So, I am going to quit this habit, and anything is welcome to help with this. I am using the patchit itches and could use some good cheer to keep positive.
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Cold turkey! It's the only way to go. That's what I did almost 5 years ago. I will say, however, that I also started regular exercising right away, which probably helped. And, of course, the love and support of Mrs. Zombie was a good thing.
No matter what way you choose to go, good luck.
How many days on the patch?
It got me off a 6-year heavy smoking habit. Problem is I got hooked on the patch, wore it for like 3 weeks past the date.
Cold turkey! It's the only way to go. That's what I did almost 5 years ago. I will say, however, that I also started regular exercising right away, which probably helped. And, of course, the love and support of Mrs. Zombie was a good thing.
No matter what way you choose to go, good luck.
My job is very exercising already (chucks kegs for a living!) its managing the stress that is hard right now. Thanks for the support!!
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I quit in September (I think) and I did it by weaning myself off. I did it as I felt like I could, without setting any kind of artificial limits for myself. All told, it took about a month and a half to go from a pack a day to nothing. A couple of things that I did: I stopped smoking in my house, I cut out smoke breaks at work and I always made sure I had my cigarettes on me. That last one seems pretty weird, but if I didn't have them on me, I would only think about how I didn't have them, and what was I going to do if I really needed one? I don't know, those are the things that worked for me. I think the really important part is that you know that there is no right way. Something will work for you, you've just gotta figure out what. Hope this helps even a little. :-)
Think of the saved Money!
LOL! Yes this one of the main reasons as well, I did the math and if I can quit, well, my wife will get a new car!
Think of the saved Money!LOL! Yes this one of the main reasons as well, I did the math and if I can quit, well, my wife will get a new car!
This helped me. This plus patch.
How many days on the patch?
It got me off a 6-year heavy smoking habit. Problem is I got hooked on the patch, wore it for like 3 weeks past the date.
This is my (insert big number)time, this will be day number 2.
I think I am likely to kill some of my players on sunday out of spite and such.
i quit for 6 months the first time and decided to just see what it tasted like since i hadn't had one in a while. i smoked another 2 years after that. i am now ciggy free for almost 6 years, my advice is to use the patch, avoid people that you tend to smoke with cuz they don't want you to quit, and don't smoke one just to see what it will do.the first months are a nightmare and i still dream about it from time to time. what a nasty monster CR32 smoking is, good luck and try to stay positive.
Fixed that for ya, and thank you for the advice. Thats how I got hooked last time again. Its going to be rough, as I work in lots of bars and they are always there.
Yeah, the dreams! I remember that. Must be because you don't normally smoke and sleep at the same time...
Day 2 is still really rough. Hang in the man, it is worth it. By day 7 you will feel great.
I quit in September (I think) and I did it by weaning myself off. I did it as I felt like I could, without setting any kind of artificial limits for myself. All told, it took about a month and a half to go from a pack a day to nothing. A couple of things that I did: I stopped smoking in my house, I cut out smoke breaks at work and I always made sure I had my cigarettes on me. That last one seems pretty weird, but if I didn't have them on me, I would only think about how I didn't have them, and what was I going to do if I really needed one? I don't know, those are the things that worked for me. I think the really important part is that you know that there is no right way. Something will work for you, you've just gotta figure out what. Hope this helps even a little. :-)
Every word, every bit of it helps! I will take every bit sent to me!
Yes, the dreams, I have a book on the night stand to write them down upon waking. When I tried last year, they had been quite...unsettling. I normally do not recall anything upon waking.
And I will try moving the patch around this time, This wicked beast must be slain!
No real advice, been trying to get my Dad to quit for the past 20 years, unsuccessfully. But you have all the well wishes I can give in your endeavor.
No real advice, been trying to get my Dad to quit for the past 20 years, unsuccessfully. But you have all the well wishes I can give in your endeavor.
Best wishes taken, thank you!!
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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I used one of those little plastic fake cigarettes with a mint filter. I 'smoked' it constantly for about a month and then someone grabbed it from me and stuck it in an ashtray telling me that it was a no-smoking zone. I didn't bother retrieving my pacifier. 13 years smoke free.
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Jam412's experience is spot on! I weaned myself off of smoking too about 5 years ago shortly after I turned 40. (Okay everybody yell: "GROGNARD!")
