AFF Quit smoking thread.

[BIGJB]

Hey guys with the other thread going as a result of the govt tax hikes on ciggies
I thought now is the time to start the thread I have stated in the past we should start.
I myself smoke 30-40 a day in fact I haveone in my left hand as I am typing this post.
I am also willing to bet half the smokers on here will be inhaling through one as they read it.
I live in NZ where patches and gum are subsidised by the govt to help you give up, I had
a script to get pathes last week but the sent me 24hr 21mg patches but they made me feel
extremely ill and I couldn't sleep. I since however have dropped the amount I smoke down to
about 20-25 a day.
The new script for 8mg patches should be here on Monday and I will commence them the following day.
My wife is also a smoker and is going to quite with me.

We should be saving around $10,000 per year.

The problem we all face as smokers is in most cases we actually enjoy our smokes so
this makes it even worse as we know they have a hold on us because we are addicts and we enjoy
our drug of choice. (Well I do anyway)
So we have decided that the savings we make by giving up are going to build ourselves a
Targa rally car. So hopefully focusing on the car we have dreamed of building will keep us
on track tpo throw the coffen nails away for good.

Lets all band together and give these things up once and for all.
Use this thread to let that tension out and let us all know how you are coping.

So who's in with us guys???

[hiper]

im going to give quitting a shot.
GF and mum have been nagging for a while anyway.

i smoke between 4 and 8 cigarettes a day. less on weekends
usually buy a 40 pack and that lasts about a week.
id end up saving around 1000 bucks a year.

somehow i dont think patches or the like would benefit me so i will be trying cold turkey. (not a fan of cold meats though)
i think the main killer is if im bored i usually light up so i will have to think of things to do when im idle.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Honestly, try the gum, its kills the cravings within a couple of minutes. I tried going cold turkey and it worked the first time, however this time round I'm administering some help. Best of luck to you and your wife mate

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by T2TE50#134

I myself smoke 30-40 a day in fact I haveone in my left hand as I am typing this post.

Aww, don't say that.!

Now we're going to get all the Vegan Greenie do-gooders telling us how much we cost society, pollute the air and waste trees (for packaging)

[DJL351]

For those that are trying to quit; best of luck, it is not easy but will be worth it in the end. - Cliché comment I know, but it is still true.
(reformed smoker)

[Hords]

It's been 941 days since I last had a puff. 0930 on 02 Oct 2007 to be precise. Tried patches for years off and on. Then I discovered hypnosis.

[DJR David]

Forget patches, they are a ripoff and may not work. What will work, and I have used it myself as have about a dozen people I know, is reading a book about the 'guaranteed way to stop smoking' by Allen Carr. 5 years now without a drag, before that I was at least a pack a day. Good Luck, and by reading the book you will also read about the scam called patches

cheers!!

[StrokedXT]

Yep, think its time.

While the tax hike isnt the deciding factor - Coles will sell em for what you used to pay at a servo anyway and that never stopped me buying them.

Got a kid on the way and want to be around for a while yet so as of Monday thats it gonna give cold turkey a crack and leave my eftpos cards at home so i cant buy any.

Pack a day in savings should be close to 5k a year so ill spend it on the car instead.

[Iggypoppin']

Quitting in a week! Made may8th(my 21st) the deadline. Been a smoker since 13 or so, so really keen to give them the flick. With the money I save I'll put it towards a new car. I have been on 2 35 packs a week for around a year, before that I was 35 a day for around 4 years. Here's to giving the damn things up!

[dsyfer]

Some great factual, straight forward info here guys.

http://whyquit.com/

[robbyg]

Have done the patches before, and did work for me, ive found once you have quit for 6 months or so, its so easy to jump back on to them thats the problem i have anyway, uaually the stress factor is culprit

[Riksta]

You know what, bugger it, I'm so over it, went to buy a pack yesterday (B&H Smooth, 25's) and got slugged nearly $18 for them.

