Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

FretlessOnly wrote:Oh, how I have tried. Started in 1979, quit in 1987 through 1989; then started up again (loss of a good woman!). Steady since 1989. I am so stupid, I cannot tell you. Determined to knock this.

You go, John! I wish you all the determination and strength you need to kick the habit. I'm here to tell you that you will thank yourself for it. I think that even if I knew I'd get run over by a bus in two weeks I would still never take another cigarette. This is really gratifying.

Good luck John, you can do it !!!

Quitting has many positives and, try as I might, I could never find a negative.

Kira, that is just so fantastic! I'm really happy for you.

This great, keep going...! Might I suggest getting a jar or opening a savings account and put the $$ in there that you would have spent buying cigs - as you would have bought a pack or carton put the dollars in the saving account or jar. the 4003 is a year away....

Scott and Kira (and anybody else quitting out there)------I am beyond stoked for you guys.

That's a huge accomplishment, and you guys will reap the benefits immediately too.

kiramdear wrote:Two and a half weeks without a slip. My sense of taste and smell have returned to normal, my singing voice is good to go and my lungs feel clear as a bell. Yee haw!

Hey Scott, how are you feeling?

Today will be a full three weeks.

Glad to hear you're doing great also.

Spent some time out of town with inlaws this weekend (stressful enough considering it was a full moon and we had some fist fights break out. )

Took my ABG and jammed a little here and there.

Lots of smokers milling about and not one thought of even trying one--other than once when someone asked how long and tried to offer me some of their nasty smelling and stale light cigarettes which I never would have smoked to begin with. I almost gagged thinking of that.

John, it's difficult sometimes. Mine is still a mental game but for the most part, it's a done deal. I occassionally think about a smoke but most of the time I'm off to thinking about something else before I even realize it.

Time has severely lessened my thoughts on "cravings". I wouldn't even call them cravings, other than a "wow, wouldn't it..." and then I'm off to thinking of something else.

If you've had failings in the past, there are some things you can do. Prepare yourself and don't ever give up.

This is a severely mental game and if you fail on your first attempt, burn the failure from your mind and go at it again.

If you fail multiple times doing it a certain way, try it a different way. What works for some doesn't work for everyone. Each of us have different habits and each of those smokers use smoking for different things.

So, it's only natural that each of us have different ways of quitting.

As I mentioned earlier, I cut my nicotine intake down to nearly nothing over a 1 week period of time and then quit. If you do this, be sure you don't start using nicotine substitutes because everything you reduced will be for naught.

If you have any questions, you can ask here or PM me.

I'm available. Good luck.

Great news Scott! Glad to hear you're kicking it!

The key thing for me was resolution of will. I have no ability at all to resist something I really want, so that was the essence - waiting until I was good and disgusted with my habit and thoroughly unhappy with my state of health because of it, so that there were no more plusses to consider, really. Then I was ready to turn the corner with it and simply not start in the morning with that first one of the day. Within 48 hours I was out of the habit with it and starting to appreciate my nice clean tasting mouth, improved personal aroma, and the lessening of the croupiness in my lungs. That's how is for me. I can do anything if I have the will deep down. But with smoking, if I don't have the feeling to quit then all the patches, pills, games or tricks in the world won't help me. I've done it this way, cold turkey, a few times before but started again years later each time because I took my health for granted. This time I know is different, I'm older and more acutely aware every year that this life is not an unlimited commodity.

kiramdear wrote: ... this life is not an unlimited commodity.

None of us will get out alive.

ken_j wrote:

kiramdear wrote: ... this life is not an unlimited commodity.

None of us will get out alive.

It's amazing how, once you're past 50, your body seems to remind you of this, oh so often...

cjj wrote:

ken_j wrote:

kiramdear wrote: ... this life is not an unlimited commodity.

None of us will get out alive.

It's amazing how, once you're past 50, your body seems to remind you of this, oh so often...

Not to mention that that's about the age when we start to lose uncles, aunts, and parents, too.
JimK

there comes a time when life it starts taking away more than it gives.....

I found the quitting mech that worked for me was the mind set - I choose not to smoke. I had tried other things and rational but making up my mind that 'I choose' is what finally worked for me. That was about half my life ago.

I am really pulling for you all.... keep up the good work!!!

BUMP -- UPDATE

I never posted in this thread before, but I'm on day 41 and no problems whatsoever. I chewed a very small amount of store-brand nic gum for a week, gave the rest to my roommate/bandmate, who quit 2 or 3 months ago and still chews it. For about a week or so I would have a craving about once a day that lasted about 5 or 10 seconds. Since then, nothing. I never would have believed it would be this easy, since I tried to quit for years and couldn't. The difference? I realized it was really the only thing I felt like I had falied at.


Your updates please:

No smokes yet in all this time.

I still want one occasionally, but it's rare. Even when I do it's nothing significant.

It's all psychological at this point, obviously, for me. And since I'm slightly psycho to begin with, the cigarettes have no chance.

No significant weight gain, either. about 3lbs and that's due mainly to my lack of walking lately I think than anything.