trying to quit smoking..

don't wait. just chalk it up to a bad day and start again tomorrow. you can do it. you're stubborn enough. *grins*
 

I wouldn't look at it as starting again. Quitting is really, really tough. If you've slipped up, it's just a matter of continuing on -- not ending off because you've slipped up, and looking for some day in the future to start quitting again.

I quit in 2009 after 39(?) years of smoking. Also smoked American Spirits (no chemicals) for the last few years; it was still tough.
 
Aunt Marge,

As someone who's been there, just keep in mind you literally are at war with yourself over this. It is an addiction and your mind will do whatever it can to get that fix. It's incredibly addictive.

I knew someone who when he came back home from Viet Nam was addicted to herion. He was able to quit that very shortly after arriving a back home. Within another 10 years was completely sober, no alcohol, no other drugs, except--he died a smoker.

From my own experience, it was literally the most difficult thing I have ever done. Like you, I had had a few brushes with success, but went back. I was a heavy smoker, 2+ packs a day. In my case the only thing that would work for me was cold turkey. I am not the type of person that reducing dosage worked for. Seriously, I would change your avatar, my gut feeling is that if you keep seeing cigarettes it just fuels the problem. I would say anything you can do to stop would be worth trying as everyone is different.

One of my sister-in-laws and her husband, and one other person had success with hypnosis. I would favor any method that doesn't introduce nicotine into your body. In my case I couldn't make it if I kept teasing my addiction, by giving it a taste.

I wish I had r suggestions to offer to help, but to be honest I really am still surprised I was able to quit

Without a doubt you will have bad days, all you have to do is not smoke for that moment and then the next. Everyone who has been there is pulling for you, I know I am.
 
I would add this: I'd heard that it just takes a few days of jitters (or something) for the cravings to go away. That wasn't true for me, but eventually they went away.
 
I appreciate your words, Devi, they're a good reminder as to me trying again with the desire still fresh in my mind.

Congratulations to you on quitting!

I want to join the successful quitters club so bad.
 
Oris Borloff said:
Aunt Marge,

As someone who's been there, just keep in mind you literally are at war with yourself over this. It is an addiction and your mind will do whatever it can to get that fix. It's incredibly addictive.

I knew someone who when he came back home from Viet Nam was addicted to herion. He was able to quit that very shortly after arriving a back home. Within another 10 years was completely sober, no alcohol, no other drugs, except--he died a smoker.

From my own experience, it was literally the most difficult thing I have ever done. Like you, I had had a few brushes with success, but went back. I was a heavy smoker, 2+ packs a day. In my case the only thing that would work for me was cold turkey. I am not the type of person that reducing dosage worked for. Seriously, I would change your avatar, my gut feeling is that if you keep seeing cigarettes it just fuels the problem. I would say anything you can do to stop would be worth trying as everyone is different.

One of my sister-in-laws and her husband, and one other person had success with hypnosis. I would favor any method that doesn't introduce nicotine into your body. In my case I couldn't make it if I kept teasing my addiction, by giving it a taste.

I wish I had r suggestions to offer to help, but to be honest I really am still surprised I was able to quit

Without a doubt you will have bad days, all you have to do is not smoke for that moment and then the next. Everyone who has been there is pulling for you, I know I am.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your words and support, Oris.

That's exactly how it felt, "at war". Deep inside I was fighting with myself to quit, and then there was the push from loved ones, so additional pressure to not let them down... pressure to not let down those who are supporting me here, and then the daily gnawing of wanting to smoke, and with me it just kept building and building.

What scares me the most is the countless people I have talked with that told me that even after years of being smoke-free, the desire to light-up haunts them every minute, of every hour of the day, 365 days a year.

This week will be a new start for me, going to tweak things a little and try again.
 
Oris Borloff said:
I knew someone who when he came back home from Viet Nam was addicted to heroin. He was able to quit that very shortly after arriving a back home.
Click to expand...
While working(in jails, prison) I had inmate workers that were heroin addicts tell me that kicking tobacco was way harder than heroin. ...and then they would try to bum a cigarette from me. :p

Oris Borloff said:
Everyone who has been there is pulling for you, I know I am.
Click to expand...
@Aunt Marge, you can absolutely do this!
 
