# So This Is What It Feels Like . . .



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

. . . to be a non-smoker eh?

After 35 years (give or take a year) of smoking basically a pack a day, I quit a few days ago. I'd wanted to for a while, but hadn't planned to that day. I just realized as evening approached that I hadn't smoked at all that day so decided not to. And I haven't since.

Best part about it is that I feel fine. Some minor cravings, but otherwise fine.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

colchar said:


> . . . to be a non-smoker eh?
> 
> After 35 years (give or take a year) of smoking basically a pack a day, I quit a few days ago. I'd wanted to for a while, but hadn't planned to that day. I just realized as evening approached that I hadn't smoked at all that day so decided not to. And I haven't since.
> 
> Best part about it is that I feel fine. Some minor cravings, but otherwise fine.


it's not the nicotine addiction that makes quitting tough. it's the habit/routine.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

Good for you Colchar.


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

At least you have guitar playing to occupy your hands. That is also something that ex smokers deal with. I quit cold turky 33.5 years ago. Granted, I just started cycling so it wasn't all the complimentary. You'll start breathing easier, climb stairs easier, have extra money......a LOT......and you'll smell better. Both physically and literally. Think olfactory. There is no downside to quitting.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Excellent! Just remember that you can _never_ have another cigarette. If you do and start up again, you've lost. If you do and don't start up again, you will be fooled into thinking you can smoke again anytime and you'll be fine, which is not true.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

All the best for success wth quitting. 

I quit a few years ago and now wished that I had done so many years before that for many, many reasons. 
@Verne listed many of them.


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

Doug Gifford said:


> Excellent! Just remember that you can _never_ have another cigarette. If you do and start up again, you've lost. If you do and don't start up again, you will be fooled into thinking you can smoke again anytime and you'll be fine, which is not true.


Wherein the expression "quittin's easy, I've done it a thousand times" comes into play. I found cold turkey really does work better than cutting back. Cutting back leads to smoking more. But yes, giving in to a craving will be the last thing to do. I can't comment on the outcome of quitting cigarettes but you also smoke weed.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Imagine the gear you can buy with your smoke money. If only I could do the same with wine.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

DaddyDog said:


> Imagine the gear you can buy with your smoke money. If only I could do the same with wine.



I ain't gonna lie, that was one of the first things I thought of. A pack a day at $12 per pack is $360 a month or $4320 a year. The reptilian part of my brain immediately started thinking about gear I could buy. Thankfully I don't need anything.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

My friend quit and then hogged back so many artificially-sweetened candies that he had a seizure in my driveway -- thank goodness he hadn't driven away. Not seizure, SEIZURE! It took me and my neighbour to restrain him. I drove him around for months while he waited to get his license back.

That seizure event was the perfect opportunity to invite his best friend back to town: yep, Mr. Tobacco. He & Mr. Tobacco have been fine ever since. 

If you feel like candies, go with real sugar.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Funnily enough, I haven't been reaching for sweets or anything else any more than I normally would.

That being said, I am having a cup of tea right now and hadn't had tea for 3-4 years even though I used to drink it regularly.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Good for you! You might not need more gear, but $5k year certainly can buy stuff, or a vacation.
I remember my parents quiting and taping a quarter to the calendar each day they didn't smoke. I think it represented a half pack each or so. 1972, no idea what smokes cost the but they were cheap because they weren't taxed heavily yet.
My dad was a slim man till then but quickly gained 30 pounds in a few years and struggled to get it off again. It's not a given that happens to everyone, but eating more seemed to be a thing back then when people quit. All my aunts and uncles smoked, but most quit eventually and gained weight.


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

I don't know if this is true, but I've heard smoking stimulates the digestive system. If it is true, that would explain weight gain for many people.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

tomee2 said:


> Good for you! You might not need more gear, but $5k year certainly can buy stuff, or a vacation.



