Quit Smoking! FIGHT ME!

[Gugny]

3 hours ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

She wouldn't want you anyway.........you don't look anything like Jason Bateman.

 

MR. F!!!!

 

 

 

She looks like a mix between Grease-era Oliva Newton-John and current-day Taylor Swift in this picture …. which is a recipe for pure hotness.

[Seasons1992]

13 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

She looks like a mix between Grease-era Oliva Newton-John and current-day Taylor Swift in this picture …. which is a recipe for pure hotness.

 

Yeah she's a smokeshow. Officially, she's the only celebrity I've ever had legit dreams about. Two times.

[row_33]

On 2/23/2020 at 4:14 PM, RaoulDuke79 said:

Yeah,  it's not just about giving up the smokes. Its a whole lifestyle change. Like, what do I do now after dinner when I used to smoke out of habit. 

 

or those small breaks during the day of relaxing your mind and watching the smoke go off into space, taking things easy.... 

 

 

[CLTbills]

I know it sounds cliche, but one day at a time man. Get through today without a smoke. Wake up tomorrow, and get through that day without a smoke. Lather, rinse, repeat. Don't think of it as a long-term thing. Get through the day that you have in front of you without one. Before you know it, you'll be a month, then six months, then a year smoke-free. 

You can do it man!!!

[Bill from NYC]

4 years 4 months and 11 days for me.

 

My advice is to treat yourself like the addict that you are. If I had one cigarette with coffee this morning I would be up to 2 packs per day of Newport by Sunday. As time passes, the cravings all but disappear, and only last seconds when they present. In other words.....it gets better. I was horribly addicted and thought I would/could never stop. You can do it!!!!!

 

Feel free to PM me if you are about to light up, and good luck!!!!!

On ‎2‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 10:15 PM, Gugny said:

 

Keep it going, brother.

 

I once quit for three years (I used the patch) and started up again.  Now I'm a smoker ... again.  

 

Gotta be in the right frame of mind.  You can do it if YOU want to.  You got this.  Good luck, man!!!!!

You too can do it. The book by Carr does help and if you did it once you can do it forever.

 

I'm rooting for ya!!!

Edited February 26, 2020 by Bill from NYC

[Bakin]

On 2/24/2020 at 3:47 PM, WhoTom said:

Cigarette smoking has been linked to erectile dysfunction.  ⤵️

 

Need any more incentive to quit?

 

My erectile function gave me children!!!  
Christ man, I need to quit making kids so I might need to smoke more. 

[plenzmd1]

4 minutes ago, Bakin said:

My erectile function gave me children!!!  
Christ man, I need to quit making kids so I might need to smoke more. 

Kids prolly took more years off my life then the smokes...hope you doing well brother! You have done it this far, just know you will continue to make it! Be confident, but not cocky as they say.

 

I will say the hardest part about quitting for me was the beer..and not that i wanted to smoke when i was drinking, but that glass sure seemed to get tipped instead of a smoke. First couple times  or so i was drinking and not smoking, I was getting way more hammered cause i was drinking like twice the amount of beer!

[LeviF]

Four months almost exactly since my last cigarette.  You can do it man.

 

After about a month I figured I was safe and bought a tin of those Velo pouches.  Only stick one of those in four or five times a week, I'll take it over smoking any day.  Way cheaper than cigs too!

[Mark Vader]

I've never smoked in my life, but my sister was a fairly heavy smoker.

 

She started when she was 15 or 16 and quit when she was 37.

 

How she quit was very unusual. She came down with a horrible pain in her ear. We thought it was in an infection but it was something much worse. I can't remember what it was she had, but she was in severe pain.

 

It was so bad for her that she said the thought of having a cigarette made her sick, so she stopped smoking for awhile.

 

Eventually she got better, the pain was gone and with it was her smoking habit. She hasn't smoked since then.

[Bakin]

19 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

Kids prolly took more years off my life then the smokes...hope you doing well brother! You have done it this far, just know you will continue to make it! Be confident, but not cocky as they say.

 

I will say the hardest part about quitting for me was the beer..and not that i wanted to smoke when i was drinking, but that glass sure seemed to get tipped instead of a smoke. First couple times  or so i was drinking and not smoking, I was getting way more hammered cause i was drinking like twice the amount of beer!

Thanks for checking in. 
Feeling good - I put my markers at 10 days, 100 days...and 1000 days.

