I QUIT! The quitting smoking support thread.

[Yasa]

Hang in there Van. If you fall off the wagon; I won't be mad...just disappointed.

[FanIn80]

Took me over two years to quit smoking. I started in 1989, and I was up to around a pack and a half a day at the end, but I finally quit in 2003 and haven't looked back.

I used the patch. It was my second time trying it, but I was just finally ready to quit. It's definitely possible, but it's like any other addiction: you just have to be ready.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

If there was ever a time I was gonna break, it was Saturday......

Keep up the good fight mate, it's worth it.

I remember having a couple of those insanely crummy days, and thinking about how nice a smoke would be to ease the nerves. Instead, I went and played some outdoor hockey.......something that I really couldn't do as a smoker.

I'm a week away from 1-year smober.......trust me, the feeling is worth the effort!

[pylon]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

If there was ever a time I was gonna break, it was Saturday. The day started off good when Portugal beat Norway. But then on my way to work, I got a speeding ticket, and it was even worse because I never take that street to work, but because of my brother(long story), I did. Then when I get to work, the internet was down. Nothing worse than doing my job with no internet. Then the Canucks won. Then I had to deal with Canuck fans for an hour and a half. Then I got into an argument at work, and I was just in the worst mood possible. On my drive home, all I could think about was how good a cigarette be. I should stop, I should stop.

I'm happy that I decided against and got drunk instead. Luckily, I was too drunk to drive to the store and too lazy to walk to get any smokes.

This entire Canuck run has been brutal on me, but I'm getting thru it.

I have an idea. Every time you get an urge, walk outside, and punch the first person you see wearing a Canucks jersey, in the throat. You shouldn't have to wander too far, and it should definitely take the edge off.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Any updates folks??

I'm doing real good right now. Think about about it from time to time, but it's only when I see or smell the smoke of another cigarette. It's very rare where I think about lighting up anymore.

I'm pretty excited, I think I finally did it. But still realize that I may never be out of the woods and it's just something I'm going to have to control the rest of my life.

Do I notice a difference? Yes, but not to the extent that I thought I would.

6 months and counting.

[CofR]

Today marks 3 months since my last dip of chewing tobacco... I know its not the same as smoking, but this thread did inspire me, and trust me when I say it's an addictive habit.

I don't get cravings a lot anymore, but I really get them during times that I had become used to chewing such as playing softball, or when I drink. But I couldn't be happier that I've quit an absolutely disgusting habit and am saving money... Now that I've quit I realize how gross the stuff actually is.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

6 months and counting.

I'm sorry that I missed this back in July.....CONGRATS! 6 Months is a huge milestone! Just to recap some of the great physical things that have ALREADY happened for you:

- Your blood pressure has dropped
- Your pulse rate has dropped
- Your body temperature of hands and feet increase- Carbon monoxide levels in your blood are normal
- The oxygen level in you blood has increased
- Your chance of heart attack has decreased
- Various verve endings have started to regrow
- Your ability to smell and taste has begun to recover
- Your circulatory system has improved
- You lung function has increased up to 30 percent
- Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath has decreased
- The cilia has regrown in your lungs (They handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection)
- You overall energy has increased.

Some of the practical things that have happened.....

- You've probably saved $1000-$1500.
- You haven't had to stress over "Do I have enough to get me through the night?"
- Your clothes are lasting longer (seriously).
- You set a stronger, more positive first impression. People aren't grossed out when you get on an elevator.

And most importantly......everyone you know is really proud of you. Keep up the awesome work Vanflamesfan!

[WilsonFourTwo]

I figure that I may as well update my stats/story.

I Quit 1 Year, 1 Month, 4 Weeks, 10 hours and 40 minutes ago.
By not smoking 6,366 cigarettes, I have saved $3,183.33.

About 13 hours short of 14 months! A couple of things have happened recently that I didn't expect:

- I have developed a fairly strong dislike for the smell. I used to love the aroma of a cigarette (seriously), and enjoyed walking past people that were smoking. That's gone now, and I find it pretty much revolting.

- I found a cigarette (just one) laying in the hallway of my condo. I picked it up and carried it around with me until I found a garbage. I didn't even think about lighting it up, or how it felt in my hands, or what it would be like to puff on it. It was just another piece of litter, like a gum wrapper.

These two things tell me that I have truly moved on - a great feeling that I never really expected to have. I sincerely thought it would be a lifelong struggle, but am pleased to report that it does get easy after a while.

Keep up the good work everyone! If you didn't quite get there this time, try again!

[pylon]

Holy crap, I just realized tomorrow is 6 months for me. Sweet.

[Russic]

Congrats to everybody in the thread. The health and financial saving are just outstanding. It's great to see some success stories.

[Jacks]

Good luck to everyone trying to quit. I quit in May 2003 and have saved about the same amount as a new truck.

I found that if you pick a 'quit date' or try to quit 'once this pack is done' you are setting yourself up for failure. If you can't resist the last 10 smokes in a pack then how do you expect to stay quit at all?

I quit when I had 1/2 a pack left, I carried that pack around for about 2 months because I knew that if I left the house to go to the store I would cave in and start again. This way the smokes were right there. After awhile the thought of smoking a couple week old (dry) cigarette was pretty nasty. Threw the pack away after a couple of months, gave away my lighter to a friend and never looked back. Not saying that would work for everyone but it helped me.

Once you decide to quit then strike while the iron is hot and just quit right then and there. Don't convince yourself that you'll quit on Monday or after one more pack, it doesn't work that way, you lose motivation. Good luck.

