I gots to quit smoking

[Jeff]

Has anyone here quit this nasty expensive habit? I'm gonna give it another go, maxed out my credit card, and just have enough cash for 2 cartons, which would mean no spending money for a whole month, sponging off dad, but if i can quit i can have my fill of burgers, pizzas and more films!! Just ordered all 4 of the Criterion Harold Loyd releases, not sure if i have sufficient funds, but i will have them sooner or later.

This book might help
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSlD9jXm1N_HAipDGf5guwlFdrQe9GuRSPldw&s

[TONGO]

ON nicotine pouches are very effective, and cheap. I use them, and they work. Now tapering off of them is the next step.

[Nausicaä]

My Mum and Grandma were heavy smokers, they always told me when growing up to never start smoking and gave me reasons why. They didn't tell me I can't but just why not to start.

Never touched a ciggie in my life.

I hope you can quit smoking. :yup:

Also, don't start vapes, you turn into an arsehole. At least cigarette smokers knew not to smoke around others. Rarely walked through cigarette smoke on the street but the amount of times I have had to try and dodge a cloud of vape shite...

[Captain Steel]

Tips:

Exercise, exercise, exercise
Substitute your oral fixation with gum chewing, tooth picks, nuts, seeds, sugarless hard candy or mints, anything you can keep in your mouth except cigarettes.
Take up a musical instrument you play with your mouth.
Deep / relaxed breathing exercises (you'll find these are very similar to the way smokers breath when inhaling & exhaling - eventually the same feelings of relaxation can be achieved through controlled breathing rather than inhaling cigarette smoke).
Drink lots of water.
Practice reading aloud, public speaking, singing, whistling (all difficult to do with a cigarette in your mouth).
Daily meditation to relax & relieve stress.
Keep healthy, crunchy snacks on hand throughout the day, such as fresh vegetables - carrots, celery, peppers, etc. - the more you have to chew, the more your mouth is occupied - and you won't gain excess weight with vegies.
New hobbies / projects: one of the leading causes for people to resume smoking is simple boredom - don't let yourself become bored.
Avoid others who smoke or situations / environments conducive to smoking (if alcohol creates a craving for cigarettes, then avoid alcohol as the two usually go together).
Announce your goal to quit smoking to your friends, family and co-workers & ask for their support.

[doubledenim]

You'll quit the day you decide to. The physical withdrawal is only a couple days, the mental withdrawal will take some time. Make the process as simple as possible, giving yourself less opportunity to fail.

[Mr Minio]

Jeez, my addiction isn't that bad I guess.

[GulfportDoc]

The hardest part about quitting smoking is THINKING about quitting. I used to break out into a cold sweat when I'd think about quitting. But when I decided to quit, it was relatively simple. It took some time to adjust to not having the habit of picking up a cig, especially in company, but otherwise I was surprised at how easy it was. And it was lovely not thinking of myself as a 2nd class citizen-- only being able to smoke in designated areas, etc.

It's probably easier to quit when an individual has evidence that smoking is hurting his health. I used to get throat pains, and was afraid I'd given myself throat cancer. I waited 3 months after quitting to go to an ENT doctor to have my throat checked, fearing the worst. Fortunately I was fine.

Smoking is pretty uncommon these days. Instead we have those annoying cell phone addicts..:)

[SpelingError]

I imagine quitting smoking must be really hard, but best wishes to you.

[FilmBuff]

I'm sorry to say, I don't have any words of wisdom that would be helpful. The closest I've ever come to something similar was this one time, many years ago, when I came to the conclusion that I had become addicted to caffeine. Like, really addicted to it.

I decided to go cold turkey, and I got some bad headaches for like a week.

I do still take caffeinated beverages every now and then, but I definitely try to keep my consumption of it as low as possible - definitely under 100mg a day, less if I can.

By my own estimate, before I "quit" caffeine, I may very well have gotten used to 400mg a day, or more. :eek:

[cricket]

I quit other crap but haven't quit smoking yet, but I have cut down. Give them up while you're young, the longer you go, the harder it is.

[John McClane]

you can’t quit till you want to quit

it’s tough.

