Smoking Cessation

K

Karda

BANNED
Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Messages
22,470
Due to rising costs and fear of health issues as we get older, i, my wife and son have decided to quit smoking. I myself started as a wee lad of about 10 years old because my friends were all older than i was, and they smoked. My wife started when she was in the marines and my son when he was in the army over in Korea for 2 years. I never wished him to start this bad habit, but he was of age, so whats a father to do, besides give him hell about it?

I took care of my father when Lung Cancer took him in 1999 at age 72 and it was horrible to help/watch a hard working WWII vet go west in such a manner. I watched as it deteriorated my mothers health to the point she had COPD and need oxygen to live. It still haunts me sometimes and you would think that experience alone would/would've scared me away for good.

I'm having a helluva time with it. I've cut down dramatically, but i just cant seem to walk away. There seems to come a point when the nicotine in my system is so low that i turn into a real jerk and get so cranky that i just want to ram my head thru a wall. Being that way is not my usual nature and this fact is upsetting to me.

I've kicked several other bad habits in my lifetime (you don't wanna know) thru sheer willpower, without half as much problem as this. Part of it is because tobacco is so readily available and the other is the 35 years i've been smoking. I just don't know what to do without having that coffin nail in my mits and mug, and when i start acting like a jerk i just give up and smoke to avoid terrorizing the ones that i love.

I guess i'm just venting here. But i would really appreciate anyones advice about this. Has anyone else here quit? what worked best for you? How do you avoid the crankiness?
 
Dear Karda,

Whenever I'm asked if i do smoke , i said " Yes, I'm a 2nd hand smoker.
Most of my friends around are chain smokers, meaning they never stop smoking (probably not when they pee or sleep).
I told them when they chose to blow the smoke towards me - if they wished to have me around any longer, knock IT off.

I'm never a smoker, drinker or fall under the 4 sins for men. Pretty much my infection for khukuri has got bone deep.:D
During my years in NYC, i could access to drugs, women and all the stuffs that makes life worth the ride but i wasn't at all interested. Maybe it's just never appeal to me.
One of by buddies actually tried to kick the habit by taking nicotine pills and even strapped up one of those urge-reduction device around the bicep area.
He turned up to smoke even more. Speaking of your "low nicotine" mode, I've got a friend who almost got into road rage because he was rushing home for his puff and the car at the front was moving mad slow. Could have been worst,eh?

Smoking, as i see, is just another addiction like the love for coffee. Whether the nicotine intakes or the habit of lighting one up are really a problem, you know it better.
You could however, try cigars or even smoke pipes. That will give you an idea, just how repulsive the the smell of it.
I used to drink 4-5 mugs of strong coffee (< expresso thick) and i would felt sick at the end of the day. Now i only limit myself to 1-2 mugful.

Everyone has their own ways to "themselves". You know what's REALLY GOOD FOR YOU. My buddies spent about 1k of the currency here on cigarettes/month.
KNOCK .KNOCK.

Sheer will, with a little fear over life cut short, HELPS. My ex-girlfriend pulled off her habit in just a month simply because she hates the coughing and the puffs she had in the clubs.One of you HAS TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE. In this case, Karda, you need to walk the talk and Chakmak together with Karda Jr. will follow.

Fantastic health over a pack of silent killers? You cannot buy that with $$$.
 
Last edited:
I quit about 15 years ago after I had a severe Bronchial infection. I felt like I was dieing. I could not walk up the steps without panting. It scared the hell out of me. I couldn't quit cold turkey either. I bummed smokes,bought a few packs and thought I was going nuts. After awhile I was able to quit completely. I still get small cravings every now and then. Nicotine is a powerful drug. I wish you good luck with quitting.
 
Thank you, mossy.

Thank you, jay.
Thats what i'm afraid of...it hasnt become painful enough for me yet. I have a history of only being able to learn by getting knots on my head. It is someting i am trying to overcome also.

