I'm quitting smoking tomorrow. Wish me luck!

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I'm going to need it, every yr on the smokeout I try to do it. And I fail. This year, I'm going to try the patch and hopefully stop this dirty habit for good.

Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:37 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, right.

RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:44 (twenty-three years ago)

thanks for your wonderful words of encouragement!!!!

Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:45 (twenty-three years ago)

good luck! smokes are getting expensive in Mass! Maybe I would have quit if I was still up there. A pack os $2.92 here, making it too easy to continue.
Again, good luck!

Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:48 (twenty-three years ago)

You have support here! I'm always behind people doing this due to relatives who passed on because of it. Best of luck. :-)

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:49 (twenty-three years ago)

$6.00 a pack around Worcester. Thats approx $2190 a year for smokes. Not including the multiple packs I smoke on weekends.

Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Chris - good luck on leaving Village of the Damned. I am typing this with ciggie in hand and no sarcasm intended, best of luck.

Anna (Anna), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:51 (twenty-three years ago)

is it up to $6 now? it was only $4.50 at the store 24 across from Clark on Main.

Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:52 (twenty-three years ago)

more than that a pack here.

RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:53 (twenty-three years ago)

oh, good luck, btw.

YOU'RE GONNA NEED IT.

RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:53 (twenty-three years ago)

it's like $10 here.

Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:54 (twenty-three years ago)

yup $6.00, some places I can find them for $4.89 - $5.35 but thats if Im feeling ambitious. White Hen is convenient and the most expensive.

Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Take two aspirin at the beginning of the day, they cut the *twinge* people get when the NICOTINE CRAVING hits. Take aspirin or paracetamol each morning and thereafter when the *twinge* happens, and the first three days of No Smoking will be easier. While on this regimen, drink a load of water.

If you can give up for three days it's easy to stay a quitter. Just don't put yourself in the 'cheap cigs, what I'd really like is a joint but can't have one because nobody has any weed they'll part with, ahhh cigarettes!' situation or you will do like me and fall off the wagon like I did in Barçelona.

suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Is it possible to wear two patches at one time?

Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Good luck, Chris!

rosemary (rosemary), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:57 (twenty-three years ago)

its going to be hard because I have reunions and holidays where drinking of alcohol is going to be in effect, and of course I smoke like a fiend when I drink.

Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:57 (twenty-three years ago)

haha, I thought 'just wear two nicotine patches--one on each eye!----you won't be able to find yer fags!!' then I remembered I'd heard someone else had made that crap joke before.

RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 18:03 (twenty-three years ago)

b/w my lack of booze and yr lack of nicotine, their will be no vices left.

anthony easton (anthony), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 19:05 (twenty-three years ago)

coffee.

Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 19:23 (twenty-three years ago)

All the best Chris. It took me a few attempts but I finally quit three + years ago. I only regret not stopping before. Good Luck.

stevo (stevo), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 19:56 (twenty-three years ago)

I gave up at almost exactly this time last year. I used the patches a bit (a pack of ten lasted me a month), but I found it rather less horrible than I'd expected, and I hope you do too. Good luck.

Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:19 (twenty-three years ago)

HOORAY! Fewer smokers in the world = a good thing all around. And you _will_ feel better.

Douglas, Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I suppose this is a very good time of year to try quitting, since it's so freakin' cold outside anyway.

Sarah McLusky (coco), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:43 (twenty-three years ago)

I enjoy smoking in the cold more than I do smoking in the heat.

RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:44 (twenty-three years ago)

My quitting has been a comedy so far.

Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:47 (twenty-three years ago)

i was looking forward to the winter. i really was. winters here are so cold that standing outside for a cigarette is often not worth the trouble (regardless of the craving). it is in this way that each winter i gradually trim my smoking habit down to zero and as the weather warms up i gradually start smoking more and more.

unfortunately this year has been unseasonably warm so far. shit.

best of luck chris v. here's what i do to stem the craving: squeeze the juice of half a lemon into about 400 ml of water, stir and down it in one sip. then smoke some pot. then do the lemon water thing again.

fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:58 (twenty-three years ago)

I found that people like Douglas made me feel like starting again. The worst was my boss at work who gave me a fucking pep talk on giving up (I was about two weeks in) en route to our office meal. That was the closest I came to restarting.

I have not felt healthier. I have not been less short of breath when running up stairs. I have not been able to taste my food better, and anyway I cook for myself mostly, so this would be a drawback anyway.

Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm agreeing with Martin. Every time I last more than a week without smoking I can breathe LESS, and it doesn't change my ability to do anything. What the hell?

Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:07 (twenty-three years ago)

your lungs are clearing themselves out, natch.

fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Everyone always says that. I think that the chemicals in the smokes are preserving them.

Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:27 (twenty-three years ago)

must be the formaldehyde.

fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Patch hasn't worked for anyone here. I quit cold turkey myself but wasn't a heavy smoker, that and I had a nasty infection in my lungs and throat helped.
Whatever you do stay away from smokey bars for at least 2 weeks.

Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Good luck, Chris!

Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:51 (twenty-three years ago)

After smoking full time for four years, and at least four attempts to give up, I woke up one day no longer able to handle the taste, and haven't been able to smoke since. Bizarre.

electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 21 November 2002 00:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Please keep us updated on your progress. does your wife smoke? that could make this process more difficult. also, i find it helps to occupy yourself with other things you enjoy doing. if there was ever a chance for me to quit, it would involve me playing PS2 and ordering in for a day or two. is there something you can think of?

Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Thursday, 21 November 2002 00:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Jim you are a lucky bastard !!

Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Thursday, 21 November 2002 00:26 (twenty-three years ago)

yes and no. definitely better off not smoking, but in a way i wasn't 'ready' to not smoke anymore (pretty stupid line of thinking i guess)

electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 21 November 2002 00:41 (twenty-three years ago)

no... that makes sense. smoking becomes part of ones image, to the point that it is difficult to imagine oneself without them. THAT is the addiction. the physical part is like being mildly sick for a while.

Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Thursday, 21 November 2002 00:47 (twenty-three years ago)

'what the hell' is that some of the recovery from being a smoker takes years...

best of luck! i think patches are definitely the way to go. remember, if you smoke while you are using the patch you will DIE INSTANTLY!!! don't let anyone tell you otherwise

ron (ron), Thursday, 21 November 2002 01:42 (twenty-three years ago)

yep the wife smokes, but she is quitting too, otherwise it would be unbearable. Thanks for all the niceties guys. Wait until tomorrow when the non-smoking grinch Chris comes out. watch out!

Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 21 November 2002 02:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Hello - it's four in th e morning and I'm a bit drunk - really, if you get through thefour in th emornig pissed enough to think ILE without smoking then you will be FINE. FINE!

Anna (Anna), Thursday, 21 November 2002 04:13 (twenty-three years ago)

My parents both just quit using the patch. My dad even stopped being an insufferable prick (from quitting) after about a week. I guess they're pretty good. And the Panoz's get a little richer every time you use one! My dad had tried Zyban and it didn't work. He's so fucking hardcore that he smoked in spite of the fact that the medication made him feel like he was going to puke. He smoked for 45 years.

Bryan (Bryan), Thursday, 21 November 2002 04:33 (twenty-three years ago)

i can get smokes in Jersey for $4.05/pack. same price in Philly. in Delaware, they're still under $3/pack.

this thread reminds me of a favorite Frank Zappa story -- FZ tried to quit, but went back after a week or so. he claimed that after he stopped smoking, he noticed that everything smelled really bad. so he went back to smoking.

Tad (llamasfur), Thursday, 21 November 2002 07:56 (twenty-three years ago)

re suzy's advice concerning nicotine-addiction: what if yer allergic to aspirin (like myself?) i'm sure it's great advice otherwise.

anyway, i agree with aaron -- when i've tried to quit, it was always the habit bit, not the nicotine bit, that got to me. anyway, i'm such an asshole that no-one notices any difference when i nic-fitted ;-p

Tad (llamasfur), Thursday, 21 November 2002 08:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Fewer smokers in the world = a good thing all around.
This is one of the reasons I started smoking. More tolerant people in the world: a good thing. Of course I am joking, I didn't take up joking because of people like Douglas. But (even when I was a non-smoker) there was nothing I more hated than people *sniffing* at smokers. When a car drives by, do you also say "Smokers, DAMN YOU."? ;-)
I started smoking about a month ago... Told myself I would limit myself to three a day. it's more like half a packet per day already.

nathalie (nathalie), Thursday, 21 November 2002 08:19 (twenty-three years ago)

good luck Chris.

i only lasted a month when i quit and was apparently a monster the entire time. was told when i started again that "you are the only person i know who not only looks happier but actually looks healthier with a cigarette in his hand" hope yours goes better.