Nathan said:
While working(in jails, prison) I had inmate workers that were heroin addicts tell me that kicking tobacco was way harder than heroin. ...and then they would try to bum a cigarette from me. :p


@Aunt Marge, you can absolutely do this!
Click to expand...
Thank you, Nathan!

My proud day will come when I'll have the bragging rights to whipping this thing! :)
 
Aunt Marg said:
What scares me the most is the countless people I have talked with that told me that even after years of being smoke-free, the desire to light-up haunts them every minute, of every hour of the day, 365 days a year.
Click to expand...
Not so, that sounds like an excuse, believe me I am one, for whom nobody would believe, that I could actually kick the habit. About eighteen months after my last cigarette, this was back in the days when smoking was allowed just about everywhere, including hospitals, someone asked me for a light. I didn't have a match and certainly not a cigarette lighter, so I took the cigarette and drew from it on an electric stove. The taste left in my mouth was akin to the stale smell of an ash tray that has not been emptied. I knew then that I had well and truly quit. And, Marg, I promise that day will come for you too. If you need any motivation, just look at your grandchildren. They want their grandma around as much as grandma isn't ready for Saint Peter to run down his clipboard to see if Marg's name is on it.
 
Aunt Marg said:
What scares me the most is the countless people I have talked with that told me that even after years of being smoke-free, the desire to light-up haunts them every minute, of every hour of the day, 365 days a year.
Click to expand...
I have heard of such, but I can honestly say that after I quit(Feb. 2011) I only had infrequent cravings for the first few months. I had quit drinking a few years previously, so the lowering-of-inhibitions that alcohol is notorious for wasn't dragging me backwards. Also, I stayed waaay away from any and all smokers.
 
horseless carriage said:
Not so, that sounds like an excuse, believe me I am one, for whom nobody would believe, that I could actually kick the habit. About eighteen months after my last cigarette, this was back in the days when smoking was allowed just about everywhere, including hospitals, someone asked me for a light. I didn't have a match and certainly not a cigarette lighter, so I took the cigarette and drew from it on an electric stove. The taste left in my mouth was akin to the stale smell of an ash tray that has not been emptied. I knew then that I had well and truly quit. And, Marg, I promise that day will come for you too. If you need any motivation, just look at your grandchildren. They want their grandma around as much as grandma isn't ready for Saint Peter to run down his clipboard to see if Marg's name is on it.
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Thank you for your words, Horseless.

I honestly don't know where I find it from, but somehow, some way, I seem to find the energy and determination to keep dusting my pants off when I fall, and I'm going to keep on this thing until I have it beat.

Of course it also helps knowing I have support from a few here, too.

Really means a lot to me, and your words definitely resonate with me.
 
Nathan said:
I have heard of such, but I can honestly say that after I quit(Feb. 2011) I only had infrequent cravings for the first few months. I had quit drinking a few years previously, so the lowering-of-inhibitions that alcohol is notorious for wasn't dragging me backwards. Also, I stayed waaay away from any and all smokers.
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In the past that has been my biggest downfall, subjecting myself to smokers.
 
Take the price of the cigarettes that you smoke daily,
1/2 pack, 1 pack, etc., then multiply that by 365 for
the days of the next year, if you don't have a solid
figure and are going low, like you would tell a Doctor,
then add 10%, you can play with numbers but you will
only fool yourself.

I checked the price of cigarettes here since I stopped
smoking and today I would save between £3,650.00
and £4,380.00.

Worth more effort I think.

Mike.
 
One to two packs/day. Quit cold turkey in 1985. Wife and kids had begged me to quit. I "tried", but couldn't do it. Had an episode where my feet would go to sleep when sitting in a chair. Wife was worried and had me make an appointment with a vascular surgeon.

