# (OT) any ex smokers out there? How did you kick it?



## bfunk13 (Sep 21, 2011)

I know this is off topic but didn't know where else to post. 
I am 38 and have a wife and two boys 6 and 19 months.
I am a smoker for about 20 years now. I know i need to quit but really have a hell of a time.
I have tried the gum, patch and chantix. The Chantix was the closest i have come to quitting. 
Just wondering who here has kicked the habit and how?  Thanks!


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## snowleopard (Sep 21, 2011)

I quit. 

It was before the stuff was available to help, and I did it pretty much cold turkey.  I'd tried a few dozen times, made it an hour here, a few days there, woke up each morning intending to make today the day. Then one day I had a health care provider (PA) checking me out for something else, and she was one of those thorough people who look over the whole patient when they're in front of her.  She said, "I can give you this for the ear infection, but I'm more worried about your cough."  
[hack]"What cough?" 
"You have an infection in your lungs.  I can give you antibiotics to make it go away, but if you keep smoking, it will keep coming back." 

And somehow those were the magic words that I needed to hear.  Reality was staring me in the face, and I had to admit this was stupid. I decided to quit.

I offer that not as anecdote, but as central to the whole thing.  Once I decided to quit, the rest was just details.  Once I made that decision, I'd gotten through the hard part. 

I tapered off over the next week.  I'd light up 3-4 times a day, smoke half a cigarette, throw the rest away.  Did that for a few days, tapered down to a few puffs each time.  Then no more.   I spent a lot of time in places I didn't smoke--bathtub, bed.  I brushed my teeth a lot.  I ate a bunch of tangerines and drank grapefruit juice, because the idea of puffing up after the citrus was pretty yuck.   I drank a lot of water. I took vitamins, especially C to help clean my body out, get rid of the toxins that were triggering the cravings.  I took it easy on myself.  And when the urge to smoke came, I learned to ride it out.  I noticed it was like a wave on a beach.  No matter how intense it was, it would peak and then pass.  I grew more confident each time I won a small battle.  

I noticed that when I was in social situations, I was more tempted to smoke.  I still remember a friend coming over to my house, sitting down and taking out a package of my brand and shaking out a smoke.  I looked at it wistfully and said conversationally, "I haven't had a cigarette for a week."  He didn't say a word, just put it back in the pack, put the pack in his pocket.  When I assured him it was okay for him to smoke, he just shook his head.   A small kindness that reinforced my resolve.  I prioritized what I was doing. 

I did things that kept my hands busy, especially in the evenings.  That's how you quit, in the end.  You just don't light up the next cigarette.  You do whatever it takes to not light up the next cigarette. 

A few months later, I learned that my father had just died, and I got a cigarette, and lit up.  I smoked it.   I lit up another, and smoked half of it, looked at it, and asked myself, "What are you doing?"   I threw it on the ground and stamped it out, and I was done.  

For several years after that, I'd get the odd tingle--"Gee, it would be nice to have a smoke," but it was just a passing fancy, not a serious crave--almost like seeing a familiar face in a crowd.  Surprising when it would hit.  And then finally, gone.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 21, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> I know this is off topic but didn't know where else to post.
> I am 38 and have a wife and two boys 6 and 19 months.
> I am a smoker for about 20 years now. I know i need to quit but really have a hell of a time.
> I have tried the gum, patch and chantix. The Chantix was the closest i have come to quitting.
> Just wondering who here has kicked the habit and how?  Thanks!



Not a smoker, but I've had friends and family who have quit.

Brother-in-law's long-time girlfriend: Used and swears by Chantix.

Fire Inspector/Friend: Quit numerous times without success -- tried everything. Then one day he stumbled on to a website here in Maine funded by tobacco settlement money and found inspiration in a blog or something he read at that site . . . said he just got mad at himself and the tobacco addiction and resolved then and there to settle in and fight the addiction. I honestly thought he wouldn't succeed, but he says he was just inspired and had a drive to quit that was greater than the addiction . . . he never looked back . . . for a time he sounded worse than when he was coughing, but today he sounds and looks a lot younger than he ever did before.

My Grandparents: My Grandmother got very sick and she was a stubborn, old lady who decided that the racking cough was just made 10x worse due to her smoking. She quit then and there and used hard candy whenever she felt the urge to light up. My grandfather who was just as old and stubborn quit almost exactly a year later -- said to us, "If she can do it, I can do it." He chewed gum. Both were die hard unfiltered Marlboro and Kent smokers.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 21, 2011)

Almost forgot . . . good luck . . . you've got a lot to live for . . . and the one thing my sister (cardiac tech) and my wife (cardiac nurse) see over and over again in their line of work is one very common factor in cardiac disease . . . yup . . . smoking . . . my sister says 9 times out of 10 her patient is a long time smoker. My wife says she is even seeing patients now in their 40s and 50s -- patients without any past medical history or family history having heart attacks.


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## bfunk13 (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks for the replies!
Sounds like you had quite a battle snowleopard!
Like i said i have tried and tried and just looking for suggestions on how others have quit.
You are right Jake i do have a lot to live for and the reason i get mad at myself everyday for not kicking this.
People without this addiction really have no idea, my wife "just don't buy anymore". She has no idea because she is smart enough to never have touched them.
I will do it, i am to the point that i really hate cigarettes and beat myself up every time i light up.


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## blujacket (Sep 21, 2011)

Cold turkey for me. That first month was brutal, but easier as the time went by. I can't believe I smelled so bad all those years. I gag whenever I'm around a smoker now.


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## wdenton (Sep 21, 2011)

I quit 16 years ago

I tried the patch but at the time I smoked 2 -3 pack of camel filters a day so the patch was not strong enough.
I ended up smoking lights and using the patch and the doc said my heart would explode if I kept that up.

So I quit the patch and an few months later on January 3 I woke up and threw the carton of cigs I had in the fridge away and went cold turkey.

I had tried this in the past with no success. But I wanted to get married (to an no smoker) and didn't want to smoke around the kids (when I had them) so I quit and did not look back.

It was one of the hardest things to quit for me and to this day if I picked up a cig I would start again.
I loved the smell and taste of them and the brning paper on the cig.


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 21, 2011)

One of the very best things you can do while becoming a non-smoker is to begin a new exercise routine. One that will cause you to use those lungs. After the initial first few days of the exercise you should find it easier and you'll notice almost daily an increase in your ability to do the exercise. 

Also, one of the most difficult things is that when becoming a non-smoker, you still tend to think about lighting up. For some folks this goes away quickly and for others it may take months to stop thinking about it. Watch yourself and see how many times you get ready to go somewhere. Do you check to see you have enough smokes on hand? Or matches? Those little things mean a lot.


Remember that to break one habit it is very helpful to begin a new habit.....so long as the new habit is beneficial to you. Hence, one reason for exercise. Riding a bike, running or walking can go a long ways towards helping you. 

Good luck and I sincerely hope you join the rest of us non-smokers.


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## bfunk13 (Sep 21, 2011)

I have thrown away countless packs of smokes. 
Crushed them and said thats it. 4 hours later either buying more or digging them out of the trash. 
You are right backwoods, total lifestyle change including exercise. I will do it. 

Thanks for the support!


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## Czech (Sep 21, 2011)

Been off for over a year and a half, not drinking beer worked for me! Seriously, that was part of it, but my twin boys were the biggest reason. I just got to a point where I was more and more miserable, and chantix helped me get over the first month or so. If you're to the point that you seriously want to do this, you are more than half the way there. Always remember that when it gets really ugly, it WILL change in a few minutes. Just hang on for a few minutes and it will be tolerable, and easier each time. Make it personal and take it head on "Yeah, you want a piece of me urge? Bring it baby, I'll kick you ass you piece of chit". Ummm, can I swear in here? Ah well, you get the idea.


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## bfunk13 (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks Czech, i like your approach!


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## abrucerd (Sep 21, 2011)

Not a smoker, but I sent this to my cousin while he was in the act of quitting.

http://www.healthbolt.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/smoking_timeline_2070x1530.gif

Hopefully it will help give you incentive... good luck!


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## SolarAndWood (Sep 21, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> One of the very best things you can do while becoming a non-smoker is to begin a new exercise routine.



+1000.  I went cold turkey.  Really sucked as I was bartending and waiting 6 nights a week when you could still smoke in restaurants here.  Riding for an hour plus every day got me through it and provided another reason to quit other than my doctor telling me that asthma combined with smoking would be the end for me.  Good luck.


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## snowleopard (Sep 21, 2011)

Found this article, and hope that it might help you to 
a) understand what you are up against, in part, and 
b) decide that you're not going to subsidize this behavior: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/30/AR2006083001418.html

I'll leave you to your own judgement call about these people.


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## Flatbedford (Sep 21, 2011)

My sister taught me how to smoke when I was 11, back in 1981. By the time I was 17 I was a pack-a-day +. I stopped for a bout 1 1/2 years in my early 20s, but started up again when I hooked up with a smoker who ended up being Mrs. Flatbedford a few years later. She stopped in '98 or so and I kept on going. She hated it. In the fall of '02 we got engaged and planned to marry in May '03. Around the holidays I decided that I would stop after the wedding knowing that I would be off work for two weeks. I knew that two weeks out of my routine of two smokes on the drive in ( I could tell if i was on time or not based on where I was when i lit up), One after coffee break, during lunch, etc. would help. In the time between the decision and the big day I worked at smoking less, but still allowed myself to smoke a whole pack if I was out drinking or something, because I knew i was gonna stop anyway. On my wedding day, I had my last smoke with my best man and stopped. Since then I have "snuck" about a dozen smokes and every single one of them was just plain disgusting! I still miss smoking and think about it almost every day.
For me, I just had to finally decide that I was done and simply stop. A major change in routine helped a lot too. I consider it one of the great accomplishments in my life.

Another thing that might help you stop is to see the difference in the cost to a smoker or non smoker for the life insurance policy you buy to provide for your family if you can't.


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## bfunk13 (Sep 21, 2011)

Great posts here, i appreciate every single one!
Truth is, if it were just me i would probably never quit. I enjoy smoking plus the addiction makes it a real SOB.
These two are my inspiration to quit and start a new lifestyle.


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## laynes69 (Sep 21, 2011)

I smoked for 10 years. After having my lungs collapse many times and the apical portion of my left lobe removed I decided for my wife and kids I needed to quit. They explained I would have emphysema by the age of 35 due to lung scarring. I'm 30 so it would have been close. I quit by switching up my normal smoking habits. After that I started reducing the amount I smoked. Since surgery and quitting I haven't had any problems. I tried gum and decided it was too much. You have to want to quit.


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 21, 2011)

One more little trick. Stand a single cigarette up on the table. Look at how small that thing is. Now, will you continue to let some little piece of crap like this ruin the rest of your life? You are bigger than that little thing so don't let that little thing control you any longer. You call the shots. Get tough but don't feel sorry for yourself. Remember, you are starting a new habit here. That is, becoming a non-smoker. Your later life will be much easier when you don't have that stuff going into your lungs. Watch a lot of smokers and how much they cough. What about all the crap they also get out of their throat and spit away. 

One more advantage of becoming a non-smoker is that your sense of taste and smell will wake up again. Food will start tasting much better.


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## GAMMA RAY (Sep 21, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Great posts here, i appreciate every single one!
> Truth is, if it were just me i would probably never quit. I enjoy smoking plus the addiction makes it a real SOB.
> These two are my inspiration to quit and start a new lifestyle.



They are beautiful children
You must be proud...
Best of luck on quitting...


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## bfunk13 (Sep 21, 2011)

GAMMA RAY said:
			
		

> bfunk13 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks so much!


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## billb3 (Sep 22, 2011)

another cold turkey here.

I had been "trying" to quit for two years, could go the weekend but noon time at work on Monday I'd be buying a pack.

Was in the hospital for two days  for a procedure and decided this was it. I'm not a smoker any more.
I am no longer a smoker. I think that was my mantra for a month.

The smell of some one else smoking doesn't bother me.
That ash tray smell on some people and in cars is AWFUL, though.


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## Thistle (Sep 22, 2011)

Started smoking at 15,was barely 32 & in otherwise great shape but was having trouble breathing when carrying things up 3-4 flights of stairs at jobsite before the elevators was installed.Quit cold turkey Thanksgiving weekend 1995,havent had any since.Wasnt much fun to be around the first week or so,but that changed.Everyone told me "Jon...even as active as you are,you'll gain 30 pounds blah blah..." I replied "BS no I wont!"  Though I did gain 5 pounds the first 5 days after quitting because I was eating everything that wasnt nailed down (quit on Sunday night),I soon lost it & kept it off.

To this day I cant be around those who smoke,outside is no problem but inside a vehicle or closed building really affects how I breathe & gives me instant headaches.Just yesterday was carrying 50-60 lb Red Oak rounds up a fairly steep 50 ft long slope to gravel driveway where tractor & cart was parked.Though I was 16 yrs younger,it wouldnt have been any easier back then when I still smoked a pack of Marlboro Reds daily.1 month ago had to take physical & breathing test to fit for respirator to remove mold at a local elementary school.Passed the test,lungs were 104% of capacity,best score of those in my test group,regardless of age.SOOOOO glad I quit!!


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## snowleopard (Sep 22, 2011)

Those kids are beautiful.  Yep.  

You want to around to be the man they call "Dad", right?   Then man up and do this thing, or somebody else may have that privilege.


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## DuckDog (Sep 22, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Great posts here, i appreciate every single one!
> Truth is, if it were just me i would probably never quit. I enjoy smoking plus the addiction makes it a real SOB.
> These two are my inspiration to quit and start a new lifestyle.




I smoked for 17 years. Started in high school. Tried to quit many times because I should and because needed to. Those all failed. 

I quit smoking July 4 2010. Lol, I am Canadian so the date was not intentional but Independance Day none the less!  I have not had a single puff since.  The only difference between this time and all the other times...... I HONESTLY WANTED TO QUIT THIS TIME.  

I don't want to sound negative but if you genuinley do not want to quit then quitting will be a million times more difficult.  You have to find a way to make yourself WANT to quit.  

