Hey T-Men and T-Vixens! This is off-topic, but I thought I’d check this outstandingly helpful Forum to see if there are any hardcore ex-smokers out there that quit, and what proved to be successful for you?? I’m going to give it another go! (please, no medical lectures, statistics or well-deserved insults. We ALL know it’s bad for you!) I’m just looking for some constructive ideas to get me pumped up so I can actually be successful at quitting this time around. Also, any ideas (supplements or otherwise) that speeds detox and repair? And don’t tell me all the damage is permanent 'cuz I’ll think “F*&K it then” and keep smoking! (Someone posted that once, and I thought ‘yeah right’, every cell in the magnificent human body can repair itself WITH THE SOLE EXCEPTION of a smoker’s lung tissue!). Jeez. And…I’m even willing to gladly cough up (pun intended) a $300 Biotest Gift Certificate to the poster(s) that leads me to becoming a happy non-smoker! Anyway, THANKS!!! I’d truly appreciate any effective ideas I can get!
Puffer, my brother is a hypnotherapist and has gotten several people to stop smoking with only one session. I would definitely look into this. Good luck!
GrowtH…yeah, thanks for reminding me about hypnotism. I’ve actually gone that route three separate times, but not in years. The first time: I actually quit for 5 straight days, never even thought about it. The second and third times (years apart): it didn’t do anything and the tapes they gave me to take home annoyed the shit out of me. But, I’m definately willing to try it again due to the relative success of the first time. If I could get 5 smoke-free days under my belt like that again, I’d feel like I’m on a roll. I’ll check with my health insurance company tomorrow and maybe they will cover part of it if its done by a shrink. After all…it is a mental illness psychotic problem ~;@ Thanks Dude!
My wife and I both went to a hyptnotherapist. Went in pack a day smokers and came out non smokers.
When I switched from camels to American Spirit cigarettes I was able to cut back substantitally and eventually quit. Carrying around a big bottle of water to sip on helps and stay away from alcohol and buddies that smoke for a while.
Go with Zyban … alter your routine as well and it should work for ya.
Good luck
Extra incentive to quite smoking is that most people gain 2 or 3 pounds after quitting with no effort, I am seeing a great opportunity to pack on some mass here
How about this angle. I believe the the lawsuits that Governments won against the smoking industry wound up as the ultimate in hyprocrisy. My state (Maryland) raised cigarette taxes to “reduce consumption among young people”. I believe that the government’s last wish is for people to quit for two reasons. First they depend on that tax money. Second it’s been proven that smokers die younger than non-smokers. Regardless of the healthcare costs of the smokers- it still ends up cheaper than caring for a person until they reach their normal life expectancy and need geriatric care. Your quitting will strike a blow to this hyprocrisy!! And your muscles will get much bigger since you will have more to spend on supplements. Here in MD., quitting a two pack a day habit can equal a car payment, no kidding.
Rather then ditching the habit cold turkey like most people do why not gradually wean yourself off? I know a lot of the habit is just bringing the cigarette to your lips so get your hands on some of those non-tobacco cigarettes…i forget what they’re called.
On days 1-5 cut your regular cigarette smoking in half and smoke as many non-tobacco cigarettes as you like.
On days 5-10 once again cut your regular cigarette smoking in half and smoke as many non-tobacco cigarettes as you like…you’ll probably now be down to just a few cigarettes per day.
By now the nicotine cravings should just about be gone and you should be ready to almost make it through a full day with only a puff or 2 of a regular cigarette. After a few days of a puff or 2 here or there you should be ok and able to make it through a full day without any nicotine cravings. Carry one with you for a few days just in case and smoke the non-tobacco cigarettes freely. Once all the withdrawal is gone you'll find yourself no longer craving cigarettes of any kind...you'll also notice you sleep better and probably feel better overall.
I picked up smoking in highschool and kept it up for 7 years at about a pack a day. I really wanted to quit (this was four years ago) and I really just quit cold and endured it. And I’m telling you it was hard- I felt physical pain. But I just kept focused. You can do it if you want it bad enough and just grit your teeth because it sucks and you know it will. Now I am so glad that I did it. I can’t even believe I used to be a smoker. They say you never quit craving it but you do- after a LONG time. If you have the discipline to train hard and consistently you can quit smoking and you will get that much more results- Good Luck!- I mean it.
i myself have never smoked, but i did dip like a can a day. Let me tell you that nasty ass habit is hard as hell to knock. What i did to kick that was just chew alot of gum…i mean ALOT. When ever i had a graving, i would just chew gum. The only bad thing about it was the fact that i would end up with a piece of gum in my mouth that was so damn big i could not talk…i think i spent more money on gum that month than i would have on some Cop…!