I think of it this way: since it is a habit one grows into and made a part of one's life, then weaning off and making gradual changes to one's routine is the most logical way to break the habit. Although it is also a good idea to understand/be honest with oneself as to why one started smoking in the first place -- no need to share that with others, but looking at yourself can help the weaning strategy.
Another thing I did was to allow myself to have the occasional set-back recognizing that the occasional rough day or so is part of the up and down trend towards quitting altogether.
Everyone is different, so stay strong! :-)
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I smoked a pack and a half to 2 packs a day for 10+ years. I decided when the wifey got preggers with our first to quit since she didn't smoke. I used the patch but found that it was lacking in something to do with my hands and mouth so I got a couple of huge bags of Dum-dum lollipops to pop in when I got jonesing. It worked pretty well. The worst was when I drove somewhere, my usual routine was- get in the car, light up, chain smoke until I arrived at my destination. That was tough to break but the dum-dums helped out a lot.
Anyway I quit the patch 2 weeks early and was determined to make it work.
I've been without a cigarette for over 7 years now. You can do it but you really have to want to.
Good luck. Stop licking the patch.
So, to all,
horrible things, bad day, yada yada yada. So, on the morrow, we begin anew. Must fight this wicked beast! Thank you all for the support!!
I smoked a pack and a half to 2 packs a day for 10+ years. I decided when the wifey got preggers with our first to quit since she didn't smoke. I used the patch but found that it was lacking in something to do with my hands and mouth so I got a couple of huge bags of Dum-dum lollipops to pop in when I got jonesing. It worked pretty well. The worst was when I drove somewhere, my usual routine was- get in the car, light up, chain smoke until I arrived at my destination. That was tough to break but the dum-dums helped out a lot.
Anyway I quit the patch 2 weeks early and was determined to make it work.
I've been without a cigarette for over 7 years now. You can do it but you really have to want to.
Good luck. Stop licking the patch.
Lollipops, huh, very good idea! I think that I will try that, car routine for me is the worst, half hour with a bad radio and naught to do. I have to quit this thing, its starting to hit me harder and harder.
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You can do it brother.
Incidentally I quit a pretty bad coke and crack habit WAY back and that was easier than quitting smoking.
It's all about your inner strength. Latch onto the idea that you will win and don't let it go. Punch a wall, eat an extra meal, hit the gym, treat yourself to something that helps with the hand/mouth issues, whatever it takes. You are in a battle. Don't allow yourself to lose.
Reward yourself for small victories. Couple days clean, by a CD you've been wanting. 2 Weeks clean, pick up a new video game/rpg book or something. Spend that money you would've spent on Cigs so you can see what you've been cheating yourself out of. Ultimately you should have a big payoff.....something like expanding on your Paizo subscriptions. ;P
If you need help or suggestions just keep looking here. We can all help.
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Oh and with the rewards, if you fall off you need to put away the stuff you gave yourself until you re-meet the criteria to earn them back.
You are a Pit Bull. You will win. You will also gain a significant amount of stamina (you know what I mean!:P) and feel better within a few months. Smoking is like carrying around an extra load all the time. It feels good to get rid of it.
Oh and with the rewards, if you fall off you need to put away the stuff you gave yourself until you re-meet the criteria to earn them back.
You are a Pit Bull. You will win. You will also gain a significant amount of stamina (you know what I mean!:P) and feel better within a few months. Smoking is like carrying around an extra load all the time. It feels good to get rid of it.
10-4 good buddy! I will win, some how, I will not fail this time!
Now I need to finish some last minute things for da game tommorow.
Thank you for the encouragement!!!
Sorry to hear you fell off the wagon, but it is plain to see you really want to succeed. You'll be alright, just keep trying!
Director of Brand Strategy
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I quit cold turkey in April of last year and I found this site to be very helpful. There are some really good motivational videos on there, including some that break down the physiological and psychological hurdles that face quitters, like wanting a cigarette to deal with stress, the futility of weaning yourself off, and motivation to keep going when it gets really tough. Best of luck, and don't ever give up!
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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I've been quit for about a year now. The things that have helped me are:
1. I don't go to bars. Bars make me want to smoke.
2. I don't have cigarettes around. There are times when I really REALLY want a cigarette, and if I had any available or nearby, I'd smoke.
