It's now been 2 weeks. The first week was easy, since I don't smoke when with my folks, and I was in FL with them the first week. Lots of Nicorette, but less than usual because I had the flu all week. Figured it was time to try again -- read online that if you quit by age 50 (I'm not there, yet), you can "regain 6 years of your life". I was like, wow, that's it?!.

I've tried this before, years ago -- lasted a few months before having a drag here and there, then finishing a cig from a friend, then, taking a couple home, etc, and then I was back. ...guess that was a long time ago now, since we were still smoking in bars before that was banned. (I'm actually glad it was)

The money wasn't the motivator. Over a year ago I got a cigarette injector so I just bought the tobacco and tubes, and made my own. A pack in 5 minutes, for like $1/pack as opposed to $7+ for a "real" pack. In over a year, I had just purchased 1 pack, cuz I miscalculated my order by a day. That's it. Saved HUNDREDS (tho, that money never really accumulates, it just disappears elsewhere, of course lol)

Anyway, reading the benefits of quitting, and how long each takes, kinda motivated me. As well as wanting to stick around to see my young niece and nephews growing up.

On the 12th night, after a few drinks, I felt the urge. I lit up, and couldn't even finish half of it -- it tasted disgusting (and hell, I smoked 2 packs/day for a long time, and loved it)! But it was gross! More motivation!

Just over 2 weeks now (besides that little slip), and I'm going thru a lot of Nicorrete -- still, better than smoking!

I don't wanna talk about it on Facebook, cuz there are those who think I quit long ago and don't wanna admit that failure. But I think this is it now. I'm done with it -- it's a nasty addiction, tastes disgusting (tho the feeling might feel great, for a moment)... been chewing about 10 pieces/day, the cost is about 50c more than my cheap cigs, so that's not an issue.

I'm actually glad I tried that 1/2 cig a couple days ago -- cuz it just reinforced to me how disgusting it was.

But then there's the gum. I don't wanna have to chew this the rest of my life, either! But it's better than smoking.

Guess I'm just looking for any support / success stories... it's very difficult doing this alone, especially after 30 years! Again, not on Facebook.

I can only say, "Good luck". Like you, I went the roll-your-own route (after having stopped for two years). I HATE myself for having done so. It was so nice to wake up without coughing and without feeling like the Russian Army had marched through your mouth the night before.

Keep it up!!!

My wife quit many years ago. One day she just stopped smoking. Yet she could not stop being around me. We been married 44 years I am amazed by that.

My daughter the communist lives in Germany she smokes like a chimney. She rolls her own there.

My youngest son mid 30s has been trying to quit smoking for years. He has tried everything but he can't stop. He is in perfect shape black belt Brazilian Jujitsu teaches it in three different schools in manhattan. But the cigs is a time bomb waiting to go off.

My dear departed father smoked 3 packs a day. I always knew when he was home as a little kid because I would hear him coughing in the hallway as he came up the four flights of stairs to our apartment.

It was great I had time to leave the house before the scumbag arrived. He may have smoked less then that. He used some cigs to burn my mother when he got pissed off at her.

He died at 49 years old. But not from smoking someone hung him from our back fire escape.

My oldest son and my oldest daughter never started.

I used to like to smoke a cigar at about 5 in the morning after being out all night. It relaxed me after drinking and doing whatever else I was doing.

Now at 74 I don't smoke or drink or gamble or do dope I am a boring guy now. But I still enjoy a good meal, and a good women.

Congratulations Geoff, keep plugging away and try not to get discouraged if you take a drag here and there. As you know it takes a persistant and determined effort over time to put them down for good. Did you check any online addiction forums for support, most of them have sections dedicated to quitting smoking tobacco and most folks are sincere about helping each other.

Salut!

Never had a puff of a cigarette in my life but both my parents used to smoke. My ma smoked 40 a day, and just like that, when we moved into the house we now live in, 20 or so years ago, she stopped. She's always said, "You'll never stop unless you want to." My dad stopped at the same time but then just took up smoking again about ten years ago. Then stopped again, just like that: no declarations or anything.

Difficult to generalise of course, as everyone's different, but I guess there's a tricky balance between wanting others to know and retaining some kind of personal privacy about it; perhaps that stems from the fact that smoking's still socially acceptable, and so the 'shame' you feel in continuing to smoke is self-punitive rather than something you can talk about.

Good luck at any rate!

