Quit-smoking attempt, take #5

[Jazuela]

This time though, I have an arsenal. The primary weapon will be Chantrix, manufactured by Pfizer. It blocks the nicotine receptors in the brain or some such - basically it keeps you from producing the addiction hormone dopamine when you get that nicotine dose you get from smoking.

So you would smoke, but it wouldn't be a "physical addicted need" and would therefore convert to just the habit/dependency, which is treated through a support system online and over the phone with other quitters, and assorted behavior modification techniques.

The average Chantrix patient quits within two months of starting the program. I'm hoping to be average (imagine that! )

I start reading the literature that comes with the starter pack today. Depending on how well I absorb what I'm reading, I'll start taking it either today, or Sunday. I have a root canal scheduled for tomorrow so I might take it then instead, before the novocaine wears off, heh.

Wish me luck, and if any smokers on this forum are interested enough to ask, I'll post my progress. If it works for me, maybe it'll work for other smokers here who have thought about quitting, or tried and failed.

[Stanley Burrell]

Good luck on that and the root canal :weird:

[Khariz]

I almost posted "Good Luck", left it at that, and moved on, but...

I'm going to say this instead:

1. You can do this.

2. It's going to take more than a drug. It's going to take determination and will.

3. If you want this to be the time where you stop, you will stop.

That said, I hope the drug boosts your morale and ability to resist the nasty bullshit that is nicotine. Once you get over that physical withdrawel hill though, it's up to you to keep it up. Seperating the physical addiction from the habitual/mental portion is the most difficult part. One or the other always seem to try to mess up the other.

I have faith in you.

[Ilvane]

My boyfriend is starting on Chantrix soon. He's been going back and forth about quitting for a while, but just got the stuff when he went to the doctor last time.

Good luck! I hope you are successful.

Angela

[Jenisi]

My mother smoked for 35 years and quit with the help of Chantix. You gotta have the mindset that you are a non-smoker though and really have the desire to not smoke again. Good luck hon!

[Apotheosis]

Let me know how it goes.

Smoking is teh 3v1l

[Anebriated]

Chantrix is a great drug to help people stop smoking. They say you can even keep smoking as much as you normally do for the first week or so of taking the meds. The nicotine enters your system but your nicotine receptors are all closed off so it doesnt do anything for you. Its a good way to ween yourself off of the cancer sticks. Good luck.

[Jazuela]

1. $5.30/pack for my usual brand. 1.5 packs per day.
2. Risk of lung cancer and other debillitating and/or deadly illnesses
3. The smell of stale cigarettes on my clothes, hair, furniture, and worse - my lovely sweet kitty-cat Jaguar which I am so proud of.
4. Second-hand smoke a potential health risk to my cats, who I love probably even more than I love my husband (which is a whole lot).
5. The whole "What's so bad about being a control freak" issue - for once, I'd like to be confident that nicotine doesn't control me anymore.
6. Limited choices in hotels when we travel - all the nicer ones are 100% smoke-free these days, or are going that route.

Cons:
1. Weight gain
2. The physical "lung-cleansing" process that makes you have uncontrollable, wet, nasty coughing for a month or longer, thus losing sleep, making you really miserable and really want that cigarette (or food) even more.
3. Turning into one of those evangelical fanatic anti-smoker assholes, who I abhor to the depths of my very soul.
4. One of the niftiest things about my new lovely wonderful kitty-cat Jaguar, is it comes with an ashtray and lighter. The feeling that this amazing and now-unheard-of perk in a vehicle has been wasted.

Okay #4 on the cons list is trivial, but still...you gotta admit that it's a nice thing to have, in a world where these things are no longer included in automobile manufacture anymore.

[Jessaril]

I've quit a few times, I really want to and the nicotine doesn't bother me, it's those times like driving, or watching TV, or when your mind is fried and it's late and there is nothing else to do...

I'm a boredom smoker, the worst kind.

[Krendeli]

I've quit a few times, I really want to and the nicotine doesn't bother me, it's those times like driving, or watching TV, or when your mind is fried and it's late and there is nothing else to do...

I'm a boredom smoker, the worst kind.

Try boredom cock-sucking.

[ElanthianSiren]

My god, 1.5 packs a DAY. Good luck! I hope it works well for you.

My mom just quit after hearing 40 years of smoking eroded the bones in her back; she had to have two spinal surgeries (epidural and in the latest one they did fusion, which partially paralyzed her right arm from the elbow down). I know you don't want any of that! You can doooo eet.

[Gan]

You can always be like the lady who asked to be put in Jail to help her kick the habit.

Of course, knocking over a bank would have helped her succeed in that effort since I believe she was denied her request.

[Sean of the Thread]

You can always be like the lady who asked to be put in Jail to help her kick the habit.

Of course, knocking over a bank would have helped her succeed in that effort since I believe she was denied her request.

Almost all facilities allow smoking tho? Hell even rehab and detox centers do.

[Harli]

I hope it works for you, im in the process myself and strangely one of the things that is in my head is that you can get a hairy tongue from smoking, actual, honest, to god hair.

[Krendeli]

Of course, knocking over a bank would have helped her succeed in that effort since I believe she was denied her request.

Speaking of robbing things: we just had a local 70-year-old woman arrested for holding up 2 convenience stores to get money to help pay for her cancer treatment.

[Sean of the Thread]

Cancer cures smoking btw.