So I won’t be constantly reminding myself of when I stopped killing myself everyday. I didn’t find it productive to keep saying ‘ok well here is day 5...here is day 7....’ so I’m going to have those 3 markers and that’s it. 

Went out for dinner on the weekend. Had only one drink and had some minor physical withdrawal pains on the drive home. I’m not a BIG drinker (in that I don’t drink often and when I do, Most of the time, it’s limited quantity). When I do REALLY drink, I can smash a half a bottle plus of bourbon and so I am a bit worried how I’ll feel then WITHOUT a dart in my hand. 

 

Haha.
Will cross that bridge when I get there. 
 

Cheers amigo. 

19 hours ago, LeviF91 said:

Four months almost exactly since my last cigarette.  You can do it man.

 

After about a month I figured I was safe and bought a tin of those Velo pouches.  Only stick one of those in four or five times a week, I'll take it over smoking any day.  Way cheaper than cigs too!

Not sure what that is and I’m afraid to look!  Cold turkey is working ok so far. 
You stay strong too - and remember - we aren’t denying ourselves anything by NOT smoking. 

[plenzmd1]

19 hours ago, LeviF91 said:

Four months almost exactly since my last cigarette.  You can do it man.

 

After about a month I figured I was safe and bought a tin of those Velo pouches.  Only stick one of those in four or five times a week, I'll take it over smoking any day.  Way cheaper than cigs too!

Alright dude, imma gunna preach a bit here and know that i only mean it in a good way and cause i care !

 

You cannot get over a nicotine addiction  by just changing the delivery method of the nicotine. Buy the Carr book whilst you are still quit from the smokes!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155

 

 

[LeviF]

11 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

Alright dude, imma gunna preach a bit here and know that i only mean it in a good way and cause i care !

 

You cannot get over a nicotine addiction  by just changing the delivery method of the nicotine. Buy the Carr book whilst you are still quit from the smokes!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155

 

 

 

I'm still working on getting through a double with no energy drinks.  One thing at a time!  

[Bill from NYC]

19 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

Alright dude, imma gunna preach a bit here and know that i only mean it in a good way and cause i care !

 

You cannot get over a nicotine addiction  by just changing the delivery method of the nicotine. Buy the Carr book whilst you are still quit from the smokes!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155

 

 

I read the Carr book AND used the patch for a while. I went from 21s to 14s to 7s.

 

I was on the 7s and didn't use one for a couple of days and had insane urges. I couldn't find the patch and was frantic. I found them, used one more and decided I was done. It worked.

 

My point is that I think that there is more than 1 way for folks to quit. Chantix didn't work for me. I had vivid nightmares every night; it was horrible. I would wake up to a nightmare, go back to sleep and re-enter the same nightmare.

 

 I was the worst addict in the world. I had an "Indian Reservation" 30 miles or so from my house. Cartons were only 25 or 30 dollars. I used to give them $250 and walk out with a shopping bag full of cigarettes.

 

4 years/4 months/12 days and I thank God. I would have been dead by now.

Edited February 28, 2020 by Bill from NYC

[JohnC]

12 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

I read the Carr book AND used the patch for a while. I went from 21s to 14s to 7s.

 

I was on the 7s and didn't use one for a couple of days and had insane urges. I couldn't find the patch and was frantic. I found them, used one more and decided I was done. It worked.

 

My point is that I think that there is more than 1 way for folks to quit. Chantix didn't work for me. I had vivid nightmares every night; it was horrible. I would wake up to a nightmare, go back to sleep and re-enter the same nightmare.

 

 I was the worst addict in the world. I had an "Indian Reservation" 30 miles or so from my house. Cartons were only 25 or 30 dollars. I used to give them $250 and walk out with a shopping bag full of cigarettes.

 

4 years/4 months/12 days and I thank God. I would have been dead by now.

Do you still periodically have urges to smoke?  And does it affect you when you are around smokers? 

 

 

[Bill from NYC]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

Do you still periodically have urges to smoke?  And does it affect you when you are around smokers? 

 

 

Urges are rare and short lived but do happen every so often. They are not strong anymore. 

 

Being around smokers doesn't bother me. I feel sorry for them and feel they are generally victimized.

[Bakin]

17 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

I read the Carr book AND used the patch for a while. I went from 21s to 14s to 7s.

 

I was on the 7s and didn't use one for a couple of days and had insane urges. I couldn't find the patch and was frantic. I found them, used one more and decided I was done. It worked.

 

My point is that I think that there is more than 1 way for folks to quit. Chantix didn't work for me. I had vivid nightmares every night; it was horrible. I would wake up to a nightmare, go back to sleep and re-enter the same nightmare.