2 stories - one is my mother in law. She smoked for 40+ years and tried halfheartedly to quit, claiming it was her only vice and leave her alone about it. She decided 8 years ago to give it a real try and went to the doctor and he prescribed Chantix. She was able to stop in about a month and hasn't smoked since.

My neighbor, a heavy drinker and smoker, had a mild heart attack at 56 years old and was scared into quiting (smoking - he is Irish and said he'll never quit drinking but switched from beer to 7 & 7s for some reason). He tried using the electronic cigarettes and had no real success. Tried the Chantix and did better, but it is too soon to see if he really quit or not.

Good luck with quitting - it is worth it.

I had tried Chantix and it made me freak out. I had the weirdest dreams (nightmares) when I was on it. I stopped after two weeks. I had better success with Welbutrin. It actually stopped the urge to smoke, and I did (stop) for about a month without having an urge. Then I went out for a weekend of eating and drinking (with some guys and gals from this board) and simply started smoking again.

Good luck, Geoff. Your family and friends will appreciate your effort. I never had a cigarette, but watched some people kick the habit while the habit kicked others.

My advice would be to avoid possibly feeling overwhelmed by the struggle to quit forever, and take it one day at a time by resolving not to smoke that day. I hope after x number of days, living a cigarette-free life will become second nature.

Congratulations Geoff. I was a heavy smoker and had a high stress job and at it's worst hit the three pack a day level. I knew it would eventually affect my health so quit cold turkey. I was determined (This time) to prove that I was more stubborn and powerful than those cigarettes. It has now been over 35 years. I had some recent medical problems and after numerous tests, the doctors said that my past smoking had not caused me any problems or damage. I am one of the lucky ones. I have a buddy who has COPD and he still "Can't" quit smoking. I will also say that it gets easier every day, so stick with it Geoff- show that YOU are the boss.

Congrats Geoff. Wednesday will be a month for me. I was 10-20 smokes a day and started smoking when I was 13. I was out with a friend (an MD) playing pool, drinking a few beers and we were talking about our kids (I have 4 young ones) and I asked him if a vaporizer was a good alternative to smoking and he said absolutely. So I went out and bought one and have not had a real smoke since. I feel like I'm cheating because you are ingesting nicotine but much of the research shows that it is a safer alternative. It relieves the cravings but in ten years they will probably find that it causes brain tumors.

Geoff,

Do you recall when I started a post about quitting smoking? That will be 7 years ago next month. I haven't had a cigaret since. I guess I did it a little differently than most. I didn't quit cold turkey but rather, limited the number of cigarets I smoked until I got down to like 2 or 3 a day. I'd wait til certain times to light up. I had a long ride home from work (couldn't smoke at work in the office, so that helped). I'd allow myself, in the beginning, 3 cigs in a.m., 2 at lunch; three cigs from work to home and 3 in the evening. Anyway, gradually I went down to a couple a day and then stopped.

Now, to this day, if I'm walking down the street (or anywhere for that matter) and I smell smoke from someone smoking in the area.....call me nuts, but it still smells good.

That being said, I am so happy I quit and feel so much better. One of the smarter decisions I've made in my life.
Btw, maybe because I was never more than a pack a day smoker, it was a little easier to cut down gradually. I don't know.
Plus, I saved a bundle...4 cartons a month at that time I think was about $40 each.

Good luck Geoff. It is not easy that's for sure. Hang in there. You CAN do it.



TIS

I remember that thread. 7 years? Holy Smokes (pun intended) .

Geoff,

"You're good enough. You're smart enough. And gosh darnit, people like you."


I always think we can use some humor. Here is a clip from "Arrested Development," one of my all-time favorite shows.




All kidding aside, good luck Geoff. I hope you can kick the habit.

Good luck, Geoff. Here's my story.

I smoked about a pack a day until ~1971. Then I switched to pipe tobacco. Smoked three pipes a day and never felt addicted. Often didn't finish the three bowls. Then, in 1990, I cut back to 1 1/2 bowls/day. Ooooh, was I addicted. Left business meetings every 15 minutes to light up for one drag on the pipe (claimed I had urinary tract problems). Sucked at the unlit pipe.

Then one day, I ducked out of a conference room to light up in the hallway. I was standing directly under a smoke detector. BRRRRIIING! Fire alarms went off in all four buildings in the complex. 4,200 people in the street, including me, with a hot pipe in my pocket, trying to look inconspicuous. When they let us back inside, I saw the building mechanics examining thr detector. "Someone musta lit up under this one," one of the guys said. I didn't bother to tell him it was me.

That's when I decided to quit.

You have to be ready, Geoff. Hope you are.

