Shyra said:

I've gotten to the point where I really want to stop smoking, y'all. I'm sitting here at this computer drinking coffee and fiending like a muhfugga. I am trying to resist the urge to jump in my car and drive to the gas station to buy a pack of Newport Medium 100's. I don't know if I can do it, y'all! That urge is so powerful. I know if I can get my hands on some of those patches I will be OK, but I'm trying to wait for the Costco coupons to come up for redemption on January 6, $15 off each pack, which is a BIG savings when they cost like $60 for 21 patches. OK, maybe I can do this: I'll buy 3 packs of cigs, which will last me until Thursday. Then I go to Costco and get the patches and start my regimen then...

HELLLLPPPPP!

You have to resign yourself to the fact that it's going to be very, very hard while you're detoxing. During that period, STAY AWAY FROM SMOKERS!

Ace said:

YES!!!!!

And for me, the thought of me looking like that doesn't really scare me as much, as the the thought of my CHILDREN ever having to see me like that!

And a great big thank you to all of you who have replied positively. I have quit several times before, but each time I allowed some catalyst to waylay my ass and I was right back where I started. I am determined this time to make this work! I remember the last time I quit, just smelling the smoke from other smokers made me sick! It is a filthy habit.

Again, thank you so much for your support. I knew my peeps here would have my back.

BlackAdder7 said:

XxAxX said:

for sale, you mean? how much? you haven't got any tripe do you?

no, sorry. just some haggis leftover from the holidays. care for a bite?

haggis? well, not really, but thanks anyway

Ace said:

Ace, I should be kicked square in my ass because my daddy died of lung cancer and this picture does bring back that bad memory of him dying looking like that. However, daddy quit smoking 40 years ago. I really think he died from the cancer that comes from being exposed to asbestos.

There is nothing to it but to stop smoking. When you say things like "I'll smoke until thursday, then get the patch..." that just makes it harder because you have smoked for a few more days and built it up more in your mind.

Part of the challenge is that it's hard to even know why you want to smoke, and yet the urge is overwhelming. It's confusing, like depression. You just keep at it and the urge will subside.

It's like having kids, it's never the right time. You just stop, it's hard, and it gets easier.

As someone who has lost their Father and their best friend to lung cancer in the past year within 3 weeks of each other, the title of this thread is not only damned stupid, but kinda offensive due to its lack of sensitivity. Pathetic.

Xibalba said:

As someone who has lost their Father and their best friend to lung cancer in the past year within 3 weeks of each other, the title of this thread is not only damned stupid, but kinda offensive due to its lack of sensitivity. Pathetic.

Oh, please.

I don't meant to minimize your pain - I am truly sorry for your losses and can't imagine how painful and difficult that must be for you.

But it's also kind of pathetic to feel like her thread title is aimed at you.

Shyra is reaching out for help, not trying to hurt anyone.

PunkMistress said:

Xibalba said:

As someone who has lost their Father and their best friend to lung cancer in the past year within 3 weeks of each other, the title of this thread is not only damned stupid, but kinda offensive due to its lack of sensitivity. Pathetic.

Oh, please.

I don't meant to minimize your pain - I am truly sorry for your losses and can't imagine how painful and difficult that must be for you.

But it's also kind of pathetic to feel like her thread title is aimed at you.

Shyra is reaching out for help, not trying to hurt anyone.

plus the title is literally true--being unsuccessful at quitting is killer her

Xibalba said:

As someone who has lost their Father and their best friend to lung cancer in the past year within 3 weeks of each other, the title of this thread is not only damned stupid, but kinda offensive due to its lack of sensitivity. Pathetic.

I'll let you decide what I'm laughing at

since you've already found ways

to take a persons words

and apply them to yourself exclusively

Xibalba said:

As someone who has lost their Father and their best friend to lung cancer in the past year within 3 weeks of each other, the title of this thread is not only damned stupid, but kinda offensive due to its lack of sensitivity. Pathetic.

I am very sorry for your loss, and I can empathize with you; however, your finding offense to my title is confusing, but you are entitled to your opinion.