[Gan]

Almost all facilities allow smoking tho? Hell even rehab and detox centers do.

All jails in Texas are smoke free. ;)

They implemented that the year I left TDC.

[FinisWolf]

I tried Chantrix, as did my Fiancée.

I was more successful when I quit cold turkey for 15 months.

Now, to give you hope, both my sister-in-law, and mother-in-law were successful, and one was a 1 to 2 pack a day smoker, and the other was a 3 pack a day smoker.

Good luck!

Finis

[Ignot]

Good luck. The thing about quitting smoking is that you will ALWAYS be quitting. That's the challenge. I quit with the help of a really bad sinus infection that lasted 2 weeks. Cold turkey, its been 3 months and i smoked for 10 years.

[Alfster]

I'll quit smoking when I quit drinking

So basically whenever the lungs give out or the liver gives out.

[Clove]

Good Luck!!!

For me it was a fistful of OTC cold medication and vodka (now that I've quit smoking I just have to get sober, baby steps). Plus I didn't tell anyone I was quitting for the first 4 days.

Support system schmaport system the only thing worse than going through a nic-fit is having some chipper supportive person ask you "How's that quitting going?!" during one.

[Jessaril]

Good Luck!!!

Plus I didn't tell anyone I was quitting for the first 4 days.

Next time I try it I'ma make sure I do this too. Seems like everyone else gets extra annoying when they know you're trying to quit smoking.

[Clove]

Next time I try it I'ma make sure I do this too. Seems like everyone else gets extra annoying when they know you're trying to quit smoking.

Yes. They only say they're supporting you. They're really trying to torture you. It's like working out in the yard in 90 degree high humidity- it's difficult and uncomfortable but you suffer through; it only becomes intolerable when every 10 minutes some asshole next to you says, "Jeeze it sure is HOT out here!".

"Cold Turkey" is the only thing that ever worked for me. I quit twice. This time it's been almost 4 years. Although I am still working on that vodka problem.

[Jazuela]

Oh yeah - the condescending patronizing cheerleader shit I can do without. But knowing that if I'm feeling like I need a smoke, and just want to vent, and there's someone who can -share- in the misery with me, is great. That's what I mean by a support system. Someone who didn't already go through it, but is going through it too. Maybe we could do deep breathing together or try to come up with a full 60 seconds worth of swear words to scream at our computers or something, to get over the craving.

[Clove]

Oh yeah - the condescending patronizing cheerleader shit I can do without. But knowing that if I'm feeling like I need a smoke, and just want to vent, and there's someone who can -share- in the misery with me, is great. That's what I mean by a support system...

Yup, and it's easier to quit if you don't have cheerleaders in your face. The misery of withdrawal does pass even if it's a demented ride at first. Afterwards you'll feel so much better though.

Anyone going through nic-fits that wants to vent can PM anytime.

[Sean of the Thread]

The thing I hated most about smoking was what it does to your tongue... nasty shit.

[Jessaril]

The thing I hated most about smoking was what it does to your tongue... nasty shit.

I hate what it does to my ability to wake up. I swear I could sleep through a nuclear explosion when I'm smoking. If I quit for a few days I wake up so much more easily.

[Methais]

This time though, I have an arsenal. The primary weapon will be Chantrix, manufactured by Pfizer. It blocks the nicotine receptors in the brain or some such - basically it keeps you from producing the addiction hormone dopamine when you get that nicotine dose you get from smoking.

So you would smoke, but it wouldn't be a "physical addicted need" and would therefore convert to just the habit/dependency, which is treated through a support system online and over the phone with other quitters, and assorted behavior modification techniques.

The average Chantrix patient quits within two months of starting the program. I'm hoping to be average (imagine that! )

I start reading the literature that comes with the starter pack today. Depending on how well I absorb what I'm reading, I'll start taking it either today, or Sunday. I have a root canal scheduled for tomorrow so I might take it then instead, before the novocaine wears off, heh.

Wish me luck, and if any smokers on this forum are interested enough to ask, I'll post my progress. If it works for me, maybe it'll work for other smokers here who have thought about quitting, or tried and failed.

Just do what I did after about 10 years of smoking. Say fuck it and quit. ;)

[Jazuela]

I tried that once Methais. Unfortunately my addiction was far more explosive than my decision. Literally. Vomiting, DTs, cold sweats, fever, aches - it was like having a -really- bad flu, -and- morning sickness, without being pregnant. After 4 days of that with no end in sight, and absolutely no relief from the usual "flu" remedies, I'm sure you can understand how easy it is to use that cigarette as the remedy to the sickness of withdrawal. Violent withdrawal is actually more difficult to overcome in nicotine addicts than it is in heroin addicts. If only they had inpatient rehab for nic addiction...

le sigh

[TheEschaton]

Oh yeah - the condescending patronizing cheerleader shit I can do without.

Luckily, I was refraining from commenting in this thread because I dislike you. But now that you don't want us to cheerlead, I can happily tell you to fuck off, and man up. I've quit both smoking, drinking, and various drugs (though I drink at much more reasonable levels now) and I didn't need artificial drugs or a support network. I went through the withdrawal, and you know what? I just fucking took it. Because I had to quit, right then and there.

:-)

-TheE-

[Jazuela]

See now Esch, you're that asshole ex-smoker on my list of "cons" for quitting that I hope I never become. But, if I ever do become one, I'll be sure to come to you for instruction.

:)

[Sean of the Thread]

STFU cunt.. sack up and take control of your life.

