Quitting smoking.

[jaimie08mazda3]

So I am done.. Once and for all after 4 years of smoking. Any advice anyone... this is going to be hard but I think I will make it.:bang

[crystal8484]

oral fixation!

find something to put in there for those times you're craving. :chuckle
candy, gum... and don't go drinking - you'll be more inclined to smoke 8 packs then. LOL

[MistaChin]

Smoking's one thing crystal, but drinking?!?! This is madness! ........ THIS..IS..SPARTAAAA

[jaimie08mazda3]

Yea I know drinking would be a bad Idea at this point because id be like SMOOOOOOOKE... run to the convenience store *I only have a carton of smokes* ILL TAKE EM smoke the whole thing... haha ruin that. Im chewing gum, Ive eaten my daily amount of fruits and vegetables soo i dunno what else I gotta do. I need one of those smoke things that aren't real

[Go_Habs_Go]

duct tape your mouth and breathe through your nose!! :chuckle

[BoostieMonster]

Saw these at a food expo, worth a shot I guess....

http://www.thebigspotlight.com/gs_bid

[jaimie08mazda3]

duct tape your mouth and breathe through your nose!! :chuckle

What a surprise coming from a habs fan... a smart ass comment :chuckle. And I have been looking at those green cigarettes... looks pretty awesome

[optiklenz13]

good luck man. i tried, will try again.

[Slade]

When I was in St Jacobs there was some guy that had a booth with some type of chewing stuff that made you want to quit smoking, might be worth a shot?

One of the people I went with with tried it....he lit a smoke about 3mins after spitting the crap out..

[mazda_gurl]

Im on day 5 of quitting - and Ive been smoking for longer then 4 years.....(I started off young :blush)

Anywho, get the patch, it helps. The first 4 days were irritable. Although I have the constant nicotine feed, I was really missing the habit (having my smoke during work, after work walking to the GO train, walking to the car from the GO train etc etc).

Yesterday, I walked and it was horrible, so I started to breath like I was inhaling a cigarette and exhaled like I was smoking (I didnt do the hand motion thing, or people might have thought I was a bit weird!). I actually found that it helped!

Today is the best day so far. My cigarette thoughts are few and far between, and Im not as jittery and restless now. I still crave the "habit" like going down for a smoke after a meeting, or lunch, but its not as feirce as it was in the first few days.

I have also cheated a bit. My other half smokes, so I would steal a haul in the evenings. It was my reward for making it through the day, but was also a reminder that I didnt want to do it (it tastes different even after two days!)

This morning, on the drive in, I felt the urge to have a drag, so I did, and while the motion of inhaling/exhaling/remove smoke from lips, felt good, I knew right away that I wouldnt be able to smoke a whole one if I tried.

Good luck.

[jaimie08mazda3]

good luck man. i tried, will try again.

Its hard... worst thing is I smoked in my car... when I get home... I am going to want a Smoke!

[MistaChin]

good luck man. i tried, will try again.

btw thanks for the smokes Ash LOL

[jaimie08mazda3]

btw thanks for the smokes Ash LOL

Thats right I forgot you smoked :chuckle. Soon I will be able to be like Phil and say *Smoking is bad I don't Smoke* :)

[SilentJay]

2 birds with 1 stone:

http://www.snuzer.com/images/tomacco.jpg

[MistaChin]

Thats right I forgot you smoked :chuckle. Soon I will be able to be like Phil and say *Smoking is bad I don't Smoke* :)

lol I dont smoke cigarettes but the occasional cigar. Ash just hooked me up with some oh so delicious cigarrillos!

[optiklenz13]

btw thanks for the smokes Ash LOL

hahaha. no worries man.

[jaimie08mazda3]

lol I dont smoke cigarettes but the occasional cigar. Ash just hooked me up with some oh so delicious cigarrillos!

I want a honey time lol

[Nextmod]

just do a progress report here everyday, it will help

[Dave_The_BMXER]

2 birds with 1 stone:

http://www.snuzer.com/images/tomacco.jpg

:whoa

[Broli]

there is a lot to consider

in short.

the first few (3 or so days) will be the most difficult because you will have significant physical withdrawal. that will pass fast but the real worst part is the psychological draw to smoking. that is much harder to over come. permanent changes have been made in your neurophysiology and these will drive you to crave cigarettes likely forever. cues are important to consider, particularly at first. you have mentioned that the car will be difficult, and drinking, you will find that there are a number of situations that will make you crave a cigarette. really the cue-induced craving is the most difficult thing to overcome. will power and actual desire and intention to make a change in your behaviour are very important, without them you will not be sucessful.

