Thread: Quitting Smoking

I made the plunge on Sunday and had my last cigarette, since then I haven't been able to stop eating or exercising and now I'm slowly climbing the walls constantly thinking about tobacco, the taste of it, just the smell fighting my will power. I know I should have quite before now and it's been a few years since the last time I tried to stop but even so doesn't make it any easier. I think by the time I've suceeded I'll then be having to diet for months on end. Why is it when you quit smoking you end up eating every half hour?

it's an attempt to fulfill an unsatisfied craving
best of luck
rod

?

Originally Posted by sculptor

it's an attempt to fulfill an unsatisfied craving
best of luck
rod

Thanks, I've just about eaten everything in the house now.

It's a filthy habit and an expense you don't need. Living healthy is cheaper than the alternative.

All conditions are transitory. -The Buddha-

Good luck man, I used the gum to quit. It was hard but sooooo worth it.

The only advice I ever heard was to drink a lot of water. When you feel 'hungry' at a non-meal time, drink water.

It's supposed to be a way to get the wretched chemicals out of your system more quickly. No idea if it's true, but it certainly cuts down a bit on the surplus food. Another trick I heard was to go and clean your teeth whenever you get the munchies. Even if you finish up having something to eat, you've put it off for a while because of the taste in your mouth.

I used to smoke. In 1995 I was advised to quit smoking or else I cannot see 2000. My heart disease was come up.

Quitting smoking was really difficult.

So I went to Vipassana course of 10 days. There you are not allowed to talk to anybody. All day you are engaged in meditation of Vipassana kind. You are given free stay and free quality vegetarian food.

I don’t remember now what Vipassana did to me in those ten days, but it kept me away from smoking.

After ten days, when I came home, it became easier to keep away from smoking.

Thus I quit smoking.

I finally stopped smoking many years ago. You really have to want to stop. When you do stop, that is the time, that you can see that smoking is a disgusting habit. Best of luck.

Chris, I had the good fortune to never start smoking. I congratulate you on your decision to stop. Hang in there. The effort will be worth it in all kinds of ways.

Hi Chris,

My daughter found it much easier to quit by chewing nocotine gum. For her it took several months to slowly ween off the gum. But by this method you only have to deal with dropping the habit of smoking rather than both the habit and the more difficult withdrawal from the drug addication of nicotine. Good luck my friend.

I quit smoking 24 yrs ago. I don't know how people afford to do it today. When I quit, I could get a 1.5 oz packet of pipe tobacco for a little over $1 and it would last me a few days. The price has just about quadrupled since then. I mean, what's the price for a pack of cigarettes now? Depending on where you live, $5-$6? If you're are a pack a day smoker, that's ~$150- $180 a month.

Originally Posted by Chrisgorlitz

I made the plunge on Sunday and had my last cigarette, since then I haven't been able to stop eating or exercising and now I'm slowly climbing the walls constantly thinking about tobacco, the taste of it, just the smell fighting my will power. I know I should have quite before now and it's been a few years since the last time I tried to stop but even so doesn't make it any easier. I think by the time I've suceeded I'll then be having to diet for months on end. Why is it when you quit smoking you end up eating every half hour?

Chantix, I guarantee that it's the very best way to stop smoking. Unless you are one of the very few that has a problem with it. Otherwise it works just like they advertise in their commercial. After taking it for the first week, you virtually have no cravings at all. I only had to take it for two months to be a non smoker without all the pain and hassle. For the record I tried the cold turkey way and it didn't work well at all. After a month of cold Turkeying it I still wanted a smoke as bad as ever and nobody around me was very happy about it, if you know what I mean. I never tried the patches or gum, but sooner or later you have to cut the nicotine completely and it's still going to be a bitch. Anyway if you want to give Chantix a try you will have to see your doctor to write the prescription for you.

I mean, what's the price for a pack of cigarettes now? Depending on where you live, $5-$6? If you're are a pack a day smoker, that's ~$150- $180 a month.

Obviously you don't live in Australia. A pack of 25 here costs around $23 when a cheaper brand is offering a temporary discount special. A pack a day works out to $600+ a month.

Originally Posted by adelady

I mean, what's the price for a pack of cigarettes now? Depending on where you live, $5-$6? If you're are a pack a day smoker, that's ~$150- $180 a month.

Obviously you don't live in Australia. A pack of 25 here costs around $23 when a cheaper brand is offering a temporary discount special. A pack a day works out to $600+ a month.

So is that money mostly taxes? If so the government is really taking advantage of addicted people. Also, I bet you have smuggling gangs that compete with the government by selling illegal cheaper cigarettes. If there's big money to be made there has to be. So now you have a criminal class that wasn't there before (dealers and users). Over here in the U.S. we know a great deal about that subject and we sport the largest prison population the world has known for quite some time.