H (Heruy), Thursday, 21 November 2002 09:00 (twenty-three years ago)

best of luck chris. the first three days are the hardest, keep determined through them and you'll be well on the way. i used the nicotine gum instead of patches when i quit, reasoning that 1) even when smoking 30 a day i didn't get a _constant_ stream of nicotine entering my system, and 2) that the gum would give me something to do with my hands and mouth and so help with the physiological habit. i also stopped drinking alcohol for the first 6 weeks or so, cos i know my will-power would vanish if i got drunk.
you can do it, and you'll be chuffed with yourself.

angela (angela), Thursday, 21 November 2002 09:07 (twenty-three years ago)

*hugs anna

RJG (RJG), Thursday, 21 November 2002 11:32 (twenty-three years ago)


I'm just waiting for the vaccine to come out: http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNVol15N5/Vaccine.html

andy, Thursday, 21 November 2002 12:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Thank you Rich, I had forgotten about that little debacle.

Anna (Anna), Thursday, 21 November 2002 12:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Were you implying ilXor was like some kind of nicotine patch? Debacle indeed.

Graham (graham), Thursday, 21 November 2002 12:51 (twenty-three years ago)

2 hours smoke free, i have a massive headache and feel like shit. the patch is itching me like crazy. but a few weeks of being miserable is better than being dead when im forty. my reasoning for all this is so my wife and i can have healthy children...

Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 21 November 2002 13:02 (twenty-three years ago)

two hours?? WTG!!!!!!!!

RJG (RJG), Thursday, 21 November 2002 13:05 (twenty-three years ago)

yup a whopping two hours. i feel like im going to puke.

Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 21 November 2002 13:06 (twenty-three years ago)

one thing i learned from the patch is just how powerful nicotine is! that itching... and don't try to put a patch on at night time - i couldn't sleep because it would make my arm tingle and go numb and stuff

blessings

ron (ron), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:28 (twenty-three years ago)

thanks all, its going good now. I like putting the patch on for bed, gives you great vivid dreams.

Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 21 November 2002 15:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Kewl. Use it for artistic inspiration. :-)

And it's nice to be thinking of it for kids if you're sure you want them. :-) Do you want a flock of little McGees?

Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:30 (twenty-three years ago)

no, i think I'll call them Turds. And we are going to try to have them in the new year. we'll see....

Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Astounding!

Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:43 (twenty-three years ago)

tell us about the vivid dreams, i remember seeing that on the box as a warning and thinking that actually sounds enticing

H (Heruy), Thursday, 21 November 2002 16:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Just so VIVID that you feel like your right there. Last night I dreamt I was at an NYC FAP. I felt like I was right there. And then for some reason it changed into summer camp in Jamaica and I could feel the water. I probably pissed on myself in my sleep.

Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 21 November 2002 17:00 (twenty-three years ago)

hows day 2 going?

H (Heruy), Friday, 22 November 2002 17:37 (twenty-three years ago)

its going ok. im worried about tonight. im going out, and will be under the influence.

Chris V. (Chris V), Friday, 22 November 2002 17:50 (twenty-three years ago)

oh and last nights vivid dream i found myself trying to save my wife and woke up to find me grabbing her by her shirt and screaming for her not to fall.

Chris V. (Chris V), Friday, 22 November 2002 17:51 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...
Revive...

I wonder if Chris V stopped for good, made it past the two hours.

Me, I stopped five hours ago. Piece of piss. No gum, patches, nothing. It's like taming a spaniel.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 6 February 2004 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

*two hours later*

Eyeball: "I'M DYING HERE!"

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 6 February 2004 23:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I smoke because Im addicted.
-- Chris V. (formerlypoopsmcge...), June 27th, 2003 1:59 PM.

Looks like he gave in.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 6 February 2004 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

that's from http://ilx.wh3rd.net/thread.php?msgid=3645474

Then:

and i fuckin hate it. I quit for six weeks a few months ago and was doing great. I ran out of nicotine lozenges and decided it was a lot cheaper to buy a $5.00 pack of smokes than a $50.00 box of lozenges. Now I realise its a lot easier to live an extra 10 years than to die.
-- Chris V. (formerlypoopsmcge...), June 27th, 2003 2:03 PM.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 6 February 2004 23:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, that was the second time (at least) in 2002, he'd tried to stop:

it seems that if you want to give up it's a piece of piss, but if you feel like you should give up it's hard. I haven't had a cigarette now since December the 17th and apart from the odd craving (like I had on Saturday) it hasn't been that hard. Previously I've only managed about a week before giving in.
This time wasn't planned, I just woke up with a hangover and couldn't face having one, then after a day thought, well, I'll just give up then.

-- chris (cbrown...), March 5th, 2002 1:00 AM.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 6 February 2004 23:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I think that's a different Chris actually.

Sorry.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 7 February 2004 00:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyway, I am very drunk. That's how I'd recommend giving up smoking. Get drunk and go to a smoky room. Then observe how your arm & even your brain twitches every 15 minutes and says "buy some cigarettes ya philistine and have them behind a curtain" and "if you do not smoke it will ruin your handwriting", and it is crazy. You say to your arm & brain, "is this true? do you want a fag for each of you?" & they don't & nor do you. Funny, but they ask again soon after & so, you are forced to resist soon quite sincerely. There emerges the comparison to being on the opposite end of the lead to the spaniel. Still close to seven hours, in which time I could've been to Norway and back and back and back and back to Norway again.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 7 February 2004 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Forty-nine hours. Easier than giving up the yo-yo.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 18:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you find yourself needing to chew gum or the like?

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 8 February 2004 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

No gum.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Is this why you're not smoking?

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Pardon?

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

You just keep telling us how easy it was for you to quit.

Are you not just doing that to keep yourself occupied so you don't have time to smoke?

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually in some situations it has been very hard, i.e. taking a shit. But this is once a day & so doable.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Why'd you even start smoking?

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

To get the girls.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

But after sixteen years I feel like I've had a good run. Let some of the younger ones have their turn.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't like it when people smoke. They start to smell bad too.

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, I stink of cigarettes as well. It's only been two days & I didn't spend the weekend washing my jackets.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Wash out all your clothes of the smoke smell.

That'll definatly keep you occupied and away from the cigarretts

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)

You think that's necessary? Won't the semll just fade away anyway after a few months?

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

But that takes too long.

Maybe you should go out and buy yourself some new clothes.

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:12 (twenty-two years ago)

That is a very good idea. I have had my eye on this blazer....

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:22 (twenty-two years ago)

You should get it then.

Get some new pants too.

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

You're not the first to say that.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, I say every ex smoker, I guess you could call them, needs a new wardrobe, mainly because of the way they're old clothes smell.

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

What should I do with my hands?

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Put them where my eyes can see, duh.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know. Why? What's wrong with them?

Aja (aja), Sunday, 8 February 2004 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)

buy gloves

the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 9 February 2004 00:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Seventy-eight hours: no problem.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

It was seventy-eight hours, I mean. Then I happened to split up with the person I'd spent the last six years with. So at seventy-nine and a quarter hours I bought a pack of ten.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Eep. You're not to be blamed.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Shoddy behaviour.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

A poor kind of revenge: see, I was trying to do this cos I wanted to be around to be old with you, but if I'm not with you I'd rather die sooner. As melodrama it is weak: better people than me slit wrists, leap from bridges. I smoke a fag. Whoopie-do.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 01:45 (twenty-two years ago)

But Ned, you make me laugh! Chris V starts the thread, and you're there with encouragement 12 minutes later. I revive the thread, more than a year later, and you're there within 7 minutes. Within four minutes two days later. Tonight, you appear in less than sixty seconds! You are always around!

I'm not mocking - it's very cool. But I get the feeling that if something terrible was ever to happen, I'd phone 999 and get a voice saying, "Hi, youre through to Ned Raggett, how can I help you?"

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 01:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I repeat: it's very cool. It's as if the white page of ILX and its cold blue text has a soul, and the soul is you.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

'But I get the feeling that if something terrible was ever to happen, I'd phone 999 and get a voice saying, "Hi, youre through to Ned Raggett, how can I help you?" '

SOMEONE RECOMMEND THIS TO DAVID BLUNKETT NOW

pete s, Tuesday, 10 February 2004 02:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh, it could also mean I have no life! And I really just need to actually get some writing done here, I've been working on a little project all month and it's going well, and after that I intend to relax a bit. But thank you. Keep in mind I tend to note my failures more, to the point where they gnaw at me horribly -- it's nice to know you don't mind my random messages like that. :-)

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Eyeball, this mightn't be of any great assistance to you but - yer not totally alone. Yep. In a manner of speaking - I've managed without a puff a mere thirteen hours now (after twenty years of giving off/taking in clouds of stinkin' smoke) but I'm determined to try further.

t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 02:49 (twenty-two years ago)

i quit in mid-December, broke down and smoked half a pack at New Years (this was expected and sort of planned, even, so maybe 'broke down' is a dumb way of putting it), made it to the end of January, broke down and smoked another half a pack in two days, quit again and have been smoke free for nearly three weeks. but in all honesty, it feels a lot better. i've been playing basketball a lot, and i noticed the difference in my lungs almost immediately.

i can even drink and not break down, but 'going out' in the bars/clubs sense is verboten for a while - Allen Carr says you should do everything normally the way you would, but i think he's wrong on this one point.

Dave M. (rotten03), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 05:53 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm quitting, beginning this weekend. it's too expensive.

Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't smoke on my birthday, Eisbär.

