After 43 Years ... I Quit!

[Tews]

...Smoking! I finally got fed up with all things tobacco. The Taxes, the smell, the social ostracizing... so wish me luck ...say a quick prayer.. I am doing this cold turkey .. no gum, no nicotine lozenges. I'll keep ya up to date!

Well .. its day 5 and I've lived to tell the tale! They say that after 72 hours the physical addiction is over but the mental addiction is definitely still lurking. I woke up in the middle of the night and just HAD to have one, then i remembered that I didnt smoke anymore and went back to sleep.. anyway, so far so good ... more to come later!

[Tipped OuT]

Good to hear pal!! I'm happy for you, I feel sorry for the people who are addicted to that stuff, keep up the good work, I wish the best for you.

TT.

[connorh123]

Nice job :)
I gotta congratulate you, it's hard not to smoke in Tampa. Much less in any other part of the east coast of Florida ;)

[ken_do_san]

All the best Tews, I gave up a few months back, it can be done if you really want it, oh yeah and the savings are very worthwhile, I'm up $100.00 (AU) per week now :)

[Sealbhach]

Good for you. I've been reading the Easy Way.... by Allen Carr. He recommeds to read it even if you've already stopped, because it reverses the brainwashing about smoking and makes you realise you're not giving up anything, you're freeing yourself from a pointless cycle of self-poisoning and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

http://allencarr.com/central/

Hoping to get off the horrid weed myself soon too.

.

[Sealbhach]

All the best Tews, I gave up a few months back, it can be done if you really want it, oh yeah and the savings are very worthwhile, I'm up $100.00 (AU) per week now :)

Don't say "gave up", you're not giving up anything by freeing yourself from this horrible addiction. *see I've been reading the book and want to stop also*


.

[Joeb454]

Good luck :)

Going cold turkey after that long will never be easy, but it will definitely be worth it :D

[sports fan Matt]

Chicago has some of the highest taxes in the nation, if not the highest, with current rates at 12.25 % as im seeing. That alone would make me want to quit.

[chucky chuckaluck]

watch out for drinking. my friends who've quit say that's the time they want a butt most.

[Tews]

Thanks to all for all the encouragement! Makes me feel that Im not doing it alone!

[dragos240]

...Smoking! I finally got fed up with all things tobacco. The Taxes, the smell, the social ostracizing... so wish me luck ...say a quick prayer.. I am doing this cold turkey .. no gum, no nicotine lozenges. I'll keep ya up to date!

I wish you good luck! Check back for all of us, we'll be rooting for ya!

[Tews]

watch out for drinking. my friends who've quit say that's the time they want a butt most.

Lol ... I dont drink either ..:lolflag:

[monsterstack]

I quit smoking about an hour ago. I'm thinking of starting it again in a few minutes.

But seriously. Well done! I know it's difficult to quit (lord knows I've tried!). How's the cold turkey method working for you?

[kay-man]

watch out for drinking. my friends who've quit say that's the time they want a butt most.

This, I can confirm. Nevertheless it can be done without giving up drinking as well, so there still are some small comforts :D.

Joking aside, good for you! Don't kid yourself, it will be tough, but you can do it.

[Tews]

I'm into day 3 and so far so good ... That first one in the morning is the hardest though .. but im determined to do this!!

[sports fan Matt]

Seriously though congrats..its so hard to break

[pwnst*r]

congratulations man!

[chucky chuckaluck]

Lol ... I dont drink either ..:lolflag:

one friend of mine quit smoking and about six months later, went back. when i asked him why, he said he realized he was drinking a whole lot more. he did start rolling his own, though, and doesn't smoke as much as he used to.

[samjh]

I know three people who have gone cold-turkey and succeeded. It can definitely be done, so good luck to you, and enjoy a smoke-free life! ;)

[JK3mp]

Wish you the best of luck, its tough i know. I have a friend whose tried it several times, only 19 years old and has been smoking since 12, ICK! Im hella glad i never got into it. He sounds awful and at the rate he's going will be dead in a few years (very sad really), he's tried but its not easy for him, hopefully you have more success, good luck!

[Wiebelhaus]

Thanks to all for all the encouragement! Makes me feel that Im not doing it alone!

Praying for you buddy.

[-grubby]

I wish my parents would quit...

Anyways, here's to you successfully quitting: :guitar:

[NCLI]

Chicago has some of the highest taxes in the nation, if not the highest, with current rates at 12.25 % as im seeing. That alone would make me want to quit.

12.25%?

LOL, say hello to Denmark, 50%+ :guitar:

Anyway, great to hear dude, you'll be glad you quit.

[sports fan Matt]

yeah, in the US anyway...:lolflag:

[nowin4me]

YAY! You can do it! I believe in you!

[Bölvaður]

12.25%?

