[calverson]

Okay, so after 4 years of a-pack-a-day of Marlboro Red, I have decided to quit smoking.

It is 9:45am here and I have not had one yet - whereas I would normally have had about 5 by this time and 2 cups of coffee, which I have also not yet had.

I am ready to f*cking murder someone already and I have only been up 3 hours. Apparently this only lasts one week. Great.

Anyone else out there ever quit cold-turkey? Any advice?

[boy8cookie]

Don't quit both at once imo, unless you did them together and it feels weird to do one without the other (talking coffee & smoking here).

[calverson]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

Don't quit both at once imo, unless you did them together and it feels weird to do one without the other (talking coffee & smoking here).

I never liked coffee until I started smoking, and I would always have a smoke with a coffee. So I don't think that I could do one and not the other. I can't imaging having a smoke now and not having a coffee, or vice versa.

Must be strong... must be strong... must be strong...

[Ratm]

YOU CAN DO IT!

I tried my first cig when I was 12 and it was f**king horrible. But because all my friends were doing it I stuck with it and sure enough, became addicted...who knew? I smoked on and off in my teenage years and then in my 20s moved up to a combination of cigs and cigars. Cuban. I'm a bit older now and to tell you the truth I haven't had a cig in long time. I really don't crave them anymore either. My secret is eating really delicious and nutritious food and plenty of exercise. A balanced and healthy lifestyle really does help to curb all those pesky temptations....almost all. I feel stronger than I ever felt in my life and I def gets laid more now that I'm in good shape. You have to stick with it and give your body time to adjust to a whole new way of existing.

Good luck dude. The only one who is going to benefit is you! Isn't that the best reason to not give up?

Hearing or reading peoples that are jonesing really shows me just how ****ed up these companies are and what they're doing to people for profit. Another reason why I'll never light-up another cigarette again in my life.

[calverson]

Originally Posted by Ratm 

I feel stronger than I ever felt in my life and I def gets laid more now that I'm in good shape.

Thanks for that. You just reminded me - no smoking after sex.

Anyway, I doubt I am going to see my girlfriend again before the weekend, so I should have gotten over the worst of it by then.

[Ratm]

Originally Posted by calverson 

Thanks for that. You just reminded me - no smoking after sex.

Anyway, I doubt I am going to see my girlfriend again before the weekend, so I should have gotten over the worst of it by then.

Put it this way you'll definitely have better lung capacity when tapping that ass. You won't tire after only 15min. lol I know your girl will love you going the distance. Man she must hate that smell of cigarettes on your hands, hair and breath. Yuck! Would never date a girl that smells like that.

[calverson]

Originally Posted by Ratm 

Put it this way you'll definitely have better lung capacity when tapping that ass. You won't tire after only 15min. lol I know your girl will love you going the distance. Man she must hate that smell of cigarettes on your hands, hair and breath. Yuck! Would never date a girl that smells like that.

LOL. Never though of it like that. Actually, these days it is like "okay, you done?" and the go outside and have a smoke. Although she usually joins me cause she is one of those once-a-week kind of chicks.

And being a cunning linguist, I think that the lung capacity thing will help.

Although, I am mainly quitting smoking because waking up in the morning is PAINFUL. I mean, if it is this bad at 19, I cannot imagine what it is going to be like at 29.

[voodoo]

I can tell you, at 29 waking up is bad when one coughs up slime the first five minutes or so. I wish I had quit at 19. Make no mistake, if you don't quit now you WILL regret it at 29.

[calverson]

Okay, so it has been just over 12 hours without smoking, 6 of which were spent sleeping. It is not getting easier.

I blasted some guy because he picked up my keys from a counter that I left them on and returned them to me. I think that I am going to stay in my office for the rest of the day and tell the receptionist that I am in a meeting and not to be disturbed or something.

Speaking to clients is probably not a good idea right now.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

unless you did them together and it feels weird to do one without the other (talking coffee & smoking here).

That's exactly right. When I quit smoking cold turkey (12 years ago) my doctor told me to quit the coffee at the same time. I always had a coffee and a Marlboro first thing in the morning and breaking the association really helped.

The first couple of days are rough, but it does get better soon after. Stick with it. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but also one of the best.

[ort888]

It never gets worse then the way you feel after about 6 hours. The physical withdrawal symptoms should go away after 3 or 4 days, then you are just left with the mental part.

Do a lot of your friends smoke? That can make it a lot harder.

I got through it by doing activities that I didn't associate with smoking, that and basically sleeping through the first 3 days.

