Quit cigarettes two weeks ago [Archive]

phacemeltar

09-29-2015, 08:17 AM

some people smoke their cigarette so close to the filter that the plastic actually starts to melt. tobacco isnt the worst, but inhaling plastic is awful for you.

i switched to smoking tobacco out of a pipe and i think i actually smoke more tobacco now. dont try it as an alternative, cold-turkey is the only option. my e-cig makes me feel like i have pneunomia after a few hours of use.

numtik

09-29-2015, 08:26 AM

Keep at it. The physical addiction will go away but the mental one will stay forever. For me it was about keeping the streak going. It's been over a year and I'd be furious with myself if I gave in, even though I still think about it every day.

I tried supplementing before too. Doesn't work.

Gaunja

09-29-2015, 08:26 AM

Thanks. I was going to try e cig and vaping bc I heard it worked well, but figured cold turkey was best

Barkingturtle

09-29-2015, 08:42 AM

Been maybe a year for me. I never think about it any more. I rolled my own for the last fifteen years I smoked, so at least I wasn't constantly ingesting the chemical cocktail that goes into manufactured cigarettes. I think that probably made it easier.

Honestly, quitting drinking was harder -- largely because I was so physically addicted that the act of detoxifying nearly killed me. Going vegan was more difficult, too, because our culture celebrates the consumption of animals to an obsessive extent. Cigarettes? Really just a simple matter of self control.

But yeah, when quitting anything, cold turkey is the only way. Except if you're going vegan, I guess. Turkey is meat.

Best of luck.

Itap

09-29-2015, 09:45 AM

Thana8088

09-29-2015, 11:42 AM

I quit almost 8 months ago and it was tough (I was either yelling or crying or BOTH for the first 3 weeks or so), but it's been fanfuckingtastic since then.

I really like not having to worry about things like "Do I have enough cigarettes for today/tonight/this weekend?", "When can I get my next smoke break in?", and "How far is the closest discount tobacco store?" I had no idea how much time I spent worrying about cigarettes.

Keep it up. You'll be so glad to be free!

Sirken

09-29-2015, 11:47 AM

so what did you guys do about after eating? after a meal, and being stuck in traffic are like the two times that my brain goes fucking nuts for them

Thana8088

09-29-2015, 11:52 AM

Personally, buckets of
http://www.diyinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Tic-Tac-Pack-Spice-Containers-Printable.jpg

Paleman

09-29-2015, 11:52 AM

so what did you guys do about after eating? after a meal, and being stuck in traffic are like the two times that my brain goes fucking nuts for them

you replace the ritual with something else. IE chew some gum after a meal, or in the car when you crave one, or something similar to that.

dafier

09-29-2015, 11:53 AM

I stopped drinking caffeine for about a year now, and it was rough. Headaches, irritability, lethargy. It only lasted a few weeks though, it will get better.

Ride on my rescue for a few shifts and you'll never want to smoke another cig again. COPD is terrifying.

TOTALLY been thinking about not drinking coffee anymore. I've been doing it for years now and in the last year it's definitely got worse. 2 toddlers + wife + work = MORE COFFEE!

I really should just stop, but I just ordered another box of San Fransico Bay Rainforest Blend from Amazon......so, maybe after this batch. :rolleyes:

Itap

09-29-2015, 12:04 PM

TOTALLY been thinking about not drinking coffee anymore. I've been doing it for years now and in the last year it's definitely got worse. 2 toddlers + wife + work = MORE COFFEE!

I really should just stop, but I just ordered another box of San Fransico Bay Rainforest Blend from Amazon......so, maybe after this batch. :rolleyes:

I feel you, I aso have 2 small kids, and my wife still drinks coffee.

Hardest part is in the morning at the station, everyone sitting around bullshitting and drinking coffee. That's where decaff K cups come in handy :p

dafier

09-29-2015, 12:11 PM

I feel you, I aso have 2 small kids, and my wife still drinks coffee.

Hardest part is in the morning at the station, everyone sitting around bullshitting and drinking coffee. That's where decaff K cups come in handy :p

So....I don't mind decaff. But I've noticed the 'stains' on my teeth just starting to appear. Ahhhh vanity.

Anyway, if I am going to stop, I'll just stop. I love fruit, maybe I can just munch on some apples or whatever.

But ya....at work EVERYONE drinks coffee around me and my wife does drink as well, but not even close to what I consume. :)

And, I am a +1 dad because I let my kids sip my coffee. My daughter loves it and would drink my whole cup, my son not so much.

