Smoking advice?

The only reason I would ever smoke is to give myself a better clapton-esqe singing voice.. but I know the addiction isn't worth it.

 

I am also trying unsucessfully to quit. I have cut it back to smoking only when i drink but this still leads to me smoking a pack or 2 a week. I smoke more when i am under a lot of stress, which has been a problem lately. Also many people at school smoke alot and this is making it more difficult for me.

Is there anyone out there that has sucessfully quit that can give us some advice? How did you manage to keep from smoking at bars or when others around you light up?


Thanks,
KT

 

I got walking pneumonia. I was so sick I didnt even realize that I had quit. I deserved it, however....for smoking with bronchitis.

However when I am really really stressed out I chew about 5 packs a gum a day.

 

A guy I used to go to high school with quit smoking after his kids started a fire while playing with his lighter. That pretty kicked his habit. But I wouldn't recommend such a drastic measure !

 

First of all, good luck to everyone trying to quit!

Second of all, I just want to say that The Truth is complete bs.

They sink down to the level of the tobacco companies and make ads that say the tobacco companies (not smoking) is bad.

It doesn't help you, it gets them more money.

What's worse id Lorillard Tobacco Company's Youth Smoking Prevention Program. Their motto is "Tobacco is wacko if you're a teen". Really sad.

Here's their site: www.buttoutnow.com

Now the smoking issue (healthwise) is completely different from the tobacco companies' issues, which also differs from advertising.

Sadly, all of the money that smokers thought they won is going to the lawyers, or kept by the states.

I could go on and on and on about this issue, mainly since my dad has been on the tobacco issue for I guess almost 30 years. Crap! I've lived around it for waaayyy too long.

Anyway.......some advice that my dad always gives to his patients (he's a doctor if you couldn't figure it out by not reading this) and others during his lectures is that filter cigarettes are MUCH more harmful than non-filter cigarettes.

It's a gimick.

You have to suck harder to get through the filter, and in turn, you get more of the carcinogens.

Another tip is to taper off gradually if you can (sounds stupid). What is meant is, for instance, smoke cigars instead of cigarettes. They are not as bad, but still harmful. You hear the stories of Red Auerbach and how many cigars he smokes daily.

Also, everyone is at a much higher risk of heart disease than lung cancer. You will probably develop heart disease or heart-related problems long before lung cancer becomes an issue.

Funny story:
My dad once had a patient that was pregnant and smoked heavily. He asked her why she was smoking during her pregnancy and advised her not to. She said that she didn't like to buy the packs of cigarettes that had the Surgeon General's warning of: "Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result In Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, and Low Birth Weight." Instead, she purchased the ones that said "Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide." and figured she was safe.

 

Cigars are not meant to be inhaled only tasted, right?

Anyhow...I have never smoked and both of my parents quit cold turkey when my mom got pregnant with me. So I guess that doesn't really help you, but I would say that you need to try to treat quitting smoking almost like you are on a workout program and gradually work yourself into cutting back. Like hell just try to pace yourself throughout the day with your smoking instead of instinctively grabbing one when you are stressed out. I have that same sort of problem when I am stressed out...I just start biting my nails or chewing on things or clinching my jaw to a point where I am basically chewing my nails till they bleed or till my jaw is sore as hell. I have to consciously stop myself and control it and just tell myself "STOP!". I have stopped with the nail biting since it hurt me and when I realize I am clinching my jaw I stop it and that has caused me to do it much less than before, but I still chew on plastic when I am stressed but I never do it when I am not stressed.

Also, try to make set times when you can grab another one and when you can't. Like maybe just wait 5 minutes longer when you want a cigarette or set a quota for the day and gradually reduce it over the course of months...I dunno just ideas. I know thats pretty much impossible to do if you are drinking and smoking, but if drinking causes you to smoke more then maybe you should not put yourself in that situation for a couple of months or at least try to minimize it and consciously make efforts to control yourself. Kind of like the little anecdote where the patient goes to the doctor and says "It hurts when I touch my knee" and the doctor says "So don't touch your knee"...meaning...don't put yourself in situations where you liable to smoke and not control yourself. For awhile I thought I was becoming addicted to coffee/caffine since I would have multiple cups a day, but in reality I was more addicted to the routine of going to campus and getting a cup of coffee and then getting more coffee when I go to study. When the semester ended I don't think I touched coffee for awhile just because I was out of the routine. Does that make any sense? Just trying to relate it to smoking and drinking.

Anyhow...I hope you can at least cut back and hopefully quit. You just have to treat it like you have a serious drug addiction and try to use everyone you can around you to help you quit and stop the addictive behavior.