It's a dirty, tough addiction to get rid of but you can do it

Good luck
Drew,


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## jimbom (Sep 22, 2011)

Great picture of the kids.

My dad had two kids like that.  My brother and I were sitting on his bed at the big out of town cancer center when the doctor came it and said - terminal lung cancer.  Dad said it must have been from the feed dust, the fertilizer dust or the hay, I am a farmer you know.  The doctor said no, this type of cancer only comes from smoking. 

I hated that he had to die with regrets.  I am glad you will not be in that spot.


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## snowleopard (Sep 22, 2011)

Friend of the family, a neighbor, was in his forties, had smoked for years.  He'd had some health problems that had just gotten resolved, and he was happier than I'd ever seen him for one beautiful summer.  He'd been down at my place admiring my raspberry bushes, and telling me about his grandmother's raspberry patch, and I told him he could have some plants.  He'd started clearing to get a place to start his own bed when he got a cough that wouldn't go away, and then got pnumonia, and was diagnosed with small cell carcinoma. He stopped working on the raspberry beds then.  

He lived about fourteen months, outlived his projected death by about eight months.  One day he turned up at my door looking sharp.  It was a pretty autumn day like today, birch and aspen leaves were yellow, sky electric blue.  He said with kind of a self-conscious laugh that he'd told his brother that if he wanted to take a picture of him, he'd better do it soon.   I asked how his brother had responded, and he said he laughed.  I went and got the camera.  Pictures were amazing, and he started losing his hair and weight soon after, so it turns out he was right about the timing. 

He died like he lived, independent as possible, stayed at home in his little dry cabin, with a health care provider who came out and administered drugs for him.  . I told my husband he might want to build the coffin, and that it was time to get started if he did.  I'd married a back-East city boy, and he thought that was kinda weird, but then he asked me to look up coffin designs on the internet.  You can find just about anything on the internet.   He started working on the coffin  in the front yard, wearing shorts and a tool belt, and it sat on sawhorses until it was done.  I went to the lumber store to buy the wood, and when she heard what I was asking for, the woman who worked there told me she had cheaper plywood with a question in her eyes.  I told her I wanted the good stuff, and she quietly asked if it was for a coffin and I said yes, and she said she gave a discount for that.   His sister made the lining for the coffin out of a patchwork of faded old blue jeans, and put a pocket from one of the jeans in the wall of the coffin so people could tuck notes in there for him. Another sister came up from back East with her daughter, and she helped sand the coffin.  They would work for awhile, and then the reality of the task they were doing hit them, and they'd stop, and cry, and go back to work after awhile.     

Our friend kept asking how the coffin was coming, and seemed relieved or pleased, if that's the word, to hear that it was done.   After the coffin was finished, his sister-in-law said she didn't want it in her house, because "it creeped her out".  So we stood it in a corner of our living room because it was starting to rain.   I was a bit uncomfortable with it, too, so that night after everyone had gone to bed, I walked over to where it stood, and tried it out.  I stood in it, and thought about what it was for, and after that, it was okay.  A few days later, we had a Fed-Ex delivery, and the driver kept glancing over at the corner, and finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Uh . . . is that what it looks like?"  

The quilt was made out of pictures reproduced of his life, including the one I took that autumn day when he still had hair.  When it was finished, it was hung over his bed where he could see it.  We left one panel blank.  I planned on that as a wrap to bury him in, but in the end, his mother wanted to keep it, and so she did. The night he died, his brother and sister-in-law had a gathering at his house, and we wrote goodbyes in the blank panel of the quilt.  By the time he died, he only weighed about 80 pounds, and my husband and our friend's brother washed him and dressed him in a sweatshirt and sweatpants.  It was a struggle, because rigor mortis had set in by the time that they did that.   They put him in his coffin on sawhorses in his garage for the farewell, and his grave was dug with a backhoe on his brother's property.   They left his coffin in the garage until the next day, but that evening, my son told me that he wanted to say goodbye to this man who had been a special friend to him.  I walked over there with my son, just the two of us, and opened the coffin, and picked my son up so he could see.   

What remained didn't look like our friend anymore.  It looked like one of those dolls that they make by carving an apple and letting it dry.   I'd been afraid that when I opened it, there would be a whiff of decay, and I didn't want my son to have to experience that.  But instead, when I opened the coffin, I smelled the unmistakable scent of raspberries.  My son said goodbye, and I put the lid back on the coffin, and we walked home.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 22, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Great posts here, i appreciate every single one!
> Truth is, if it were just me i would probably never quit. I enjoy smoking plus the addiction makes it a real SOB.
> These two are my inspiration to quit and start a new lifestyle.



That right there should definitely be inspiration enough . . . your kids will thank you some day . . . or your grandkids will thank you . . . maybe even great grandkids. Cute kids.


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## yooperdave (Sep 22, 2011)

just skimmed through some of the posts/replies.
how i quit- started smoking the more "restrictive" brands. advertised as low tar/nicotine...etc. (i hear they're all the same, anyway). kept in mind that i didn't start smoking the quantity per day in the beginning that i had achieved near the end of my smoking days. cut down gradually, with the aid of the more restrictive brands.

most of all, i wanted to quit! i think that if you don't want too, you won't find anything to do it for you.
my brother-in-law has quit many times over the past ten years. not one was successful.

it took me a summer long to stop completely. i've had one since then, a few years after i quit, and was disgusted by the taste and wondered how i could have any enjoyment from it?

if you are serious about stopping, you will...just won't happen overnight.  good luck, brother.


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## btuser (Sep 22, 2011)

Quitting was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  I'd have to say after the first month, if I'd know how hard it was going to be I never would have tried.

Not what bfunk13 wants to hear, but for me it was hard.   I quit drunk on New Year's eve, and by 12:30 was sneaking a but in the bathroom, but next day started the trial.  I'm not one for will-power, but I hate judgement, so for me what kept me trying was I told all my smoker friends that I WAS quitting.  I can remember making the connections in my head to the withdrawl symptoms.  Why was I so pissed?  Oh yeah.  Why was I so sad?  Oh yeah.  Hey, I hadn't though about it for 20 minutes!  Oh yeah.   It was like separation from a person that I loved deeply, and all I had to do was dial the phone.   I wasn't a pack a day smoker, closer to 3-4 sticks and then a bunch on the weekend.   

Tough to do when you drink.  I'd make it two weeks and then be in a circle of people who didn't know that I didn't smoke.  Feel like a loser, like a quitter, and tomorrow I'd start over.  Week turns into a month and you get that first real breath.......WOW!  Get past it get over it and then you can't remember when the last time you smoked.  For me it was about 18 years.  Now when I see/smell it I'm repulsed, but I'd be lying if I said after 20 years I don't want another one.

Kinda like I feel when I stare at other women.  GROSS!!


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## bfunk13 (Sep 22, 2011)

Thanks for ALL the replies. 
Everyone has helped. And congratulations to all for quitting this disgusting habit! 
I did good today, bummed one about noon and stomped it out after 5-6 drags. Thought "'why did i do that?"
I am doing what many have suggested, sun flower seeds, chewing gum, hard candy. 
Thanks again!


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## snowleopard (Sep 23, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Thanks for ALL the replies.
> Everyone has helped. And congratulations to all for quitting this disgusting habit!
> I did good today, bummed one about noon and stomped it out after 5-6 drags. Thought "'why did i do that?"
> I am doing what many have suggested, sun flower seeds, chewing gum, hard candy.
> Thanks again!



Way to go!  That's great--every day is a victory.  What i figured out in retrospect was that even though if I tried to quit and fail, I learned a little something each time that all added up to that final success.  And if I hadn't kept trying, I never would have tried that one time that I actually made it. 

Citrus, as mentioned above.  Brushing your teeth and tongue a lot can help--your mouth tastes clean and minty and you don't want to mess that up.  Oh, and by the way?  If your tongue turns pink, it doesn't mean you're sick.  It's supposed to be that color.   

Lotsa water.  Keep flushing your system.   Day at a time.


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## Flatbedford (Sep 23, 2011)

Drinking and not smoking was hard for me. If a had a beer in one hand, I HAD to have a smoke in the other. For a while, I just kept a beer in each hand.


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## Lumber-Jack (Sep 23, 2011)

Motivation is the key. looks like you already have a couple good motivational reasons to quit.
You also have to employ logic over emotion by analyzing the benefits over losses of smoking. Make a list of what you stand to gain by continuing to smoke, and a list of what you stand to gain by quiting. Keep that list with you at all times and consider it frequently (everytime you feel like having a smoke).
For me, I quit when I was very young, I smoked from about 13 to 20 yrs of age. I just came to the realization that it is a stupid useless habit that has no personal benifits. It's continued use in society is driven by huge profits to the tobacco industries at great cost to individuals, not only those who are hooked, but also those around them. And that doesn't even touch on the cost to the health care systems, which effects everyone.
I'm not going to pull any punches here, there is only one reason to continue to smoke....  *STUPIDITY !*


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## karl (Sep 23, 2011)

It's amazing to read the replies.  Most of them aren't the usual one liners.  It seems people feel strongly about quit and their success.  I do as well.  I smoked for 20 plus years and I have quit cigarettes.  I still haven't broken the nicotine addiction.  I swear by electronic cigarettes.  You get the nicotine without the carcinogens or tar.  Two months after I switched  I was jogging a mile and half.  Unfortunately, they sell cheap ones at every convenient store.  People try those and because of the poor quality assume they don't work.

My suggestion.  Go to madvapes.com and by the Ego.  It's available other places too but they have really good prices especially on their juice.  Get some 36mg juice as well.  I don't own the company or get any money for steering people there.  Find an ecig forum and start reading on it.

In a week you will be completely off cigarettes without little or no problems.  Just read in the ecig forums.  Those people aren't lying.  Within a month the change you see in your body will give you all the motivation you need to never touch a cigarette again.  

Good luck breaking the nicotine addiction.  I have it under control like never before but it's not gone. I have cut the strength of my juice way back (8mg).  I know longer wake up wanting nicotine and I can go hours and hours with a craving but I still have a little bit each day.  I don't really.  I can BREATH now, and jog.

Best of luck to you.


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## Later (Sep 23, 2011)

Smoked 2 packs a day from 1962 to 1979. My first cigarette of the day usually went out when i stepped in the shower. Tried to quit a few times. Finally went cold turkey. It took the fear of not being able to breathe when skiing in Aspen and the distraction of a family vacation that took my mind off butts for the first two weeks of hell. 

Have a friend that also quit cold turkey. He can't wait till he turns 70 to start up again. Figures that it's too late to kill him then.


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## begreen (Sep 23, 2011)

I quit cold turkey, about 28 years ago. Had one relapse for a few months while traveling in Europe, but stopped again. The craving is no longer strong, but it is always somewhat present. I sure am glad I quit.


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## btuser (Sep 23, 2011)

It wasn't the health risk for me.  It was the thought of being owned by something.   I decided to quit after the congressional hearings during the 90s


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## bfunk13 (Sep 24, 2011)

What great replies!
You should all be proud, its not as easy as "just don't buy anymore".
Today was no fun but i made it!


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## jimbom (Sep 24, 2011)

:lol: 





			
				Flatbedford said:
			
		

> Drinking and not smoking was hard for me. If a had a beer in one hand, I HAD to have a smoke in the other. For a while, I just kept a beer in each hand.


 :lol:


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## Thistle (Sep 24, 2011)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> Drinking and not smoking was hard for me. If a had a beer in one hand, I HAD to have a smoke in the other. For a while, I just kept a beer in each hand.



Same here. I quit on a Sunday night,Friday afternoon after going to credit union with paycheck was ready to hit the bar for a few drinks.And I always had a cig going when I was drinking too.Even at home it felt odd at first drinking & not smoking at the same time.


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## btuser (Sep 24, 2011)

Smoking and drinking is the relationship between depressants and stimulants.

It helped me to think about the science of what was going through my head.


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## begreen (Sep 24, 2011)

btuser said:
			
		

> It wasn't the health risk for me.  It was the thought of being owned by something.   I decided to quit after the congressional hearings during the 90s



That was part of what helped me quit too. I didn't like having a corporation sucking at my wallet with an addictive substance as the hook.


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## Later (Sep 24, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> btuser said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



In NY it's not the corporations, it's the state. They are now over $85 a carton


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## snowleopard (Sep 24, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> What great replies!
> You should all be proud, its not as easy as "just don't buy anymore".
> Today was no fun but i made it!



You're dang right it's not easy.  I quit many years ago, and still look at that as one of the great battles won in my life.  

Another suggestion: take a pen and write the name of your oldest son on the thumb side of your index finger on one hand, and the name of your younger son on your other.  If you find yourself picking up a smoke, you'd have to look at those names there each time you brought the smoke to your mouth. Even if you tried to avoid eye contact, you'd still know it was there.  

You should be proud about making it through another day.  Good luck on this one.  The first ten days or so are the hardest.  You just get through them by riding out the wave of the crave, and those only come one at a time.  As time goes on, that space of time between when you don't have that intense crave gets longer and longer.  Pay attention to the increase of that interval, and celebrate it.  That's where your liberation from this addiction lies.


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## NH_Wood (Sep 25, 2011)

I've been smoking for about 20 years. Just turned 38 and starting to really feel the effects. Funny I just found this post - quit 3 weeks ago today. I rolled my own cigarettes (Drum), and I'm not only addicted to the nicotine, but to the fun of rolling really excellent cigarettes. I'd say at this point, I miss rolling a little more than the nicotine. I was REALLY good a rolling - everywhere I went, people would always watch me roll, ask what I was doing, etc. It was a serious part of the habit.