Doctor was a crusty of guy. He ran some tests having to do with circulation in my legs, etc. After about an hour in his office going through these tests, he said... "Okay, you're outta here." No explanation. No nothing. I asked him what he found. He asked if I had children. Told him we had three, the youngest was 2 at that time. He told me, "You're killing yourself. You may not even live to see your kids graduate from high school. You've already got some vascular disease from smoking. But, I can't do a thing about it so just go ahead and leave!" I know my mouth must have dropped open. I was beginning to get upset. He said, "You're the only one that can fix it! I can't do it. Your family can't do it. You can either die a young man or quit the cigarettes. I makes me mad when I have patients who think their smoking is more important than their families. Now, as I said... get out of my office!"

With my head spinning between anger and the words he said, I walked to the parking lot and climbed into my truck. Sat there about a half hour, trying to get my head screwed back on straight. Tossed the pack of cigarettes that I had open out my window and never touched another. I probably owe the old codger my life.

Now, I'm one of the biggest complainers about second hand smoke.
 
Don’t punish yourself. Two or three a day isn’t great but it’s not horrid either. Give it your next try when you feel ready, not because of pressure.

Does anyone in your immediate family smoke? That makes it hard.
 
I have sympathy for those fighting the cigarette addiction. I've never smoked them.

I did start smoking a pipe in my Navy days and still do but have never become addicted. I frequently quit for months at a time but especially in winter I do enjoy my old briars while reading a good book.

I smoke outside or in my man cave (a separate building) which also contains my ham radio station and has excellent ventilation that I installed specifically to deal with my pipe smoke.
 
Aunt Marg said:
Sad indeed, FM.

I remember it like yesterday, my mom telling me as she was ironing clothes in the kitchen, "honey, once you start you're never going to quit". I never acted like a know-it-all ever, but I was adamant that my mom was wrong, and that she was just saying what she was saying to try and persuade me into not smoking.

I never went through the stage of feeling like I was cool because I smoked, I just started because I started. Us girls would get-together in the evening for coffee at our favourite haunt and sit and talk, smoke, and sip our coffee.

Even back in those days I never smoked much, a pack used to last me for a couple of weeks, and there were some days that went by where I never had a cigarette.

When my children were little I smoked on average 5-6 cigarettes a day, but for years now got the habit down to a couple a day. I think because I was smoking so little, I felt I could whip the habit without even trying, but the urge wouldn't subside. I found it to be bad at the start when I first quit in early March, however, as days turned to weeks, I was inspired to try harder and fight the urge stronger... come on Marg, I'd say to myself, a few more weeks and you'll have made it for so long, and by then you'll have it beat.

I can't tell you how many times a day I see my mom standing in front of her ironing board, ironing away, a cigarette going off to the side in an ashtray, and think about those words she spoke to me. "Honey, once you start you're never going to quit".

Feeling as defeated as I am right now, I have convinced myself that she was right.

Kudos to yourself for having the strength to beat it. I envy all who have successfully been able to enjoy that path.
Click to expand...
This is not the end of your quit journey Aunt Marg! Just a learning experience. It is a bummer and I'm sure you feel defeated but those words your mother said and not true! Every one of us can quit! It just needs to be the right time for us as individuals. Many take multiple attempts to finally get their sticky quit. Education about nicotine addiction and how it works to keep us hooked helps. None judgmental support from other smokers who 'get it' is also a huge quit tool.

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned the social media site Quit Train. I highly recommend this site to you and others wanting to quit. A ton of nicotine addiction information plus a lot of people, from all over the world, looking to lend a helping hand to new quitters. When you're ready, even if you're still smoking, you log on there create a user profile and just have a look around. It's a fun, supportive place with no BS. There's only one purpose there and that's to help people who truly want to quit do just that!

In the meantime, don't beat yourself up to much............. S*** happens!
 
Mike said:
Take the price of the cigarettes that you smoke daily,
1/2 pack, 1 pack, etc., then multiply that by 365 for
the days of the next year, if you don't have a solid
figure and are going low, like you would tell a Doctor,
then add 10%, you can play with numbers but you will
only fool yourself.

I checked the price of cigarettes here since I stopped
smoking and today I would save between £3,650.00
and £4,380.00.

Worth more effort I think.

Mike.
Click to expand...
In the past I've spoken with people who quit and with the money they saved, they bought something special for themselves or started spoiling themselves with other things.

Definitely a lot of money out of ones pocket.
 