Gaunja

09-29-2015, 12:16 PM

so what did you guys do about after eating? after a meal, and being stuck in traffic are like the two times that my brain goes fucking nuts for them

Atlanta traffic on my way home nearly kills me. I am a vocalist so I play karaoke videos on YouTube through my car and sing my heart out lol. After eating.... I eat some more...lol. I haven't figured out that one yet but im trying.

Skydash

09-29-2015, 01:19 PM

Best thing you can do is reward yourself for your progress. For me, I would go buy a $10 blu-ray movie on my way home from work every other day. Watch it after dinner to keep my mind on something.
I also had to take a break from bars, or other trigger events for about a month.

But, it worked and now I have zero mental craving and a large blu-ray collection!

Furniture

09-29-2015, 01:29 PM

I've smoked for about 10 years and just switched to vaping and it 99% satisfies my need for cigarettes. I have 2 other friends who quit smoking the same way. I have to recommend it to anyone who struggled with quitting cold turkey

Sage Truthbearer

09-29-2015, 01:39 PM

so what did you guys do about after eating? after a meal, and being stuck in traffic are like the two times that my brain goes fucking nuts for them

For me, I knew I'd have those cravings and thus switched to vaping. That was about a year ago and I haven't smoked a cig since. In the beginning I was vaping at 18mg nicotine and doing it all day. After a while I switched down to 12mg, and now I'm down to 6mg. At this point I can go a few days without vaping and not have cravings. My next step will be completely quitting vaping.

Itap

09-29-2015, 01:39 PM

Nobody does the nicotine gum or patch anymore? Does it work?

Furniture

09-29-2015, 03:11 PM

Nobody does the nicotine gum or patch anymore? Does it work?

They never worked

myriverse

09-29-2015, 05:27 PM

Still going strong. Man that shit has a stronghold on my mind. Kudos to anyone who has quit before. It's not easy
Good luck. You can do it. Mind over body.

Smoked for 27 years. Quit cold turkey about 6.5 years ago, without effects. And lost 80 lbs.

captnamazing

09-29-2015, 06:12 PM

grats 2 ya bud. keep it up and you will be happy.

Quitting smoking is ultra tricky, especially with how conditioned we become to certain stimuli. It was hardest for me to resist when I walked out of my college classrooms, having a cup of coffee, and harder even when I went out drinking at a bar (I permitted myself to smoke while drunk for a while - you wake up feeling like death and so eventually it becomes easier to resist)

As sirken asks: how do you avoid temptation during those times of craving (for me the exodus from class, for him the exodus from work)? Well, I would chew the shit out of pens. I literally bought dozens of boxes of pens just so I could destroy them in 10 minutes with my teeth. The chewing, holding something shaped like a cigarette, it all helped me a lot during those troubled times.

Another couple pieces of advice: it's easier if you just take it day by day. It's hard to say "i'm quitting cigarettes forever." it's scary. and it's fucking impossible. I don't smoke, but I still smoke a cigarette once in a blue moon, know what I mean? Isntead of panicking about not smoking ever, ever again, just ask "Can I go without a cigarette today?" obviously the answer is yes.

Then when you do fuck up, take it easy on yourself and get rid of the cigarettes ASAP. Odds are you were drunk, and everyone makes mistakes while drunk!

Good luck OP and all other quitters AKA casuals

Orruar

09-29-2015, 06:32 PM

(I permitted myself to smoke while drunk for a while - you wake up feeling like death and so eventually it becomes easier to resist)

That's the truth. I did the same and after you're nicotine free for a few months/years, a few cigarettes will make you feel terrible.

Here's a tip for those looking to quit smoking: stop being a pussy and just do it. It's like one week of feeling tons of craving and another week of slight irritability. Drink lots of water and do some exercise if you really need to let off stress. You probably need the exercise anyway.

Swish

09-29-2015, 07:03 PM

Nobody does the nicotine gum or patch anymore? Does it work?

My dad was an idiot, very medically challenged. He used to work "construction" as you guys would say - one day in the middle of summer he was trying to quit smoking and had one of those nicotine patches on his arm.

Well, that shit wasn't doing its job so well and he was still getting cravings... so he decided he'd have a cigarette anyway with the patch still on etc. Not sure how much longer afterwards that day but he had a heart attack (this is back in 1993ish). Factor in the heat etc, it could be a combination of things but he was a physically strong, healthy, active guy - so its hard to imagine it being unrelated. He survived it and lived another 14-15 years so that wasn't his end at least.

Anyway, just a quick "by the way"... don't use patches and continue smoking at the same time!