I need to head over to the UK. I was hoping for late August, but doubt things will have settled down enough by then so late October is more likely. The money I won't be spending on smokes can pay for that, and maybe a return trip in December.


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## slag banal (May 4, 2020)

Very very hard. But you can do it. I quit after 20 yrs of at least a pack a day. Hang in there. Your brain will lie to you, saying, “just one is ok. After all you’ve been clean for ten days.” Don’t listen to it! A few extra pounds won’t kill you like smoking will.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Doug Gifford said:


> Excellent! Just remember that you can _never_ have another cigarette. If you do and start up again, you've lost. If you do and don't start up again, you will be fooled into thinking you can smoke again anytime and you'll be fine, which is not true.


i started smoking at 12. i'm 56. it killed my parents. i've quit a few times. the first time, i quit for 2 years. when i started back again, it wasn't due to cravings, it was boredom. for a few years after that, i could pick it up and put it down at will.
the next time i quit, it was for 10 years. a combination of things, stress being the biggest one, caused me to start smoking again, about 4 years ago. i have a real hard time with it now, i'm still doing it.
anyhow, the point i wanted to make regarding the above quote is this:

the first time i quit, it was HARD. but i quit because it disgusted me. i used to keep an "emergency cigarette" in a little test tube with a rubber stopper on top of a piece of machinery in my shop. one day that was particularly stressful, i grabbed that test tube, pulled the stopper, and went to another guy to ask for a light. a guy standing next to him said 
"you _could_ light that, but if you do, every shitty moment you went through trying not to smoke is all for nothing."
i broke that cigarette and went back to work.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Verne said:


> Wherein the expression "quittin's easy, I've done it a thousand times" comes into play. I found cold turkey really does work better than cutting back. Cutting back leads to smoking more. But yes, giving in to a craving will be the last thing to do. I can't comment on the outcome of quitting cigarettes but you also smoke weed.


I agree. Took me about 10 years to quit. Cold turkey is the way, and the secret is - there is no such thing as having 1 cigarette. Ever. 1 will always lead to more.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I started smoking when I was 11. Didn't stop until I was 45 so 34 years of smoking. I used to finish a pack of 25 on an evening out in the bars. I was considered a heavy smoker. I'm done with it now. Its been 21 years now since I stopped. I still occasionally have cigars. When we went to Cuba a few years ago, I was smoking the cigarillos all through out that trip. Got home here and didn't smoke. Doesn't bother me anymore.

Well congratulations! You've just added a few years into your life.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

DaddyDog said:


> If only I could do the same with wine.


I'll drink to that. 
Make mine a Brunello di Montepulciano ...cheers!


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## Permanent Waves (Jun 2, 2020)

Good luck and keep it up! It gets easier every day. Physical addiction goes after a few weeks and can be easily handled with nicorette. Psychological addiction took me about a year - basically go through everything you go through in a year without a butt and you'll be fine, no more cravings after that. After 10 years, physically, it's like you never smoked at all. The hardest things is breaking the routine of the habit, especially for musicians - hanging around with smokers, having a butt at a jam or a gig. Maybe COVID is a good time for quitting, everyone's social routine is changed.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

I did smoke but honestly 6-7 through out a whole day. A pack lasted me for 3 days depending on stress levels. My husband quit a long time ago and was always asking me,”when are you quitting”? I quit a couple of years ago. It didn’t bother me at all to quit. I do notice others that smoke around me on their lunch breaks. It’s the smell.

Good for you Colchar! Keep moving forwards!!


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## MFW777 (Aug 3, 2017)

Doug Gifford said:


> Excellent! Just remember that you can _never_ have another cigarette. If you do and start up again, you've lost. If you do and don't start up again, you will be fooled into thinking you can smoke again anytime and you'll be fine, which is not true.


This is the absolute truth. I quit 5 times before I realized this. Always started again when I “negotiated“ with myself that I could just have “just one”. It’s been 19 years since I quit cigarettes for the last time and will never smoke them again.