Don't get me started on Coffee now... i've had to cut down on that too.
Which reminds me.... i've got to go start that pot brewing. I've been typing and reading for several hours now and i've not had a drop!
It's kind of amazing to me. I quit drinking along time ago due to a drunken motorcycle accident when i was younger and stupider. It almost cost me my left arm at the elbow. The recovery from that was pretty painful. I will imbibe on occasion still. I have a bottle of Knob Creek whiskey and a six pack of corona beer in the house both unopened and i don't even think much about touching them even though i notice them sitting there, but put a pack of smokes in front of me and i'm weak.
 
Last edited:
Now that I've started working and reading more journals online..."Cough...HI at Bladesforum...cough".. ( I'm working in a R&D department) i felt quality sleep is utmostly important.

Back pain, traumatic headache, stiff neck and the yawns during meetings certainly won't impress my boss a lot.

I've got a lot of khukuris to go, so I'm balancing my rest time spent resting and reading all the goodstuff here!:thumbup::thumbup:

Trust me Karda, you don't need it.

" I never thought i have enough shoes until i saw a man without feet"
 
I've been off the smokes since Oct 03. It is a long road but it CAN be done. Takes pure, raw effort (of course you already know that). Anyhoo, after being off them for a few months the cravings went away completely. I haven't had the desire to smoke at all. Some folks struggle with cravings for the rest of their lives. Glad I'm not in that boat.

Best wishes. Nic is a monster to beat. Hang in there, you can do it. :)
 
I'm working on that getting my rest also, jay.
good honest sleep is very important. Due to some things that have happened in my life though, i find it elusive sometimes due to reccurring vivid nightmares that i get. Mental health professionals have tried to put me on pills, but that is the last thing i want.
I've worked too many third shift jobs. my internal clock is a mess. I'm a day person at heart.
 
I just had a thought.
Maybe i need to smoke my last cig, go on a bender and pass out for a few days. By then the nicotine will be gone and i'll be too hungover to be a jerk.:D:foot::barf:
 
I did quit once for about three months about five years ago. I had an internal discussion with myself and came to the point where I said it was time to quit. I still drank coffee and beer and visited my neighbor who smoked. I had cravings but fought them off internally or told myself to go do something to take it off my mind, which worked pretty well. My downfall came when I went to North Carolina to meet up with my half-brother and discovered that he decided to not make the trip and he hadn't let me know. I was kinda pi**ed off and went and bought a pack. I've been smoking again since. I don't smoke in my house now and that has helped cut me back from 1.5-2 packs a day to less than a pack a day. I've thought many times about quitting again but haven't really felt like I wanted to quit.

Karda if you really want to quit, you're going to have to decide that yourself. You can do it with willpower but you may need to add some positive thinking to keep yourself from getting nasty during those rough spots. Maybe you could cut down to about 12 oz of coffee in the morning and drink water and maybe something like a glass of apple cider vinegar and honey at one point in the day. Perhaps stick a deck of cards in your shirt pocket so that when you automatically reach in there you have something to grab that can also keep your hands busy with a quick game of solitaire. These are only suggestions off the top of my head and I'm sure you could research and find more or even think of some yourself that would apply better for you. The main thing is for you to be ready - your whole self. If you start begrudgingly, you'll never quit. And once you are ready and stop - don't bum or buy another. It isn't easy but it can be done. Good thought and wishes for strength and health to you and your family.
 
I've been doing pretty well at distracting myself. That seems to be the only real way to get away from it. The only card game i know and was ever any good at is slapjack.
You are right....i really just have to make a point with myself to just walk away and not let it get the better of me, so that i don't be a jerk.
It's really hard, but i know i'm stubborn enough to win.
 
after 18 years. This is the longest I've gone. I've quit 3 or 4 times but never for this long. Usually just for a couple of months at a time. For once, I feel like I actually quit.

