Smoke Free

[beernd]

*&^%$. Had a call to two seperate MVA's early this morning on icy roads. I was offered a smoke by another fire fighter while we were waiting for the tow trucks and I accepted. Damn, old habits are hard to break. It made me so dizzy that I had to sit down though.

The first cigarette I smoked after my first failed attempt tasted so great, and I did not feel dizzy or sick or whatever.

So now I know for sure, light up 1 cigarette and I'll be a smoker again.

Tobacco is a nasty bastid to get away from

[htom]

Day four, still on the wagonStill not easy but I'm gonna give this my best try'. My sister is camped with us until next Friday and she smokes 20 a day. That's not making it much easier, ohh well!!
Onya Meli, I've got ya back. hang in there an have a good day.

Good for you. Make an appointment to get your teeth cleaned; the chemicals in smoke are absorbed into the tartar on your teeth and are slowly released, causing some of the cravings. Cleaning the teeth removes the tartar and the stimulus.

[Meli]

yesterdays count 12

[AussieBarney]

Day Five. Still going. I tell you what, this habit is bad. Sometimes the thought of having a smoke just consumes me. I ridden through so far and we will see. I got no choice, I have made it public and a whole lot of other people know now.

[Flying Orca]

Day five?! You're doing better than I ever did with the cold turkey thing, and by all medical accounts I've seen you're past the worst of it. Yeah, your brain is going to keep trying to kill you, but you're over the hump, man! Stick with it!

[George Jung]

Aussie, time for a lil' roadtrip! A change of scenery, some fun (you got a sailboat?)... just what ya need for what ails ya. Hang tough! You're getting better every day.

BTW, any here familiar with Dr. Wayne Dyer and his talks/books? Motivational/christian speaker, one of the few I've listened to that was mesmerizing. One thing he said struck a loud chord - the five minutes before you go to sleep, think about all of the good in your life, all that's gone right for you, all you've managed to accomplish - and when you're asleep, your 'subconscious mind' 'seals the deal'. Go the other direction - all that went wrong, what you haven't accomplished - and you get a furtheer detrimental effect. 'Visualizing the outcome you're interested' might be another way of putting it - and I sincerely believe it works. FWIW.

[fishrswim]

Hang in there. One more day and the physical addiction will be over. Then all you've got left is the mental addiction. That will be an everyday battle for a long time. But it's worth it.

[Vince Brennan]

C'mon, Bubba! We're pulling for you!

[Shang]

I was on a sailing cruse around the Keys with some people I liked. I was the only smoker on board. Nobody said anything.
Nobody did anything.
I could have smoked if I'd wanted to...
but I quit.

...thirty-five years now.

I sorta wanted too...

But still don't.

You can do it, and it will change in your life.

[Steve McMahon]

Day Five. Still going. I tell you what, this habit is bad. Sometimes the thought of having a smoke just consumes me. I ridden through so far and we will see. I got no choice, I have made it public and a whole lot of other people know now.

Keep it up. I am also on day five but not doing as well as you. My body has been revolting against me with random cases of the shakes and bouts of full body itch's. I have had two smokes a day on average, half a smoke at a time. Wednesday I will be going on a road trip and taking my non smoking wife, staying in a non smoking hotel, and spending a couple of days doing presentations at a non smoking pulp mill. I will not buy a pack, and I will be away from my friends and co workers that I can bum a smoke from.

George - I like your idea of visualizing what is positive. I will do that when I go to bed tonight. Looks like a great tip.

[cjp1063]

Steve you have "The Perfect Storm" for quitting. Take advantage of it.

[Meli]

11 yesterday, I'm aiming for 10 today.
You should all have got the nicotine out by now.
Be prepared to feel like crap for a few days, sort of fluey. drink lots of water flush the system.

Get to day 8-9 and you'll be over the worst. That's when it gets dangerous and you start feeling you have done so well that you can cope with just one. Thats the little daemon sitting on your shoulder like tom and jerry cartoon.
Listen to the other little guy.

Hang in there, your doing great. Give the missus a kiss

[AussieBarney]

Day six. The last thing I want to do is kiss me missus. I really do want to smoke, but I'm not gonna do it.

[Flying Orca]

Good for you, you're just about out of the woods!

[Meli]

Go Barney, nearly a week!
11 for me yesterday.

It's really helping me reduce, hopefully to zero.
Every morning I open this, see the thread and am reminded that I'm reducing.

