Quitting smoking

[Hells Malice]

Never did understand smoking, a punch to the junk seemed more enjoyable, but I did recently hear two random things about it.

Dude at my work smoking about...8 years I believe, heavy smoker, decided one day to quit, and he did. Cold turkey, right there on the spot. Picking a date to stop, and trying to use some shit to help apparently screwed him every time. So cold turkey worked perfectly.

Then I had a really, really weird customer randomly start telling two customers I was helping that if they knew someone who ever needed to stop smoking, they should get shot with lasers. Pretty much exactly how he put it. I know there's some sort of treatment involving lasers, buuut...really random to just walk up and say that. Granted I had seen him talk to a girl I work with for about 20 minutes straight...it was pretty funny. Gotta love the crazies.

/end pointless post.

 

[yuyuyup]

Pay no attention to the incredibly unhelpful idiots that feel obligated to spout off as if they know a god damn thing, good luck kicking cigs, 2nd hardest thing I ever quit (1st being soda.)

 

[ShadowSoldier]

So funny story,

the day after I decided to quit, I didn't buy a pack of smokes. It'd been about 20 hours since my last smoke. Anyways, me and my friend were on our way to work, he smokes. We stopped off at the store to buy water and whatnot for work. He lights up, and he knew I was quitting. But that didn't bother me. What bothered me was he deliberately blew the smoke in my face, looked at me and smiled.

That gave me a huuuuuuge craving. So I had 3 smokes that day at work. Which is a lot better than what it was. I found out I couldn't go cold turkey, wasn't working at all. But since then (that was 2 days ago) I haven't had a smoke.

One thing I noticed though is that I've kinda been munching food a lot more, I guess to take my mind off of it and shit. But i've been keeping myself busy playing a lot of video games and shit.

 

[yuyuyup]

So funny story,

the day after I decided to quit, I didn't buy a pack of smokes. It'd been about 20 hours since my last smoke. Anyways, me and my friend were on our way to work, he smokes. We stopped off at the store to buy water and whatnot for work. He lights up, and he knew I was quitting. But that didn't bother me. What bothered me was he deliberately blew the smoke in my face, looked at me and smiled.

That gave me a huuuuuuge craving. So I had 3 smokes that day at work. Which is a lot better than what it was. I found out I couldn't go cold turkey, wasn't working at all. But since then (that was 2 days ago) I haven't had a smoke.

One thing I noticed though is that I've kinda been munching food a lot more, I guess to take my mind off of it and shit. But i've been keeping myself busy playing a lot of video games and shit.

punch that dickhead in the throat

don't you have an e-cig ?

 

[Foxi4]

Like I told you you would - munchies and cravings.

It's all nice and dandy when people say that quitting is a triumph of the human spirit and whatnot and all you really need is willpower, but that's bullsh*it - your brain is chemically addicted to the substance and the smallest incentive will make you crave, it's a mechanism similar to hunger.

What you really need to do is... still smoke, just gradually less overtime. Don't smoke unless you really crave to the point that you can't fight it anymore and don't rush yourself in quitting or you'll only make withdrawl worse. Your body needs to get used to the fact that you're no longer supplying the substance.

You also need to find a healthy snack to munch on - if you quit smoking and start eating junk food, you're trading one poison for another.

Good luck on the road, man!

 

[NightsOwl]

Uh. It gives you some extra cash if you quit completely. (E-cigs included, obviously)

I guess that'd be one thing to look forward to. Since cigs are kind of expensive in some places.

I love miserably failing at helping.

 

[mthrnite]

I hate to belabor a point, but buy an eGo, continue to enjoy nicotine, and be immune from cravings for as long as you wish to vape. When you're with smoking friends, vape. When you're nerves get the better of you, vape. When you're out having a beer or whatever, vape. After hot monkey love, vape. Etc. Transitioning from smoker to vaper is easy. You'll still crave for a little while, but it won't be the super addictive stuff you're craving, so you'll get over it in a few days. It's cheap, I spend about 15-20 bucks U.S. per month, tops, and you'll get the hang of all the routine (charging, not overfilling, cleaning) in a month or so. It's the easiest way to never smoke again. You've been infected, you are now an addict, sure you can fight it, but you don't really need to. Vaping is better, and it's a direct replacement for smoking.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

So funny story,

the day after I decided to quit, I didn't buy a pack of smokes. It'd been about 20 hours since my last smoke. Anyways, me and my friend were on our way to work, he smokes. We stopped off at the store to buy water and whatnot for work. He lights up, and he knew I was quitting. But that didn't bother me. What bothered me was he deliberately blew the smoke in my face, looked at me and smiled.

That gave me a huuuuuuge craving. So I had 3 smokes that day at work. Which is a lot better than what it was. I found out I couldn't go cold turkey, wasn't working at all. But since then (that was 2 days ago) I haven't had a smoke.

One thing I noticed though is that I've kinda been munching food a lot more, I guess to take my mind off of it and shit. But i've been keeping myself busy playing a lot of video games and shit.

punch that dickhead in the throat

don't you have an e-cig ?

