This could be a sucky day

"crazedclay: SBC murderer" (crazedclay) 01/19/2014 at 08:56 • Filed to: smoking

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#So much good advice in this thread. Tagging for future help of other opponents giving up.

Any advice from those who have gone before me? Moral support?

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:00

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I quit cold turkey... I've never even used any patches at all.

If you feel a strong want, get a popsicle or an ice cream bar or chewing gum

$kaycog > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:08

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I quit through sheer willpower. I changed my routine of what I was doing whenever I had a cigarette. I think that was harder than giving up nicotine. Also, when you start thinking about a smoke, think of something else. Put the money you'll save in a jar every day. You won't believe it. Good luck.......you'll be glad you quit.

BJ > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:24

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From what I've heard, it's a big mental game. A trick I heard from a former coworker: Instead of saying, "I've stopped smoking" you say, "I don't smoke." Put yourself in the frame of mind of a non-smoker, not a former smoker.

You could also try negative association: every time you have a smoke, someone kicks you in the balls. Guaranteed that by the end of the week, you'll be a non-smoker.

Good luck!

GhostZ > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:32

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Mcdonalds straws, and stuff the ends of them with paper. That will calm the need to hold a cigarrete/breathe through it.

Sn210 > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:32

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Smoke tires instead?

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:35

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Well, go chew a gum everytime you want to smoke. I got that trick from my soccer coach at college.

Nibby > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:40

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Anti-nicotine condom? What's the point?

Frank Grimes > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:42

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You can't just give up habits and this applies to all habits. It needs to be replaced with a good habit. I guess it leaves a void and every time you want to do the old habit again the new habit replaces it.

oldirtybootz > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:47

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Ohhh that's rough bro. I've tried to quit plenty of times, never with patches though.

AndersSim - V10'ING > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:49

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Do you wanna stop completely? Or just tap down, and then stop? I suggest E-Cigarettes, you practically inhale damp, and it has the same effect as a cigaret. (Effect: As in, it feels the same, you just don't die of cancer)

oldirtybootz > Nibby 01/19/2014 at 09:49

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Lmfao I'm casually scrolling through the comments and this is all the last one. My family is looking at me weird now.

getchapopcorn > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 09:52

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Snus. Warning: Snus is NOT a safe alternative to cigarettes.

Kidding. Seriously, though, shit is going to be "BALKUERSDlalskf jasoiu 353-485 elkjsf,asdfnaf;agfkhgfnslfdqo8373[05 qBO.2H ;0A8UKJHFDJNAO!!!!(&^(%^%#^%$#!&%@$*)SLKJA SDFGSAGNNNM phtang" for you for a couple of days/weeks. Especially if your regular social group are smokers. But if you want it, you'll be able to do it. $kay's recommendation of a money jar is a really good one I hadn't thought of. You'll be kicking yourself when you see how much money you've been spending on cigs. Not a joke - you will literally kick yourself.

awe46m3zcp > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 10:04

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To curb the post meal craving, brush your teeth immediately after eating.

awe46m3zcp > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 10:06

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To curb the post meal craving, brush your teeth immediately after eating. Hard to do if your eating out, but really does help.

nermal > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 10:07

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Throw that shit out.

The first step if you want to quit tobacco is realizing what the root of the problem is: You're not a smoker, you're a nicotine addict. Stand in front of a mirror, look at yourself, and say "I am addicted to nicotine" until you fully believe it. Once you realize the distinction, you'll realize that patches / gum / etc don't do anything to fix the root of the problem. They don't help you break your nicotine dependence, they just change the delivery method.

Got that part down? Good. Now you need to set your priorities straight - NOTHING is more important than breaking your nicotine addiction. Your job, friends, relationships, all come secondary. Sounds harsh, but until you commit to that, you'll always have an out. "My boss is a dick and I can't handle the stress of my job. I'll just have one smoke, then quit again. It's not worth losing my job over." See how easy that was? Don't give yourself easy outs like that.

Now, figure out any secondary activities that you did relative to nicotine consumption, and don't do them any more. For me, a big thing was putting gas in my car. Every time I stopped to fill my tank, I'd walk into the store and re-load my tobacco supply. Solution? Drive out of the way to get gas, and only pay at the pump. Stuff like that.

Now, tell EVERYBODY. Your boss, your friends, some guy standing next to you while you're waiting in line for something. Say it with conviction, and be proud of yourself - Don't say that you're trying to quit, say that you ARE quit. Saying you're trying means that there is an out for failure and that it's ok to fail. It's not ok to fail. Use this every time you have a craving - How shitty would you feel if you had to go around and tell everybody that you quit that you caved? Very shitty. Much worse than not giving in.

Finally, remember that you are going through drug withdrawal. It's going to suck. You're going to be grumpy, edgy, and just plain miserable, especially for the first week. REMEMBER how bad that first week is. Why? Because you're only going to go thru it once, and that is this time. Remember how bad the first week sucked when you get a craving down the road. It will help.

Finally, stick with it and be true to yourself. This will be the most difficult thing you will do. Reward yourself throughout the process. Say you're spending $5 / day on tobacco now. After a week, go buy something with that extra $35 you saved.

Good luck to you!

rotarykid > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 10:20

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Quit cold turkey IMO. Craving only last 2mins at the longest. Just remember that and watch a clock Everytime you want a smoke. Or listen to music.

