how i quit smoking

Costs are rising and times are tough.
Please consider a donation to keep this
place going.

Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.

how i quit smoking

You are logged in as Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >>Discussions >>Off Topic >>

Page: [1] 2 3 > >>

Message

<< Newer Topic Older Topic >>

xirdneH_imiJ

Posts: 1890
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton

how i quit smoking

i'd like to know how you ex-smokers did it, what kinds of side effects you experienced?

i finally decided yesterday to quit, and my first goal is to cut my daily need drastically...i was pretty sure the way to go was to just cut the supply completely, but today i smoked 3 instead of the usual 10-15 and i'm happy with that...however, i'm experiencing minor anxiety, my lung feels like it has something pressuring it constantly and most importantly i feel like a woman in her period, with the heightened emotions...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2011 20:54:55

Leendert

Posts: 153
Joined: May 27 2010
From: WI, USA

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

How I did it?
I gave my pack of smokes to the first random person and quit!
It is all in your head! band-aids, gum and god knows what they all come up with is all crap and a way to get another buck out of you and to make sure you still crave nicotine. IT IS ALL WILL POWER! I smoked for 16 years and I smoked a lot!
If you REALLY want to stop then do it, nothing is stopping you!
People who can't do this are usually people who don't really believe it, like someone told them they should stop but are not convinced themselves yet..
If you really want to stop then stop right now! it's the most simplest, easiest, quickest way to do it.
And of course you'll be tempted within the first few weeks, but if you stand behind your decision you will feel stronger anytime you resist the temptation.
the longer it has been you haven't smoked the more you will start to find it gross.
It has been almost 5 years now since I quit and I can smell it a mile away if someone just came from outside smoking.....it's disgusting!
Whatever way you choose to do it, believe in your decision or it will not work!!

The minor anxiety etc is in my opinion just your body recovering/protesting to the addiction you have put it through...you have been abusing it all this time by pumping smoke in it, you will notice some changes but it will get better!!
Good Luck!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2011 21:32:57

at_leo_87

Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

great advice leendert!

here are some things that helped me quit.
-i had really supportive friends who nagged and beat me up when i smoked and stole my cigarettes. so get some support.
-i was too poor to continue. even if you're not poor, just think of what you can buy with the money you spend on cigarettes.
-being dependent on something made me feel like a pussy. only pussies are needy and desperate.

but still it was hard and a year after i quit, i still craved it sometimes. at the time, i felt i couldn't just stop short. so i limited the amount of cigarettes i smoked in one day, and maximized the time apart. eventually, when i smoked only a cigarette every other day, i just asked myself what was the point of continuing.

congratulations on your decision and good luck!

like leendert says, you really have to believe in your decision.
make a list of reasons why quitting is good for you and make a list of reasons why continuing smoking is good for you. you'll find that there aren't many reasons for continuing, and if they are, they aren't really valid.

for instance, many people say smoking reduces stress. but i say there's other ways to reduce stress. or why not work on the source of what's causing you stress instead of just covering it up?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 1:12:29

Rain

Posts: 475
Joined: Jul. 7 2005

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

xirdneH_imiJ , I'm on my second day and I know exactly what your are going thru. You described how I'm feeling perfectly. I've been smoking for 22 years and this is my first attempt at quitting, my doctor told me that after 3 days much of the withdrawal symptoms would subside.

Leendert, thank you for sharing, and echoing my doctor as well as the positive words.

_____________________________

Free Palestine

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 2:05:34

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to Rain)

you quitter

i romanian we dont give up when it gets tough...we see everything through to the end

serious, i wanna quit too..prices here are just fu*ing ridiculous like $18 a pack and they keep going up...i feel like they laughing at me everytime i buy a pack..i feel like the last idiot on earth still buying them, my girlfriend is moving here from another country to live with me, so i got alot of responsibility... i will be supporting her for a while till she finds work...i cant afford them anymore

good luck and keep us posted on your progress, maybe youl inspire me

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 3:19:52

Elie

Posts: 1837
Joined: Apr. 10 2010

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

I would simply say : you're a great person with amazing skills you dont need such a bad habit

.