So when the deck I've got is gone, I'm quitting.

Now those who know me, know that I smoke pretty heavily, so its not going to be an easy road for me to go down at all. I have a friend who is a drug & alcohol counsellor and was speaking to her last night about some of my options so I'm pretty well prepared to kick it.

Please god give me the strength, willpower, determination, and everything else to actually go through with this!

[Mad Maxine]

What a fantastic plan for you who are making the decision to get off the durries. My ex-husband took his first puff when he was 14, and when I met him, was smoking nearly 50 a day, which increased over time to nearly 60 a day. He had made a couple of attempts to kick the habit, which pleased me no end, but went back onto them after a little while. Problem was, he had friends who did NOT support his decision, in fact, they actually went out of their way to be absolute ************ to him while he was trying to give up. They would actually smoke in front of him and blow their smoke in his face! Having the total support of your family, workmates and friends is vital.

He tried cold turkey, but got the shakes, not good when you are operating excavators and bobcats! He tried patches, and they worked brilliantly, though for the first day or two, they made him feel nauseous.

The idea of being on the patches was so he could ' un-learn' all the habits that had become a soothing ritual, and part of the satisfaction process. That is, the handling of the pack, the rolling of the ciggs (he went onto rollies to make it harder to just grab the next tailor-made out of the box), the tapping of the ash, the putting something in his mouth etc. All the stuff that you miss. People say they don't know what to do with their hands.

He also tried those nicotine-filter tips on his cigs at one stage, but that was too fiddly for him when he was working.

Eventually, after just being on the patches and getting used to not handling his ciggies, he started sucking on Tic Tacs, which came in that little box, so he was on familiar ground for a while. After struggling along, going through the finding it hard to sleep part of giving up etc, he made it, and went without smoking for 9 weeks.

He said out of the blue one day while we were at the Petrie Markets, "What is that smell??? I've never smelt anything so delicious!" It was just hotdogs cooking, but his sense of smell had suddenly returned, along with his sense of taste. He said everything tastes so much better, and that he could smell things around him, instead of just having the constant odour and moutfeel of burning tobacco.

If he can do it, you guys can too. Just prepare yourself for what's ahead. Maybe write down a time-line of what to expect for each day of the first month. They say the first 7 hours are the hardes, then the first 7 days, then the next 7 months, and after that, with will power you can kick it for good.

I know you will feel better, smell better to your family (!), and be better off health-wise as well as financially. You gotta keep telling yourself why you are doing it, to be as positive as possible. Positivity is what will keep you going, not negativity, which will eventually cause you to say "Ah, bugger it, it's been a crappy day, what the hell, I'll just have one ciggie" if you let it get to you.

I hope you can all do it on your own terms and beat it! Good on every single one of you.

Shazz

[GTJOHN]

Yeah i will be giving it a shot (again) ...Im smoking about 30 a day ...and at this price ill need to sell the car to smoke... But more than the money is the constant headaches and ill health i am now feeling after smoking for 26 years...
I tried patches about 2 months ago and did ok for about 6 days, but weak will got me in the end...the nicotone gum is ok and helps..
Hopefully this time i can do it for good and kick this habit...Also the link posted by dsyfer ( http://whyquit.com/) and that extra long tv commercial really make me think,
good luck to all who are attempting to quit

[BIGJB]

Excellent guys, looks like there is a few of us giving it ago.
So who has already quit in the last few days and how are you dealing with it?

[SVTVNM]

I'm 2 days smoke free, me and my fiancee are quiting together, so far so good

[Murph-51]

29 days today since I had a smoke, using the champix, its been very easy for me so far.
All cravings are non existent

[GT0132]

Its been 14 months since I quit using hypnotherapy...It still took me 6 months after quitting not to get the urge to smoke while drinking

While I'm proud of my achievement so far I can't say I feel better healthwise..

