trying to quit...

[ryno525]

Some good advice here. I quit smoking after 14 years. It was not easy and required me to get a prescription for Zyban to finally kick it. Zyban is the shit for quitting smoking. It is a brand name of Wellbutrin, which almost any Dr. would be happy to prescribe for quitting smoking. It took about 3 weeks, but after taking it as prescribed..I had no craving or withdrawal symptoms. Good stuff.

[Neu.Macht]

A guy i work with who had smoked for 20 years started taking Chantix 4 months ago he says that he does even want a cigarette anymore.

I personally will smoke until I die.
I smoke approximately 20 cigarettes daily.
Positive effects:
-I focus, and work better.
-I have improved reaction time, and improved memory.
-I do not feel the need to eat between meals.
-I spend less time on my breaks than non-smokers.
-I have developed higher tolerance for extreme climates.
Neutral effects:
-I can still run faster and longer, than the majority of non-smokers.
-I do not have difficulty breathing.
-I have very little body fat.
Negative effects:
-People dislike the way i smell.
-I spend time outside.
-I have to listen to other people's "advice".

[creepster]

A guy i work with who had smoked for 20 years started taking Chantix 4 months ago he says that he does even want a cigarette anymore.

I personally will smoke until I die.
I smoke approximately 20 cigarettes daily.
Positive effects:
[...]
-I have developed higher tolerance for extreme climates.
[...]
Negative effects:
[...]
-I have to listen to other people's "advice".

the first one made me laugh looking outside with all the sudden snow
mind you we do not get it as bad as manitoba or the east coast, so compared to them it is pretty "mild" here

btw the time of breaks non-smokers take is maybe longer compared from person to person and how much they want to take advantage of a system
i used to work in a paper factory on odd times and never took a break in between regular common breaks, but that's just me
however the smokers had the right of 5 minutes for a cigarette every hour plus bathroom breaks (naturally), and i just never took an advantage of skipping out 5 minutes per hour

may i give you some advice: do not generalize and throw all people into one box q;
(which is also something general [giving advice that is]; even if you are non-smoker you'll still get an ear chewed off listening to advice regarding clothes, laundry detergents, best way to keep your leftovers, sanitizing the bathroom as a means to avoid germs and finding the best deals on winter tires)

[Shirow]

I drink 12 beers a day. Positive effects: I am thin (throw up all my food), nothing bothers me (I'm always wasted) and I never have to drive anywhere!

[faelaenx]

thank everyone that has been giving me advice, its day 3 sans nicotine, and I am feeling a bit better just passed my PT (physical training) test with a 265 (35 pts from being perfect) and I am seeing a difference already. my run time was 1615 for 2 miles with it usually being 12-20 seconds higher. TY all, now all I have to do is fight off the hand/mouth cravings and I will be good for good.

Here's to hoping you are staying on task for yourself. Figured i'd throw in my own couple of cents...

i smoked regularly (1/2 - 1 pack menthols a day) for about 10 years. Back in '06 when i got laid off for the first time i decided to cut some expenses and perhaps more importantly try to work on myself to be more 'marketable' since my divorce. But i digress. i quit cold turkey and started running again. It sucked a lot but i love running and it's bio-neural effects are also good for man-handling depression into some manageable recesses. i've slipped over the years here and there but usually only for maybe up to a week and under great amounts of stress. My biggest hurdle is that when i am very intoxicated and around others that are smoking i will still occasionally indulge in one or two. And let me tell you i feel it the next day. But then i tend toward self punishment as a driving force. i've read that the craving never actually goes 100% away for your whole life.

i used to stress about smoking, then not smoking. i've been radically for and opposed at times. Now i just don't care. It doesn't bother me that some places are totally smoke free nor that if i want to go to a bar or club i'd better be prepared to suck down some second hand. And if i have one or two here or there, i don't beat myself up about it anymore. After all the stress of worrying over it is itself as damaging to your body in other ways. And as much as i'd like to, i know i'm not going to live forever.

