I QUIT! The quitting smoking support thread.

[Bagor]

3 Months this week.

Had a desire to quit for a long time then one Monday morning I was having a smoke and just said eff it, took my pack out and crushed it and soaked it. No pre-planned set time or date but as I said the desire was lingering in my head for a long time. I suppose the main driving force was that I promised my kids I'd quit, and couldn't accept setting the example of a broken promise.

First 2-3 days were tough but it got a lot easier .... fast. The best advice I got was from a buddy who told me to tell myself when I was having cravings that it would be gone in 5 minutes. It is ... till the next one ... and so on .... till the cravings are more spaced and less intense.

Dunno what was different this time. I quit about 15 years ago for 2 years using Alan Carr. I guess my head was just in the right place and I really wanted it.

I .... feel ..... liberated.

Thanks to everyone in this thread and good luck to all.

[AMG_G]

9 months free today. I am really proud of myself.

[jschick88]

Quit in November and haven't gone back since. Ever since quitting smoking I have gotten myself into the best possible shape I ever been in. I now find myself either running, swimming, working out 1 to 2 hours a day. Never did that when I smoked. I also started eating really healthy. I recommend a book called "The Eat-Clean Diet for Men" by Robert Kennedy & Tosca Reno.

Quitting smoking has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I use to get headaches all of the time. Doesn't happen no more. I find myself with more energy and more of a positive attitude.

[Nyah]

1 year, 1 month & 3.5 weeks. It's awesome!

[ResAlien]

Hit 6 months last Monday, coworker reminded me today. Definitely enjoying what feels like free money too.

[personalfx]

Well, I have not had a smoke for the past 3 months and feeling great! the thing is I am still on the nicotine, so did I really quit? I smoke one of those electronic smokes and found that I like it just as much as I did smoking cigarettes. I may be vaping for life lol.. what are your guys thoughts on this?

[AMG_G]

Originally Posted by personalfx

Well, I have not had a smoke for the past 3 months and feeling great! the thing is I am still on the nicotine, so did I really quit? I smoke one of those electronic smokes and found that I like it just as much as I did smoking cigarettes. I may be vaping for life lol.. what are your guys thoughts on this?

might as well just light another one up.

[personalfx]

never thought I would hear someone recommend that I inhale 3000 chemicals including rat poison over food grade glycol/glycerine .. O.o

[Dion]

Originally Posted by personalfx

never thought I would hear someone recommend that I inhale 3000 chemicals including rat poison over food grade glycol/glycerine .. O.o

Read this...

But some scientists, including officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), warn that too many questions remain about the safety of these products.

"This is the first evidence that just one (e-cigarette) use can have acute physiologic effects," said lead researcher Constantine I. Vardavas, of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at the Harvard School of Public Health.
For the new study, Vardavas and colleagues in Athens had 30 healthy smokers puff on an e-cigarette to see how it affected their airways.

The researchers found that after five minutes, users showed signs of airway constriction -- as measured by several types of breathing tests -- and of inflammation.

It is not known whether that short-term response could translate into health effects in the long run, including lung diseases like emphysema.
"More studies on the long-term effects are needed," Vardavas told Reuters Health.

But, he noted, if e-cigarettes trigger airway effects after just a few minutes, that raises concerns about repeated use of the products over time.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/0...8041WB20120105

[AMG_G]

Originally Posted by personalfx

never thought I would hear someone recommend that I inhale 3000 chemicals including rat poison over food grade glycol/glycerine .. O.o

If your intention is to quit just quit cold turkey. Ecigs, patches, gum and all other variants are just ways for companies make money off your weakness.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by AMG_G

If your intention is to quit just quit cold turkey. Ecigs, patches, gum and all other variants are just ways for companies make money off your weakness.

Is making money off of helping you quit bad somehow?

[Hanni]

6 months today, booyah!

[Smyth's Skate]

I am 2 days away from 18 months. I have lung capacity, I am in the gym every day and I am in the best shape I have ever been in. Quitting smoking was the best thing I have ever did for myself.