I think banning smoking in all buildings except private homes has made a big difference. I rarely see anyone light up anymore. The social pressure does make a difference in giving people incentive to quit.

Originally Posted by arKane

If so the government is really taking advantage of addicted people.

Here in NZ the major part of the cost of cigarettes is taxes. Every few years, the government adds more taxes and boosts the price. Each time, the number of smokers drops. The more expensive it is, the more the people who quit.

Let the taxes rise and the cost go through the roof, say I!

you have smuggling gangs that compete with the government by selling illegal cheaper cigarettes.

Well, they're much the same as the other fraudsters selling cheaper versions of higher quality products. With cigarettes though, there's a real public safety issue. Admittedly, cheap copies of clothing, toys and other items often have similar safety issues.

Legal cigarettes have to comply with standards about how they burn when unattended - left in ashtrays, thrown away, and so on. Funnily enough, the fake ones seem to have no standards at all. So they are responsible for a disproportionate number of house fires - not many, but disproportionate. Basically, if a house fire seems to have started from an unattended cigarette, it's a good starting point to ask whether it was legal or not. (Just as house fires started by electrical faults often are the consequence of unlicensed work.) Police have a good incentive to keep the lid on them.

Originally Posted by skeptic

Originally Posted by arKane

If so the government is really taking advantage of addicted people.

Here in NZ the major part of the cost of cigarettes is taxes. Every few years, the government adds more taxes and boosts the price. Each time, the number of smokers drops. The more expensive it is, the more the people who quit.

Let the taxes rise and the cost go through the roof, say I!

That is a way and does help some people to quit, but there is a point of diminishing returns and then you create a criminal class that wasn't there before.

you create a criminal class that wasn't there before.

Criminals are opportunists. If fake smokes weren't profitable, they'd stick to fake handbags, car parts and electronics.

I agree with Adelady.
The criminals are there anyway. It is just a matter of what they target as easy money.
In Indonesia, the local mafia have turned to logging. Cutting down trees in protected forests. In some ways, I would rather they were selling cigarettes.

Originally Posted by adelady

you create a criminal class that wasn't there before.

Criminals are opportunists. If fake smokes weren't profitable, they'd stick to fake handbags, car parts and electronics.

Yeah! The opportunity to pay $20 per pack instead of $23 (save a few bucks and become a criminal) what a fine choice that is. Sure you can say if they don't like it they can quit. All I know is anybody willing to pay that much has a real problem that may cause him to rob and steal to support his habbit.

All I know is anybody willing to pay that much has a real problem that may cause him to rob and steal to support his habbit.

That's not a very nice thing to say about a couple of million Australians.

The price of cigarettes has been high and steadily increasing in Australia for decades. People budget for it. They smoke less. They give it up. They go without other indulgences - some go without necessities. Remember we also have excise on alcohol. Many more people spend $80+ per week on alcohol. $40 for a slab of beer. Cooking quality brandy is less than $20 for 700mls - all other spirits cost more. So a household buying a slab and a bottle of spirits for weekend entertaining and another slab for during the week is spending more than $100 weekly, more than that during celebration times.

You don't need to become a criminal to smoke and drink, you just need to watch your budget if your income is limited, and go without other things if you want to do that.

Originally Posted by adelady

You don't need to become a criminal to smoke and drink, you just need to watch your budget if your income is limited, and go without other things if you want to do that.

Their kids didn't really need to eat anyway.

Their kids didn't really need to eat anyway.

In fact, parents of young children are one of the groups now least likely to smoke in Australia.

Originally Posted by adelady

Their kids didn't really need to eat anyway.

In fact, parents of young children are one of the groups now least likely to smoke in Australia.

Nice

It takes 10 years for your lungs to clean themselves from this nasty habit. You rather sustain a nicotine habit than batteling cancer?
You are not weak like lance armstrong I suppose. No one can be weaker than him. I am sure cancer got to him because of his weakness in the first place.
Cancer tends to attack all dope fiends first. Not that I believe there is a correlation between cancer and Lance Armstrong.
That too is a hoax. Lance never had cancer, he was just american. Which on itself is a disease too.

Cancer tends to attack all dope fiends first.

Pernicious rubbish. Cancer has always been, and remains, primarily a disease of old age. Cancer in children and people under 50 is still uncommon. We hear about individual cases a lot - because it's a terrible tragedy when it happens - but it isn't really common at all.

It takes 10 years for your lungs to clean themselves from this nasty habit. You rather sustain a nicotine habit than battling cancer?