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## alphasports (Jul 14, 2008)

DaddyDog said:


> Imagine the gear you can buy with your smoke money. If only I could do the same with wine.


Dunno, I buy MUCH nicer gear after a bottle of wine


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

Keep going. It gets easier. And congratulations. That's awesome.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Verne said:


> There is no downside to quitting.


Not sure if it's a downside or not, but I knew a guy years ago who, about 2 weeks after quitting, discovered that, now that he could actually taste it, he didn't like beef.


colchar said:


> Thankfully I don't need anything.


"Need"? What is "need"?

Seriously though, congrats and hang in there!


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

@colchar it sucks, it’s hard, but so worth it.
Been…. 14 years now.


cheezyridr said:


> it's the habit/routine.


 so much that I always associated a Jack & Coke with a cigarette.
That, was a hard one to break.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

MFW777 said:


> This is the absolute truth. I quit 5 times before I realized this. Always started again when I “negotiated“ with myself that I could just have “just one”. It’s been 19 years since I quit cigarettes for the last time and will never smoke them again.


In the past I always rationalized that one would be OK to get me over the hump, and then I'd negotiate with myself. Soon I'd be a full blown smoker again.

This time I am not allowing that. The idea has crept into my head a couple of times, but I pushed the idea away quickly.

This evening was a bit rough, but I forced my way through it and feel OK now. After a night's sleep I'll be on to my fifth day. I last smoked on Sunday, and I am looking forward to making it to a week.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

bw66 said:


> Not sure if it's a downside or not, but I knew a guy years ago who, about 2 weeks after quitting, discovered that, now that he could actually taste it, he didn't like beef.


I BBQ'ed a nice steak for dinner tonight and loved it. If I ever end up not liking beef I'll shoot myself.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Coming up 16 months, last dart 1/31/20. A few months from the longest I’ve quit since about 1980, cleaner no cheat this time around is easy, no social anxiety due to the pandemic. I won’t go back, now.


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## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

Good on you! My Father and wife were smokers and both quit cold turkey. They eventually became the biggest complainers of other people smoking. Couldn’t stand to smell it and wouldn’t even ride the same elevator of a smoker as they could smelled it on their clothes. I recall reading it takes 9 years for the lungs to repair the damage done by smoking so stick at it, enjoy the savings, and better health.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

StratCat said:


> Good on you! My Father and wife were smokers and both quit cold turkey. *They eventually became the biggest complainers of other people smoking*. Couldn’t stand to smell it and wouldn’t even ride the same elevator of a smoker as they could smelled it on their clothes. I recall reading it takes 9 years for the lungs to repair the damage done by smoking so stick at it, enjoy the savings, and better health.


Yep, the old saying: _"the worst anti-smoker, is an ex-smoker"_.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I'm happy for you. Smoking is evil, and not just for the smoker but for those around them. 

Make the best of it.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

colchar said:


> I last smoked on Sunday, and I am looking forward to making it to a week.


Every day will get easier and easier. Before you realize it, you will have quit for a month...then a year...then you don't think about it and begin to forget when you actually quit. 

Treat yourself to another BBQ'd steak soon.


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

Good for you...It's been sooo long since I quit!! Definitely feels great and think of all the money you'll save and all the nice gear you can treat yourself to, too!!!!


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

My hat is off to you sir. Keep it up.


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## Ship of fools (Nov 17, 2007)

Not an easy path to follow. As for the lungs healing well they actually don't really heal but do start to work better after only 6 months of non smoking. The tea should help and it doesn't hurt to look into other cessation methods to help you through this journey and it is a journey.
Good luck .


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## Permanent Waves (Jun 2, 2020)

Don't give up, it is so worth it in the end. One thing that kept me motivated was to allow myself a side project that I could sink whatever money I was not spending on cigarettes. I was not a heavy smoker, about 2 packs a week, but that's still $1000 a year. Here is what I did with the first 8 year's worth, and it was still cheaper than the cigarettes.


