Ugh- just quit smoking again.

leekohler

leekohler

macrumors G5
Ok- given the recent raise in taxes on cigarettes (now they cost $8 in Chicago) I have quit smoking. I quit for a year once and I was the biggest jerk you've ever met.

This time it seems even worse. I'm in the midst of day two and I'm really super-irritated with everyone. The littlest things are really setting me off. Help. please. anyone. :)
 
I can only tell you what did it for me: Nicotine gum and a mentality that said "I'm not quitting, just changing brands". I changed brands in May 1998 and 2 and a half year later I was so fed up with nicotine gum, and was down to one or two each day, and just stopped using them... never had a single cigarette since... :)

Good luck, you're going to need it, but the reward is great. :cool:

Just mind the weight, I gained 15 kg which just won't come off again... :(
 
Just be patient. IIRC, the physical effects of nicotine should dissipate markedly after 3-4 days. Then it will be easier, and more of a psychological battle.

It was this latter battle (of attrition) that I eventually lost.

I wish you (better) luck.

And for the love of God, keep it civil in this thread - I know how smoking gets people riled up in these forums...
 
Dont want to do the whole scare tactic thing but what made me quit was watching my mother-in-law wither and die within 6 months from lung cancer. Its not pretty. And I was a pack a day smoker for 19 years.

Perhaps you could take a field trip down to you local hospital and check out the effects of smoking first hand. The survival rate of lung cancer is about 6%. 80% of those diagnosed will die within 4-5 years. 50% within the first year alone.

I wish you all the success and luck, seriously.
 
leekohler said:
The littlest things are really setting me off. Help. please. anyone. :)
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I dunno how to help! :eek: At least you know you're welcome to come on to MR and rant. :p When my dad tries to quit he nibbles on candy... I'd suggest something healtheir, celery and carrot sticks? I don't know how well that method works though. Good luck!
 
blackfox said:
Just be patient. IIRC, the physical effects of nicotine should dissipate markedly after 3-4 days. Then it will be easier, and more of a psychological battle.

It was this latter battle (of attrition) that I eventually lost.
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That's where I always lose too. Even after a year the last time. Someone needs to address that.

BTW- nicotine gums, patches, etc. make me ill.
 
leekohler said:
BTW- nicotine gums, patches, etc. make me ill.
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I think thats the whole point. When I quit I would at times chew the gum which would make me nauseous. But at least I didnt want the cigarette any more.
 
My girlfriend who smoked for 12 years just quit recently using the patch. Sure, it was hard..but it worked. I'm not sure if it's SUPPOSED to make you ill.

Most importantly, you have to WANT to quit. She finally said enough is enough (and she had tried quitting 2 times before) and that was it.
 
Good luck Leeky.

In 2 weeks it will be 6 months since I quit cold turkey after 20 years of smoking.

If you really want to quit, you will.
 
freeny said:
Perhaps you could take a field trip down to you local hospital and check out the effects of smoking first hand. The survival rate of lung cancer is about 6%. 80% of those diagnosed will die within 4-5 years. 50% within the first year alone.

I wish you all the success and luck, seriously.
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If only you were allowed to randomly go into patients rooms and look at their diagnosis and patient history.....

Anyways good luck with quitting ^_^
 
leekohler said:
Ok- given the recent raise in taxes on cigarettes (now they cost $8 in Chicago) I have quit smoking. I quit for a year once and I was the biggest jerk you've ever met.

This time it seems even worse. I'm in the midst of day two and I'm really super-irritated with everyone. The littlest things are really setting me off. Help. please. anyone. :)
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Get hypnotized, but it will only work if you really want to quit. so your'll have to ask youself that question. generally, I've seen it work really well even watching people sit and cry while they have a pack in their hands, but not smoking a cig.
 
superbovine said:
Get hypnotized, but it will only work if you really want to quit. so your'll have to ask youself that question. generally, I've seen it work really well even watching people sit and cry while they have a pack in their hands, but not smoking a cig.
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THAT is a good idea.
 
Good luck - I hope it sticks!