Aja (aja), Wednesday, 11 February 2004 02:48 (twenty-two years ago)

nine months pass...
guess what, im trying it again! been on the patch since 4am this morning. so far its been ok. I NEED TO DO IT THIS TIME.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Monday, 22 November 2004 13:03 (twenty-one years ago)

ok and lets countdown until Ned offers some words or encouragement.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Monday, 22 November 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I stopped stopping, then, but then I started stopping again. And I never stopped.

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Monday, 22 November 2004 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha. After my other failures over a two year period I am sure this is the one.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Monday, 22 November 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, I didn't notice Big Baby Bingo was really Chris V. Good luck, Chris! It's about time!

Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Monday, 22 November 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Make sure you keep tabs again. Its not so bad this time, i really haven't been bothered today. The patch does wonders for this.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Monday, 22 November 2004 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd say, you're better throwing them away. remove the temptation.

RJG (RJG), Monday, 22 November 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

*has not (repeat: not) smoked since his last post on this thread*

t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Monday, 22 November 2004 14:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I made four very serious quitting efforts before the one that turned out to be permanent (almost six years now!), so I personally don't believe that many past failures mean that you are simply unable to succeed. Congrats to those who have kicked the habit and lots of support to those in the throes! It is SO VERY VERY worth the pain, it really is!

quincie, Monday, 22 November 2004 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I've read this thread several times over the years, and it never fails to make me step out for a smoke. I guess I'm just not ready yet.

Kenan (kenan), Monday, 22 November 2004 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)


I've been having insomnia again, and that means that I am smoking a lot again. I got all the way down to a few a day, and now my habit is out of control. I've tried everything, the only thing that worked like a charm was Effexor (which also helped me stop biting my nails), but my doctor wouldn't give it to me last time - she gave me Wellbutrin, which is supposed to work, but didn't. I want to use Effexor again - should I just get another doctor? What is with these doctors - are they under contract to prescribe only one medication for each remedy?

k3rry (dymaxia), Monday, 22 November 2004 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

try the patch. drink lots of water.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Monday, 22 November 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)


The patch actually works? I know lots of water and juice works. Will it also help calm my nerves and help me sleep? I have terrible nerves, nothing works.

I am SO sick of prescription drugs. I smoke because it's cheaper and less of a hassle than prescriptions, even with insurance.

k3rry (dymaxia), Monday, 22 November 2004 15:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I quit three weeks ago and am still going strong. The only cigarette I've had was outside of a show on Saturday night when I was drunk. But I haven't had any since.

This was my first at attempt at quitting, and I got the gum. It helped. I'm convinced that the important thing to do is not buy cigarettes. The cravings occured every so often, but I didn't want to go out and buy a pack. I used my own laziness to my advantage.

Good luck!

Dale Panopticalis (cprek), Monday, 22 November 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

ok and lets countdown until Ned offers some words or encouragement.

Hi there!

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 22 November 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I've tried them all before, gum, lozenges and patch. Even a combo of patch and gum...it made my heart flutter. But the patch for me works best because its a constant stream. The lozenges are great as well and are good for the oral fixation part of it, but they taste too much like a cigarette. I have terrible nerves and anxiety as well and im doing ok...albeit I find it a bit harder to concentrate. Yes you should be able to sleep on the patch...you wear it for 24 hours. Although some people and ocassionally I will take it off when I sleep because you can have some VERY vivid dreams.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Monday, 22 November 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't smoke and I've never had to give up, but when I do try and stop/cut down on something I find that almost revelling in the discomfort, using your awareness of it to remind yourself that you're doing good and damn well suffering for it too, is a genuinely good incentive to keep going.

Ol' prune face (Mark C), Monday, 22 November 2004 15:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Day Two: Not so bad. I had crazy dreams last night though. So real. I was ice skating in Toronto with Bryan, Sean and Huck and we were doing an ice skating exhibition set to Christmas music. Bryan threw up in his tights.

Anyways, its not as bad as I thought it would be...i just keep telling myself " I am a non-smoker" and it works.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...
i just went a week without. but today i broke down. the first week wasn't hard -- i was around my family -- but today, on my first day of freedom, i was actually SHAKING (part hunger, part wanting to smoke) and lit up. i'm disappointed in myself, and am going to try again. oy.

Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 31 December 2004 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Tomorrow, presumably?

(maybe reviving this thread will provide a forum like the diet support thread?)

Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 31 December 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I have gone 48 hours without a cigarette. Strangely enough, I don't even feel like smoking. I'm not using a patch or a gum, just cold turkey. Mostly due to the fact that I ran out of cigarettes on Sunday morning, realized it was Jan 2nd and that I planned on quitting in the new year. I really want to, I've smoked for nearly five years and I never intended to do it for this long.

Wish me luck! I know I can do it.

jill schoelen is the queen of my dreams! (Homosexual II), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

my advice is to get knocked up. that's how i quit and it was shockingly easy.

Emilymv (Emilymv), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I have a cigar in the fridge. It's a Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real!

.adam (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)


Thanks to Chris for the rec on the patch - it really cut down on the cravings. I still have a few a day, but I got back on the Effexor and that + the patch is working wonders.

And yeah, I am having the crazy vivid dreams, not always good ones. Last night, I dreamt that my dad was a mass murderer.

k3rry (dymaxia), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I rarely smoke more than one ever few days, but in order to reduce even that, I've decided to only allow myself a cigarette for every mile that I run (thinking about upping that to 2 miles per).

Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Spencer, that's a bit weird!

.adam (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

But somehow admirable.

.adam (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

they teach you that in spy school

Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 22:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't smoke, take drugs or use nicotine patches and my dreams are fucked up anyway. It's the life.

Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Spencer, that's a bit weird!

Think about how it makes perfect sense!

Desire to smoke vs. Desire for fitness
Desire for a cigarette will make me run, but Running makes me want to smoke less, however, I can only smoke if I run!

Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 23:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Is that from Dr Seuss?

.adam (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Green Eggs and Camel Lights

Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't remember if I said this, but during my doctor's visit last month (first checkup in 10 years) my doc advised me not to quit. At least not right away. She told me that I was moving, looking for a new job, apart from my girlfriend, and that I was pretty much guaranteed to fail if I tried now. She said to wait for a moment when things are a bit more resolved, because statistics show that every time you try to quit and fail, you stand less of a chance of actually succeeding someday. So when you do it, make sure you've got other types of support going on in your life, really do it, and don't turn back. Of course I've interpreted this to mean that never quitting keeps my chances of successfully quitting, someday, at their most optimal level. Which should provide some comfort in the grave.

You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 03:11 (twenty-one years ago)

but maybe trying to quit smoking would keep yuor mind off of other troubles.

Emilymv (Emilymv), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

mr teeny's secretary has an appointment in a couple of weeks to go have a laser shot into her ear to make her quit! wtf??

teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 04:50 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe the laser will burn out the part of her brain that makes her want to smoke.

Emilymv (Emilymv), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 05:02 (twenty-one years ago)

at this point they need to shoot a laser into my penis hole to make me quit.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 11:24 (twenty-one years ago)

72 hours off the ciggies and I've developed a nasty cough and an overwhelming urge to EAT EVERYTHING.

Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

though the laser/penis hole image has slightly dulled my appetite :-/

Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm 72 hours in, too, Onimo. I don't really have a desire to have one, but the nasty cough is getting worse. I'm not hungry yet, either. I had a handful of gummy bears for dinner last night.

jill schoelen is the queen of my dreams! (Homosexual II), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Keep at it, Mandee and Gerry. I just celebrated 1 year of not smoking (with the exception of a couple of drunken nights in Las Vegas where I was told I puffed a pack or two), and even though I gained a shitload of weight and still even now miss it a lot, it's been completely worth it. I just feel so much better... so keep it up! Oh yeah, and the cough will be gone in about 5 more days. Enough cilia grow back after a week to dull that tickle that causes the hack.

Chuckling at the Tomkat's Marquee (Ben Boyer), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I am trying to get the mental image of Chris smoking cigarettes with his dick out of my head. It isn't working.

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Does smoking really cause a lot of weight gain? Because I am trying to lose weight at the moment. Eating well, exercising, etc.

jill schoelen is the queen of my dreams! (Homosexual II), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)


I have not had a cigarette all day. I know I will have one when I get home, but I have begun to leave the things at home when I go to work.

As for weight gain, I moved into a building with a fitness room, and I've been spending more time there so I don't smoke (cardio workouts cut down on the cravings, too), so I've lost tons of weight.

k3rry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I am trying to get the mental image of Chris smoking cigarettes with his dick out of my head. It isn't working.

I am trying to get the mental image of Dan thinking about having seen Chris's penis smoke out of my head. It isn't working.

donut christ (donut), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 22:38 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...
I should brag, that it's been 24 days since I've smoked. WOOO!

jill schoelen is the queen of my dreams! (Homosexual II), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 15:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm giving up in, about, 19 days.

RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)

two weeks pass...
im on my 900th attempt. 24 hours in, using the nicotine inhaler this time. works great. have awful urges to jump up and go buy cigs...will not.

Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never heard of a nicotine inhaler before.
Or is that just a funny term for your lungs?