Patch said:
One to two packs/day. Quit cold turkey in 1985. Wife and kids had begged me to quit. I "tried", but couldn't do it. Had an episode where my feet would go to sleep when sitting in a chair. Wife was worried and had me make an appointment with a vascular surgeon.

Doctor was a crusty of guy. He ran some tests having to do with circulation in my legs, etc. After about an hour in his office going through these tests, he said... "Okay, you're outta here." No explanation. No nothing. I asked him what he found. He asked if I had children. Told him we had three, the youngest was 2 at that time. He told me, "You're killing yourself. You may not even live to see your kids graduate from high school. You've already got some vascular disease from smoking. But, I can't do a thing about it so just go ahead and leave!" I know my mouth must have dropped open. I was beginning to get upset. He said, "You're the only one that can fix it! I can't do it. Your family can't do it. You can either die a young man or quit the cigarettes. I makes me mad when I have patients who think their smoking is more important than their families. Now, as I said... get out of my office!"

With my head spinning between anger and the words he said, I walked to the parking lot and climbed into my truck. Sat there about a half hour, trying to get my head screwed back on straight. Tossed the pack of cigarettes that I had open out my window and never touched another. I probably owe the old codger my life.

Now, I'm one of the biggest complainers about second hand smoke.
Click to expand...
Thank you greatly for sharing your story, Patch.

Congratulations to you on successfully quitting and staying smoke-free.
 
Jules said:
Don’t punish yourself. Two or three a day isn’t great but it’s not horrid either. Give it your next try when you feel ready, not because of pressure.

Does anyone in your immediate family smoke? That makes it hard.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your words, Jules.

Unfortunately, yes, a few smoke, but they were good over the course of the past couple of months whenever we visited.

I'm thinking along the same lines as you, in that I'm going to give it another go when I feel ready... sooner than later, but when I feel like trying again.
 
Llynn said:
I have sympathy for those fighting the cigarette addiction. I've never smoked them.

I did start smoking a pipe in my Navy days and still do but have never become addicted. I frequently quit for months at a time but especially in winter I do enjoy my old briars while reading a good book.

I smoke outside or in my man cave (a separate building) which also contains my ham radio station and has excellent ventilation that I installed specifically to deal with my pipe smoke.
Click to expand...
I have a close friend who for her entire life... teen years through until now (she's the same age as me), has been able to smoke one cigarette and move on with no habit forming ties to it.

I envy those like yourself and my friend who can do that, as in take it or leave it at your leisure.
 
MrPants said:
This is not the end of your quit journey Aunt Marg! Just a learning experience. It is a bummer and I'm sure you feel defeated but those words your mother said and not true! Every one of us can quit! It just needs to be the right time for us as individuals. Many take multiple attempts to finally get their sticky quit. Education about nicotine addiction and how it works to keep us hooked helps. None judgmental support from other smokers who 'get it' is also a huge quit tool.

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned the social media site Quit Train. I highly recommend this site to you and others wanting to quit. A ton of nicotine addiction information plus a lot of people, from all over the world, looking to lend a helping hand to new quitters. When you're ready, even if you're still smoking, you log on there create a user profile and just have a look around. It's a fun, supportive place with no BS. There's only one purpose there and that's to help people who truly want to quit do just that!

In the meantime, don't beat yourself up to much............. S*** happens!
Click to expand...
Thank you for your supportive words, MrPants.

The site you mentioned is another great option for me, and I will definitely keep it in mind.

I'm approaching this with the mantra I often chant, that being... "one day at a time", and am also trying to remind myself that I'm human and habits are a challenge to crush.

I was thinking about the many family over the years... decades in fact, that quit cold turkey, and never looked back. They were all smokers back in the 60's and 70's, a while many have passed on, it's a reminder to me that it can be done, I just need to dig down deeper next time.

I often wonder if I would have started had my own mother not smoked. Being born in the 60's, everyone smoked, and I do think it rubbed off on me somewhat. In addition to my own mom smoking, all but two of my school friends smoked, so that made it that much more easier for me to start being around them all the time.

Just hoping I can remain steadfast in my quest to quit, and 2021 is my year to do it.
 


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