 

 I was the worst addict in the world. I had an "Indian Reservation" 30 miles or so from my house. Cartons were only 25 or 30 dollars. I used to give them $250 and walk out with a shopping bag full of cigarettes.

 

4 years/4 months/12 days and I thank God. I would have been dead by now.

I thought about using a vape pen but didn’t want to substitute one habit for another. 
drugs like ChanTix were out of the question. 
I figured cold turkey was the best method. How bad could it be?  
surprisingly not that bad. I have tried to enjoy the pain of the withdrawal. Realize it’s temporary and that I’M NOT DENYING MYSELF ANYTHING BY NOT SMOKING. 

Last night (day 12) I had a dream that I smoked. I also had a conversation with a friend telling them that I probably at some point will fail.
 

My mindset goes in and out. 

[Bill from NYC]

Remember, it gets better.

[plenzmd1]

40 minutes ago, Bakin said:

I thought about using a vape pen but didn’t want to substitute one habit for another. 
drugs like ChanTix were out of the question. 
I figured cold turkey was the best method. How bad could it be?  
surprisingly not that bad. I have tried to enjoy the pain of the withdrawal. Realize it’s temporary and that I’M NOT DENYING MYSELF ANYTHING BY NOT SMOKING. 

Last night (day 12) I had a dream that I smoked. I also had a conversation with a friend telling them that I probably at some point will fail.
 

My mindset goes in and out. 

You are an ex smoker now, have the conversation with with how great that feels! 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

On 2/23/2020 at 3:59 PM, RaoulDuke79 said:

In addition to health,  I would imagine your bank account will improve as well. I was floored the other day when a a lady at the beer store in front of me bought a carton of smokes for $90, and said it was cheap compared to where she is from.

 

...I quit in 1984 for 6 1/2 years and started back up in 1990 when my only (younger) brother died a tragic death at age 30.....having Indian Rez smokes at 20 bucks a carton renders the financial implications as useless (dammit)....

[Bill from NYC]

14 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...I quit in 1984 for 6 1/2 years and started back up in 1990 when my only (younger) brother died a tragic death at age 30.....having Indian Rez smokes at 20 bucks a carton renders the financial implications as useless (dammit)....

Try again Bro. You can do it!

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

3 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

Try again Bro. You can do it!

 

...I have to do it...thanks for the support and encouragement my friend...

[Bill from NYC]

7 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...I have to do it...thanks for the support and encouragement my friend...

PM me if you need support.

 

I will never insult someone for smoking. Many people who do have their own demons. I don't lecture either but you will save a TON of money and your life.

[frostbitmic]

After smoking for 40 years I gave up cigarettes 2 years ago. Once in a great while I get a craving that lasts just a minute or two. Soon you'll get to the point where you realize just how bad they smell and that'll help you stay quit.

[Bakin]

19 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

PM me if you need support.

 

I will never insult someone for smoking. Many people who do have their own demons. I don't lecture either but you will save a TON of money and your life.

Same. 
I’m not a success story yet but I can send you the book if it helps. 
 

UPDATE: Yesterday (day 13)

was very tough at points. 
I was so aggravated.

Normally, I'm a very relaxed guy but my family was annoying the Piss out of me and I wanted them all to just ***** off or become cigarettes so I could smoke them. 
 

I was cooking and when I had some down moments I really was craving. I breathed through it. But it was challenging. 
 

my sleep has been bad too the last 4 or 5 nights. I keep waking up at 4:30am. Most nights I eventually fall back asleep but like clockwork - 430am. Super annoying. 

Edited March 1, 2020 by Bakin

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

54 minutes ago, frostbitmic said:

After smoking for 40 years I gave up cigarettes 2 years ago. Once in a great while I get a craving that lasts just a minute or two. Soon you'll get to the point where you realize just how bad they smell and that'll help you stay quit.

 

...fellas, here is my profession to ignorance and sheer stupidity.....my late wife had severe emphysema, SEVERE.....get up to go to the bathroom and needed a cig before going back to bed...lit the next one with the previous one...signed her up for lung transplant consideration at Cleveland Clinic.....18 months of trips from Rochester before she was finally qualified when lung capacity dipped to 8%.....HIGHLY successful double lung transplant in April 2015......three days before we were due to come home for Memorial Day 2015, she suffers a debilitating stroke resulting in right side paralysis....clots formed around the jugular IV ...they left her unattended in her bed paralyzed, with no bed rails and she fell out, smashing her head on the floor and dying from a brain hemorrhage..because 10 days elapsed from stroke to brain hemorrhage, lawsuit was thrown out (Cleveland Clinic lawyers high powered?...naw)..BCBS paid $500K and this is how it ended up......