It's tough. I've quit cold turkey twice. Smoked 2 packs a day for 5 years... quit for 3 years and then started for a year and then quit again.

[calverson]

Originally Posted by ort888 

It never gets worse then the way you feel after about 6 hours. The physical withdrawal symptoms should go away after 3 or 4 days, then you are just left with the mental part.

That is good to know. I think that the longest (waking) that I have gone without a smoke in the past few years is the length of a long movie.

Originally Posted by ort888 

Do a lot of your friends smoke? That can make it a lot harder.

Pretty much every one of them

Originally Posted by ort888 

It's tough. I've quit cold turkey twice. Smoked 2 packs a day for 5 years... quite for 3 years and then started for a year and then quit again.

Wow. That really is impressive. I think that I am still going to have to have a smoke after a really good meal on a special occasion, or during a game of poker, or after a good surf. But I will try limit it. Although, that is how it started.

I have some friends that smoke once every two weeks or so, and my chick smokes about 2 a week. I have no idea how they do it, though. I guess I am addicted, and that probably makes the difference.

Anyway, wikipedia says that 3% - 5% of all quitting on willpower alone succeed, but 90% of all people who quit do it cold turkey. So I think that I am doing the right thing if I can do it.

[scottiB]

Nicotine gum helped me finally to quit. I smoked a pack a day for 18 years before I quit a year and a half ago. Can't believe how much better I feel.

[Naplander]

I very strongly recommend you read "Easyway to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Allen-Carrs-...0461865&sr=8-1

Has helped millions to stop and is very clever in how it removes the fear surrounding quitting.

[calverson]

Well, it has been 20 hours since my last smoke... I am shaking slightly and am really edgy, and I constantly have my attention stuck on the fact that I am not smoking.

Definitely not easy, but I am getting there. Tomorrow is going to be harder, or so I hear.

[ort888]

No. In my opinion, it doesn't get harder after the first day. The level of withdrawal you feel after 5 or 6 hours maintains for a few days and then slowly dissipates.

I would suggest not working or being around people for the next few days. I just locked myself away and slept and ate a lot.

[Mastrap]

The second day is easier than the first, and the third easier than the second. Simply because you've got more to lose, you've got more motivation to stick with it.

[Monique]

I would only stop smoking first.

If you want to give up caffeine later in one year or so later you should do it.

I did not smoke but drank 2 coffees a day for many many years; decided to stop in January and did not have anything with caffeine since then. At the beginning I had awful headaches but they passed and now I am in much better health. My blood pressure went down by 30 points.

It is possible, but will take lots of courage.

Good luck, you are stronger than you think.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

Don't quit both at once imo, unless you did them together and it feels weird to do one without the other (talking coffee & smoking here).

Good advice. Coffee is nothing compared with Marlboro Reds, drop them first, coffee if and when your blood pressure demands it.

Do one thing at a time. I can advise, though, that if you quit smoking and don't immediately start an exercise regime, you will most likely gain weight. I gained about 30 pounds or so b/c I didn't up my exercise.

Nicorette (or cheap nicotine gum from large discount wholesale "club") is a good idea, just don't follow their plan of one every two hours or whatever. Having it handy means that you can always get a nic buzz if you need it, and eventually I found that I didn't want/need it. Maybe you need nic to study or drive or whatever, and the gum helps. I still use it on long trips, otherwise I fall asleep.

I've quit the Red Box before, years ago, and went back to an occasional pipe after five or six years. After another 10 years, I've been done with that a year now and the best incentive I had was to have a couple of small kids watching Daddy "go outside". Had to end that. What the hell was I going to tell them, anyway?

good luck to you. Beat it while you're young, because it becomes part of your life if you don't and it gets harder and harder to let go.

[scaught]

Originally Posted by calverson 

Well, it has been 20 hours since my last smoke... I am shaking slightly and am really edgy, and I constantly have my attention stuck on the fact that I am not smoking.

Definitely not easy, but I am getting there. Tomorrow is going to be harder, or so I hear.

Stop counting hours/days/etc. Don't replace an addiction with another one or build up some timeframe that can lead to 'congratulating' yourself.

You don't smoke anymore. Mind over matter. It's done.

[alligator]

You have my support. I can't think of a better thing you could possibly do with your life.

No offense to anyone out there, but smokers smell like ****. I understand the addiction aspect, but man, they smell bad. My kids hold their breath when they have to breathe someone's smoke.