3. I don't hang out in the smoking areas at work. If I did I'd bum one from somebody.
On the other hand I've gained about 20 pounds since I quit smoking. Cigarettes are an appetite suppressant so be prepared to gain some weight.
Oh and with the rewards, if you fall off you need to put away the stuff you gave yourself until you re-meet the criteria to earn them back.
You are a Pit Bull. You will win. You will also gain a significant amount of stamina (you know what I mean!:P) and feel better within a few months. Smoking is like carrying around an extra load all the time. It feels good to get rid of it.10-4 good buddy! I will win, some how, I will not fail this time!
Now I need to finish some last minute things for da game tommorow.
Thank you for the encouragement!!!
It's a process, and most folks fall off the wagon during the process. It may happen more than once, but you can get past that hitch and reach your goal. I've known people who have stumbled a lot while quitting, but they got past it.
Good luck!!
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Exactly BT, I had several stumbles along the way, I even almost fell off totally a couple months after. Saw a buddy smoking outside of a store and went to talk to him (hadn't seen him since I started to quit) and he offered a smoke, I accepted and smoked a few that day. I had to restrain myself from picking up a pack at the store that night, even though I tried to justify it with a "but I'll only smoke one or two a day" philosophy.
It's hard but you just have to accept that it is hard and work harder to quit.
Good luck.
So, now at day 4, no smoking, Fake Healer, the pops really do help!!Thank you for that idea, I look a little foolish on the job, but they really help. That and I set a new distance for tossing a keg yesterday! And I feel mostly normal as well, the cravings seem lessened a bit, looks good so far. Hooray!!
So, now at day 4, no smoking, Fake Healer, the pops really do help!!Thank you for that idea, I look a little foolish on the job, but they really help. That and I set a new distance for tossing a keg yesterday! And I feel mostly normal as well, the cravings seem lessened a bit, looks good so far. Hooray!!
Good job man!! Your kung fu is strong!
So, now at day 4, no smoking, Fake Healer, the pops really do help!!Thank you for that idea, I look a little foolish on the job, but they really help. That and I set a new distance for tossing a keg yesterday! And I feel mostly normal as well, the cravings seem lessened a bit, looks good so far. Hooray!!Good job man!! Your kung fu is strong!
Thank you! I think some of it is also that I have stopped handling the kegs in gentle way, and more of a see if I can break them in half way. Very, very fun to recieve money, for abusing product!
Hmm...seems my wife my be right, maybe I should add some stress/anger managment classes to my "to do"list.
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Director of Sales
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Scott,
I just stumbled onto this thread, and I wanna share my story with ya. But first of all:
I quit smoking on Labor Day 2008, and am still smoke-free.
It was my 4th or 5th attempt, and now the most-successful. I'd tried several methods before, but the crucial difference this time was that I wanted to quit. I truly want to not have to smoke anymore.
So I went cold turkey. I went cold turkey and gave myself permission to fall once or twice. When I finished my last pack of cigarettes, I bought myself one more. Not one more pack, one more cigarette. The gas stations around here sell these single-packaged cigarettes for a buck a piece. They are terrible. I mean really, really awful cigarettes. They taste like stale cardboard mixed with poo. We're talking worse than GPC's or Gunsmoke or whatever bottom-shelf, low-cost, generic crap cigarettes you can think of, these are worse.
...and that's when you get them fresh.
So I bought this horrible "single stick" smoke, and set it on my desk at home. I told myself that, if it got REALLY BAD and I needed to, I would go ahead and smoke one more cigarette. The catch was: I could only smoke THAT cigarette, and ONLY after waiting for 30 more minutes.
It's a mental game, you see. You say to that part of you, the one that feels like a ravaging lunatic, that you will fulfill it's needs but only after it waits a while. Then you wait it out. After 30 minutes, you see if you still really need that cigarette. The game is this: it's much easier to wait out a bad nic-fit knowing that you just have to wait for a little while. You know that it's going to end, so it doesn't seem endless. And the real secret is this: A nic-fit only lasts about 15-20 minutes. If you can get through that, you will nearly always NOT need that smoke, and you can go on with your day. If you DO still need that smoke at the end of that 30 minutes... smoke one. Then buy another single stick and wait 45 minutes next time.
I only ended up smoking that horrid, horrid smoke maybe once or twice. It was terrible because by the time I smoked it, it had gone stale. However, it sated the need and still punished the momentary lack of willpower. I went and bought a new one as soon as possible and went right back to quitting. I didn't focus on those occasions that I had to break down a bit.
