Quitting Smoking

[Plank_Spanker]

This time, it's bone serious.....................

I have realized that it's actually cheaper to shoot heroin than it is to smoke cigarettes...................and I'm pissing away tons of money as well as damaging my health and future. Logically, contunuing this habit makes no sense at all.

I'm on a timed program, and my quit date is April 5th. I'll be using the patch as well as gum to overcome serious urges. My wife is quitting with me. She will be the chief enforcer.

I quit a few years back for 5 months but fell off the wagon. This time, I intend to make it stick for life.

[sunvalleylaw]

Excellent! Keep track of how much you save on packs per week and put it into a gear fund!

[Ch0jin]

Nice one Plank. I ditched them myself about 2 years ago. During that 2 years there have been only 4 occasions I've had a ciggy, and all of them involved copious amounts of booze. Not that I'm offering that as an excuse or anything, I'm totally cool with my progress.

There's a million of us ex-smokers with a million ideas on how to do it I'm sure, but for me I made it through the use of patches.

I was expecting cravings for ciggies, but what I actually got (during withdrawal I mean) were mood swings. Took me a few days to catch on even. Right about the time I'd usually be downstairs having a durry with guys from work I'd find myself blowing up at stupid tiny things and getting all angry at stuff. Once I worked out I was being a psycho, I picked up a couple of boxes of patches and WOW did they help. I used the strongest ones and apart from a bit of a buzz for the first half an hour or so I had a nice level mood all day (relatively speaking). I used them for maybe 3 months and then all done.

I wont lie to ya though. Even 2 years down the track I love the smell, and on the rare occasion I've had one, I expected them to taste all disgusting after being away from them, but they were not, they were awesome.

As much as I vehemently despised the banning of ciggies from my favorite rock venues at the time. (I often snickered bitterly at the militant NS'ers who then complained that the bars stunk of beer, BO and puke. Wake Up! Thats what they ALWAYS smelled like, it's just our smoke covered it all up for you with one generic pong!) These days it really does make it MUCH easier to quit when you actually have to make an effort to go outside to smoke.

[Plank_Spanker]

I know this is not going to be easy...................and I'll never loose the craving.

But the time has come............................and I intend to make it stick.

[Spudman***]

This time, I intend to make it stick for life.

And life is what you'll get. Excellent choice Planky. It's one of the best things you can do for yourself and those you care most about. You'll also end up with more money to spend on candy, cookies, shrimp and other necessities. I'm proud of ya mate.


Just remember that since you announced it publicly here you will, if you start back up, be receiving packages of our bodily excrements until you quit again. So please don't force us to send you boxes of boogers and just stick to your guns.

[Heywood Jablomie]

I quit about four years ago, cold turkey. Glad I did. I really knew I had kicked the habit when I took a drag from my wife's cig a couple years ago, and it tasted HORRIBLE. Good luck!

[guitarhack]

You can do it, plank! I quit 3 years ago. Your attitude and the support you get will be your best weapons. Also look for the "silkquit" software. It tracks how long you've quit and shows how much money you'll save during that time. My girlfriend has it (quit 11 years ago) and she has saved over 83,000 dollars! Think what you could do with that kind of moolah!

[Katastrophe]

Good for you, Planky!

I'm gonna quit (again, *sigh*) here pretty soon. My wife and I are getting sick of smoking.

Watch out for the dreaded 3 month relapse. Studies show that's when most new exsmokers fall off the wagon.

[Plank_Spanker]

I'll be honest - the real reason I'm quitting is the cost. I enjoy smoking. Its a part of my life.

I also will turn 50 next year................time to be a bit more health oriented.

Every time I crave, I will exercise free will..........................I choose not to smoke.

This is going to be hard...............................

[guitarhack]

It helped me when I got pissed that I was basically letting a little tube of paper and weeds run my life, plus it was making me sick. Good luck, plank! We're all pulling for you.

[marnold***]

Best of luck to you. I know it won't be easy but the end result will be more than worth it!

[Robert****]

You can do it! We're pullin fer ya.

[Tig***]

We can ask my Dad for advice on quitting since he's an expert...
He's quit at least 30 times!

Seriously, I'm glad you are so determined. It won't be easy, but like most things in life, we grow and learn the most when we choose the more difficult path over the easy one. We never improve or learn a damn thing when all is easy and effortless.