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## DrumBob (Aug 17, 2014)

colchar said:


> . . . to be a non-smoker eh?
> 
> After 35 years (give or take a year) of smoking basically a pack a day, I quit a few days ago. I'd wanted to for a while, but hadn't planned to that day. I just realized as evening approached that I hadn't smoked at all that day so decided not to. And I haven't since.
> 
> Best part about it is that I feel fine. Some minor cravings, but otherwise fine.


Good for you. Cigarettes are evil stuff. I watched my mother die from the effects of smoking.


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## Jimmy Fingers (Aug 17, 2017)

NEVER QUIT QUITTING! I threw a brand new pack onto the 402 in 1992 and never looked back. All I thought about was my kids, who were young at the time, and their health. How could anyone tell their kids not to smoke when they do it themselves? Now I think it is disgusting and absolutely no reason for it in spite of what some people say. First 3 months are tough because you will do a lot of the same things you did when you would light up. A small change to those habits will really help. After 3 months you will see a significant difference. Don't forget the first 3 word of this post should you lapse. Good for you!


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

colchar said:


> . . . to be a non-smoker eh?
> 
> After 35 years (give or take a year) of smoking basically a pack a day, I quit a few days ago. I'd wanted to for a while, but hadn't planned to that day. I just realized as evening approached that I hadn't smoked at all that day so decided not to. And I haven't since.
> 
> Best part about it is that I feel fine. Some minor cravings, but otherwise fine.


My only advice my friend,
Buy some patches if you intend on having a drink.
Don’t be afraid to put one on if you are having a hell of a day.

Congrats on the achievement!
You’ll be saving a lot of money and gaining a a lot of mental clarity.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Always12AM said:


> My only advice my friend,
> Buy some patches if you intend on having a drink.
> Don’t be afraid to put one on if you are having a hell of a day.
> 
> ...



I only drink British beer (well, I drink rye too). I stocked up two weeks before quitting. My birthday was also a couple of days before quit, and my brother gave me a mixed 24 of my favourite British beers. I don't dare drink any of them right now. What a waste!!!!!


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

You’ll get the odd craving for years but the thing you need to realize about cravings is...if you can divert your attention for 3 or 4 minutes, it’ll pass.

Get a craving? Go make a pot of coffee, or wash the couple of dishes in the sink, throw a load of laundry in, whatever it takes to think of something other than a smoke for a few minutes.

Identify your triggers and minimize them for the first year and you’ll be fine.

Don’t avoid smokers, you should be able to be around them without giving in. You can’t live in a non-smoking bubble.

You’ll feel noticeably better after two or three weeks.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

colchar said:


> .. my brother gave me a mixed 24 of my favourite British beers.
> I don't dare drink any of them right now. What a waste!!!!!


I'll gladly help you with your smoking abstinence and take that case of temptation off of your hands.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I'm doing OK thus far today. I have a nasty migraine (normal for me so nothing to do with quitting) so am going to take some medication and then have a nap. Sleeping will help me get some more time under my belt.


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## Percy (Feb 18, 2013)

Yes I quit too
Breathing air instead of smoke
your body will start to heal and you will feel better
good on ya !


