Former smokers - when/why/how did you quit?

One thing I find strange is that some (not all but some) non-smokers hate the smell of cigarette smoke but they're okay with the smell of marijuana (which personally makes me want to gag). Just something I've noticed (not lately but here and there throughout the years).
 
AZ Jim said:
I find the scent of someones cigarette smoke repulsive. Nasty.
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It really depends.... stale smoke on clothes or an ashtray are repulsive... BUT..........a freshly lit cigie can smell pretty good if it hits you just right..
 

I've never been a smoker but my late husband was a heavy smoker. He tried and tried to quit but would go back to it after a couple of weeks. What got him to quit? I had chronic bronchitis that was turning into emphysema. The pulmonary specialist told me I needed to quit smoking. I told him I didn't smoke and he said that if I lived with a smoker, I might as well be smoking myself. I went home and told my husband what the doctor said; he took the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and threw it in the trash. He never smoked another cigarette in his life. That's what it took. There wasn't as much talk about second-hand smoke back then as there is now.
 
My father was a very heavy smoker most of his life; when he passed away at 82, everything in the house stank so bad we had to keep all the windows and doors open while we cleaned up. Living there as kids we didn't really notice it that much, but after my mother died, I think he smoked himself to death.
 
QuickSilver said:
It really depends.... stale smoke on clothes or an ashtray are repulsive... BUT..........a freshly lit cigie can smell pretty good if it hits you just right..
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Ameriscot said:
Same here. Usually I find it stinks but sometimes it smells tempting.
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Yep, most times it smells repulsive, but every once and a while when it hits just at the right moment, I try to suck in a whiff as if I were a vacuum cleaner and savor the moment, but, mostly, I move away from anyone smelling of and who is smoking, it's often more of a rancid aroma than pleasant, same with most other burning tobaccos/leaves marijuana
 
I smoked about 5 years. Quit from one day to the next at 25. After several failed attempts. I usually cracked on about the 6th day. It's a strong addiction. So glad I quit.

It was still a lot easier than trying to loose weight.
 
Second hand smoke I now find repulsive. It took about 3 years until I didn't like the smell of it. Now I can't stand it and move away whenever possible.
 
Kitties said:
I smoked about 5 years. Quit from one day to the next at 25. After several failed attempts. I usually cracked on about the 6th day. It's a strong addiction. So glad I quit.

It was still a lot easier than trying to loose weight.
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Yep, for me too and many people would agree, you have to consume food, so for those with a food addiction, it's much tougher, not so tough if you don't have the addiction I guess. I can quit smoking so much easier than I can lose weight. I wish I could give up bad carbs for even one full year straight, much less four and half. Sigh.
 
Bumping this up - maybe some of the newer members have a contribution.

btw Mrs. R, I am still shaking my head...5 packs a day. Wow. :eek:mg1:
 
I quit when I was around 30 after smoking for 15 years, 1-1/2 pks. a day of Marlboros. I always like to smoke, but like you AC, I was getting out of breath just walking up stairs, phlegm in lungs, etc. After several tries, ended up just quitting cold turkey, and switched healthy things for it, like jogging, Jazzercise, etc. Posted this thread about smoking a couple of years ago. https://www.seniorforums.com/showth...e-Adults?highlight=quit+smoking+mature+adults
 
With me it was more the hassle and expense of keeping myself supplied with cigarettes. And that phlegm is nasty.

Funny thing is that decades ago, most (over half) of the people I socialized and worked with and most relatives smoked. Now I can't think of any who smoke.

And people used to say "Oh, we/I don't mind if you smoke (outside or whatever)" when the truth was they HATED it. Some people had those "Thanks you for not smoking" cards so you knew upfront they didn't want it on their property. To me, than makes more sense.

Like many boomers I started working in "Mad Men" type offices. (smokestacks) :shrug:
 
I think the maximum price I paid for a pack was 75 cents in machines, today's prices are crazy, I couldn't afford the habit now and wouldn't want to overpay for anything like that really. :dollar:
 
After smoking a pack a day for 40+ years, I finally quit in July, 2007. My first grandchild---a 6 month old baby girl---was coming to visit with her parents that month. I knew I wouldn't smoke in the house while she was there, and it seemed foolish that I'd miss spending time with her so that I could go outside for a cigarette. I quit cold turkey and once I got through the first couple of days, it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared it would be. It's been liberating not to have to worry about where and when I can smoke.
 
I've smoked all my adult life except for one year when I quit but then started again and continued another 20 years.

I am smoke free again. My last cig was on 3/23/15, just one, at 6am, just before going to have surgery. Almost 5 months.

The urge is still there but only 2 or 3 times a day now and short lived. What helped me was being hospitalized, couldn't smoke and refused the patch. I don't know if I could have done it without that stretch of time.
 
RadishRose said:
I've smoked all my adult life except for one year when I quit but then started again and continued another 20 years.

I am smoke free again. My last cig was on 3/23/15, just one, at 6am, just before going to have surgery. Almost 5 months.

The urge is still there but only 2 or 3 times a day now and short lived. What helped me was being hospitalized, couldn't smoke and refused the patch. I don't know if I could have done it without that stretch of time.
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Congratulations RadishRose, being hospitalized helped you to make that healthy decision to quit the smokes...every cloud has a silver lining. :love_heart:
 

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