in control. You will quickly learn how long it takes for the craving to create your weakest moment. I learnt this along the way and it helped me once will power had abated. I soon learnt that the intensity of a craving can last anywhere from 30 sec to 2 min and I also learnt that I needed to keep myself occupied long enough to take back control. I also learnt that they can happen 5 min apart or several hours apart. It’s the shorter duration cravings that can cause the problems. They do last for months and in my case years but the frequency and intensity do slowly diminish.

2) Celebrate anniversaries. I know what date I gave up. I can remember celebrating 1 year as a non smoker. I read some where that if you gave up for 7 years then most of your lungs would have cleansed themselves by then (don't know how true it is but it did not matter) so 7 years was a big milestone for me. I remember reaching 10 years because I had now officially quit for as long as I smoked and I was eagerly counting down the years until the 20th anniversary last year as well. I will still remember how many years it was since I last took a puff into the future because I do not want to ruin my record now and have to start all over again!

When I gave up cigs were cheap, Marlboro sponsored Mclaren, in Adelaide the SANFL had the Escort cup and you could smoke just about anywhere except public transport. I used to have an ash tray welded to my work bench and the fellows either side of me still smoked at their work benches years later. We used to still smoke in our house when I gave up but I put a ban on that in the first year.

In that same time my Mrs smoked when I first met her at 16 and although she has tried patches, pregnancy, zyban, nagging husband, and chewies, she still cant quit. 8 months was her best shot but morning sickness helped her back then. She was smoking within a month of having our son. I told her that if she did no try to give up (around 30 ish) then she would she would still be smoking at 40, well she is 44 and is now complaining about the cost of cigs now. In two years if she does not quit it will be 30 years for her.

Anyway I don't mean to nag or hijack this thread but it is still something I am still passionate about. So to everyone here keep up the good work because if you get there in the end, I am sure that you too will think that it is one of the best things you will ever do, and for me well once a smoker always a smoker. I will never light up again not even in jest.

Bud Bud

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Im down to 2 or 3 a day since I first read this, going on the gum next week so going better than the 10 - 15 a day I was going through before

[max]

Great post Bud Bud. Unfortunately no, the damage is never totally undone. Allen Carr, the world renowned stop-smoking guru who used to go through 100 a day before he packed them in in his late 40's died from lung cancer at 72. But anyway, that's unfortunate but there is a better chance of getting a decent lifespan after stopping smoking, no matter what. Maybe it is an easier time to stop smoking now? There are so many dis-incentives (eg daily revelations about new harm to health findings, escalating costs of tobacco). So many barriers to continue smoking (Daily there are more and more restrictions on places one may smoke, even out in open spaces).
I made a couple of paltry attempts to stop over the years. But there was still a lot of smoking around then. Nowadays one truly feels the outsider when smoking. But in all honesty, for all the logical reasons I chose previously, such as being very disappointed in myself for ever having started, knowing I did not enjoy it- I was just hooked, hating the waste of money I let go on for so long etc. I think now, a milestone in age, a sense of gratitude that I still feel OK, a fervent desire to liberate myself from the bondage of dependance on it, and lastly that I will not be led to pay $15 a damn packet for them is the final catalyst for a commitment to flick it for keeps! One government strategy that has worked! (on me anyway). Day 13 now, and feeling good. I do need to remind myself daily why I am doing this, and doing it forever. I sincerely wish everyone who is trying to deal with this most worthy project all the best.

[robbyg]

Week and a half for me so far, on the patches and lozengers the mournings probably the hardest for me at the moment having a coffee. Great to see a lot of other fellas tossing the habit, like Max the thought of paying $15 a packet was the final straw, hope everyone who is trying the best of luck.

[JimNiki]

Pam and I were 25 year heavy smokers.
Decided one day out of the blue to quit cold turkey...

It's now been 6 years...
As we are both professionals, we were always self consious of the smoke smell all over us in an office environment... we're happier now...

that $5k /year for 6 years = 30K
Basically my mustang cost me nothing!

[micky4433]

im going to quit this time, 1015pm thursday 20th may. im due to finish off the carton of dunhill blue's ive just bought which set me back $116. so it will be $5568 ill be saving a year. awesome thread this. im going to have a crack at it cold turkey, mind over matter.

cheers mick

[sarrge2001]

Originally Posted by Bud Bud

Mate it is a pity you didn't keep going after the 2-3 year times previously. .........

What I did find though after a couple of weeks and then months was I needed to make some life style changes as well.

These are some of the things that I either temporally changed or even changed for good.

1) Gave up coffee in the mourning
2) Still kept up occasional drinking
3) I made sure I did not miss out on going out where other people smoked
4) Substituted food for cigs, put on 10 kgs over a couple of years

If there is one or two pieces of advice that I could share, it would be this.

1) Recognise the craving.
2) Celebrate anniversaries.

