Quitting Smoking. So far, so good.

[Spurious]

I thought because I'm winning, I might start a thread on the subject, & maybe...just maybe, it'll give othesr the motivation to give it a go.

I started when I was about 15, I'm now 38.

Over the last 6 odd years I've changed my habits, stopped smoking in the house, the car, would leave my cigs at home when I go to mow a few lawns, wouldn't spark up whilst waiting to get my son from school etc.

Last year I stopped without aid for 5 days, but boredom got the better of me.

19 days ago I went to the docs' with a chest infection, we both agreed now was a good time to kick it. In the past we'd had brief discussions about it but mentally I wasn't ready.

This time was different. With the chest bug that I had, I didn't want to smoke anyway & I think by changing to rolly tobacco & changing my lifestyle habits over the last few years, my cravings were already minimal.

Plus I had the knowledge in the back of my mind that my grandfather (a smoker from age 11) died at 76 from emphysema & multiple heart attacks & I had also lost an Aunt years ago from cancer. Plus a few of my relatives have kicked the habit. So I decided it was my turn 'cause I don't wanna go out whilst attached to an oxygen machine!

So my doc' gave me a prescription for 21mg nicotine patches.
Got the script filled (the pharmacist was delighted to read what was on the script), & as soon as I got home I grabbed everything tobacco related & threw it in the bin. It was bin night too so there was no going back.
Well, there was, but I would have to make a conscious decision to drive to a shop & buy more.

Now here I am, 19 days later & not one smoke.

To be honest it's been a little up & down but generally easy to cope with.
The very first patch I used made me nauseous but I kept it on 'til bed time (docs recommendations).
The next morning I used half a patch but I got a few cravings, so the 3'rd day I used 3/4 & then after that I used a full one. No nausea.
Been using a full patch every day since the 28'th of Feb'.

I am feeling much better, not eating more than normal, which I'm happy about, the occasional craving after a meal but If I ignore it, it's gone in a few minutes.
I have to say though that I cannot stand the smell of a cigarette right now, it's been this way since about the 3'rd or 4'th day of using the patches. I find myself giving a wide berth to people smoking on the street, & even the odour on smokers whilst I'm shopping is almost unbearable.
I am also finding that there's been a constant supply of crap coming from my lungs, but my stepdad, who quit some 30 years ago, said he went through the same thing.

I am certainly not going to discriminate against a smoker, for obvious reasons, but I think having the nicotine from the patch in my blood is having a very strong effect on me.

I can't see myself going back.

Being naive, I told myself for years that so long as I don't get cancer I'll be golden, but emphysema is my biggest concern now.

Some personal stats:

22 years of smoking roughly 15 per day = est' 100,000 cigarettes.
Around $20,000 spent on smokes.

Makes you think 'eh, it did me!


SOooooooo, how did you quit?

Do you want to quit?...& what have you tried?

How fit are you & how long do you think you'll live with / without cigarettes?

Me, I can run a 100m race but would recommend having a paramedic waiting for me at the finish line.
Hopefully this will change now & for the better. I hope to see in my late 70's maybe my 80's.

[damo76]

Good don't go back.It's been probably 3 and half years since i've had a rollie.
A packet of winnie gold rollies used to last me a day and a half.
It helps to have a change in your life such as change in job ( brakes the timely routine of lighting up)
Also the strong nicabate chewies give you a good hit of nicatine but can burn your mouth and very addictive.
I am now 38 i don't really feel any better since i have stopped smoking, i have put on 20kgs now 150kgs, have fatty liver issues.
The only thing that is better is i don't cough anymore.
Misses gave up same time aswell she is fine, slim, healthy, guess it affects each one differently.
You will notice the extra money in your wallet to spend on things you want

[XT3VCruiser]

Well done mate, not an easy path but the benefits are well worth it; health, wallet etc

I started when I was 14 and quit when I was 20. Like a di@k head I started again in my early thirties and quit last year(I'm now 41) June 3rd the day my wife went in to have her Gaul bladder removed.

My wife asked me politely one day to quit.......so I did.

When I quit the first time it was murder as there were no meds/patches back then and this time around I figured I'd do it the same way as I'm a stubborn pri@k.

The benefits so far are more cash in my wallet and I feel generally better mentally and physically.

I work on construction sites and when the alimaks ****in@ me off ill take the stairs.

As a smoker after 3 flights I was stuffed but as a non smoker I can now do 8-9 flights before feeling stuffed like before so I'm pretty stoked.