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never been a heavy smoker (I have other vices) but one thing I keep in mind when trying to kick something is to not see the goal as total abstinence for the rest of your life. See it as control, with occasional rewards if you do well. I'm thinking specifically of having a cigar after a good round of golf, or on a friend's birthday. But granted, I have never been in the throes of cig withdrawl, so I might not know whereof I speak. Still if it helps you out.

57 7th (calstars), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)


Well, the patch + Effexor helped me cut down drastically, but it didn't help me quit. So, I took a pack of my mother's godawful cigarettes and they're so terrible I hope they put me off smoking for good. Plus, they're really skinny 'lady' cigarettes.

Yr3k (dymaxia), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I quit cold turkey on 2nd January and so far it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, apart from when I get drunk.

All I've got to do now is stop eating everything I see.

Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Hm, so it appears that I recently reached my first li'l 1-year-no-smoke anniversary, or samthung :)

t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Onimo you and I quit on the same day.

And it definitely hasn't been as bad as I thought, except the first two weeks kinda sucked.

I got drunk last weekend and had no desire to light up.

And I've lost 8 lbs., even. I am a modern miracle.

Been a non-smoker for 44 days. Hurrah!

jill schoelen is the queen of my dreams! (Homosexual II), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...
I can't remember if I said this, but during my doctor's visit last month (first checkup in 10 years) my doc advised me not to quit. At least not right away. She told me that I was moving, looking for a new job, apart from my girlfriend, and that I was pretty much guaranteed to fail if I tried now. She said to wait for a moment when things are a bit more resolved, because statistics show that every time you try to quit and fail, you stand less of a chance of actually succeeding someday. So when you do it, make sure you've got other types of support going on in your life, really do it, and don't turn back. Of course I've interpreted this to mean that never quitting keeps my chances of successfully quitting, someday, at their most optimal level. Which should provide some comfort in the grave.

Damnit, Tracer. Every time I even entertain the notion of qutting, I think of this and I'm like "yknow, now really isn't the right time".

C0L1N B... (C0L1N B...), Monday, 11 July 2005 04:45 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...
Revival time. I'm finally giving up smoking - it's now been twelve days since my last cigarette. I'm experiencing very odd physical and mental sensations (trouble sleeping, vivid dreams and nightmares, very very weepy at occasions good, bad and mundane, bereft and heart broken and sometimes very energetic). Please help me and tell me: Is this normal? When will it go away? When will I feel normal again? What shall I spend all the money I'm not spending on cigarettes on?

Madeleine (Madeleine), Friday, 4 November 2005 13:48 (twenty years ago)

im going to make the 50th attempt this sunday.

bingo (Chris V), Friday, 4 November 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

lease help me and tell me: Is this normal? When will it go away? When will I feel normal again? What shall I spend all the money I'm not spending on cigarettes on?

"Easy Way To Quit Smoking" by Alan Carr, for fuck's sake. Nobody listens. It's called "easy way" for a reason. It's not more manly or independent to attempt the cold turkey quit.

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

I'm not going cold turkey. I'm patched up to the hilt, and full of steely determination.

M (Madeleine), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

... even though the "easy way" is the cold turkey way, actually. It's just more help than you'll ever get on a message board.

Patch is a joke. Easy Way is better (cold turkey wit proper perspective).

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

Well done!

10 months and counting for me.

My reactions were nowhere near that extreme. I was a bit ratty for a while and ate like a horse for a couple of months. After that I was fine. I've fallen off the wagon a couple of times whilst out drinking but I've luckily managed to restrict it to that. If your symptoms persist, particularly the lack of sleep, you should consider nicoteine patches/gum or maybe even seeing your GP).

I haven't noticed having any more money than before. Maybe I drink (and therefore spend) more when I'm out now as a result of having nothing to do with my hands apart from rip labels off beer bottles.

If you do notice the extra cash, try not to spend it on food. I'm still trying to reverse the post-cigarette weight gain and it's not easy. When my Dad last quit he put the price of a pack in a jar every day for 7 months and paid for a holiday,.

Good luck!

(xpost - I went cold turkey, but I wasn't the heaviest of smokers to begin with)

Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

I gave up 13 months ago. Piece of piss.

Alba (Alba), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

For the record, I still have 2 packs of smokes in the drawer of the kitchen for when smokers come over. I am never tempted to smoke them. Easy Way killed absolutely any desire I could ever have for the things.

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

Looks like I'm going about it all wrong. Oh dear.

M (Madeleine), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

For the record, I walk around with an unlit Capstan Full Strength in my mouth at all times, just to prove that I don't need it.

Alba (Alba), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

Alba, unfortunately, that just proves how much you need it. Oral fixation.

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:11 (twenty years ago)

It's a good thing I'm not over-emotional, sensitve, prone to weeping for very little reason and easily disheartened.

M (Madeleine), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:13 (twenty years ago)

M, you haven't smoked in 12 days, that certainly isn't "doing it all wrong".

You are just having a few difficulties, which you can deal with.

Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:14 (twenty years ago)

Looks like I'm going about it all wrong. Oh dear.

It could work for you, but it reinforces the brainwashing that you need the nicotine more than you actually do. I failed on the patch and the gum and regular cold turkey attempts quite a few times before I stumbled upon that fucking book. It's kind of amazing that something that worked so well for me and so many other people is so hard to convince anyone about. If the patch fails, give the book a shot. Good luck w/the patch, though!

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

i gave up nearly two years ago. easy-peasy lemon-squeezy; it's quite bloody simple just DON'T BUY OR SMOKE CIGARETTES.

what is the diff between 'regular cold turkey' and 'cold turkey + paying for a whole book whose bottom line will always be DON'T BUY OR SMOKE CIGARETTES'?

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)

it's quite bloody simple just DON'T BUY OR SMOKE CIGARETTES.

Yeah,every now and then I remember to think that. Doesn't matter how bad I feel, so long as I don't smoke, I'm doing OK.

I'm just wandering how soon I can hope for these funny feelings to go away.

M (Madeleine), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:20 (twenty years ago)

The difference is that the book explains to you what smoking addiction is in terms you've probably never thought about or realized before. That's why people who quit cold turkey sometimes have a relapse 10 or 20 years later and forever fondly remember a good smoke. Alan Carr's book makes it impossible to indulge in the fantasy that a cigarette is enjoyable or relaxing.

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:22 (twenty years ago)

it took abt 2 weeks before i stopped getting up at 6am for some extreme washing-up.

xp

i still know that cigs are lovely, i gave up because they're too expensive and possibly bad for one's health.

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

i still know that cigs are lovely

See, if you read the book, you wouldn't feel this way. Feeling this way means you could find yourself in a situation 10 or 20 years from now where, for whatever reason, you decide to smoke those "lovely" things again. That will never happen to me.

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:24 (twenty years ago)

OH NOES! I MIGHT SMOKE AGAIN!

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

then i'd have to GIVE UP OH NOES, what will become of 45-year-old me?

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

It's harder every time you reinforce your brainwashing addiction. 45 year old you might get a disgusting disease.

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

Not only that, but you have to live with the lie that you are denying yourself something "lovely." Must be stressful.

FFS, Friday, 4 November 2005 14:27 (twenty years ago)

Now you're making me want to take up smoking, it sounds fun.

KSTFUNS (Ex Leon), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:27 (twenty years ago)

8 months and counting

and cigs CAN be lovely, i don't care whose book you've read.

s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

all drugs have their lovely side you crazy puritan

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:41 (twenty years ago)

well done for not smoking

RJG (RJG), Friday, 4 November 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

If I wear tight shoes all day to get relief when I take them off, does that make tight shoes lovely?

ffs, Friday, 4 November 2005 15:03 (twenty years ago)

thanks xpost

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 4 November 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

8 months! That seems a whole life time away.

I am saving my fag money in a tim (£5 a day!) and planning to spend it on something delicious, like a pack of Sobranie cocktails and a bottle of pink champagne. Or some new wallpaper perhaps. Less nicotine in wallpaper.

M (Madeleine), Friday, 4 November 2005 15:07 (twenty years ago)

Wallpaper killed Napoleaon!

Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 4 November 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

spend the money on cocaine.

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 4 November 2005 15:19 (twenty years ago)

Ok I quit yesterday. Put my first patch on this morning and felt dizzy and nauseous, so I had to take it off. Is that normal in the beginning or should I buy a lower dosage?

Baaderonixx says DANCE!! TAKE A CHANCE!!! are you ready for... TRUE ROMANCE (baa, Tuesday, 8 November 2005 12:40 (twenty years ago)

haha A friend of ours put like FOUR OR FIVE FRIGGING PATCHES on when she took the plane to the states. She was sick as a dog when she arrived and had to stay in bed for a day to recover from the nicotine overload. Silly twit.

I think I'll always miss cigs. But I know that smoking is not good for me: it's unhealthy and the hypochondriac in me always freaked out when I smoked.

Nathalie, the Queen of Frock 'n' Fall (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 12:48 (twenty years ago)

i was thinking about this, and to be honest i reckon people who read that book FFS was talking about are *more* likely to relapse than me because they've elevated smoking a cigarette into this important, boundary-crossing type activity. and transgressive acts are always attractive, or more accurately powerful. sure i think cigs are nice; i think wham bars are nice, it's no biggy though.