now about NRT (nicotine replacement therapy). patch, gun, inhalor, and losanges here i believe now. i dont recall you beeing a very heavy smoker, maybe you would start in the second level of the patch, but i would recomend a consulation with a smoking clinic. gum or losanges (dont know much about them really) would be good for you to have on hand when you want a smoke have one of those instead. you have to realize the pharmacokinetic differences between administering nicotine by smoking and other routes are quite different and it wont feel the same as smoking (ie it wont feel as good as smoking). the inhalor is designed to fill the hand motion stuff . . . it is not very effective, people dont find it natural. though i think for a select group of people it could be good.

there are other medications you can take too, but i dont think that on your first real smoking cessation attempt you will want these... zyban (buproprion) and the newer champix (varenacline)


good luck bro!

[ShortBus]

i used to smoke for 10+ years, started when i was 14, quit cold turkey for 3 years now.

[kjb86]

good luck.. i'm a smoker and I want to quit, but i'm not at that stage yet where i'm READY to drop it.. and by that I mean I don't have enough will power yet. I know it's hard, i've tried before.

So any advice if you succeed please let me know lol.

Also about the medications where you take, ie champix etc.. They have some side effects...some people report that they have really odd nightmares and stuff. so it's always good to consult with your GP first ( i don't think it's available over the counter anyways) and see what he/she recommends for you.

[jaimie08mazda3]

there is a lot to consider

in short.

the first few (3 or so days) will be the most difficult because you will have significant physical withdrawal. that will pass fast but the real worst part is the psychological draw to smoking. that is much harder to over come. permanent changes have been made in your neurophysiology and these will drive you to crave cigarettes likely forever. cues are important to consider, particularly at first. you have mentioned that the car will be difficult, and drinking, you will find that there are a number of situations that will make you crave a cigarette. really the cue-induced craving is the most difficult thing to overcome. will power and actual desire and intention to make a change in your behaviour are very important, without them you will not be sucessful.

now about NRT (nicotine replacement therapy). patch, gun, inhalor, and losanges here i believe now. i dont recall you beeing a very heavy smoker, maybe you would start in the second level of the patch, but i would recomend a consulation with a smoking clinic. gum or losanges (dont know much about them really) would be good for you to have on hand when you want a smoke have one of those instead. you have to realize the pharmacokinetic differences between administering nicotine by smoking and other routes are quite different and it wont feel the same as smoking (ie it wont feel as good as smoking). the inhalor is designed to fill the hand motion stuff . . . it is not very effective, people dont find it natural. though i think for a select group of people it could be good.

there are other medications you can take too, but i dont think that on your first real smoking cessation attempt you will want these... zyban (buproprion) and the newer champix (varenacline)


good luck bro!

DR ALEX STRIKES AGAIN. No your right I'm not a heavy (ish smoker) like a pack a day depending. lately its been 1/3 pack a day. Maybe I should take your advice and do all of those things... Or do what you do and make some tobacco roll your owns cigar thingys haha

[Dreamliner]

Go to the store and buy a pack of Menthols or something you dont like. You'll not want to smoke them.

[Broli]

DR ALEX STRIKES AGAIN. No your right I'm not a heavy (ish smoker) like a pack a day depending. lately its been 1/3 pack a day. Maybe I should take your advice and do all of those things... Or do what you do and make some tobacco roll your owns cigar thingys haha

lol,

if i were you i would just prepare for the times when you know you will want a smoke, spend some time thinking about the things that make you want to smoke, and thinking about ways you can avoid them. you are sort of in isolation at the moment, so if you can take advantage of that some how, great!

i think if you want to quit . .. rollies are not the answer. lol, get a pack of nicorette gum keep some with you for those just in case moments. but really try to spend most of your efforts on mental strength, will power and preparedness!

[Thrizzl3]

jaimie quitting smoking wow..this i gotta see.

[jaimie08mazda3]

Except your not gonna see it... well not physically :chuckle

[Donutz]

i used to smoke for 10+ years, started when i was 14, quit cold turkey for 3 years now.

I smoked for 9 years and quit cold turkey as well. I haven't had a cigarette in 12 (almost 13) years. I had a lot of habits that went hand in hand with smoking; that is, hanging out in bars, playing pool, drinking, etc. My lifestyle changed when I quit smoking; I drank less, stopped playing pool, and hardly went to the bar. I think things got easier over the years because back in the day you could smoke almost anywhere and now you can only smoke outside, under a blanket, when it's dark, every 2nd Wednesday.

