Quit Smoking

[NickD]

Anyone here successfully quit smoking? I'm up to day 18 now. I haven't had much problems with the cravings, although I haven't tested it under extreme alcohol conditions just yet... But I'm having trouble with this thing... It is not so much as a physical need to have a cigarette, but a mental belief that I should be smoking, and it has been there for several hours now. It's not stronger than the physical craving, but the cravings only last a few minutes and this thing is rather persistant and is really starting to get at me... Anyone else gone through that? Any advice on how to make it go away? Or is it just a case of stop thinking about it?

[MorbidKate]

Best advice I can offer is to exercise as often as possible to get the self-medicating advantage of the Endorphin rush to take the edge off until the cravings end. Some carbs after the cardio will balance your insulin and lots of water helps as well. After that it's mostly about keeping your hands occupied, especially if they're used to handling 30-50 cigs a day.

http://ca.askmen.com/sports/bodybuildin ... s_tip.html

Smokers have a Cult mentality so count on some of your friends not wanting you to succeed so ask them to help you and not be shits about it or distance yourself from them for a time until you've got a better grip on your willpower.

Best of luck kicking the nicotine delivery device habit and remember big tobacco has been pumping up nicotine potency for decades to maintain "control" of their customers. The addiction is as potent as cocaine and heroin so keep that in mind.

Kate

[Grand Fromage]

I haven't done it so I claim no expertise, but maybe keep a running total of how much money you've saved? I think it'd be decent motivation if you're not having serious physical cravings.

[NickD]

Best advice I can offer is to exercise as often as possible to get the self-medicating advantage of the Endorphin rush to take the edge off until the cravings end. Some carbs after the cardio will balance your insulin and lots of water helps as well. After that it's mostly about keeping your hands occupied, especially if they're used to handling 30-50 cigs a day.

http://ca.askmen.com/sports/bodybuildin ... s_tip.html

Smokers have a Cult mentality so count on some of your friends not wanting you to succeed so ask them to help you and not be shits about it or distance yourself from them for a time until you've got a better grip on your willpower.

Best of luck kicking the nicotine delivery device habit and remember big tobacco has been pumping up nicotine potency for decades to maintain "control" of their customers. The addiction is as potent as cocaine and heroin so keep that in mind.

Kate

I don't get the endorphin rush from exercise. All I get is pain and nausea!

But these weren't any normal kind of craving. I can ignore normal cravings until they pass. This was a bit different. Talking about it (i.e., posting this thread) helped a lot and then I went and got a lollipop and I'm feeling better now.

Most of my friends don't smoke and I've always smoked lots more than the ones that do, so that's not really a problem.

[NickD]

I haven't done it so I claim no expertise, but maybe keep a running total of how much money you've saved? I think it'd be decent motivation if you're not having serious physical cravings.

That's one of the first things I did ($162. That's 23 beers, a decent time in a strip club, almost 2 months of power, a programming manual or over a computer game and a half)! It just made me think more about smoking, so didn't really help though.

[kmj2587]

Interesting note: Phillip Morris produces both the cigarettes, and the gum/patches to help you quit.

[Rotku]

That's one of the first things I did ($162. That's 23 beers...

That seems a lot. What sort of cheap beer do you buy?

Anyway, good luck mate!

[Jeppan]

I stopped using nicotine for three months after new years. The start is vital so got plastered on the eve of the quitting, granting myself a three-day hungover, where i did not even consider using the stuff cause I was so nausious. After that it was merely willpower and a lot sugar.

Then of course, I started again when went travelling to Spain, so I am back to square one wanting to stop smoking.

[Misty]

I quit sometimes last year. I don't know the exact date, because I was sick as hell for a month with sore throat and congestion. Just decided to not smoke when I finally got better.

The psychological cravings are the worst, especially to one who tends to be self-indulgent. Time and distraction are the only things that work for me. The more time away, the less I yearn for the comfort it once provided. Distraction, well, it speaks for itself. Not a cure, just a coping mechanism.

