about quitting smoking...

[jims69camaro]

i guess i am having a hard time psychologically with the transformation from smoker to non-smoker. i am in transition thanks to Chantix, available only by prescription. i had tried all of the other remedies including accu-pressure, gum, patch, lozenge, and certain other programs that did nothing to control the withdrawl from nicotine. Chantix has it all over the other programs and products because it actually blocks nicotine from the key receptors in the central nervous system. it comes on slowly and sooner or later you realize that smoking is doing nothing for you, physically, so why continue?

so, since the 1st i have smoked only one pack. i was up to about a pack and a half per day, so this is a big turn-around for me. and i think the only addiction now is to the psychological effects of smoking. always reaching for a pack, lighting up, having a smoke in my mouth while i am on the computer, driving and smoking, etc. i've almost got this addiction defeated. since the physical addiction is almost zero, the real work will be in working through the psychological things. one day soon i will join the rest of the non-smokers.

so, if quitting was one of your new year's resolutions and you are having trouble keeping it, you might want to see your doctor about a script for Chantix. it's worked for my wife and it's working for me.

[nj85z28]

i was actually thinking of getting a scrip for it this week. thanks

[bad64chevelle]

Good for you Jim! One to stick to his new years resolution!

[FBODS4EVER]

good for you. now if i can only get my wife to quit. its not my habit. but i have to support it.:evil:

[Tsar]

Rx for quitting smoking? Do you people not have will power?

[enRo]

Rx for quitting smoking? Do you people not have will power?

Will power plays a big part in quitting. Like Jim said, its more like a habit. I was fine on my own quitting until I sat in front of a computer... it was a habit to light up. Breaking the habit was hard but it came to a point where I would have a box of lollipops alongside of me to help break the habit. Two boxes of lollipops later, it eventually worked, no prescriptions needed. Just have to trick yourself a little bit.

[69BirdX]

good luck. My aunt you to just put a straw in her mouth. she swore it worked

[Tsar]

Will power plays a big part in quitting. Like Jim said, its more like a habit. I was fine on my own quitting until I sat in front of a computer... it was a habit to light up. Breaking the habit was hard but it came to a point where I would have a box of lollipops alongside of me to help break the habit. Two boxes of lollipops later, it eventually worked, no prescriptions needed. Just have to trick yourself a little bit.

And your example clearly illustrates sufficient willpower to overcome your wants, and be able to say no to yourself. That's all I'm asking for :nod:

[sweetbmxrider]

if everyone could be more like you tsar......


good like jim and congrats on kicking the habit!

[Tsar]

if everyone could be more like you tsar......


If that was the case you would have no one to admire... I quit smoking when I was 13, so I certainly know its possible. My mother decided to quit one day after smoking for about 20 years, she never picked up a cig again - we must be super human or something. :shrug:

[sweetbmxrider]

must be the russian. if i ever smoked, i could say something about it. never have never will. the longer you do it, the harder i would think it would be to quit. maybe you and your mother could write a book and make millions. then donate some to the club and we could host a chat room!

[JL8Jeff]

Good luck Jim, I know a lot of long time smokers definitely struggle with quitting. It has nothing to do with willpower if you've smoked for 30 years or more.

[NJSPEEDER]

I don't believe in substituting one chemical for another. It is better to ease yourself off of them.

Start by not smoking the whole thing. Draw a line halfway down every cigarette and call that the end. Then start skipping or at least trying to delay those routine light ups. If you have something else to occupy your time, try to skip it and dive right into what ever else you have to do, if you were planning to relax, wait a bit before you go have the smoke and stick to only having half.

Either way, good luck. It takes the right situation and mind set to quit.