Xibalba said:

As someone who has lost their Father and their best friend to lung cancer in the past year within 3 weeks of each other, the title of this thread is not only damned stupid, but kinda offensive due to its lack of sensitivity. Pathetic.

Sorry to hear that.

My Father and Grandfather both died of lung cancer while I was PREGNANT with my first child. ........I kept smoking through the entire pregnancy.

THAT is pathetic.....not this thread.

TotalANXiousNESS said:

Xibalba said:

As someone who has lost their Father and their best friend to lung cancer in the past year within 3 weeks of each other, the title of this thread is not only damned stupid, but kinda offensive due to its lack of sensitivity. Pathetic.

Sorry to hear that.

My Father and Grandfather both died of lung cancer while I was PREGNANT with my first child. ........I kept smoking through the entire pregnancy.

THAT is pathetic.....not this thread.

yeah, it's so easy to quit, but so hard.

JerseyKRS said:

TotalANXiousNESS said:

Good Luck to you.

Like Jersey said, and CarrieMPLS said in a different smoking thread, it comes down to battling out each urge. Insteadof thinking OMG HOW AM I GONNA GO WITHOUT EVER SMOKING AGAINNNNNNN???? Focus on getting through this urge, then the next, then the next, and each time will become a little easier.

Then one day you'll get to the point where the smell of ciggarette smoke makes you dry heave. It's pretty awesome.

You are not alone, and you can do it!

this is true. I didn't spend much time thinking of the final goal. I only focused on getting through the current urge and crave. It eventually just went away.

That's my biggest hurdle, not the thought of fighting the battle long-term but getting through those intense 3-5 minute cravings when all I can think about is dragging on a smoke. Once I get through those, it's not bad until the next one hits.

All my family members quit years ago. I asked my dad how long it took him to get over the cravings, and he said something that shocked me. He said he still craved a cigarette after quitting years before. I asked him how he finally quit and he said something else that shocked me, "Trisha, I prayed."

Shyra said:

JerseyKRS said:

this is true. I didn't spend much time thinking of the final goal. I only focused on getting through the current urge and crave. It eventually just went away.

That's my biggest hurdle, not the thought of fighting the battle long-term but getting through those intense 3-5 minute cravings when all I can think about is dragging on a smoke. Once I get through those, it's not bad until the next one hits.

All my family members quit years ago. I asked my dad how long it took him to get over the cravings, and he said something that shocked me. He said he still craved a cigarette after quitting years before. I asked him how he finally quit and he said something else that shocked me, "Trisha, I prayed."

It scares me to no end to hear people say things like that. I've known people who quit decades ago who say they could easily start right up again if they let themselves. But they don't let themselves, and that's the point. It's been about two and a half years for me, and it's such a good feeling to be free of them. You can do it! Good luck!

Best of luck to you.

Shyra said:

I've gotten to the point where I really want to stop smoking, y'all. I'm sitting here at this computer drinking coffee and fiending like a muhfugga. I am trying to resist the urge to jump in my car and drive to the gas station to buy a pack of Newport Medium 100's. I don't know if I can do it, y'all! That urge is so powerful. I know if I can get my hands on some of those patches I will be OK, but I'm trying to wait for the Costco coupons to come up for redemption on January 6, $15 off each pack, which is a BIG savings when they cost like $60 for 21 patches. OK, maybe I can do this: I'll buy 3 packs of cigs, which will last me until Thursday. Then I go to Costco and get the patches and start my regimen then...

HELLLLPPPPP!

You need medical intervention. Cigarrettes are drugs and as with any drug....you have become addicted. You are probably going through some sort of withdrawal.

Smoking is the worst thing you can do. You'd be better off drinking. Your lungs are important right up there with your heart and colon. Luckily you have two!

Try this:

Chew gum

Have a straw handy to mimic the experience of holding something ijn your hand and puffing on something. They have fake cigarettes too.

Look on the internet for photos of tar laden lungs - the result of years of smoking.

It's not a cure but it's a start.