Good luck everyone

[234FPV]

Good on all the people here that have quit. I gave up for four months last june and then for some reason i started again one night on the grog and hooked again. Very pi**ed at myself and trying to quit again

[Hords]

Originally Posted by GT0132

Its been 14 months since I quit using hypnotherapy...It still took me 6 months after quitting not to get the urge to smoke while drinking

That didn't really bother me. My only regret was that I started drinking a lot more. Probably because that is the only vice I have left. Thought I'd try hypnosis again to curb it but was told it's all or nothing.

[Professor Farnsworth]

smoking is a very difficult beast to conquer, but mainly for the roughly 4 weeks after stopping..

i started smoking when i was 16 and did it up until my 22nd. Was going through a pack and a half of winfield reds (16's) a day, which sometimes still wasn't enough for me. When i wanted a snack, i'd usually go for a smoke instead. Enough was enough, and like most things with me, i quit cold turkey. What i found was:

1) i was a complete a-hole for about 4 weeks, after which the cravings diminished and i was a little more pleasant
2) whenever i had a beer i wanted another smoke, badly, so i gave up drinking too, and only drink with meals now, as the food fills the void of raising a smoke to your mouth
3) i turned to snacking a lot more, in place of having a cigarette, and got fat, so then i had to pull that back too. was overweight for a few months, then got on top of it again.
4) even now (more than 8 years later), i still sometimes want one when smelling second hand smoke.
5) once a smoker, always a smoker, you just have to use self control
6) i saved (at the time) about $80 a week

hope you go well with it

[GT0132]

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

3) i turned to snacking a lot more, in place of having a cigarette, and got fat, so then i had to pull that back too. was overweight for a few months, then got on top of it again.

When you quit smoking it alters your metabolism causing weight gain. I started to put weight on after quitting, so I increased the time spent at the gym and other exercise, could still do with losing another couple of kg's though

[Professor Farnsworth]

Originally Posted by GT0132

When you quit smoking it alters your metabolism causing weight gain. I started to put weight on after quitting, so I increased the time spent at the gm and other exercise

yep i know, but i also started eating too much to replace the hand to face thing

[zdcol71]

Good luck to all. I personally think quitting is one of the most gratifying things anyone can do.
I believe the trick to it is to genuinely ask yourself if you really want to smoke, most of us say No! then thats the biggest hurdle cleared.. I dot pointed all the pros and cons (the pros will always outweigh the cons), and simply stopped. That sounds too easy, everybodies strategy will be different, the hardest part with me quitting was that it took me 35 years. Sure you will gain 20kgs, and be a PITA for a while but when that clarity hits that you are just happy not to be smoker, it's all worthwhile. Again good luck, it appears there is a lot of help here.

[max]

Originally Posted by Hords

That didn't really bother me. My only regret was that I started drinking a lot more. Probably because that is the only vice I have left. Thought I'd try hypnosis again to curb it but was told it's all or nothing.

Day four for me. Actually I was getting to hate smoking. I had decided long ago that there's no future in it! After decades of 20 or so a day. Also I decided to pack in coffee(strong stove-top esspresso stuff), and liquor too. So far so good. No real effects considering the trifecta of drugs I was ingesting. I'm not saying I'll NEVER drink coffee or alcohol again, but I don't want it to become a substitute for tobacco. Black tea with limejuice and honey is a nice thing to sip with meals and thru the day. Time will help I know. It's all just a nasty habit. Good luck to all in this great quest!

