I finally quit smoking
 

After nearly 16 years, I finally found the inner strength to do it once and for all. I have been smoke free for almost two weeks now and I have to say that I could not have done it without the support of some good friends and especially a counsellor over the Canadian Cancer Society that I called in order to get help to quit the right way - once and for all.

She made me write down my reasons and to continue to write them down each and everyday. She also told me that temptation will come at me in a flurry sometimes and that before my temper gets the better of me and I lose my cool, I should sit down calmly, think of how far I have progressed and to remember my reasons for quitting and how much time has passed, so on and so forth.

I am not too proud to ask for help in doing this. I have enlisted my parents as support members and they have been most obliging to me during this early phase and my family doctor had told me to take two weeks before I engage in any physically strenuous activities such as running and/or jogging.

If you have a success story to share post it here. For those of us in the early phase of quitting, we could really use the encouragement and to those of you that are looking for help, read this thread, it will only help you in the long run.

I found that above all, you have got to want it in order to really do it, there is no if ands or buts (sic) about it, which is pretty much consistent with anything and everything else in life.|thumb

By the way, cold turkey is still the number one method, in case you were wondering.

To those that have quit, you are indeed my heroes.
To those that have fallen, get back up.
To those that are considering quitting, don't do it if you can't take it seriously, you'll only fail miserably.
Like |santa| and |greenguy| make a list - writing down short and long term goals DO GET ACHIEVED.

Good Luck.

Wow, after 16 years. That's a helluva accomplishment! Congrats!

|thumb |bow|
Excellent! Well done!
19 years for me and I feel that I'm on the verge of quitting. My kids keep telling me that I have to and the government are running a really hard-hitting set of adverts at the moment showing the video diary of a teenager with a dying mother who is 38 or something. I'm 35 so it really hit home hard.
I'll do it soon.
:)

You can do it Gary, if you really want to!

Start slowly - begin with visualization - picture yourself NOT smoking. I did that part - that took two months. Another good technique you can use is that you must start to hate it. Once I told the consellor that my kid brother died from cancer, she made me realize that I need to re-evaluate my health not just for myself but for my family too. And she was absolutely right. Everyday I practiced hating smoking more and more until I conditioned myself to believe that I HATED smoking. Once you reach a level of hate for something your psyche will re-adapt - it now becomes the ENEMY. And I don't know about you but I will not suck on my enemy, unless she is a gorgeous cheerleader. :D

Another thing you will realize is that people that you associate with will either support or sabbotage your efforts. Those that REALLY care will not make you feel like smoking while those that don't have the strength or are jealous of your efforts to quit while they can't will 'blow smoke' at you. Unless you have an indestructible character, you will lose to the temptations brought on by these people.

For me, that meant completely over-hauling friendships. Those friends that support my efforts to quit will obviously not do anything to 'light up' around me, while those that basically don't give a shit whether your quitting or not will smoke. You have to make a decision: remember, their lungs aren't yours and your air isn't theirs. :)

Way to go pornrex!

I'm entering my 12th year as a smoker now. Well actually 10.5 since I quit for 1.5 year but picked it up again a year ago. I can tell you I felt better in those 1.5 years I quit than I do now :)

Wow, now that's quite a thing! Congrats! |thumb

Thats good, finally you made a very good decision and hopefully you could do it continously... hope for the best!

Congrats pornrex. Every day gets easier and easier now.
I quit cold turkey just over 2 years ago after smoking for 18. Decided on a wednesday that I was gonna quit. Stopped at the store on the way home from work and bought the patch. I used the first one that night and to work on thursday. when i got home, took the patch off, and didn't put another one on. Haven't had a smoke since then.

Congratulations. |roses| I quit in January 1991. Hard to do but worth the struggle. And think of the money you're gonna save!! Cigarettes were 10 bucks a carton when I quit...now they're 25 or 30. I don't know how people can afford to smoke anymore!!

congrats and good luck pornrex!!

Congratz Pornrex! And some good stuff on quiting, actually reminds me of some books, very firmilar, but makes sense.

My hardest part is trying not to smoke while sitting in front of this computer. If I am out and about, doing something, It's easier to not smoke, least not think about it as much. But cant take off two weeks...:(

But you got me thinking again. I know I really need to quit and my kids remind me all the time, but it's sure not easy.

ronnie

Congrats |pimpin

Some great advice - thanks!
I need some inspiration, and I'd never thought about getting help from folks here on GG&J.
It might just work.
Hmmmm.
:)

Congrats pornrex you should be proud of yourself |bananna|

I quit and stayed a nonsmoker for 10 years. Then I did a really stupid thing and picked it back up. I'm angry at myself everyday but I don't have that urge to quit |huh

I wish you the best of luck in staying smoke free you'll feel so much better. I know I did |thumb

Congrats Pornrex...that's a great accomplishment!

I've been smoking since I was 12...quit a few years ago for almost 2 years. Started up again after moving to Florida...someday, I'll get that internal 'something' that's necessary to quit again.