LOL, say hello to Denmark, 50%+ :guitar:

...they have to pay for almost everything full price in stead, so on average it isn't as much difference as you'd think... unless if they live close to canada... then that's someting to take advantage of.




oh btw
\\:D/ one fewer smokers in the world \\:D/

[pwnst*r]

I wish my parents would quit...

Anyways, here's to you successfully quitting: :guitar:

mine smoked for a few years then quit. i'm glad they did since we all know second hand smoke is the worst.

[Goombie]

Your computer thanks you for not smoking, too:
http://rinkworks.com/stupid/cs_abuse.shtml
Do a search for "chain smoker" on that page. You'll find an amusing story involving a computer that died from smoking. :)

[doas777]

...Smoking! I finally got fed up with all things tobacco. The Taxes, the smell, the social ostracizing... so wish me luck ...say a quick prayer.. I am doing this cold turkey .. no gum, no nicotine lozenges. I'll keep ya up to date!

good luck sir. I myself am trying to work up the nerve.

[TBOL3]

Good luck, and I think we will be willing to help you in any digital way we can. :D

[chucky chuckaluck]

here's another one... a friend of mine once told me his parents smoked so much, he had no idea what they looked like until he was ten years old. they were just two voices yelling at each other in a big cloud of smoke.

[RATM_Owns]

Wow.

I wish you luck and offer my digital support. :P

[Torgas Prim]

good luck sir. I myself am trying to work up the nerve.

Ditto...28 years here and really want to quit soon. I am praying for ya so that at least one more person kicks the habit.

[dstarzfn72]

Good luck and I too offer my digital support. I just went through the quitting process myself and now I have been smoke free for just over 2 months. It will be rough the first couple of weeks but stick with it it does get easier.

[blackened]

Not trying to steal anyone's thunder, but I also quit smoking cold turkey at the beginning of March. I'd smoked for a total of 19 years and will never go back to it.

I can vouch for the validity of the drinking claim: I had stopped smoking for a year, but started back after only one night at the bar on new year's eve. That was a couple of years ago, and it took me this long to repeat the process successfully.

I hope very sincerely that you are able to kick the habit as well.

[Swagman]

I'm into day 3 and so far so good ... That first one in the morning is the hardest though .. but im determined to do this!!

Trust me on this... It's after two weeks the craving will bite ya.

DON'T succumb.

I've been given up 12 years now. YOU CAN do it too. It's all in the head... Your've got to WANT to give up. If you find your making excuses to spark up then you don't truly want to quit.

After a while your'll discover that cigarette smoke really does stink.

[Kingsley]

Only took me a half pack of Camels and 1 week to decide to never smoke regularly. I wish you luck. :)

[abn91c]

Good luck, if you need some tips go here http://1800quitnow.cancer.gov/

[starcannon]

...Smoking! I finally got fed up with all things tobacco. The Taxes, the smell, the social ostracizing... so wish me luck ...say a quick prayer.. I am doing this cold turkey .. no gum, no nicotine lozenges. I'll keep ya up to date!

Day 3 gets a bit better, then it gets rough again, week 3 you feel like your cruising, and about month 3 your golden, just don't EVER think you can "have just 1". Not even a cigar. Once a nicotine junky, always a nicotine junky. I had a cigar after being smoke free for 2 and a half years, now I'm back to a pack a day.

[Falcon1002]

Thats Great:D! I will be praying for you!
You can do it!

[rpwdh]

Congratulations!!! =D>

[pwnst*r]

Not trying to steal anyone's thunder, but I also quit smoking cold turkey at the beginning of March. I'd smoked for a total of 19 years and will never go back to it.

I can vouch for the validity of the drinking claim: I had stopped smoking for a year, but started back after only one night at the bar on new year's eve. That was a couple of years ago, and it took me this long to repeat the process successfully.

I hope very sincerely that you are able to kick the habit as well.

congrats to you too, man!

[chellrose]

...Smoking! I finally got fed up with all things tobacco. The Taxes, the smell, the social ostracizing... so wish me luck ...say a quick prayer.. I am doing this cold turkey .. no gum, no nicotine lozenges. I'll keep ya up to date!

Kudos to you and I'll definitely say a prayer for you. My uncle quit cold turkey years ago (it's been so long I can hardly remember, lol). It can definitely be done.

[RiceMonster]

Congrats and good luck. I'm glad I quit while I was ahead. I used to smoke while drinking, then I started smoking just whenever. When I realized I was heading toward a habit I stopped smoking all together.

[Tews]

Well .. its day 5 and I've lived to tell the tale! They say that after 72 hours the physical addiction is over but the mental addiction is definitely still lurking. I woke up in the middle of the night and just HAD to have one, then i remembered that I didnt smoke anymore and went back to sleep.. anyway, so far so good ... more to come later!