Even among smokers, lung cancer is not the leading cause of death.

estimate that there were 4.83 million premature deaths in the world attributable to smoking in the year 2000 and that cardiovascular diseases caused 1.69 million of these. Almost one million deaths were attributable to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 0.85 million to lung cancer.

from theheart.org: trusted cardiology news and opinions

Smokers are more likely to die prematurely of stroke or heart disease. It's only when you've added deaths from the lung diseases like COPD or lung cancer together that they exceed the cardiovascular disease deaths. I haven't looked at the details of this report (nor could I find it easily in the others I looked at) to distinguish other deaths. If someone dies at 85+ years old from a smoking related illness, do you attribute that to a problem with smoking or within the normal range for age related death? I'm sure I've seen material on this in the past, but I don't have any references saved.

My father died of lung cancer at age 83. He was a life long smoker. His brother, who never smoked, died of old age at 95.

The average age of death of life long smokers is roughly ten years earlier than non smokers.

Originally Posted by Steve555

It takes 10 years for your lungs to clean themselves from this nasty habit. You rather sustain a nicotine habit than battling cancer?
You are not weak like lance Armstrong I suppose. No one can be weaker than him. I am sure cancer got to him because of his weakness in the first place.
Cancer tends to attack all dope fiends first. Not that I believe there is a correlation between cancer and Lance Armstrong.
That too is a hoax. Lance never had cancer, he was just American. Which on itself is a disease too.

So where are you from that gives you the right to talk like that? As far as I know most countries have had cheating athletes. And most Americans are not very happy with Armstrong. I personally feel sick thinking about Armstrong's betrayal of his country. As an athlete competing internationally he was representing The U.S. and he cheated.

Originally Posted by Steve555

It takes 10 years for your lungs to clean themselves from this nasty habit. You rather sustain a nicotine habit than battling cancer?
You are not weak like lance Armstrong I suppose. No one can be weaker than him. I am sure cancer got to him because of his weakness in the first place.
Cancer tends to attack all dope fiends first. Not that I believe there is a correlation between cancer and Lance Armstrong.That too is a hoax. Lance never had cancer, he was just American. Which on itself is a disease too.

(bold and capital added)

Based upon your comments above and looking at your profile, I see a pink/ red moon (pretty), a Hammer and Sickle, sweet, the red star of Communism, nice So what does that all mean? that you live in one of the related past communist countries? that you admire the symbolism of it all? that you simply love the idealism of communism? that you love to create controversy? that you like to insult groups which include yourself? that you like to insult groups that do not include yourself? that you are French and don't like that Lance cheated to win the Tour de France? that you were once a cyclist and Lance cheated to beat you? that the pink moon symbolism on your profile is gleefully salacious in nature? that you love authoritarianism and hate drug addicts and cyclists? and If not any of these then what? With a name like Steve I would doubt that you are North Korean.

Originally Posted by Steve555

It takes 10 years for your lungs to clean themselves from this nasty habit. You rather sustain a nicotine habit than batteling cancer?
You are not weak like lance armstrong I suppose. No one can be weaker than him. I am sure cancer got to him because of his weakness in the first place.
Cancer tends to attack all dope fiends first. Not that I believe there is a correlation between cancer and Lance Armstrong.
That too is a hoax. Lance never had cancer, he was just american. Which on itself is a disease too.

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Cheers Guys for your support and advice, I'm over the grumpy stage, still eating tons though. It's not to bad now I've stopped thinking about cigarettes. You can't smoke in the pub anymore which also helped greatly. Don't now whether or by how much it will put by on my life by quitting. I think I saw somewhere if you stop before 40 smoking only takes one year off your lifespan not the full ten that is thought average for a lifetime smoker.

Originally Posted by Chrisgorlitz

Cheers Guys for your support and advice, I'm over the grumpy stage, still eating tons though. It's not to bad now I've stopped thinking about cigarettes. You can't smoke in the pub anymore which also helped greatly. Don't now whether or by how much it will put by on my life by quitting. I think I saw somewhere if you stop before 40 smoking only takes one year off your lifespan not the full ten that is thought average for a lifetime smoker.

Don't let your guard down. You will run into triggers that will bring on surprisingly strong cravings from time to time maybe up to a year or more. While living longer is a good goal to have, it's really the quality of life you have left that counts the most. Many smokers seem to prolong their less than quality life for many years. Also, get the munchies under control or you will be tempted to start smoking again so you can lose the weight. But that won't turn out well either, you'll just become a sorry ass fat smoker. (Hope you are LOL)

Originally Posted by Chrisgorlitz

I think I saw somewhere if you stop before 40 smoking only takes one year off your lifespan not the full ten that is thought average for a lifetime smoker.