Just remember that it took you years to learn to smoke, so don't expect to quit overnight. I still consider myself to be "quitting" after a year and a half. If I ever need to smoke again, I still have a single cigarette (which is now a year and a half old and counting) waiting for me.
I hope this helps, and please keep us updated.
-cos
Not a smoker myself (decided I liked it too much and never really started), but I've heard things like celery/carrot sticks also work. Probably better for you than the Dum Dums...but it really comes down to what works for you. :)
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Good job brother! Stay strong! Oh and all that money you are saving can be put to a great use if you feel like helping out a good cause. My 4 yr old son and me are doing a walk for Autism(yup, he's got minor autism)! Sorry for the shameless plug but my wife is whupping my @ss in donations....
@Cosmo- Ew. I did the cheapest roll-em-yourself when I faltered. No filter, disgustingly dry, horrible flavor and a lingering aftertaste of butt. Not cigarette butt either....
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I am like Lilith, I smoked off and on a little here and there for years. Never enough to get hooked more like a couple of cigs on a friday night at the bar type deal.
Anyways a friend of mine who is a hard core smoker tried several times to stop.(he still smokes today) He best attempt was when he went cold turkey, he made it like 15 months. Then made the mistake while hanging out with people that smoke that he would just try one for old times sake. He bought a pack on his way home and a carton the very next day and went right back to being a hard core smoker.
So my best advice is, stay away from temptation and once you stop don't try one again.
How goes the battle?
Thank you all for your advice and stories! The battle is rough, but today is day 11!! No cheating or back sliding. The fits are rough, but I am able to handle them, although my car has several new dents now. I will try to update later today and respond to all, but right now I have to leave early for work, Yay Beer!!
Thank you all for your advice and stories! The battle is rough, but today is day 11!! No cheating or back sliding. The fits are rough, but I am able to handle them, although my car has several new dents now. I will try to update later today and respond to all, but right now I have to leave early for work, Yay Beer!!
You rock!!!
I imagine you're coughing a bit more than normal when you exert yourself. This is a good thing as it's a sign your lungs are actually starting to work better, and they're starting to clear out years of crap.
11 days is awesome! Keep up the good fight, and be safe at work!
Thank you all for your advice and stories! The battle is rough, but today is day 11!! No cheating or back sliding. The fits are rough, but I am able to handle them, although my car has several new dents now. I will try to update later today and respond to all, but right now I have to leave early for work, Yay Beer!!
I hope it's still going well!
I just mentioned to Fakey:
I don't mean to sound cliche, but "Hard men last. Hard times don't."
Good luck!
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Good luck to you, Scott Williams. As a person with asthma who can't be around smoking, I thank you on behalf of asthmatics everywhere.
And please don't hesitate to make more posts here. Even if you fall off the wagon a few times (or a lot of times) I know this is a community that would never blame you, but would encourage you to pick yourself up and try again.
Still walking tall, no cheating or bumming smokes from freinds. The fits haven't really gotten any easier to deal with. I am coming to the conclusion that this battle can end in a stalemate, at best. The cravings haven't changed much either. This habit sucks!!
Still walking tall, no cheating or bumming smokes from freinds. The fits haven't really gotten any easier to deal with. I am coming to the conclusion that this battle can end in a stalemate, at best. The cravings haven't changed much either. This habit sucks!!
Excellent! You're like two weeks in, so you're getting over the hump.
This too shall pass, or as my deployed friends like to say, "Embrace the SUCK!!".
It could be worse; you could be in Iraq! ;)
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Still walking tall, no cheating or bumming smokes from freinds. The fits haven't really gotten any easier to deal with. I am coming to the conclusion that this battle can end in a stalemate, at best. The cravings haven't changed much either. This habit sucks!!
The bad news is that the cravings will never end. They'll get less frequent, and even less strong, but they'll never go away completely. There will be times when your resolve will break and you'll be willing to give up and burn one. The trick to getting through those moments is not having one around to burn.
The good news is that a stalemate counts as a win for you.
Good show, man. I quit smoking twice: once for six years, then off and on for three years, and now I'm on six months or so with no looking back.