And as for the smell of cigarette smoke the first time around after quitting I didn't mind it but this time around I just can't stand it.

If anyone is thinking of quitting be prepared for a hard slog but its sooooo worth it.

[Itsme]

I gave up smoking 14 years ago after smoking for 30 years as it started to impact on my health, I went cold turkey when I did it as I was determined to do it, I now feel better then ever these days, I do daily exercises which I find is very easy.
Another side benefit is the money you save which is put to better uses.

OBTW it took me 3 years not to have the craving for a cigarette so its no easy task but I'm sure you will win if you are determined to quit..... Best of luck.

[kazawaki]

Gave up 3 years ago after smoking for 35 years,feel heaps better and swim 2ks on Mondays and 2 ks on Thursday nights try doing that when your a smoker.At 54 I am fitter than I was at 30 ,so keep it up and try to get yourself into a exercise program as that will really show you how far you have progressed.

[Freiherr]

Originally Posted by trublu

I gave up smoking 14 years ago after smoking for 30 years as it started to impact on my health, I went cold turkey when I did it as I was determined to do it, I now feel better then ever these days, I do daily exercises which I find is very easy.
Another side benefit is the money you save which is put to better uses.

OBTW it took me 3 years not to have the craving for a cigarette so its no easy task but I'm sure you will win if you are determined to quit..... Best of luck.

Wow, you are like a carbon copy of my experience. I gave up in 2000 after 25 years and went cold turkey. My strongest motive was after seeing a tax accountant and having to pay an additional $5000 to the ATO for the previous financial year. I said to my wife, stuff the lot of them, I will give up smoking and pay less tax.
The craving stopped about 3 months after giving them up. How do I know? Well, I call it the nausea factor. For the first 3 months, I did not feel nauseated at the smell of cigarette smoke but after 3 months, I could not stand cigarette smoke around me.

All I can say is, good on you for the guts and willpower to give up.

[Captain Stubing]

I started smoking at age 19, and tried giving up 3 or 4 times, once for 6 months. I last gave up January 31st, 2006, at the age of 39. My thinking was that my Dad had a double bypass operation at age 42, and was a Champion Ruby/Winfield Red smoker. He gave up then, and is still around today.
I used patches, cutting down to the smaller patches after a couple of weeks. Each time I went to a lower dose patch, I felt all 'jangly', sort of vibrating from within, but I recognised my body was missing the higher dose of nicotine, and I looked at that as a good thing.

As for how fit I am? I'm now 48.
I've never been fit, because of smoking, I've never been overly active, probably because it was too hard. When I started my job, I was 18, and had to do the fitness thing, but I was never into it, it was a chore. I started smoking after I had passed that and was employed.

Now, it's a bit different. I took up cycling, and try to go for a ride at least once or twice a week. I think I've ridden about 7000 km in the last 3 years. This last week I rode to and from work, as well as a ride on my morning off, totalling around 70km distance. My heart and lungs seem good now, it's just my knee joints that are letting me down, but I think that's just an issue with my shoes (trying to solve it at the moment)

My oldest son wants me to do Tough Mudder with him this year... I've seriously thinking of trying it... I haven't ran in 30 years, but I'll give it a go!

PS... I hate the smell of cigarette smoke now, even riding my motorcycle, I get the waft of some driver's habit that makes me hold my breath - my mind recognises it as a BAD smell

[Hogie]

Started smoking at 14 because I wanted to belong. I was trying to give up from the day I started. I ended up chain smoking 3-4 packs a day. I was smoking Wee Willems and Port Royals like they were cigarettes. I would roll Old Holbourn nice and loose and thick so I could get a real good suck. I would smoke just about anything, even tried corrugated cardboard. tried Nicorrete and ended up chewing the whole packet and smoking at the same time, so I gave up the Nicorette. 33 years after I first started smoking my wife became pregnant and I just stopped smoking, drinking and everything else. That was 18 years ago. I did feel that I had to get to the chronic stage before I could stop. I said to the cigarettes, GET AWAY FROM ME! I just felt Enough was Enough.

[Spurious]

Awesome response, thanks guys.
I read all posts.

Freiherr, I agree too that I was also suffering internal conflict knowing I was contributing to the tax dept' everytime I bought a pouch....& when prices went up.