[Citizen Rules]

I quit other crap but haven't quit smoking yet, but I have cut down. Give them up while you're young, the longer you go, the harder it is.I never smoked but I've heard cutting down only helps your pocket book, not your health. The reason being a smoker who cuts down the daily number of cigarettes to say by half, ends up smoking the cigarette more times and holding the smoke longer meaning the amount of nicotine and other stuff remains the same in their body. A person then becomes a more efficient smoker, but not healthier.

Here's my quit smoking advice, based on how my uncle quit.
My uncle was older and a life long heavy smoker. He had to be rushed to the hospital because he was coughing up blood and couldn't stop. He was in the hospital for long while and it was touch and go. The doctor told him point blank, quit smoking or die. He threw away all his cigarettes, lighter and ashtray when he got home from the hospital and bought a big bag of sour lemon hard candy drops. Every time he wanted to smoke he grabbed a sour lemon drop instead. He quit and lived a long time after to a ripe old age.

[cricket]

I never smoked but I've heard cutting down only helps your pocket book, not your health. The reason being a smoker who cuts down the daily number of cigarettes to say by half, ends up smoking the cigarette more times and holding the smoke longer meaning the amount of nicotine and other stuff remains the same in their body. A person then becomes a more efficient smoker, but not healthier.

Just speaking for myself, there's no difference in how I smoke, but there's a very noticeable difference in how I feel smoking less.

[doubledenim]

Don’t know many cig smokers that “hold it in longer” 🤭 Not really how that type of smoking works. Illicit combustibles? Okay.

Was trying to come to this point the other day and someone above mentioned it. You have to find something that takes the place of the bernie. When you have something that you value more than the cigarette, it becomes easier.

I look at a lot of this stuff as a manifestation of the same behavior. Even if I don’t smoke anymore, I can still go off the rails eating late, knowing it’s going to make me feel like crap tomorrow. The day after bad nighttime eating is more of a hangover than drinking. And we pour doubles 🫠

[Citizen Rules]

Just speaking for myself, there's no difference in how I smoke, but there's a very noticeable difference in how I feel smoking less.:up:That's excellent, keep at it!

[Citizen Rules]

Just for reference:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/smoking-cut-back-or-cut-it-out

[crumbsroom]

I quit smoking after a long while of being an absolutely disgustingly heavy smoker. And I wish I had advice how I did it. I honestly don't know. Just suddenly I knew how to stop.



But on a similar topic, does anyone know how to quit booze and drugs. Better than the crap advice I have to quit smoking. I've got a pen and paper at hand to take any notes.

[FromBeyond]

But on a similar topic, does anyone know how to quit booze and drugs.


No 🤷

[Stirchley]

I was a chimney for 10 years. You never saw me without a cigarette. Took me two long years to stop - I kid you not. The hardest thing I ever did.

Robert Downey, Jr. said the wisest thing: It’s easy to stop smoking. The hard part is not starting again. So very very true.

[Yoda]

I think he swiped that from Mark Twain! "Quitting smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I ought to know, I've done it a thousand times."

Never smoked, no issues with alcohol. Closest thing I've had is food, used to be quite heavy, and ultimately found a lot of help in the language of 12 step programs. A lot of the advice about serious addiction issues is highly applicable to any bad habit, even eating too much. And yeah, as some people have said, sometimes there's no life event or hitting bottom or anything, sometimes you just have to decide to do it, and then you do.

[TONGO]

I think he swiped that from Mark Twain! "Quitting smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I ought to know, I've done it a thousand times."

Never smoked, no issues with alcohol. Closest thing I've had is food, used to be quite heavy, and ultimately found a lot of help in the language of 12 step programs. A lot of the advice about serious addiction issues is highly applicable to any bad habit, even eating too much. And yeah, as some people have said, sometimes there's no life event or hitting bottom or anything, sometimes you just have to decide to do it, and then you do.
TESTIFY! Sometimes just repping a post doesn't do it justice.


The trick is surrendering. Surrender to whatever the outcome will be in regards to the discomfort or withdrawal. The mind will tell you it will last forever, but it doesnt. After that if those things still consistently overcome you on a regular basis then 12 steps can change the course, and not only kick habits but being happy without it.