Geoff, after numerous attempts, I finally quit six years ago. I got the patch from NYS. They sent me some interesting statistics. If you can go two weeks without smoking, you have a much better chance at quitting for good. So, you've made it so far! You have increased your chances, so pat yourself on the back! Feel free to text or call me if you need a friend to get you over a bump in the road.

And don't worry about the Nicorette. You will eventually be able to cut down on that.

Good luck! Your heart and lungs will thank you.

I typed a lot, then lost it all...

Basically, thank you all!

2+ weeks--not a long time--but I'm done with it! 6 weeks at 1/hr before I cut down, will hopefully be manageable... all I know is, I'm done... so shouldn't be a big deal...

thank you all!

The fact that I don't reek like cigarettes any more saves a lot of "cover up" time!

Smoking was luckily never one of my vices.It came a distant last to drinking, gambling, loose women and pornography!!

Yogi well at least you did not waste your money.

TB,

That story is hilarious (tho I'm sure not at the time).

Anyone know anything about these E-cigarets? Are they going over big. I use to see commercials for them but not so much recently. Still don't quite get how they work.



TIS

TIS,

From what I have heard, the e-cigs are very popular with teens. So much so that it is becoming a major concern. Last fall, I was at a football game in Detroit inside of a dome and saw quite a few people with the e-cigs. I had never seen them before, but they seem to be gaining in popularity.

I always liked this exchange from "Austin Powers" -
Woman: "Austin, do you smoke after sex?"
AP: "I don't know, baby. I never checked."

Hey Goombah, nice to see you around. How are you doing?

So, is there an odor to these E-cigarets? I hear it's a vapor? Not that I am curious enough to start smoking again, but I just wonder if/what the "satisfaction" is or how different it is.


TIS

e-cigs are definitely getting more popular here.

its been about a year + since ive had a cigarette, im still prone to the odd relapse when im drinking although ive not drank in a year either lol.

Good luck Geoff

As many here have stated, cigarette smoking can be a very expensive habit for the consumer. It's also costly in terms of treatment for long term heart and lung ailments.

Another thing that I've noticed is how it interferes with the work day for some. I've worked with people, who would need to smoke a couple times each hour. They'd have to get to an elevator, exit the building and return. It is a major distraction to getting work done. Of course, most smokers don't smoke as frequently.

I never smoked. But I can't believe that this Stephen King story wasn't mentioned yet..

Both my parents smoked, although my old man gave up when he had his first heart attack, when I was 2, so I never remember him smoking. My mother puffed on for years till about 8 years ago when she needed a new valve in her heart and the docs advised she stop. She did straight up,cold turkey!! Tough old bird my mammy

My MIL had double pneumonia and a collapsed lung about 7 or 8 years ago, and she quit smoking for a while, but then went back to it. Four and a half years ago, she had triple bypass surgery and a blood clot, quit for a few years and went back. As a former smoker, I don't get that. After going without a cigarette for years, the smell of smoke is so repulsive, I can't imagine picking one up again.

The first month was the hardest, but it does get easier each day. That's the good news. And Quitter's hotline encouraged you to think of cigarettes as that reckless friend from your youth who never quite grew up. You know that, as much as you love hanging with them, it's too risky. And not to be discouraged if you stumble. Just get back on the wagon again as soon as you can.

Tried ages ago but went back on them 8 year this year

Before recently, I only tried once before to (seriously) stop, and I failed after a couple months -- would take a drag here and there at the bar, then "finish" one or two (while we could still smoke in bars -- which was a while ago at this point)... then I'd "just take home whatever was left from the pack" ... before long, I was right back into it!

That was then, tho; this is now... not only can't we smoke in bars anymore, I don't even go out to bars -- hardly anymore anyway. So that temptation's gone. I drink at home, sure, but can still control how much gum I chew regardless. I'm still at about 10/day, which is on par with Nicorette's instructions, regardless of how much I may drink -- and that's good!

I don't want to go back -- and I'm saying that for the first time, ever! ...I don't care if I have to chew this damn gum for the rest of my life ($25/week, though, I hope to cut down eventually ;))

An old joke:

Do you smoke after sex? I don't know, I never looked.

My father was a two-pack a day man. He developed angina around age 55. Had a stroke at 59, and died of congestive heart failure at 64. The doctor told my mother it was all related to smoking.

Good Luck Geoff. Replace smoking with walking and then jogging. You put me on to My Tracks, so as Andrew Dufrane said, "Get busy living, or get busy dying."