Greatest idea ever

[cjp1063]

Remember it only takes 1 cigarette to be hooked again...only one...you can't control it so don't try, you will lose. The urge will pass in just a couple of minutes so hang on.

[RFNK]

Well, months of not even looking in The Bilge and now I find the most worthwhile thread I've ever seen on the WBF! Good one Barney! Smoking killed my brother and my Dad. I admire anyone who kicks this nasty habit. All power to you and good luck to all who are trying.

Rick

[beernd]

Put your cigarette money aside and from time to time buy something.

I use the money to buy tools, looking at a clean ashtray and a new tool makes me feel real good

[AussieBarney]

O.K. day seven. I keep forgetting to suck on me nicotine pipe so I m really starting to get over it. The situational habit is taking a little longer. I got a cup of tea with my breakfast this morning and when took a drink, the urge to have a smoke was overwhelming. Didn't though, so one for Barney.

Hang in thee everyone an godd louck with what ever you do to get off these filthy durries.

[George Jung]

Put your cigarette money aside and from time to time buy something.

I use the money to buy tools, looking at a clean ashtray and a new tool makes me feel real good

I know a guy who did that - he had his 'I quit smoking' can, put his 'cigarette money' in it every day. And once a year (or when the can was full) he bought himself something special. I asked 'what' - he was getting a new Ovation 12 string guitar. 'You could do pretty well with this plan' - he said 'This is the fourteenth instrument I've bought' and proceeded to list many fine instruments, including a nice Cello. Nice positive reinforcement!

[Meli]

Bit of a fail for me today.
13
Too many breaks to spend waiting for software to load at work. blame Micro soft.
Still I'm 5 down on average for the week. (pout)

[JayInOz]

Barney I chain smoked for well over thirty years. Gave up six years ago last Tuesday. You can do it mate. Get away from nicotine replacement- you want the bloody stuff out of your system. And you'll feel like crap for quite a while as a lot of toxins stored in your system are released- at least that's what they told me was happening. After a week or three you might cough up a heap of truly orrible muck out of your lungs and start to breathe easier although your lungs can feel pretty raw for a while. With luck you'll have lots more energy, sleep better, your circulation will begin to recover. You'll get your sense of smell back which also means your food will taste heaps better. I gave up a couple of times and enjoyed all of the good things. Last time I left it a bit late- got emphysema pretty bad- and it doesn't go away. My wife managed to quit about two and a half years ago- we were only talking about it a couple of days ago- probably saved about fifty thousand dollars between us now- actually found much better things to spend it on JayInOz

[Vince Brennan]

O.K. day seven. ....... I got a cup of tea with my breakfast this morning and when (I) took a drink, the urge to have a smoke was overwhelming. Didn't though, so one for Barney.

A MAJOR one for Barney, indeed! You're on the plateau! If you can keep on realizing that it IS a momentary urge and that you can watch it recede behind you, then you've already beat 80% of it!!

BIG one for Barnery!

..... You can do it mate. Get away from nicotine replacement- you wan't the bloody stuff out of your system. And you'll feel like crap for quite a while as a lot of toxins stored in your system are released-......start to breathe easier although your lungs can feel pretty raw for a while. With luck you'll have lots more energy, sleep better, your circulation will begin to recover. You'll get your sense of smell back which also means your food will taste heaps better. ..... JayInOz

More for those who are thinking of quitting than for Barney:

Lissen on Jay! The "Nicotine Replacement" therapies are mostly a crock o' stuff. Especially that damn electronic cigarette, which I consider a plot to keep you hooked and smoking forever.

ANY long-term crutch such as the Nicorette gum, or the little lozenges ("Have YOU taken a hit for me, lately?"), the electronic vapourizer cigarette... all these do NOTHING to get you off the addiction, they only switch the delivery system. It's still nicotine and it's still addicting your system to it. My friend, Sid, decided that the EC was the trick for him because it delivers much less per "use" than a regular roll of tobacco... except that, since you can use it in non-smoking areas here, he's ALWAYS got the thing in his face and goes thru the usual 2-week supply ($9.00 or so here) in two to three days.