[Swagman]

Well .. its day 5 and I've lived to tell the tale! They say that after 72 hours the physical addiction is over but the mental addiction is definitely still lurking. I woke up in the middle of the night and just HAD to have one, then i remembered that I didnt smoke anymore and went back to sleep.. anyway, so far so good ... more to come later!

Champion job.

Remember... It's after three weeks that it really gets you.
After that time you think your've cracked it... It even smells bad.. but.. you easily succumb to "just that one" because in your mind.. your've beaten the craving.

Then it's got you again.

[NewDisciple]

Prayers and best wishes to you my friend. I myself have been struggling with this for about the same number of years. I gave up drinking some time ago, however, when I attempt to quit I take a food trip. My normal build is of the type that could be called athletic and agile. If I quit smoking within several weeks I can't even bend over to tie my shoelaces. I'm thinking of trying a hypnotist as I have heard that it can work on some people.

[Swagman]

Prayers and best wishes to you my friend. I myself have been struggling with this for about the same number of years. I gave up drinking some time ago, however, when I attempt to quit I take a food trip. My normal build is of the type that could be called athletic and agile. If I quit smoking within several weeks I can't even bend over to tie my shoelaces. I'm thinking of trying a hypnotist as I have heard that it can work on some people.

Don't do it mate... My pot belly cost thousands and took years to get !!

[capnthommo]

well done!
i gave it up 3 years and 5 months ago and haven't regreted it since. just don't let the vigilance drop - it really is so easy to go back. don't ever think 'oh, i'll just have 1, i can do without now' you can't. very few actually have the strength to be 'social' smokers once they've quit.
but really, keep at it and all my support goes out to you - it's really hard to do.
btw i smoked for 35 years and we gave up so we could marry as non-smokers (plus too many smoking friends and relations dying miserable sad early deaths because of smoking induced cancer)
again, best of luck
nigel (cough, cough)):P

[Gucko]

Keep going man :)

I hope my mother stop smoking also, I'm really afraid to lose her :(

[gnomeuser]

I quit smoking nearly 2 years ago, I will admit in my case it wasn't that hard as I had only been a "proper" smoker for about a year. I was no doubt addicted though and I still get that desire every once in a while when my friends come over. I don't mind them smoking around me but if they happen to carry my brand I ask them to put the box out of my reach because old habits will beg me to grab one and chatter while smoking like in the old days.

That desire never goes away, don't be preachy about it, that will only make the focus on smoking stronger. Embrace that it is there instead, it always will and you cannot remove every temptation. Attempts to do so will drive everyone around you nuts and draw your focus towards smoking and not towards having quit.

It sounds like you have the motivation to stop, and that will enable breaking all kinds of habits.

My best wishes.

[graabein]

Good luck to you! I also quit cold turkey on my second attempt. Didn't smoke quite as long as you did, but anyhow, it's worth the effort! I don't miss much about it except the part where you have something to while you're waiting for someone, and in the summer when it's a bit of rain in the evening. Keep us up to date on your progress!

[lethalfang]

My grandfather quit smoking successfully in his 60's, and he did this cold turkey too.

[MikeTheC]

Congrats, dude. Glad to hear it. Unlike most everyone else in this thread, I've never been a smoker, so I've nothing personal to offer vis a vis nicotine addiction. That being said, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the truth of what the other people who've posted in this thread who are in recovery have said.

I'm told by people who've quit after extended periods of smoking that food tastes "weird" to them because their sense of taste has normalized on the flavor of "x" food + tobacco, and now they're tasting it without the tobacco additive.

Again, best wishes.

[kelvin spratt]

I smoked 40 a day for over 40 odd years and gave up 4 years ago I found it very easy as I have a young son and my wife said to me I think it would be nice if you were around to see your boy grow up so I just stopped and after 4 years and the age of 60 my lungs are now average for my age. Do I miss the cigs no not really just look forward to 20-30 years with my young family.

[emeraldgirl08]

Stay at it!!!

It's been a couple of months for me. In the past year I've only had one cigarette and haven't had the compulsion to light up since then.

You'll be saving money and feeling better overall soon!

Edit: okay I counted it's been seven months :)

[t0p]

I've been reading the Easy Way.... by Allen Carr. He recommeds to read it even if you've already stopped, because it reverses the brainwashing about smoking and makes you realise you're not giving up anything, you're freeing yourself from a pointless cycle of self-poisoning and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.


I read a book about addiction. I enjoyed it so much, I bought another!

[michcar]

I quit smoking on ******* (http://www.chantixhome.com/) though I have tried to do cold turkey on two occasions, but of no use. I have smoked for around 5 yrs with pack a day. Thanks to ******* and the support my family provided me. It really helped me to get over my nicotine addiction and I don’t feel craving anymore. There is one thing which I would like to share and which helped me a lot initially, try having a glass of water when you feel craving the most. It a tough road but it's worth so best luck to all those who want to give up smoking.