[Savage_Messiah]

Nice man... I've had a pack of gum in my pocket and coffee stirrers handy the past few days myself. Definitely having the most trouble at work, the habitual times (mainly driving), and out at the bars myself

[enRo]

And your example clearly illustrates sufficient willpower to overcome your wants, and be able to say no to yourself. That's all I'm asking for :nod:

I was merely backing up your statement :nod:

[shane27]

ive been smoking for years and i can go days/weeks without smoking... easily

[Tsar]

must be the russian. if i ever smoked, i could say something about it. never have never will. the longer you do it, the harder i would think it would be to quit. maybe you and your mother could write a book and make millions. then donate some to the club and we could host a chat room!
Unfortunately it would be as long as my book "how to lose weight", which simply proposed to put down the cheeseburger and start exercising. That wasn't a big hit; I'm guessing people don't really like the truth, and prefer a "miracle" drug/pill instead. :shrug:

Good luck Jim, I know a lot of long time smokers definitely struggle with quitting. It has nothing to do with willpower if you've smoked for 30 years or more.

O RLY? I wasn't aware that there was a specific amount of years that a person could not quit after smoking for x amount of years. When does it kick in? 21? 27? 29.999 years? Clearly it must be after 20 and before 30, because no one with 30 years of smoking experience could possibly quit on their own! :shock:

Maybe you should make yourself more familiar with a dictionary.

Will power:
1. Control of one's impulses and actions; self-control.
2. The strength of will to carry out one's decisions, wishes, or plans.
3. The trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior [syn: self-control].

Self Control:
1. Control or restraint of oneself or one's actions, feelings, etc.
2. Control of one's emotions, desires, or actions by one's own will.
3. The act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses [syn: self-denial].
4. The trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior.

Self Denial:
1. An act or instance of restraining or curbing one's desires.
2. The act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses.
3. Forbearing to gratify one's own desires.


Last time I checked no one has died from cigarette withdrawals; so the issue comes down to whether you want to kick the habit bad enough or not. Which in turn comes down to if you have enough self control and will power to exercise your own wishes over what your body is telling you to do.

Dictionary 1, You 0.
Thanks for playing.

[NJ346]

maybe you and your mother could write a book and make millions. then donate some to the club and we could host a chat room!

haha, Your really set on NJFBOA getting a shoutbox huh?:rofl:

[WildBillyT]

Unfortunately it would be as long as my book "how to lose weight", which simply proposed to put down the cheeseburger and start exercising. That wasn't a big hit; I'm guessing people don't really like the truth, and prefer a "miracle" drug/pill instead. :shrug:



O RLY? I wasn't aware that there was a specific amount of years that a person could not quit after smoking for x amount of years. When does it kick in? 21? 27? 29.999 years? Clearly it must be after 20 and before 30, because no one with 30 years of smoking experience could possibly quit on their own! :shock:

Maybe you should make yourself more familiar with a dictionary.

Will power:
1. Control of one's impulses and actions; self-control.
2. The strength of will to carry out one's decisions, wishes, or plans.
3. The trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior [syn: self-control].

Self Control:
1. Control or restraint of oneself or one's actions, feelings, etc.
2. Control of one's emotions, desires, or actions by one's own will.
3. The act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses [syn: self-denial].
4. The trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior.

Self Denial:
1. An act or instance of restraining or curbing one's desires.
2. The act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses.
3. Forbearing to gratify one's own desires.


Last time I checked no one has died from cigarette withdrawals; so the issue comes down to whether you want to kick the habit bad enough or not. Which in turn comes down to if you have enough self control and will power to exercise your own wishes over what your body is telling you to do.

Dictionary 1, You 0.
Thanks for playing.

I think it's a lot easier for people who smoke less in quantity (not duration) to quit. If you are a 2-3 pack a day smoker it's going to be a big deal since your body is so dependent on the nicotine.

And in some cases prescription nicotine replacement therapy is merely OTC stuff that is prescription so that you can make an insurance company pay for it.

[NastyEllEssWon]

i quit cold turkey like 4 years ago. i had almost a 2 pack a day habit. i woke up one morning, smoked half my cig and just put it out and threw the pack out. i never smoked another cig.


i also had cravings up to almost 2 years later and now cant stand them. keep going. feels good

[Tsar]

I think it's a lot easier for people who smoke less in quantity (not duration) to quit. If you are a 2-3 pack a day smoker it's going to be a big deal since your body is so dependent on the nicotine.



Well the man said that you can't possibly quit after smoking 30 years or more... so i ran with that.

