I laugh at the notion that it is in any way easy to quit smoking.
Just out of curiosit, what’s the other half to Mormonism? Coffee and what–dope?
A very good question Malcolm. My own experience was that I quit smoking 25 years ago taking an approach almost exactly like Houngan describes (by fixing it firmly in my mind that I reviled smoking, smokers, the smell of smoking, the effect of smoking, etc.). This worked well for me.
However, when it came time for me to stop drinking, which for me was far harder to stop (I was past the tipping point (or tippling point!) where it had a deleterious effect on me in many ways), I couldn’t take the same approach. I think it has a lot to do with I loved the booze and the booze loved me so it wasn’t going to work to try to revile it.
I suspect your question is best answered in that it will be different for everybody, i.e. they may be able to quit certain addictions using the same methods, but it’s more likely that, to their surprise, they’ll have to try different methods depending on the substance they are addicted to and on the depth of their addiction.
I believe that would about cover it, oh and masturbating I suppose. That’s a whole other battle.
9 months smoke-free today. It’s amazing how fast they go after the first few months.
Congrats to you sir, especially for making it that long. This thread always depresses me when it comes back up because I’ve lost count of the times I’ve quit and relapsed after a few weeks or months.
I asked my buddy Derek how he was doing with the no-smoking thing. “I was doing great until you reminded me, goddammit.”
I sometimes dream I’m smoking, and then I feel horrible regret in my dream that I forgot that I quit and just through force of habit pulled out a cigarette and lit up.
11 years since I had a cigarette and that still happens.
Congrats man! Keep going, and good luck!
I know exactly what you mean! They are so VIVID and real. I feel tricked because here I am smoking/chewing (I was a big dipper) and I don’t recall even buying the can. Then I wake up and thank god it was a dream.
Congrats Tman! Keep up the good work!
BTW, there should be a time when you stop thinking or dreaming about lighting up. I couldn’t tell you when, different for everybody I expect. With drinking I never thought I would stop having the random thought about doing so, and was pleasantly surprised to find out it did change for me over time.
Yep, I get those too. Less and less frequently, but I still do after three years as well.
On the plus side, I figure that the awful feeling in the dream of “oh god why did I do that I don’t know if I can quit again aaaagh I hate smoking!” keeps me honest.
Okay, horrible language here so if you don’t want to read it stop here.
Fucking shit this sucks. In 2 months I’ve been through 2 Chantax starter packs and I’m still smoking. I was down to 2 a day before I ran out of the stupid shit and now I’m back to a pack a day. I probably could have gotten another script but I was too embarrassed to call my physician and tell him I suck donkey balls and lacked the willpower to quit.
The thing is I REALLY want to quit. I hate the fucking the things. They are expensive, I hate the smell, and I feel so dirty after I have one I have to fight the urge to take a shower after ever damn one (no joke). On top of that the money I save from quitting will go directly towards a new computer I plan on putting together this fall or winter. That’s some incentive right there… BUT I still can’t put the fucking things down.
I’m going out tonight and buying some patches. Tomorrow I quit again. No ‘just one before I go to bed’ bullshit this time. If I have any left tomorrow morning they are being thrown in the toilet.
So, I guess today I’ll start texting people and telling them to stay the fuck away for a week because I’m not a friendly person to begin with. This may put me over the edge.
Blarrrgghhh!! FUCK!!
No apologies necessary BF, it’s a dreadful habit and you really want to quit so naturally you are beyond upset to find yourself back where you started.
I wish you well. Only advice I can throw you, maybe think about different methods of quitting if what you are trying isn’t working. Different people quit in different ways.
You were very close to just doing it the way real men used to do it before patches and the drugstore cowboys. Down to 2 cigarettes. That’s not far from the next approach I would recommend to you.
Two words.
Cold turkey.
It sort of cuts to the chase and doesn’t draw out the process. It’s one of those all or nothing decisions, either you smoke, or you don’t. You get to the quitting part directly and don’t pass go.