I know how people get addicted to nicotine .. but think about it again .. smoking is harming your health and taking your money away .. so there is nothing good about it, in contrast it's your enemy . in addition I don't think that the smell of smoking is attractive.

good luck

wish all the best

_____________________________

http://www.youtube.com/user/GuitarristaAD

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 6:06:23

johnguitars

Posts: 72
Joined: Jul. 27 2007
From: Michigan,USA

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

My doctor gave me less than a week to live and a very strong series of antibiotics (I had a lung infection) if I did not quit. After 25 years of 1-3 packs a day I quit. People said i had great strength and will power. Bull ****, if you had a gun to your head you would quit to. That was 15 years ago and I have no regrets and no desire to try it again. Once you get thru the withdrawal it is like having a cigarette 24/7. You do not need them, they need you.

_____________________________

Too much is not enough!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 6:17:55

Guest

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

good luck...
insidious substance
if the tobacco were 'pure' or organic i am sure less harm would be done
but we have/are smoking alot of chemicals not related to tobacco at all...
a legalized bio warfare on the body
**** the corporates
and death peddlers...
me?
relapse constantly....
always quitting...
wishing you success...

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 6:38:11

Kevin James Shanahan

Posts: 407
Joined: Oct. 10 2010
From: Wooli, NSW Australia

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

My advice is to avoid conversations about quiting smoking as they will go on and on and you will be popping for a smoke . I still haven't popped after eight years .

_____________________________

Peace.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 8:46:29

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

i think all these talk and suggestion sound good, but don't help at all, if you are a long time smoker.

i am smoking since nearly 20 years now and heard all this and always said: aha, yes you are right (and of course they are right)..........then just smoked another cig

the truth is: i must be shocked by something or something must happen to me personally, so that i REALLY feel to decide to quit forever....... or i must be forced to quit......like be on an island with no cigarettes available at all.....

it doesn't help me personally to think about it, or write down something or listen to others or the money (it is 5 euros in germany! and i am not rich).....

i am seriously thinking about finding people who have lung cancer and visit them and talk to them (like in hospitals, etc.)....maybe THAT would stop me ...

its sad, but thats the truth about me personally.

i hope you are different than me!

sorry if i don't have motivating posts for you....

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 9:57:23

lowden

Posts: 69
Joined: Apr. 14 2010

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

Buy some cheap and nasty rolling backy, let it dry out and dont use a filter.
If this doesnt put you off good luck.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 10:56:16

lowden

Posts: 69
Joined: Apr. 14 2010

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

As an ex smoker I can honestly say I dont miss it at all and when I smell it, it makes me wrench. I smoked quite heavy at times and enjoyed it so it can be done

. Definately not being around smokers helps as you dont get the urge QUITE as bad.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 11:01:37

sean65

Posts: 414
Joined: Jan. 4 2010
From: London

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

I've smoked unfiltered roll-ups for 33 years and never went a day without a cigarette.

I quit four weeks ago and to be honest if I'd have known it was that easy I would have quit years ago.

Here's what I did. Firstly, read this book to put you in the right frame of mind. It also gives you useful techniques for staying stopped.

Stop Smoking Now

I then went to see my pharmacist who prescribed me Champix. And the rest is history.

I'm still on the Champix but the withdrawal was so mild I hardly noticed. The first few days you do have to make an effort but nothing too serious. In fact there are many many more experiences in life that are far more unpleasant, like going to the dentist or using Heathrow Airport etc....

I really was a hard core smoker, so if I can do it...