I told my wife a few years after we were married that I wanted her to be around when we retired some day. That struck her and she quit cold turkey and stayed quit for the last 7 years. She tried 1 cigarette during a stressful time later on, but the taste and odor made her stop immediately.

Once you get to the point where the smell of smoke, be it in the air or on someone's clothes, makes you sick or repelled, you should have no problem staying quit. In about 6 months to a year, your lungs will start cleaning up, and you'll feel better and better.

I never smoked because I lost so many relatives to it growing up, I never wanted to even try it once.

Also, you have plenty of support from us Fretters, so feel free to vent more or ask for help.

[Monkus]

I decided to stop as well, I didn't tell anybody cuz, I didnt want to jinx it. I decided that I'm gonna smoke one less every day this year for Lent, now I'm down to 9 a day. Its getting harder and Plank, I'm with ya on the mood swings, they are horrible.

My sense of smell has improved though, I smell nuances of everything that people always talk about. My crutch is exercise, every time I feel the urge I take a run, or do some pushups. what helps as well is guitar playing. Once I start to work on a song or a riff, it takes my mind off it. So I'm there with ya !!!!

[sumitomo]

Good choice!!! It will be 3yrs this April 10th for me and I didn't quit! I just stopped! Never thought I could,but I just stopped,may sound corny but one day at a time I just stopped,quitting is hard so just stop I'm pulling for you and your wife you can do it!!! Sumi P.S. I did gain 20lbs but I needed it I went from 160 to 180 and I feel great and food oh man food tastes great.

[Childbride]

shiner and i quit 1/4/10 circa 12 noon.

and i quit a 25 year diet coke habit about a week and a half ago.

it's been interesting. the other day, i was trying to pour some beans into a bowl and pour a glass of milk, and i poured my milk into my bowl.

i'm having trouble resetting... [and thyroid problems on top of that]

bottom line... it's hard, but if you do it, you will be so proud of yourself. and i personally am saving around 200 a month that is going into the vaca fund.

and momma really needs a vaca.

all our strength and support.

ps: you also start looking younger when you quit smoking.

[kidsmoke*]

ps: you also start looking younger when you quit smoking.

don't tell shiner, we'll never get him to put his clothes back on!!!

I did what you're doing, Plank, picked a date a ways out, told everybody and their brother, and quit cold turkey. It was BRUTAL, this was several years ago, everyone was smoking everywhere. I was having a real tough time, about three weeks after I quit, I started (graphic images coming) hacking up these nasty black chunks of crud from my lungs every morning. That did it for me. Once I had something tangible from inside me showing me the damage I was doing, it became much easier. I struggled and slipped occasionally, but never felt the pleasure again that Chojin describes.

Good luck bro. We're all pullin' for you. $83,000.00, hell you could get yourself Claptons strat and a Dumble with that kinda scratch!

[Plank_Spanker]

Thanks, folks!

This will entail a major life style change for me - coffee and alcohol are huge triggers and will be cut down to next to nothing. I also have no intentions of gorging on whatever food I can shovel down my gullet when I regain full taste.

I'm in for a rough summer, but I have my eyes on the prize - smoke free and staying that way.

[deeaa*]

Good luck. I've quit a few times, and am currently not smoking, except very seldom in special occasions.

I always just quit cold turkey; a few times I did get proper physical symptoms, cold sweat and such, but usually it's just been I'm feeling irritated and angry.

But for the past years I've only smoked quite little...anyway, this time when I got past the first month, I haven't really felt any urge to smoke at all.

However, much like alcoholics, I must admit I am a smoker, always will be. IMO it's better to - seldom - when for instance drinking, to smoke and that'll make you so sick in the morning and not want to even see a cicarrette...works for me. If I just stay away, then some day when things go bad and everything sucks big time, I know I'll start smoking again and that's it again for a good while.

But, I've also decided when I get old&retire, I'll start smoking again...the last thing I want is fade away with dementia like my parents, and I can only hope that before I get too old, I'll have the sense to drink and smoke myself to grave instead ;-) my plan is to deal out all my belongings to my children, the house and cottage and all before I go into retirement, and spend my retirement years on a boat somewhere warm, just drinking&smoking day in day out till the body just keels over...my idea of the best way to end my life.