[Bill from NYC]

21 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...fellas, here is my profession to ignorance and sheer stupidity.....my late wife had severe emphysema, SEVERE.....get up to go to the bathroom and needed a cig before going back to bed...lit the next one with the previous one...signed her up for lung transplant consideration at Cleveland Clinic.....18 months of trips from Rochester before she was finally qualified when lung capacity dipped to 8%.....HIGHLY successful double lung transplant in April 2015......three days before we were due to come home for Memorial Day 2015, she suffers a debilitating stroke resulting in right side paralysis....clots formed around the jugular IV ...they left her unattended in her bed paralyzed, with no bed rails and she fell out, smashing her head on the floor and dying from a brain hemorrhage..because 10 days elapsed from stroke to brain hemorrhage, lawsuit was thrown out (Cleveland Clinic lawyers high powered?...naw)..BCBS paid $500K and this is how it ended up......

What is BCBS?

54 minutes ago, Bakin said:

Same. 
I’m not a success story yet but I can send you the book if it helps. 
 

UPDATE: Yesterday (day 13)

was very tough at points. 
I was so aggravated.

Normally, I'm a very relaxed guy but my family was annoying the Piss out of me and I wanted them all to just ***** off or become cigarettes so I could smoke them. 
 

I was cooking and when I had some down moments I really was craving. I breathed through it. But it was challenging. 
 

my sleep has been bad too the last 4 or 5 nights. I keep waking up at 4:30am. Most nights I eventually fall back asleep but like clockwork - 430am. Super annoying. 

OK but this is progress. It will get better, I promise you. You have to pray and suffer through it and it will be well worth it.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

26 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

What is BCBS?

OK but this is progress. It will get better, I promise you. You have to pray and suffer through it and it will be well worth it.

 

...it is Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield.......the national umbrella is Anthem Blue Cross........

[rockpile]

I started smoking regularly (inhaling) when I was thirteen. I knew I should quit but I was hooked like a crack addict by the time I was eighteen.

 

Fast forward. When I was 44, I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. I began treating the MS but never stopped smoking. After a while I asked my doctor what he though my future would be like, like the far distant age of say 65. He said they might have a cure, but I would probably be sick or dead if I did not stop smoking!

 

I took that to heart and eventually quit within six months . It was the hardest thing I ever did!!

I started working out at the gym at work so my brain was beginning to associate work with working out, not work with smoke breaks.

 

Now I am sixty freaking six and they still have no cure for MS, but I do not smoke and do not want to smoke. I have slowed down, because of my MS, but I would probably be dead if I never stopped smoking.

[WhoTom]

I have a buddy who smoked since high school. He quit 16 years ago when he had circulation problems in his fingers, and his doctor told him that nicotine was the cause. He's in much better health, now. 

 

[BillsFan4]

I read that one of the things they’ve learned from COVID19 in China is that if you are 40+ and smoke, it raises your chances of dying by 8-10%.

 

I’m not sure if it’s true, but either way, use it as motivation to stay smoke free!! 

 

Thats a significantly higher risk. Say you are in the lower risk category, 2.5 - 3.5%.

Being a smoker above the age of 40 would put your risk at 12.5 - 13.5%, basically moving you into the highest risk category.

[bbb]

The subject line reminds me of this strange ad campaign from the 70s

 

[Seasons1992]

On 3/2/2020 at 1:41 PM, rockpile said:

I started smoking regularly (inhaling) when I was thirteen. I knew I should quit but I was hooked like a crack addict by the time I was eighteen.

 

Fast forward. When I was 44, I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. I began treating the MS but never stopped smoking. After a while I asked my doctor what he though my future would be like, like the far distant age of say 65. He said they might have a cure, but I would probably be sick or dead if I did not stop smoking!

 

I took that to heart and eventually quit within six months . It was the hardest thing I ever did!!

I started working out at the gym at work so my brain was beginning to associate work with working out, not work with smoke breaks.

 

Now I am sixty freaking six and they still have no cure for MS, but I do not smoke and do not want to smoke. I have slowed down, because of my MS, but I would probably be dead if I never stopped smoking.

 

GOOD FOR YOU. We look forward to your reviews!