PlatLordlolz

09-29-2015, 08:10 PM

Still going strong. Man that shit has a stronghold on my mind. Kudos to anyone who has quit before. It's not easy

i quit smoking for 6 months, started back again. STUPID

pathius41

09-29-2015, 11:54 PM

My dad was an idiot, very medically challenged. He used to work "construction" as you guys would say - one day in the middle of summer he was trying to quit smoking and had one of those nicotine patches on his arm.

Well, that shit wasn't doing its job so well and he was still getting cravings... so he decided he'd have a cigarette anyway with the patch still on etc. Not sure how much longer afterwards that day but he had a heart attack (this is back in 1993ish). Factor in the heat etc, it could be a combination of things but he was a physically strong, healthy, active guy - so its hard to imagine it being unrelated. He survived it and lived another 14-15 years so that wasn't his end at least.

Anyway, just a quick "by the way"... don't use patches and continue smoking at the same time!

The first time I tried to quit smoking I wore two patches and still smoked a couple times a day ... didn't work.

the second time I went cold turkey, it was rough for the first year and now, 8 years later I don't even think about them but maybe once a year I get a craving and it passes after 5 minutes or so.

Honestly I think the soda/caffine habit is worse to kick. I've tried a few time only to be met with migrane headaches so bad my doctor bought me a 12pack of Dew lol

bubur

09-30-2015, 03:01 AM

nicotine kick.. shits tough but possible. ive had to re-quit a few times, all cold turkey. once tried the nicorette and ended up with dual use issue. only cold turkey ever worked for me

everyone faces addiction in different ways though. my mind would go through hoops to twist logic in a way that makes it reasonable to buy them again. then whenever i did, just felt guilty bout the whole process and the smoke was not as good as i remember/expected.. i would end up keeping them 'just in case' it happens again... or 'just for when i have a few beers' and then bam, hooked again

happened to me twice now so beware this phenomena.

god forbid if it happens, just embrace the reality that it wasnt as good as it seemed like it was going to be and toss the fuckers.. then focus on the wasted money and start over from day 0

just my anecdote, only 6 months or so out from the latest but i think this one will stick. they just start to sound bad after a while... been there done that.. just glad nothing truly serious happened as a result (at least that I'm presently aware of...).. couple of close friend not so lucky.. good luck buddy

bubur

09-30-2015, 03:07 AM

Anyway, just a quick "by the way"... don't use patches and continue smoking at the same time!

seconded, this is sadly very common. "dual use." unfortunate way that intentions of quitting can result in amplified risk. vaping arguably (and some will try) no different than the patch, gum, or cigs themselves

Malevz

09-30-2015, 01:03 PM

Quit 3.5 months ago. Different for everyone but at around 2 months or so stopped thinking about it so much, and just enjoyed feeling not so shitty all the time. Stick with it, and good work getting this far.

R Flair

09-30-2015, 02:36 PM

Don't vape as an alternative man, quit cold turkey if you can. It wouldn't surprise me if the vaporized shit ends up being worse for you..

Considering most vape liquid contains 3 or 4 known, non-toxic chemicals versus 100s (many very toxic) in a cig, I'll take my chances with vaping. Not like the vg or pg hasn't been used for decades in many other products deemed safe for human consumption.

Quit smoking a few years ago, mostly because I tried vaping and I found a lot of liquids I really liked the taste of.

I can certainly understand why people would want to quit cigarettes, but I will keep my coffee and vaping. Life is hard enough; no reason to make it harder without stimulants.

maestrom

09-30-2015, 02:40 PM

I quit in 2008. Only smoked for 3 years or so.

It was really weird. Woke up one morning, had half of a cigarette and for some reason, although it tasted and felt the same as every cigarette before it, it tasted bad to me.

Haven't had a cigarette since.

myriverse

10-02-2015, 04:14 PM

^ That's sort of what happened to me in 2009. It wasn't so much the taste, but I just opened a fresh pack and lit one and got this sudden feeling of disgust. I just crushed them all and never looked back.

Thana8088

10-02-2015, 05:14 PM

Sounds like you were hypnotized and didn't know it.

Or probed by aliens.

myriverse

10-04-2015, 08:03 AM

Sounds like you were hypnotized and didn't know it.

Or probed by aliens.
I sometimes wonder, but don't wanna look that gift horse in the mouth.

If I knew how I was able to quit, I'd be a millionaire. I had literally zero of the bad withdrawal symptoms. I noticed my body healing from the poisons and that was it. No cravings for cigs or food. No bad moods. No headaches (in fact, the migraines stopped once I quit). Nothing.

If aliens, then thank you, ET.