[Alfster]

Does Burger King offer a service to help their employees quit?

Most every employer that offers benefits these days does.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v686/pottymouth30/Burger_King_Sign_Prank.jpg

[TheEschaton]

Normally, I skip any post with your name on it, because it usually involves you being an attention whore, your stupid ass beat up Jaguar and/or mentioning you work at Burger King even though you're so well off you don't need to.

So I looked back to see what the hell you were referring to.

I am not an evangelical anti-smoker. Quite the opposite, I think you should smoke til your lungs are black, mainly cause I care less about you than the criminals I spent prosecuting all summer.

However, if you're going to quit, follow Sean2's advice and stfu, and man up.

Oh, and good luck with being a martyr to everyone around you.

[Snapp]

I've heard good things about Chantrix. Good luck Jaz.

[Whimsi]

Cons:
1. Weight gain
2. The physical "lung-cleansing" process that makes you have uncontrollable, wet, nasty coughing for a month or longer, thus losing sleep, making you really miserable and really want that cigarette (or food) even more.
3. Turning into one of those evangelical fanatic anti-smoker assholes, who I abhor to the depths of my very soul.
4. One of the niftiest things about my new lovely wonderful kitty-cat Jaguar, is it comes with an ashtray and lighter. The feeling that this amazing and now-unheard-of perk in a vehicle has been wasted.

1. I quit smoking a year and three months ago and I gained almost 50 pounds. Yeah, fuck me. Anyway, I've lost some and intend to lose the rest but even at my heaviest I still felt healthier than I did when I was smoking. Take care of one thing at a time I guess.

2. Bullshit. I coughed like a motherfucker when I was a smoker but the coughing almost totally ceased as soon as I put out my last cigarette and has yet to reappear.

3. I'm guilty of being an anti-smoking asshole because ya know what...I am a weak ass person. I liked smoking. If I am around it much I will want to light up again. I know myself well enough to understand this. So I tell people to get it the fuck out of my face. They don't like it too bad.

4. I threw the cigarette lighter out when I quit smoking. But maybe that would lower the resale value of your POS Jag. Dunno.

[Clove]

4. I threw the cigarette lighter out when I quit smoking. But maybe that would lower the resale value of your POS Jag. Dunno.

:rofl:

FTW!

[Jazuela]

So far the Chantix isn't causing any funky side effects, other than a couple of minor gas cramps and a vague sense of passing queasiness that lasts a second or so.

Even though you're "allowed" to continue smoking as usual your first week on the meds, I experimented a bit with delaying my next cigarette each time I want a smoke. As a result, yesterday, I smoked only 16 cigarettes. That's down from 1.5 packs a day, sometimes even more. For you "never even looked at a pack before" non-smokers, there's 20 in a pack. I was up to 30-35 a day, now down to under 20.

Official "serious attempt to have no smokes at all" day is Thursday.

[TheEschaton]

Oh goody! We're all cheering for you, and we can't wait to hear how Thursday goes!

[Gan]

Normally, I skip any post with your name on it, because it usually involves you being an attention whore, your stupid ass beat up Jaguar and/or mentioning you work at Burger King even though you're so well off you don't need to.

So I looked back to see what the hell you were referring to.

I am not an evangelical anti-smoker. Quite the opposite, I think you should smoke til your lungs are black, mainly cause I care less about you than the criminals I spent prosecuting all summer.

However, if you're going to quit, follow Sean2's advice and stfu, and man up.

Oh, and good luck with being a martyr to everyone around you.

Wow. Feel the love.

( :lol: )

[CrystalTears]

I don't understand where the hatred came from.

[Jazuela]

No idea CH. Maybe he should try a little fibre in his diet to loosen up the shit lodged in his colon. I've heard that makes a difference. Just sayin...

:)

[CrystalTears]

You've been calling me CH. What's the H for? Harlet? Hussy? Heartless? Ho?

[TheEschaton]

I just have a visceral dislike for her. I don't know why. I have no such hatred for anyone else on the PC, even PB strikes me as comical, usually.

-TheE-

[Gan]

I just have a visceral dislike for her. I don't know why. I have no such hatred for anyone else on the PC, even PB strikes me as comical, usually.

-TheE-

Was beginning to wonder if she stepped on your crank or something... damn dude.

[Latrinsorm]

I think we all know this is misdirected hatred at himself for worshipping YE PAGAN DEITIES.

[Ignot]

You can second hand smoke and not feel guilty, I do it all the time. The hard part comes when you drink. >insert Dennis Leary cig/beer bit<.

Nothing feels better then a cig after you have knocked down a few. Except maybe a cig an after hour dropping that second hit of ecstasy.....best just to quit everything at once.

Oh, and you will always crave a cig every now and then....ALWAYS.

[Jazuela]

I'm not much of a drinker and I don't do the "club scene" since I'm older than PB and have one foot already in the grave :) So that won't be a problem at all for me. I don't miss drinking, and therefore I don't miss smoking while I'm drinking. The few times I have a sangria or pina colada when I dine out, there's no smoking in the restaurant so nothing lost there either.

As for Crystal - there's a different forum I visit with a gal named Crystal Heart. I call her CH for short. And in my defense, I'm old, and have senior moments, and call you CH by mistake. But now that you pointed it out I'll probably call you CH on purpose, just for fun :)

[CrystalTears]

Heh, no problem, just wanted to know what it was about. It's actually the nicer of the ones other people call me. :D

[Asha]

Nothing feels better then a cig after you have knocked down a few. Except maybe a cig an after hour dropping that second hit of ecstasy.....best just to quit everything at once.