Honestly, if you're ready to quit you will, and you can beat the addiction with your mind.

[mazda_gurl]

My dr gave me a script for champix last year. It was new then and so I read about it online and peoples accounts of it. Apparently it helped quite a bit but getting off the drug was a different story. Drug resulted in severe depression and often suicide or suicidal tendencies.

Id look into that one before making that call.

The patch is working just fine for me :)

[Donutz]

Yep, my sis had all kinds of problems with prescription drugs that are supposed to help you quit. None of her reactions were mental, but she got all kinds of hives and rashes.

[Broli]

there are always side effects,

champix has been associated with depression in some patients but it is a rare side effect. certainly with depression there is increased risk of suicide.

all the NRT and Rx medications in the world are useless for most addictions without lifestyle modification and the readiness to make a behaviour change. thats why pretty much everyone who quits just goes cold turkey and it is done, note that these people probably made quite a few quit attempts before they were sucessful

[plontoc]

I'm 25 now and started smoking when I was 14. I've been clean for about 6 weeks and I'm now moving onto the step two patches. I've found that they have help greatly with the cravings, but I still want the "habit smokes" like after a large meal or a drink at the bar.

On this I will tell you is that it does get a lot easier. My breathing has improved (running on a treadmill now vs. 6 weeks ago), taste and they say smell too but I haven't noticed that one (I smell a lot better I'm sure).

If I can give you one tip...have a distraction when the craving hits. Drink some water or tell yourself you'll smoke in five minutes (the craving will pass by then).

One thing I did to make a bad habit a good one is I do 25 push-ups everytime I get a craving at work/home. Quitting has made me a little stonger and you really want to build on your progress.

Good luck with the first day of your new life. You'll have a lot more mod money now:bana2

If you need any support, just shoot me a pm. I had a bunch of friends supporting me and it made all the difference.

Paul

EDIT: One more thing, that "inhaler" thing they sell at Shoppers is crap. Save your money and chew on a pen with a patch stuck to your arm. Costco has the cheapest ones I believe.

[sadd16]

I did it after smoking for 8 years. The way I did it was like this, i went on the patch, and kept thinking to myself, that I could overdose on nicotine if I smoke and have the patch on, and can die. After the first 3 weeks, i went off the patch and I was ok. Though I had cravings, I would just chew some gum. The hardest part is the first couple of weeks when you have to readjust to not having a smoke when you normally do.

[towelsnap]

Hey Buddy props on quitting smoking.

For me quiting (only smoked for 1.5-2 years) was accomplished by dislocated me knee and being unable to walk to my car lol (where my smokes were) . I haven't smoked in over 4 weeks and it feels great :). I do find if I'm stressed and pissed off or drinking I want one . Or if your around your friends and they are smoking... it's hard not to crave a dart. Biggiest thing is keep your mind off it, work out, run, play ps3/xbox , meet random women, play in a sandbox.... what ever it takes to not smoke lol


- cheers

[crystal8484]

Yea I know drinking would be a bad Idea at this point because id be like SMOOOOOOOKE... run to the convenience store *I only have a carton of smokes* ILL TAKE EM smoke the whole thing... haha ruin that. Im chewing gum, Ive eaten my daily amount of fruits and vegetables soo i dunno what else I gotta do. I need one of those smoke things that aren't real

LOL this is Jamie after one night of drinking after quitting smoking...

http://loge19.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/mouth-full-of-cigarettes1.jpg

[mazda_gurl]

I'm 25 now and started smoking when I was 14. I've been clean for about 6 weeks and I'm now moving onto the step two patches. I've found that they have help greatly with the cravings, but I still want the "habit smokes" like after a large meal or a drink at the bar.

Ditto - Thats the hardest part.....the habitual crave.


On this I will tell you is that it does get a lot easier. My breathing has improved (running on a treadmill now vs. 6 weeks ago), taste and they say smell too but I haven't noticed that one (I smell a lot better I'm sure).

I havent noticed a change in smell or taste yet, but its only been day 6. They do say that your lungs and chest feel better after the 3rd or 4th day, but I still have this stupid phlegmy cough that I just cant kick! (Im still sick or something). The only taste difference Ive noticed is that cigarettes now taste gross lol. (I keep stealing the occasional haul to remind myself that I dont like it and dont want it).

[towelsnap]

Ditto - Thats the hardest part.....the habitual crave.