How am I managing? I tried the electronic cigarettes. The one I'm using is called 'SmokeStik'. Definitely a different taste, but feels like you are smoking and you get a nicotine hit. The only things you are 'smoking' are apparently water vapor, glycerine, and nicotine. Regardless, I have to assume they are much less harmful than regular smoke, and they have allowed me to deal with both the physiological addiction to nicotine and the psychological addition to having a cigarette in hand and blowing smoke, etc. Cost is a little steep up front, but after you invest in the starter package, the individual cartridges are about $17 for 5, and I go through 1 cartridge per 3 days. I'm saving money vs. 3 bags of Drum per week at ~ $7/bag. I'd suggest looking into these things - I'm glad I did. I have 3 little ones too - and I was really tired of hiding my smoking from them (didn't want them to see Dad smoke after telling them how bad and dangerous smoking is......you know how it goes......).

I'm getting used to the SmokeStiks and although I still (obviously) crave a real cigarette, I'm doing pretty well - it's becoming less and less of an urge. I really hope I can do it this time - it's definitely time to get off smoking - don't want to look back when I'm 50 and say 'I should have quit 10 years ago'. Good luck!

Cheers!


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## Later (Sep 25, 2011)

From my experience, pull the plug and go though 2 to three weeks of hell. groan at the wife, kids, other drivers, the government. I promise you that it gets better, and you feel that you just climbed Mt. Everest (not from a breathing perspective) but from overcoming the toughest challenge that you have ever met. Keep on the plan.


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## begreen (Sep 25, 2011)

Retired Guy said:
			
		

> BeGreen said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It's all relative. When I quit cigarettes were only 35 cents a pack. The fact is that American tobacco companies were lacing the tobacco with pure nicotine and other substances to ensure you got hooked and stayed hooked. Considering the health hazards to myself and soon to be family, I chose to pull the plug. Personally I am glad to see the current high prices on smokes and the effect they have had on declining cigarette smoking. This is a good thing. The real costs of tobacco are the medical costs which are often picked up by the states.


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## snowleopard (Sep 26, 2011)

Just wanted to wish you luck getting through Monday.  We'll be pullin' for you!


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## Nixon (Sep 26, 2011)

Good luck to You on quitting ,it's hard but not impossible . It took Me 40+years to make up My mind to quit .  I don't miss it a bit .


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## piejam (Sep 28, 2011)

Sir,

Excuse me for chiming in. My dh passed away on 2/15/11..Was diagnosed with stage3 cancer in 1998 at the age of 48. He was a cigarette junkie. He tried everything that was available..Cold turkey is what did it. I'm begging you to stop. Look at your beautiful family & the life you have. Had a grapefruit sized tumor in apex of left lung with massive abscess. Told at the time inoperable. Road into nuclear medicine pure hell. Radiation/chemo. Was treated aggressively due to young age. Got lucky if you chose to believe shrinking the tumor, sawed off 4 ribs, removed tumor, then used mylar(surgeons packing material of choice) and wired it to his sternum. 9 hr operation 750 stitches inside and out. The scar was on his left back running from just about the waist(kidney area) to the top of his shoulder. Top part of incision would not seal due to massive radiation.

I had to clean and pac that wound everyday for months. I am not a nurse but was trained by them for sterile wound car. I would see the tendons move in his neck as I did this. He was plagued with a life of bacterial infections. Constant hospitalization, intravenous antibiotic therapies, steroids. Wound up on a respirator in 2006. Could not hold cpap which means you can't survive without mechanical action. Wound up in a nursing home. Your health insurance will only pay for rehab. If you go custodial your wife would have to transfer all assets to herself/children and claim spousal refusal. Lucky for me he with lots of rehab he got off the vent. He knew he could never do this again.

DH signed dni/dnr orders. Slowly died of pulmonary disease. On oxygen assist 12yrs. Couldn't push out co2 so wound up constantly in the hospital. Died very slowly. Never to work again. Also suffered from slight ED. Is this the kind of life you want for yourself/family? I'm begging you to stop!! Now! If this post doesn't do it for you I don't know what will. Please. One hospitalization gave him MRSA. Infected the prothesis and Sloan had to undue the mylar setup. Then they took a flap of muscle from his good side and install that in place of mylar. Another 7hr operation. Not saying this is your destiny but it could happen. I'm 57 with no dh and can't move on. In the name of god please stop. Wound in in bankruptcy because he could not work again. Almost lost my home/retirement accounts. Is this the life you want? Believe me you don't.
I know you are looking for a cure but had to tell you this. Anytime someone need a terrific surgeon her name is Valerie Rusch at Sloan Kettering. Good luck.


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## piejam (Sep 28, 2011)

PS-Being co2 retentive is what killed him...This almost killed me. Towards the end hospital bed and cpap machines in the house. Not to mention all the prescription medication that you've got to take.  Don't mean to preach but I would not want to see another human being go thru this. The cigarette addition was so strong that he still smoked the first few years after diagnosis. I threatened to leave him because I could not bear it. Had good coverage along with the medicare. So I was lucky in that sense. 

I wish you well and all the luck in the world. It's going to be tough..Tougher if you got alcohol in your system..Going to bars, sporting events and just hanging out with friends is a rough road. Ex-smokers here will be pulling for you.  I was a moderate smoker. DH was 2.5 pacs a day. After seeing what he was going thru I quit. It's been 6 yrs now. I did cheat once in a while hanging with co-workers. Today, I can't stand the taste. Sorry didn't mean to double post. You will be fighting the urge for a long time. sincerely d


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## Delta-T (Sep 28, 2011)

I have quit a few times...note, a few times means that serveral attempts failed. This time, I tried self hypnosis technique. SO far so good. I'm not really sure why its working, but for about 2 weeks, every time I would light up I would taunt myself about it. Tell myself how silly it was that some flaming stick of dried leaves was controlling me. Then, I got a wee bit of a cold...next day, lit cigarette, immediatley put it out cuz it didn't interest me. Haven't had one, nor wanted one since. Very strange to have no disire, but I'm not complaining. Good luck to you. I'll tell you what doesn't work...Pall Malls. I thought if I smiked nasty, non-filtered jobbies that I'd just get sick of it...wrong. Just makes you smoke nastier cigarettes. No offense if Pall Malls are your brand, worked for Sinatra.


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## snowleopard (Sep 29, 2011)

piejam, that was an amazing post.  Your experience is one that few of us know about, and more of us should.  Let us know what we can do to help support your adventure with the woodstove and wood--it can be a great way to economize and to rebuild a sense of confidence and optimism.  It's about 35 degrees outside right now, and I woke up to a house that's 70F.  The kid is warm, the dog is warm, the cat was warm but she's outside hunting now.  Time for us to rally and do, but that stove is a big part of what makes it work for our household.  Welcome to the forum.


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## bfunk13 (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanks again for all of the replies. They all help!
I am kicking nicotine's ass!
I will beat it this time.

PS. thanks for the post piejam, very sorry. Really made me think!


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## salecker (Sep 29, 2011)

Hi
 I went to a hypnosis seminar to quit.
 First step and most important is to make the desission to stop smoking,this has to the first step.YTou can try anything but if you don't make the decission to quit none will be succesfull.
 I smoked on and off since i was in school,got hard core after school and began working equipment,nightshift was a bear to deal with for me,i would have a smoke every 15 min just to stay awake.I was a pack a day more if i went to the bar.
 I tried on and off to quit but allways found the smokes again.
 Fast forward to the birth of my daughter,had decided i didn't want her growing up seeing her dad smoking.
 That went well till a bad patch in my marriage,she started smoking during this patch and it was all the excuse i needed to start.Once life got evened out i remembered the reason i had quite before.
 One of my mantras was i didn't want to pay some company to slowly kill me.
 Good luck on quiting
 Thomas


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## Lumber-Jack (Sep 29, 2011)

A good friend of mine once stated that smoking is about as useful as sticking a stick up your butt. Funny thing is, if some big cooperation could figure out how to make money on something like that, and market and advertise it in the right way, there are people out there stupid enough to do it. Especially if  they could somehow make it addictive and get all the movie stars doing it.
 I come from a big family of smokers. My parents both died from smoking and most of my living siblings have health  problems related to smoking and will probably die early from it. My older brother recently had a massive stroke and will be a vegetable for the rest of his life (at least he canâ€˜t smoke anymore), and my younger brother already has had two stents installed in his arteries to re-establish blood flow to his legs. Apparently they are already getting plugged because he refuses to quit smoking . 

I recall the stupidest family get together I ever attended, it was when my Dad was dieing. The doctors at the hospital said there was nothing more they could do for him and said he might as well go home to die around family and friends. I visited him at his home and family from all over were there as well. It was like a attending a smoking convention, a huge billow of smoke came out the door as I walked in the house and I could hardly breath. Everyone was crowded in the house with a cigarette (or two) going and there through all the smoke, was my dad lying in bed dieing of lung cancer,,, from smoking. It was the last time I saw him, and it was a pitiful reminder of the effects of this stupid, stick up your butt, habit, and just how stupid people can be in regards to the consequences.

I ainâ€™t gona wish the OP luck, cause luck ainâ€™t got nothing to do with it. USE YOUR HEAD MAN !

Did I mention how stupid smoking is?


Btw  good post piejam, my heart goes out to you.


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## snowleopard (Sep 29, 2011)

Carbon_Liberator said:
			
		

> A good friend of mine once stated that smoking is about as useful as sticking a stick up your butt. Funny thing is, if some big cooperation could figure out how to make money on something like that, and market and advertise it in the right way, there are people out there stupid enough to do it. Especially if  they could somehow make it addictive and get all the movie stars doing it.



Anyone else getting a visual on this?  Imagining the Oscars in a whole new light . . .


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## piejam (Sep 29, 2011)

Hi bfunk13

Glad I made you think. Does your wife smoke? My hubby could not quit due to my occasional smoking-so I had to join him in the fight. Happy I did. Air out your car. I used to smoke while driving. Do not be disappointed if you regress. Others posters have told you multiple attempts. Tell you what, you quit smoking and I'll try to move on with my life.

If you can't quit, buy term life insurance before you suffer any health problems. That move by husband enabled me to pay off my house and some change to start over. Posters here are correct in telling you to exercise. I gained about 20lbs, lost only half of it.  Don't make your wife a weeping widow like me..A ghost of what I used to be.

I will be thinking of you. Hang in there. 

Regards, d

ps-thank you all for your kind remarks -it does make a difference.


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## pen (Sep 30, 2011)

Quit for 2.5 years but I let stress get the best of me and allowed myself to slip up once or twice, then three times, etc.  That took place over a few month period about a year ago and then I thought I could handle sneaking a smoke (pipe, cig, cigar, chew, it doesn't matter they are all nicotine delivery systems and I unfortunately enjoy every one of them) every now and again.  Turned out I was wrong and now I'm going to have to go back down the road to quitting again.

The first month was hard, but then the next 2 years, while I still had the itch I was very proud of myself and remembered vividly how hard it was to quit and not wanting to have to work that hard at something again was motivation in and of itself to keep off them.  As soon as I slipped once, while I wasn't hooked again yet, that fear I had dissipated and it became very easy to make more and more mistakes.

When you get there, be smarter than me!  There is no in between for most people, it's either quit or not.

Best of luck,

pen


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## begreen (Sep 30, 2011)

There was another glowing report on tobacco today. Add polonium radiation to the mix that the tobacco companies knew about. 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/tobacc...adiation-cigarettes-decades/story?id=14635963


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## scojen (Sep 30, 2011)

I tried the patch multiple times and it took me going exactly by the instructions to finally quit. I kept trying to cheat it by quitting the program early because they were expensive.


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## begreen (Sep 30, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Great posts here, i appreciate every single one!
> Truth is, if it were just me i would probably never quit. I enjoy smoking plus the addiction makes it a real SOB.
> These two are my inspiration to quit and start a new lifestyle.



bfunk, you have two beautiful kids. That's what convinced me to kick the habit too. Congratulations. You will not regret making this decision. Hard, but definitely worth it. 

piejam. We lost my wife's sister at age 50. She was the youngest daughter, but a heavy smoker. By the time she found out that she was stage 3/4 it was too late. Sorry for your loss. Lung cancer is not a nice way to depart this planet.


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## piejam (Sep 30, 2011)

Hello

BG is right Bfunk. It was the photo of your children that rattled me. That's why I posted my story. Actually my husband survived the cancer. He was free of that devil for 12yrs. after his surgery. Cancer is not the only groan here. It's pulmonary disease(copd/emphysema) and due to chemo- the loss of your immunity system. Thank you all for your sorrow and my condolences to anyone who has suffered a loss due to these diseases. 

If you stumble and fall there are people here to help support you. Keep your hands busy. Go chop or split wood anything. Your wife may think of something..lol 

Wishing you continued success in your endeavors..


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## bfunk13 (Sep 30, 2011)

Today was a total groan, i went out with a friend to cut some firewood and it was all i could do not to stop on the way out of town and buy a pack.
But, i resisted figuring if i buy a pack for that "one smoke" it will not stop at one and i know that too well after trying to quit before.
So i brought sunflower seeds and tons of gum.
Was just as hard when i made it back to town, but *HELL NO* i am not even going to have that "one". 
One thing that helped is when i got that craving i thought of an overflowing ashtray with a cig still burning down to the filter. How nasty that smells even to a smoker.

piejam , no my wife has never smoked and yes she will keep me busy alright. Thanks for your kind words.

Seriously all of your replies have helped me with this, and hopefully there are some current smokers lurking and reading here that will come battle this with me.


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## jimbom (Sep 30, 2011)

Congratulations on making it through the day.  I know you can make it through the night.  I am pulling for you.


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## btuser (Sep 30, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> One thing that helped is when i got that craving i thought of an overflowing ashtray with a cig still burning down to the filter. How nasty that smells even to a smoker.



That makes me want to quit all over again.

You're doing good.  Keep us posted.


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## snowleopard (Oct 1, 2011)

If it's any comfort, I think on those really tough days your body is detoxing.  There's a lot of crap built up in your cells, and once you stop shoveling it in, they start shoveling it out.  Big transition there, and physiologically, your body is telling you that you could return to the status quo and halt the discomfort of that process by having just one.  And then you're back to square one.   That's one of the reasons I recommend drinking a lot of water while you're going through this peak withdrawal time--it helps flush out that crap and eases the symptoms.   

Checking out that "what happens to your body when you quit" timeline might be helpful.

