I quit cold turkey a couple of years ago. One day i just woke up and said to myself that I am a slave to no man or addiction, and I'm in control of my own life. I did have a rough couple of days, but it wasn't really difficult. Stayed clean for about 3 years, didn't touch the stuff. Nowadays I smoke maybe a ten-pack every other weekend if I'm drinking, and i have no problems keeping it at just that. But this isn't something I'd recommend for everyone tho, you need a strong will. I just treat it like i treat a nice glass of whisky, a treat for a nice evening, and not something i chug in the morning to function.. :P
Hey man, if you really want to quit go for it, i was smoking for 2 maybe 2 and a half years and quit 7 days ago, cold turkey, more down to being a broke student and food being more important, but its been quite easy so far, apart from in the morning, i miss that smoke still :P
Hey man! I used to teach a 12 step program a while back to help people quit. It had a high success rate if you follow it 100%! Hit me up if you're interested in the info
Edit: and it's free. I can post the whole thing here
yeah keep going man, it gets better, although I never had withdrawl like you mentioned, but you have been smoking a long time, so it might be harder for you.
Its just like what you hear with drugs: you feel like total shit because your body feels its dependant on the addictive junk you're taking in. It'll pass.
Heads up though for ex smokers: most quitters tend to get fat really quickly after smoking so go to the gym(great to get back in shape after smoking too) and watch what junk food you eat. Else you'll roll from one nastyness into the other.
By my handy-dandy android app, I'm at day 32 of not smoking. I've quit many times in the past, but this is the first time that I really feel like I no longer need nicotine. I was a smoker for ~12 years as well and quit for the same reasons you did; money/health/not wanting to be stupid.
I'm going the cold turkey route, simply because I kinda feel like nicotine substitutes is cheating a bit. I've cut my daily down from 12 smokes to 3 and intend to cut that to 0 once my car arrives.
If cold turkey works for you, then by all means, keep at it! However, I wouldn't think of any stop-smoking-aid as "cheating", because screw that, nicotine doesn't play by the rules anyhow.
I used Chantix for 2-3 weeks, and it worked fantastically, without side effects. I'd have the occasional lucid dream, but those were actually pretty badass. I still consider myself as quitting smoking, but I still allow myself the occasional cigarette when I'm out at a bar. It never turns into more than 1 and I will never purchase a pack of smokes again, but I think it's important to allow yourself cheats from time to time, unless you're extremely militant about it. That mentality has always driven me crazy in the past and led to a full break down of purchasing a pack of smokes, so I'm being a bit more forgiving this time around.
I wish you the best of luck and enjoy the new car!
Heads up though for ex smokers: most quitters tend to get fat really quickly after smoking so go to the gym(great to get back in shape after smoking too) and watch what junk food you eat. Else you'll roll from one nastyness into the other.
I'm actually down ~15 lbs since I quit. So much more energy to do all the things!
Good luck with the quest! I never have smoked, so I get a lot of shit about 'oh, you don't know how hard it is to quit' etc. If I dare to comment. ;-)
I do like a beer and a pie though, everyone has vices. If you feel it's not right for you, do a change, that's all there is. Do it for your good self is all.
I quit when I moved to Florida. Too humiliating and annoying to go down all the floors and then stand outside in the heat in some corner near the exit with all the other addicts. Laziness + shame > addiction.
I'm not a smoker, so I don't really have any advice to give, just wanted to say good luck I know a few people who went through similar issues while quitting but they all agree it was worth it.
I'm a smoker tried to quit several times due to external pressure.. but it never worked out.. I rather enjoy it so I dont have any associated guilt about continuing..
Also didn't D.A.R.E. scare you senseless?
At the elementary school I attended they brought in black tumor ridden lungs from autopsies and passed them around.
Giant vats of tar demonstrating how much tar was in a smokers lungs were present as well and they had videos depicting how smoking was going to kill you and destroy your appearance.
I saw all those kind of things at school too valuemeal, but they just dont work. smoking can be enjoyable, unfortunately and it's just a question of when you can quit it in the long run.
The first time I really quit I found it tough, but the last time in 2008, I found it really easy.