I havent noticed a change in smell or taste yet, but its only been day 6. They do say that your lungs and chest feel better after the 3rd or 4th day, but I still have this stupid phlegmy cough that I just cant kick! (Im still sick or something). The only taste difference Ive noticed is that cigarettes now taste gross lol. (I keep stealing the occasional haul to remind myself that I dont like it and dont want it).

same.... almost like the are stale

[jaimie08mazda3]

LOL this is Jamie after one night of drinking after quitting smoking...

http://loge19.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/mouth-full-of-cigarettes1.jpg

HA lol... My mouth isnt that big. *PHIL DO NOT COMMENT:chuckle*
Anyway so Update yesterday went well. I only had 2 cigarettes and they were within 8 hours of each other! So so far I am doing well but its hard!

[Dreamliner]

Are you smoking strong cigarettes or extra-light ones? I found transitioning to the lightest ones were good. 10mg to 7mg, to 5mg to those 0.1mg bitch sticks. haha :chuckle:chuckle

[jaimie08mazda3]

I smoked Canadian Classics sooo 14 MG

[Dreamliner]

I smoked Canadian Classics sooo 14 MG

Try to progress down to the Silver then White.

[sadd16]

I think when u are truly ready to quit, u can quit cold turkey. though the patch will help you through the tough times. it took me 5 tries to finally be able to quit. First few times i said i'd quit but didn't truely want to. but the final time i tried, i really wanted to because of health reasons.

[M3-ZOOM]

there is alot of good pointers here to quit smoking. I was off smokes for pretty much a month in the summer. i screwed that up when i went on vacation and now im still smoking :bang. Keep the tips coming!

[Darkfrosty7]

Saw these at a food expo, worth a shot I guess....

http://www.thebigspotlight.com/gs_bid

yea i saw this too, great idea

[sadd16]

lol an electric cigarette. I heard of it before. I wonder if that actually works.

[srysudste]

bookmarked and b back l8er, bro, :-)

[xxSlidewaysxx]

I did the laser thing. 1 month of vitamin detox and you are good to go. $340 with the magnesium supplement and it was an hour.....if you have troubles give it a shot.....I was half(ish) pack a day and I'm been off the butts for 6 months.....best $340 I have ever spent.

[towelsnap]

I did the laser thing. 1 month of vitamin detox and you are good to go. $340 with the magnesium supplement and it was an hour.....if you have troubles give it a shot.....I was half(ish) pack a day and I'm been off the butts for 6 months.....best $340 I have ever spent.

that's what the GF is on and she swears by it

[Broli]

lol an electric cigarette. I heard of it before. I wonder if that actually works.

i have tried them . . . i was interested in using them for various studies i was doing at school

they dont feel the same as a cigarette you have to pull unaturally hard imo.

[mazda lover]

and don't have sex cause when your finished you will want to light up.

[jaimie08mazda3]

and don't have sex cause when your finished you will want to light up.

Uhhhhhhhhhhh.... :whoa

I guess I'm going to be staying a smoker then :chuckle

[froggy]

Uhhhhhhhhhhh.... :whoa

I guess I'm going to be staying a smoker then :chuckle

but if you keep smoking you might not be able to get it up anyway so still no sex!

[jaimie08mazda3]

yea but if I cant get it up viagra to the rescue :chuckle

[Broli]

actually the kind of damage the smoking causes to your vasculature is not necessarily going to be fixed with Viagra

viagra increases blood flow . . . if the vessels are messed, what good is increased blood flow . . . still it will help a bit but . . . may not be magic

you could be screwed . .. well figuratively anyways!

lol

[jaimie08mazda3]

actually the kind of damage the smoking causes to your vasculature is not necessarily going to be fixed with Viagra

viagra increases blood flow . . . if the vessels are messed, what good is increased blood flow . . . still it will help a bit but . . . may not be magic

you could be screwed . .. well figuratively anyways!

lol

I hate you... :chuckle. Okay Dr.Alex Elkader I will be quitting. Im down to 2 a day and thinking of roll your owns.

[Dreamliner]

What does roll your own do? It's still smoking and you're smokes are cheap anyway. Go native? lol

[jaimie08mazda3]

smokes aint cheap and right now on this program I don't have a car to go to the reserve. My car is back home

[mazda lover]

I quit smoking a long longggggg time ago, went cold turkey,
but to this day I have had urges to light up. Its something that will stay with you forever. It changes a chemical balance in the brain and the brain is saying go ahead light up I need those chemicals.