Good luck

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 11:03:16

XXX

Posts: 4400
Joined: Apr. 14 2005

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

I was a "casual smoker" in school, maybe about 3 cigs a day. But on some weekends i smoked 2 packs thats 40 cigs. I dont think i was ever addicted, only smoked when i wanted to. Hence i gave it up very easily, smoking had lost its attraction somehow to me. I also started sports.
Later on i also had some probs with my nose, couldnt breathe well, i think its mainly allergic or genetic but smoking made it worse. Smoking can also CAUSE allergies, so watch out! Last time i smoked 3 cigs at a party and had real pain in my throat next days. That made me clear that im "unused" to smoking and even if i wanted to smoke, it would give me troubles like a dry nose and pain in the throat. The last 3 years i smoked maybe 10 cigs.

Whenever i smell cigarette smoke my nose starts to itch! And i actually liked the smell of it in past times...

_____________________________

Фламенко

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 11:39:12

lowden

Posts: 69
Joined: Apr. 14 2010

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to sean65)

Are these drugs like anti depressants? I once worked with a builder who tried to stop using something similar and as far as I know it worked for him.
I just knocked it on the head. I found that it gets easy in the first few weeks and then a couple of months down the road the struggle begins!
Its been 5 years and no looking back.

Sean 65 did you not find dried backy to be unpleasant? You know the crumbs in the bottom of the pouch

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 12:47:25

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

Science differenciates three groups. Strict / militant disapprovers, moderate / occasional consumers and excessive ones.
With first group displaying most mental irritations ( typically being victims of authoritarian/ superficial fatherhood ).

Science also in the past two deacdes expanded the former tunnel-view, not exclusively considering cons, but what there is as observable pro too. Which in sight of physical health yields nothing, however in sight of recreation and creational focus appears to have observable effects.
Smoking seems to fit especially creative minds.

I stopped smoking maybe four times over decades, yet after a while decided to grant me the lust again. ( = Consumption of ~ 8 to 12 cigarettes per day.) What I remember form last time is that it was unexpectedly easy to quit. With compensational action of drinking a glass of water everytime I longed for a cigarette, which again used to trigger the desire for a cigarette. Which altogether made for really weird first three days of the abstinet months to come.

However, smokers of common cigarettes undergo a much harder treatment, as their cigarettes contain not only tobacco, but additional mixtures comprised of alltogther 500 different ingredients from harmless sounding ones like cacao over to severe ones like aceton and amoniac.
These ingredients, chosen by the industry in order to keep low condensate quotes on the package, yet obtaining addictive properties as high as possible, are what makes the smoke of these products ghastly biting and sticky in smell.
The ingredients also must be making for main cancerogene properties. Much more than actual nicotin and tar.

What methods of quitting are concerned I think it significant to keep dependency to factors within your mind.
Bets with other persons as well as avoidance of outer circumstances must only weaken chances of success.

Seeing that encreasing number of void trials will only lessen chances for a final quit / hence considering the relevance of most promissing ways from start, it seems to me that one should not:

#
remove cigarettes from his home / working place, but instead keep them around like always.
#
make bets.
#
avoid bars and parties, because of others smoking there.
#
get paranoid about smoky environment in general unless it was indeed about overload ( too much in too little rooms ).

For, shifting relevance to outer factors will do nothing else than encreasing psychological susceptibility.

Keeping things / allures as usual instead, will maintain awareness of the actual decisiveness ( in your mind ) and provide best chance for success.

- In my 2cents.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 13:48:11

xirdneH_imiJ

Posts: 1890
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to Ruphus)

lots of great input, thanks guys!

2nd day for me, it's still not very easy, but i expect it'll only get better...i have sufficient motivation to quit, the only thing for smoking is that i actually like it :)...i still have a half full ashtray right next to me, a half pack of cigarettes as well...and plenty of sweets and stuff to chew on :)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 13:56:20

sean65

Posts: 414
Joined: Jan. 4 2010
From: London

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to lowden)

quote:

Sean 65 did you not find dried backy to be unpleasant? You know the crumbs in the bottom of the pouch

I'd always have a stash of fresh tobacco! The dust in the bottom I'd just throw.

quote:

2nd day for me, it's still not very easy, but i expect it'll only get better...i have sufficient motivation to quit, the only thing for smoking is that i actually like it :)

Not wanting your hands amputated due to poor circulation should be motivation enough.

quote:

Are these drugs like anti depressants?