[Smyth's Skate]

I am 2 days away from 19 months. I have lung capacity, I am in the gym every day and I am in the best shape I have ever been in. Quitting smoking was the best thing I have ever did for myself.

[personalfx]

Originally Posted by Dion

Read this...



http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/0...8041WB20120105

I understand that there are still some risks involved, I do believe it is the lesser of 2 evils. my problem is I actually enjoyed smoking so much that nothing worked for me until I found this. I tried the patch, the gum, zyban, the silly inhaler and cold turkey, wouldnt try that centrex stuff though as it looks like it could mess you up pretty bad. I think there are other chemicals in cigarettes that are addictive, so I'm just taking this one chemical at a time , the good news though is I am down to 12mg e-juice after starting at 24mg nicotine. it's all about the baby steps for me.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by personalfx

I understand that there are still some risks involved, I do believe it is the lesser of 2 evils. my problem is I actually enjoyed smoking so much that nothing worked for me until I found this. I tried the patch, the gum, zyban, the silly inhaler and cold turkey, wouldnt try that centrex stuff though as it looks like it could mess you up pretty bad. I think there are other chemicals in cigarettes that are addictive, so I'm just taking this one chemical at a time , the good news though is I am down to 12mg e-juice after starting at 24mg nicotine. it's all about the baby steps for me.

I used Thrive lozenges, the only problem was I got addicted to those too.

[devo22]

four days away from 5 months! One of the best decisions I have ever made, I feel a lot better and I can really feel the effect on my bank account. No cravings in weeks.

BTW my best friend, a heavy smoker for probably 10 years, saw how stopping had a real positive effect on me and he decided to quit 3 weeks ago too.

Keep up the good work everybody!

[Vansmack]

I had my last cigarette Tuesday evening last week. I have now been on Champix for two weeks and I have had very little in terms of urges or desire to smoke, with the main exception being when I walk by a smoker on the street and get a whiff. My biggest concern is how I will feel once I stop taking the drug. In terms of side-effects the only thing I have noticed is that I am slightly groggy in the mornings. To combat this I have been waking up an hour earlier and going for a 30 minute swim to get my brain feeling normal. Anyways, best decision I have ever made. Also, two friends quit at the same time as me (same method) with hopes of using our savings over the next year to fund a trip to pebble beach!

[SportsJunky]

I was reading this article and thought about this thread. Stay strong quitters. I used to think, "why quit, the damage is done". Well, guess what, quitting will save your life. What are you waiting for? Do it!

The news is depressing as I write, since there's precious little to say at the moment about improving the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. The mortality figures tell the story. In spite of high-tech CT scans and MRIs, smokers will continue to die unless they toss away tobacco -- a foolish, irrational habit.
If the smoker accomplishes this task then the news is all good. Within minutes of a final cigarette, the body begins a series of recuperative changes that continue on and on. For instance, 20 minutes after the final puff, blood pressure falls, heart rate decreases and body temperature of hands and feet increases to normal.
Look ahead another eight hours and the blood level of carbon monoxide drops to normal and oxygen level becomes normal. After 24 hours the risk of coronary attack decreases. And after 48 hours nerve endings start working again to improve smell and taste.
During the next three months circulation improves, and as lung function increases up to 30%, walking becomes easier. Former smokers also notice that within one to nine months there's less coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath and more energy.
Just one year later the risk of coronary attack has decreased by an amazing 50%. And in 10 years the chance of developing lung cancer is similar to that of a non-smoker.
These numbers are better odds than at Las Vegas. Surely, any sane person would toss cigarettes away.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/08/15...or-lung-cancer

[calumniate]

Originally Posted by personalfx

Well, I have not had a smoke for the past 3 months and feeling great! the thing is I am still on the nicotine, so did I really quit? I smoke one of those electronic smokes and found that I like it just as much as I did smoking cigarettes. I may be vaping for life lol.. what are your guys thoughts on this?

Any recommendation on which ones to get & where? I really need to do something.. !!! Thanks in advance