Hats off to ya buddy...good for you |thumb

Congrats Pornrex...first the Steelers win the superbowl and now this, seems like it's your year for important accomplishments. :D

Myself, I can't give up that occassional cigar, but that doesn't really compare to daily cigarette smoking. Good luck to all those who have that urge to kick, it's hard I know. |thumb

|bananna| Congrats and keep up the good work |bananna|

One thing you might want to do if you haven't already..Like if you smoke mainly at your desk..is change it around.. even if you move it to a different angle, it won't be the same and your brain will be tricked. Likewise if you went outside to smoke in the back yard, then go to the backyard a different way if possible.. front door and walk around..

anyway.. Good JOB!! |thumb

Good for you and Congratulations pornrex |bananna|

WithOut a doubt Congrats PornRex,

Quitting must be the hardest thing to do as I have not been able to.
I started somewhere in the 70's and really feel the effects after so many years...

Again, Great to hear you broke the habit |bananna|


Ben

Thank you very much guys and gals. Your well wishes and encouraging words and stories only re-inforce my commitment to staying smoke free. Now, more than ever, I can't wait to go for my first run this Sunday.|bananna|

docholly - the fact that I did not smoke at or around my computer was a miracle in itself. Thanks for the tip though. I'm sure someone reading this thread could see the logic behind that. :)

cosmiccat brings up a VERY strong arguement from a financial perspective. Smoking has become expensive. Thanks for pointing that out, I will add that as another reason to my "reasons for quitting smoking" list. |thumb

quest: I used to smoke anywhere between one and a half to two packs a day. I weened myself off slowly until the last day in which I was down to one cigarette and I didn't even bother to finish it. Quitting smoking is like a chess match. You've got to have a winning strategy. You can't just blindly say "I'm quitting" and that's it. Its not realistic to think that way and you'll only set yourself up for failure. Think about it.

If ANY of you need assistance or tips or advice, keep reading this thread. Remember, nicotine is THE MOST ADDICTIVE substance on earth. This is not a walk in the park. It is a life altering decision to quit and the most demanding process for self improvement.

Just because my body is much better off now doesn't mean I am out of the woods yet, by any stretch. Anyone who has quit knows that the temptation is there. That's why its so important to get involved in activities that will strengthen the lungs (such as running or jogging) and keep you from not thinking about how you USED to function and instead think about how much STRONGER you are becoming.

I am like a recovering alcoholic in a sense. I must keep doing the things that have given me success thus far in staying smoke free and do more activities that take me further away from that nasty habit.

|cool|

just keep up the good work, I wish I had your willpower |thumb

Well congrats. I really hope you make it. I would love to see a study done. I have this theory that if you start smoking young enough the body gets so used to the drug that when you quit you do more harm then good. But you never see studies on that. The reason I have this idea is not cause I smoke. But because I have seen so many people who have quit only to get cancer a few years later. My mom, 2 uncles, friend, co worker and my next door neighbor. All these people started smoking in there teens and then decided to quit once they pasted their 30's. Then you get my grand mother and grandfather. Both smoked every day and nothing happened. She lived to be 93 and he 87.
I'm not saying smoking is good for you by a long shot. I'm just saying I have this strange feeling the body can adapt at young ages and once you make a drastic change to an older system the results are worse then if you kept smoking. But I'll never see that study nor would anyone ever put up funding for it, let alone publish the results if I was correct. Ok now everyone bash me lol and while your bashing read text over my avatar. lol
But seriously good luck to you, hang in there.

I just sat down and did some rough calculations regarding this whole smoking thing.

Here is a very rudimentary cost analysis that I used to endure not too long ago.

(All prices in Canadian $ Toronto because that's where I live)

Pack of smokes: $7-10 (depending on brand, small/large pack)
Consumption per day: 1 sometimes 2 packs (we'll say 1.5 packs/day)

That's about $8.50 x 1.5 packs/day = $12.75 per day based on an average between 1 small pack and 1 large pack.

So, $12.75 x 365 days per year = $4,653.75.
That does not include the cost of lighters, matches, etc. but I won't include that in the cost analysis because its insignificant.

So, $4,653.75 x 16 years = $74,460.00

Now obviously the price of cigarettes has fluctuated over the years but just looking at that number has angered me even more than I could ever be at myself. Fuck.

Now if I compound that over 16 years at a very modest 5% works out to be about 115,714.12.

That's alot of fucking bling to realize that I inhaled in the form of tobacco for absolutely nothing. That does not include the cost of non-tobacco products which I won't get into here.

OK NOW I AM REALLY FUCKING PISSED....|banghead|

God dam. Well I ran those numbers for myself once also and you are 100% correct. Then I thought SHIT!!! The wife smokes just as much as me so double that number for me. I have tried to quit and at that time I decided I was going to take my $10 a day and drop it in a can and in 1 year buy myself something I wanted. But I never lasted. What really pisses me off, is I know I can quit and I know it's not hard. When I entered the military there was no smoking at all. I heard of people saying "back when I was in you could take smoke breaks" but not anymore. Anyway when I went it I thought it was going to be a nightmare not being able to smoke. Fact was being I could not get my hands on a pack it was easy. Out of sight out of mind. I really do wish they (government) would make it illegal instead of fucking around with other things. I felt so good when i quit, 6 months of serious working out everyday, 5 mile runs every other day, blah blah. When I came home i felt so strong i I felt like i could carry a small car on my back. But hey good luck man. Keep with it, if for nothing else you will save a shit load of cash that you can do better things with.

Thats AWESOME, pornrex Congrats!!!! You dont know me but Im still proud of you LOL. I struggled with smoking and I've been smoke free almost 3 years.