When I was about 16 a pack of 25's was just over $5.
Worked in a supermarket & they were silly enough to put me on a register with a cigarette cabinet. I wound up stealing a pack every couple days & wound up in a police interview room for my efforts.

I also used to be pretty fit back then, I would do regular epic rides around Canberra 'cause of all the wicked cycle paths. I would do anything up to 50km per ride. I also did some Karate classes in 1995.
I'm thankful that I've been a self employed gardener for the past 8 years, it's helped to keep me active.

I've also been posting on my facebook page every couple of days to keep my relatives up on my progress. I have a cousin in Canberra who smokes a pack a day, his sister kicked them a couple years ago so I'm hoping my posts will have an effect on cous.
It was his mother (my aunt) who wound up riddled with cancer & died in about 1991. She had a double mastectomy initially but it kept coming back.

But we all know it's a choice & you have to want to quit in order to have a fighting chance. The force is strong with me!

I have also chewed sugar free gum for a long time now, mainly for the bad breath factor, & about 7 years ago I started spraying deodorant & washing my hands religiously after each smoke. 'Cause of this, not many people actually pegged me for a smoker.

One other thing I'll mention is that the 21mg nicotine patches tend to itch for a few minutes after I put one on. But it's worth the annoyance!
As of right now, I just had breaky & put a patch on just before, & no cravings.
It also helps to be busy, & as I stated on my FB page, I have actually been kept quite busy since I quit. I just signed up with a labour hire company too & they've ever so gently thrown me in the deep end. I'm loving that!!!

The chest infection that saw me quit has made a comeback so I'll be off to the docs today to nip it in the butt. Doc' will be happy too I reckon on the no smoking thing.

[Russ]

Stick with it mate, if you've lasted this long without having to light up you can give up for good I quit cold turkey about 15 years ago, it wasn't easy but one day I ran out of tobacco (smoked rollies for several years prior to quitting) and was a bit short on cash that week so decided to try and quit. It was bloody hard especially when most of the people I worked with smoked and they were always offering me one even a few weeks after I'd stopped :( Probably because I'd become a right cranky bastard by then lol I'd never go back though and now the smell of cigarettes is rotten to me whereas years ago I never thought much of it. My sense of smell for anything smoke related is now quite intense, I reckon I can smell a cigarette from a mile away now Another good reason to quit is that the smell of stale tobacco on a person really does stink :(

Keep at it and within a few months of quitting you'll know exactly where I'm coming from when a smoker comes near you

[Vincenzo]

Fivver - I'm 56 with heaps of health proplems - some may be related to smoking from 16y/o till I was 40y/o. I went cold turkey as others have stated - having said that once a year I will have a smoke (or at least try) just to remind myself what / why I gave it up. I've become very sensitive to cigarette smoke but love the smell of gunge.

Cheers Vincenzo

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by Russ

Another good reason to quit is that the smell of stale tobacco on a person really does stink :(

Keep at it and within a few months of quitting you'll know exactly where I'm coming from when a smoker comes near you

I'm already at that stage. As a smoker I could still smell the cigs on peoples clothing, but now it's even worse. Makes me wanna run away!

Now everytime I see someone holding a smoke, I say to myself "yeh enjoy it, I'll be walking around upright when you're on a lung machine" !!!
A reality, not an insult.

Please smokers, don't misunderstand me, I enjoyed a smoke too but it is an addiction, a smelly one at that. I'm not here to judge individuals.

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by Vincenzo

I've become very sensitive to cigarette smoke but love the smell of gunge.

I'd agree with that. I smoked weed on & off since I was introduced to it at age 16. I quit that too about 2.5 years ago. I'll never forget that sweet, sweet smell though

[superyob]

O goody! A thread that gives me a platform to smugly pontificate about the evils of smoking and brag self importantly about how I gave up cold turkey in August 1997. And never, ever went back...

[Jason[98.EL]]

I'm 12 months there abouts now smoke free and loving it extra $$$ in our pocket and I feel 1000% better than I ever have I can even get out and play games with the kids where I couldn't do it before

[zilo]

Harsh words here....

Smokers are losers in the game of life.


plenty of winners in this thread....

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by superyob

o goody! A thread that gives me a platform to smugly pontificate about the evils of smoking and brag self importantly about how i gave up cold turkey in august 1997. And never, ever went back...

"bravo"

[Spurious]

I'm going without a patch today. I swear that I can smell the nicotine via the blood vessels in my shnoz. Not nice really.