[Hack&Lube]

So, since this is the closest thing we have to a Tobacco thread, has anybody found any place that carries or sells Swedish SNUS in Canada?

It's steamed tobacco in a sort of tea bag you can put in your mouth. It's not roasted like dip or burnt like cigarettes so there are no harmful carcinogens caused by pyrolization. Just moisture and tobacco leaves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus

It might help you guys trying to quit smoking. I've always wanted to try it.

[Pacem]

A big congrats to all the non smoking milestones!


Its been just over a year for me.

I feel alot better. My blood pressure is lower. I can breathe. Still got to lose some weight and i'd feel any better, but thats another problem lol.

I know i'll never smoke again. The only time I was worried, was when I went to Vegas back in March. The smoking bothered me more then anything. Waking up hung over and then walking into a smoke filled Casino sucked balls. It was so easy to not smoke while in Vegas.

Not sure if its been mentioned in this thread, but starting in September the BC government is going to be giving out nicotine patches. What are your guys thoughts on a program like that?

I'm a former smoker and I used the patch unsuccessfully at least 4 different times. The first time I used it, I used the strongest one cause I smoked 10 -15 cigs a day and it said if you smoke more then 10 this is the step for you. After that time I got up to minimum 1 pack a day, and stayed at that level for the remainder of my smoking life. Not going to say that the nicotine patch made me crave nicotine more and then increased how much I smoked, but it was wierd.

I personally think the program is ######ed, and a complete waste of money. The nicotine patches are cheaper then smokes, so if someone truly wants to quit smoking they could just buy the patches and save themselves the money. Thats one of the biggest hurdles for me to wrap my head around. The patch is cheaper then actually smoking. So if someone is a smoker, why are we paying for them to buy the patch? They can spend their cigarette money and buy the cheaper patch.

I also have a tough time understanding why the government is going to spend money on something that has such a low success rate. Its hard to find an exact figure, but those in favour of nicotine replacement therapy say its near 30% success rate after 6 months and on the other end of the spectrum you have those saying less then 10%. I know how many times I tried the patch. I know the different things my friends did. I know how many things my dad and mom tried. The success rate in just my circle of smokers that I know is significantly less then 10%. My dad has done everything but acupuncture, cause he don't like needles. Did the laser, got hypnotised, took a couple different prescriptions, did the gum, the patch, and who knows what else. I got him to read the book and he's been going strong for 8 months now.

Im pretty biased, and dislike the patch very much. I understand the government is attempting to save money by stopping people from smoking. I just feel they are directing their funds to the wrong program. This is the province that hands out free needles and crack pipes tho so why not nicotine.

Am I being stupid? Is it a good program?

[Jacks]

"I personally think the program is ######ed, and a complete waste of money."

+1

For me (and everyone else I know of) the biggest thing wasn't the nicotine addiction it was the psychological addiction. I still get the odd craving 8 years later, that has nothing to do with nicotine.

[WilsonFourTwo]

I'm a bit torn on the BC idea.

From a cold, heartless, financial perspective........Is the cost of patch offset by the health savings from getting a small percentage of people to quit?

From a compassionate perspective......Is it society's obligation to help people overcome addiction? (Gambling, Drinking, Drugs all have gov't sponsored programs).

At the end of the day, if the Gov't has found money to try, I'm OK with it. I'd probably prefer to see the money going into prevention, but treatment is understandable.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

I saw a couple of 15 year olds smoking outside the local Safeway yesterday afternoon, and I thought to myself, "My god, did I look that stupid when I was that age?"

I wanted to tell the kids to stop, they'll regret it, yadda yadda yadda, but I wasn't in the mood to be told to eff off either.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

I saw a couple of 15 year olds smoking outside the local Safeway yesterday afternoon, and I thought to myself, "My god, did I look that stupid when I was that age?"

I wanted to tell the kids to stop, they'll regret it, yadda yadda yadda, but I wasn't in the mood to be told to eff off either.

They won't listen anyhow. Good call on saving yourself the harassment.

[Artie Fufkin]

Don't know if it's been posted but after reading Allen Carr's book,The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, I became a non-smoker immediately without any cravings whatsoever.

There is nothing about smoking cigarettes I miss. Nothing.

[4X4]

I quit last sunday night/monday morn. I knew this thread existed, but I did not want to post here until I got past the hardest part...the weekend. I drink on the weekend, and I smoke when I drink, but I did not cheat at all since I quit, and TBQH, it's getting easier.
My method for quitting was simply cold turkey. I read this thread three times (monday night, tuesday night, and wednesday night) and I wish I read that book, but since it apparently encourages you to smoke while reading it, I did not bother going and getting it.
Monday night wasn't so bad. Tuesday night was brutal. I felt like an old man that was forced to retire. I just didn't know what to do with myself. Like my hands wanted to be busy, but my brain was saying no. It was seriously difficult. Wednesday was almost as bad, but not quite.

The worst was Friday. Hanging out on a beautiful weekend with friends and beers and watching people smoke was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. And then there was Saturday. Pretty much just as hard. Today wasn't as bad. I think I'm used to it now. I think it'll be a good couple of years before I'm really free of all the triggers, but I think I might be past the really hard part. Now it's more of an ironman streak, and I kind of love those, so I'm pretty sure I'll never smoke again, except for maybe a cigar or something, on an occasion. My cigarette smoking career ended at 18 years. F*** it.

[Jacks]

Congrats 4x4, it gets easier every day. I doubt a cigar will seem as attractive once you start hating the smell of smoke, that took several months for me. Keep up the good work.