Quitting smoking has been a lifelong thing for me: I started sneaking cigarettes from my father's supply when I was about 12, then getting them from other kids in gradeschool and high school afterwards.

When I hit college, I said, "OK, enough with the smoking" and I quit cold turkey my freshman year. That lasted until first semester finals, when I started again. We still had cigarette machines at school, so it was real easy to start again. Spring of freshman year, I smoked up until summer, when I quit again upon returning to my mom's house for vacation.

Didn't smoke all sophomore year, but started again when I went to Russia (where *everyone* smokes) between my sophomore/junior year. Went back to Russia between my Junior/Senior year and didn't quit until graduation.

Started again in grad school, but quit one day when my backpack got rain soaked (including my cigarettes) and dried out overnight at my apartment. The next morning I lit up and the cigarettes tasted so bad I vomited. Cold turkey again.

On-and-off still, though mostly off now. It's a hard, hard thing to quit (I'd venture as hard as heroin, coke and speed from some experience) and I hope it goes well for you. Nicotine is highly addictive, and really should be as regulated as other banned substances - but, alas, the big cigarette companies beat the law to the punch.

I once saw a chart in my Dr.'s office that listed, in years, how long it takes your body to recover from daily smoking. Some things change as little as 10 days to two weeks, others take 8-10 and even as long as 20 years to completely recover. The sooner you quit, the sooner this process can begin was the message of the poster.

Cheers to you for going for it.
 
Don't give up cus of money - give up cus you want too!

I hope you succeed - I did. I don't smell bad now.

It takes balls - big balls but you can do it.
 
Chappers said:
Don't give up cus of money - give up cus you want too!

I hope you succeed - I did. I don't smell bad now.

It takes balls - big balls but you can do it.
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You're right, he shouldn't quit just because of the money. But if he's looking for yet another reason to stay motivated, money is as good as anything. Figuring a pack a day, at $8/pack you're talking almost $250/month or close to $3,000/year. If just having an extra $3,000/year in savings isn't a good incentive, you could think about one item that cost around that much that you could get each year with the money you saved; this being a Mac forum, the obvious suggestion is a computer, but it could be anything. Hell, you could even throw $2,000/year into a Roth IRA (the yearly max) and still have almost $1,000 to drop on something fun!

Your health should be the #1 reason to quit, but there's no shame in having money be at least in your top three.
 
freeny has the right idea. At least if this was aimed at me, scare works on me. We did some experiment years ago in secondary school, sheeps lung on a desk, wired up to all these tubes and that. They emulated smoking by some trickery and urgh. It was just hideous after half a cigarette.

I'd just say to myself "quit smoking, save money, get healthier, smell better, jobs a good un!".
 
Keep busy. Hands that are idle are hands that itch to hold a cigarette. Whatever it takes to keep your mind off wanting a cigarette. Good luck...it is hard!
 
You just have to want to, and know that the first three weeks will suck.

Good luck, Lee - If I can, I know you can.
 
jadekitty24 said:
Keep busy. Hands that are idle are hands that itch to hold a cigarette. Whatever it takes to keep your mind off wanting a cigarette. Good luck...it is hard!
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Umm- I work 50+ hours a week at my day job and more at night on freelance. I don't know how much busier I can possibly be. Thanks for all the words, I appreciate it.
 
Just do it as Nike would say :D

Seriously though, it IS just a matter of saying no, after all you don't want to end up all old, looking back and having to say that you were never strong enough to pull through it?
Just throw the pack and the lighter away, as a symbolic act and just don't do it anymore. "Simple" as that. At least that's how my dad did it.
 
Smoking Recovery Timetable
Within ... You can expect ...

• 20 minutes ... your blood pressure and pulse rate to return to normal. The temperature of your hands and feet will also have returned to normal.

• 8 hours ... your blood oxygen levels to have increased to normal limits and carbon monoxide levels to have dropped to normal.

• 24 hours ...your risk of sudden heart attack to have substantially decreased.

• 48 hours ... nerve endings to start regrowing and your sense of smell and taste to begin returning to normal.