[CFOUR]

My dad quit for 28days cold turkey, just to prove he could. He then proceeded to return to his pack a day habit with a smile. I grew up surrounded by pack a day parents. I am quite sure they are responsible for the asthma I developed as a teen, which subsequently dissipated as I became independent. good luck quitting guys (and gals) smoking truly is a filthy habit.

unless of course its steak or tires

[MAV50L]

Yep the price is starting to get stupid now.
Im actually having a dart as Im typing this.
My partner in my work truck is a heavy smoker as well and we are discussing both quitting at the same time. We are both a holes of people (probably why we both get along so well) so its going to be interesting for a bit...................
My missus is talking of quitting with me as well so that will be good.
Not going to be easy but it has to be done. I kicked my old bad drugs habits when I was younger so I really hope I can do this. I think quitting smoking is harder then quitting any other drugs as with me being a tradie there is always someone I can grab one off and its not looked down onto be having a butt while working away in the outdoors.
Cant exactly have a line at work or hit one of the guys at work up for a spare 8 ball can you.
For something that is a drug and is frowned upon now days it is still socially acceptable.
It wont be easy but has to be done.
Good luck to everyone else out there doing the same.

[Iggypoppin']

Hanging for a cigarette, had one yesterday at morning tea and did not have one at all today. But I refuse! Just bought a custard tart and a kransky instead.
Put the food on my account and have been for the last 3 days(fri, mon, tues) to ward off cravings.
40 bucks in 3 days.
Ouch. So I see where the weight gain thing comes along!

[Professor Farnsworth]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

Hanging for a cigarette, had one yesterday at morning tea and did not have one at all today. But I refuse! Just bought a custard tart and a kransky instead.
Put the food on my account and have been for the last 3 days(fri, mon, tues) to ward off cravings.
40 bucks in 3 days.
Ouch. So I see where the weight gain thing comes along!

keep at it, you won't regret it.

the non smoking that is, not the kransky's

chewing gum sometimes helps. or eating seeds, like pumpkin seeds or things that are low fat/sugar/carbs, but satisfy the hand to mouth thing

the craving will only last 5 minutes or so, just have to stay on top of it, distract yourself for those 5 minutes, then it'll go. You have to re-program yourself basically. The times where you stop and think, 'i'd normally be smoking now, what do i do to fill this time' just mess with your phone, google for boredom fixes, thread search on here, whatever it takes. After a short time you'll adapt.

[RedHotGT]

(from other thread re:tax hike) - seems more relevant here...

As a reformed smoker (I gave up 18 months ago)... i'm stunned that a $2-$3 dollar increase per pack is enough to make people quit 'finally'...

ok... so $19 per pack is ridiculous... but it was $16 per pack the day before... and lets say you smoke 5 packs a week ($80.00) then you were already throwing away just over $4000 a year on it... whats the extra $700 bucks going to matter?

I quit because I have 3 kids... (third one was the one that made me quit)... i'd like to enjoy growing up with them... and be around to watch their kids grow up too...

And whilst smoking is not the only thing that causes cancer, and I still continue to eat worse than I should, drink more than I should, and exersize less than I should... i figured that the start of living longer and healthier and with fuller pockets began with kicking the smokes...

Cold Turkey - that was it... Cup Day 2008 - was the last time I had a smoke... and i reckon the hardest part with the smoking is the association with other things...
Coffee (and smoke)
Beer (and smoke)
Standin round the fire (and smoke)
Someone else is having a smoke (and smoke)

The first 2 are the hardest to beat... and while i've been off them for what feels like forever now - I still get an urge to have a puff now and then... haven't given in... because I don't want to start counting again...

Money saved from not smoking = I can't find it... perhaps I drink more now? who knows...
Do I feel any better for giving up = not really?? i don't think I feel any different physically...
Sure I smell a lot better... and you really do notice the smell once you've given up... (did I really smell that bad???? YEP!!)

But - long term... it will definately benefit me...
Will 'Jack the Dancer' come and get me anyways?? Probably... but I could get hit by a bus tomorrow too... doesn't stop me from getting out in the street...

Don't give it up to save money... Give it up because there is NO logical reason to do it at all...

It Kills... It Costs money... it stinks... its unhealthy...

Work it out over the next 5 years.... its nearly $20,000 you could have dumped into a car project...

thats just my 2 cents - for what its worth...