Took me 5 days then I was fine.I never once thought of black lungs while I was smoking , in fact I imagined my lungs to be nice and pink:)
I'm a smoker tried to quit several times due to external pressure.. but it never worked out.. I rather enjoy it so I dont have any associated guilt about continuing..
in countries like china, vietnam & co smoking is almost expected of you if you're a guy. Guess it's healthier too, at least you breathe through a filter.
in countries like china, vietnam & co smoking is almost expected of you if you're a guy. Guess it's healthier too, at least you breathe through a filter.
Yeah I know,and I always make a point of bringing my own smokes to those countries.. some of the local brands are awful... not to mention all the fake cigarettes floating around..
Hey TJ! Here's some info on the program I taught all those years ago.
Pavlov learned that dogs could be conditioned to salivate when a bell rings, I'm sure you're familiar with the story. It's the same for you, you've been conditioned to have a craving at particular times of the day, after certain activities, and in certain circumstances, to smoke. So the trick is to prevent a craving to get triggered. Think of when you typically get a craving. More than likely you don't eat breakfast, and the first thing you do when you get up is smoke. Also after a meal you get a craving very likely.
Well these things should help to keep that bell from going off while we ultra-flush all of that nicotine out of your body!
Here goes!
First thing you need to do when you wake up is brush your teeth!
Eat a good breakfast, then BRUSH AGAIN.
Finish off with a nice swig of cinnamon mouthwash. If you can't find any of that, citrus mouthwash should work too.
Carry some extra mouthwash with you in a small bottle to use any time you have a craving. (Also, any cinnamon products help too, and so does real licorice. They kill the craving like mad).
Drink tons of grapefruit juice or orange juice. The vitamin C cleans you out, and the citrus can kill the craving.
Take 100mg of Vitamin C every meal. You'll be crapping out your insides, but you'll be flushing all the nicotine in your body within 3 days time. You can't technically overdose, but the more you take the crazier the pooping gets so be careful.
Wash all your clothes! Febreze the hell out of your house and furniture! Put up reminders in places you see often.
Get snacks! But not any snacks, fruits and veggies. Baby carrots, grapes, etc. Those you can eat and not have to brush afterward. But if you dip stuff in ranch you'll need to brush again.
Let your friends know that you cannot afford for the next 7 days to smell second hand smoke from them, or be offered a cigarette. If they do, tell them to take a hike. Most of the time they're respectful and try to help.
Again- Keep drinking that juice and swigging that mouthwash. AND KEEP BRUSHING. Taking enough Vitamin C during this should get the nicotine out pretty dang fast, but keep this up for at least 7 days. You'll feel great by 3 but the rest after that point is MIND OVER MATTER.
Let me know if you need more clarification, man! It's a bit to take in at first, but make a shopping list and set up your smart phone to give you alarms and reminders. If you mess up, just keep doing it. You've got this, man!
Also seeing the wrinkled adults who did smoke was a major downer as well sheesh....
For the most part where there is smoke there is fire, majority of people who smoke do other drugs as well and that is no good you know?
Also I do kinda have a bias against smoking because I was asthmatic as a kid and I don't want to be around smoke in general, just the smell makes me rather ill.
*cough* *cough*, 15 year smoker here. *raises hand*
Reached the milestone of 30 last week, decided it was finally time to kick the cigs and start looking after myself. Started working out again, bought a juicer and am now juicing like a bastard: using fruit smoothies and cale shakes for me as meal replacements. I'm down to 5 cigs a day, and dropped 5lbs.
The cold turkey bit will be hellish though. I admire all you iron willed super men. Keep coming back.
Sorry to necro this but I notice a number of inspirational success stories and I need some help, big time.
Is absolutely freaking out part of normal withdrawal? I'm 7 days into a cold quit after smoking for 15 years and although the first couple days were ok, day 4 to now have been pure hell-
Panic attacks, anxiety, major stomach acid discomfort, confusion, and I've averaged 4 hours sleep a night since quitting.
I felt absolutely fine when I smoked. There's no way in hell I'm gonna relapse but I really hope this shit is normal and passes ASAP because I feel like I'm frea-king out.
Hey Teejay, slightly unrelated hope you don't mind me asking: I remember your thread about your Mysophobia (hope it's OK to call it that), but it seems surprising that you're a smoker if you have such a fear of contamination/uncleanliness. Surely smoking a cigarette is much worse than eating without washing your hands ?