Not had a cigarette since 10th December.

I'm not really having difficulty in stopping, even yesterday when I was absolutely steaming.

I just know I'll be better for it, concentrate on the positives etc

Good luck!

[Edited 1/3/11 15:30pm]

Shyra said:

I don't even like to say that I WAS a smoker. Two days ago, I celebrated One Year. ONE FREAKIN YEAR!!!! 2080 butts (that's 2 packs a week), $1,050 saved for the year (in Canada $10/pk)....yadda yadda yadda. What it really is though is - no hiding, no cough, no smell, no bad colds, no walking to the store in minus 40 weather (can't believe I used to do that), my lungpower definitely increased and I get many more compliments on how I look (from people that didn't even know I smoked). Disgusting habit. I actually do judge people on it now....oh I know...I haven't turned into a reformed smoker whereby I get on someone's case - no - but I do THINK of them differently - and I would NEVER even consider dating a smoker.

Hardest thing I've done and YES, I'd love to bang a butt over a glass of good red right now - but I have CHOSEN not to smoke.

Tip - Get the patches going - they work!. Start with the strongest and cut in half (all I needed and at 2 pks a week, that's alotta smoking). I don't understand how someone can smoke over a pack a day; just does not compute, person has to be totally inactive and idle if they're smoking over a pack a day.

Stay on the high dosage patch (cut in half) until the day you realize you forgot the patch and made it thru a day without. DON'T STOP THERE. Move down a dosage on the patch and try cutting that dose in half. If you can afford butts, you can afford patches. I was on the patch, every day, for a good six months, maybe more. Even when I made the decision to stop the patches - I still carried one around with me - just in case.

You will come up with every excuse in the world to start again. Weight - yes - I also gained mmmm 15 lbs. I walked around the house in a daze for the longest time, not knowing what I was looking for. I had trouble sleeping. Some piece of clothing that hung in my closet that I had worn smoking would get me up in the middle of the night. I couldn't focus on business, in fact my business suffered some. Oh I wanted one, still do in certain situations, but I yell at myself and ask - who the Fuck is in control here? WHO?

You can do it. Start your patches tomorrow and next New Year's, you too can say - ahhhh 1 year. I did it. I AM IN CONTROL.

Red said:

I don't even like to say that I WAS a smoker. Two days ago, I celebrated One Year. ONE FREAKIN YEAR!!!! 2080 butts (that's 2 packs a week), $1,050 saved for the year (in Canada $10/pk)....yadda yadda yadda. What it really is though is - no hiding, no cough, no smell, no bad colds, no walking to the store in minus 40 weather (can't believe I used to do that), my lungpower definitely increased and I get many more compliments on how I look (from people that didn't even know I smoked). Disgusting habit. I actually do judge people on it now....oh I know...I haven't turned into a reformed smoker whereby I get on someone's case - no - but I do THINK of them differently - and I would NEVER even consider dating a smoker.

Hardest thing I've done and YES, I'd love to bang a butt over a glass of good red right now - but I have CHOSEN not to smoke.

Tip - Get the patches going - they work!. Start with the strongest and cut in half (all I needed and at 2 pks a week, that's alotta smoking). I don't understand how someone can smoke over a pack a day; just does not compute, person has to be totally inactive and idle if they're smoking over a pack a day.

Stay on the high dosage patch (cut in half) until the day you realize you forgot the patch and made it thru a day without. DON'T STOP THERE. Move down a dosage on the patch and try cutting that dose in half. If you can afford butts, you can afford patches. I was on the patch, every day, for a good six months, maybe more. Even when I made the decision to stop the patches - I still carried one around with me - just in case.

You will come up with every excuse in the world to start again. Weight - yes - I also gained mmmm 15 lbs. I walked around the house in a daze for the longest time, not knowing what I was looking for. I had trouble sleeping. Some piece of clothing that hung in my closet that I had worn smoking would get me up in the middle of the night. I couldn't focus on business, in fact my business suffered some. Oh I wanted one, still do in certain situations, but I yell at myself and ask - who the Fuck is in control here? WHO?