Another thought that might help: consider what you would do to someone that you found trying to convince your sons to smoke.   Does the thought make you angry?  If yes, then go look in the mirror, because that's you if you go back to the habit--children of smokers are three times as likely to smoke as their smoke-free-families peers.  You're their hero, and if you smoke, it must be okay. 

And one other thought: tell yourself that you can have that cigarette if you really want it, but before you do, you need to sit down with your wife and discuss the qualities you hope she'll look for in the boys' stepfather and her new husband if you turn out to be one of the smokers who die from the habit. (I bet he'll be a non-smoker.)   You look her in the eyes and say, "Honey, I love you and the kids, but not as much as I love my smokes, so we need to talk . . . "


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## Flatbedford (Oct 1, 2011)

Keep up the good work. Get through the first couple weeks and gets easier. You may have the craving for years, but it will get easier to resist over time. The longer you go, the stronger you will be.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 1, 2011)

snowleopard said:
			
		

> If it's any comfort, I think on those really tough days your body is detoxing.  There's a lot of crap built up in your cells, and once you stop shoveling it in, they start shoveling it out.  Big transition there, and physiologically, your body is telling you that you could return to the status quo and halt the discomfort of that process by having just one.  And then you're back to square one.   That's one of the reasons I recommend drinking a lot of water while you're going through this peak withdrawal time--it helps flush out that crap and eases the symptoms.
> 
> Checking out that "what happens to your body when you quit" timeline might be helpful.
> 
> ...



Thats some heavy S***.
But true and makes a guy think. One thing i never did smoke around my kids, never in the house or car. 
I am there man, i am doing it this time. 
Thanks for the support!


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## Delta-T (Oct 1, 2011)

i think a small cheer is in order...some positive re-enforcement stuff.....

bfunk, bfunk, he's our man, he can do it cuz he likes ham! (i dont actually know if you like ham, but it did rhyme).


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## bfunk13 (Oct 1, 2011)

Delta-T said:
			
		

> i think a small cheer is in order...some positive re-enforcement stuff.....
> 
> bfunk, bfunk, he's our man, he can do it cuz he likes ham! (i dont actually know if you like ham, but it did rhyme).



LOL, to funny man, and sure who doesn't like ham?


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## snowleopard (Oct 1, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Thats some heavy S***.
> But true and makes a guy think. One thing i never did smoke around my kids, never in the house or car.
> I am there man, i am doing it this time.
> Thanks for the support!



It is heavy stuff.  I'm body-slamming you, and I know it, and some folks might think poorly of me for it. They weren't there when I sat with his mother trying to pick out pictures for my friend's burial quilt, or lived with his coffin in the corner for days until he was ready for it.  They weren't there when I was trying to come up with an answer for a sweet little four-year-old boy, son of another friend who died from being stupid, who said to me, "I'm tired of my daddy being dead.  When's he going to stop being dead?"  I think I've earned the right to be straight up with you, and if it can help keep you from driving off the cliff, then it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me.  

I had you pegged as someone who never smoked around the kids, but those kids look smart, and if you keep it up, they'll know you're a smoker by the time they're ready to choose.  Even if you keep smoking, you'll probably live long enough to see that for yourself.  

Remember, I'm just the one who's saying it.  You're the one who's doing it if you decide to smoke. 

And you are welcome.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 2, 2011)

Today was another tough day, but not "one".
My neighbor smokes Marlboro Reds like i did and he was out in the yard today. I would be lying if i said i didn't think about bumming just one. 
But i did not. I think thats whats different this time, once i decided to quit i have not had ANY! In the past when trying to quit i would always have that one i bummed
or just buy a pack and have one when i really needed. Then bum a few more till i was back to buying a pack a day. 

I have been keeping as busy as possible, not sitting around thinking how much this sucks.
I cut a load of firewood yesterday and split it today. Think tomorrow will take the family to the mountains for a drive to see the leaves turning, sure is pretty right now, hopefully get a chance to fly fish my favorite stream. 

Thanks again for the posts, i am not kidding when i say this really helps! You guys are too cool!


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## allhandsworking (Oct 2, 2011)

I have skimmed threw most of the post so forgive me if I am repeating!  My wife had a scare when she was 33 the doctor told her that see has the beginning of  emphysema.  Well she quite that day!  6 months later she went back for a follow up and asked the Dr. "How's the emphysema". The Doctor with a smile says what emphysema!  My wife's father was a NYC transit cop and bag pipe player who got throat cancer (tracheotomy) (no more bag pipe)!  I think the Dr.  Did the right thing knowing the family!  My father in law now teaches asaphagil speech and plays uilian pipes ( Irish pipes that use elbo bellows instead of blowing)!   The important thing is many people on this forum that don't know you care enough to support you!  It is a big deal to quit!  Read these posts when you get a craving!


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## charly (Oct 2, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Today was another tough day, but not "one".
> My neighbor smokes Marlboro Reds like i did and he was out in the yard today. I would be lying if i said i didn't think about bumming just one.
> But i did not. I think thats whats different this time, once i decided to quit i have not had ANY! In the past when trying to quit i would always have that one i bummed
> or just buy a pack and have one when i really needed. Then bum a few more till i was back to buying a pack a day.
> ...


 I quit cold turkey overnight 12 years ago. Mind over matter. Just said I was born not smoking, so I really didn't need to do it. Woke up the next day and never had any withdrawal at all. It was like I never smoked at all. Guess I was just ready to quit. Just think, now you'll live to see your kids grow up and hopefully they won't smoke either. Keep positive. Hey, think of all the money you'll have every month now. Great job! Oh and as corny as it sounds, I did make a pack with God months before, that if he made it easy for me to quit I'd never smoke again, and I haven't!


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## Elim (Oct 2, 2011)

Keep up the great work bfunk! Just get through tomorrow. From what I remember after day 3 it started to get easier day by day. I made it a challenge where I told myself I would not go back to 0 hours, or in your case now days since quitting. I would make myself go for walks when I wanted to smoke. By the time I got back I did not want it anymore.

I used Wellbutrin to help me quit about 5 or 6 years ago. That was before the Chantix stuff, but I hear it is great. Honestly the only way to quit is to make your mind up to it. Unfortunately for me it took my best friend getting diagnosed with cancer for me to make my mind up. 

After he was diagnosed, and I went over to visit to try to cheer him up. He fired up a smoke, and I asked him "Aren't you going to quit?" I remember thinking to myself that if/when they diagnose me with cancer I would quit on the spot. His reply to me was "I already have cancer. It can't get any worse." I realized he was right. I could not believe I was dumb enough to think it was going to take me getting diagnosed with cancer to quit. By then it is to late. It was at that moment I made my mind up to quit. He died back in 07. I sure do miss him. I did quit before he died, and he knew he might have saved my life (again) for making me realize how stupid I was.

Best of luck to you. It sure can be done, and you will be better off for it.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 2, 2011)

Good story allhands! 
And since starting this post i have thought exactly what you pointed out.  "many people on this forum that donâ€™t know you care enough to support you!"
I think its a life changing battle for most, and a real milestone, a great accomplishment. Maybe this is why people i don't even know are super supportive and taking time to tell their story. 
You all realize its no easy feat, but can be done.

Cold turkey and NO CRAVINGS?????
Man! Good for you.

I was tested a few times real good today, but HELL NO! Not even one.
Although it's not why i am quitting, but as a bonus i figure i will save $181.50 this month for not smoking. 
Thanks everyone.


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## piejam (Oct 2, 2011)

bfunk I am so proud of you. Surrounding yourself with a support group is one of the keys to success. Cigarette cessation is chemical.  That's because your brain produces dopamine when smoking. Your body got used to that..Now that you are going thru withdrawal- identify the "triggers". Waking up in the morning, having that cup of coffee, eating, etc..the habitual things..Hell you might even experience restlessness, insomnia, and your wife just might find you to be a pita.

My next door neighbor is a neurologist. He works at Brookhaven National Lab. Thru a gov't grant he is working on a cure for drug addicts and how dopamine effects them. Had many conversations with him when dh/myself were trying to quit.  I wished dh would have listened to him. As you already know it's an uphill battle. Maybe one of the toughest in your life. If you feel weak, whip out that photo of your kids. Look, I mean really look at it. Think of how their life would be without you and how much you would miss them. 

Hang in there buddy. There are plenty of people here to cheer you on. Join us as an "ex"...Hell I used to look at pbs programs that showed operations..The lung surgery made me sick. My husband never thought he would be stricken..Yeah right. Keep it up snowleopard. Good post. 

bfunk I sincerely hope tomorrow is easier than today...Kick a$$....


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## begreen (Oct 2, 2011)

You're doing a great job. The craving won't go away, but it will diminish a lot and become more of a background urge after a while. Keep up with the visualizations when the urge strikes. That's what I did. And if necessary chew on a stick of nylon or something for the oral fix. Just keep the image of this beast trying to tempt you and you are walking away from it, forever.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 2, 2011)

*You guys are good!*
Funny how this really helps, never thought it would. 

Yes piejam i am a complete PITA!! LOL


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## piejam (Oct 2, 2011)

MY Turn,

Ok so you're a crazy PITA...181.50 bucks a month Put that away for the kids education, investment account..anything but "up in smoke" goddammit!


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## jimbom (Oct 2, 2011)

Congratulations on making it through the day.  I know you can make it through the night.  I am pulling for you.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 2, 2011)

Crazy how headstrong i am this time. 
I have tried to quit before and never felt this way, always had major doubts if i could do it.
I don't have that this time, its like i know i will beat it. Great feeling. 

I was hoping some other smokers from the forum would join me, come on, no better time than now.
I didn't expect this support system here, but it helps and is awesome!


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## piejam (Oct 2, 2011)

One day at a time pal..You are in the process of opening a new door every day. Just walk thru. If you hit a wall, well just remove it brick by brick. The cure varies from person to person. What worked for me may not for you. People here will help you find the answers you seek.

This is such a cool place. Everyone is sharing their stories and part of themselves. Can't think of a better way to spend my time! Going to go now because contractors are ripping out my kitchen on Monday. I will be off line for awhile. My thoughts will be with you in your quest to be smoke-free. Spit in that devil's eye because he took so much from me!

Hope whoever is going to the Woodstock open house has a great time. Must be wonderful to associate a name with a face! Please post plenty of pix's-Thanks.

PS-Can anyone tell me why the crew picks on poor Dennis so much??? LOL


----------



## firefighterjake (Oct 3, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Today was a total groan, i went out with a friend to cut some firewood and it was all i could do not to stop on the way out of town and buy a pack.
> But, i resisted figuring if i buy a pack for that "one smoke" it will not stop at one and i know that too well after trying to quit before.
> So i brought sunflower seeds and tons of gum.
> Was just as hard when i made it back to town, but *HELL NO* i am not even going to have that "one".
> ...



Never smoked so I don't know what you're going through . . . but I just wanted to say congrats on getting through Day One.

Also, +1 about PieJam's post . . . that was some very heavy and sobering stuff . . . keep at it BFunk . . . I know your wife and kids will thank you some day.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 3, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Crazy how headstrong i am this time.
> I have tried to quit before and never felt this way, always had major doubts if i could do it.
> I don't have that this time, its like i know i will beat it. Great feeling.
> 
> ...



Never met you and probably due to the location where we live never will . . . but damn man you're making me proud and if this is the case I know your wife and your kids (some day) are/will be more proud of you than I ever will.

Kicking a$$ and taking names . . . way to show nicotine who is in control of your life!!


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## firefighterjake (Oct 3, 2011)

piejam said:
			
		

> One day at a time pal..You are in the process of opening a new door every day. Just walk thru. If you hit a wall, well just remove it brick by brick. The cure varies from person to person. What worked for me may not for you. People here will help you find the answers you seek.
> 
> This is such a cool place. Everyone is sharing their stories and part of themselves. Can't think of a better way to spend my time! Going to go now because contractors are ripping out my kitchen on Monday. I will be off line for awhile. My thoughts will be with you in your quest to be smoke-free. Spit in that devil's eye because he took so much from me!
> 
> ...



I can only speak for myself . . . I share the view points of many folks here, but perhaps none so much as Dennis despite the difference in our ages . . . I have never met him (but this will hopefully change this weekend), but he truly is a good person with a good soul (just don't tell him that as I have a reputation to uphold.) 

Of course one of the few things that we disagree on is that he insists on splitting wood vertically as it is easier for him whereas I find it much better and easier physically to split wood horizontally . . . the truth being . . . it really depends on the individual -- some folks find it easier to do vertically while others find it easier horizontally. So of course, me being me . . . I'm going to pick on him as much as possible . . . and he does the same to me.


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## charly (Oct 3, 2011)

Just thinking of you again, hope your feeling great about what your doing. Taking control of your health, it works.  Went to the heart doctor the other week, blood pressure 152/100. Wanted to hit me with meds for life for high blood pressure. Read the side effects, no thanks. Stopped drinking, started exercising daily, and eating good. Now 2 weeks later, blood pressure 127/84.  No meds!  So your doing the right thing, you'll reap the benefits big time for your health. Keep the control, I'll keep you in my prayers brother! Hey, your family has to be jumping up and down that you quit. If you feel like smoking, just give your wife and kids a hug. ;-)


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## bfunk13 (Oct 3, 2011)

Thanks Jake!
And good for you xclimber! Keep it up and thanks to everyone for the support, i am not kidding when i say it really helps.
Today is day 5 with zero nicotine intake. Like i said this time is different than any time in the past. 
In the past i tried the nic gum and patch and cutting down on cigs. Not the way to go, throw em away and never pick any of it up again. 
Seems if you have that crutch of "some" nicotine you just prolong the agony. 

I took the wife and kids to the mountains yesterday and it was so nice. Wasn't in any hurry or really had any plans. Just a drive to see the fall colors. 
The kids had a blast throwing rocks in the stream i was planning on fishing, but oh well i had more fun watching them than catching any fish. I think it was good therapy.