You're going to make it. Every hour you make it is one less you will ever have to face again, so get it over with this one time. You don't want to have to do this again if you fail.

[Maflynn]

perhaps the OP should get a cat to get his mind off of smoking

On a serious note, it is quite difficult. I'm fortunate enough never to pick the filthy habit, but I did see my mother struggle with trying to quit. It took a few attempts but she finally shook free of the addiction. Point I'm making here is, stick with it, and don't give up. Even if you slip up, get striving to quit.

[Sherman Homan]

Stick with it, it is hard to quit. Try the AA thing of 'today I will not smoke' instead of global statements like 'I will never smoke again'. Even if you have to do it in pieces like 'I will not smoke before work today' followed by 'I can make it to lunch without a cigarette'.
Good luck!

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by dokyosbest 

Quitting smoking is hard... what i did was try to put a cigarette in my mouth and not lighting it.

That's like trying to stop drinking by cracking open an ice cold beer and holding it at your lips...

[brassplayersrock²]

Smoking is also a way to release an oral fixation. Simply holding the cigarette in ones mouth could help a bit. It's the nicotine that really gets you.

[tintub]

Originally Posted by Sherman Homan 

Stick with it, it is hard to quit. Try the AA thing of 'today I will not smoke' instead of global statements like 'I will never smoke again'. Even if you have to do it in pieces like 'I will not smoke before work today' followed by 'I can make it to lunch without a cigarette'.
Good luck!

This is crap. As soon as you've made the decision to quit, you are a non smoker. When you think of having a cigarette, don't regret not having one, celebrate that you have stopped smoking, and you are never going to have another cigarette, ever.

You can't have another cigarette, even on a special occasion, cos you will start again. I strongly recommend Allen Carr's book recommended above (Easy Way to Stop Smoking). Cheesy but it works. You have to change your attitude cos it sounds like you miss smoking and it's not much fun denying yourself something you like. With the right attitude giving up smoking is easy (because you gain a lot more than you lose) and actually something that will make you really happy. But if it's making you miserable it's probably pointless and doomed to failure.

Read the book, I'm not kidding. Celebrate that you are no longer a smoker. If you really feel miserable about it, just start again it but promise yourself to read the book.

[L'enfanTerrible]

Good for you, Calverson. Stick with it. I can tell you from personal experience that the cravings will go away after a few days. In fact, two weeks after I quit, I was starting to be revolted by the smell of cigarettes. The trick to quitting cold turkey is to do something, anything instead of smoking. Everytime you get a craving, do something. Post on MacNN or drink a glass of water. Your mind will slowly go back to normal. The addiction to nicotine is gone in two weeks, but the mind's need for the cigarette will take longer to go away. Just try to think about something else.

Good luck. Cigarettes stink!

[alligator]

So how are you doing?

[calverson]

Okay, so in my bannation I managed to not smoke. Which I good. I have also not had a cup of coffee either, although I have developed a fetish for ice-cream.

It is really different, though. When I am inside for a while or driving somewhere or having a meal I think "can't wait until this activity is over so I can smoke! - oh... I cant."

Anyway, I am getting used to it. I sleep MUCH better and wake up easier, and I find that I can taste things much better as well.

[Mastrap]

The first three months are hard. Then it gets progressively easier. I had dreams for years where I was smoking. I used to wake up, being totally paranoid that I had started smoking again, then was all relieved that it had been just a dream.

I recently smoked a hookah with a bunch of friends. Nothing naughty, just a fruit flavoured tobacco/molasses mixture. I kind of enjoyed it, and it didn't bring back any cravings.

[calverson]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

I recently smoked a hookah with a bunch of friends. Nothing naughty, just a fruit flavoured tobacco/molasses mixture. I kind of enjoyed it, and it didn't bring back any cravings.

Been smoking 'hookah' for ages, or hubbly-bubbly, as we call it in South Africa. It is the social smoke. It is also quite nice if you put ice in the bottom with the water, (cold smoke behaves differently), or if you put vodka or something similar in the bottom.

[scottiB]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

The first three months are hard. Then it gets progressively easier. I had dreams for years where I was smoking. I used to wake up, being totally paranoid that I had started smoking again, then was all relieved that it had been just a dream.

Me, too. I smell my finger tips when I wake up just to be sure that I hadn't sleep-smoked.

[alligator]

Originally Posted by calverson 

I sleep MUCH better and wake up easier, and I find that I can taste things much better as well.

Yeah, and I bet you also smell better.