Oh, and you will always crave a cig every now and then....ALWAYS.

Good god it's so bastard true.
I dream I still smoke and wake up feeling terrified I'd ruined months of work.

You know what, fuck all that medicine that's supposed to help you kick it. It's all capitalising on people who don't believe they can simply quit forever.
And if you can't believe that, you're wasting your time.

[Jazuela]

I believe I can quit. But just like with any other addiction, I have no problem admitting I need help to do it. That doesn't make me weak. It makes me human.

[Asha]

I've seen quite a few people use these variations of chemicals to 'ease' their suffering during withdrawal symptoms, and to be totally honest with you it just seems like a way of putting off the day you eventually give it up and forget it.

Needing a cig so bad you want to chew off part of the fireplace isn't going to kill you. And after a few DAYS you begin to forget them and enjoy things you took for granted more, like good coffee, walking or great tasting healthy food.
like I said I've seen people do this and done so myself so you can trust when I say you can do it.
In your case it's smokes you're giving up and the main things making them so hard to quit is how freely available cigs are, 'treatments' that keep you addicted to nicotine and..
That doesn't make me weak. It makes me human... your reliance on using the fact you're human to doubt your inherant strength to be able to do anything you want.

Good luck.

[Jazuela]

Perhaps some of you don't understand the meaning of the word addiction. Or maybe you're confusing addiction with dependency or an unwanted habit.

Would you tell a heroin addict to just man up, and stop taking it, and wait out the DTs, it isn't gonna kill them? Or would you tell them that they should do whatever is necessary, including a methadone or other rehab facility, to free themselves and regain control over their lives?

I use heroin addiction as a comparison, because study after study shows that nicotine addiction -can- be worse than heroin addiction. It is a physical addiction. It is -also- a bad habit, and it -also- causes dependency. It is all three, and it's the physical addiction that needs addressing, before an addicted person can get rid of the habit and/or dependency.

If you have quit cold turkey, without -any- physical withdrawal symptoms, then you were simply not addicted to nicotine.

I can 'man up' and quit the habit, just as soon as I get rid of the physical addiction. And - I'm doing just that, with help from a medication that blocks the nicotine/dopamine receptors in the brain. It isn't a nicotine substitute. It's not a treatment. It's a barrier that blocks off the addiction. My scheduled quit date is Thursday. This past week I've been working up to it, by helping my brain handle being free of a physical addiction that has prevented me from quitting several times in the last 25 years.

[Alfster]

I'd actually slap the person for being a heroin addict. Even hardcore druggie types KNOW how bad heroin is. I've only been around it once, and I got the fuck out of there fast.

[TheEschaton]

I know heroin addicts who HAVE quit cold turkey. And yes, they waited it out, mainly because they don't make marketed products to get them "through" it, and to get help, you have to be registered in a program.

Those ones are far better off that those who went to detox. I agree with Ash, in saying taking something to get you there is admitting you can't do it yourself.

As for the "I'm not weak, I'm human..."...humans are weak. You should be striving for superhumanness.

-TheE-

[Skeeter]

Heh, no problem, just wanted to know what it was about. It's actually the nicer of the ones other people call me. :D


like wetback

[CrystalTears]

Like bite me.

[Jazuela]

Well congrats on being Superhuman then Esch. I'm content being human, and don't think there's any shame in needing help when difficulties arise, or when I recognize a weakness in myself.

I don't "man up" when I have bronchitis - I take Nyquil - help from over-the-counter meds. I didn't "man up" when my knee started buckling when I tried to walk; I had surgery - help from the doctor. I don't "man up" and refuse to express myself when I see a sappy TV commercial; I shed tears. And in this, an addiction, I'm fine with not "manning up," and taking the help available.

Thank god I'm not a man; I don't have to "man up" for anything. But you go right ahead and keep telling yourself that it's a bad thing for a person to ever need help to overcome a weakness, or to even have any weaknesses in the first place. Personally, I think that kind of thinking - IS a weakness. You might want to get help for that. Or - man up.

[Skeeter]

Like bite me.

like this?


http://www.rofl.name/owned/owned_boob_bite.jpg

[Sean of the Thread]

Ding! Fries are done.

[Latrinsorm]

I agree with Ash, in saying taking something to get you there is admitting you can't do it yourself.That's factually incorrect, actually. I use cough drops when I have a cold not because they're required for me to get over the cold but because they keep me from damaging my throat more than it has to be. I prefer to get back to 100% faster because no matter how superhuman I am, 90% is less than 100%. You're free to call me a liar, but I would think that in striving to be superhuman you'd strive to not be incontrovertibly wrong.

If you really want to be superhuman, you should evaluate all the supplements you have available to you and maximize your net benefit. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to start every morning with a liter of whiskey, for instance, but HGH apparently increases physical ability and recovery substantially.

[Sean of the Thread]

Going cold turkey from heavy alcohol use is just plain retarded.. unless you like strokes and other good shit. Can be done but why risk it when all that's needed is a little Valium.

[longshot]

I believe I can quit. But just like with any other addiction, I have no problem admitting I need help to do it. That doesn't make me weak. It makes me human.

I believe that you can't.