There is so much talk about smoking increasing the risk of lung cancer when you are 70 years old. That wasn't much motivation for me to stop right now. I have so much time between now and 70 to quit. How about this for motivation? Smoking makes your skin look uglier and lowers your sex drive.
When you stop, your skin will immediately start to look better. You will notice this in just one or two days, your skin will have a healthy glow and you will be more attractive. You may also notice something popping up a little more often than usual.
Being all wrinkly and limp-d**k as a young man, to me was a much bigger motivation than the fear of having cancer as an old man.
Try to avoid hanging out with other smokers for the first few weeks. The first few days are the hardest. 3 or 4 days of hell. But once they are done it starts getting easy. The rest of the first month gets easier and easier and then you don't even want them anymore. When you have been off cigarettes for 3 months it is safe to hang with your old smoker buddies again.
I found it extremely helpful to hit the gym. It is a really good replacement. I have the same problem where if I don't take care of myself I get too skinny. It is a real problem, but a lot easier to deal with than being too fat.
Set a target weight, do some reading up on high protein diets, and workout schedules that balance weight training and cardio. The cardio will feel awesome and keep your waste size down when eating high protein weight gaining meals. And the weight training will fill you out the right way. You need all 3: The diet, cardio and weights.
A year or two from today. You can be buff, in perfect shape, with your Mojo working like you are 19 years old, and that new Audi you were talking about. Stick with it. It sounds like a great plan!
Maybe make some space cake to help relax the anxiety a bit? Be careful with dosage though, since it takes a while to take effect, and you might eat some more, resulting in too much.
Replies
Although I was never a smoker I do go through 2 to 3 packs of gum a week.
But yeah all the best man good luck
Edit: and it's free. I can post the whole thing here
Heads up though for ex smokers: most quitters tend to get fat really quickly after smoking so go to the gym(great to get back in shape after smoking too) and watch what junk food you eat. Else you'll roll from one nastyness into the other.
By my handy-dandy android app, I'm at day 32 of not smoking. I've quit many times in the past, but this is the first time that I really feel like I no longer need nicotine. I was a smoker for ~12 years as well and quit for the same reasons you did; money/health/not wanting to be stupid.
If cold turkey works for you, then by all means, keep at it! However, I wouldn't think of any stop-smoking-aid as "cheating", because screw that, nicotine doesn't play by the rules anyhow.
I used Chantix for 2-3 weeks, and it worked fantastically, without side effects. I'd have the occasional lucid dream, but those were actually pretty badass. I still consider myself as quitting smoking, but I still allow myself the occasional cigarette when I'm out at a bar. It never turns into more than 1 and I will never purchase a pack of smokes again, but I think it's important to allow yourself cheats from time to time, unless you're extremely militant about it. That mentality has always driven me crazy in the past and led to a full break down of purchasing a pack of smokes, so I'm being a bit more forgiving this time around.
I wish you the best of luck and enjoy the new car!
I'm actually down ~15 lbs since I quit. So much more energy to do all the things!
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I do like a beer and a pie though, everyone has vices.
Also didn't D.A.R.E. scare you senseless?
At the elementary school I attended they brought in black tumor ridden lungs from autopsies and passed them around.
Giant vats of tar demonstrating how much tar was in a smokers lungs were present as well and they had videos depicting how smoking was going to kill you and destroy your appearance.
That's just me though.
The first time I really quit I found it tough, but the last time in 2008, I found it really easy.
Took me 5 days then I was fine.I never once thought of black lungs while I was smoking , in fact I imagined my lungs to be nice and pink:)
in countries like china, vietnam & co smoking is almost expected of you if you're a guy. Guess it's healthier too, at least you breathe through a filter.
Yeah I know,and I always make a point of bringing my own smokes to those countries.. some of the local brands are awful... not to mention all the fake cigarettes floating around..
Pavlov learned that dogs could be conditioned to salivate when a bell rings, I'm sure you're familiar with the story. It's the same for you, you've been conditioned to have a craving at particular times of the day, after certain activities, and in certain circumstances, to smoke. So the trick is to prevent a craving to get triggered. Think of when you typically get a craving. More than likely you don't eat breakfast, and the first thing you do when you get up is smoke. Also after a meal you get a craving very likely.