Not yet.

Uh. It gives you some extra cash if you quit completely. (E-cigs included, obviously)

I guess that'd be one thing to look forward to. Since cigs are kind of expensive in some places.

I love miserably failing at helping.

Eh, 8 bucks a pack. But then again, that adds up over a week. That's why I want an eGo so I just pay the one premium price for the vapo, and the oil is only 10 bucks which lasts about a month-month and a half.

I hate to belabor a point, but buy an eGo, continue to enjoy nicotine, and be immune from cravings for as long as you wish to vape. When you're with smoking friends, vape. When you're nerves get the better of you, vape. When you're out having a beer or whatever, vape. After hot monkey love, vape. Etc. Transitioning from smoker to vaper is easy. You'll still crave for a little while, but it won't be the super addictive stuff you're craving, so you'll get over it in a few days. It's cheap, I spend about 15-20 bucks U.S. per month, tops, and you'll get the hang of all the routine (charging, not overfilling, cleaning) in a month or so. It's the easiest way to never smoke again. You've been infected, you are now an addict, sure you can fight it, but you don't really need to. Vaping is better, and it's a direct replacement for smoking.

Ya I know, I need to get one. There's this guy who my friend bought his off of that sells them for about 60 bucks, and oil is only 10 bucks for a big bottle.

 

[Vampire Lied]

I am also on the road to quitting. I have failed several times. I have an e-cigarette, but i stopped using it. The problem was that you can use it EVERYWHERE since it isn't smoke. I was hitting that thing almost constantly over a weekend and got very sick after. It scared the shit out of me. I was freaking out for some reason, like a panic attack. (and no, i've never before or after had a panic attack and i do NO other drugs.) After that, I never touched it again. I just might take it up again if it'll help. Guess I just need to watch how much I'm hitting it.

 

[yuyuyup]

I am also on the road to quitting. I have failed several times. I have an e-cigarette, but i stopped using it. The problem was that you can use it EVERYWHERE since it isn't smoke. I was hitting that thing almost constantly over a weekend and got very sick after. It scared the shit out of me. I was freaking out for some reason, like a panic attack. (and no, i've never before or after had a panic attack and i do NO other drugs.) After that, I never touched it again. I just might take it up again if it'll help. Guess I just need to watch how much I'm hitting it.

Make sure it's not some faulty piece of crap, you might need to make a reasonable investment, weigh all your options etc sorry I know hardly anything about them

 

[FAST6191]

I was hitting that thing almost constantly over a weekend and got very sick after. ...... I was freaking out for some reason, like a panic attack.

That does sound like one of the lesser stages of nicotine overload- see when people use lots of patches or chew the gum too hard/much or indeed why you are not supposed to do that. I could speculate further but this is not my area of medicine.

Anyway OP and others- I hope you manage what you set out to do; I have seen others go through it and did not seem pleasant. On a somewhat related note in the UK, although I certainly can not call it for the US or Canada, there were some interesting drugs you can ask your doctor for that work a treat. Do read up on them though as they have some really unpleasant side effects if you are or have ever been on certain antidepressants (seen that as well and that was not cool).

 

[Vampire Lied]

Yeah, the one I have (forget the brand right now) cost around $100 for the whole kit, so it wasn't a junk one. I think it was indeed symptoms of nicotene overdose. It just really freaked me out. It definitely isn't something to be taken lightly. I would also like to add that I also came down with a sore throat for about 2 days. I don't know if it was all that vapor hitting the back of my throat or maybe it was coincidental and I was getting a sore throat anyway. Anyway, readingt this thread has given me a bit of a confidence boost. Maybe I can finally do it once and for all.

 

[Clarky]

.One thing I noticed though is that I've kinda been munching food a lot more, I guess to take my mind off of it and shit. But i've been keeping myself busy playing a lot of video games and shit.

this is natural, forget the names but the part of the your body that introduces sugar into your blood stream gets fucked over from nictine, yet nicotine fills in the void. Now you are taking nicotine out of the system your body tends to crave more sugar than anything and where people tend to get mixed messages from the brain, hence why I said drink some orange juice if you get cravings. As for going cold turkey, seeing as I done it i am still under the opinion anyone can dependant on how much they really want to stop smoking. Then again I am of the opinion still different people may require different ways to stop smoking

 

[jimmyemunoz]

Yeah, the one I have (forget the brand right now) cost around $100 for the whole kit, so it wasn't a junk one. I think it was indeed symptoms of nicotene overdose. I would also like to add that I also came down with a sore throat for about 2 days. I don't know if it was all that vapor hitting the back of my throat or maybe it was coincidental and I was getting a sore throat anyway.