You can do it. Start your patches tomorrow and next New Year's, you too can say - ahhhh 1 year. I did it. I AM IN CONTROL.

P.S. The weight gain doesn't necessarily come from eating more. Much of the gain comes from your metabolism slowing down; remember, cigarettes are a stimulent. So it only makes sense that when you want a butt - you work on that butt

DesireeNevermind said: You need medical intervention. Cigarrettes are drugs and as with any drug....you have become addicted.

Yeah, i saw a tv-documentary a few years ago. It was something called "Healing Poison" and showed a project of a medical examination

where schizophrenic patients were offered a cigarette. After smoking them, they were able to have a straight and clear conversation,

unlike the mental state that they used to be in. Brain-scans showed visible impulses which activated parts of that area and which cause the addiction.

That's why it's so hard to quit for some. The medical team of the documentary continued to find for the patients a healthy alternative medicine than nicotine.

DesireeNevermind said: You'd be better off drinking. Your lungs are important right up there with your heart and colon. Luckily you have two!

Occasionally drinking is indeed not that harming. But it's as risky as smoking when being addicted, and the one liver we have can be seriously damaged.

Good luck Shyra and everyone else trying to quit. Hope you'll get there.

[Edited 1/4/11 2:57am]

Interesting.

The Claim: Taking a Walk Can Help Reduce Cravings

Do your New Year’s resolutions tend to fizzle like a glass of chilled Champagne?

If your goal is to break a bad habit or cut back on food and shed a few pounds, then a simple but overlooked trick could come in handy: go for a walk. As far as weight-loss strategies go, it is not the most glamorous, but studies have found that a brisk walk around the block can significantly dampen cravings, whether the urge for junk food or the desire to light up a cigarette.

In a 2008 study, researchers recruited a group of “regular chocolate eaters” — people who ate at least two chocolate bars a day — and had them abstain for three days. They then divided them into groups, put them to work on difficult cognitive tests to raise their stress levels, and tempted them with unwrapped chocolate bars.

The researchers found that if the subjects walked for 15 minutes on a treadmill at a pace that was brisk but not tiring, they were far less likel...olate bars.

In other studies, scientists looked at the effects of brief walks on cigarette cravings. One in 2005 found that smokers who were told to...e to smoke when they took “self-paced, low-intensity” walks lasting about 15 minutes.

Another study in 2007 showed that brief walks not only beat back cravings, but also reduced withdrawal sympt...tes smoked.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Studies show that a brisk walk can ease cravings and help break some habits.

http://www.nytimes.com/20...amp;st=cse

Efan said:

Interesting.

The Claim: Taking a Walk Can Help Reduce Cravings

Do your New Year’s resolutions tend to fizzle like a glass of chilled Champagne?

If your goal is to break a bad habit or cut back on food and shed a few pounds, then a simple but overlooked trick could come in handy: go for a walk. As far as weight-loss strategies go, it is not the most glamorous, but studies have found that a brisk walk around the block can significantly dampen cravings, whether the urge for junk food or the desire to light up a cigarette.

In a 2008 study, researchers recruited a group of “regular chocolate eaters” — people who ate at least two chocolate bars a day — and had them abstain for three days. They then divided them into groups, put them to work on difficult cognitive tests to raise their stress levels, and tempted them with unwrapped chocolate bars.

The researchers found that if the subjects walked for 15 minutes on a treadmill at a pace that was brisk but not tiring, they were far less likel...olate bars.

In other studies, scientists looked at the effects of brief walks on cigarette cravings. One in 2005 found that smokers who were told to...e to smoke when they took “self-paced, low-intensity” walks lasting about 15 minutes.

Another study in 2007 showed that brief walks not only beat back cravings, but also reduced withdrawal sympt...tes smoked.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Studies show that a brisk walk can ease cravings and help break some habits.

http://www.nytimes.com/20...amp;st=cse

A walk would re-direct your attention, and that could only be an improvement over dwelling upon wanting a cigarette.