Sure, it’s tough for a couple weeks, but when you make it past the first month, it gets a lot easier. When you find out food tastes good again. When you get some more wind in your sails and find out that working out makes your body feel better than it ever did before. When your clothes and your environment stop stinking. There’s a little incentive for you, and I surely do wish you success. You can do this.
Michigan, like many states, has a tobacco quit line:1-800-480-7848. It might be worth giving them a call, as they can often get you connected with different ways to quit (I think they can get you patches, etc).
As for being embarrassed - don’t be. I’m always thrilled when my patients are trying to quit, even if it takes a couple of tries. I’m sure your doc would be happy to send more chantix your way. Quitting smoking is hard, but you’ll feel great once you’re past the withdrawal.
Thanks Nixxter, I appreciate the kind words. I think your right, I’m going to try something new.
I’ve put some thought into it this morning and developed a plan of action. Sounds silly, I know, but I think it’ll help me do this.
First of all I’m going cold turkey this time. I’m ready. The thought of buying another form of nicotine just pisses me off, I’m done with the shit. It’s time to man the hell up and tough it out.
I’m giving all my friends a heads up. If I snap or am more testy than I usually am it’s because I want a damn cigarette. I’m buying a box of straws, a box of gum, and a huge bag of hard candy for my long commute. I smoke outside and one thing I run into when trying to quit is the urge to get up and go outside. So, I’m going to start doing just that. When I get the urge, I’m going to throw my walking shoes on and go for a brisk walk.
I won’t bore everyone with the rest of my little plan. I actually typed it out in open office and plan on editing it throughout the day. I’m going to print it tonight and hang it on the fridge and a couple other places. I’ve never done anything like this, it feels silly. But, I have to quit smoking these damn things. I hate it!
Edit: Thanks Jonathan, I may give that number a call. It can’t hurt and at this point I’ll take all the help I can get. I really do think I’m going to try the cold turkey method though. All of my close friends have just up and quit and they are all still non-smokers 3+ years later, it’s quite impressive.
Cold turkey is the only way that worked for me. I tried gums and patches, nothing worked until I tried just quitting. No question, it was hard for the first couple of weeks but I was at the point where I really wanted to be done with cigarettes. If you’re really at wanting to quit, then cold turkey is the way to go.
Also, don’t get down on yourself and overreact if you fall off the wagon. It takes most people several tries…I know it did for me. Just take it a day at a time, and pretty soon you’ll be past the worst of it.
Cold turkey worked fine for me. I just up and quit. Sucked for 2 days, then I thought about smoking hourly for a couple weeks, and daily for a couple months, and now almost never.
I agree Cold Turkey is the best way. All the others are just prolonging the addiction to Nicotine.
What helped me is that I planned my quitting about 3 months in the future. I picked July 4th and called it MY independence day. I wanted a solid 4 days where I could be away from everyone. They say the physical addition is over in 3 days. (the mental is what takes so long and is so deviously clever)
Having things to do that were physical for the first two days I quit was instrumental. I mowed the lawn, washed my car, cleaned my shop and went for a lot of walks.
I also wrote a email to myself to remind me why I was quitting. It was helpful after those first 3 days a few times to remind myself to just take a deep breath and the pull will dissipate.
Same here.
But it took me a long time to get to the point where I could stop. Basically, it was the recognition that I might as well be eating nicotine-laced dog shit off the sidewalk. I would never, ever do that for any reason. So how the hell did I ever convince myself to smoke?
My answer was that I think I couldn’t believe anyone would smoke for no other reason than to ease their nicotine withdrawal, at the expense of feeding their addiction. There had to be more to it than that. But… There really isn’t.
I couldn’t not quit once I’d finally accepted that.
I’m still amazed at how willing & able we humans are at lying our asses off to ourselves, though. Our evolution must have been weird as hell.