Quitting Smoking

muscleandhate · Post by **muscleandhate** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 2:54 pm

I've been smoking since I was around 16, I'm 22 now and looking at the situation logically, I'd say I now that the enjoyment factor is outweighed by the downsides. I'm going to try and smoke no more than five a day for a while and then quit completely. Anyone share any positive experiences?

tjwett · Post by **tjwett** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:08 pm

i managed to bring it down to 3 per day, basically only after i eat a meal. i told my doctor about this and he said "i probbaly shouldn't say this but you could smoke like that for the rest of your life with no worries. it's likely you breath in more crap waiting for the subway on your way to work". probably not great advice from a doctor and i'd still like to officially quit sometime soon, would be a lot easier if they weren't so fuckin tasty. but i'm 28 now, which means i've been smoking about half my life, which just sounds awful. if you're not afraid of gaining weight i found that eating constantly is a good way to keep the cravings down. good luck bro!

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:17 pm

tjwett wrote:i managed to bring it down to 3 per day, basically only after i eat a meal. i told my doctor about this and he said "i probbaly shouldn't say this but you could smoke like that for the rest of your life with no worries. it's likely you breath in more crap waiting for the subway on your way to work". probably not great advice from a doctor and i'd still like to officially quit sometime soon, would be a lot easier if they weren't so fuckin tasty. but i'm 28 now, which means i've been smoking about half my life, which just sounds awful. if you're not afraid of gaining weight i found that eating constantly is a good way to keep the cravings down. good luck bro!

i got the flu about 3 weeks ago

since then ive smoked only maybe 4 cigarettes .. thats not bad considerin i been smokin since i was 14 and now im 25.

the last few days, my appetite has been going bezerk...
i feel like im an untamed beast waiting to devour all that stands within his path (im 53 kilograms) ... i would like to put some weight on.

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:19 pm

not to mention constant phlegm...

longjohns · Post by **longjohns** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:34 pm

took me several tries, finally succeeded with the patch.

something about feeling your entire arm tingling is a wake-up about how powerful nicotine is

i'd recommend quitting entirely rather than trying to maintain 3 a day or how ever many. it really leaves the door open if something happens emotionally...

good luck!

dodgyedgy · Post by **dodgyedgy** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:47 pm

Good luck chief! im in the middle of trying, not doing well, but im not smoking during the day at all... then going to the gym after work... really feel the difference, 20 lengths in the pool instead of 5 lengths and then dying in the shallow end and feeling like an idiot...

I think girls are looking at me more now...

That might be because of the potato down me shorts though....

SUPERBANANBOMB · Post by **SUPERBANANBOMB** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:59 pm

Well, whatever you do, don't quit "cold turkey."

I quit a couple years ago, and at the time I was up to 2.5 packs a day of Marlboro Reds. I gave the rest of my smokes to a friend of mine and told him that no matter what I said, to not give me one. I then stayed home from work for 5 days... and let me tell you it was hell. Easily the worst pain I've ever experienced. The migraines were unreal. I thought I was seriously going to die.

My advice is to set a ration and stick to it. Take however many cigarettes you currently smoke per day and cut it in half... that's your allottment. The best way of dealing with it is instead of giving into every craving to smoke, give into every OTHER craving. After a while, the craving will go away. When it pops up again, then you smoke. Do that for a while.

After doing that for a while, allot yourself one cigarette per hour. Do that a week or so.

After that, allot yourself half.... then half... then half... until you get to the point in which you're only smoking one per day. Then just tell yourself you're done.

I don't know why everyone says they gain weight, because I didn't. In fact, I think I lost weight because my metabolism was so low from not eating very often... when I started to eat more after quitting, I made sure to eat healthy foods like fruits, yogurt, natural stuff... and it kickstarted my metabolism and I lost a lot of weight.