• 72 hours ... your entire body to test 100% nicotine-free with over 90% of all nicotine metabolites to have now passed through your urine. You can also expect the symptoms of chemical withdrawal to have peaked in intensity. Your bronchial tubes will begin relaxing and thus make breathing easier, and your lung capacity will also begin to increase.

• 10 days to 2 weeks ... your body to have adjusted to the physical functioning without nicotine and the 3,500 particles and more than 500 gases present in each puff.

• 3 weeks to 3 months ... your circulation to have improved substantially, for walking to have become easier, and your overall lung function to have shown an amazing increase of up to thirty percent.

• 1 to 9 months ... any sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath to have decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean, and reduce infections. Your body's overall energy will have increased.

• 1 year ... your excess risk of coronary heart disease to drop to less than half that of a smoker.

• 5 years ... your risk of stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker at 5-15 years after quitting.

• 10 years ... your risk of death from lung cancer to have decreased by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack a day). Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus is now half that of a smoker's.

• 15 years ... your risk of coronary heart disease to now be that of a person who has never smoked. Your overall risk of death has returned to nearly that of a person who has never smoked.
 
baby duck monge said:
You're right, he shouldn't quit just because of the money. But if he's looking for yet another reason to stay motivated, money is as good as anything. Figuring a pack a day, at $8/pack you're talking almost $250/month or close to $3,000/year. If just having an extra $3,000/year in savings isn't a good incentive, you could think about one item that cost around that much that you could get each year with the money you saved; this being a Mac forum, the obvious suggestion is a computer, but it could be anything. Hell, you could even throw $2,000/year into a Roth IRA (the yearly max) and still have almost $1,000 to drop on something fun!

Your health should be the #1 reason to quit, but there's no shame in having money be at least in your top three.
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yeah I know some one who quite by using money as the reason. The used to go though a pack a day. It was costing them about 4 bucks a pack. So every had a jar that they put 4 bucks worth of cash in every day and did that for a year. After a year he bought him self a nice new TV and stuff.

Like the guy about just get jar and push 8 bucks worth of cash in it a day. The guy I knew chose the Jar thing because it was a visal thing seeing it fill up very quickly with money and it gave a huge visal effect on how much money he was saving by not smoking. When ever he felt like going out and buy a pack he would look at that jar and rememeber one of the big reason he was quiting.

You could do a bank account thing for hte intersted to watch it grow but that just harder to keep up with I think and it just does not have a visal effect. But for the money saving I would say have a way to separt out the money from you every day money so you can watch it grow and then ahve a huge chunk of change to drop for something nice.
 
leekohler said:
Ok- given the recent raise in taxes on cigarettes (now they cost $8 in Chicago) I have quit smoking. I quit for a year once and I was the biggest jerk you've ever met.

This time it seems even worse. I'm in the midst of day two and I'm really super-irritated with everyone. The littlest things are really setting me off. Help. please. anyone. :)
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Beer
Crack
Meth
They're all valid substitutes...
Personally, see a doctor about drugs like Paxil. I'm not kidding...
I smoke about 1/2 a pack a day. Without Paxil it would be 2 at least. I'm ALMOST resigned to the fact that my psychological makeup made me pre-disposed to chemical addictions... but then again I am a smoker.
They look for excuses at the least, lie at the worst.
 
I know it's going to sound stupid, but pick up another habit. Drinking lots of coffee, perhaps? Just drink once in a while. Hell, make it alcohol. At least alcohol doesn't have chemicals in it that are addictive. :p
 
Abstract said:
I know it's going to sound stupid, but pick up another habit. Drinking lots of coffee, perhaps? Just drink once in a while. Hell, make it alcohol. At least alcohol doesn't have chemicals in it that are addictive. :p
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I was going to suggest this too but not necessarily those vices. Try food or candy. the added weight you will gain is a far less harmfull then the cigarettes and you can always work it off/diet later once youve trully kicked the habit. I gained 20 lbs since I started quitting;)
 
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