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 12:53 (twenty years ago)

The first time I quit (just ofr a few months) was after reading this paean to cigarettes called "Cigarettes are Sublime" (forgot the author), which by listing all the things that made cigs great just dissipated the mystique. The author explained in the foreword that he quit after finishing the book. Neat

Baaderonixx says DANCE!! TAKE A CHANCE!!! are you ready for... TRUE ROMANCE (baa, Tuesday, 8 November 2005 13:00 (twenty years ago)

I still have 2 packs of smokes in the drawer of the kitchen for when smokers come over.

You mean the drawer under the enormous flashing neon sign that screams "DENIAL!!!"?

(I mean wtf? Since when do smokers need to be encouraged to smoke? Don't they bring their own?)

Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

haha, yeah that does sound bidonculous.

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 13:59 (twenty years ago)

I have two cartons in my kitchen, in case I provide shelter to a homeless person in dire need of cigarettes

Baaderonixx says DANCE!! TAKE A CHANCE!!! are you ready for... TRUE ROMANCE (baa, Tuesday, 8 November 2005 16:18 (twenty years ago)

it's weird, I am only off cigarettes for about a year and a half but having had such bad sinus problems for the last few months I think I have become mr puritanical anti-smoking, for totally selfish reasons, I just get freaked out now by even the tiniest bit of smoke cos my breathing is a bit funny constantly.

Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 16:21 (twenty years ago)

I read that book FFS is on about. It did help me quit, but only in that I'm stubborn and I made myself give up fags until I'd recouped the cost of the book, which at the time equalled 3 days of cigarettes for me, and that was the hardest part. Other than that, I find it really over-rated. Just because the book tells you cigarettes aren't ever enjoyable doesn't mean it's true.

I still smoke occasionally, never had any problems relapsing into a habit, I quit over 8 years ago. (Obv when I say quit, I mean quit being addicted and smoking all the time, since I still do have a few ciggies if I'm in the pub).

Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 16:44 (twenty years ago)

hahaha, a beautiful post, in many ways.

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 16:46 (twenty years ago)

Allen Carr was a necessary but insufficient condition of my quitting (22 months now). He writes like a lunatic firing off letters to the local paper which means he is prone to UNEXPECTED LURCHES INTO CAPITALS FOR EMPHASIS but that aside, I found it was a useful tool. I started smoking 3 days later, but when I did quit on New Years' Day 2 months later, I was able to get through it partly through the book. And partly through judicious use of herbal fags from Holland and Barratt in the first few weeks.

Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

What the hell is this book?! Also yes smokers usually come with their own cigarettes, I think FFS is lying to us.

Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

I thought Allen Carr's book was like, the most famous book in the world. Maybe it's just a British thing. It's called Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking, Ally.

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

"HE WENT BACK TO SMOKING HIMSELF THOUGH, SO IT'S CRAP"

MORON (Ronan), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

The most beloved fact of continuing smokers who really want to give up. Those who don't want to at all couldn't give a shit.

Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)

I always find it funny, like who says he even wanted to give up!

Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 19:27 (twenty years ago)

i was thinking about this, and to be honest i reckon people who read that book FFS was talking about are *more* likely to relapse than me because they've elevated smoking a cigarette into this important, boundary-crossing type activity. and transgressive acts are always attractive, or more accurately powerful. sure i think cigs are nice; i think wham bars are nice, it's no biggy though.

-- Theorry Henry (miltonpinsk...), November 8th, 2005..

Totally wrong. Maybe you should reread what I've written above. I haven't elevated smoking to any level, I've completely lost all interest in it completely and totally. I don't desire it with coffee, after a meal or even when I'm shitfaced drunk!

I still have 2 packs of smokes in the drawer of the kitchen for when smokers come over.

You mean the drawer under the enormous flashing neon sign that screams "DENIAL!!!"?

(I mean wtf? Since when do smokers need to be encouraged to smoke? Don't they bring their own?)

-- Markelby (boyincorduro...), November 8th, 2005.

Hardly "denial". More like "disinterest." One pack was left by a guest, the other pack I never bothered to throw away because I'd wasted so many packs with me "serious" attempts to quit before. So, after I read "Easy Way To Quit Smoking" I just left the pack in there and forgot about it. I figured maybe I'd get drunk and fiend for a smoke, so rather than wast $7 that would be my emergency pack. It never happened. The 2 packs don't take up much space in the drawer and if some smoker comes over and runs out, they have their choice of 2 stale packs and I don't have to go for a walk while they go get more.

I read that book FFS is on about. It did help me quit, but only in that I'm stubborn and I made myself give up fags until I'd recouped the cost of the book, which at the time equalled 3 days of cigarettes for me, and that was the hardest part. Other than that, I find it really over-rated. Just because the book tells you cigarettes aren't ever enjoyable doesn't mean it's true.

First of all, the book doesn't really say that. It says the cigarettes seem great and seem enjoyable, which is the same thing as actually being enjoyable, since everything is relative. What it explains is why they seem enjoyable and if you actually internalize what Alan Carr is saying, the irrationality of it totally reveals to you how un-enjoyable it really is, despite how it may have seemed in the past.


Allen Carr was a necessary but insufficient condition of my quitting (22 months now). He writes like a lunatic firing off letters to the local paper which means he is prone to UNEXPECTED LURCHES INTO CAPITALS FOR EMPHASIS but that aside, I found it was a useful tool. I started smoking 3 days later, but when I did quit on New Years' Day 2 months later, I was able to get through it partly through the book. And partly through judicious use of herbal fags from Holland and Barratt in the first few weeks.

I think the key is to read the book without constantly saying to yourself, "Ah this is bullshit, It'll never work!" Because if you have that attitude, forget it. I read it, realized he sounded over-emphatic and over-repetitive, but I also realized that was the point of the book: he's using hypnosis on the reader. This is why he tells you to read it in one go over a few days rather than a chapter every few weeks between cigarette orgies.

FFS, Tuesday, 8 November 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

Yes but what is his "easy way" of quitting smoking. Please do not make me look this up myself people, I have a wedding to plan, an NFL board to moderate, a new apartment to find, and a job to do. I also need to bag in the smoking relatively soon.

Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 22:28 (twenty years ago)

I think it's basically about realising that smoking is rubbish and that you actively want to be an non-smoker, rather than it being a vice that you feel you ought to quit. So the concept of fighting smoking with willpower is flawed. It shouldn't be a battle.

That's pretty much the way I quit anyway, and it was pretty easy, and I think from what I've heard that's kind of what the book says too, but I am a foolish, proud man and refused to give Allen Carr my £6.99 for the privilege of reading this stretched out to 200 pages or something.

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 22:37 (twenty years ago)

I smoked my last one in April and haven't looked back. I haven't even thought about it really, and now here it is in November. the lonest i'd gone without one previously (since I started) was only a month, so this is the real deal.

gear (gear), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 22:41 (twenty years ago)

N. OTM. Basically Neuro-lingustic Programming for beginners.

Every fag you have is simply putting you back - for a fleeting time - in the place you were before you started smoking, where you didn't want nicotine. But then it's gone, and you want more. Every fag tries to get you to a place you can get too much more cheaply, easily and more beneficial way by not smoking. It's not giving up, because you're gaining etc.

Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 22:59 (twenty years ago)

the "easy way" involves basically examining (almost) every single reason why one might smoke, explaining why none of them make any rational sense, and then making you go "yippee, i'm a non-smoker!" at the end.

there's some good stuff - which i agree with completely - about how nicotine addiction is only a tiny, tiny part of it, and that most of what makes people smoke is societal, not chemical. but, to be honest, it only works if you WANT TO BELIEVE. if you're the tiniest bit sceptical, or you have more complex emotional issues behind your smoking, i don't think it works.

i quit full-time smoking a few years back, and read carr to stop me smoking while drunk. it doesn't work, principally because the reason i smoke when i reach a certain level of drunkenness is that (i think: i'm not great at self-analysis on ten pints of guinness and four vodkas) it's almost a method of self-liberation; embracing something risky/stupid/pointless rather than being a good boy and eating my vegetables and going to the gym (which i do the rest of the time and genuinely enjoy). it's a way of flicking the Vs at the "sensible" constraints of the rest of my life, i guess.

mr carr doesn't deal with this one at all, but i don't care. i don't always smoke when i'm drunk, and i don't really give that much of a fuck. i mean, i could get hit by a bus tomorrow, or be electrocuted by a faulty powerboZZZZZZZZZZZZZT [+++NO CARRIER]

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 23:01 (twenty years ago)

I just kind of stopped, I was having weird breathing issues at night, which I now know are cos I have vasimotor rhinitis (which recurred anyway, despite stopping smoking! not that it's too serious!) which means smoking is a bit of a no no.

I think Alba is probably otm, I think alot of people who stop simply decide they don't want to smoke anymore. Anytime I tried to force myself to stop because I knew I should that never really worked.

x-post, I too found it very hard to stop while drinking and I'd say that smoking while doing drugs is something I'd still do except for the above rhinitis stuff giving me a deathly fear of what it's like not to be able to breath correctly or sleep correctly, and generally scaring the shit out of me to the point where I want to live a far more healthy lifestyle.

Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 23:07 (twenty years ago)

mr teeny is still having a bit of trouble with this, he'll break down occasionally and have one after an awful day at work. I'm not giving him shit about it or anything but I do wish he could figure out a better way to deal with stress. He can avoide all the other triggers but there's just no easy way to avoid all the stressors. So, uh, let me know if you figure it out, ally.

teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

principally because the reason i smoke when i reach a certain level of drunkenness is that (i think: i'm not great at self-analysis on ten pints of guinness and four vodkas) it's almost a method of self-liberation; embracing something risky/stupid/pointless rather than being a good boy and eating my vegetables and going to the gym (which i do the rest of the time and genuinely enjoy). it's a way of flicking the Vs at the "sensible" constraints of the rest of my life, i guess.

This is pretty much the reason I smoked when I was *sober*. Maybe my sober is your drunk, simon. I don't think the converse is true though. I don't do pilates when I'm pissed.

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 23:15 (twenty years ago)

Maybe my sober is your drunk, simon

we should form a tag-team!

or something.

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 23:16 (twenty years ago)

I really relate to that last Alba post!

I didn't know Maddie posted here, it is awesome and wonderful.

Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 23:36 (twenty years ago)

Come to think of it, I've never seen Alba jump out of a moving taxi while sober.

Mädchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 15:12 (twenty years ago)

Smoking very bitter american spirits (the ones in the black box) has helped me cut back a lot.

Smoking chr0n whenever I feel the need to smoke at home helps too, but there are downsides.

Jdubz (ex machina), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

FFS's vaguely desperate insistence that he's right reminds me of "Quitters Inc." Maybe if he can't talk any of us into quitting by his method, goons are going to break his wife's arms.

I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 16:14 (twenty years ago)

i quit without realizing and without any withdrawal symptoms or weight gain. i really, really wish i knew how i did it so that i could market my plan and retire on the profit.

lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

What you need to do is to get willing subjects to mimic different aspects of being Lauren in turn and keep trying to quit smoking until one of them works.

Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 17:01 (twenty years ago)

i stopped inhaling when smoking a couple of months before i quit and then with my last couple of cigarettes in my last pack, i inhaled, and it was pretty miserable. i think i've fixed that in my memory as my last smoking experience, which has helped.

gear (gear), Wednesday, 9 November 2005 17:21 (twenty years ago)

Every once in a while I'll get stressed and buy a pack of Camels, but halfway through the first one I realize they taste bad, smell bad and can't figure out how I ever found smoking enjoyable. That cures me for six months, at the cost of a pack and a disposable lighter.

It's hardest when I have a long class scheduled - I don't know what to do with breaks other than go hang out with the smokers on the terrace.

Unpopular, probably overboard, but the easiest way to quit smoking is to remove yourself from situations where you smoke. I smoked most when I worked at a place that let us smoke in the back when our tables were empty - I probably doubled my previous intake when I started there. And drinking of course. So when I quit that job and gave up drinking, it was easy to ween myself off of cigarettes for the most part, and later to quit completely.

Are You Nomar? (miloaukerman), Thursday, 10 November 2005 05:24 (twenty years ago)

Reading this thread has started up the knot in my back that I get when I think I'm craving a cigarette. Fuck.

Are You Nomar? (miloaukerman), Thursday, 10 November 2005 05:25 (twenty years ago)

Right now there's a sheet put up in my office which says "Two days left!", accompanied by a little drawing of a cigarette (quite well drawn too, I must say). I'm quitting saturday, after smoking for 7, 8 years. I'm looking forward to saturday with a mix of positive anxiety and uhm, well, negative anxiety. I fear heavy retractions and climbing up the walls, but will embrace the fresh air, the money saved (and no more "OMG I coughed I must have cancer!"-fear [even though it's still posibble]).
It wasn't really my intention to tell people forehand, but I did before I knew it. Now, everytime I walk into my office and see the sign, put up by my boss as a good-spirited joke, it *helps*. "OMG yes, I *am* going to stop in two days!" Downside ofcourse, is, when all fails I don't want to know what sheets they will put up then. So:

C/D: Telling friends/co-workers you're quiting *before* you actually quit?

Gerard (Gerard), Thursday, 10 November 2005 08:56 (twenty years ago)

That's a "this-will-only-work-once-use-it-wisely" charm.

Generally I'm in favour of looking cool and strong not by announcing it and then following through, but instead by not announcing it and then when people notice and ask, just shrugging your shoulders and saying you don't feel like smoking.

Alba (Alba), Thursday, 10 November 2005 09:03 (twenty years ago)

Day 5: This seems like the most painful day. I forgot to put my patch on this morning and the nicorette gum is just not doing the trick... I have an evening of boozing ahead and seriously wonder how I'm gonna hold up...

Baaderonixx ménage ses forces dans l'attente du Grand Soir (baaderonixx), Friday, 11 November 2005 10:54 (twenty years ago)

I taking up smoking tomorrow. wish me luck!

soul provider (Cozen), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:08 (twenty years ago)

I'm gonna cry soon...

Baaderonixx ménage ses forces dans l'attente du Grand Soir (baaderonixx), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:43 (twenty years ago)

Every once in a while I'll get stressed and buy a pack of Camels, but halfway through the first one I realize they taste bad, smell bad and can't figure out how I ever found smoking enjoyable. That cures me for six months, at the cost of a pack and a disposable lighter.

If you realized before you bought that of cigarettes that they actually only make you more stressed after the initial 20-30 seconds of lighting one, you wouldn't even bother to waste your time and money realizing they taste like shit. The nicotine gets processed so quickly that by the time you put the cigarette out, your body is already fiending for more, which creates more stress physically and psychologically. Whether or not your lungs and throat feel ready to inhale more smoke is something else. The idea that cigarettes are relaxing is a lie (if someone presents this idea to someone else), a misconception (if it feels that way to you).

FFS, Friday, 11 November 2005 13:03 (twenty years ago)

You've quit, but you don't sound like it's helped you relax.

I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:08 (twenty years ago)

YES HE HAS HE DOESN'T WANT TO SMOKE STEP OFF HIS GRILL WHAT MAKES YOU THINK HE MIGHT WANT TO SMOKE???? FUCKING A. IT'S NOT ENJOYABLE. PISS OFF.

Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Friday, 11 November 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

Good luck czn! It's easier if you drink, I think that was what I did wrong.

Good luck baaderonix, hang in there :/

Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 11 November 2005 20:00 (twenty years ago)

You've quit, but you don't sound like it's helped you relax.

Sure I do. I'll take on the whole lot of you without getting upset, as usual.

FFS, Friday, 11 November 2005 20:02 (twenty years ago)

I'd be pretty relaxed if my dog would lick peanut butter off my balls, too.

Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Friday, 11 November 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)

What the fu-- oh, is FFS Tombot? I'm so confused!

I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Friday, 11 November 2005 20:10 (twenty years ago)

I'd be pretty relaxed if my dog would lick peanut butter off my balls, too.

I think you misread that thread. You've reversed the scenerio.

FFS I AM OTM, Friday, 11 November 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)


quitting smoking is easy! just don't buy cigarettes! and if you can't do that, you're not fit anyway and i hope you die!

FFS, Friday, 11 November 2005 20:21 (twenty years ago)

i think my problems include undercommitment to the whole idea of quitting (procrastinating, more or less) and the fact that i smoke when i write. and i can't quit writing, and writing is frustrating and taxing enough without trying to quit smoking while you're at it. i guess i'm waiting to find whatever combination of candies, drinks, foods, patches, gums, ridiculous habits and squeeze toys will substitute enough to get me through at least the writing part without thinking about it.

smoky joe, Friday, 11 November 2005 20:27 (twenty years ago)

Haha, nice one, FFS! :-)

FFS I AM OTM, Friday, 11 November 2005 20:30 (twenty years ago)


smoky joe, if writing bothers you that much, maybe you should
stop. clearly it is bad for your health.

John Calvin, Friday, 11 November 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

"don't buy them" is a really suburban-republican kind of advice to give, like it's true and you can't deny it but it ignores all the reasons that lead people back to buying them and therefore doesn't really help. it's like telling homeless people stop being homeless, just stop drinking and get a job and an apartment. some of that no-excuses stuff is really helpful in quitting but there are also specific problems to deal with that could use specific advice or tricks i think. like the last time i took a break smoking i got three days before coming up on a big job on deadline and realizing i just couldn't concentrate on it, knowing full well if i went and smoked a cigarette i'd probably be able to. so i smoked strictly in order to get this job done, and i did, but then i had a pack and dove in again. so i wish i'd had something right then that could have guided me through what looked like only two choices, smoke or mess up job.

smoky joe, Friday, 11 November 2005 20:36 (twenty years ago)

Smoky Joe, someone has resorted to the standard tactic of putting words in my mouth, since I refuse to register a name properly. My only advice is to buy that one book. Beyond that, I know quitting is tough; I failed at it several times. So, no, I would never say "quitting smoking is easy! just don't buy cigarettes! and if you can't do that, you're not fit anyway and i hope you die! "

FFS, Friday, 11 November 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

but ffs i guess my point is a book wouldn't have helped me then, unless it had nicotine endpapers and i smoked them and then i could concentrate. so like i can see how reading can help reframe your mind so you're more committed to getting through everything, but then also sometimes you need actual plans and substitutes to get you through body issues that your head can't beat

smokey joe, Friday, 11 November 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

You might be surprised. It's only like $10. That's why I call myself "FFS" because FOR FUCK'S SAKE, if you really want to quit so bad, why such extreme resistance to something that has worked so well for so many people? I needed no plan when I was through with the book. The book tells you to keep smoking while you read it, but I stopped about halfway through it.

