No "ifs", "ands" or "BUTTS" -- I've quit smoking!

BT....I didn't quit yet, and I'm glad too....I went to an outdoor concert tonight... and if I had quit... I would have cheated ...because I drank wine tonight. Maybe in a few days... Now that I'm down to the wire...thinking about quitting is getting tougher! I think I need another week to process this. Glad you are doing so well though! Good job buddy

Drinking and smoking is a trigger for me.... they just go together sooo well:shk: Damn! It's a good thing I don't drink often

Originally posted by chissler
Hopefully those around you are still speaking with you, I can just imagine the constant frustration you are in.

Did I mention that my wife is now quitting with me? Well if I hadn't, it wouldn't take you long to figure it out. Five minutes of sitting with us in the kitchen would give it away. We are bickering about....EVERYTHING. Thankfully, before things get heated, one of us usually stops and says "boy could somebody use a smoke". This brings an end to the squabbling and we both laugh. Thank god my wife has a sense of humor about stuff like this.

Also, it helps that the two of us are quitting together now. My wife made one key change in our routine that has helped. She made tea instead of coffee the past couple of mornings. Cigarettes go along with that morning cup of "JOE" too well. And tea is sort of neutral. We don't have the smoking ritual attached to tea in the same way that it is attached to coffee.

Anyway, thanks for the congrats but it's still too early. I know that I've almost broken down a couple of times and have been tempted to buy a pack of smokes. I don't think that I'm dealing with addiction now as much as I am dealing with a very established habit and routine.

I cant. I suck. butts.

Whew.....it's been a tough week. It's been a week of ups and downs, emotional outbursts, frustration, anger and irritation. Who knew that nicotine was such a pscyho active drug?

I'm now pretty certain that the physical cravings for nicotine are over but I now recognize that the habit, the routine of smoking, is what accounts for the back-sliding that so many people experience as they try to quit. That first cup of coffee tastes just as good without the cigarette but, after years of routine, of habit, it just doesn't feel right without a cigarette in your hand.

It doesn't feel right to leave your Zippo in your desk drawer since you won't be needing it. It makes me ask myself whether I got the Zippo because I smoked or did I smoke because I had the Zippo? Nevertheless, it just doesn't feel right to leave the house without my Zippo.

Habit....routine....doing things because, well, that's the way it's always been done. Is this the real power of cigarettes. The physical addiction does go away rather quickly but I can not help but notice how long the habitual aspect of smoking lingers. Oh well, they say it takes twenty-one days to break a habit or to make one. I don't know whether this is true but then, I've only made it through seven days. I've got fourteen days to go. We'll see.

That's great that your wife is quiting with you, that should be plenty of encouragement and support.

Remember, focus on the great things you can do instead of smoking. What do you like to do? Hunt? Play poker? Travel? Chill in da wilderness? Lots and lots of stuff. Smoking is only one thing. There are millions of other things to do.

Wilderness IS good. Especially since there is no cigarretes within many miles
Breathe the fresh air...pay attention how fresh the air is, and if you feel like smoking, imagine that it ruins the air and makes your throat sore and cough, then forget about smoking and get back to breathing fresh air. Listen to music. Watch a movie. Go to a restaurant.

You can do it! 7 days, that's great! That's one whole week! Consider that a major checkpoint. Like in a game. You must not give up, because you have hit a milestone. Remember, you have quit smoking. Now all of us consider you as a person who never smokes.

I myself never smoked, er did try it, but I hate it. I never did drugs, either, and never will. But I did drink. I quit without difficulty. The difficulty was when my friends encouraged me to have a "sip of dat vodka" lol. But I had self control. And so, its been almost 2 years since I've quit drinking. I don't even take a sip of wine!. Hell, I even got a bottle of wine on my birthday-never drank it. So I kind of get an idea of how you feel. I think the closest (which is pretty close) I've come to experiencing the crave/habitual feeling is EATING! lol. I love to eat. But luckily, lately, I havn't been eating too much. And been usually avoiding unhealthy food. I gotta stay muscular and in shape! I will. I often watch what I eat. Plus I exercize and weight lift.

You can do it! You can do it! I find myself sitting here on this computer and cheering for you. Your progress is .........like me watching a sport. You are like a team, that is getting points. Win the sport!

Well it's Monday and I started my abstinence from Tobacco last Monday. It's been a rough go, at times, but all in all, I think that I can make it. Heck....I KNOW that I can do this.

The hardest part about quitting smoking now is the habitual aspect of smoking. For instance I always enjoyed smoking while I was on ATS. I'd have my ashtray on one side of the keyboard and my cup of coffee on the other. I'd light one smoke after another as I would read through the boards or as I would surf, looking up news stories or info on the net. Alas, that's over. It was one of the times when I actually enjoyed smoking.