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## charly (Oct 3, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Thanks Jake!
> And good for you xclimber! Keep it up and thanks to everyone for the support, i am not kidding when i say it really helps.
> Today is day 5 with zero nicotine intake. Like i said this time is different than any time in the past.
> In the past i tried the nic gum and patch and cutting down on cigs. Not the way to go, throw em away and never pick any of it up again.
> ...


  Bfunk, wow,,,, 5 days! Great! Your 100% right about just quiting. People told me you can still have a glass of wine or a beer with a meal. Nope, I'd rather have none after feeling how much better I feel now. And I loved my microbrew places. In fact a good friend of mine owns the Albany Pump Station brewery. It'll be lemon and water but I don't care, your health is everything, and you have to be feeling the difference after five days. It's all worth it! I can still have a great time without drinking and you'll do the same without smoking.............Charlie


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## jimbom (Oct 3, 2011)

Congratulations on five days.  I know you can make it through this day.  I am pulling for you.


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## piejam (Oct 3, 2011)

Bfunk Bfunk, he's our man, if anyone will quit he surely can

Got gorgeous kids and a beautiful wife

Why the hell would he f###k up his life?

Thanks Pyro....could not resist..Day from hell. Dust everywhere. Hate dealing w/contractors. 

Bfunk hoping you continue on the road to good health! Please excuse my foul language. I'm not as ladylike as snowleopard. wish I was. 

Thanks Jake for the post!


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## bfunk13 (Oct 3, 2011)

piejam said:
			
		

> Bfunk Bfunk, he's our man, if anyone can quit he surely can
> 
> Got gorgeous kids and a beautiful wife
> 
> ...



lol, not one today!
foul language? where? you couldn't offend me if you tried. Not that type.
Thanks for the support!


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## piejam (Oct 4, 2011)

Look at you! Not a one-that's great!! How sweet it is...Hope you start feeling better...

Hit the pound sign once too many. Got to remember this is family forum...Amazing I could not stay away..Ran a 30ft coax to get back on line. Kitchen/familly room is trashed due to remodel..

Take care and keep up the good work...


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## bfunk13 (Oct 6, 2011)

I joined quitnet an anti smoking website.

They have a gadget that you plug in your quit date, and how many cigs a day you smoke. It keeps a tally for you. Heres my current stats.

6 days, 12 hours, 11 minutes and 39 seconds smoke free.

143 cigarettes not smoked.

$36.30 saved

1 day, 2 hours of your life saved.


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## charly (Oct 6, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> I joined quitnet an anti smoking website.
> 
> They have a gadget that you plug in your quit date, and how many cigs a day you smoke. It keeps a tally for you. Heres my current stats.
> 
> ...


 That seems to be a cool site. That's got to make you feel good, seeing the money you saved already. Cool site!


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## piejam (Oct 6, 2011)

Thanks for posting..Saw you were MIA for a couple of days..Hoping you didn't fall off the wagon! What a "Report Card" fella..That's grrreat! How do you feel, and don't tell me with both hands..Was going to go underground for a while but Fred and Jake told me you need someone who went thru this hell to cheer you on..So here I am...

I posted Craig to thank him and others for creating this site..I explained how good natured the crew was in putting up with me and my endless questions on other threads..Advised him I'm worse than water boarding..lol...

How nice for your non-smoking wife not to kiss an ashtray! Good part is that the minute you stop your lungs start to heal themselves..Don't be fooled by thinking "Oh I'll just have one"...Its nice to control your life instead of something that controls you. Through no fault of your own you became addicted. Sure you started to smoke, that was your decision but the damn cigarette co's have chemicals in there to assure future income...

In this day and age its nice to have a few extra bucks too..For me it took awhile for the urges to fade...Got to go now. You take care and keep up the good fight.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 6, 2011)

Thanks piejam!
Nope, still zero nicotine. 
Feels really good. I work in an oil field, so i pretty much live in my truck for 12 hrs a day. I was worried about going back to work and not smoking, but no biggie. 
I made a mp3 cd with 122 "feel good" songs on it. I crank it up, chomp on sunflower seeds, gum and hard candy and do my work. I am really enjoying not smelling like an ashtray. And yes so is my wife.
Even the smokers at work are not bothering me, its funny now when i see someone smoking i think "what a stupid thing to do". 
It also feels really good not being controlled. I never realized after 20 years of smoking how we are trained to make sure we have our lighter and smokes at all times. Checking before we go home if we have enough to make it through the night. Or going out at night to get a pack. Making sure you have at least one for the morning. That is B.S to be controlled by something like that. 

I could not say this ever before, but i am actually enjoying quitting. Its like "F - U  Marlboro Man"  i am not giving in.


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## btuser (Oct 6, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> It also feels really good not being controlled. I never realized after 20 years of smoking how we are trained to make sure we have our lighter and smokes at all times. Checking before we go home if we have enough
> to make it through the night. Or going out at night to get a pack. Making sure you have at least one for the morning. That is B.S to be controlled by something like that.



That was it for me. Once I knew how hard it was to quit it pissed me off so much the withdrawal only fueled the fire.


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 6, 2011)

btuser said:
			
		

> bfunk13 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hell Yeah!


----------



## jimbom (Oct 6, 2011)

Congratulation on another day.  I know you can do one more.  I am pulling for you.


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 6, 2011)

JimboM said:
			
		

> Congratulation on another day.  I know you can do one more.  I am pulling for you.



Thanks pal!


----------



## firefighterjake (Oct 6, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> I joined quitnet an anti smoking website.
> 
> They have a gadget that you plug in your quit date, and how many cigs a day you smoke. It keeps a tally for you. Heres my current stats.
> 
> ...



Way to go . . . we're all pulling for you . . . as if you didn't know that already . . . but as much as we all hope you are able to stick with it always remember that there are at least three others who are counting on you even more than us to keep up the good work . . . three others who are a lot more important to you and who care about you more than even we do. Keep up the good work.


----------



## firefighterjake (Oct 6, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Thanks piejam!
> Nope, still zero nicotine.
> Feels really good. I work in an oil field, so i pretty much live in my truck for 12 hrs a day. I was worried about going back to work and not smoking, but no biggie.
> I made a mp3 cd with 122 "feel good" songs on it. I crank it up, chomp on sunflower seeds, gum and hard candy and do my work. I am really enjoying not smelling like an ashtray. And yes so is my wife.
> ...



From the short time I've know you here at hearth.com I kind of pegged you for the type of guy who once he makes his mind up on something is willing to stick it out and make it happen no matter what . . . some folks might call that being stubborn . . . I call it being tenacious . . . so yeah . . . keep up the good work.


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## Flatbedford (Oct 6, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> its funny now when i see someone smoking i think "what a stupid thing to do"



I remember that after I had stopped for a couple months that people just looked so silly with cigarettes in their mouths.


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 6, 2011)

> From the short time I've know you here at hearth.com I kind of pegged you for the type of guy who once he makes his mind up on something is willing to stick it out and make it happen no matter what . . . some folks might call that being stubborn . . . I call it being tenacious . . . so yeah . . . keep up the good work.



You nailed it, as stubborn as a mule actually. 
And if it's something i feel strongly about, no one can change my mind. 
I can feel it already this time, i will not fail.
Thanks to everyone who posted here, i am not kidding when i say it really helps.


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## piejam (Oct 6, 2011)

Your the man! Great idea- the mp3..Listening to toons and singing along releases feel good chemicals in the brain..I know it helps..So, how is it on top of the world?.I'm sure you feel the affection from all who post here!  Your family must be thrilled..

Now you have 2 websites to update! Go Bfunk go


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## snowleopard (Oct 7, 2011)

You are doing great!   I was standing in line at the auto parts store the other day, and heard an old man behind me cough.  It was one of those deep, juicy, trying-to-stir-things-up-enough-to-absorb-a-little-oxygen-here coughs--a cough that didn't ask for much--kind of a hopeless cough, if you get what I mean.  And I was so glad that this will never have to be you. 

Ever seen a picture of a smoker's lungs compared with those of a non-smoker?  You look at this delicate-looking pink organ--complex, like a coral reef--and then you see these blackened hard lumps, like overcooked meat (and I suppose that's a pretty good analogy), and you wonder why anyone would do that to such an amazing structure in your body--I mean, think about it--how much we need them--if they stopped functioning now, we'd spend the next few minutes dying in agony.  Why risk something so wonderfully made?  

Here's a thought-for-the-day from another great website, whyquit.com.  I am so impressed by the knowledge the author has to share, and the compassion this man has for smokers.  I found the following on this page, and I hope he won't mind that I copied it here (lots and lots of good info on this page, btw, but some very graphic lung images: http://whyquit.com/joel/Joel_02_17_smoke_in_lung.html):



> When an ex-smoker watches a person smoke a cigarette, he often fantasizes about how much the smoker is enjoying it--how good it must taste and make him feel.  It is true he may be enjoying that particular cigarette, but the odds are he is not.
> 
> Most smokers enjoy a very small percentage of the cigarettes they smoke.  In fact, they are really unaware of most of the cigarettes they smoke.  Some are smoked out of simple habit, but most are smoked in order to alleviate withdrawal symptoms experienced by all smokers whose nicotine levels have fallen below minimal requirements.  The cigarette may taste horrible, but the smoker has to smoke it.  And because the majority of smokers are such addicts, they must smoke many such cigarettes every single day in order to maintain a constant blood nicotine level.
> 
> ...



and one more piece of info from Wikipedia: 


> Three men who appeared in Marlboro advertisements - Wayne McLaren, David McLean and Dick Hammer - died of lung cancer, thus earning Marlboro cigarettes, specifically Marlboro Reds, the nickname "Cowboy killers".[11] McLaren testified in favor of anti-smoking legislation at the age of 51. During the time of McLaren's anti-smoking activism, Philip Morris denied that McLaren ever appeared in a Marlboro ad, a position it later amended to maintaining that while he did appear in ads, he was not the Marlboro Man, considering Winfield as the holder of that title. McLaren died before his 52nd birthday in 1992.[12][13]




I know that I keep throwing the tough stuff at you--don't doubt for a minute that I am 100% impressed and supportive of what you are doing, even if I come at it from a shock-value angle.  The reality is that we kid ourselves--denial is one of the hallmarks of addiction--and we have to be willing to set down the denial and face reality to break the chains of addiction.  Keeping it real keeps us on track.  I know that some days are going to be harder than others, but I promise you these are the ones you will look back on YEARS from now, and be proud and grateful that you made it through.

A couple of insights to share: when you struggle with an addiction like this, you just keep trying, and if you fall, you pick yourself up and you try again.  Because this is the simple truth--you never know which time is going to be THE time, until the time you look back and realize you made it (and I think you're right--I think this is it for you).   I failed at quitting so many times, fell flat on my face, and just kept getting up and trying again.  Until the time that I didn't start again.  And (I think I'm repeating myself here from an earlier post, but o well) each time I tried, I learned something about the process, about myself, until one day I had all this information at hand, and it came together and I became free.  And it is SO INCREDIBLY AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL that you are doing this, too.  

I bet your wife is so happy and so proud of you.  You might consider taking her out someplace nice for dinner sometime, and telling her that it's because you got a refund when you cancelled your addiction contract with the tobacco companies.


----------



## BadDad320 (Oct 7, 2011)

My wife and I both smoked for years..... She had a heart attack...... She lived  We both stopped.... We both were scared shitless.....


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## snowleopard (Oct 7, 2011)

Here's another page from that site that has so much good information on it: 
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html

and here's more--double-dog dare you to read all the way to the end: 
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Deborah.html 
http://smokinggotme.com/story.html

Even when I smoked, I had some places where I didn't smoke--in bed and in the shower come to mind.  So while I was quitting, I spent extra time there.  That helped. 

For some people, patches and gums and stuff seem to help, but my observation has been that they give away some of their power to that stuff.  And this is a battle that has to be won from the inside out, if that makes sense.  It's like promising that you'll quit on your thirtieth birthday, or the first of the year, or Monday.  Just doesn't seem to work.  You either do it now or you don't do it.  

The following comes from another page on that site, and it was by a young woman who wrote, "I should have a father, not a broken heart": 



> My Dad had smoked since he was 13 and never thought about quitting. He was too busy with life. He had a terrible cough for the longest time and until his chest pains grew unbearable, he wouldn't go to the doctor. But when he finally did, they had terrible news, lung cancer, due to years of smoking.
> 
> The doctors were quick to say there wasn't much they could do. So from that day on we were living on the edge. It was a rough trip. Daddy didn't get really down until Sept. 2004 and from that point on he would never walk again. He was bedridden and cared for by Hospice nurses, my Mother and me. Until he got sick, my Dad was full of jokes and laughter, but the cancer took that all away and replaced it with pain and tears.
> 
> ...


----------



## piejam (Oct 7, 2011)

Bfunk

Snowleopard's last post was a grand slam..Right on target woman! Keep them coming. When I originally posted you I was crying..Don't know if you felt the tears between the words..Took one look at those gorgeous kids and my heart sunk. So very much to lose. I know you'll do it this time..If you fall we are here for you! 
Your resolve is strong and will be reinforced by all who post here. My story was an extreme case but it does happen. Dh used to say my "grandfather drank like a fish & smoked like a fiend". He survived until he was 95..Oh yeah, wonder what Dh is thinking now. 

You already know how wonderful life is. The things we take for granted. I'm here to cheer you on. To enlighten you how much evil one can bring upon yourself and the family.The path to self-destruction has many avenues. Just trying to put up a roadblock, a barrier, to paint a mental picture to keep you and the ones you love safe..Take care...another long post dammit...


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## bfunk13 (Oct 8, 2011)

Those are some hard hitting posts from you two!
But, still ZERO! 
I ran into a guy i work with today and he light up, (reds) i could have had one, just one if i wanted. 
I would be lying if i said i didn't think about it for a second, but HELL no i am not even having that one. 
I know the hard work i have done will just be prolonged if i screw around and have one. I am already feeling better physically. And the cravings are more easily pushed aside and forgotten. 
There is no doubt about it this time. I feel great!