Well these things should help to keep that bell from going off while we ultra-flush all of that nicotine out of your body!
Here goes!
First thing you need to do when you wake up is brush your teeth!
Eat a good breakfast, then BRUSH AGAIN.
Finish off with a nice swig of cinnamon mouthwash. If you can't find any of that, citrus mouthwash should work too.
Carry some extra mouthwash with you in a small bottle to use any time you have a craving. (Also, any cinnamon products help too, and so does real licorice. They kill the craving like mad).
Drink tons of grapefruit juice or orange juice. The vitamin C cleans you out, and the citrus can kill the craving.
Take 100mg of Vitamin C every meal. You'll be crapping out your insides, but you'll be flushing all the nicotine in your body within 3 days time. You can't technically overdose, but the more you take the crazier the pooping gets so be careful.
Wash all your clothes! Febreze the hell out of your house and furniture! Put up reminders in places you see often.
Get snacks! But not any snacks, fruits and veggies. Baby carrots, grapes, etc. Those you can eat and not have to brush afterward. But if you dip stuff in ranch you'll need to brush again.
Let your friends know that you cannot afford for the next 7 days to smell second hand smoke from them, or be offered a cigarette. If they do, tell them to take a hike. Most of the time they're respectful and try to help.
Again- Keep drinking that juice and swigging that mouthwash. AND KEEP BRUSHING. Taking enough Vitamin C during this should get the nicotine out pretty dang fast, but keep this up for at least 7 days. You'll feel great by 3 but the rest after that point is MIND OVER MATTER.
Let me know if you need more clarification, man! It's a bit to take in at first, but make a shopping list and set up your smart phone to give you alarms and reminders. If you mess up, just keep doing it. You've got this, man!
Also seeing the wrinkled adults who did smoke was a major downer as well sheesh....
For the most part where there is smoke there is fire, majority of people who smoke do other drugs as well and that is no good you know?
Also I do kinda have a bias against smoking because I was asthmatic as a kid and I don't want to be around smoke in general, just the smell makes me rather ill.
my favorite brand of cigs here in china
Reached the milestone of 30 last week, decided it was finally time to kick the cigs and start looking after myself. Started working out again, bought a juicer and am now juicing like a bastard: using fruit smoothies and cale shakes for me as meal replacements. I'm down to 5 cigs a day, and dropped 5lbs.
The cold turkey bit will be hellish though. I admire all you iron willed super men. Keep coming back.
Hey Teejay, slightly unrelated hope you don't mind me asking: I remember your thread about your Mysophobia (hope it's OK to call it that), but it seems surprising that you're a smoker if you have such a fear of contamination/uncleanliness. Surely smoking a cigarette is much worse than eating without washing your hands ?
Yes, In addition to all of the damage smoking does to your lungs. Smoking wreaks havoc on your skin http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/smoking/AN00644 and also lowers your sex drive. Yes, it lowers the libido. http://men.webmd.com/features/want-better-sex So you can look old wrinkly and have a lame pecker in your 30's. Not cool.
When you stop, your skin will immediately start to look better. You will notice this in just one or two days, your skin will have a healthy glow and you will be more attractive. You may also notice something popping up a little more often than usual.
Being all wrinkly and limp-d**k as a young man, to me was a much bigger motivation than the fear of having cancer as an old man.
Try to avoid hanging out with other smokers for the first few weeks. The first few days are the hardest. 3 or 4 days of hell. But once they are done it starts getting easy. The rest of the first month gets easier and easier and then you don't even want them anymore. When you have been off cigarettes for 3 months it is safe to hang with your old smoker buddies again.
I found it extremely helpful to hit the gym. It is a really good replacement. I have the same problem where if I don't take care of myself I get too skinny. It is a real problem, but a lot easier to deal with than being too fat.
Set a target weight, do some reading up on high protein diets, and workout schedules that balance weight training and cardio. The cardio will feel awesome and keep your waste size down when eating high protein weight gaining meals. And the weight training will fill you out the right way. You need all 3: The diet, cardio and weights.
A year or two from today. You can be buff, in perfect shape, with your Mojo working like you are 19 years old, and that new Audi you were talking about. Stick with it. It sounds like a great plan!