Another time would be at my cottage. For me, there was nothing like sitting around the fire-pit watching a big roaring blaze. There I'd be.....cigarette in one hand, cup of coffee or a Carona in the other. Bliss.

But all of that has to come to an end......NOW.

I started my abstinence from tobacco on September 11th.....certainly a date that I can always remember but in all actuality, TODAY, September 18th is the real reason that I am quitting.

September 18th was my Uncle's birthday. He died in 2001 on August 15th. My Uncle was a Catholic priest. A good man. A true scholar. He was educated and ordained in Rome at the Gregorian University. He received doctorates in philosophy, theology, and mathematics. My uncle could also speak a number of languages; Lithuanian, German, Russian, Italian and English -- fluently. Like I said, he was a true scholar.

My Uncle died of lung cancer.

I don't remember him being a heavy smoker, perhaps a pack a day. But I do remember seeing him working on his sermons or translating some old books, cigarettes in hand, ashtray overflowing. Somehow, perhaps, I thought that this smoking thing was cool and that it could be equated with scholastic research and intense study. I won't place any blame on him for my own start in cigarettes. After all, my Dad smoked cigarettes as well. And growing up in the fifties and sixties, everyone smoked. So my influence could have been anyone, anything....I just don't remember.

What I do remember is seeing my Uncle in pain, connected to an oxygen tank, higher than a kite on morphine. I remember trying to talk to this man whom I greatly admired. It was difficult for him to talk with the tubes in his nose but he could still force himself to be conscious and aware even through the narcotic haze he was in.

I know that I should have stopped smoking the day that he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Certainly I should have stopped the day he died or, perhaps, the day when he was buried. There were plenty of good days to stop this deadly habit but I didn't.
Oh sure, I stopped smoking on a number of occasions but I always had a "good reason" to start again. The reason was always because of stress, because of work, because of family problems or because of this or that.....

Well today is the day that I really stop. Today is the day that I carry on with what I started a week ago. Today, at least in my heart and mind, I am a non smoker. I am quitting because of my wife, my two kids and because of my Uncle.

You go, man! That's the spirit! You are now a nonsmoker. Pretend like it never happened-pretend like you never tried that curious first cigarette. Pretend like you never stomped that last cigarette. You are a nonsmoker. And if you ever did smoke, you don't know about it now. You are now a nonsmoker. Congradulations.

BT,

I am really sorry to hear about your uncle. He sounds like a great guy.

Anyway, I haven't actually kicked the habit, but I've found a great way to cut down, at least.

KEEP YOUR HANDS BUSY! You know about oral fixation, well I believe there is also a "hands fixation", when it comes the psychological aspect of the addiction.

Try drawing, or painting, even if you think you have no talent, just doodle or practice! Write, or sculpt clay (even play-dough!) in your spare time when you get the urge. Keeping your hands preocuppied keeps away the urge to grab a ciggie!

Originally posted by Pink_Cola
BT,
KEEP YOUR HANDS BUSY! You know about oral fixation, well I believe there is also a "hands fixation", when it comes the psychological aspect of the addiction.

Try drawing, or painting, even if you think you have no talent, just doodle or practice! Write, or sculpt clay (even play-dough!) in your spare time when you get the urge. Keeping your hands preocuppied keeps away the urge to grab a ciggie!

Interesting that you should mention keeping my hands "busy". That's one of the odd things about quitting smoking. Even though I might keep busy, I find that I have this odd thought that I should be doing "something more" with my hands. Of course, it because my hands are no longer holding a cigarette. A section of my brain is no longer occupied, at a subconscious level, with "keeping an eye on my cigarette and burning tobacco". I have a whole section of my brain that is, literally, free to do, well, something else. Unfortunately, I don't know what I could get that, now employed, section of my psyche to do to keep busy.

Good suggestion in regards to drawing and painting. I happen to be an artist and that is something that I enjoy doing anyway. Unfortunately, drawing and painting were activities that seemed to scream for that periodic cigarette. I have an association between art and smoking. So, for now, I am not doing either.

LOL!


I draw, too. Drawing is fun.......not, if only I could make money from that.................................



PS: Is your "restraining order against the cigarettes" still valid? Make sure it is, if that cigarette comes within 500 yards of you, call the cops


Yeah, good job, keep on being a nonsmoker, I don't smoke, either. We're both nonsmokes! Huray!

not yet
but maybe
one day soon(tm)

Fill us in BT.

How are things going? Still holding strong?

Urges fading into the dark?

What is working for you to help with the urges?

Well it's been two weeks since I was a smoker. I've had "close calls" and I've been tempted mightily (if you plan on quitting, be certain that you don't have any Quebecois friends or it will be much harder on you). Here I sit before you (sic) a NON SMOKER!

Being a NON SMOKER is wonderful. It really is! I can taste food again. I still drink coffee every morning (and noon and night) and, my god, it tastes better than it ever did. I have energy again and I feel productive in a way that I have not felt in a long time. And though I have a long way to go before my body rids the lungs -- if ever -- of the effects of smoking, I am starting to feel healthy. I am starting to think about taking care of myself again.