8 days, 12 hours, 50 minutes and 15 seconds smoke free.
188 cigarettes not smoked.
$48.40 saved
and 1 day, 10 hours of your life saved.

this ticker gets me every time i pull it up. 188 cigarettes not smoked. You don't realize it smoking a pack a day. 
I can't wait to look at this after 6 months!


----------



## piejam (Oct 8, 2011)

Some people may think Snowleopard and I are being tough on you..Believe me those cancer sticks are worse. So happy you are physically feeling better. It will get easier to control. Its like having and angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other! 

So glad you did not weaken. You are empowered now and that's the difference. Congrats on another smoke-free day. Knew you could do it!  Looking forward to future updates!!


----------



## snowleopard (Oct 8, 2011)

piejam said:
			
		

> Some people may think Snowleopard and I are being tough on you..Believe me those cancer sticks are worse. So happy you are physically feeling better. It will get easier to control. Its like having and angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other!



yep--and piejam's the angel :lol: 


Congratulations and keep up the good work!


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## wildlandfirefighterswife (Oct 8, 2011)

I did not read all the previous posts because I just don't have the time right now but wanted to post this.  I quit 19 years ago - 2 packs a day - started when I was 14 or 15.  Smoked for 13 years.  I hated it, it is much easier to quit when you hate it.  I was fed up with letting something so unhealthy run my life from the time I got up to the time I went to bed.  In fact it really pissed me off!  I wanted to quit for years, but could not find any islands to be on by myself because that is what I thought it would take!  A few hours in and I was ready to fight with anyone that even smiled at me let alone said a word.  They came out with the patch, I got a script for it, I slapped one on before I went to bed woke up the next day and never smoked again!  Used the patch for 2 weeks and was done with it.  I did have a script for Buspar and took that for about a month and ate a ton of sunflower seeds.  I worked a 12 hr night shift for a tow company and all the drivers smoked around me.  I think that helped me.  The freedom, health and extra money(every time you would have bought a pack, put it towards a vacation) are all blessings you get when you quit.  For you, you will have a better relationship with your children and be a more positive role model for them.  Both of my parents smoked and then so did I   It is a HORRIBLE, debilitating addiction that is very hard to get a handle on.  You have to decide that it is something you don't want in your life or quitting will be a continual negative in your life.  Sounds kind of wacky, but you just have to let it go and pray for help and strength to let it go & make it through.  If I can do it, anyone can, you just have to decide to do it.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 9, 2011)

Carol said:
			
		

> I did not read all the previous posts because I just don't have the time right now but wanted to post this.  I quit 19 years ago - 2 packs a day - started when I was 14 or 15.  Smoked for 13 years.  I hated it, it is much easier to quit when you hate it.  I was fed up with letting something so unhealthy run my life from the time I got up to the time I went to bed.  In fact it really pissed me off!  I wanted to quit for years, but could not find any islands to be on by myself because that is what I thought it would take!  A few hours in and I was ready to fight with anyone that even smiled at me let alone said a word.  They came out with the patch, I got a script for it, I slapped one on before I went to bed woke up the next day and never smoked again!  Used the patch for 2 weeks and was done with it.  I did have a script for Buspar and took that for about a month and ate a ton of sunflower seeds.  I worked a 12 hr night shift for a tow company and all the drivers smoked around me.  I think that helped me.  The freedom, health and extra money(every time you would have bought a pack, put it towards a vacation) are all blessings you get when you quit.  For you, you will have a better relationship with your children and be a more positive role model for them.  Both of my parents smoked and then so did I   It is a HORRIBLE, debilitating addiction that is very hard to get a handle on.  You have to decide that it is something you don't want in your life or quitting will be a continual negative in your life.  Sounds kind of wacky, but you just have to let it go and pray for help and strength to let it go & make it through.  If I can do it, anyone can, you just have to decide to do it.



Congrats to you!
I agree, you have to be ready to quit to succeed. I was not ready the few times i tried before.
Thanks for the post.

9 days, 12 hours, 32 minutes and 16 seconds smoke free.
209 cigarettes not smoked.
$54.45 and 1 day, 14 hours of your life saved.


----------



## begreen (Oct 9, 2011)

Proud of ya buddy!


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## madrone (Oct 9, 2011)

Way to go, man! Keep it up!

I smoked for 11 years. A pack, sometimes 2, of Luckys or Camel filterless a day for a while. I tried to quit about once a year for the last few years I smoked. When my wife was trying to smoke while recovering from pneumonia and having asthma attacks, I decided enough was enough. In the end, I put a nearly full pack of smokes in the glovebox of my truck, and just left them there. Whenever I wanted a cig, I knew they were there, and I could _choose_ not to have one. I felt better every day. I'll never forget laughing like a moron the first time I ran up a flight of stairs without losing my breath. It didn't take long to wonder why I hadn't quit sooner. My dad smoked when I was a kid, and I'm glad I'm not showing my kids the same example. Kudos to you for taking on something this difficult for the sake of your kids.


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## piejam (Oct 10, 2011)

Bfunk, how are you? What's the latest readout? I'm just passing thru. Still have stories but this is your thread not mine! Had enough public humiliation!  Hope I rattled you and possibly other smoking posters..Take care..


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 11, 2011)

piejam said:
			
		

> Bfunk, how are you? What's the latest readout? I'm just passing thru. Still have stories but this is your thread not mine! Had enough public humiliation!  Hope I rattled you and possibly other smoking posters..Take care..



Huh? Post all you like here.


11 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes and 26 seconds smoke free.
253 cigarettes not smoked.
$66.55 and 1 day, 22 hours of your life saved.


----------



## snowleopard (Oct 11, 2011)

Almost two weeks!  Bravo~


----------



## piejam (Oct 11, 2011)

Awesome. I am speechless..That's pretty hard, alright let's face it..almost impossible to do Yeah Baby..Just sitting here grinning...I always access page 1 first so I can look at your children.  Didn't have any...wish I did...

Regards..D


----------



## firefighterjake (Oct 11, 2011)

Still going strong . . . how are you doing physically? Notice any good or bad changes?


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 12, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> Still going strong . . . how are you doing physically? Notice any good or bad changes?



I always thought the physical addiction was much stronger than the mental. Maybe 80%-20%
Well, its NOT! By now i should be free of nicotine in my system, breaking the mental part of it is way tougher than i would have ever thought. 
I never realized the triggers that go along with smoking, and lighting up without even thinking about it. 

I must admit i have been a little "off" on my easy going personality. 
I was just a bit "testy" today, a guy i work with smarted off and could have easily got his teeth knocked out. LOL, 10 years ago there is no doubt about it. 
Part may have been its day 8 of my shift. 8 12hr. days.
But, i thought of my wife and boys and how i need to support them, so i bit my tongue and walked out. 
Also i am 6'4 350 and just a pissed off stare and a few choice words gets the job done.

I would say thats a bad change, on the good side,  in my job i gauge oil tanks they are 20' tall and i am usually winded after running up and down. 
I have noticed already not being winded and no big deal to gauge a bunch in a row. 

Its all good, i am now off for 6 days.
I have no doubt that i have quit for good!


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 12, 2011)

piejam said:
			
		

> Awesome. I am speechless..That's pretty hard, alright let's face it..almost impossible to do Yeah Baby..Just sitting here grinning...I always access page 1 first so I can look at your children.  Didn't have any...wish I did...
> 
> Regards..D



Aww, yeah they are the best. I have thousands of photos. I would have had more but my poor wife is only 4'9 90lbs. 
I am a bigger boy and these kids take after daddy. After Jacob was born she said "NO MORE"


----------



## piejam (Oct 12, 2011)

Your family is beautiful..Warned you in an earlier post the Habitual Things,ID the Triggers, PITA to family etc..Told ya! Glad you did not lose your temper..Working every day without time off is tough. Used to smoke while driving around on midnite-8am tour alot..So glad I'm free now..Your next. Keep up the good work...It does get easier..I promise...


----------



## Freeheat (Oct 12, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> I have thrown away countless packs of smokes.
> Crushed them and said thats it. 4 hours later either buying more or digging them out of the trash.
> You are right backwoods, total lifestyle change including exercise. I will do it.
> 
> Thanks for the support!


I was with ya can't tell you how many I threw out the window and said Im DONE. Next day back at it. I used the patch and don't laugh Got 5 truck loads of firewood rounds, whenever I wanted one get out the Maul and wack a few rounds. It didn't matter how cold It was or rain but It took my mind off the "craving"
You  have to find what works for you . Good Luck it is a tough road . But worth the effort


----------



## firefighterjake (Oct 12, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> firefighterjake said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Good for you . . . I know the co-worker who quit said he was reading on-line about the physical and mental changes . . . and so he wasn't surprised when he actually felt pretty crappy for a bit . . . but then afterwards after the gunk worked out of his lungs he was like a changed man . . . more energy, not as winded as easy . . . honestly stopping smoking actually made him physically act and look about 5 years younger after just a short time.

As for being testy . . . no worries . . . what you're doing is tough . . . hopefully folks will cut you some slack.


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 13, 2011)

Thanks guys!
I am still going strong, although yesterday was tough for some reason. 
I had a sleep study done last night, ughh. I have mild sleep apnea. I will know more when they go through the results.

14 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes and 14 seconds smoke free.
311 cigarettes not smoked.
$84.70 and 2 days, 9 hours of your life saved.


----------



## firefighterjake (Oct 13, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Great posts here, i appreciate every single one!
> Truth is, if it were just me i would probably never quit. I enjoy smoking plus the addiction makes it a real SOB.
> These two are my inspiration to quit and start a new lifestyle.



Over $80 saved . . . have you treated yourself and the family to anything special . . . dinner out? New toy/tool?


----------



## jimbom (Oct 13, 2011)

Congratulations on making it through yesterday.  I know you can make it today.  I am pulling for you.


----------



## snowleopard (Oct 13, 2011)

Hydrate-hydrate-hydrate.  Water is your friend.   Helps break down and rinse out the crud that your body is trying to throw off.   I think as it circulates through your system, it triggers the craves.  I like the concept in one of those links above "Embrace the crave"--it's a sign of progress, and each one that comes is one less you have to work through. 

Another technique that might help is to just think ahead a little bit.   Ask yourself, "How will I feel tomorrow morning when I wake up and remember that I smoked today?"  The satisfaction will have long since passed, the cravings will be stronger, and the disappointment will probably be accute. You could even put a note in your wallet with that question on it.  Each time you look in there, you'll get the reinforcement, and each time you see it you'll be reminded that you're saving some serious money here. 

That's a gorgeous picture of your family, and the look on your face says that you will do anything to protect and care for them.   This is probably the most profound thing that you could do.  And even if you haven't inspired anyone else to step forward and make a public commitment here, I bet you've made some people think.   Some seeds take awhile to germinate. 

Keep up the fabulous work.  You'll be so glad you did.


----------



## piejam (Oct 13, 2011)

Hello,

Knew you would pull through the rough bumps along the way. Congrats on another smoke-free day! You already know that breathing is easier, but did you check your gums! Your teeth will thank you too..Smokers age their skin quicker. My mother-in-law smoked all her life and had skin like a lizard in her eighties..My mom never did and at 93 the doctors and nurses remarked how stunning her skin was..Most people thought she was in her seventies..

So far we have more money, looking younger, and getting healthy all in one shot! Whoa, just think about that when those cravings hit!! Be good...


----------



## humpin iron (Oct 13, 2011)

Just found this, 10/12/11, three years since my brother passed.  Smoking did that, 53 years old.  Miss him everyday.  Don't do that to your wife and kids, you have way too many adventures ahead.........................
Stay strong


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 13, 2011)

Thanks again for the support!
Sorry for you iron.

I was hoping by now some other smokers here would chime in and join me.
Just the thought of quitting is scary , but if i can do it anyone can. And the support here is awesome and surprising.


----------



## humpin iron (Oct 14, 2011)

Thanks, you can do this


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 14, 2011)

15 days, 11 hours, 4 minutes and 8 seconds smoke free.
340 cigarettes not smoked.
$90.75 and 2 days, 14 hours of your life saved.



HELL YEAH!


----------



## Flatbedford (Oct 14, 2011)

Nice work there. Two weeks is a big step. Soon you find out how bad smokers and their smoke smells. Then you'll be one of us annoying reformed smokers who can't stand to be around the stink.


----------



## begreen (Oct 15, 2011)

You go dude. HELL YEAH indeed. You are going to lick this and kick it down the street!


----------



## humpin iron (Oct 15, 2011)

GO BFUNK- GO BFUNK- GO BFUNK


----------



## snowleopard (Oct 15, 2011)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> Nice work there. Two weeks is a big step. Soon you find out how bad smokers and their smoke smells. Then you'll be one of us annoying reformed smokers who can't stand to be around the stink.



Stopped into a business yesterday to pay a bill--had a please-wait-here line, and the woman who came up behind me smelled of smoke.  Wasn't smoking, just had that stale-smoke smell stuck all over her.  Walked over to stare with fascination at a picture on the wall, as my other option would have been to ask her to step back because she was making me feel queasy from the smell.  Yeah, "annoying" would pretty much sum us up.

Lessee: $200 a month times 12x20 years comes to just under $50K in principal.  Invest wisely and you'll be able to put your kids through college on what you save on smoking.  That's a pretty wild thought, isn't it?


----------



## RNLA (Oct 15, 2011)

My dad smoked all through my childhood. He eventually quit about 2-3 years ago. I watched him struggle with it and listened to my mom groan about him and the attitude. I can not imagine what it must be like trying to quit. I have a fairly severe reaction to cigarette smoke, headache, choking, burning eyes, upset stomach etc. I can smell it 4 cars back in traffic. So I hope you make it permanently. Best wishes on your fight!


----------



## RKS130 (Oct 15, 2011)

I am 58 years old and started smoking at the end of High School in 1970. By the mid 80's I was smoking way too much and decided to quit. After a few cold turkey attempts (accompanied by sweats and shakes) I tried hypnosis.

I would not have believed it if it hadn't happened to me. I went to a group session in 1986 where about 150 people were hypnotized at once. I have never smoked again, nor even thought about having a cigarette. Every few years I think about having a great cigar, but decided it is the devil's path back to cigarettes. If I live to be 90 I will have my cigar.  I have no idea if they are still in busines but I remember the phone number was 1-800-4Habits.