FFS, Friday, 11 November 2005 21:52 (twenty years ago)

Yeah the actual physical addiction isn't that hard to beat. A lot of what you perceive as physical craving syndromes are just psychological (eg. the whole concentration thing) and that's where the book comes in.
It's a been a week now since my last cigarette and I must say that although it's still really early I think that's it for me, for good. I already quit once for a year but this time feels so much easier. I don't know if it's the Carr book or my mindframe, but the point is simply to realize that it's not such a big deal. I was setting up myself for failure in the past by magnifying the whole experience, the sacrifice, the loss, etc. At the end of the day, it's just cigarttes, really.

Baaderonixx ménage ses forces dans l'attente du Grand Soir (baaderonixx), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:09 (twenty years ago)

good luck czn!

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:16 (twenty years ago)

no smoking, only joking

cozen (Cozen), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:19 (twenty years ago)

try it

Theorry Henry (Enrique), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:19 (twenty years ago)

i remember friday night, young cozen :)

(vividly, because i DIDN'T SMOKE, yay)

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:43 (twenty years ago)

Awesome, Baaderonixx! Probably best to stay away from booze for a bit because I could see how a person might be like, "Ah, quitting smoking is easy! What the heck, give me a cigarette!" if they were drunk.

FFS, Monday, 14 November 2005 16:51 (twenty years ago)

when i'm drunk, it's more like "who the heck am i and why am i here? oooh, cigarettes."

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 14 November 2005 18:08 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...
Day 5: nnnnNNNNNNNGGGGGGAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHHhhhhhh

xero (xero), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:21 (twenty years ago)

Cigarettes: 0
Acts of violence committed by me: 0

YAY

(Eaten: a LOT, including some eggnog cheesecake, but I'm underweight at the moment anyway so FUCK IT.)

xero (xero), Tuesday, 6 December 2005 05:30 (twenty years ago)

Since Dec. 1
number of cigarettes smoked: still 0
number of casualties: still 0

I'm doing this entirely on my own -- sans gum, patch, book, etc. -- after having smoked steadily and medium-heavily for years. In case anyone was thinking about saying (for example) "w00t" but wasn't sure whether it was truly warranted.

xero (xero), Thursday, 8 December 2005 09:18 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...
So, the last post was almost a month ago. How's everyone doing? I have quit for about 4 months now, and it hadn't really been difficult...until a few days ago. I got hit by the worst craving since I've quit, and it keeps coming back. I feel that failure is inevitable, because all I can think about right now are cigarettes. HELP!

B (maga), Tuesday, 3 January 2006 00:30 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

Why did I ever smart smoking again? I mean, I know why I did, but it was a fucking retarded move and I am fucking angry at me and just angry...fudge off!

Abbott, Thursday, 24 July 2008 21:47 (seventeen years ago)

What is my fucking problem?

Abbott, Thursday, 24 July 2008 21:47 (seventeen years ago)

quit on 12/25/07

still can't believe I don't smoke 'cause I fuckin' like smoking but I've kinda been thru hell this year & I'm still smoke free

fuck yeah

J0hn D., Thursday, 24 July 2008 21:48 (seventeen years ago)

So when I quit that job and gave up drinking, it was easy to ween myself off of cigarettes for the most part, and later to quit completely.

;_;

I'm still doing good about not smoking when I'm not at a bar... but I've been up at a bar five out of the last six nights.

milo z, Thursday, 24 July 2008 21:52 (seventeen years ago)

I am talking to some natl cancer association 'cessation support' chat person & god they are pissing me off by being such ridic-ass Pollyanna cheerleader dipshit:


SM_118892 : Oh, for starters, the main reason I'm quitting is I don't have money for cigarettes. I've told myself I should quit for a while, and now that I am, I'm worried when I have more disposable income I'll just start smoking again.

SM_118892 : Also I feel a seething undercurrent of anger every moment of every day. (Today is day #2)

SM_118892 : Feeling guilty and retarded for ever having smoked in the first place.

Smoking Cessation Specialist : Well that’s great that you’ve been able to make it for two days without smoking! That shows you are very committed. Every step counts, and even though it may seem very difficult, you can quit for good.

Fucking A lady! Can't you say, "Wow, that must be tough" or something?

Abbott, Thursday, 24 July 2008 21:55 (seventeen years ago)

I want to call some hotline but now I am thinking they would be this nauseating, too.

Abbott, Thursday, 24 July 2008 21:56 (seventeen years ago)

I found last time I quit that instead of displacing all of my overwhelming self-loathing onto being a smoker, and my horrible trashy smoking ways...well, it had nowhere to go but actually loathing myself! Tra la la.

Abbott, Thursday, 24 July 2008 21:59 (seventeen years ago)

I'm srsly thinking of offering to a buddy to be surrogate mother for her so I will be forced not to fuck up someone else's baby.

Abbott, Thursday, 24 July 2008 22:02 (seventeen years ago)

And you should prolly quit a few months ahead of time, anyway.

Don't get down on yourself - its fucking hard to quit, man. Very.

B.L.A.M., Thursday, 24 July 2008 22:06 (seventeen years ago)

Abbott are you white-knuckling it?

J0hn D., Thursday, 24 July 2008 22:25 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, pretty much.

Abbott, Thursday, 24 July 2008 22:27 (seventeen years ago)

Well, I don't know whether it'd work if you're already not smoking, but I read that Allen Carr book "The Easyway to Quit Smoking" on the recommendation of a friend. I smoked for about twenty-six years with a couple of year- or two-year breaks-with-periods-of-cheating prior to reading it. It is fucked up. He tells you to smoke while you read, insists that you not cut down as you read, etc. By about the 3/4 point of the book I wasn't smoking them all the way down and when he told me "go smoke your last cigarette now" I did.

I know this sounds like culty preaching but it really was like "oh, wow, cure."

J0hn D., Thursday, 24 July 2008 23:17 (seventeen years ago)

hey j0hn

i just got done with the book. i quit about 2 weeks ago. but i have cheated. i think i have had 10 smokes in 2 weeks.

i really liked the book. but something still bothers me, like having a mental toothache or something. i worry i'm going to go back. i bought a pack yesterday and smoked two last night and two today, then i threw them in the dumpster...

was is just effortless for you like the book says?

M@tt He1ges0n, Thursday, 24 July 2008 23:41 (seventeen years ago)

probly sounds insane but when i quit for a while i actually found it easier having a couple of cigs on me than not at all - i put a rubber band round the pack so i'd always have to like, make the conscious decision every time i reached, and every time it then seemed too ridiculous to bother. when i didnt have any cigs they were literally all i could think about so i ended up backlashing hard.

r|t|c, Thursday, 24 July 2008 23:44 (seventeen years ago)

im about 3.5 years away from my last smoke... chained for 10 years, pack a day. wasnt easy but if i could do anyone can. abbott be strong and dont be mad at yrself for relapsing, most everyone does!

s1ocki, Friday, 25 July 2008 00:36 (seventeen years ago)

quit on 12/25/07

still can't believe I don't smoke 'cause I fuckin' like smoking but I've kinda been thru hell this year & I'm still smoke free

fuck yeah

-- J0hn D., Thursday, July 24, 2008 9:48 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

year i quit smoke was one of the hardest of my life and not because of the no-smokes. still not sure how i made it thru.

s1ocki, Friday, 25 July 2008 00:36 (seventeen years ago)

two weeks pass...

Aargh.

So yeah, it's time to do this, starting tomorrow. After a solid 12 years of smoking it must come to an end, for all obvious reasons like health and money. And I'm very sensitive to the notion that I'm nothing more than a slave of the fucking gigantic tobacco corporations living off of me and keeping me addicted like a labrat.

So why does today feel like the last day on earth? I feel like I must write three novels, read all the books and poetry I still want to read and do everything else I still want to do in my life today. Because come tomorrow, I can't do anything anymore, right?
It's the creativity-drain I fear most. Which is obviously bullshit, I know all that, but knowing doesn't seem half the battle right now. And I won't even get into the waving goodbye of my smoker identity, the image attached to it, and the smoking attached to all those beautiful things and euphoric moments.

Abbott, are you still free of the cigs? Was it the sheer habit of it, or something like my worries about quitting that threw you back once?

I know I want to quit, that realisation is in my head somewhere. But it's shrinking to a stupid idea you wave away, fast. Like I said: Aaargh. I think I'll start writing those novels now...

Le Bateau Ivre, Sunday, 10 August 2008 13:10 (seventeen years ago)

I know I want to quit

Then quit. NOW. Not tomorrow, NOW.