[Mr Minio]

It's easier to cut down on something you're just doing too much (overeating) than stop doing something you shouldn't be doing at all (smoking).

If you overeat and want to lose weight, you only have to eat less or start working out to create a deficit.

If you smoke, there's no other way but to stop smoking altogether. I guess smoking a cig a day is better than smoking a pack a day but it's still unhealthy. On the other hand, eating your normal daily intake is not only healthy but required.

The question should be: why do you smoke? To relieve stress? Try alternatives. Because you like having something in your mouth? KINKY! But maybe try something different. (͡ ͡° ͜ つ ͡͡°)

If you don't have cigs, do you go and buy them? What can you do to stop buying them? Ask somebody else to do grocery shopping for you? Order food online where you cannot buy cigs?

[John McClane]

i find i miss the idea of smoking more than the actual smoking. my lungs are nostalgic. probably explains why i like joints so much.

[Stirchley]

I think he swiped that from Mark Twain! "Quitting smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I ought to know, I've done it a thousand times."

Never smoked, no issues with alcohol. Closest thing I've had is food, used to be quite heavy, and ultimately found a lot of help in the language of 12 step programs. A lot of the advice about serious addiction issues is highly applicable to any bad habit, even eating too much. And yeah, as some people have said, sometimes there's no life event or hitting bottom or anything, sometimes you just have to decide to do it, and then you do.

When I stopped drinking I just stopped. It was so easy & I never missed it even for a second. Life seemed so dull though without alcohol. And I seemed to be surrounded by boring people & how did I end up in CT of all dull places? :)

[Yoda]

It's easier to cut down on something you're just doing too much (overeating) than stop doing something you shouldn't be doing at all (smoking).
Interestingly, I've always thought the opposite. The logic being that, for most/many addicts, the whole problem is stopping once they've started. So overeating is trickier because you have to eat, you can't just learn to do without it, and you can't draw any bright glowing line. You have to tweak and moderate constantly.

No right answer, of course, different personality types will find different things difficult. Always interesting to explore that kind of thing.

When I stopped drinking I just stopped. It was so easy & I never missed it even for a second. Life seemed so dull though without alcohol. And I seemed to be surrounded by boring people & how did I end up in CT of all dull places? :)
I've had conversations with my friends about this, where they say they like alcohol/drugs/whatever because it makes things funnier. At which point I note that, no, it doesn't, it just lowers your threshold for what you consider funny. :laugh:

[WHITBISSELL!]

And yeah, as some people have said, sometimes there's no life event or hitting bottom or anything, sometimes you just have to decide to do it, and then you do.So .. what you're saying is, "Do or do not. There is no try."

[Stirchley]

I've had conversations with my friends about this, where they say they like alcohol/drugs/whatever because it makes things funnier. At which point I note that, no, it doesn't, it just lowers your threshold for what you consider funny. :laugh:

My husband begged our New York friends not to offer me cocaine. And he asked me not to ever take it as he knew I would love it so much. He made the case so well I have never done cocaine. Actually, I was never much into the whole drug scene. Cigarettes & booze were my drugs. :)

[John McClane]

anyone holding?

[Mr Minio]

Interestingly, I've always thought the opposite. The logic being that, for most/many addicts, the whole problem is stopping once they've started. So overeating is trickier because you have to eat, you can't just learn to do without it, and you can't draw any bright glowing line. You have to tweak and moderate constantly. Yep, this makes sense, but I think that with overeating it's easier because you can still eat, just in small doses, and you can even have cheat meals like pizza or burger once in a while, so you're not giving up something you love for the rest of your life. You're just limiting it very severely. With drugs, you have to stop taking them altogether because they're much harder to control and much more unhealthy.

I've had conversations with my friends about this, where they say they like alcohol/drugs/whatever because it makes things funnier. At which point I note that, no, it doesn't, it just lowers your threshold for what you consider funny. :laugh: Same goes for Hong Kong comedies. At least those films won't ruin your health apart from mental health and sense of humor.

[doubledenim]

Smoking, overeating, drugs (real drugs), etc are manifestations of the same emotions.