[infoseeker]

I smoked 20-30 cigarettes per day until I woke up one morning with 30% vision in my left eye due to a hemorrhage. After visiting an ophthalmologist I was told that a possible cause was the smoking. That was it. Cold turkey for me. Haven't had one since, and the vision has recovered to almost 100%. That was 3 years back.

Keep it up.

[Eisenwinter]

Quitting smoking is overrated (in the sense that people say it's so difficult)

I started smoking when I was 12, finally quit when I was 19, after 7 years.

I went cold turkey.

Once you reach one week, you realize you went a week without it, and you don't touch it again.

(I am now 20)

[HappinessNow]

Just don't start dipping! I have a friend who quit but starting dipping!

Awful!

[blackened]

Quitting smoking is overrated (in the sense that people say it's so difficult)

I started smoking when I was 12, finally quit when I was 19, after 7 years.

I went cold turkey.

Once you reach one week, you realize you went a week without it, and you don't touch it again.

(I am now 20)

Going with the theme of broad generalizations, I could make the comment that being young leaves you with a shallow well of life experience to draw from, but that would almost be as misguided as your comment on the difficulty of quitting tobacco.

I have known people that ran the gammut of tobacco addiction: some could put cigarettes/snuff down without a second thought, others would be pulling their hair out in a matter of hours. Addiction is a singular beast that everyone must deal with on their own terms. Mocking how well or poorly someone deals with that beast is counter-productive, to say the least.

That said, I'm glad you quit. Congratulations and good luck with it.

[WatchingThePain]

The excellent book by Allen Carr (He smoked about 100 a day for 40 years, gave up and wrote a book on it basically) says that Nicotine replacement therapy is pointless because you are still feeding the 'nicotine monster' inside you.
Cold Turkey is the best way.

Keep thinking of the positives..fresh breath, Less risk of smoking related diseases and a financial bonus too.

If we were meant to smoke we would be born with a cigarette in our mouth.
Keep up the fight and I hope your nicotine monster dies soon from starvation.

[pwnst*r]

Quitting smoking is overrated (in the sense that people say it's so difficult)

I started smoking when I was 12, finally quit when I was 19, after 7 years.

I went cold turkey.

Once you reach one week, you realize you went a week without it, and you don't touch it again.

(I am now 20)

yes, because everyone's willpower is the same.

[Sealbhach]

The excellent book by Allen Carr (He smoked about 100 a day for 40 years, gave up and wrote a book on it basically)

I've heard so many people praising that book. You don't often hear a self-help book being recommended so much by word-of-mouth. My brother quit smoking after reading it... I thought he was one who could never stop.

.

[Eisenwinter]

yes, because everyone's willpower is the same.
yeah, that's true

[WatchingThePain]

I've heard so many people praising that book. You don't often hear a self-help book being recommended so much by word-of-mouth. My brother quit smoking after reading it... I thought he was one who could never stop.

.

I know two people who read it and they both gave up.
It really is good for heavy smokers and I think it's available in dvd format.

I like how he discourages NRT.
I tried Nicotine gum before and it is completely foul.

[LollYouSuckZor]

It's always great to hear about people who have the strength to quit.

Great job. :)

[Tews]

Update

Well, its been alost 2 weeks and still smoke free!! Ive really only had a few instances of weakness, but with a cold glass of ice water, they passed without incident!

Thanks for all your encouragement and support ... I couldnt have done it without ya!!

[Wiebelhaus]

Update

Well, its been alost 2 weeks and still smoke free!! Ive really only had a few instances of weakness, but with a cold glass of ice water, they passed without incident!

Thanks for all your encouragement and support ... I couldnt have done it without ya!!

That's awesome man! Now it's my turn.....

[TBOL3]

See, now your quitting has helped another person quit, good job.

[WatchingThePain]

I am wondering if Smoking is a measure of how the media influences society.
People dying so that taxes are collected.
We need to set good examples for the young so that they do not smoke
Get an empty jar and instead of buying cigarettes (I was about to say fags) put that money in the jar.

[bakedbeans4life]

I have smoked most of the drugs that can be administered in this manner, yet I have never had the inclination to smoke as an everyday habit. I have never purchased a packet of cigs or a pouch of tobacco in my life. I consider myself very lucky in this respect. I just never got addicted in that way.

My own father started smoking late in life, about age 30, my mother does not. My father knows the price he pays, but denies it anyway. He coughs and splutters
but pretends everything is as it always was. His own father died the same way.

Re: After 43 Years ... I Quit!

I doubt I am alone.

[khelben1979]

Excellent! I never smoke myself and have never ever understood why I would even try it.