So why does today feel like the last day on earth?

Because you KNOW. That makes it worse.

I suddenly decided: I'm out, I should go to the store to get new ones, but you know what, I'm stopping NOW, at this instance, immediately. I'm going to the pharmacy to get those Nicotine pills and I'm going to do what's in the manual that's in the package, I'm going to follow it to the letter.

That way, I surprised myself and I didn't have the situation where my final cigarettes tasted good/better because I knew they were going to be my last.

I'm not saying the effects were less, but this "I'm going to stop on day X and today is X minus 50" doesn't work. You're making it harder by doing that.

Good luck!

StanM, Sunday, 10 August 2008 14:58 (seventeen years ago)

After 50+ years of smoking and several attempts to stop gradually, my mother finally managed it cold-turkey.

Rock Hardy, Sunday, 10 August 2008 15:04 (seventeen years ago)

I indeed KNOW, but I won't drop it today. Today is for fear and trembling I guess, and for seeing how ridiculous this all really is. And perhaps also noticing how odd it really is to light up again and again. I'm gonna write some more as well later on, probably noticing that it does, and has always, annoyed me to see how I type slower when there's a cigarette between my fingers, yet have this notion that I draw (no pun intended) great creativity from it. I've got teh crazies, man.

StanM, thanks for the inspiring and supportive words. I need them and they are of great help. I'll post some updates as well the upcoming days, if only to re-read this thread and remind myself. That is, obviously, if I survive ;)

Le Bateau Ivre, Sunday, 10 August 2008 16:06 (seventeen years ago)

How many novels did you finish yesterday?
How many cigs have your started today?

Quit cold turkey 11 years ago this month. Last incidental cheat is about 7 years ago I think (they all tasted bad). There are still moments I miss it though..

willem, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:28 (seventeen years ago)

Willem, didn't finish any novels (though I did write up a blog piece, after months of free-writing silence). And yeah, up till now I smoked three cigs today, and there will most likely be some more tonight. Which is a lot less than usual, but it's still not quitting, obviously.
I couldn't 'wake up' today, with stare-eyes and my mind dozing off, even in the middle of the line at the cash register.

But I'm not in despair yet. Today is a 'getting used to it'-day, fine. Tomorrow will be for reals.

Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:47 (seventeen years ago)

you just gotta stop dude. easing off doesn't work because you'll always stop tomorrow.

elan, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:54 (seventeen years ago)

^true. At least for me (not wrt quitting smoking, but rather wrt getting things started on occasion - another thing entirely). But I guess to each his own and maybe this is the way a drunken boat sets sail for that smoke-free island :)

willem, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:59 (seventeen years ago)

Quit cold turkey 10 years ago this month! Second week seemed harder than the first, actually--the first week I was still all pumped up and motivated. Remained very hard to stay smoke free for a couple of months. But then it all just--went away. I still had the odd craving once in a while, but plenty easy to deny (and as with willem, the odd incidental cheat tasted nasty and made me unpleasantly lightheaded).

While it was distracting for a while--it took mental energy to keep on the smoke-free path, and perhaps I was somewhat less productive for a couple of weeks--on the balance there was no question that it was BY FAR the smartest thing I could possibly do. I mean, it is kind of a pretty good accomplishment in and of itself, to quit smoking!

quincie, Monday, 11 August 2008 20:05 (seventeen years ago)

Willem ;)

Quincie, good for you! Seeing it as the accomplishment it is can be a real stimulance to keep free of them, I gather. I'll keep that in mind.

Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 11 August 2008 20:32 (seventeen years ago)

And each to his own: yeah, that's true. But I've never (really) tried to quit smoking before, so I guess I'm still to find out just what my own is.

Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 11 August 2008 20:33 (seventeen years ago)

You can do it! You're stronger than this! (you'll need to tell yourself this, even though you'll want to feel sorry for yourself - but it's true, you can do it. We believe in you, do you believe in you?)

(I know, I felt ridiculous, like I was talking to a little child or a dog during my worst moments, but I just kept repeating these motivational things in my head and it somehow worked. "I AM stronger than this and I CAN stop" - read up on small tips & tricks people have for stopping: someone told me I needed to take a small bottle of water with me at all times. Every time you think about smoking, drink a little water and it'll pass. And it did. (for instance) )

StanM, Monday, 11 August 2008 20:43 (seventeen years ago)

If I wasn't breastfeeding, I'd be downstairs with my husband smoking. I fear the day I do quit breastfeeding. Maybe I should keep it up until she graduates from uni?

stevienixed, Monday, 11 August 2008 20:46 (seventeen years ago)

i thought he quit??

sunny successor, Monday, 11 August 2008 20:57 (seventeen years ago)

He quit breastfeeding so he could smoke again?

StanM, Monday, 11 August 2008 20:58 (seventeen years ago)

Hell, I'd start breastfeeding if it made me stop smoking! (if physically possible)

In all seriousness though, I know exactly what you mean StanM. I've always hated all that self-motivational crap. Knowing there are way more bad than good people who write those self-help books about whatnot, only strengthening my believe that 99% of them are nothing but utter frauds.
But I will have to tap into that "I think I can"-well of my own, if I find it not to be dried out already. Justifying smoking is like giving up smoking: the mind trickery works in very similar ways. I know I'll probably want to feel sorry for myself, or come up with an endless list of excuses as to why I can still light one up ("only one") etc.
But that just doesn't cut it anymore. And since I'm probably half delirious anyway after two days of non-smoking, I might as well tell myself anything that will get me through it. If it makes me, indeed, sound like a ten year old, then so be it. I'm not afraid of that. I'm more afraid of totally 'forgetting' to tell myself these things. But that's will power for ya, I guess. Tomorrow's d-day!

Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 11 August 2008 21:48 (seventeen years ago)

Good luck!

StanM, Monday, 11 August 2008 22:30 (seventeen years ago)

SS, for about a month. Even less I think. I'm astounded you remembered cause I had forgotten. :-)

stevienixed, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 07:38 (seventeen years ago)

Le Bateau Ivre, how are you doing?

StanM, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 22:17 (seventeen years ago)

"I did not have sexual relations with that cigarette."

Inhaled some smoke off of some stumps just now, shame on me, but that's all it was really, and wasn't all that. So quite nearly a smoke-free day. Which was... odd.
Part chagrin, part goofy, but in the end the day feels kind of wasted. A real 'nothing'-day, being weird and occupied by more than the occasional craving. My gf - who's quitting with me - seems to be bothered much less by this (although she's quit before, I must say).
Tomorrow is a day I'll be confronted with smoking again, workwise (not meaning I work at a tobacco company, rather meaning I have colleagues who smoke as well). There's really no telling how that will go, but I'm hoping I'll pull through. It still feels 'too close to call', if I'm to be honest.

Le Bateau Ivre, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 22:32 (seventeen years ago)

My friend has been saying that he'll quit for the past three months now. You need to be militant about it or else you might as well shush. I agree with Le Bateau Ivre; fuck a self help book I think they only confuse you or attempt to turn you on to weirdo psuedo philosophy or a certain lifestyle. Just follow the medical guide.

VeronaInTheClub, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 00:41 (seventeen years ago)

ten months pass...

Last one around 6am today, now dealing with residual hangover & cigarette urges.

Tempted to go buy a pack and start the Allen Carr method if I can find the book tomorrow.

My vagina has a dress code. (milo z), Monday, 15 June 2009 01:26 (sixteen years ago)

two months pass...

Four and a half years since I quit and I find myself craving a cigarette. I made the mistake of having a wee cigar last week and since then I've been thinking about smoking every day. I've even started dreaming about it. It's possible I decided to have the cigar because I'd already subconsciously decided to try to get myself back on the ciggies.

mccannesque outrage (onimo), Tuesday, 1 September 2009 09:17 (sixteen years ago)

Onimo, my dad after all these years (about 15 yrs?) still craves cigs now and again. Definitely dreams about smoking.

I smoke about four a day. I like to pretend that's not really smoking. heh

Nathalie (stevienixed), Tuesday, 1 September 2009 11:44 (sixteen years ago)

Oh dude, I'm so sorry. Please don't give in to the urge.

I was walking through the train station this morning and there were some people smoking outside. Something about the smells of the smoke and the train station activated some nostalgia circuit in my brain. I think that the train station must use the same floor cleaners as my elementary school or something.

For a few years after I quit, I thought I was totally free and clear, but it's becoming evident that being an ex-smoker is going to follow me the rest of my life.

kingkongvsgodzilla, Tuesday, 1 September 2009 11:45 (sixteen years ago)

I suppose its like being an alcoholic in that strict sense.

I am suprised I've never posted to this thread. I was a non smoker until I was at least 30 (occasional borrys aside). Somehow, and I really cant work out when or why or how, I became a close to pack a day smoker in the space of months.

I now don't even entertain the idea of quitting. It's ridculous, I realise on a logical level. But still.

Spy in the Cab Sav (Trayce), Tuesday, 1 September 2009 12:02 (sixteen years ago)

In the space of months = in my early 30s, to make that clearer.

Spy in the Cab Sav (Trayce), Tuesday, 1 September 2009 12:03 (sixteen years ago)


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