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Quitting _can_ be hard but it doesn't have to be. I smoked for about 12 years- late teens to around early 30's. Quit for good in the mid 90's. Never a heavy smoker but maybe a half pack a day at worst. I quit a few times and was always disgusted with myself for starting again. The main driver to quit- besides the blatantly obvious health benefit- was that I hated being addicted to a substance. Also, increasingly, smokers were being looked upon as a pariah in society- rightly so. Smokers reek. They pollute the air around them and diminish the health of anyone who is near them on a regular basis. There is NO good reason to smoke. It is a stupid and selfish habit. When I see someone smoking these days, that is exactly what I think of them. 
I replaced smoking with healthier pursuits. You should do the same- makes the quitting seem so much more worthwhile. 
Sorry, not much of a pep talk eh?  
I've become an even more militant anti-smoker during the pandemic. It's especially disgusting to breath in and smell someone's cigarette smoke, smoke that you know has come from someone's potentially covid infected lungs and is now in yours. A smoker would never consider this though.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I quit for 3 years and started again. That bugs me and I can't get the mindset to quit again. I didn't consider myself a non smoker until a year went by without one.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Jim DaddyO said:


> I quit for 3 years and started again. That bugs me and I can't get the mindset to quit again. I didn't consider myself a non smoker until a year went by without one.


I took up smoking in my 20s and quit some time in my 30s. I never considered myself "a smoker" and I think that helped me.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

That does bring up an interesting question - when can I consider myself a non-smoker?


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

colchar said:


> - when can I consider myself a non-smoker?


Now, and keep to it.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

colchar said:


> That does bring up an interesting question - when can I consider myself a non-smoker?


Now, if you want.


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## undermystone (May 10, 2021)

I smoked from 14 - 40, tried quitting a number of times a number of ways, hypnosis with a casette tape to sleep to, the patch , cold turkey a few times.
Another long timer I knew who seemed to cave in to quitting, quit with ease using Wellbutrin, I had other smokers tell me it worked..so with all that in mind I said wtf. Doc prescribed it gladly to see me quit.
I took this pill and kept smoking, then roughly 1.5 weeks later I just didn't feel like smoking, it was kinda weird, but there it is..just about that simple. Once I stopped smoking, I stayed taking that pill as prescribed, I think it was a month total,maybe more ?? it's been 16 years since that day. Very rarely I smell a cigarette burning and it smells soooo goood, but that goes away quickly, normally it just stinks
for an extra bonus : I coughed up lung butter for a good long time..it's kinda more tricky that you might think too, having to hock a big nasty loogy in public lol


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

When I was in grade 7 or 8, the neighbour kid and I used to gather up all the good butts in the ashtrays around the house and collect the left over tobacco. We made a couple of corn cob pipes and for awhile would put the used tobacco in the pipes and smoke them. We never inhaled them but thought we looked pretty cool. I never did start smoking but sometimes I wonder if many years of playing in smoky bars has done damage to my lungs. Congrats on quitting.


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## undermystone (May 10, 2021)

Thank you, and for my part..sorry for all my second hand smoke. It is nasty, as a smoker I always tried to keep clear if possible.
If you have never been in a smoke room where all the smokers in a building have to go, it burns your eyes, like being in L.A. smog in the 70's,

or move a picture on the wall of a long time smokers house and see the outline of tar and smoke goo lol

after getting over the addiction, which was fairly easy on that pill, it's the hand to mouth habit that is so impossible, I had sunflower seeds, but I ate way too many and developed issues in my gut, luckily they seem to clear up once I got that under control.


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## undermystone (May 10, 2021)

I say thanks as if you are talking to me and not colchar lol wake and bake maybe ?
hang in there colchar ! will power. half the battle is the will to quit, I was ready and wanted to quit, but too weak to do it on my own.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

undermystone said:


> I smoked from 14 - 40, tried quitting a number of times a number of ways, hypnosis with a casette tape to sleep to, the patch , cold turkey a few times.
> Another long timer I knew who seemed to cave in to quitting, quit with ease using Wellbutrin, I had other smokers tell me it worked..so with all that in mind I said wtf. Doc prescribed it gladly to see me quit.
> I took this pill and kept smoking, then roughly 1.5 weeks later I just didn't feel like smoking, it was kinda weird, but there it is..just about that simple. Once I stopped smoking, I stayed taking that pill as prescribed, I think it was a month total,maybe more ?? it's been 16 years since that day. Very rarely I smell a cigarette burning and it smells soooo goood, but that goes away quickly, normally it just stinks
> for an extra bonus : I coughed up lung butter for a good long time..it's kinda more tricky that you might think too, having to hock a big nasty loogy in public lol


Yeah Zyban (Wellbutrin) is good stuff. It was designed as ananti-depressant, but they realized people were quitting smoking so marketed it as a smoking cessation aid too.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Today is my sixth day smoke free. Thus far, I feel fine.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)




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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Had some slightly rough patches today, but they passed fairly quickly.