Is there a way I can bet on this? Then again, I would probably have to lay somewhere around 5K just to win a dollar.

This is gambling terminology for stating the obvious: you're weak.

[Skeeter]

holy fuck a longshot post.

[CrystalTears]

Holy fucking hell, longshot returns! Yay!

[Snapp]

Whoa.. welcome back longshot.

[Asha]

That's factually incorrect, actually. I use cough drops when I have a cold not because they're required for me to get over the cold but because they keep me from damaging my throat more than it has to be. I prefer to get back to 100% faster because no matter how superhuman I am, 90% is less than 100%. You're free to call me a liar, but I would think that in striving to be superhuman you'd strive to not be incontrovertibly wrong.

If you really want to be superhuman, you should evaluate all the supplements you have available to you and maximize your net benefit. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to start every morning with a liter of whiskey, for instance, but HGH apparently increases physical ability and recovery substantially.

Factually incorrect is not actually factually incorrect unless you've experienced it for yourself, man.
Fuck what you've read.
Do it, it's different.
OR BE WISE AND NOT DO IT AT ALL!!!!
WIN!!

[Latrinsorm]

I was merely demonstrating how Eschaton's general statement has no deductive weight, but I can certainly agree that not doing the smoking = win.

[Kuyuk]

http://www.glumbert.com/media/quitsmoking

[Asha]

Will you ever drink, smoke, take evil drugs or alcohol?
Not meant to offend, man. I just can't imagine it.

[Kranar]

You can't imagine what?

[Gan]

like wetback

Only if she's in the shower and its an invitation to scrub her back...

:whistle:

[Deadelf]

>>Good luck. The thing about quitting smoking is that you will ALWAYS be quitting. That's the challenge. I quit with the help of a really bad sinus infection that lasted 2 weeks. Cold turkey, its been 3 months and i smoked for 10 years.

Yep, why I always failed in the past was that I'd forget that I had to always keep tine mindset that I needed to stay quiting. I smoked for about 12 years, and off an on before that with cigars for about ten years.

When I first started attempting to quit in the mid 90's I'd quit and I'd feel like crap, and I'd have issues with concentrating for a week or so. That was a pain in the ass, I refered to it as "The dumbs". Someone would come up to ask me something and I'd say something like "err give me a minute or two to think about it, I'm suffering from the dumbs due to quiting smoking."

The pisser is you'd finally think you had it beat and three or four months later you'd be around people smoking and decide to test yourself. Damn that was a stupid move or having a really bad day and around those smoking and decide to have just one cigarette. Buzz! Wrong move, go back to start.

Finally in April 2003 I quit and it's taken, basically I always keep in mind that I'll always want a cigarette or cigar at some time or point. I just don't do it, because I know I'll be hooked again! So it's been 4 years and what 4 months since I last had a cigarette.

I did gain about 25 pounds which I've still not bothered to lose, I should but I've just not been real modivated on that one yet. Though at 6'2" I'm ok with being 230 at this time. Though I should get back down to 190 to 200 at some time in the near future.

It did amaze me at how fast I put that 25 pounds on though, as I recall took me less than 10 months to do that, and since then I've been stable at 230-ish.

Quiting smoking was basically a major pain in the ass as most know who've attempted to quit.

[Deadelf]

>>Good god it's so bastard true.
>>I dream I still smoke and wake up feeling terrified I'd ruined months of work.
>>Ash

LOL! I had a similiar instance one night last year. I woke up and thought for sure I had been smoking and then finally calmed down enough to think and realize it was just a dream from my past years ago in europe at some bar. The desire to have a cigarette never goes away its can be near nonexistant and sometimes is over bearing.

[Methais]

>>Good luck. The thing about quitting smoking is that you will ALWAYS be quitting. That's the challenge. I quit with the help of a really bad sinus infection that lasted 2 weeks. Cold turkey, its been 3 months and i smoked for 10 years.

Yep, why I always failed in the past was that I'd forget that I had to always keep tine mindset that I needed to stay quiting. I smoked for about 12 years, and off an on before that with cigars for about ten years.

When I first started attempting to quit in the mid 90's I'd quit and I'd feel like crap, and I'd have issues with concentrating for a week or so. That was a pain in the ass, I refered to it as "The dumbs". Someone would come up to ask me something and I'd say something like "err give me a minute or two to think about it, I'm suffering from the dumbs due to quiting smoking."

The pisser is you'd finally think you had it beat and three or four months later you'd be around people smoking and decide to test yourself. Damn that was a stupid move or having a really bad day and around those smoking and decide to have just one cigarette. Buzz! Wrong move, go back to start.

Finally in April 2003 I quit and it's taken, basically I always keep in mind that I'll always want a cigarette or cigar at some time or point. I just don't do it, because I know I'll be hooked again! So it's been 4 years and what 4 months since I last had a cigarette.

I did gain about 25 pounds which I've still not bothered to lose, I should but I've just not been real modivated on that one yet. Though at 6'2" I'm ok with being 230 at this time. Though I should get back down to 190 to 200 at some time in the near future.

It did amaze me at how fast I put that 25 pounds on though, as I recall took me less than 10 months to do that, and since then I've been stable at 230-ish.

Quiting smoking was basically a major pain in the ass as most know who've attempted to quit.