Bud Bud

The first time i took it up was afther the 3 years when my marriage ended. The boredom of living alone and the stress combined and I reached for the ciggies. The second time was when i moved to Darwin last year - you could smoke in pubs!!! LOL And it just started off as one in the pub - then another, then another.So been smoking again for about 13 months

As for your other points....
1) Coffee - Since i took them up 13 months ago, i've never had a smoke with a coffee.....because even as I took them up again, i knew that it was temporary and if i got into the habit of a smoke and coffee, i'd have to give the coffee away too......and i thought "bugga that"...LOL

2) Probably the last 3 months or so i've stopped taking the smokes when I go out to the pub or for tea........and surprisingly, it hasn't really bothered me.....

3) Other smokers - see point 2

4) Food.......hmmm.....every time i have tried to quit, i've put on 5kg. This time i am determined not to. So i'm watching what and how much i eat, avaoiding snacking and junk food as a substitute. Fingers crossed. And I might even go for a walk..........

Recognise the craving - this is good advice Bud Bud. And the thing is, the craving doesn't last very long.....and the frequency diminishes as time passes

Celebrate anniversaries - will do when i get some LOL

Cheers for the wishes people

[max]

Tonight I clock up two weeks. Cold Turkey. It's feeling better every day! I can highly recommend Allen Carr's basic principles of quitting. You don't even need to get the books. Just google Allen Carr and read the Wikipedia blurb for him all the way through. I found it very encouraging. How to celebrate 14 days tonight? Nice dinner, nice bottle of red, hmmm......

[Professor Farnsworth]

Originally Posted by max

Tonight I clock up two weeks. Cold Turkey. It's feeling better every day! I can highly recommend Allen Carr's basic principles of quitting. You don't even need to get the books. Just google Allen Carr and read the Wikipedia blurb for him all the way through. I found it very encouraging. How to celebrate 14 days tonight? Nice dinner, nice bottle of red, hmmm......

if they made cigarette flavoured beer everyone would quit instantly!

[prasac]

started at 13 after 15 years of smoking a pack a day i gave up cold turkey its been 5 years now. forget the patches etc i told a mate to spend some time at a cancer clinic, he quit straight away after he finished spewing from some of the things he saw there

[GT0132]

Originally Posted by T2TE50#134

Well I finally got my patches and today will be day 1 for me without smokes.
It will be my 1st day in about 20 odd yrs without a ciggy so imagine it is going to be one hell
of an uphill battle.
So how are the rest of you going? Have you managed to give them up?

You'll be fine mate...I smoked 31 years before quitting and after 2 years don't even think about it.

[Jason[98.EL]]

well I am on day 4 without having a smoke

only having small cravings now getting easier every day

only got a healthier future to look forward to pluss the time with the kids

Jason

[Professor Farnsworth]

Originally Posted by Jason[98.EL]

well I am on day 4 without having a smoke

only having small cravings now getting easier every day

only got a healthier future to look forward to pluss the time with the kids

Jason

well done Jase, perfect thing to do being a family man, all the best with it. let me know if you need any support with it

[max]

Originally Posted by Jason[98.EL]

well I am on day 4 without having a smoke

only having small cravings now getting easier every day

only got a healthier future to look forward to pluss the time with the kids

Jason

Excellent. It does get easier every day that passes. Then the feeling of liberation from the slavery to nicotine is fantastic!

[jobeli]

I have hit 12 weeks without a smoke today. I smoked since 15YO, am now 44.

Using nicabate 4mg lozenges. Still on them and not fussed if i still am in a years time, as long as i'm still off the choofas.

Lozenges seem to work well, but at the end of the day, it's all psychological. You can't take a blazee approach, you have to want to stop.

But, for me, so far so good.

[max]

Originally Posted by jobeli

I have hit 12 weeks without a smoke today. I smoked since 15YO, am now 44.

Using nicabate 4mg lozenges. Still on them and not fussed if i still am in a years time, as long as i'm still off the choofas.

Lozenges seem to work well, but at the end of the day, it's all psychological. You can't take a blazee approach, you have to want to stop.

But, for me, so far so good.

Good work! Stopping smoking should never be under-estimated, especially for those of us who did it for such a very long time. It is really adopting and living a new life. I am now at the stage now that I no longer crave. That's after a month. I did not bother with the nicabates. I really think it's a funny thing now when I see people smoking. I can't imagine ever doing it again. The freedom feels so good! And the savings are even better!

[Professor Farnsworth]

well done guys

at least now you can waste money on cars rather than cigarettes! i know i do.

[sarrge2001]

Three weeks and counting...... cold turkey

Cravings gone now......even with alcohol (which is a relief)

[Jason[98.EL]]

Originally Posted by Jason[98.EL]

well I am on day 4 without having a smoke

only having small cravings now getting easier every day

only got a healthier future to look forward to pluss the time with the kids

Jason

still going strong no smokes for 18 days now

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

well done Jase, perfect thing to do being a family man, all the best with it. let me know if you need any support with it

thanks for the offer and if i get into any hassles with it i will deff let you know and have a chat

Jason

[Riksta]

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

if they made cigarette flavoured beer everyone would quit instantly!

And I would end up drinking far too much of the stuff!!!!