The negatives of being a non smoker at the two week mark are, in my case, feelings of remorse. I feel stupid for ever having smoked. And I feel sad about all the money that I have "wasted" on this stupid habit. It has been suggested that I figure out how much money I will save by not smoking. That's a good idea unless, like myself, you start thinking about how much money you have already spent on this addiction. Don't do that. It's a real downer.

The morning hacking or coughing fit is also a negative. Every morning, I get up and start hacking away. This usually happens in the shower where, I suppose, the hot moist air gets the lungs going. I know that my lungs are just trying to rid themselves of the tars and other impurities but it's annoying nonetheless. It can be troubling to think that I have been destroying my lungs, my life, one cigarette at a time. Ugh.

Damn, now food tastes good again. I never had thought of cigarettes as an appetite suppressant but, in their own way, they most certainly are just that. By dulling the senses, eating had become a perfunctory act. I had put food into mouth, chewed, swallowed and repeated action. Now I savor food again. So I will have to really watch what I eat and apply my will to assuring that my waistline does not start expanding.

I now consider myself a non-smoker. I know that I must face temptations every day but, at this point, I don't feel like I must use a herculean amount of will power to resist the "allure" of inhaling smoke from a paper tube. I am enjoying breathing and tasting and, well, living again.

Good job, soldier! Holding on! Excellent. I don't know what it feels like to be a smoker or how to suddenly become a nonsmoker, but from inhaling the disgusting smoke from bystanders, I can bet that puffin on dat for years and suddenly stopping, I can imagine life must be alot "fresher". The rewards of nonsmoking just keep on coming.

nice work B.T. (can't call you just BT cause theres already someone using that) ive been trying to quit for the past few weeks here on and off and on again, but now i've read this thread and i am more determined than ever to kick it to the curb, i even tore up my last two cigs just now anyways keep it up, the last time i quit about 6 months ago it was a little after the two week point that i fell back into it. my one buddy quit and now he is training to be an ultimate fighter lol. he's obsessed with it. anyways he said after the first month it died out exponentially from there. so make it past those first 30 days man and you should be good! i hope!

Yeah, I have no intentions to quit any time soon.. Although I feel like a corporate tool I just love ciggarettes

I just quite smoking myself.... about 2 hours ago.

Now it's time to start up again!

Anyway good luck. If I actually wanted to quit I'm sure I could. Yeah right.... damn addictions.

Good Job BT. I know I haven't been in here for awhile, it's my shame that keeps me away.... I haven't quit smoking yet, but I'm still thinking about it.

2 WeeksThat's awesome!!

i'm inspired, i think i'm ready to go cold turkey today after I just realized that I'm using cigarrettes as a crutch for stress, I went from normally smoking 3-5 cigarettes a day to over a pack a day in the past two weeks due to some personal stress I've been having. After just smoking the last cigarette from a pack I only bought yesterday evening, I realize how far gone I am. So i'm taking action now and not going out to buy anymore cigarettes. I'll probably fall off a few times, but I have to at least cut back significantly and handle my stress better, but for now I'm going with the full cold turkey method, it's the weekend, I don't have to go anywhere, so no better time to start than right NOW!!!

I am very pleased that you have been "inspired" to quit smoking too. Worldwatcher, I am sure that you realize that i won't be easy. Reread this thread because I was given quite a few valuable suggestions to help me on my own journey to beat the smoking addiction.

Yes, stress is certainly a component of this insidious addiction. Heaven knows how many times I reached for a cigarette when I felt "stressed out" by work or personal issues. This is why I chose to use Nicorette gum to give me a "helping hand". Yes, the gum gave me a shot of nicotine but, strangely, it wasn't the nicotine that was the problem. The very act of lighting a cigarette and inhaling the smoke seemed to be the most difficult thing to give up. Using nicorette gum, somehow, made the urge or craving to light up a smoke go away. I used the gum sparingly in the first two weeks and now I don't use it all. Maybe it's me but I never became addicted to the gum and I will honestly say that it helped me immensely to overcome the "habit" of lighting up a smoke.

Anyway, all that I can say is that giving up the smoking habit is/was the best thing that I could have done for myself and for my family. My own personal quality of life has gone up a lot. I can smell things and taste food again. It's unpleasant but I cough up a lot of crap in the mornings but I suppose that a good thing. It tells me that my lungs are doing their thing to clean themselves up after all of the years of abuse. I don't know how long it will take but I expect that I should be feeling much better, healthier, and happier. The only other thing that I can suggest at this point is to watch what you eat. Since I quit, I have found myself craving snack foods. I would suppose that this is some sort of mechanism to substitute eating in the place of smoking to alleviate stress. Good luck Worldwatcher.