Out of all the bad habits I've given up over the years, cigarettes are the bitch of the bunch. It was easier to stop doing speed.

Hang in there.

Frank
 
Congrats and good luck.

Luckily, smoking is something I never developed a habit of. My parents did not smoke, and I was an athlete up into college (smoking was a big no-no).

It's a hell of thing to kick, but I'm sure you'll beat it:thumbup:
 
I can help you guys quit: if you smoke, you have to send me one of your khuks. If you can hold out for a year, I'll send them back. :)
 
I've gone more than six years by smoking a pipe...with generic Walgreens tabacco. Pipe smoking is a messy thing, but I know I am not inhaling the addictive crap in cigs. Much easier to go without, in fact, I leave the pipe and fixings when I go hunting...no need to
HAVE TO HAVE them with. Still smoking though.

I believe pipe smoking would be easier to shake...maybe a reduction from cigs to pipe to clean. One of the problems is that with cig withdrawal, your hands and fingers are looking for something to fiddle with...and don't trust the idea of 3 months..you're clean. Cigarette smoking is insidious. Damned near like alcoholism. One slip and BAM.

Best wishes.
 
I did the lozenges for about 2 years, then the patches plus lifesavers mint, now just the mints. Worked for me.
 
Congrats to you Karda :o
Congrats to everybody who already on the same path as Karda :o

mohd.
 
Thank you, guys!
I've never really liked pipe smoking. I'm trying to get thru this without having to shift addictions. I just want to feel free and healthy again. I can see now it may be a long road, but i'm gonna try not to stress over it too much, that will just feed failure.
 
i used to smoke like a chimney till about 15 years ago, two packs a day or so. quit with the help of the timed release nicotine patches (comes in different strengths, start with strongest then work down per instructrions). nicotine gum or pills did not work. patch takes the edge off but you need sheer willpower for a few months. after a year or two the smell of cigarette smoke finally starts to smell bad instead of attractive. i also bet my then girlfriend five pounds that i could quit. she had quit just before we met. she is now my ex-wife ;) and recently started smoking again.

occasionally, like now, when i have smoking brought up as a topic and have a cup of coffee sitting beside me, i remember how good a cigarette was with a cup. i also know it was the 'good' you also feel when you stop hitting yourself on the head with a hammer.
 
I smoked for about 15 years, with about 3-4 of them as a "social smoker". At my peak I was at about 2 packs a day (for about a year). I have been smoke free for about 10 years now (notwithstanding the very rare cigar). One thing that I felt was crucial to beating it, was getting the drug out of my system as fast as possible. Toward that end, I did everything I could to excrete the nicotine i.e. heavy sweat via workouts and sauna and also cleansing my insides with water. I think managed to defeat the drug quickly (3-4 days), but the psycho-social aspects were really the biggest challenge. I literally had to write off everyone that I associated with who smoked for many months. Of those 10-12 people, only 2 of them are still smoking (and they are married to each other - so go figure).

Don't give up, I tried quitting MANY times before that method dawned on me. I don't think there is a "one shoe fits all" method, but you have to keep at the quitting to be successful. Good luck buddy - I'll throw a prayer up for your strength and perseverance.

Webb Jr.
 
Giving up smoking is easy - I did it many times.

Seriously though, I think that different people have different styles of addiction. I tried everything that I had heard about or read about including patches, acupuncture, nicotine gum, isolation on a boat for 3 weeks, switching to cigars etc.

The bottom line is that the way to stop smoking is to stop putting cigarettes in your mouth. If something helps with that then good but it is essentially a decision and it is about committment. For me the physical addiction was the easy bit - I would get through the craving and be smoke free for a few weeks then start again. In the end I realised that the various programs and aids were just something to focus on - the tough bit was dealing with my own behaviour.

I don't have an easy tip for you and it was anything but easy for me. I haven't had a smoke now for about 13 years and if I can give up so can you. Best of luck to you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top