It’s all the same thing, just occurring in different environments.

[Captain Steel]

An exercise in positive reinforcement: after quitting smoking, open a bank account and deposit into it the same amount you would have spent on cigarettes. Do this every week or month. You won't make a killing on interest (especially these days), but after several months or a year, the amount you saved & compounded will be startling when compared to losing that money and its interest by spending it on a substance that will only make you sick in the long run.

This helps provide an eye-opening incentive to continue on.

[Citizen Rules]

This is too much! But a lot of quit smoking tips in 10 minutes, funny too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51H2_4esz1Q

[GulfportDoc]

...

But on a similar topic, does anyone know how to quit booze and drugs. Better than the crap advice I have to quit smoking. I've got a pen and paper at hand to take any notes.
If a person is just a casual user of alcohol or drugs, and doesn't want to use them anymore, then simply stop.

If a person is addicted to either (or both) of those, then there's no program that does a better job with that than Alcoholics Anonymous, or Narcotics Anonymous. And they're both free.

[Captain Steel]

Since this is a movie site... here's a movie about quitting smoking.

Cold Turkey (1971) starring Dick Van Dyke & Bob Newhart

https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-yzgoj/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/1972241/4778586/apitgdaxt__24554.1625660171.jpg?c=2

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066927/

[Captain Spaulding]

But on a similar topic, does anyone know how to quit booze and drugs.

Sending your stash to me would be a good start.

[Stirchley]

An exercise in positive reinforcement: after quitting smoking, open a bank account and deposit into it the same amount you would have spent on cigarettes. Do this every week or month. You won't make a killing on interest (especially these days), but after several months or a year, the amount you saved & compounded will be startling when compared to losing that money and its interest by spending it on a substance that will only make you sick in the long run.

This helps provide an eye-opening incentive to continue on.

Especially these days. Back in the day a carton of cigs didn’t cost that much. Incredible what people actually pay these days for a single pack.

[Galactic Traveler]

Good stuff in this post. One particular way many smokers use is to always keep a pocket full of candy. When you get the urge, pop one. Another favorite tactic is in the morning make your coffee as sweet as you can take it. It does wonders to curve the craving.

Tips:

Exercise, exercise, exercise
Substitute your oral fixation with gum chewing, tooth picks, nuts, seeds, sugarless hard candy or mints, anything you can keep in your mouth except cigarettes.
Take up a musical instrument you play with your mouth.
Deep / relaxed breathing exercises (you'll find these are very similar to the way smokers breath when inhaling & exhaling - eventually the same feelings of relaxation can be achieved through controlled breathing rather than inhaling cigarette smoke).
Drink lots of water.
Practice reading aloud, public speaking, singing, whistling (all difficult to do with a cigarette in your mouth).
Daily meditation to relax & relieve stress.
Keep healthy, crunchy snacks on hand throughout the day, such as fresh vegetables - carrots, celery, peppers, etc. - the more you have to chew, the more your mouth is occupied - and you won't gain excess weight with vegies.
New hobbies / projects: one of the leading causes for people to resume smoking is simple boredom - don't let yourself become bored.
Avoid others who smoke or situations / environments conducive to smoking (if alcohol creates a craving for cigarettes, then avoid alcohol as the two usually go together).
Announce your goal to quit smoking to your friends, family and co-workers & ask for their support.

[Stirchley]

Good stuff in this post. One particular way many smokers use is to always keep a pocket full of candy. When you get the urge, pop one. Another favorite tactic is in the morning make your coffee as sweet as you can take it. It does wonders to curve the craving.

Funnily enough, this was one thing I wanted to avoid at all costs. I did not want to substitute another oral fixation & I didn’t.

[Ezzat]

Hey everyone! Quitting smoking was a real journey for me, but a few tricks really helped. I found that keeping my hands busy with things like doodling or squeezing a stress ball helped curb cravings. And when cravings hit hard, I turned to Spaceman Nebula 25000 (https://nexussmoke.com/products/spaceman-nebula-25000-plus-disposable-vape) for a moment of relaxation and focus. It's been a great ally in staying smoke-free :)