The last time I smoked was last Sunday, so tomorrow it will be 7 days smoke free. A nice little milestone there.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Ten days now. Haven't had so much as a drag in that time.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Good job. The first 2-3 weeks is the hardest. Get through that and it’s mostly smooth sailing except for the odd 3 minute craving. It feels MUCH better being a non smoker. Not a puff for me for a little over four years now.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

EXCELLENT! Great news!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

colchar said:


> That does bring up an interesting question - when can I consider myself a non-smoker?


Every single day, apparently.  Mark Twain is reputed to have said: "Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times."

In the AA world, it seems people consider themselves to be lifelong alcoholics, but in remission of sorts. The same thing does not seem to apply to smokers, but having neither a propensity towards alcohol or nicotine (luck o' the draw, not any sort matter of principle), I don't know whether this is a qualitative difference between each type of dependency, some sort of belief within AA, or what. But you do ask an interesting question. I'll be curious to see what others post on the matter.


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## LouisFNCyphre (Apr 23, 2021)

mhammer said:


> Every single day, apparently.  Mark Twain is reputed to have said: "Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times."
> 
> In the AA world, it seems people consider themselves to be lifelong alcoholics, but in remission of sorts. The same thing does not seem to apply to smokers, but having neither a propensity towards alcohol or nicotine (luck o' the draw, not any sort matter of principle), I don't know whether this is a qualitative difference between each type of dependency, some sort of belief within AA, or what. But you do ask an interesting question. I'll be curious to see what others post on the matter.



AA has some cultish aspects so their adoption of the mindset of 'forever in remission' might not actually be supported by science. Other programs for dealing with alcohol addiction don't always agree with AA on that element, or for that matter on most aspects of how to treat alcohol dependency so even with that specific substance there's disagreements on whether or not the idea of 'remission for life' is true.

That said, not many people casually smoke cigarettes in the way people casually drink alcohol so alcohol might have a more slippery slope to be worried about. The occassional celebratory cigar or visit to the sheisha shop might be more like what occasional drinkers do, so only if those were really common would people need to worry about that turning back into addiction.

I'd imagine the nature of the substance in question matters too. Some substances are really psychologically addictive but don't have significant physical aspects, others have a substantial physical aspect as well. Alcohol can be pretty terrible for physical dependency as well.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

LouisFNCyphre said:


> AA has some cultish aspects so their adoption of the mindset of 'forever in remission' might not actually be supported by science. Other programs for dealing with alcohol addiction don't always agree with AA on that element, or for that matter on most aspects of how to treat alcohol dependency so even with that specific substance there's disagreements on whether or not the idea of 'remission for life' is true.
> 
> That said, not many people casually smoke cigarettes in the way people casually drink alcohol so alcohol might have a more slippery slope to be worried about. The occassional celebratory cigar or visit to the sheisha shop might be more like what occasional drinkers do, so only if those were really common would people need to worry about that turning back into addiction.
> 
> I'd imagine the nature of the substance in question matters too. Some substances are really psychologically addictive but don't have significant physical aspects, others have a substantial physical aspect as well. Alcohol can be pretty terrible for physical dependency as well.



Smoking has a huge psychological aspect.

Since quitting, I constantly find myself thinking that when I finish X I will have a smoke, or when I do Y I will have a smoke. And they aren't big things, they are simple activities but my habit was to smoke afterwards. Even something as simple as going upstairs to grab a drink will make me think of smoking when I come back downstairs (I smoked in the garage, not in the house, so would pass the door to the garage while going up/down).