Anyhow, good on ya for quitting!

[NickD]

I quit sometimes last year. I don't know the exact date, because I was sick as hell for a month with sore throat and congestion. Just decided to not smoke when I finally got better.

Same with me to what I guess was significantly smaller degree. I was the sickest I've been in almost a decade a monthish back. I smoked for the first couple of weeks, but after a while I noticed I didn't really want to smoke and it tasted pretty bad. Once I started to get better, around the 2nd day of not smoking I decided to try and stop all together. The third day was the worst and the first week wasn't all the easy, but I only get a craving every other day or so now. Although what I had today was the worst.

[NickD]

I stopped using nicotine for three months after new years. The start is vital so got plastered on the eve of the quitting, granting myself a three-day hungover, where i did not even consider using the stuff cause I was so nausious. After that it was merely willpower and a lot sugar.

Then of course, I started again when went travelling to Spain, so I am back to square one wanting to stop smoking.

I've actually managed to give up smoking for 3 months twice before. Once because the girlfriend insisted and another time because I got really sick. But they weren't as bad then and I didn't really want to quit... I guess I wasn't as addicted as I have been in the last few years. 5 years ago I could go 2 or 3 days without smoking no problem... In the last few years I don't think I'd gone a day without smoking up until a couple of weeks ago.

[NickD]

That's one of the first things I did ($162. That's 23 beers...

That seems a lot. What sort of cheap beer do you buy?

Anyway, good luck mate!

$7 a beer... it's not that cheap! I remember when beers were $3! I remember when you could go to Papa Jacks and a jug (about 2 pints or 4 handles to you young fellas that don't know what a jug is) was 50c until someone in the bar went for a piss!

[paazin]

Cigs are nasty. Don't know why anyone smokes them when the tobacco in cigars and for pipes is much more refreshing.

[fluffmonster]

I've quit for extended periods twice. Each time, it was a virulent throat infection that really turned me off of the smoking. I tried to quit many times before those, but the thing is you can just think it would be nice to quit. You have to really, really not want to smoke. That's how I would get over cravings...I get the urge, then think about what it is I'd really be getting and then I can put the urge to the side.

These days I'm in a place I can smoke for several days in a row and then turn it back off. Don't ask me how, but it works for me.

[MorbidKate]

I don't get the endorphin rush from exercise. All I get is pain and nausea!

But these weren't any normal kind of craving. I can ignore normal cravings until they pass. This was a bit different. Talking about it (i.e., posting this thread) helped a lot and then I went and got a lollipop and I'm feeling better now.

Most of my friends don't smoke and I've always smoked lots more than the ones that do, so that's not really a problem.

Okay, the tips I gave you are because of my work involvement with big tobacco. They work. The sudden drop in nicotine levels is what creates the cravings for sugar. Specifically simple carbs and lots of them which is why the average person packs on 10 lbs after they quit. So, because quitting is actually chemical warfare you need to fight it on that level.

Enter Endorphins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphin

Pain exercise is temporary and a sign that you're doing too much too soon. As you exercise more often you'll find that muscle recovery times will grow shorter. Associated nausea could be a result of your bad lungs and their inability to get enough oxygen into your blood. Start slow and get a physical if you’re badly out of shape.

After working out you'll need to feed your body simple carbs (sugar) to restore your blood sugar levels and that fulfills the desire created by the lack of nicotine in your system. The double-bonus there is that you’re replacing calories you burned off, not adding them to gain weight and the natural high you get from working out helps sooth your body by releasing natural pain killers.

Sitting around and after-meals (insulin spikes) are your danger times so keep busy and try to get exercise before you eat, not after. And drink tonnes of water.

It can be done with the right approach and mindset so just keep reminding yourself that nicotine addiction is harder to kick than cocaine or heroin addiction.

Hope that helps some.

Kate