It was nicotine overdose, and your sore throat was because of the e-cig. Your body let you know you were over doing it. I'm not going to tell you to pick it up and start vaping again, but I can assure you, if you vape lighter you wont get 'sick' again. Vaping is a God-send! Smokers are really harmed by the by-products manufacturers ADD to tobacco. The nicotine, while it is a poison, isn't all that harmful. Most doctors in the USA are actually informing their smoker patients about e-cigarettes...when the subject presents itself.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

So here's an update:

All of last week at work- I've had maybe 2-4 cigarettes.
Went to a party on Saturday and I bought a pack of light smokes. I didn't smoke them all and I gave a lot away.
Today's Tuesday, and I haven't had a craving or smoke since.

I figured I can't go cold turkey, and I can't substitute it, so I'm just going to slowly ween off the stuff.

 

[Zetta_x]

Ustream your entire life and whenever someone notices you wanting to smoke, have someone text slap you.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

So here's a little update:

Today I got off work early. And it's been a week since my last smoke. I've been eating a lot of Spitz sunflower seeds, they help so much. Anyways, got into town, and I saw these god damn mother fucking hot ass bitches. They were wearing the clothes I like, dark jeans, white belt, and dark tank top. The white belt is what really compliments it. Anyways, some of them were having a smoke, and I was looking at them, and I got a huuuuuge urge to buy a pack of smokes. I was really struggling. I had the money, but the question is should I? Well....

...

I didn't. I fought the urge. It was like a 45 minute urge, it was brutal. I went to the dollar store, and bought some pretzals and a stress ball, and it helped a lot. Now, if I can just keep this up.

 

[KingVamp]

So here's a little update:

Today I got off work early. And it's been a week since my last smoke. I've been eating a lot of Spitz sunflower seeds, they help so much. Anyways, got into town, and I saw these god damn mother fucking hot ass bitches. They were wearing the clothes I like, dark jeans, white belt, and dark tank top. The white belt is what really compliments it. Anyways, some of them were having a smoke, and I was looking at them, and I got a huuuuuge urge to buy a pack of smokes. I was really struggling. I had the money, but the question is should I? Well....

...

I didn't. I fought the urge. It was like a 45 minute urge, it was brutal. I went to the dollar store, and bought some pretzals and a stress ball, and it helped a lot. Now, if I can just keep this up.

While I never smoked myself, it is good to see you are making progress.

 

[Coto]

I've been 2 weeks without smoking. I used to smoke 25+ cigars per day, until I quit smoking back in 2009 for 2 years until 2011. I don't want to smoke again because of health & budget, also a cigar won't help you fix a problem... ahaha.

 

[exangel]

I've been smoke-free since May 2011 after smoking in varying degrees since I was 17 in 2000. at my worst I was smoking a pack a day or more, indoors "with a window open!" and the ultimate effect is that I now have pretty severe COPD from prolonged exposure to my own secondhand smoke. the first time i got an e-cigarette in 2009, it only helped me quit for about 3 months. i went back to the real thing pretty hard when i got so stressed out i "had" to taste real smoke.

but in May 2011 i had been hospitalized twice in 6 months for asthma / bronchitis. that was combined with some advice from my doctor, who refused to prescribe me hormonal birth control until i was clean at least a month. dudes don't have the hassle of worrying about smoking significantly increasing the risk of potentially fatal blood clots with birth control, but i guess condomlessness was half my motivation to stay "clean" aside from my respiratory health.

Since May 2011 I have smoked four cigarettes & I've used my e-cig about 10 times. I did not have my e-cig available to me those four other times I smoked, but I probably would have smoked that Nat Sherman cigarette on New Year's Day regardless.


Keep not buying tobacco. Do not ever buy tobacco. Don't even buy it for someone else. That's the easiest rule you can follow without winding up having sensible excuses to break it.

If you can't get through the day without a cigarette, you have to be the judge.. just keep in mind that you will be able to go longer and longer periods of time without making exceptions to your quittedness altogether.

& Vape. I don't do it much because I don't actually crave it, but sometimes when I am overwhelmed I have my nice little black stick charged and a few primo cartridges that I saved for special occasions when I ordered my regular liquid.

Lastly, if you get munchies that are seriously affecting your diet/wallet, I recommend sugar-free hard candies and not necessarily mints. Sugar free because if you have sugar sitting in your mouth all the time that is bad for your teeth regardless of the caloric impact. Hard candies, and especially individually wrapped ones, because they last longer and crunch when you finally chew them. I went through all different kinds for a month or two. Butterscotch discs and strawberry & cream Sugar-Free Creme Savers really helped me a lot without fattening me up.


edit: For what it's worth, individuals like me who developed COPD will NEVER be able to recover 100% lung function, and seeing factoids about the benefits of quitting is pretty annoying when smoker's real issue is dealing with the cravings. We know we don't want to smoke and that we'll be better off if we don't.. sigh. My pulmonologist told me that in 14-20 years of continuous treatment with current technology I'll be lucky to get to 80% (I'm currently 40%, and 60% with medication.. so if I have an asthma attack I'm in pretty serious danger.)

edit2: i've been lazy about my english today, and i tried to make more sense