the reason its hard to quit is because you think it is, the reason hypnosis works for some is because they believe it will. If you believe you can quit you CAN. I just quit 5 days ago (I know its not a long time) I’ve quit for a year in the past but when I started bartending again I started again (all those lovely ciggs around all the time) I have not gone through any hard withdrawl or anything because I knew I could do it. if you believe you can, YOU CAN. but I will say to try and stay away from smokey enviornments. peace
Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep, plenty of water, and all your basic supplements (vitamins, minerals…I use stuff from lef.org but ymmv). I also took melatonin 3mg every night when I quit. But the main thing that helped me was using nicotine gum. If you have any friends in Europe, get Nicotinelle (pref fruit flavor). It has a faster release than Nicorette, tastes better and seems to mimic the feeling of getting that little rush from lighting up. The coolest thing about quitting for me was the instant gain in energy. Just keep reminding yourself that the reason you feel good is because you don’t smoke any more. One more thing: I tried to become a casual smoker the first 6 or 7 times I quit (I finally quit on the tenth try…pathetic, huh?). THis doesn’t work. You can’t just have one when you drink, fish, after work, etc. You will go back to regular use or at least I did. GOod luck and feel free to email me if you decide you want to try Nicotinelle and can’t find a source.
OK, something I can tell ya, there is no easy way to quit, but if you were looking for easy you wouldn’t be on the T-Mag site now would ya. You’d be at “mommy_spanked_me,so_now_I_can’t_hold_a job .com” or some shit like that. I quit a 2 -3 pack a day habit that would have made Dennis Leary look like Martha Stewart. Anyway, 4 years later I am still off the evil weed, It took, patience, determination, balls, Nicorette, and an ass load of water.
Here's the real deal, If you've got what it takes to get your ass to the gym and pound out, rep after agonizing rep, then damn it man you can do this as well. It ain't easy and anything you do to help is great, but it's gotta be you. Also, I don't know about cellular biology and smoking's impact, but I can tell you, I have to take a Pulimanry function test every year, for my consulting contract, and I am now exceeding 115%, whereas when I smoked I was lucky to score 90%. Hope that helps...can ya tell I'm passionate about this one.
That’s a Pulminary Function test…wanna scare yourself into quitting try one it’s a bitch!
If you don’t quit right this moment, you owe Mrs. Roids and I $100,000.00. And if you don’t pay up, I will send Jason R. Baran to collect and he will camp out on you doorstep in full KKK getup until you do pay!!!
If you can, go 2 days without smoking. Then, after those two days, do a set of breathing squats (look for a full description in Ian King’s Limping Series). Believe me, you will thank me.
Shame, I too was a smoker and I quit four years ago. Isn’t it wierd how when you pass by a smoker, you think how gross it is to be breathing that shit when at the same time you were a smoker too? That thought always intrigues me.
Wow…great ideas from everyone! Thanks for getting me pumped up. I’m packing my arsenal with all of it and here is the battle plan. Tomorrow, I’ll call my GP and get some Zyban (one thing I have not tried) and see if he can recommend a hypnotherapist. I have to give them a few more shots since they ALMOST worked for me. Maybe I’m stubborn enough to need a few reinforcements, which I never bothered with before. And I’ll ask the GP to give me a Pulminary Function test. I’m an engineer and a hopeless chart keeper, so improvement by numbers will definately motivate me. My workout partner a few years ago was into this deep, heavy duty, head spinning power breathing while working out. We did it for a few weeks and my lungs and breathing started to feel pretty awesome so I’ll pick that up again. Blow that crap out! Nicorette gum is NASTIER than smoking but I’ll do a web search for the Fruity Nicorelle. Got my water bottles. Got packs of mint flavored fake cigarettes in my kitchen junk drawer (been there for years), along with the plastic tips that take out all the crap from the smoke (use those for the annual bout of bronchitis). Got melatonin, vitamins, a jacuzzi and xanax (I don’t drink). And, I’ve got a next door neighbor who is a vet with a traquilizing dart gun for Mr. Barran, should he show up. We’ll bag him and drive him a few towns over and hang him by his feet on a tree in the bat infested section of the county park. I promise to put the newspaper clipping online. Thanks again, everyone! I’ll keep you posted.
OK as an ex-two pack a day…sometimes three…smoker I will tell you…Zyban…NOPE Patches…NOPE Gum…NOPE Hypnosis…NOPE. Not one of them worked for me…primarily because I really didnt feel that much better when I quit. What finally worked for me was a bit extreme…but I used the patch, AND the gum…in half sized pieces. I first bought two packs of smokes…and FORCED myself to chain smoke until I was sick one night (kinda like when you get sick on booze…you cant drink it for quite a while) So I chain smoked two packs until I actually puked…then the next day started with the patch. It was a good week that that worked…the idea of smoking was still making me sick. After the week, the cravings started coming, and I would chew half a piece of nicorette gum when they got too bad. Another thing I did was put little post its all over in my car, and in my office, and at home…that all said I DONT SMOKE…I know it is corny, but it kept me focused. For me quitting smoking was by far the hardest thing I ever did…I tried about 15 times before that…and that is what worked for me. GOOD LUCK!