The patch is the exception. 21mg/day for step one is FAR less than you'd get from even 10 cigs a day, and it's delivered over a long steady time frame. Two weeks and you go to 14mg/ day. 6 weeks and you're on to 7mg. Once you hit the 7mg level, you begin to wonder if you are really gonna be able to do this... this is where most failures occur, and mostly because the (now) non-smoker just can't believe that they're actually going to be able (FINALLY!!!) to succeed in quitting! The nicotine level in your system is miniscule compared to when you started (I was a two-pack-a-day man!) and its now purely a psychological thing.
My major problem with the patch was I had to shave a spot for it to adhere to.... I'm a YETI.

Well, you REALLY CAN do it. Jay had 30 years into it, I started in 1960 and quit in 2010. If nothing else recommends itself, try this: my resting pulse went from 98 or so to 63 in three months, I discovered I really LIKED food without a ton of salt to make it "taste right", Ladies wearing perfume became noticeable, I started washing the dog more often, I no longer sound like a concertina when I try to sleep, I do have a few more dollars at the end of the week and on, and on.

You've got a ready-made support group right here which runs (pretty much) 24/7... give 'er a go!

................

[George Jung]

good post, Mr. Brennan. I'd add - most folks don't know that there is a substance in tobacco which paralyzes the cilia - the small, mobile, hair-like processes in your airways, upon which rests a layer of mucous - it's the 'cleaning ' system for your lungs. End result - all the crap you inhale simply stays in your lungs, until you quit! Then they 'wake up', and you'll find yourself coughing up some of the damnedest stuff imaginable. But, over time, the lungs clean out and stay clean, and you'll breath and feel much better.

Keep it up - you may be our posterchild for this!

[Mrleft8]

Driving was the toughest hurdle for me.... When I was rolling my own smokes I'd roll up 4-5 if I was driving up to VT..... Kept me from smoking the 8-10 I'd normally do in that trip. I had roadmarks I'd use as "Light up points"..... First was Middletown, then the "ditch" in Hartford. Then Springfield..... Etc. I still occasionally find myself patting my pocket when I get into the car....
Last night right after dinner I had a massive craving.... Carter sitting there firing up a smog didn't help.... Until I got that first nostril full of second hand smoke. If she smoked good tobacco instead of Marlboro lights I think I would have caved a few times by now.... What is it? 6 years now.....? Something like that.....
Once again..... If I can do it, anyone can.

[George Jung]

having your partner still lighting up can make it tougher. I find I can resist most anything... except temptation. I'm pretty impressed at your resilience!

[Hunky Dory]

If your partner smokes make them keep them out of sight when they arn't around. Remember it only takes one to be back to where you started. I gave them up for lent in church and with a daily prayer or 40 days I never even had an urge to start up again. It has been three years and my life has really changed for the better. Except for when a 2 stroke motor goes by when i'm rowing I love smelling things I never noticed before.

[AussieBarney]

Day Eight. After reading all the posts on this thread I cant go back now. I 'd look like prize mug. Just getting rid of the tobacco smoke is a start. My intake of the nicotine pipe becoming very spasmodic. And my sister who was smoking 20 a day has left for West Aus. today. So, it oughta get better? easier?

[Bobby of Tulsa]

Nothing like going public, to keep a man of his word on the right path. You are doing good.

[George Jung]

It's a tough buggar, isn't it? Don't succumb to temptation now!! You've got it in hand, at this point. But if you're wavering, and beginning to rationalize, you are at risk.

What it really comes down to is - do you want this? If you do, it's yours.

[Chip-skiff]

I used to smoke when I played in bands in pubs, which were pretty well hazed in. I also liked to smoke when I was writing— hard for a writer to break the habit. But I could feel it hurting my stamina and physical abilities. After a few years of slowly cutting back, I was down to two smokos per day, handrolled of the finest tobacco.

One spring day, the woman I wanted to marry walked in without knocking and found me lighting up. She was shocked and I was so embarrassed that I never lit another cigarette. Eleven years ago, that was. Quitting tobacco was probably the best single thing I've ever done.

And after a couple years the craving left me. These days, if I walk into the local saloon and someone's smoking, I walk out (quietly). Can't stand the smell.

[AussieBarney]

Day Nine. well. The urge is killing me. This morning is bad. but we will see. hang in there everybody.

[seanz]

Keep up the good work.


Ask yourself, if you were on a lifeboat with plenty of food and water but no tobacco. Would you be able to survive?

