I smoked for 5 years, and I just recently quit. I really didn't see the the difficulty in it. I mean, I had cravings for the first couple of days, but after that, it was more of a habitual craving than anything. In fact, I'll smoke 3 or 4 cigarettes when I'm drinking, but I don't feel the urge to start back up or anything. I wouldn't even really need to smoke while I'm drinking, but all my friends smoke, so it's just a casual thing. Maybe I'm weird, but I don't see the difficulty in it. *shrug*

Not weird at all - For the first 30yrs that I was quitting, I did it by not smoking between cigarettes too.

LoL. I'm not saying I smoke on a regular basis. What I'm saying is that I'll have 2 or 3 cigarettes while I'm drinking, but I go a week or two without having one. In fact just on Saturday I was with my 2 friends that don't smoke, and I got pretty hammered and didn't have a cigarette all night. I don't crave it at all. After the first 3 days of quitting I didn't crave it. I only do it while I drink because my ADHD gets worse when I'm drinking, and I like to have something to do with my hands.

March 1st.... .....  

Bump...

After three months, still smoke free?  

Yes, and looking for 20 years more   

Woo! Hoo!   

 

So you're saying 3 months felt like 20 years without the cigs?



Good on you, John. Stay strong!

Good for you. Are you off the patches yet? Once you get the nicotine out of your system, your home free. It's been 4 years for me and I do not miss them at all. Good job quitting and congratulations.  

I quit in 1989. At the time I was smoking as much as 5 PACKS a day. I used gum (wrecked my teeth, but it worked). I also used some "tricks"... like if I really wanted one, I'd smoke a little cigar or a tiny pipe. That helped with the psychological affects and I could still tell myself I wasn't smoking I finally threw the props away sometime in 1990 and haven't had a cigarette since BUT I still say that if my doctor told me I'd die tomorrow, I'd go get cigarettes today Man, if *I* could do it, anybody can. good luck.

Well good luck.. tried just so see how i felt without cigarettes here the other day went 20 hours without a cigarette ..hehe was like walking on clouds and high on some stimulant quite funny actually then smokes a cigarette not for the craving had them in my pocket for a while... and came back to earth still i might quit later in life.. but for now i just like smoking a lot and the smell of tobacco ..ahhh the smell always loved it even i clothes.. so next year is year 11 of tobacco heaven.. but i do wish you luck.. But somethings in life is just to relaxing to just give up just because your told its bad... if you get sick sure thats another thing but hey.. you can get a piano dropped on your head anytime anywhere.. you never know.... all you know is cigarettes increases the risk allot of getting allot of diseases related but not caused by cigarettes. ...i love my ramblings.. dont listen to them do your thing be strong vstyler.

Four months ago I chopped from 4 packs a day to less than half a pack, but I can't seem to take that last step. Even taking Chantix and putting up with the nausea it creates doesn't deter me. I did quit in house smoking and that help a great deal. I'ts the post meal and computer break smokes that are throwing up a brick wall. And I've had lung cancer 3 years ago. Clear for the last two. I guess sometimes you can't fix stupid when it comes to addictions.

If anyone has any great tricks, please let me know.

3 months!.....     

I don't know how my Mom did it she smoked for like 30 yrs, but she was running out one night on her way to bed and smoked her last one, she hasn't touched them in 12 yrs. I have considered quiting because I know it's bad for me, but here's the catch, you first have to want to do it and I just don't want to..lmao, don't ask me why but I really don't. But good luck to you vStyler hope you can do it!

Try vitamin C and grapefruit juice Angus. Worked for me.

I'm actually thinking about starting up again...

 

There really are no *tricks*...you just wake up and say to yourself... "Self , you will not smoke from this time forward."

I hope vStyler is still not smoking....I am looking to Jan. 15th I think, and it will be a year. Yes I still want a cigarette, but I say

no.

 

Way to go....me too for 3 months.  I still want one really bad sometimes so I just beat the wife instead.....calms me right     down.

Way to go Angus!!!        Well as long as it's ok with her!!!

Origin of "The Patch"

The patch originated with Sammy Smoker. One day Sammy lit up and, having had tee martoonies promptly scratched his itchy left eye with the wrong hand.

When asked, Sammy said, "You too can quit smoking. All you need to do is get one of these here patches...I'll tell you how..."

 

Hope you're still off them, vStyler! YAYYYYYY Angus!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Doc

Good luck, man.

I know many, many friends who've quit and it REALLY helps to have support people around you.  In California, smoking is regarded one step beneath having the plague so there are LOTS of people to help one quit, hehe.

I really do hope you succeed at giving it up.  Peace.

I tried the gum. Ech!

I tried the patch. I had to explain to the doctor at th ER that I actually COULD read and that if I could quit smoking I wouldn't NEED the patch, so why was he more surprised than I was that I actually smoked with the damn thing on. 'You're the one with the fucking medical degree! You tell me what I was thinking!"

I tried hypnosis. The FIRST time I had laughing fits. Fits that lasted hours. In the middle of a meeting with my DM. I had to go back the next night and have it undone. The SECOND time was 3 years later. I lasted six months, married my first wife, had the landlady tell me a month later that my apartment was busier than the McDonalds drive thru..."One goin' out the front door as another comes in the backdoor" and well.....I think I smoked 6 packs just that night.

Last time was about two years ago. Tried cold turkey. You ever seen that episode of Roseanne where everyone goes into a panic when they find out she is menstrating? My wife begged me to buy a pack.

Sigh.

It's finally caught up to me. My doctor, who saw me after he sent me for the 'test' pretty much flipped out when I said the nurse that tested me said it was only 'mild' emphasema. "There is no such thing as MILD emphasema!"  Two weeks later, while doing a CT on my kidneys or something other than my lungs, it caught something in my lungs. Another CT said it's an 11mm 'growth'. I guess by calling it a 'growth' I'm supposed to feel better. My doctor (the one who says  'It's like saying you're a little PREGNANT!') said 'We'll have to keep an eye on that. HA!  You see, that's funny because my eyes just strated going. It seems the gel that holds them together is liquifying and pulling at the retina causing them to tear and get holes. So now I see flashing lights and bugs in my peripherol vision that aren't there. Let's keep an eye on THAT! Try explaining to folks you're not tripping or going through the DT's when they see you swatting at bugs that aren't there.

Shit. I need a cigarette.

...It seems cigarette smoking has caught up to alot of us...   Please do keep a good eye on that *growth* and you're correct, there is no such thing as *mild emphasyema* .  So, you wanna breathe longer, or you wanna smoke...you wanna see your children, grandchildren, draw, paint , live...or do you want to smoke........choices....

John, I wish you all the luck in the world!  You can do it, I did, so anyone can. I used chantix this last try and pulled it off! I have not had a smoke since May, 18, 2007.  Now when I get around someone who smokes, the smell makes me nauseated.  I had tried the patch, cigarrest, hypnotism, cold turkey, you name it. Chantix worked for me and all it caused me was a little nausea, and wild dreams.  I will be praying for your success, smoking is a very bad habit, and I wish you the best of luck with quitting.