However, my now wife, then girlfriend, was in the same room with me and the hypnosis had no effect. She quit about a month later using the patch.

Good luck.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 16, 2011)

Great replies! 
I already smell smokers even when they are not smoking. 
Its really bad! I am so glad i no longer smell that way. 
I took my Dad elk hunting today and saw over 150 head. I did a good bit of walking and i can tell the difference in my lungs already. 
We passed up 5 bulls we could have had. This is considered a trophy elk area, and we saw the big guys but could not get close. 
Was cool to "guide" my Dad instead of him taking me.

16 days, 12 hours, 53 minutes and 21 seconds smoke free.
364 cigarettes not smoked.
$96.80 and 2 days, 18 hours of your life saved.

Your quit date: 9/29/2011 6:00:00 AM

*Over 2 weeks and almost a hundred bucks!*


----------



## piejam (Oct 16, 2011)

Way to go Bfunk..Glad you and Dad spent quality time together. Before you know it, your boys may be joining the hunt too!...Keep going fella...


----------



## jimbom (Oct 18, 2011)

I know you can do it.  I am pulling for you.


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## snowleopard (Oct 18, 2011)

I think when you can smell other smokers it's a turning point. 

When we smoke, something numbs us to the stench, but when you get far enough away from it, you become one of `us' instead of one of `them', and you wonder how you could have done that.  It's a good sign.  

Another thing you're doing that is really important is paying attention to the difference that this makes.  It's like waking up from a weird dream, and you start seeing life as it really is, and you wonder how you could have lived like that. 

Glad you got out of there alive and in time.  Good on ya!


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## Black Jaque Janaviac (Oct 18, 2011)

Attaboy Bfunk.

Our prison system is a monument to single parenthood - kids need *both* parents!

+1 on the excersize idea.  I would expand this to say that the best way to get rid of any bad habit is to develop a good habit.  This is probably why the excersize works well.

But if you already excersize, you can think of some other good habits.  Books, wood splitting, prayer, vegetable snacks, gardening, potted plants, wood working, metal working, tidying your work area, scheduling . . . the list is endless.


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## nporter1 (Oct 18, 2011)

Hi all, I'm a retired NURSE who started smoking in Nursing School in the late 60's. Do you believe it? I smoked for about 20yrs and it was long before any of the medical aids that are available now. Back then, many staff smoked and patients could even smoke in their beds. It's so hard to believe that now but that's the way it was. The fire company would show up at the hospital 2-3 times a day because someone set off the smoke alarms.

Anyway, I think the topper came when I was taking the blood pressure of an older lady and she looked right at me and said, "You stink". Well, that did it. I confess I tried to stop many times but finally I had to stop and look at when I lit up - first waking up, eating, breaks, partying etc. I had to look at all the triggers that made me light up. I also had look at why I failed - the anxiety of not having that pack of cigs. So, I ALWAYS had a SEALED pack of cigs with me. This just said to me that if I needed them I had them but did I REALLY need them. I also couldn't wean myself off them - I had to do it cold turkey. The first couple of months were hard but I've been clean about 25yrs. Twice in very stressful times in my life (mother & father illnesses) I had one cigarette. Even those two made me feel sick and that was the end of it.

I'm so glad that the world is starting to change in this respect. So many life-threatening illnesses are related to smoking. So for all those attempting to stop - keep on trying and find hope in knowing many others have accomplished it. You are so much stronger than the pull of a cancer stick!


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 19, 2011)

You guys are the best!
I am not kidding how much your replies and stories help.
I am still smoke free. I would have thought by now the cravings would pass.
Still there but i have figured if you fight each one, small battles make it easier. Keep busy is right on. 
No worries, i could bum one all day long but i have NOT!

*19 days, 14 hours, 23 minutes and 4 seconds smoke free.
431 cigarettes not smoked.
$114.95 and 3 days, 7 hours of your life saved.*

Your quit date: 9/29/2011 6:00:00 AM


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## Flatbedford (Oct 19, 2011)

Almost three weeks now. Don't worry. The cravings will stop in a couple years. You will get used to them.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 19, 2011)

Keep up the good work Bfunk . . . one day when your kids are old enough to understand your sacrifice they will thank you.


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## snowleopard (Oct 19, 2011)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> Almost three weeks now. Don't worry. The cravings will stop in a couple years. You will get used to them.



And they will be a lot less frequent.  Only hit in the odd moments, and they will be more of the nature of mutterings than cravings.  I went for years without experiencing that, and out of the blue one day after ten years, there it was.   It passed quickly.  Maybe a last bit of nicotine or tar that was stashed somewhere in my cells and got tossed out in the spring cleaning.  Who knows? 

What I did know was that if I indulged myself in a smoke, I'd have lost half the battle, and if I ever smoked another pack again, I'd be a smoker again.  So all I had to do was not smoke that first one.

For years I thought of myself not as an ex-smoker, but a smoker who had been abstaining for X years.  I knew the addiction would never end for me.  But for now the bear is sleeping, and maybe even at this point died in its sleep long ago.  I never stopped having a healthy respect for the destructive power it had in my life.  

I think the three-week mark is an important one.  It seems to get a little easier at that point. Celebrate it!


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## piejam (Oct 19, 2011)

Hey Bfunk,

I'm still lurking around. You are in my thoughts, been busy with the contractors and stacking next years wood. So happy you are still smoke-free! Go Bfunk Go!


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## bfunk13 (Oct 20, 2011)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> Almost three weeks now. Don't worry. The cravings will stop in a couple years. You will get used to them.



Gulp! 
A couple years? Kidding, yeah i can see that actually.
I was talking with an older fellow i work with, he quit 20 some years ago and says he still thinks about it from time to time. 
Certain times when he would really like one, "if i was told tomorrow i had a month to live, i would go but a carton".

I guess its just something you learn to live with.


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## Flatbedford (Oct 20, 2011)

Yup. You will learn. I still think about it after 8+ years. I have sneaked a few in that time and they were always disgusting and made me sick, which is good. I know not to even bother now. I joke that I may start again if I'm still around at 80 or 90. Couldn't make things much worse to start at that age. Actually if they were not very unhealthy, expensive, socially unacceptable, and didn't make me smell nasty. I would probably still smoke.  :lol: 
Keep up the good work there my friend.


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## snowleopard (Oct 20, 2011)

Not me.  You could not pay me enough to smoke a single cigarette.  I'm too fond of breathing.

However, it took me awhile to get to this point. 

A few years of the occasional crave is not much of a price to pay to spend your life with your amazing family.   Looking at your two kids--your firstborn looks like a sweet, good person, and the younger one looks like mischief on a stick--I gotta say, I'd want to see how they turn out.  

The other thing to keep in mind is that you don't have to do that couple of years right now.  All you have to do is get through today.  And sometimes it's just a matter of getting through the next twenty minutes.  That was another trick I used: I'd tell myself if I still wanted a smoke that bad in another twenty minutes, I'd have it.  And I never, ever, not once did.  The craves are wave-shaped crescendos, and the good thing about wanting a cigarette really, really badly is that the wave is about to crest.  Just sit back and observe it dispassionately sometime, and you will know your enemy much better for that.  

And then meditate a bit on the fact that cigarette manufacturers coldly and calculatedly made the decision to increase the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to make them more addictive to ensure their profits would continue.  Think about it: if your product kills a third to a half of the people who use it, you need to have a long-range plan in place to keep making money.   That's worth pondering: do you really want to take enough money to send your kids to college and turn it over to people who don't mind if you die using their product, as long as they can find another dupe when you're gone?  These are not people I would choose to subsidize. 

Keep your eyes on the prize.  You're doing good.


----------



## piejam (Oct 22, 2011)

Hope all is well with you and the family...What's the latest stats?? I too still have cravings every once in a while. Just learned to live with it. The more I remain smoke-free, the  fewer and further apart are the crave wave attacks. Amazing how long the detox portion of the process is..Are you taking the kids out on Halloween? Be prepared!


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Oct 22, 2011)

snowleopard said:
			
		

> And then meditate a bit on the fact that cigarette manufacturers coldly and calculatedly made the decision to increase the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to make them more addictive to ensure their profits would continue. Think about it: if your product kills a third to a half of the people who use it, you need to have a long-range plan in place to keep making money. That's worth pondering: do you really want to take enough money to send your kids to college and turn it over to people who don't mind if you die using their product, as long as they can find another dupe when you're gone? These are not people I would choose to subsidise.


Great point Leopard, That's the way it is, and that's the way you have to use your head or you'll just be  a disposable pawn of the cigarette companies.

I never had much problems with cravings when I quit. Whenever I felt like smoking I use to think about a dirty ashtray. To this day I find the sight and smell of a dirty ashtray sitting in someone's livingroom disgusting. It's like sitting beside someone's unflushed toilet. Only difference is, a toilet is something we all need to use occasionally, smoking isn't. Which brings up another thing to consider, just how hard quiting smoking is really when compared to other problems people all over the world face on a daily basis. Especially when compared to say something as simple as over eating. With smoking you can eventually quit and put it out of your mind and out of your life forever, but with an over eating problem you still need to eat, so you constantly have to deal with the self control issue for the rest of your life. Really, if you think about it, smoking is one of the easier addictions to quit.


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## begreen (Oct 23, 2011)

Both of you bring up a good point. It helps to have a visual focal point of reprehension. The more vile, whether it be a disgusting ashtray, lung xray or tobacco company cynicism, the better. That helped me a lot.


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## rdust (Oct 23, 2011)

Good job bfunk!  

I smoked for 10 years or so and quit cold turkey, I had one failed attempt that lasted six months.  I've been quit since Feb. of 2007 now.  I found it would never work until I really wanted to quit since I enjoyed it.  When I quit I thought of myself as a lifetime smoker, when people asked if I quit I told them "no one likes a quiter, I'm just taking a break".


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## piejam (Oct 26, 2011)

Good Morning,

Bfunk how are you? Didn't see an update so I hope you're on vacation or just too busy..Remember we are here for you!


----------



## bfunk13 (Oct 26, 2011)

Still smoke free!
Been keeping busy and it is getting easier. 
Thanks for checking in on me.    

*27 days, 2 hours, 16 minutes and 24 seconds smoke free.
596 cigarettes not smoked.
$163.35 and 4 days, 13 hours of your life saved.*


----------



## firefighterjake (Oct 26, 2011)

Yeah, don't forget to keep us updated on your progress Bfunk . . . believe it or not . . . some of us truly are rooting for you and hoping you're able to kick the habit.


----------



## Flatbedford (Oct 26, 2011)

27 days! That's nearly a month! You are probably through the hardest part now. Nice work.


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## Lumber-Jack (Oct 26, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Still smoke free!
> Been keeping busy and it is getting easier.
> Thanks for checking in on me.
> 
> ...



That's Great!
I wish there was something I could change in my life right now that would put and extra $163+ a month in my pocket, while at the same time improve my health and save 13 hours of my life.
Most health improving things I try to do for myself either cost me money,,,, or take up my time, which I could be using on other things.
I think you got a good thing going there Mr. Bfunk, keep up the good work.

CL


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## snowleopard (Oct 27, 2011)

This is very good news.


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## madrone (Oct 27, 2011)

You rock! 

Smelling stale smoke on other people was a huge realization for me too. I had no clue what I was putting other people through.
I quit 10 years ago. (wow.) At this point, it's hard to believe it took me as long as it did. At some point, the occasional cravings are just gone. Within a few months, I could stand around with a bunch smokers and not want one. Now, I can't stand around with smokers without berating them in an annoying way.

Beautiful family. They're worth it.


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## bfunk13 (Oct 27, 2011)

Thanks guys


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## bfunk13 (Oct 31, 2011)

Was too busy living life to realize i have over a month now. 
Yeah!

*31 days, 16 hours, 23 minutes and 38 seconds smoke free.
697 cigarettes not smoked.
$187.55 and 5 days, 7 hours of your life saved.*

Your quit date: 9/29/2011 6:00:00 AM


----------



## jimbom (Oct 31, 2011)

Wonderful.  I know you can get through the next month.  I am pulling for you.


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## begreen (Oct 31, 2011)

You rock man! Congratulations.


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## lessoil (Oct 31, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> I know this is off topic but didn't know where else to post.
> I am 38 and have a wife and two boys 6 and 19 months.
> I am a smoker for about 20 years now. I know i need to quit but really have a hell of a time.
> I have tried the gum, patch and chantix. The Chantix was the closest i have come to quitting.
> Just wondering who here has kicked the habit and how?  Thanks!



I feel your pain!
It took me 3 times before I finally quit. It has been 24 years now. Was 31 at the time and had smoked for 10 yrs. 1-1.5 packs/day.
I quit when they were $.90/pack!!
I quit without patches etc. Not sure if products like that were around.
Anyway, my "crutch" was Trident gum!! I must have gone through a truckload of it.
As I remember, after 3 months the urge to light up was on its' way out.

Good Luck!!


----------



## lessoil (Oct 31, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Was too busy living life to realize i have over a month now.
> Yeah!
> 
> *31 days, 16 hours, 23 minutes and 38 seconds smoke free.
> ...



Missed your latest post!!
Great job 
Keep it up You can do it!


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## piejam (Oct 31, 2011)

Looking good Bfunk..You're the man! Thanks for the update...


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## bfunk13 (Oct 31, 2011)

Thanks guys!
Now I have a new addiction, .............. home made pizza.
As you can see in my other post here. LOL


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## firefighterjake (Nov 3, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Thanks guys!
> Now I have a new addiction, .............. home made pizza.
> As you can see in my other post here. LOL



As addictions go . . . it could always be worse than home made pizza . . . I mean you could be hooked on hearth.com. 

You have no idea how much I enjoyed the month-free post . . . I think it was the first line about being too busy living life to even notice the one month anniversary of being smoke free. Fantastic . . . we're all still pulling for you.