I guess I'm just lucky. I smoked around a pack a day for about 10 years, quit cold turkey without any withdrawals (the closest thing to having a withdrawal was getting used to not having a smoke after I'd eat), and I can smoke pretty much anytime I want (which is hardly ever, but usually I'm drinking if I do, and it's not because I'm craving or need a fix), and not have cravings after or end up going back to smoking. I can't remember the last time I smoked a cigarette, but I could light one up now, smoke it, and still not give a shit at all about smoking or feel the slightest urge to start up again.

[TheEschaton]

I was expecting a picture mocking Jazuela. :(

[Methais]

This thread isn't cool enough for pics.

EDIT: Know what else isn't cool? These forums crashing every 5 fucking minutes :(

[Jazuela]

Day #1 of no cigarettes at all, after a week of taking Chantix to lead up to this day.

I got up at 7 this morning, it's 4 in the afternoon now. No physical withdrawal symptoms at all. None, zilch, nada. The cravings aren't really cravings either, more like whispered conversations in the back of my mind - "Reach for the pack. What pack? We quit smoking remember? Oh yeah..well find something to do with your hands, at least. Uh - nothing to do - let's eat! Oh yeah, M&Ms! No no not teh chocolate again, celery! Well, only if we get to put peanutbutter in it. Fine fine - just do it before we get fidgety."

Those little mini conversations last a few seconds, and occur around every 20 minutes or so. It seems like it's a combination of the old habit and dependency, because I was smoking at an average of every 20 minutes, whenever I wasn't working or in a no-smoking establishment.

So far, so good; I think I can do this.

[Deadelf]

Jazuela I ended up chewing the hell out of a lot of pens after I quit smoking. The lids were all shot, also straws...alot of straws.


Jim, Quest is red 2 me!

p.s:Btw Methais I love the WoW/LotR's movie picture slide show, cracks me up everytime I see it.

[TheEschaton]

GOod work cheating your way through life. Stop talking to yourself, ignore your emotions, "needs", and human frailties, and fucking move on already. Jesus Christ.

-TheE-

[Methais]

GOod work cheating your way through life. Stop talking to yourself, ignore your emotions, "needs", and human frailties, and fucking move on already. Jesus Christ.

-TheE-

I haven't really been keeping up with this thread, but did I miss a part where a gigantic pipe was rammed up your ass or something?


p.s:Btw Methais I love the WoW/LotR's movie picture slide show, cracks me up everytime I see it.

It's the best pic ever. Everytime I make a post or something and see it on my screen, I can't help but to stop and watch the whole thing. I can't help it, really. :lol:

[Deadelf]

>>Originally Posted by TheEschaton
>>GOod work cheating your way through life. Stop talking to yourself, ignore >>your emotions, "needs", and human frailties, and fucking move on already. >>Jesus Christ.


Guess you have some personal dislike going on here or vested interest in the cigarette industry and it pisses you off to have someone else quit?

[Asha]

GOod work cheating your way through life. Stop talking to yourself, ignore your emotions, "needs", and human frailties, and fucking move on already. Jesus Christ.

-TheE-

What the fuck is wrong with you?
It's fair enough to tell someone who's going through the withdrawals of an addiction to man up and take it in a way that might hopefully give them a little nudge of strength but it's something else to plain outright brush off their symptoms and way of dealing with it in a hostile attitude.
Next time you bring up human frailty, their emotions and needs, go back to your Peace Corps and remind yourself what the fuck they are.




So far, so good; I think I can do this.
You already have, you've already proved you're stronger than you thought.
Keep it up and again, good luck.

[Jazuela]

Today's the 2nd day I didn't smoke at all. Harder than yesterday, I actually had a couple of recognizeable cravings. They seemed more related to the need to keep my hands occupied, and the "habit" of just knowing there's a cigarette available, than anything else. Also noticed a few moments of heart palpitations and a feeling of nervousness. These are typical minor withdrawal symptoms. So far nothing major though, for which I am very grateful. Chantix seems to be doing what Pfizer claims it does.

[Methais]

Today's the 2nd day I didn't smoke at all. Harder than yesterday, I actually had a couple of recognizeable cravings. They seemed more related to the need to keep my hands occupied, and the "habit" of just knowing there's a cigarette available, than anything else. Also noticed a few moments of heart palpitations and a feeling of nervousness. These are typical minor withdrawal symptoms. So far nothing major though, for which I am very grateful. Chantix seems to be doing what Pfizer claims it does.

WTF STOP CHEATING THROUGH LIFE AND MOVE ON ALREADY JESUS FUCKING CHRIST YOU'RE SUCH A NUB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

[Ignot]

Today's the 2nd day I didn't smoke at all. Harder than yesterday, I actually had a couple of recognizeable cravings. They seemed more related to the need to keep my hands occupied, and the "habit" of just knowing there's a cigarette available, than anything else. Also noticed a few moments of heart palpitations and a feeling of nervousness. These are typical minor withdrawal symptoms. So far nothing major though, for which I am very grateful. Chantix seems to be doing what Pfizer claims it does.

It gets worse. Working out helps. I think i worked out like twice a day for the first two weeks while the cravings were bad. Now the cravings are gone so im back to being lazy. I still cough like a motherfucker though, is that weird?

[Artha]

Your lungs are probably cleaning themselves out.

[Jazuela]

9 days without a cigarette. I don't miss smoking at all, haven't had any withdrawal symptoms either. What I do miss, is having a pack nearby and reaching for it when I sit down after putting the clean dishes away, or when I come home and relax before making supper. It's not like I feel like I need a cigarette, it's just that "ritual" that's been such a part of my life for so many years.