Not really. They stimulate the same receptors in the brain that nicotine would stimulate.

At the end of the day, when you're ready you'll quit. If you fight with it, like anything, it's difficult.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 14:48:23

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

This makes me feel bad now , I went down to about 3 a day then went back up again..
I will make a big effort this week,,,..... as soon as I put this out.... !

and what kind of guitar could I have bought with all the money I have spent on cigs...?

@Sean65

quote:

I'm still on the Champix

I heard about that stuff in fact a doctor recommended it to me ... it may be a way for me too........

@Lowden

quote:

Buy some cheap and nasty rolling backy, let it dry out and dont use a filter.
If this doesnt put you off good luck.

Thats pretty much what I do smoke anyway.....

_____________________________

Don't trust Atoms.....they make up everything.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 22:43:26

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to El Kiko)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rico_Kiko

and what kind of guitar could I have bought with all the money I have spent on cigs...?

one guitar?

i could have bought the complete guitar salon

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 8 2011 23:01:32

Leendert

Posts: 153
Joined: May 27 2010
From: WI, USA

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

quote:

the only thing for smoking is that i actually like it :)...i still have a half full ashtray right next to me, a half pack of cigarettes as well...and plenty of sweets and stuff to chew on :)

If you are really serious about it, get rid of the ashtray and the pack..
You are just making it harder on your self that way and you have temptation right in
your face....If you leave them right there in front of you, it would be just a matter of time until you light up again...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 0:14:08

xirdneH_imiJ

Posts: 1890
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to Leendert)

to me it's not like i gotta rid myself of this thing forever...i want to be like most of my friends who are non-smokers but do smoke one or two in certain social situations...with my band we rehearse every week and we all smoke a cigarette during breaks...and they all go home and don't think about it anymore...so i refuse to treat this as an enemy, because the enemy is myself...by having the cigarettes available (not in sight though) and still not smoking, it proves to me that i'm strong enough and inspires me to stay clean more...if i had thrown away everything smoking related i might panic because i'd be left with no choice...at least this way i have the illusion that the choice is mine to make...

there's no anxiety today, only the constant pain-like pressure in my trachea, and the heightened emotions...strangely i feel like i have lots of energy...i wonder what day 3 will be like...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 0:48:10

Leendert

Posts: 153
Joined: May 27 2010
From: WI, USA

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

quote:

who are non-smokers but do smoke

Okay, so you do not want to quit but just moderate smoking?
Forget everything I said then...cause I thought you said you wanted to quit.
Whatever you decide, good luck!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 2:29:36

HolyEvil

Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

hey mate.. i was smoking for 14 years.. some years 30 sticks a day.. some years 10 sticks a day..
i've tried quitting several ways.. patch, cutting down etc..
The last time I quit was in 06.. been off it since.. the way it was done was a way that I've never done before..
just went cold turkey.. smoked in the morning, quit by the afternoon..
cravings only happened when I drank alcohol or coffee.. skipped past that and it's been smooth sailing since..

i've smoked about 4 ciggies since then.. but it's all good my friend

quit.. it's REALLY killing u... =)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 2:50:06

xirdneH_imiJ

Posts: 1890
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to Leendert)

i'm looking for the right words, but what i mean is i don't want to exorcize this...it's perfectly fine for anyone to smoke a cigarette at a party...and drink a glass of wine...without others saying noooo you have sinned and now you must go through all the steps again and we'll look down on theeeee...
i do want to quit and want to become normal...which means i'm not going to smoke...if there's a party, or some other social gathering, i might...but i refuse the smoke to rule my life...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 9:35:47

sean65

Posts: 414
Joined: Jan. 4 2010
From: London

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

quote:

...if there's a party, or some other social gathering, i might...but i refuse the smoke to rule my life...

