I've Decided To Quit Smoking

[Esmer]

[Fist and Faith]

Not sure how to take this...

[sgt.null]

Hey esmer

[aliantha]

Smoking what, though?

[Avatar]

Haha, that was my first question too.

--A

[Skyweir]

Good for you


I like pot and havent been smoking that long but never ever smoked tobacci weed .. but we grow our own ... so harvest to harvest. Been out for a while but in a month we will be rolling in it again

[Lazy Luke]

Infinity Stone for just $2.95



tC

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

I had a great deal of difficulty before finally kicking the habit 16 years ago. Three things helped me:

1. Realizing that the stakes were high health wise, and that very bad trends were beginning to manifest.
2. Realizing that I was willing to tell myself any lie to justify smoking another cigarette, and that my thoughts were untrustworthy.
3. Allowing myself to smoke cigars occasionally when drinking (no inhale obviously).

Good luck.

[Avatar]

Yeah, I still haven't managed.

Cut down a lot, then back-slid some, and managed to cut back again, although not to as low as I was.

(I also tried the cigar trick, but a) even not inhaling doesn't help for the main reason I should quit, and b) I still inhale. )

--A

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

Yeah, I still haven't managed.

Cut down a lot, then back-slid some, and managed to cut back again, although not to as low as I was.

(I also tried the cigar trick, but a) even not inhaling doesn't help for the main reason I should quit, and b) I still inhale. )

--A

You mustn't inhale cigars Av. Inhaling cigars as an alternative to cigarettes is like a keto diet mixed with donuts and cake: it's potentially much more harmful than the bad habits it replaced, to the point of being actively dangerous.

I think it's worth considering the cigar alternative in some more detail here. A great deal of the habitual aspect of cigarettes is due to the packaging of the product. In other words a steady stream of small doses of nicotine with rapid uptake of reward is much more habit forming and compulsive than the same quantity of nicotine taken in a single extended dose as with a cigar. I'm not saying that cigar habits do not exist, but they practically require an addictive personality to get started in the first place.

For me my consumption of cigars has fluctuated a bit over the years but has always ranged between one or two a week and three or four a year. Hardly a compulsion, and neither rate of intake is statistically significant as a source of mortality. Anyway that is the reason I found cigars useful as a way of disconnecting from the overbearing compulsion to smoke cigarettes, because it's a non habit forming way of weathering the temptations that can lead to a cigarette relapse. Although I'm not sure the underlying compulsion to smoke cigarettes is still latent in my psyche (I don't even recall cigarettes fondly at this point), at one time smoking a single cigarette would always lead to full blown immediate relapse. It's a powerful compulsion to overcome, and anyone that can do it has my respect.

[Avatar]

My problem is that after I smoke a cigar, I still want a cigarette.

My other problem is that the reason I should quit is that smoking creates an anaerobic environment in my mouth, which is bad for my teeth, and not inhaling doesn't prevent that.

It's very rarely that I smoke a cigar though, not even one a month, and when I do, it's a Cohiba Mini so I can smoke it all in one go.

(Just found some Cohiba Mini White the other day, supposed to be milder, but I found the actual difference pretty minimal.)

--A

[Linna Heartbooger]

Esmer, if you have, props to you!

If you're just joking... quit messin' with us!(?)

I had a great deal of difficulty before finally kicking the habit 16 years ago. Three things helped me:

1. Realizing that the stakes were high health wise, and that very bad trends were beginning to manifest.
2. Realizing that I was willing to tell myself any lie to justify smoking another cigarette, and that my thoughts were untrustworthy.
3. Allowing myself to smoke cigars occasionally when drinking (no inhale obviously).

^ As a person who constantly tangles with untrustworthy thoughts, I like this.

Av, do you not think your risk of lung cancer is high? Is it because of intake levels / family history, or what?
or is it just that the teeth situation is already a known and present problem?

[Avatar]

Yes, already a known problem. My periodontist is always hassling me about it.

My family history leaves me far more prone to heart issues than cancer. (Of course, smoking is terrible for your heart as well.)

Still, everybody has to die of something...can't imagine anything worse than dying healthy...

--A

[Lazy Luke]

Yeah, the heart is actually a third lung.

2. Realizing that I was willing to tell myself any lie to justify smoking another cigarette, and that my thoughts were untrustworthy.

Good luck.

[Skyweir]

mmm.. I love cigar and pile smoke .. but mostly cigar.

Always happy to be in the path of second hand cigar smoke.

[Lazy Luke]

mmm.. I love cigar and pile smoke .. but mostly cigar.

Always happy to be in the path of second hand cigar smoke.

Me too. I quite like the smell of secondary smoke. But not too much. When it gets into the back of the throat ... Ugh!
I'm a smoker snob. I quit several years ago after many years smoking and now think it a filthy habit. I'm so glad the law has changed, banning smoking in public places.

Esmer, if you have, props to you!

If you're just joking... quit messin' with us!(?)