I've gained some weight; not sure how much because we don't have a scale in the house. But I feel heavier; my clothes still fit, but not as loosely as they did. I'm guessing 3-4 pounds.

Side effects of the Chantix - yeah. I'm remembering my dreams now, which hasn't happened since I was a kid. Vivid dreaming is a side effect. Gas - heh. Yeah. Burping a lot, etc. Nausea - not really. Just that flash of queasiness that goes away as soon as I realize it showed up. That's pretty much it.

[Asha]

Once you're off the meds you're golden, Jazuela.
You're proper doing excellently. Well done.

Don't forget to keep up the excersise, it reaffirms the feeling you're doing something very good for your body by quitting and becoming healthier plus, obviously, it'll keep those extra pounds at bay.
Nice going though. V good work.

[Jazuela]

Oh d'oh, the -one- weird thing that I planned on mentioning, I forgot to mention. Ever since quitting, coffee tastes and smells really bitter. That isn't a listed side effect, so I don't know if it's the meds, or my mouth and nose being free of smoke is making me taste and smell what coffee actually tastes and smells like. This is -very- disturbing, because my morning cup of coffee was SO important...and tea just doesn't do the trick. It was how I started my day, even before lighting my first smoke - I'd get that cup in the kitchen and take my first sip.

And late-afternoon, I'd usually have a second cup, which was always such a refreshing treat. Me, hate coffee? This is HORRIBLE! No coffee -and- no cigarettes? Are you kidding me? I'm miserable. Doing without smokes is easy. Doing without my two cups of coffee every day is crazy. I SO miss the smell, even if it was just some distorted smell that wasn't really how it's supposed to smell. I wonder if coffee candies will taste as bad...OMG and Kahlua drizzled over coffee ice cream! I even tried different places for coffee - 2 different supermarket brands, Dunkin Donuts, and <puke> Starbucks. They all smell and taste like burnt used wet coffee grounds. I'm so disappointed in that.

[Sean of the Thread]

It's the cancer that ruins the taste.

[Jazuela]

So you mean, when I -quit- smoking, I get cancer and ruin my enjoyment of coffee?

Sheesh - if it wasn't up to $5.50 a pack, I'd go back to smoking. I wonder if chemo makes coffee taste like gumdrops. I like gumdrops, even if they're not coffee.

[Sean of the Thread]

No you got cancer when you started smoking not when you quit.

[grenthor]

Altered sense of taste and smell is extremely common in quitting. Especially in the stage you are in now. One of the primary effects of cigarettes is that they significantly dampen your sense of taste and smell (Which directly effects how you taste foods as well).

All the other effects you mentioned are also extremely common and usually go away within just a couple of weeks.

I would not be at all supprised if within a week or so coffee ends up smelling and tasting good again. However, think of this - even if it doesn't now you've been able to give up caffeine as well!

You are really doing awesome. Keep it up and before you know it you will be hitting the Century Club (100 Days) and from there it just keeps getting better and better.

[Jazuela]

What's weird is that everything else tastes like it usually does. It's just the coffee. But you're right, I tried a cup today, after going without all week because it was so repulsive I couldn't stand it...and it turns out not to be as bad as it was a week ago. It was -almost- tasty.

[Jazuela]

17 days without a cigarette. Not missing them, but when I'm near someone who's smoking, I'm still attracted to the smell of the smoke. Now, I have -never- been attracted to the smell of stale smoke on clothing, in hair, on the breath, in a room, in my car. But that waft of fresh smoke trailing from a lit cigarette - it's just - pleasant I guess. The same way the smell of freshly-ground coffee beans have always been for me, even long before I ever learned to actually like the taste of coffee.

No cravings still, but the occasional "this is normally the moment when I'd reach for a smoke" sensation is still pretty common.

Coffee is tasting great again, thank all that is good in the world.

I've had lots of stress lately, and still no cravings or feeling of "need" to light up. Dental work, plus I quit my job at BK, got a temp job, my hip started acting up and now I have to file a claim with the Commission on Human Rights and Disabilities because the boss at the temp job fired me for - get this - having a sore hip and bringing a cane to help me if I needed it that day. Even though I told him I could do everything he hired me to do, that the soreness wasn't an impediment to my job. Even though it was just a temp job, and I have absolutely no expectations of being awarded any money, I'm filing the discrimination claim anyway because this guy just really needs to learn that he's not supposed to DO that kind of shit to people. The man at the Commission said that nuisance claims aren't uncommon and he said he's fine with my filing one. I was worried about that - I didn't want to put anyone out over a temp job, ya know? But he encouraged me to go for it, so I'll go for it. And who knows - I might even get the company to pay me a couple hundred bucks just to drop the claim. If it gets them to tell their manager not to fire people for having the nerve to be physically uncomfortable, then I'm happy.

Anyway - with all that, I still had no cravings. I'm still walking and trying to eat well, not overeat, drinking lots of water, getting more fruits and veggies than usual, less red meat, lots of chicken and tuna and peanutbutter. Oh and I had to add a little chocolate because I'm PMSing like crazy this week, heh. But just a little! One of those "add 1/4 cup water, mix, nuke for a minute, and eat" slices of fudge-swirl cake you can buy in the cake aisle of the supermarket. That puppy satisfied my chocolate needs for a good week.