I'm not so sure you can do deals with addiction.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 11:50:04

xirdneH_imiJ

Posts: 1890
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to sean65)

we'll see...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 12:34:38

Stu

Posts: 2526
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

sorry havent read every post, but.....
check out allan carrs books.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smoking-Permanently-Penguin-Health-Fitness/dp/0140244751/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297270100&sr=1-7

leendert has got it spot on its all in your head. but in order to get your head to the right place may take some time and help.

this book helped me and i know i will never smoke again. I gave up finally a yr ago after smoking weed and cigarettes daily since i was 15. (32 now)

its not full of scare tactics, he just speaks about smoking and slowly reverses the brainwashing that has been done to us since childhood about smoking.

quote:

i want to be like most of my friends who are non-smokers but do smoke one or two in certain social situation

What the heck???? NO!
you either wanna quit or you dont.

quote:

with my band we rehearse every week and we all smoke a cigarette during breaks...and they all go home and don't think about it anymore...so i refuse to treat this as an enemy, because the enemy is myself...by having the cigarettes available (not in sight though) and still not smoking, it proves to me that i'm strong enough and inspires me to stay clean more...if i had thrown away everything smoking related i might panic because i'd be left with no choice...at least this way i have the illusion that the choice is mine to make...

at the moment you have no choice whatsoever, you are in a fear induced mess.
sounds harsh but...it sounds to me like you are gonna be smoking again in few days if not then a few months.

the reason so many keep falling back into this smoking trap is because they are drilled from children to believe that "smoking is Extremely hard to give up" its NOT. but it takes the right info to help you make this tiny mental shift and accept this truth.

"Oooh Im doing so well i havent smoked for 10 days..im doing so well but its really hard at the pub when im drinking
****!
its not hard, and youre not doing well.

even the language we use to get thru this is all wrong.
"Give up" smoking
dont think of it as giving up anything because this way it feels like youre making an awful sacrifice....
think of it as "gaining" somethin: lungs full of reasonably fresh air (depending on where ya live of course), clean smelling clothes and hair, extra cash in your pocket, less risk of heart and lung disease, fitness, FREEDOM!

quote:

a legalized bio warfare on the body
**** the corporates
and death peddlers...

this is dark but true.... by smoking cigarettes you are systematically poisoning yourself and people are getting rich from you to boot

patches, gum, plastic inhaler things are all absolute ****.
why try to cure a nicotine addiction with more nicotine! its truly hilarious!!!!

read that book man if ya really want help quitting
if ya wanna smoke occasionaly then youre just as ****ed as if you smoke 20 a day. the chains arent as tight but they are still firmly clasped around your feet.

as you can prob tell im rather passionate about this.

good luck

"pity smokers dont envy them"

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 16:17:05

edguerin

Posts: 1589
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

quote:

IT IS ALL WILL POWER! I smoked for 16 years and I smoked a lot!

I'm sorry, but that's wrong.
Or do you believe quitting Heroin is just will power as well?
In fact your whole neuro-transmitter-system has changed over the years, and you actually will have physical (not just mental) withdrawal symptoms (viz. "heightened emotions" ...)
Most likely you will gain a bit of weight (not just from eating more sweets etc. but from a change in metabolism).
One piece of advice: don't try quitting because you think you ought to, or because it's better for you health, or because .... Quit when you're sure you don't want to be a smoker anymore.

Somebody (O'Henry, Mark Twain?) is quoted as having said: "Nothing easier than to quit smoking, I've done it hundreds of times"

_____________________________

Ed

El aficionado solitario
Alemania

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 18:58:43

Leendert

Posts: 153
Joined: May 27 2010
From: WI, USA

RE: how i quit smoking (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

quote:

I'm sorry, but that's wrong.

How is that wrong??? I did it!...there's the proof that it isn't wrong cause it worked.
And comparing cigarettes with heroin that's just.....
well let's keep things nice ;THAT is just wrong!!
Let's keep things in perspective...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2011 19:35:10