I Googled some common withdrawal symptoms and came up with:
Physical:
* Tingling in the hands and feet
* Sweating
* Intestinal disorders (cramps, nausea)
* Headache
* Cold symptoms as the lungs begin to clear (sore throats, coughing, and other signs of colds and respiratory problem)

Mental:
* Feelings of being an infant: temper tantrums, intense needs, feelings of dependency, a state of near paralysis.
* Insomnia
* Mental confusion
* Vagueness
* Irritability
* Anxiety
* Depression is common in the short and long term. In the short term it may mimic the feelings of grief felt when a loved one is lost. As foolish as it sounds, a smoker should plan on a period of actual mourning in order to get through the early withdrawal depression.

(Last one is laughable :lol: )
To add to that list, they are almost never experienced all together, rather they are a combination of a few.

Looking at those I do not see even one symptom that you just simply can't say "get over it" to yourself. What would be the worst case scenario after quitting smoking? Dying? hardly...

To me it's all about self control, if someone wants to treat it like a heroin addiction they might do so - but they are just weak minded people who can't deny themselves a simple want. IMO.

[69BirdX]

I just stopped anf dont have emm anymore. My dad has been trying forever and cant.

[sweetbmxrider]

chemical addiction is different for everyone.

[SRGN]

If that was the case you would have no one to admire... I quit smoking when I was 13, so I certainly know its possible. My mother decided to quit one day after smoking for about 20 years, she never picked up a cig again - we must be super human or something. :shrug:

How long were you smoking if you quit at age 13?

[Tsar]

How long were you smoking if you quit at age 13?
regular basis 11, randomly since I was about 6 or 7. Why?

[sweetbmxrider]

wouldn't that have stunted your growth, real bad? not positive but i think it does.

[SRGN]

That's the youngest I've ever heard of anyone smoking. I didn't start until I was 14.

[NastyEllEssWon]

i started smoking at age 10....quit at age 22

[wretched73]

i smoked for about 2 years (smoked a steady pack a day), i had 2 or 3 dreams within 2 weeks of quitting that i was smoking a cig during the dream, after that it was bad urges for about a month than the next 2 months were ok, but i just started smoking again the past week but thats beside the point

but being in the right state of mind is the most key item, i had tried before but when your not all there mentally i think it makes it harder, and also i had made cigs my enemy when i tried quitting which made the mental strain a little easier on myself

[Savage_Messiah]

regular basis 11, randomly since I was about 6 or 7. Why?

jesus ****ing christ

[CHRIS67]

good luck. My aunt you to just put a straw in her mouth. she swore it worked

I totally agree. I did the same, but with tooth picks. Just substituting one for another was enough to kick the 2 packs of Newports I smoked. I've been smoke free for 11 years now.

It's not easy though and up until about 5 years ago I would still have cravings during stress or a night of drinking. But I would just delay the urge and be fine the next day.

Be tough, you can do it.

[CamaroGirlie]

I quit smoking December 15. Smoked only 3 cigarettes since that day. Sometimes I've had my cravings, but they haven't been that bad. I love my dum dum lollipops that I bought from BJ's. 700 lollipops is really helping my old pack a day habit! Congrats though and Good Luck!!

[Kat]

I started smoking when I was 12 and quit when I was 23. 10.5 years at 2 packs of a day of red's. Got a bad cold where I couldnt breathe right for two days straight and I didnt smoke for those two days. After I started feeling better I thought to myself that I could have a smoke. Then I realized I didnt smoke for two days, handed my pack over to my brother and that was it. 7 years later I haven't had one since. The worst part for me was the first two weeks, after that it was easy to cope with.

As for someone who said about stunting growth. Im 6'4". :D I dont think that it affected me to much.

Just as it was said before, it is a matter of making your mind up doing something and sticking to it. Now if I could do the same with the gym... :D

[Tsar]

wouldn't that have stunted your growth, real bad? not positive but i think it does.I'm 6 feet tall, If it stunted my growth than I'm glad :lol:

That's the youngest I've ever heard of anyone smoking. I didn't start until I was 14.I had a classmate in first grade who smoked a pack a day... He was pretty unintelligent though, which I doubt was related to cigarettes.





Just as it was said before, it is a matter of making your mind up doing something and sticking to it. Now if I could do the same with the gym... :DWow, someone agrees with me! I must be onto something with this self control/will power thing :lol: Shocking...