[diethx]

The hardest part is nearly over Jazuela, you should be really proud of yourself. I quit last October, but I was "lucky" in that I had no cravings because I was ill for the first cigarette-free month with severe asthmatic bronchitis. I guess that's not really "lucky", but i'm glad it happened, otherwise i'd probably still be a smoker. :)

I didn't necessarily want to quit, but i'm so much happier now. I know lots of people say that the desire to light up will always be there, but I haven't looked back. I smoked for 13 years and now just the smell makes me so nauseous that I wouldn't light up again if someone paid me to. Hopefully you can get there too!

Oh and Ignot, my lungs took probably six months to get back to normal after quitting. I was worried too, because I was coughing more and having more trouble breathing than I ever did when I was smoking. I guess they were just healing like Artha said. Things are fine now though, and I haven't felt such healthy lungs in, well I can't remember how long.

[ElanthianSiren]

chain-smoker! :p

Make my J quit!

[diethx]

chain-smoker! :p

Make my J quit!

I can't even make my J quit, how the fuck am I supposed to make yours quit? PFFFFFFFFFFFFT! Quit sucking on your cloves and maybe he'll follow your lead :P

[Ilvane]

My boyfriend is in starting his fourth week of Chantix and hasn't had a cigarrette all week this week. I'm so proud of him.

He hasn't even really been craving them this week at all, so he says.

Angela

[ElanthianSiren]

I can't even make my J quit, how the fuck am I supposed to make yours quit? PFFFFFFFFFFFFT! Quit sucking on your cloves and maybe he'll follow your lead :P

Haha, I haven't smoked anything in like 4 years. I think it was the day that I woke up and realized JD is some serious shit (and smoking gives you high blood pressure). I just tossed them and started walking instead... Neener neener!

Maybe we could lock them in a room together and intervention detox them. :blndwhip:

[diethx]

Haha, I haven't smoked anything in like 4 years. I think it was the day that I woke up and realized JD is some serious shit (and smoking gives you high blood pressure). I just tossed them and started walking instead... Neener neener!

Maybe we could lock them in a room together and intervention detox them. :blndwhip:

Hell no. My J would kill your J. I tried to get him to quit in March and after the first day he was such a huge bitch that I told him to go get cigs. He has a few more years to enjoy it, and then it's over with once I get pregnant. That's the agreement. I know he has the will power to stop now, but he just doesn't want to, heh.

[Jazuela]

OK, I know JD stands for Jack Daniels, but what's J - as in "I can't get my J to quit"? Or does JD stand for something else these days?

Regards,

The old chick who still answers "I'm just ducky" when someone asks how she is.

[diethx]

OK, I know JD stands for Jack Daniels, but what's J - as in "I can't get my J to quit"? Or does JD stand for something else these days?

Regards,

The old chick who still answers "I'm just ducky" when someone asks how she is.

My fiance is named Justin, her boyfriend is named Justin. Those = J's.

[ElanthianSiren]

OK, I know JD stands for Jack Daniels, but what's J - as in "I can't get my J to quit"? Or does JD stand for something else these days?

Regards,

The old chick who still answers "I'm just ducky" when someone asks how she is.


JD stands for juvenile diabetes in my case. I don't drink (never was a drinker because of JD) or smoke (anymore).

J is what die said.

[Sean of the Thread]

DAMMIT I LOST THE "how long till Mel brings up diabetes in the post" pool again!

[ElanthianSiren]

DAMMIT I LOST THE "how long till Mel brings up diabetes in the post" pool again!

Damnit, I lost the "How long before Sean tries unsucessfully to make a joke in a post" pool again. Fuck.

[Sean of the Thread]

Except mine was funny. (and true)

[ElanthianSiren]

Except mine was funny. (and true)

Wow. You all sit around and talk about me? Christ. Get a hobby.

I know I'm interesting and all, but that's just creepy.

[Warriorbird]

It's like this, ES. People know you. He heard you have many leatherbound books...and that your apartment smells of rich mahogany.

[Jazuela]

So, over 30 days without a smoke. And I started forgetting to take my Chantix at supper time last week, so this morning I figured fuck it and stopped taking them altogether. So far today - cravings just slightly more than usual, which weren't bad to begin with.

Is there some magic date or timelapse when you can say, officially, "I'm an ex-smoker?" Is a month too soon? Or is it more like - I should wait for a month after I've stopped taking meds for cessation? Or 3 months - a year? Anyone have (useful and constructive) thoughts on that?

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

I've quit for years at a time and when I fire up a heater, it tastes just as good as it did the day I quit.

[TheEschaton]

If you believe what AA says - you're always an alcoholic, it's just whether you've been abusing or not at that particular moment. You're never an ex-addict.

[Asha]

I'm an ex-addict and no smartass phrase or outlook will make me believe anything different.
Saying you're always an addict is not letting you let go of something that's better off as far away from you and your memory as possible.

I know you didn't make it up E. Not having a go at you.
Bullshit thing to make someone believe that.

[Sean of the Thread]

/agreed

[Jazuela]

Well if AA had anything to do with it, I might see it differently. But I'm not an alcoholic, and addictions aren't all the same, so that really isn't very helpful information.

[diethx]

Well if AA had anything to do with it, I might see it differently. But I'm not an alcoholic, and addictions aren't all the same, so that really isn't very helpful information.

Well, I quit nearly a year ago and I considered myself an ex-smoker from the moment after I put out that last cigarette. There's nothing saying you can't do the same. Just don't go back to it :)