Previously, the idea would gnaw at me until I smoked again. This time (luckily), I can immediately dismiss the idea and that is it. 

Driving is the worst though as I always smoked while driving.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I have often said that people should receive in pleasure what they forfeit in health and longevity. The difficulty with smoking is that, for so many smokers, there isn't all that much pleasure involved, so they sadly give up more than they get; a pretty lousy deal if you ask me. They stand with the cigarette pinched between index and middle finger, the smoke rising as the stance is adopted, and the inhale is largely procedural and often unconscious. My response is smoke the ones you're going to* truly* enjoy, and leave the rest in the package. But the habitual nature, and manner in which it is woven into daily activities, makes that a difficult path to pursue.

The conditioned tolerance model of dependencies, that applies classical conditioning principles to the analysis of such dependencies, predicts that the more pairings a substance has with external events/stimuli within some period of time, the stronger the association, and the more those external events can elicit the compensatory responses that in turn provoke substance-seeking.

Bodies generally work towards homeostasis. Substances with punctate physical effects (i.e., perceivable onset/offset) produce compensatory physical responses over repeated presentations, to counteract the direct physical effects of the substance in question and achieve that balance/homeostasis. When the ingestion ritual and cues associated with that substance occur, the compensatory response kicks in, which is perceived as a need for the substance and its effects.

Think of it like living with someone who turns the thermostat down whenever they see you coming up the driveway or walking up to the door. Eventually, your reflexive response when you come home will be to go immediately to the thermostat and turn it up to a "liveable" temperature, because coming home predicts "too cold".

The habit/act of cigarette smoking has the unfortunate characteristic of associating nicotine-ingestion with so *many* events, actions, and contexts that the individual attempting to quit is constantly assaulted by things that elicit that compensatory response, increasing the urge to smoke in order to "restore balance". I would expect people to find it easier to give up cigar smoking. A big part of the hurdles cigarette smokers face when trying to quit is the "convenience" of cigarettes and how many come in a package.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I should have bought that 335 you had for sale awhile back


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## undermystone (May 10, 2021)

as colchar said, it was a smoke with everything, hammering nails with a cigarette in my mouth, sometimes getting in my eye..I do not miss that.
I would get in the car, start it, then push in the old car lighter ,tapping the steering wheel , fiddle with the tunes, waiting on that coil to get hot. lol
stay with it .. you got a whole forum rooting for you


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## polyslax (May 15, 2020)

colchar said:


> Driving is the worst though as I always smoked while driving.


Driving is a tough one, for sure.

I stopped by chance 5 years ago. I had a bad cold/flu and I just couldn't smoke through it. I knew I had to stop soon anyhow... smoking at 50+ for a man is a bad idea. So, cold turkey coffee and smokes on the same day. It was tough but not debilitatingly so, and my wife still smokes! There are times when I still crave it... I often smoke in my dreams, and there are certain moments that come together, like the perfect storm, it's the time of the year, the time of day, the smell of something, the song in my head and it's like, if someone handed me a smoke at that moment I would take a huge haul off it.

You just have to fight your way through it. It does get easier, but the temptation can pop up way down the road.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I still haven't smoked.

And I hadn't had a drink since quitting smoking as I figured it would increase cravings and be too much of a temptation. I just finished cutting the grass. As always, I had a beer while doing so and - nothing. No increased cravings, no reaction at all. I might as well have been drinking Pepsi.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

colchar said:


> I still haven't smoked.
> 
> And I hadn't had a drink since quitting smoking as I figured it would increase cravings and be too much of a temptation. I just finished cutting the grass. As always, I had a beer while doing so and - nothing. No increased cravings, no reaction at all. I might as well have been drinking Pepsi.