My advice tidbits:
1) If you find an opportunity to quit, take it. I mean especially being ill, particularly respiratory bugs like colds, flus and bronchitis where it's unbearable to smoke. Make sure to try smoking at least once when it's bad, and then every time you want a smoke afterwards, remember that moment. Plus, recovering from withdrawal will feel like getting better from the bug. It's my secret to success.
2) Break your smoking habits. Personally, I stopped taking breaks at work, that way I didn't have the desire. Not good, because that's when I get most of my reading done, but I'll eventually get back to it. Avoid being around folks that smoke, and if you don't, then see below.
3) Focus on the bad stuff. Every time you want a smoke remember all those hacking, coughing fits. Imagine how awful it smells. Imagine all the money you could blow. Also, remember to focus on how bad the SMOKING is, not on how bad you (might think) you are. You are not the problem. Don't say "Gosh, I'm so stupid to want another smoke." You're not. Instead get pissed off at the tobacco companies, the smokes themselves and the godawful way you'll smell and feel.
4) Focus on the good stuff. To counter it, imagine how clean you will smell. Imagine all the money you're saving. If you notice that you can breathe easier, remember that. Use some air fresheners in your car. Make sure to sniff your clean laundry. You don't need to be holier than thou, but be proud of what you've accomplished. It really sucks.
5) For me, not telling anyone helped. While this is contrary to normal advice (and too late for you, I'm afraid), it allowed me to fail without shame. If I screwed up, I didn't have to tell anyone. Then I could try again without spiraling. Then, a few months later, people start to notice. "Hey, you're not smoking!" Then you can proudly proclaim that you've quit. However, I read this somewhere, and I really like the idea, I usually dismiss any praise. Not smoking is what I should be doing, therefore I shouldn't be praised for doing it. It also takes the perceived magnitude of the trial and knocks it down a few steps.
6) Actually quit. No cheaters, no bums, no drags. Try not to hang out in clouds of smoke. After a few months, they'll be hard to handle anyways (because you're used to breathing cleanly). If you do fail occasionally, try 1) not to buy a whole pack, and if that fails, then 2) do not finish a whole pack. If you smoke one, and can, throw the rest in the toilet and for heaven's sake, FLUSH! No matter how many are left, as soon as you feel you've sated yourself, flush the other ones. Flushing means you're not digging through the trash looking for them. :)
7) Don't beat yourself up for a mistake. If you catch a spelling error, you either correct it, or move on. Correct it by getting rid of any smokes you might still have or removing yourself from the situation, and then move on without railing at yourself (because, ultimately, if you get tired of beating yourself up for mistakes, you'll most likely just go back to smoking because, hey, you've screwed up before, and now you're just stuck.)
8) Remember (and this is part of the bad stuff, but it bears stating outright) you don't smoke for the pleasure of it 95 percent of the time. Most smokers hate smoking. I bet you did too.
You smoke to avoid the withdrawal symptoms. That's it. And you'll have those after you've smoked one or 100 smokes. And they'll go lessen and then go away more quickly if you don't smoke at all. The patch is great for lowering your craving for nicotine, but eventually you have to stop the patch, too ;). DumDums help with the physical action cravings. But ultimately it is YOU that is going to quit. And YOU can. Because you can choose not to smoke. It will seem hard, but it's not.
9) Remember and tell yourself that it's easy to quit. It is. Look how many people have done it! Heck, you did it yourself every day for years, at least when you went to bed. It may not seem to be and lots of folks will tell you that 'oh, it's hard' but ultimately, quitting smoking is the absence of action, and doing nothing is easy. :) Don't let your body and other people lie to you. (PS, this is a bit of a mental gymnastics show).
You've got quite a few folks rooting for you. You'll be more attractive, smell better, feel better, be richer and have more fun ultimately. Good for you!
Heck, when I quit, I immediately took all the money I spent for ONE month on smoking and bought about a hundred miniatures. Excellent.
I hope something here helps someone. It worked for me, and it may be a new way to look at it for folks that find it tough. As someone said, though, find what works for you, even if you think you've failed. At the end of the day, though, the only way to quit smoking/using tobacco is to NOT smoke and/or use tobacco.
Day number 27, still good. Cravings are just as bad as day 1, but I am grinding my way past them. Nasty stuff still coming out of my lungs (eww). Wish me luck, my trailer broke a leaf spring yesterday, so I get to sell my route out of a van today. yay