UltravioletThunder > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 10:28

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Nicotine gum. It's the only thing that works for me. The nic kills the craving for cigarettes. EVERYONE where I work smokes and I haven't backslid.

Downside: I'm now addicted to chewing gum to the tune of $1-$2/day. But it's easier to substitute different gum for the nicotine gum than to substitute something directly for cigarettes.
I've tried all of the brands and no matter how it's labeled there are only really two nic gum products. I get 220 packs of 4mg. It varies widely in price. Target's house brand is cheapest.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 10:43

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I quit two and a half years ago - right after I met my wife.
Here's what I have to say:
Cravings suck. You'll get them constantly for the first few weeks and the patch will help but they suck. I still occasionally get them.
The good news, however, is that they only last a few minutes.
Food and drinks, with the possible exception of black coffee, will taste better. I would suggest washing all your laundry with Gain or Tide plus some baking soda. Your hair, breath, and clothes will all smell better.
If you smoked in your car, detail it and Febreze all fabric surfaces.
It's hard but totally worth it.

Birddog > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 11:15

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I'm doing the same thing today!

The cravings suck. They SUCK!

I picked up a tin of the most powerful mints I could find and it helps a bit.

I'm replacing the habit with

Birddog > Birddog 01/19/2014 at 11:19

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Well, that shouldn't have happened..

I'm replacing the habit with combo of home improvement projects and rebuilding this little guy.

davedave1111 > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 11:30

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If you actually want to stop, you won't find it too hard. If you don't want to stop, and are just stopping because you feel you should, it's just about impossible - the only answer is sheer willpower.

Personally, I still smoke because I realised I enjoy it and don't want to quit. But I do make sure that I'm only smoking the cigarettes I like, and not the ones I might smoke out of habit or addiction. These days I might have one or two when I've had a few drinks, or one after a really good meal, or when I really need to calm down/relax slightly, etc.

Of course, tobacco being addictive I find that I have to keep a careful watch on myself or those occasions become more and more frequent. But that's a lot easier than keeping constant watch to make sure I don't succumb even once, as I'd have to if I'd totally quit. It works for me, not least because if I quit totally and then succumb to just one I've fallen off the wagon completely, whereas this way I'm prepared for the idea that sometimes I might start smoking more than I want to again, and can take more care not to.

davedave1111 > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/19/2014 at 11:34

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"The good news, however, is that they only last a few minutes."

Good point. If you get a craving, look at your watch and wait five minutes. (You can wait five minutes, right?) If you remember after five minutes - not just two or three - then you ought to be on the nicotine patches, but if you're busy doing stuff, you likely won't remember.

Skif6996 > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 11:49

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One thing that helped me quit in the past was sunflower seeds. They are great because they keep your mouth busy and don't fill you up. You can chew them all day long without (harsh) consequences. Get flavored ones. They dont have as much salt as the normal ones. Normal ones will eventually make your mouth raw. Also, I prefer "Bigs" brand as opposed to "David." Good luck!

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/19/2014 at 11:59

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Febreze? no

you'd have to go to a pro detailer and have them Ozone the scent away from the materials in the car... anything short of that is a vain half-wit attempt in comparison

trynthink > Skif6996 01/19/2014 at 12:04

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I know someone who quit dipping this way.

The Compromiser > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 12:50

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Did the patches. Missed a couple and started smoking again. I think if i had stuck it out Id have been OK. That being said I kept away from the smokers at work and was OK. The worst part is the habits. Going for a smoke , relaxing with one, waking up with one, going to sleep with one. That is what I couldn't break. So I switched to Champix and haven't smoked at all. Of course the risks are higher , bit the family is still alive.... For now.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 14:31

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Best of luck man. One of my teachers gave up smoking when he asked his nieces what they wanted for Christmas. They wanted him to stop smoking. And he described the coming weeks to be the shittiest weeks ever. From what I've heard, it's brutal. And chewing tobacco won't help you, and plus that stuff is way more disgusting than cigarettes. Occupy yourself. Rebuild a engine. Remove all your brake pads on your car and put them back in. Occupy yourself. Best of luck man.

George McNally > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/19/2014 at 14:43

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A lot of good advice in this thread....I smoked 2 packs a day for 20 years, ramped down to about 1/2 pack a day (that took a year) finally went cold turkey and quit. You very well might take a few attempts, it took me 4 or 5 times at cold turkey before I realized you have to want to quit and you have to want to quit bad . You'll do it, but you have to really, really want to.

Also, I've been smoke free for 14 years and for me-the cravings no entirely go away-I just rationalize it by thinking....I'm a non-smoker.

Birddog > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/21/2014 at 01:18

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Yesterday and today were pretty rough.
I'm holding on and haven't ripped anyone's head off.
Hope you're still with it.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > crazedclay: SBC murderer 01/24/2014 at 04:43

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A bit late, but what the heck.
I quit because I was strong enough to realize that after 1.5 years if smoking daily I didn't enjoy every single cigarette anymore. I was smoking just to temporarily still my addiction.
That sucked so hard for me that I just decided to stop smoking, and now I am officially smoke free for 1 year.

So that's my advice: ask yourself if you still enjoy every cig, and if no, quitting becomes much easier - it is like not eating broccoli at some point.