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A Thread For Quitters


Raf
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I traded the smokes for a caffeine addiction...

Caffeine is more socially acceptable... you don't have to go outside to enjoy it, even at work or your in-law's house... it makes you very productive... you don't have to be a certain age to get it... the stores that sell it aren't closed on Sundays (we have "blue laws" in my state)... you can get it out of a machine, at a drive thru, from your neighbour or for "free" when you're grocery shopping... the companies that make it aren't being sued up the whazoo for making it or for people being addicted to it... if someone else smells it, they usually don't complain but ask to join you for a cup of it... you can't smoosh it when you sit on it... you don't have caffeine and non-caffeine seating in restaurants... you don't have to buy a special "caffeine addicts" package when you order your new car because all cars come with cup holders... you don't need a lighter or matches, so it's more kid-friendly... you can get it hot, cold, in tablet or liquid form - it doesn't matter... you won't wear out your welcome with your friends if you bum a cup of joe off them every now and then - but see what happens after you've bummed your second cig off them!

Can you tell I've had too much coffee today?

Anyhow....

Here's my quitting story....

I was 21 years old and had just gotten married to husband 1.0 when we both hit the financial skids within a month. He was fired from his job and the company I worked for called Hooters had a cut back in hours. After rent and the basic utilities were paid, we had barely enough money for gas & cigs.

Oops! I forgot the food!

I remember we had $16 between the two of us for gas and food and cigs one week. So, we bought a ton of Ramen noodles, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread and some powered milk. That was it! What little money we had left went to gas.

We quit smoking using the "Poverty Method". It was painful but effective and lasting, as we were always broke!

Congrats to you Raf - and everyone else - who has kicked the habit!

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Good going, Raf! Definitely a one day at a time thing, I think.

I smoked a couple packs a day for many years...when I quit, it was cold turkey. I drank a lot of water, chewed gum (regular gum), and I kept myself occupied during down times with some serious artwork.

I never gained weight.

I didn't kill anyone.

I saved a great deal of dough...and that was 28 years ago.

I did dream I smoked, tho...for about a year or so afterward.

Keep up the good work!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 weeks later...

not to worry...

I work with a few addicts and alcoholics and hardly any of them get it on the first go round. They seem to build up momentum (or something) over time and eventually get it after a few tries.

Don't be discouraged--everyone is still pulling for you I'm sure...

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I quit in 92 after having started the fool habit in 1969 in seventh grade. I quit cold turkey three or four or six times during that entire perod, with many of my "quits" lasting between 6 months and even one and a half years.

Cold Turkey is the only way to go. and I agree with this:

quote:
These folks coming out and saying nicotine is the most addictive substance known are full of it, IMO!!

I never once had any physical symptoms of "addiction" that came even close to the time when I quit coffee cold turkey a couple of times. When I had quit coffee, I had intense headaches, unbelieveable lethargy, and then more headaches. After the third day though, All was well and fine, and the addiction was out of my system for good. Until I started to drink coffee again of course.

Now with cigs, the only thing I had to deal with was that "want to" thing. I simply wanted to smoke. But I felt no "nicotine convulsions" as one dear pal of mine refers to the "want to's", just a desire to smoke.

Now, the thing I did with my mind to cancel out the "want to's" was simply to tell myself; "Naa, why would a non smoker like me want a cigarrette?" You see, non smokers do not want cigarrettes, for they are just that, non smokers. And this is the way in which I dealt with it. Worked for me....

I will tell you that you will not quit smoking until you really want to quit smoking, and until that day really comes, why kid yourself with patches, plastic "pseudo cigs", "dial a drag" minimizer cig holders and all of the rest. Just frickin smoke and enjoy it! I imagine that the guilt and the fear is also unhealthy for you, so you may as well enjoy it until you finally make up your mind that it is OVER. And when that day comes, you will quit.

A big motivator for me was when an old ex-Way Rev friend of mine used to ridicule me about my "religious bug" rearing it's ugly head again during those time when I was trying to quit. Then, I'd finally succumb to his pressure to relax and enjoy smoking without the guilt and etc.

But finally I got really pi$$ed off that this Rev. guy didn't think I could quit and that I ought to quit being so "religious" and all of that, so I just up and never smoked again. Funny that someone mentioned dreaming about it.