I can confirm that.

A recent study reported that, if you quit before 30, then your life span will be unaffected. If you quit before 40, you lose just one year. If you are a life long smoker, you lose 10 years. These are averages, of course, and individual cases may be a bit different.

Originally Posted by skeptic

Originally Posted by Chrisgorlitz

I think I saw somewhere if you stop before 40 smoking only takes one year off your lifespan not the full ten that is thought average for a lifetime smoker.

I can confirm that.

A recent study reported that, if you quit before 30, then your life span will be unaffected. If you quit before 40, you lose just one year. If you are a life long smoker, you lose 10 years. These are averages, of course, and individual cases may be a bit different.

Cheers skeptic, makes me feel a bit better. I think I can live with a year or without as the case may be.

Chris, you are brave. You have my whole-hearted support. From Desiderata:

Many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Smoking is the only habit that kills one-third of its practitioners.

Try sugar-free lollipops, or something similar to replace that hand-to-mouth habit and taste satisfaction.

One solution for the nation: Pick a year, such as 2012. Adults (>18yo) in 2012 were born in 1994 or earlier. So then, make a law that says that no one born after 1994 can buy or smoke cigarettes — period. They're not supposed to be smoking before they're 18, so anyone born after 1994 won't know what they're missing (theoretically). In that way, the tobacco companies (and their employees) can slowly and predictably shut down their tobacco operations or switch over to growing non-tobacco crops, so that the people and communities supported by the tobacco industry can safely transition to growing something else. By 2094, only people 100yo and older will be smoking. Ha! That means that after 82 years, America will be practically nicotine-free. It is less controversial than putting a so-called "sin tax" on tobacco, and it theoretically doesn't hurt anyone or "take anything" from anyone.

Originally Posted by Chrisgorlitz

Originally Posted by skeptic

Originally Posted by Chrisgorlitz

I think I saw somewhere if you stop before 40 smoking only takes one year off your lifespan not the full ten that is thought average for a lifetime smoker.

I can confirm that.

A recent study reported that, if you quit before 30, then your life span will be unaffected. If you quit before 40, you lose just one year. If you are a life long smoker, you lose 10 years. These are averages, of course, and individual cases may be a bit different.

Cheers skeptic, makes me feel a bit better. I think I can live with a year or without as the case may be.

You may want to also consider the people around you, particularly children.

Sorry for being a party pooper

Originally Posted by johnha

You may want to also consider the people around you, particularly children.

Sorry for being a party pooper

Hey thanks for the thought but really there isn't/wasn't much to consider since it's not legal to smoke anywhere indoors that is not a designated smoking area of which only other smokers would be there, so always smoked outside at work anyway. When I am at home I only ever smoked at the bar area (it's my normal place to chill out with a drink and game of pool) of my garage anyway, so the only person ever being harmed was me. No I think other people and children have far more dangers to worry about than odinary people having cigarettes outside or in their garages. I think the pollution caused by cars and factories is probarbly far more hazardous to health, so perhaps my efforts would be better employed working on a way we could reduce pollution maybe.

I never said smokers died predominantly from pulmonary related disease. I only said it takes 10 years in order for your lungs to be so clean it levels the risk of cancer to someone who never smoked at all. Smoking does not really encourage the body to fight cancer. Contrary to populair believe, cancer can not be battled, by conviction and determination.
Ask Lance Armstrong. It can only be overcome with drugs, and radiation, and lots of it. Perhaps eating 10 pieces of garlic a day for 4 months will do so, but that stinks even more than Armstrong does now.

Originally Posted by webmaster

Hello,
I start smoking at age of 18 and stop at 20. When i quite then i realize that i have waste so many money on cigarette.

You smoked for 2 years. My grandmother smoked for 62. Imagine how much money SHE wasted.

Well I started at 14, but did quit for a couple of years about 11 years ago, started again unfortunately after that couple of years of quitting. Right now though just stopping is making me feel more healthy and saving me about £80 a week so it's all good.

I quit in my 20's.

After several failed tries, the key to success for me was exercise.

Regular resistance exercise was the most helpful, although I did not do heavy weights.

I think all the different components of exercise are important, especially strength work and stretching.

Stretching, especially seems to be a stress reliever. I am certain that stretching helps with weight loss, and I would not be surprised if it helps with other addictions.

Often when I see a very fit person, I see someone who has incorporated stretching as a regular part of their lives including yoga, pilates, or martial arts.

Also, I don't think I have ever met a smoker who is a regular practitioner of one of these disciplines.

Of course any exercise program should be appropriate for a person's health, and a doctor's approval should be sought for anyone with health issues.