----------



## piejam (Nov 3, 2011)

Congrats on being smoke free this past month. Knew you could do it! You are so determined now-great..Wishing you continued success......


----------



## bfunk13 (Nov 13, 2011)

Thanks guys! 
And thanks for the help through this, i am serious and surprised how much all of your posts have helped.

I haven't checked this site in awhile and was surprised to see nearly 1000 cigs not smoked. 
I still have my moments, but i am comfortable in saying I did it!

*44 days, 12 hours, 10 minutes and 39 seconds smoke free.
979 cigarettes not smoked.
$266.20 and 7 days, 11 hours of your life saved.*


----------



## Battenkiller (Nov 14, 2011)

I was an unbelievably heavy smoker when I was young.  Like a 3-4 pack-a-day smoker.  I once passed up a promotion because the job would have put me in an office where smoking wasn't allowed.  After that, I cut down to about a pack and a half a day but couldn't get beyond that point.  A new job I took didn't allow smoking, so I lived for breaks when I would suck down 3-4 Camels as fast as I could.  

One snowy night I went to grab a brew out of the fridge and thought I'd get out my spare pack and found it wasn't there.  I looked in the pack I had and saw I had three smokes left.  My steep driveway was buried in about six inches of snow, and that would have meant shoveling to get out, then shoveling again in the morning.  I actually considered walking to the store to get a pack, but it was about a mile away (yeah, folks, back then I would walk a mile for a Camel).  I smoked one of the cigs, deciding to call it a night and get a fresh back on the way to work.  Then I went to sleep.

Next morning there was about two feet of heavy snow I had to shovel.  I lit up a smoke, stuck the last one behind my ear, and hit the road.  Once I got out, I found the roads were just slick as hell.  When I hit the thruway there were cars off the road everywhere, and even though I have what I consider to be extraordinary winter driving skills, this was one of those commutes where both hands were almost glued to the wheel the whole time.  When I finally pulled into the parking lot about half an hour late, the manager was waiting outside.

"Hey, Dan, got a smoke?"

I paused for a second.  I still had the damn cigarette behind my ear, never even thought about it the whole drive.

"Here, Paul... this is my last smoke."

"No, no.. that's OK, I don't wanna take your last smoke."

"No, please, take it.  It's my last cigarette."

And I quit cold turkey, just like that.  For about a month I wouldn't even take a break or lunch, just worked on through.  I was so miserable I seriously didn't want to live anymore.  The total absurdity of my addiction began to dawn on me, that I had been living my life from cigarette to cigarette like a midtown Manhattan junkie.  At home I tanked up on carrot sticks and celery stalks, drank a lot of beer, and hit the hay early every night.  And smoked a lot of weed (no nicotine anyway).  Slowly, the addiction released its hold on me and I was smoke-sober for 7 years.  Then a sudden craving at a bar caused me to bum a Camel from the guy sitting next to me.  Three weeks later I was up to a pack a day again.

It's been a lifetime struggle for me.  I don't think I'll ever be completely "cured", but I have learned to minimized the damage.  I mostly just smoke OPs now, annoying as it is to other smokers around me.  Good.  Let them quit and I won't bum them anymore, best thing I could do for them.  I binge from time to time and buy a package of premium rolling tobacco, especially when I am under a lot of stress.  I am under a lot of stress right now, so I have a bag of Bali Shag out on the coffee table.  I smoke maybe 3-4 a day.  When my throat starts getting rough and I start hacking up bits of lung again, I'll toss the bag away and quit for another year or two.

I've learned from psych classes I took that there are people who are better off learning to manage their addictions that to try to completely control them.  I have a very addictive personality, so everything from drink to food to fly fishing to playing the guitar can negatively impact my life because I don't just do it - I do it to excess.  We are all different.  There are not many folks I've met who can control their addictions the way I have learned to do, but for me, the hardest part of quitting is realizing I can never go back again.  Leaving myself an out to dabbled occasionally rather that quitting forever has been the secret to control for me.  Not as good as quitting completely, but it stops me from never quitting at all.  One day at a time for all addictions, that's the rule for life AFAIC.  No use beating yourself up for lapsing, just keep at it and eventually the lapses get further apart.   Best some of us can do.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 14, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Thanks guys!
> And thanks for the help through this, i am serious and surprised how much all of your posts have helped.
> 
> I haven't checked this site in awhile and was surprised to see nearly 1000 cigs not smoked.
> ...



I was just wondering the other day how you were doing . . . a job well done.


----------



## babzog (Nov 17, 2011)

Only read page one.... I still smoke, but I'd quit for about 8mo in 2008.  Stress (financial) go to me and I bought a pack.  The rest is history.  41 now, been smoking since I was 20.  'Bout a pack - pack & 1/2 per week.  Usually nothing from the alarm clock to after work, at which point, I'll have 4-5 over the course of the evening.  More on weekends and yes, like everyone else, social occasions are a groan when most of your drinking pals are smokers.

In 2010, I gave up coffee (hard as hell to do that!) but I felt so much better after - no more pills to stop the heartburn.  After nearly a year, I introduced tea (I'd been off all caffiene).  Still have a cup of joe once in a while when Mrs Babzog brews a pot for guests, but I really don't miss it anymore.  I just made the decision to stop and that was that.  Headaches for a week or so, was grouchy as hell but I noticed the health benefits almost right away.  I also introduced P90X exercise and lost a bunch of weight (some of which I gained back this summer [chips - fat in a bag] and am trying to get rid of again).  This summer, I started running - now up to 5.2km in 29min, not bad for a smoker.  I figure, if I can get rid of coffee and feel better, introduce exercise and feel better, I should be able to give up my last vice and feel better once again.

But it's really hard.  I like smoking.  I enjoy the physical act of smoking.  I know it's bad, but I just like it.  Like coffee.  It's gonna have to go and when it does, it'll be cold turkey - the only way that works.


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## bfunk13 (Nov 18, 2011)

Thanks for the posts. 
I work with a guy who smokes one in the morning and thats it.  
Everyday. He was a 1.5 pack a day smoker. Says he just has to have that one a day. Its the thought of never again and not having a pack that gets him.


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## Flatbedford (Nov 18, 2011)

I wish I could do the one a day plan. I would probably be right back to a pack a day in a month if I tried that. 

I think you can even start to call yourself a non-smoker now that you've gotten this far.  :coolsmile:


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## farmboy (Nov 18, 2011)

I started smoking when I was sixteen or so,22 days after my 40th birthday I suffered a severe heart attack. The addiction was so strong I even continued to smoke after I recovered from the heart attack.Then about a year later I got a lung infection from sandblasting residue.Doctor prescribed Wellbutrin to help me quit and it worked ,but you have to want to.Its been about 8 months now and I feel great.


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## bfunk13 (Nov 18, 2011)

farmboy said:
			
		

> I started smoking when I was sixteen or so,22 days after my 40th birthday I suffered a severe heart attack. The addiction was so strong I even continued to smoke after I recovered from the heart attack.Then about a year later I got a lung infection from sandblasting residue.Doctor prescribed Wellbutrin to help me quit and it worked ,but you have to want to.Its been about 8 months now and I feel great.



Great for you! You should be proud.


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## tinkabranc (Nov 19, 2011)

Keep the quit!   

Started my quit with both wilbutrin and the patch together for the first few weeks but then
ended up stopping the meds as I didn't like how it made me feel.
Continued on with just the patch and chewed on cinnamon sticks if/when I got a craving.

Now at 9 1/2 months smoke free and have no intentions of ever going back.


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## bfunk13 (Nov 19, 2011)

tinkabranc said:
			
		

> Keep the quit!
> 
> Started my quit with both wilbutrin and the patch together for the first few weeks but then
> ended up stopping the meds as I didn't like how it made me feel.
> ...



You ROCK! Way to go!


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## farmboy (Nov 19, 2011)

Yeah Wellbutrin made me feel funny too,only took it for a couple of weeks.


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## Beer Belly (Nov 19, 2011)

1 1/2 - 2 packs a day....woke up in the middle of the night coughin' up a lung....couldn't catch my breath...thought I was gonna pass out....got thru it after about the longest 10 minutes of my life....next morning threw out the pack, and never looked back....over the next 3 years, coughed up some of the most God awful stuff...that was 20+ years ago


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## bfunk13 (Nov 28, 2011)

Way to go Beerbelly!

Had to look up current status.

59 days, 12 hours, 3 minutes and 20 seconds smoke free.
1309 cigarettes not smoked. *<------------------------------------(this is the one that always gets me)*
$356.95 and 9 days, 23 hours of your life saved.


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## Battenkiller (Nov 28, 2011)

Keep up the good work, BF.   ;-) 

BTW what stream are you fishing on in your avatar pic?  I love the fishing out there, really got to get back sooner rather than later.


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## bfunk13 (Nov 29, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> Keep up the good work, BF.   ;-)
> 
> BTW what stream are you fishing on in your avatar pic?  I love the fishing out there, really got to get back sooner rather than later.



Its a small arm of the Medicine Bow river. This is late in the year and its more of a creek than a river. Great brookie fishing. 
Have had several 100+ fish days in this spot. One of the main reasons i live where i do. If you ever make it through here let me know, i do have a few "secret" spots.


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## begreen (Nov 29, 2011)

This has been an really shitty month for me. Your reports make it a bit better. You go man, you're doing an awesome job.


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## bfunk13 (Nov 30, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> This has been an really shitty month for me. Your reports make it a bit better. You go man, you're doing an awesome job.



Thanks BG! Hope all is alright on your side.
Mine has been just ok, i work out in the field so pre winter blues are setting in here. The winters are just so damn long and relentless here.
Oh well, i come home to a warm house (BK princess) and a great family always happy to see me. I really can't complain.


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## ecocavalier02 (Nov 30, 2011)

bfunk13 said:
			
		

> Great posts here, i appreciate every single one!
> Truth is, if it were just me i would probably never quit. I enjoy smoking plus the addiction makes it a real SOB.
> These two are my inspiration to quit and start a new lifestyle.


 i quit 3 years ago now. and smoked for bout 14 years. i had my first cig when i was 8 and im 26 now. . no i didnt smoke regularly when i was 8. but i started young and the hardest thing in quitting was that  loved smoking so much. i still would love to have one. i still smoke cigars once and a while and that will never stop. but that was def the hardest thing i ever quit.


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## snowleopard (Dec 3, 2011)

Way to go, bfunk! 

Bumping this thread for another smoker who's looking for some help.


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## snowleopard (Dec 3, 2011)

Way to go, bfunk! 

Bumping this thread for another smoker who's looking for some help with the nicotine.


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## bfunk13 (Dec 5, 2011)

snowleopard said:
			
		

> Way to go, bfunk!
> 
> Bumping this thread for another smoker who's looking for some help with the nicotine.



Sure thing!
Good for you in thinking about quitting, even the thought of it before made me nervous. 
I tried several times but knew i wasn't ready. This time i knew i was and now have 66 days smoke free.
I know what a groan it is, trust me. But, if i can do it anyone can. Chime in and the good folks here will cheer you on.

66 days, 12 hours, 35 minutes and 47 seconds smoke free.
1464 cigarettes not smoked.
$399.30 and 11 days, 4 hours of your life saved.


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## snowleopard (Dec 5, 2011)

Wow--$400!  Merry Christmas to you and yours!  or a nice deposit in the college fund, or put it towards a family vacation.   Here's hoping your story gives others confidence to try.   I know you inspire me to look my bad habits in the eye and ask them why they're living rent-free in my life.


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## piejam (Dec 5, 2011)

Rock on bfunk..been MIA for awhile..just saw your last post on the ''stats'' awesome...Don't let the long cold winters get to ya!


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## bfunk13 (Jan 6, 2012)

*Day 100 and going strong!*
*
100 days, 12 hours, 17 minutes smoke free.
2211 cigarettes not smoked.
$605.00 and 16 days, 21 hours of your life saved.*


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## piejam (Jan 6, 2012)

Hello,

Just crusin' and saw the update. How wonderful for you and the family!..I'm so happy for YOU..Look at all the money saved,not to mention your life! So what are ya going to do with the extra cash?...Maybe a new rod and reel is in order. You deserve it!  Looks mighty pretty where your fishin in the new avatar..

Congrats..Take care and keep up the good work.


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## firebroad (Jan 6, 2012)

funny you should ask, I quit 10 years ago this month.  I got a really bad case of bronchitis that came on suddenly (I think it was really pneumonia), and couldn't even light up.  I decided to try what people who work 12-step programs do, and I just kept postponing the cigarette on hour at a time.  After a day, I was surprised that I was not "Jonesing" for a smoke, but I still wanted one.  I just keep postponing it, and before long, I had gone several days without smoking.  I had previously smoke more than a pack a day.  

The most important thing I learned is that it was not nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be, and no matter how strong the urge for a puff is, do not give in, it will pass, a lot sooner than you think, too.  And stay away from smokey places for a while.  Except for your stove, that is.  You will never regret it.  

Good luck, I'm pulling for ya!


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## Flatbedford (Jan 7, 2012)

Good news. You have done the hardest part of the work now.


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## bfunk13 (Jan 8, 2012)

Thanks everyone!
Good for you firebroad, way to go!
Even after day 100 the cravings are there, just not as bad or as often.


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## Flatbedford (Jan 8, 2012)

The cravings will likely be with you for a long time, but it gets easier to ignore them every day. That nicotine is powerful stuff!


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## firefighterjake (Jan 8, 2012)

Congrats . . . 100 days is truly commendable.


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## colin.p (Jan 13, 2012)

I used to say to someone, when they tried to quit, was that quitting was easy, I quit several times a year. Then one day, I made up my mind to really quit. That was Feb 1992 and never had another smoke since.
I think it really is a mindset. I found that quitting for "financial" reasons, health reasons, or something similar, wasn't reason enough, I had to want to quit, really want to. I made up my mind to, and that was it.
Now, however, it seems to be a bit easier as you really can't smoke anywhere, other than in your basement, with the lights off, crouching behind your furnace.


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## firebroad (Jan 13, 2012)

"*...other than in your basement, with the lights off, crouching behind your furnace*"

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:


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