Every once in awhile, I have a dream that I actually went back to smoking in the very same manner that I did go back to smoking during the years of "quitting and starting". And it seemed so real in my dream that I am thinking that I really did start again, and "I just can't believe it after all of these years of not smoking!" But then I wake up, and I realize that my resolve had held after all.

I never desire to smoke these days. The only time I smoked anything since was in a bar up in Delta Junction, Alaska. There was this really nice looking gal who was just so tough and cool, and she took a shine to me. And when she lit up a see-gar I couldn't believe it! A see-gar smoking woman! And when she offered me a drag, I was as a sheep led to the slaughter. Not only did I take a drag, I inhaled! And, I didn't cough, she thought me "cool" or whatever, and we had a nice conversation around a good number of "cold toddies".

But Raf, you can do this, if you really want to. You can join the ranks of those who have kicked the habit. It's not hard at all, when you decide that you want to, for, Why would a non smoker want to smoke a cigarrette?

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quote:
I never once had any physical symptoms of "addiction" that came even close to the time when I quit coffee cold turkey a couple of times. When I had quit coffee, I had intense headaches, unbelieveable lethargy, and then more headaches. After the third day though, All was well and fine, and the addiction was out of my system for good. Until I started to drink coffee again of course.

If you *need* to go off coffee, which I do periodically, taking two then one Excedrin in the morning will taper you off the caffeine nicely without the headaches.

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quote:
Originally posted by Raf:

Lately I've been flunking bad. Gonna give it another try.

Raf -- I just went an entire week without smokes, but then *flunked* as well.

I'll quit for good if you do too. Give it a go, and be accountable??

(I won't quit coffee though!) nono5.gif

David

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And for those who like *snuff* -- here is a song by Robert Earl Keen --

quote:
COPENHAGEN:

by: Robert Earl Keen

Now I went out last Sunday with my Mary Anne.

She said please stay 'till Monday, and she grabbed me by the can.

She laid a big one on me - surprised me with her tongue,

But her surprise was waitin' there between my cheek and gum.

Copenhagen, what a wad of flavor.

Copenhagen, you can see it in my smile.

Copenhagen, do yourself a favor -- chew

Copenhagen, drive them pretty girls wild.

So I went to the movies, with my Peggy Sue.

I had my dip there in my lip, just like I always do.

She didn't see me spittin, in my Coca Cola cup.

She took a great big swaller, and threw her popcorn up, Whoa!

Copenhagen, what a wad of flavor.

Copenhagen, you can see it in my smile.

Copenhagen, do yourself a favor -- chew

Copenhagen, drive them pretty girls wild.

The moral of this story is so very sad but true,

If you stay 'till breakfast friend, they'll wanna marry you.

So try my little method, and I promise you no doubt,

Dip some Copenhagen if you wanna snuff 'em out.

Copenhagen, what a wad of flavor.

Copenhagen, you can see it in my smile.

Copenhagen, do yourself a favor chew

Copenhagen, drive them pretty girls wild.

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It was my SIXTH Birthday. My Golden Birthday. We were at a pizza joint. Both of my parents smoked. They were divorced and my Dad was in for the day. I asked if I could take a puff.

"Well, he's gotta learn at some point." one of them said.

That was it, cough cough, never agian.

My mom stopped when she got prego with my younger bro, then officailly stopped a year or two later, before going in the corpse. lol

My dad stops all the time and then starts up again.

I tried dip later when I was like 10 with some friends and that cured me of that as well. Never liked most alcohol but eventually found some red and pale beers that are decent and of course I found wine, but only the good stuff. Yes, I'm a wine snob.

Raf, heres a good trick. Everytime you want a cigarette go into the bathroom, stick your head in the toilet and give yourself a swirly. I think it might work, if not, it will be a lot of fun to read about.

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quote:
Originally posted by dmiller:

quote:
Originally posted by Raf:

Lately I've been flunking bad. Gonna give it another try.

Raf -- I just went an entire week without smokes, but then *flunked* as well.

I'll quit for good if you do too. Give it a go, and be accountable??

(I won't quit coffee though!) nono5.gif

David

Keep it up, guys!

On the other hand, they MIGHT cure cancer before you die from it....

George

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