[Jim Bow]

I last smoked a cig in August of 1989 after 25 years. The last 5 of those years were as a police dispatcher, and smoking was still allowed at the workplace. I was doing 2 packs during an 8 hour shift.
My cure:
I started with Nicorette gum. I made sure to use it as a form of snuff. 3 or 4 mastications, then shove it between cheek and gum. When it stopped "burning" I would chew 3 or 4 more times and shove it back. Each piece would take about 20 minutes. If you chew it continually, like normal gum, it tastes awful and you won't keep it up. I used the stuff for three months this way, whenever I had a craving. After three months, I switched to Big Red gum, which gave the same spicy burning sensation.
Biggest mistake? My wife and I both quit at the same time, the week before our 19th wedding anniversary. Thank god neither of us is ever armed. It wouldn't have been nice.

Keep on trucking. Quitting was the best thing I've ever done for my own health.

[George Jung]

Quitting is the biggest thing you can do for your health. Think about it - cholesterol, diet/weight loss/ bp.... you can mitigate those risk factors. Smoking is among the few you can actually eliminate.

Hang tough, and find something positive to do today!

[Tar Devil]

My mom died in 2004 from smoke related complications... and she never smoked once in her life. It was 2nd hand smoke from her dad and brother. Quit for yourself...and for loved ones around you!

[AussieBarney]

day ten. Still hanging in there. Sitill have the weirdest urges to smoke but theyre all habit. Do something that used to involved a smoke and even though you dont smoke the mental urge is still there. A job in progress as it were!!!

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Yup - anything which created a five minute natural break used to be a "grab a smoke" opportunity.

Funnily enough, some of these breaks were very very productive - you get to step back and re-appraise the situation - so now I take smoke breaks with no smoke.

Hang in there.

[Flying Orca]

day ten. Still hanging in there. Sitill have the weirdest urges to smoke but theyre all habit. Do something that used to involved a smoke and even though you dont smoke the mental urge is still there. A job in progress as it were!!!

I still get that, though not too badly after a few months. Sounds like you're doing as well as can be, don't give in now or ever!

[Syed]

day ten. Still hanging in there. Sitill have the weirdest urges to smoke but theyre all habit. Do something that used to involved a smoke and even though you dont smoke the mental urge is still there. A job in progress as it were!!!

I remember my late father taking his fingers to his lips and taking puff without a cigarette many years after he gave up smoking.

Never smoked or consumed any thing addictive except the time in The Bilge.

[AussieBarney]

Day Eleven. I dreaming of the filthy things, would you believe it??? I work in substance abuse counselling with youth attempting to give away Class One illicit drugs and now I can say I understand the physical and mental issues involved. As I said, a work in progress.

[Bobby of Tulsa]

Doin good, hang in there.

[htom]

Good going, Barney. The cravings will slowly decrease, and may spike from time to time (I get them now only when I'm both emotionally very stressed and walk close to someone smoking.)

[George Jung]

I think you'll find that stress, even the stress of thinking about quitting, increases the intensity! Ya gotta laugh - the ol' noodle makes things more interesting and complex.

Did you do that roadtrip yet? Sounds like you could use a distraction!

[AussieBarney]

George. I got a "honey do" list that would send most strong blokes screaming into a rest home. I get one job done and then my gorgeous bride finds another two to replace it. We are hoping to get away at the end of the month, we are looking at getting a mobile home so we can be come "grey nomads" the nightmare of the Australian highways and the poor bloody truckdrivers trying to make a living.

[htom]

George. I got a "honey do" list that would send most strong blokes screaming into a rest home. I get one job done and then my gorgeous bride finds another two to replace it. We are hoping to get away at the end of the month, we are looking at getting a mobile home so we can be come "grey nomads" the nightmare of the Australian highways and the poor bloody truckdrivers trying to make a living.

Only "another two"? Some guys are -so- lucky!

[Meli]

only 10 yesterday, It's harder when I'm not at work.
Today's a Public holiday so I've to find things to keep me occupied

[Shang]

Take it easy, and be careful on yourself...but be strong with yourself too.
The coffin nails are tough to beat.
REMEMBER, ... YOU are hard to beat too.

[RFNK]

Meli, buy a new packet and chuck it in the bin. It'll be the best $10 you ever spent!

Rick

[AussieBarney]

day twelve. Oh Lord, the insanity of it all, not the giving up. The starting the bloody things in the first place. I'm going to keep posting as long as someone wants to hear. I reckon this has made it a whole lot easier and a whole less lonely. Thanks everyone.