Quitting smoking is really hard though. I quit a couple years ago and lately in the last couple of months I started occasionally smoking again for no reason. Don't ask me why. I guess it was just because I was coping with a very bad breakup. Good luck brother.

tjwett · Post by **tjwett** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 4:25 pm

sweetjesus wrote:]i got the flu about 3 weeks ago

since then ive smoked only maybe 4 cigarettes .. thats not bad considerin i been smokin since i was 14 and now im 25.

the last few days, my appetite has been going bezerk...
i feel like im an untamed beast waiting to devour all that stands within his path (im 53 kilograms) ... i would like to put some weight on.

totally. i could use some extra weight myself as well. i was also recently pretty sick and didn't smoke the whole time, about 5 days or so. funny thing is i didn't even notice it, which tells me that my addiction is probably more mental habit than physical. i'm also able to not smoke at all after a night of heavy drinking and smoking. i usually get pretty severe hangovers and i'll go 3 or 4 days no problem without a cigarette while i'm nursing myself back to health. odd little habit. another good motivation; every day take the money you would have spent on cigarettes and stick it in a jar. after month you'll have a few hundo in there staring out at you, and once you've been quit for a full year empty the jar and you should have a few thousand bucks. take a vacation, buy something cool, get a hooker.

pev · Post by **pev** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 4:41 pm

I just started going to the gym 3-4 times a week in the morning before work and kept out of pubs where people smoke for a while. Seemed easy enough believe it or not... (I had been smoking for 15 years ish.)

~Pev

jamester · Post by **jamester** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 5:08 pm

I've been on/off for the past year, been smoking about 15 yrs. Funny coincidence seeing this thread, as we finished our last pack last night and made the decision to (once again) not buy a new one. Fresh start to the new week!

For me, the social aspect is the greatest thing to overcome. Yeah, the nic fits suck but only for about a week, and I just snack a lot and compensate with other smoking materials. But when I'm out hanging with all my smoker friends, I break down everytime. Some of my friends are claiming to try and quit recently, so maybe this time it'll be different if we're all in it together. Strength in numbers...

I wish the best of luck to anyone who wants to quit; I'm an addict and I hate it! And even though I can cut it down to 3 - 5 cigs a day, I can also still tell the difference in how much better I feel when I stop completely. I just never stay stopped. Maybe this time (fingers crossed).

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 6:05 pm

I was on and off for almost 10 years, then quit for 6 years, all the while my girlfriend/wife smoked when we drank. I nagged her to quit for years. Then I said feck it and started smoking again just to bring the point home to her. On my first smoke she was SHOCKED and realised how bad it was for her to smoke. Then it became a bonding ritual, now I smoke more than she does (few a day, some days not at all.)

It takes years off your life but only the end and those years suck anyway.

IMO Best way to quit is to tell nobody, so you're not reminded by people with 'hey, did you quit?'

andydes · Post by **andydes** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 6:34 pm

I had my first crack at playing out live on saturday (details in another post, incase anyone cares), and I think I can honestly say, I've never smoked so much in one day in my life. My lungs weren't happy at all yesterday,

Think it's time for a serious cut down at least.

Doesn't not telling anyone just make it easier to slip back? Or is that the point?

leonard · Post by **leonard** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:02 pm

Tone Deft wrote: On my first smoke she was SHOCKED and realised how bad it was for her to smoke. Then it became a bonding ritual, now I smoke more than she does (few a day, some days not at all.)

It takes years off your life but only the end and those years suck anyway.

dont mean to laugh, but thats funny. reminds me of someone on this board who made a big 13 page thread bout quitting smoking, had all these people gonna give up too, as well as get free live stuff from the ableton crew if he made it six weeks or something. two weeks later he was back into it. funny stuff. the best way to give up is maybe not seek counseling on a rather poor excuse for a music forum.

i smoke too, by the way, and have no intention of giving up. i enjoy it too much.

frisbeedisk · Post by **frisbeedisk** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:32 pm

smoked since i was 11, gave up when i was 29(thats for a year now).the way to stop is, just get it in your head that you look like a fucking twat when smoking..you'll soon stop..no need to spend money on patches etc...good luck

laurence · Post by **laurence** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:57 pm

go the patch, it helps because the doctor warns you you can have a nicotine overdose(yum

) and you actually dont want to smoke.

Ive stopped since thursday, ive replaced my morning ciggy with ameretto, works lol