17 hours now

[Rolex]

I don't understand this requirement to get in touch with your feminine side to quit smoking - all this "support" and "venting" and "classes" and whatever drug you've been conned into spending money on. You sound like a bunch of teenage girls.

For chrissake, if you want to quit smoking, be a man and just quit.

[LePaul]

So did you smoke?  Did you quit?  And why are you up late watching gladiator movies by yourself?   

[Elfie]

I don't understand this requirement to get in touch with your feminine side to quit smoking - all this "support" and "venting" and "classes" and whatever drug you've been conned into spending money on. You sound like a bunch of teenage girls.

For chrissake, if you want to quit smoking, be a man and just quit.

Have you ever smoked and attempted to quit?

[Elfie]

Btw....it's been just over 21 hours now.....and by god I am ready for a knock down drag out purse fight! 

[SD67]

I smoked for close to 20 years. I quit cold turkey.
Sarah still smokes though.

[Rolex]

Yes, I did smoke, Elfie. I loved cigarettes. They never lied to me or stole money from me. They never argued with me. The were always there when I needed them.

I quit and I think the attitude I wrote is the best way to quit. Just do it and quit whining and thinking about it. I opened a pack and left it on my desk for 2 days as a reminder that I was stronger than cigarettes.

But it's great to be free from them. The life of a smoker is controlled by cigarettes - a slave to them every day and every place with no vacations or exceptions. I don't have to carry them everywhere I go now. I don't have to think about them and plan for them and be miserable looking for somewhere to smoke all the time.

Just do it. You don't need a drug or counseling. You don't need "support." Just do it. The only way that you'll quit for good is to quit with no tools or crutches. It's just you against them.

Three days and you're done.

[wrongwayric]

I see both sides here. I've smoked for 30yrs have no plans to quit, on the other hand my brother smoked for 35 years and quit cold turkey and to this day says he still misses it. My mother never smoked a day in her life, went to church 2 to 3 times a week, got colon cancer and by the time they caught it it had spread to all major organs in her body. They predicted she would live 2 months and we were blessed that she lived another year. If you need a support group or drugs to quit then use them but be aware that sometimes the cure can be just as bad as the habit you have. I used a drug prescribed to me by a doctor and it made me depressed and just about suicidal and that was the 3 day end of my attempt to quit.

[croduh]

Smoke it.




You know you want to.


 

[ROX]

DON'T Light UP!!!!    You CAN do it!!!

I used the partch.  The patch worked GREAT!

That includes going to Vegas for a week where EVERYBODY smokes.

If you gain weight, don't sweat it.  My wife (a nurse) had a great quote:

"You can lose weight...ya can't lose cancer".

Get some sugar free candy & suckers.

Driving is the worst (because you are mentally bored)...but you can do it!!

I'd MUCH rather have you fly WITH me in one of our missions....

Than have everyone fly together at your Memorial.


I believe in ya!!




ROX

[evenhaim]

Brave man elfie, i would not be able to do the same, ive been threw withdrawal once and thats enough for me.

[Urchin]

Smoked for 7 years, quit 2.5 years ago. 

It is definately doable, I don't even have the urge to smoke - I can't remember the last craving I had.  My wife smoked for 12, quit about a year after I did, she says she still gets the urge for a cigarette occasionally.

I used the nicotine gum to quit, chewed it for two months before I switched to regular gum.  I still chew bubble gum quite frequently, I probably go through the 9 pack Trident gums (with 18 pieces in them) in 3-4 weeks. 

Before then, I had "tried" a couple times and never made it past a day.  You can only quit when you make up your mind to quit.. not to "try" to quit.  Once you do that it really isn't even that bad (well, I did use the gum so I can't really comment on quitting cold turkey, that might be tougher).

Good luck to you with the quitting, and if you don't quit after all don't get too down on yourself - just make up your mind that the next time you "try" to quit is going to be the time you stop trying and start quitting.

[Maverick]

Hang in there Elfie, don't fall back into it. Stay busy and keep your mind occupied, time will pass faster and you won't be thinking about smoking.

[Jenks]

You can do it Elfie.  I would do busy work, clean, garden, hobby,etc., whenever I had an urge. You know, anything to take my mind off it, pretty soon the urge would be gone and they would come fewer and farther between. Also,when you feel the urge call a friend or do what you've been doing and post here.

Jenks

[Simaril]

Rolex -- thing of it is, they're finding there's a definite genetic predisposition to addictions in general, differences in chemical reinforcement loops some people have in their brains. Means that while it may be easy for one person, for others it's can take far, far more to get over the hurdle...without it meaning they have weaker character or less testosterone.

I've never been a smoker, but I've worked with lots of people over the years who've tried to quit. Never seen anything like Chantix -- stats show something like 70% success rates in quitting. Best everything else could do was in the teens.

One tip for those whose stomachs can't handle it - had a few people quit successfully after reducing the maintenence dose from the standard 1.0mg to a half pill, the 0.5 that they start out with. Especially good move for people who are physically a bit smaller.

[cav58d]

Elfie-  If it helps you, update us whenever you feel it necessary on here and let us know how your doing...Whether it be the 30 hour mark, or 25 houra and 18 minutes...Each is a landmark achievement and something to be proud of, and if it helps you, I think its safe to say that nearly all of us on here are happy to be part of that help.

Keep going man and be truthful to yourself.  Rationalization is your worst enemy right now...Just because you made it this far doesn't mean you are allowed to reward yourself with a butt, because it's not a reward at all.

Keep it up man!