[Knipps]

Interesting thing about Chantix
http://whyquit.com/pr/082506.html

I have a NIB bottle of it sitting downstairs, my dad bought it but never used it.

[shane27]

ive had 4 cigs in 7 days im doing better then i thought.

im onarolla

[qwikz28]

Interesting thing about Chantix
http://whyquit.com/pr/082506.html

I have a NIB bottle of it sitting downstairs, my dad bought it but never used it.

we get at least 2 people a day for chantix at my father's pharmacy. most people swear its a miracle drug.

[Knipps]

we get at least 2 people a day for chantix at my father's pharmacy. most people swear its a miracle drug.

he looking for any help in the future.. like this summer? ;)

[qwikz28]

he looking for any help in the future.. like this summer? ;)

don't know. we're pretty well staffed.

[jims69camaro]

chantix is a drug to help you quit. without willpower, nothing happens. you can take steroids but if you don't get your ass to the gym it won't give the desired result.

lots of people who do not know the true meaning of addiction (which i noticed did not come up during this discussion) make light of it and belittle those who are addicted. they scream and shout "Just stop!" all the while not understanding what the person trying to kick the addiction is going through. those physical withdrawals can be nasty in combination with the psychological needs/habits. it's not as easy as just making up your mind to stop. but it does help if you have the motivation to quit, as the Chantix will not help if you are not ready to quit.

what i have noticed in the past few weeks is very slight physical withdrawal symptoms. since i have been taking the drug since the second week of december, i have allowed the drug to do its work before i started doing mine. since i don't have the physical withdrawal symptoms to deal with, i can concentrate on the psychological effects. this has made quitting so much simpler. i have tried to quit in the past and have used everything from cold turkey to the patch (you used to need a prescription for it) to an anti-depressant (Wellbutrin) to a computer than attempted to wean me off of cigarettes in about the same method as i used to become addicted to them. none of that worked for me. and it's still not been an easy road, even with the Chantix.

some people have compared quitting smoking to quitting smack. since i've never even tried heroin, i have no idea what the physical addiction is like, so i can't make that comparison, but i have watched others give up the drug and seen the physical effects the withdrawal caused.

there are times where the psychological effects have me reaching for a pack. certain habits are so ingrained that they are done with no thought. i have found that they can be the hardest to overcome.

[7998]

Hey Jim keep up the good work, it's hard to quit. I did it for a month and a half but went back because I was an idiot. Me and the wife are working ourselves up mentaly to quit once and for all. It's not so much the physical addiction as the mental one that gets me. Example, Morning coffee, after dinner, with a beer etc. I got the Rx for Chantix also, but the side effects made me nervous, I hate pills. Did you notice any side effects?

[WildBillyT]

I know how hard it is to quit smoking. It's just as hard as it is to START FLOSSING.

[01SS]

If that was the case you would have no one to admire... I quit smoking when I was 13, so I certainly know its possible. My mother decided to quit one day after smoking for about 20 years, she never picked up a cig again - we must be super human or something. :shrug:

Wow that is some impressive will power!! I should have tried quitting when i was 13 because at that point i had only been smoking for 6 months. I never realized it was that easy, since that is obviously the same as me trying to quit now after 15 yrs. With smoking up to 2 packs a day at some points. I would have quit a long time ago, oh wait thats right I forgot the tobacco companies are dumping tons of chemicals and bs into cig. to make them addictive. Dont try to make yourself sound all impressive, unless you started smoking a pack a day since you were 5 which i doubt. Your mother , if that is true is impressive, you not so much.

[WildBillyT]

thats right I forgot the tobacco companies are dumping tons of chemicals and bs into cig. to make them addictive.

More than that. Many tobacco workers piss and **** on the bales when they are in processing.

[Tsar]

Wow that is some impressive will power!! I should have tried quitting when i was 13 because at that point i had only been smoking for 6 months. I never realized it was that easy, since that is obviously the same as me trying to quit now after 15 yrs. With smoking up to 2 packs a day at some points. I would have quit a long time ago, oh wait thats right I forgot the tobacco companies are dumping tons of chemicals and bs into cig. to make them addictive. Dont try to make yourself sound all impressive, unless you started smoking a pack a day since you were 5 which i doubt. Your mother , if that is true is impressive, you not so much.