The problem is more, you're out at the bar, on your 3rd or 4th beer, and half the table keeps getting up and down to go out for a smoke. For me, it was maddening, and I eventually bummed a smoke or as many as I could before I got told to go buy my own, which I inevitably did. 

I think I'm past that now, but then, haven't been in the trigger sitch due to, you know.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

colchar said:


> I still haven't smoked.
> 
> And I hadn't had a drink since quitting smoking as I figured it would increase cravings and be too much of a temptation. I just finished cutting the grass. As always, I had a beer while doing so and - nothing. No increased cravings, no reaction at all. I might as well have been drinking Pepsi.


I like where this is going. I'm always rooting for people working to make positive changes in their life and health. Keep it up.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I had to stay out the bars for about 6 months when I quit. Back then everybody smoked right in the bars so it a tough place to be.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

keto said:


> The problem is more, you're out at the bar, on your 3rd or 4th beer, and half the table keeps getting up and down to go out for a smoke. For me, it was maddening, and I eventually bummed a smoke or as many as I could before I got told to go buy my own, which I inevitably did.
> 
> I think I'm past that now, but then, haven't been in the trigger sitch due to, you know.


I don't really go to bars any more and haven't had more than two drinks at a sitting in ages so I think I'll be safe. By the time either of those things happen again I'll have had quit for long enough that I'll be OK. At least I think I will.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Lincoln said:


> I had to stay out the bars for about 6 months when I quit. Back then everybody smoked right in the bars so it a tough place to be.



Back in those days I wouldn't have stood a chance.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

keto said:


> The problem is more, you're out at the bar, on your 3rd or 4th beer, and half the table keeps getting up and down to go out for a smoke. For me, it was maddening, and I eventually bummed a smoke or as many as I could before I got told to go buy my own, which I inevitably did.


That's what it was like for me except back then you could smoke in bars. So I'd go out drinking and end up having to buy a pack although by the time I was 22 or 23 I'd stopped permanently and I was never really addicted anyway just did it because it was there and could stop any time.

My wife smoked a lot and couldn't quit until it was too late and she had bad COPD starting up which eventually killed her about 8 years ago. Tragic to watch it and know how it's going to end; I told her when we were young that she'd end up dragging an O2 tank but sometimes there's just nothing you can do. I once said to her "I should have chained you to a wall for 3 or 4 weeks 30 years ago to get you off that shit;" she said "you're right."


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

That's why I said, and say, that "people should receive in pleasure what they forfeit in health and longevity". Motorcycles are dangerous. Hell, driving *anything* is dangerous. But we accept the risk because it makes us feel alive. Okay, fair trade. Many of the foods we love are not the best thing for us, but damn they taste SOOOO good. What makes smoking such a lousy, and patently unfair, deal is that people end up forfeiting a LOT more in health and longevity than they get in pleasure. And I hate seeing people get screwed over.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Today (Sunday) it is four weeks since I last smoked. I haven't had so much as a single drag during that time. This past week was a wee bit rougher than the previous weeks, but I got through it without too much trouble. With four weeks under my belt I don't see myself slipping up now.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Pat yourself on the back but don’t get complacent. Urges will still pop up. Just divert your attention for 3 minutes.
Great job.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

@colchar you can't have a single drag, I didn't smoke for seven years, thought I could have a couple here and there. I was up to a pack a day in a week, now I am struggling to not smoke again! I love smoking, unfortunately you pay big dollars to kill yourself everyday?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Everyone has bad habits they'd love to leave behind. I wonder if shedding a difficult habit, like cigarette-smoking, gives people the determination to shed other habits they'd like to leave behind. In other words, "if I can do THIS, then surely I can do THAT".

Anyone with experience in that? Don't consider it mandatory to reveal what the "other" bad habit it.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

colchar said:


> ... I don't see myself slipping up now.


This statement is the kiss of death. Never say, think, or write this again.


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