 

Im a pack-a-day smoker, down from damn near two packs a day last month. I have not been able to quit, it is soooo hard to do.

My better half has quit, she is on her 40-something day of no cigarettes. She had to quit while she was in the hospital with a heart attack, and when she got out, she started using the patches to stay off. It seems to work for her.
My brother quit for about 6 months by using Zyban, but he couldnt keep it up.

Good luck to you, no matter which way you try it wont be easy.


I would like to reiterate your statement, I cant stress this enough.

if you havent started smoking, and you are thinking about it..I say to you.

Don't Start Smoking

it isnt worth the trouble. Nicotine is the most addictive substance on earth, and it will kill you dead.

 

Isn't there some type of treatment program for smokers? Seriously, if a drug addict or an alcoholic can go somewhere to get help, then a habitual smoker should have access to the same help. Since the first month or so is the toughest for smokers, just keep them confined to someplace where they don't have access to cigarettes.

Hmmm...maybe I've found my purpose in life...

 

Don't be a quitter.

I've actually cut back recently to where I'm only smoking when I drink. Good thing I'm an alcoholic. j/k

 

I was soooooo lucky. My ex wanted me to quit, so I did, cold turkey. No problems. Then about four months later, I wanted one, so I had one while drinking, and I got extremely nauseous. The two other times I've tried it since had the same results.

Good thing too because there are times when I really want one, but don't bother because I know what the consequences will be.

 

Supposedly, there are drugs out there that help, specifically, anti-depressants. I know of several people who used either Zoloft or Wellbutrin. I have never understood the connection, as far as why it helps, but it does in some cases.

I currently smoke. I quit for over two years. I used the patch for 2 days and went cold turkey from the 3rd day on. I get the biggest craving when I drink or when I am in social situations.

PS - Never smoke a cigarette while wearing a patch. I did that once and felt I could sprint 20 miles without stopping.

 

I smoked from about 15 till 19, then decided to quit cold turkey. So I did it - that was about 4 years, 3 months ago. Although, about 18 months ago, I started back up for about 3 or 4 weeks, but then straightened myself up and remembered I was a quitter, so I quit again.

From the tone of your post, it sounds like you will have a lot of problems quiting soon, medicine or not. I know and always knew I could quit at anytime. Don't get me wrong, after 4 years of smoking I was definitely physically addicted - heck, I think you start getting physically addicted on the FIRST cigarette. But I always kept it from being a mental addiction. The first thing you need to do if you're serious about smoking is seperate yourself mentally from your addiction. How? Just make yourself do it, as simple as that.

 

The Quitline program offers self-help materials, telephone counseling, community referrals and/or Internet resources to eligible callers who want to quit using tobacco. Services available are based on geographical location. For more information, please call 877-YES-QUIT (877-937-7848).

 

self help materials? telephone counselling?

I'm talking about some hard core Clockwork Orange type stuff. Isolate the smokers from the outside world and FORCE them to quit. Break down their self esteem. Pound it repeatedly into their conscious and subconscious that smoking is a harmful, expensive habit, and show them that the only alternative to quitting smoking is a slow, painful, cancer ridden death.

This would be a last resort, of course. Something to try when all other methods have failed. It may sound extreme, but if they really want to quit smoking, then they'll try anything...

 

I think the anti depressants help by removing stress, therefor removing some people's reasons for needing a cig.

My wife doesn't have the physical addiction anymore, but the mental bit is a real bugger to get past. She feels the need for one the most after food, in the morning, after sex, etc...all the times that someone would normally fire one up...it gets into your mind and it becomes difficult to forget the times when you would normally have one.

Have them try having a heart attack due to plaque buildup from smoking for 25+ years....a very effective metghod of convincing people to quit.

 

Most of the people I know that have quit or have tried to quit smoking cite the mental addiction as being the root cause of the failure rather than the physical addiction. When you're used to lighting up while drinking, driving, or during a break at work, it's hard to stop that.

 

I think the mental part is a lot harder than the physical part. I don't even know if I ever really had the physical addiction. I've always been able to stop for a few days or a week no problem. It's when I have a drink or drive that I want one. I think thats more mental than physical.

 

I went from 2 1/2 packs a day to nothing but it helped that I was not particularly addicted to the nicotine. It also helps to be in a relationship with someone who not only doesn't smoke but thinks it's disgusting. I do smoke on occasion but it is rare - I think I smoke less than a pack a year now.

Generally I have the hardest time when I am around other smokers so I would encourage you to spend much more time around people who will support you quitting.