You mad? :lol: It is possible to quit cold turkey, people have done it before and will do it again. Stop being a sissy. And last thing I want to do is to impress you buddy. :lol:


Oh and no offense to OP but comparing withdrawals of cigarettes to heroin qualifies for a :lol:

[Knipps]

More than that. Many tobacco workers piss and **** on the bales when they are in processing.

Have anything to back that up?

[WildBillyT]

Have anything to back that up?

No articles or anything like that. But a company I used to work for did fire supression systems and when one of us was there the workers told him to just go to the bathroom on the bales like they did.

[jims69camaro]

Oh and no offense to OP but comparing withdrawals of cigarettes to heroin qualifies for a :lol:

so you've quit heroin, too? :lol:

i've seen the statistics on people who quit and then return to smoking. even with the pill i'm popping there are no guarantees. recidivism is near 60% within six months of quitting.

i've noticed zero side effects, for those that asked. they list every known side effect on the white paper, so expect to see everything under the sun there. what they don't print up are the likelihood of you experiencing those side effects. so, don't not try it just because the side effects listed are numerous and some even dangerous. it's something to talk about with your doctor, anyway, since you need a prescription for it.

[01SS]

You mad? :lol: It is possible to quit cold turkey, people have done it before and will do it again. Stop being a sissy. And last thing I want to do is to impress you buddy. :lol:


Oh and no offense to OP but comparing withdrawals of cigarettes to heroin qualifies for a :lol:

If read what I wrote you would have noticed that I didnt say anything about people not being able to quit cold turkey. I know its possible, I know people who have done it. What I am saying is that even if you really did start smoking at 5 years old there is no way your nicotine intake would be anywhere near what high teen to an adult takes in. Generally as a 5-10 yr. old you are in your parents or an adult gaurdians company way too much to pull off a pack a day or more. So you can't call people sissies or anything else for not quitting cold turkey. The years of habit and physical addiction is just not there. If I had wanted to try to quit when I was 13 I could have easy as pie because I had only been smoking maybe a pack a week at that point. You have to take into account that as a child you are in school 8 hrs. a day. If you smoke on the way home you will get caught because you will reek of smoke. You eat dinner at home, sleep at home, and at that age I doubt that your curfew was 11 p.m. I was out a lot (prob more than I should have been at that age) and I could only pull off maybe a pack a week with my buddies help. That being said quitting at that age should be no problem for even a person without any willpower at all. You just cant compare that to someone who has been smoking for over 10 years at a pack a day at least, maybe more. And if you could at that age I am now disappointed in your mother for not keeping a better eye on you. And by the way I don't get mad over much, I just don't like you belittling someone who has made an incredibly tough step as trying to quit smoking with quit smoking aids or not. Someone who is trying to quit needs support not smug comments from someone who got the participation trophy and not First Place. Jims69 I wish you the best of luck and hopefully soon here I will be following in your footsteps!!

[Tsar]

so you've quit heroin, too? :lol:

Nope, never tried and never will. Have you?

I've been to a few DEA presentation where they talk about primarily meth, heroin and coke addicts and lets just say what heroin does to your body and and the speed that it does it with, does not compare to cigarettes. But hey for you I can ask them next time what they think of comparison.. Or maybe you wanna venture to an orientation yourself for your benefit :shrug:

If read what I wrote you would have noticed that I didnt say anything about people not being able to quit cold turkey. I know its possible, I know people who have done it. What I am saying is that even if you really did start smoking at 5 years old there is no way your nicotine intake would be anywhere near what high teen to an adult takes in. Generally as a 5-10 yr. old you are in your parents or an adult gaurdians company way too much to pull off a pack a day or more. So you can't call people sissies or anything else for not quitting cold turkey. The years of habit and physical addiction is just not there. If I had wanted to try to quit when I was 13 I could have easy as pie because I had only been smoking maybe a pack a week at that point. You have to take into account that as a child you are in school 8 hrs. a day. If you smoke on the way home you will get caught because you will reek of smoke. You eat dinner at home, sleep at home, and at that age I doubt that your curfew was 11 p.m. I was out a lot (prob more than I should have been at that age) and I could only pull off maybe a pack a week with my buddies help. That being said quitting at that age should be no problem for even a person without any willpower at all. You just cant compare that to someone who has been smoking for over 10 years at a pack a day at least, maybe more. And if you could at that age I am now disappointed in your mother for not keeping a better eye on you. And by the way I don't get mad over much, I just don't like you belittling someone who has made an incredibly tough step as trying to quit smoking with quit smoking aids or not. Someone who is trying to quit needs support not smug comments from someone who got the participation trophy and not First Place. Jims69 I wish you the best of luck and hopefully soon here I will be following in your footsteps!!

Man, you would make a BAD, down right horrible lawyer. :lol: Just because you want to make this threat more about me instead of the OP, allow me to educate your newb self about how I grew up, which will blow your idiotic theory out of the water.

My pops left when I was 9 and I have not heard from him since, there goes one guardian that's suppsoe to punish me for smoking. My mom moved to US when I was 11, there goes the second guardian. Is the theory of your silly argument beginning to collapse yet?

My uncle, who happens to be an alky, was suppose to watch me when my mother was gone. However, he preferred to spend the money she sent from US on booze and prostitutes - I have seen him have sex with one (prostitute) in my own bed, so that is a factual statement. That only happened when he was home though, and majority of the time he was not. This might come as a surprise to you but when you live with an alky they generally do not care about you, thus he could have been absent a week or two, without even so much as telling me that he was coming back. In fact the longest I remember him being gone is about 3 weeks. Do you think he left food for me? :lol:

As you might, or might not, know smoking suppresses appetite and if you drink a lot of water with it - well the life will be joyous yet again. So to your silly little statement that i would have been caught by one of my guardians and punished for smoking I just have to :rofl: at you. So yes I did smoke about a pack a day, not for long but for about 2 years which indeed is not that long of a time to get super addictions you guys are talking about here! I mean you couldn't possibly quit smoking cold turkey after smoking for 15 years... wooops that's wrong too.


My comments weren't smug, have you ever heard of tough love? Using one drug to quit another is silly in my opinion. And btw in my old country they do not give out trophies for trying unlike they do here...

If you want to continue to derail this thread and talk more about me, or state any other ludicrous ideas about me - which frankly you have no Idea, not even close as to what you are talking about, feel free to PM me and I'll set you straight.

Cheers and have a nice day :mrgreen:

Sorry for derailing your thread Jim, but the newb had to be told off. :lol:

[sweetbmxrider]

everyone is different and their bodies handle withdrawal differently. some need a little help, others need more. its silly to make such a good thing a terrible thread. coming from me this probably doesn't mean much though.

[01SS]

Where do you keep getting that I say you cant quit cold turkey? Read my comment, I say it is possible. And all your retort did was tell me your life story not really defend your idea. With most addictions the body becomes immune to the amount of whatever is going in thus requiring more. A regular smoking habit of one year is going to be easier to quit than one of 10, 20, or 30 yrs because the body needs way more of it. Now let me repeat this to the jury since obviously lawyer man cant get it through his skull and I want no misunderstandings-I AM NOT SAYING IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO QUIT COLD TURKEY!!- I am merely saying that you act like this is some easy task as long a you have a little willpower. Personally I would rather see someone put a little of an o/c drug in them to help them quit a habit that is slowly killing them. Chantix=not dead. Smoking+sooner or later dead unless you get by a car.

[01SS]

everyone is different and their bodies handle withdrawal differently. some need a little help, others need more. its silly to make such a good thing a terrible thread. coming from me this probably doesn't mean much though.

You are right. I know that I have gotten way off track and helped make this ugly. If anyone else here has read some of my other posts I do suffer from foot in mouth disease, I understand this and do not believe I am on a high horse or anything. I apoligize for what I have contributed to (a good thing). I just hate it when someone is trying to make something that 100's of thousands of people are struggling with into a quick easy fix. Once more I apologize, especially to you jims69 for ruining a good thread. Good Luck Again and keep us posted on how its going, I promise to hold my tongue.