[BOSS302]

keep it up mate, use family or something as inspiration to stay clean.

man i started when i was 14, by 18 was a pack a day smoker and you know when you are out on the p!ss its more like 2 packs.
by 30 i got diagnosed with a cancer and since then ive had multiple bouts of chemo, 2 stem cell transplants and lotsa radiotherapy.
im still here and cancer free and turning 39 this year but have not touched a dart since the day of diagnosis.

not preaching to you or anyone out there, but do yourself, family and friends a favour, kick that stuff away, i guarantee you within a few months you'll be feeling better and after a year you'll hate the smell of it.
with the prices of cigs and what you'll save by quitting its likely you'll also be able throw a ***** load of mods at your car if you wanted too rather than chemicals into your body.

[PCT302]

I gave up after 25 years of smoking but within 6 month my missus recommended I take it up again, for the first time in years I could actually taste the food I was eating and constantly complained and realized what a **** cook she was.

[MercurySilver]

ive got two weeks off over easter
im gonna have a crack me thinks

getting sick of saying im going to do it but never do it

[JC]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

ive got two weeks off over easter
im gonna have a crack me thinks

getting sick of saying im going to do it but never do it

Try champix - it worked for me. You may get weird dreams etc (I did, but nothing too psychotic), but I had tried everything else, and this is the only thing that worked. I also learnt Pi to 50 decimal places, and recited it in my head every time I felt like a smoke, which helped take my mind off the "need" for a smoke.

It's been 3 years, 1 month, 25 days 19 hours and 30 minutes....but who's counting.

Perhaps one final motivation. When I gave up, smokes were around $15 a pack (Longbeach 40s). I smoked a pack every 2 to 3 days, so that's say $8 per day roughly. Or $240 per month. These days, that would be more like $12 per day, so $360 per month. That covers half the loan repayments on my GT. I could not have afforded the GT when I smoked.....

[CoupeKing]

Originally Posted by JC

Perhaps one final motivation. When I gave up, smokes were around $15 a pack (Longbeach 40s).

I'm in Melbourne. Most places sell the 40's for between $25-30 per packet. That's how much they have gone up in price in just 3 years. It kills you in more ways than one.

Most of my friends and family that smoked have given up.

[MercurySilver]

i dont do pills so no champix
id be lucky to take 3 panadol a year

[Franco Cozzo]

When I was in Vanuatu about 6 months ago or so, I got a pack of 200 Winfield Reds for $20 for a mate who smokes and was looking after my army of cats while we were away.

Pretty expensive habit, given how much they cost locally, how did you guys get started?

A lot of the kids I went to high school with started because it was "cool" to smoke, they would be down at the smokers seats smoking during break times.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

When I was in Vanuatu about 6 months ago or so, I got a pack of 200 Winfield Reds for $20 for a mate who smokes and was looking after my army of cats while we were away.

Pretty expensive habit, given how much they cost locally, how did you guys get started?

A lot of the kids I went to high school with started because it was "cool" to smoke, they would be down at the smokers seats smoking during break times.

I think you answered your own question, being cool or peer group pressure, I thought I was tough when I started at age 14, biggest mistake in my life when I look back on this!

[b2tf]

I can honestly say in my 28, almost 29 years, I have NEVER, ever had a smoke. Not even a drag. Just got no interest in it.

Always good to see someone else giving it up though.

[shaine71]

2 years and 3 months for me, went cold turkey from a packet a day.Got sick of people telling where I could or could not smoke.
I downloaded an app called QUITBUDDY. Tells you how many $$$$ you are saving and a few other motivations.$8000 a year is lots of car goodies.
Stay strong guys.

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

ive got two weeks off over easter
im gonna have a crack me thinks

getting sick of saying im going to do it but never do it

Mate. I was like that for about 6 years but now I'm wondering why it took me so long.
It's an addiction, pure & simple. Stop for a week & you'll feel....& smell the difference.
Get some patches as they really help.

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

When I was in Vanuatu about 6 months ago or so, I got a pack of 200 Winfield Reds for $20 for a mate who smokes and was looking after my army of cats while we were away.

Pretty expensive habit, given how much they cost locally, how did you guys get started?

A lot of the kids I went to high school with started because it was "cool" to smoke, they would be down at the smokers seats smoking during break times.

I got busted smoking my very first day in a new high school, year 8 I think. Turns out the bloke that busted me was to be my woodwork teacher. Nice fella too.
& yes it was my vein attempt to be accepted, but it failed.