BklynBabe said:

Shyra said:

I am very sorry for your loss, and I can empathize with you; however, your finding offense to my title is confusing, but you are entitled to your opinion.

I would think a person who saw loved ones die from cigarette smoking would be supportive of those who are trying to quit....

Don't presume. I never said they smoked.

The irony is in the thread title. Example: simply remove the 'but' and it reads totally differently.

Support and encouragement means nothing compared to ones own willpower, so spare me the self-rightous dialogue.

People need to enable and empower themselves and get a grip - if you want to give up smoking, GIVE UP SMOKING. The ONLY person that's going to do it is you, period.

BTW, I remember Ron reading some stuff he found helpful.

He quit cold turkey after a heart scare.

This was one:

http://whyquit.com/joel/ntap.pdf

I believe he has another pdf on his laptop. Will check what it is.

I can't give you no advice on that because I smoke between a pack and a half to two packs a day. If I go a good 2 and a half to three hours without a cigarette (unless I'm sleeping or something), I become very irritable. If I were to try to go even one full day, I'd end up killing somebody.

Red said:

Red said:

I don't even like to say that I WAS a smoker. Two days ago, I celebrated One Year. ONE FREAKIN YEAR!!!! 2080 butts (that's 2 packs a week), $1,050 saved for the year (in Canada $10/pk)....yadda yadda yadda. What it really is though is - no hiding, no cough, no smell, no bad colds, no walking to the store in minus 40 weather (can't believe I used to do that), my lungpower definitely increased and I get many more compliments on how I look (from people that didn't even know I smoked). Disgusting habit. I actually do judge people on it now....oh I know...I haven't turned into a reformed smoker whereby I get on someone's case - no - but I do THINK of them differently - and I would NEVER even consider dating a smoker.

Hardest thing I've done and YES, I'd love to bang a butt over a glass of good red right now - but I have CHOSEN not to smoke.

Tip - Get the patches going - they work!. Start with the strongest and cut in half (all I needed and at 2 pks a week, that's alotta smoking). I don't understand how someone can smoke over a pack a day; just does not compute, person has to be totally inactive and idle if they're smoking over a pack a day.

Stay on the high dosage patch (cut in half) until the day you realize you forgot the patch and made it thru a day without. DON'T STOP THERE. Move down a dosage on the patch and try cutting that dose in half. If you can afford butts, you can afford patches. I was on the patch, every day, for a good six months, maybe more. Even when I made the decision to stop the patches - I still carried one around with me - just in case.

You will come up with every excuse in the world to start again. Weight - yes - I also gained mmmm 15 lbs. I walked around the house in a daze for the longest time, not knowing what I was looking for. I had trouble sleeping. Some piece of clothing that hung in my closet that I had worn smoking would get me up in the middle of the night. I couldn't focus on business, in fact my business suffered some. Oh I wanted one, still do in certain situations, but I yell at myself and ask - who the Fuck is in control here? WHO?

You can do it. Start your patches tomorrow and next New Year's, you too can say - ahhhh 1 year. I did it. I AM IN CONTROL.

P.S. The weight gain doesn't necessarily come from eating more. Much of the gain comes from your metabolism slowing down; remember, cigarettes are a stimulent. So it only makes sense that when you want a butt - you work on that butt

Hey, if I could get a bigger booty out of this, that would be a prime benefit! Right now, I am assless! I look like a tall Asian woman from behind!

vainandy said:

I can't give you no advice on that because I smoke between a pack and a half to two packs a day. If I go a good 2 and a half to three hours without a cigarette (unless I'm sleeping or something), I become very irritable. If I were to try to go even one full day, I'd end up killing somebody.

See, that's my problem, too, but only if I'm stressed. I smoke about 15 cigarettes a day, and most of them are smoked on my way to work, on my way home from work and at home during the evening. During work, I try to control the urge, and if I get really busy stress-free, I hardly think about it, but as soon as someone or thing gets on my nerves, I'm fiending. I'm going to have to tell my supervisor at work to just try and bear with me if I get a little snippy.