I'm sure Esmer was joking, Linna. If I remember correctly he posted some pro-cannabis comments in another thread. Meaning it's cool to be a junkie stoner, and fun to play the plonker.

[Linna Heartbooger]

Lazy Luke- a-ha! You provide context!

Av- like Moses!
"Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated."

but actually... being old and relatively healthy... (or really healthy, apparently) I think is not terrible.

then again... people always talk about the negatives to smoking... yet there must be some reason why some people never stop.

[SoulBiter]

I quit smoking 20 years ago. Best thing I ever did health wise. For those that dont quit, as you approach 50 you will realize why smoking was such a bad idea.

[Lazy Luke]

people always talk about the negatives to smoking... yet there must be some reason why some people never stop.

Nicotine is a relaxant. Its the tar content that's said to be more addictive than herion.
A friend once told me that tar can sit on the lung, (and likely in brain tissue as well) like a tiny tar pool. So when it dries hard the need to replenish it is difficult to ignore. Maybe, maybe not!

However that may be, this is why daily breathing excercises can help replace the need for nicotine. The natural stimulant in air eventually becomes more preferable to the tobacco's chemical rush.
I read somewhere that it can take twenty years for the damage caused by cigarettes to heal. If so, I've still gotaways to go.

[Cagliostro]

I had my last cigarette in June of 2018. And despite having quit for more than a year before, I think I am well and truly done this time. Part of it is that my thyroid was removed due to cancer. Nothing like a health scare to wake you up to why you are quitting. But also I am no longer afraid of the "last cigarette" stigma in my head. I've usually joked that "this is my last cigarette until the next one," or "the thing about quitting is that you can have a cigarette whenever you want one," but from having quit for various amounts of time, what always gets me going again is simply the act of having enough until they are a joy again. I don't completely agree that having one will start you off again, because the first one after a long while tastes with as much joy as I imagine eating a turd does. But it kicks off that part in your brain that says, "Well, I should just have another one a little later."
My advice for quitting smoking is mainly this:
1) Quitting smoking is a process. For some people, they can decide to quit, and just do it. But most of us fail over and over again until we finally get it right. Mainly from getting frustrated at trying over and over again. It why so many DON'T quit. It's not because it is too hard. It's because you haven't figured out what to do to make it work for you. Everybody is different, and may need a different technique, so experiment and see what works for you. Chantix worked for my wife before having our children. Patches worked for me to get over the everyoneisannoyingihateeveryoneandeverything phase, but I had managed a few times to do it cold turkey.
2) The first day, find something stupid that you don't have to think too much about and isn't likely to annoy you. I've played guitar, sorted my stupid Lord of the Rings CCG game cards, cleaned crap, gone hiking, done easy jigsaw puzzles, and other stuff like that. The more physical, the easier, but only while you are doing it. WHAM of addiction immediately after being done with it. So be prepared. Or do something non-physical but keeps your hands and brain going on low. If you go cold turkey, your brain will feel zombie like, and you'll be ready to get mad at anything.
3) If you manage to quit, be aware that there are constantly triggers, and replace them with something else. I'm realizing that I'm STILL dealing with my triggers and that I'm still replacing them with food, and I need to stop. For me, threes were my enemies - the third day is the hardest day to quit smoking. Three weeks after quitting may be the second hardest. Then three months after, you may feel like you've put in enough time, and it is allowable to cheat.
4) What worked for me a few times is to set a date when you will allow yourself to cheat to avoid the fear that accompanies "no more cigarettes" (at least initially). I set it for 3 months, and said I could have one, and then back on for another month or so. When that three month mark comes, you might decide then that you are done and not do it again, but it is up to you.
5) If you decide you are going to cheat after not smoking after the physical addition is over, most likely the first one will be awful. You will probably put it out halfway through. Within the same night or the next day, you'll have another just to remind yourself again how bad it is, and then it won't be as bad. After that, it will start feeling fine again, and you'll either feel way too lightheaded and vomity, and swear off them again. The next day, you'll pick up a cigarette again and it will be fine and you'll be a smoker again. I went through this loop multiple times. Finally I learned that the first one will be awful, and when it is no longer awful, you are a smoker again, so just even pick up the first one.
6) Drinking alcohol is connected for me (the smoke-bone is connected to the drink-bone). So I have to give up alcohol too. I feel I am finally over it all because the last few times I've done more serious drinking, I didn't even think of cigarettes. A really big step for me.
7) For me, fighting depression was a big thing. Smoking filled a time to allow me to think and relax and get away from annoyance. When that was gone, it often felt like I had nothing to look forward to at the end of the day, or after this exercise, or before going to bed, or whatnot. Try and find something that gives you joy, like getting some damn ice cream or something just to get over the bad parts. But eventually try to root those out too.
Quitting smoking makes you tired. Plan the quit for a time when you can get a lot of rest, because sometimes that can be better than anything else in getting through the first day. I found getting sick helped with quitting smoking pretty well, particularly bad chest colds. If you can convince yourself you are sick and need to rest, that helps a lot.
9) Don't have children around when you are quitting smoking.