Also i just want to say, i don't know how you military types do it. i've known a few people in the services over the years that smoke regularly and you still manage to perform your PT within parameters? Like i said, i have even one and i feel it the next run. But then i guess if your body is conditioned to it, you get used to it.

And if you need the ultimate psyche-up for quitting just think of the prices now. i've heard they are $9 a pack in NY and where i live, near Detroit, they are almost $7.

Lastly and most importantly, thank you for your service. Stay safe.

[RetroAA]

Read Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking.
http://www.allencarr.com/central/

And before everyone starts with all the nay-saying about how can a book stop you smoking, well, I personally know 3 people that stopped smoking after reading the book (make that 4, myself included). Quite simply it deals with the psychological side of smoking.

Plus you can pick a copy up off amazon for like a fiver(GBP), which isn't very much at all.

[Neu.Macht]

It is my belief that smoking has become the new social evil, why drinking alcohol isn't i couldn't tell you.
Any way do what ever makes you happy, and keep an open mind as to what makes others happy.

[Shirow]

Drinking isn't, in and of itself, directly offensive to non drinking people around you.

[Lexus]

Drinking isn't, in and of itself, directly offensive to non drinking people around you.

Depends on how much they drink. Agreed, takes a bit longer but once someone is wasted enough, he offends me in much worser way then a smoker. Though yes, youre right, the act of drinking itself doesnt offend anyone.


anyways, yay for smokers as I just realized that their shorter lifespan saves me a lot of money in the long run. Also yay for them as smoking is where most of the tax money comes from. Ill be damned if everyone stops smoking as it would mean that the several billion euro budget hole suddenly needs to be filled through other means. Likely increasing the tax I got to pay already.

[Shirow]

Yeah, I'm not really putting an argument forward. Just saying if I had to sit next to someone, I'd rather they were drinking a beer than smoking a cigarette.

[creepster]

just to share how difficult it can be to quit something (i know some might have read the story already ... suck it up):

starting with my first job i became a heavy coffee drinker just because there was constantly a pot brewed and available
it was so bad that in the course of a day i'd be finishing 5 pots until i thought i should cut back and sort of quit cold turkey (not cold cold but at least cutting back to 2 cups a day)

i was suffering enormous headaches i couldnt put my finger on until swampy (god bless him) pointed out that it is caffeine withdrawals
still need that one mug in the morning to function best, but not back to drinking that much coffee
so i understand if smokers are not able to quit cold turkey and rather cut back consume ... or even not quit at all if it does not bother their overall performance

because there's always worse things you could be addicted to instead of a cigarette (or maybe im less stringent just because i dont mind the smoke at all even being a non-smoker)

[Plutoris1447]

Actually this topic is interesting to read. I don't smoke but I think it's helpful to get to know what my brother is going through with this type of habbit.

[mnemon]

Drinking isn't, in and of itself, directly offensive to non drinking people around you.

Depends on how much they drink. Agreed, takes a bit longer but once someone is wasted enough, he offends me in much worser way then a smoker. Though yes, youre right, the act of drinking itself doesnt offend anyone.


anyways, yay for smokers as I just realized that their shorter lifespan saves me a lot of money in the long run. Also yay for them as smoking is where most of the tax money comes from. Ill be damned if everyone stops smoking as it would mean that the several billion euro budget hole suddenly needs to be filled through other means. Likely increasing the tax I got to pay already.

http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/157-year-old-woman-discovered-alive-by-indonesian-census-takers-2010067/  It seems to me that the long term effects of smoking can be debated ;)

[Drewthetexan]

I actually stopped smoking again, for the um-teenth time in 11 years, a few months ago. I had gotten to the point that my lungs felt like they had been through a cheese grater all the time, so it was an easy decision.

I feel better, and react to cigarette smoke now. Like allergies, but stronger.

My sense of smell also came back! For the first time since I can remember, I could smell all the bluebonnets this spring while driving on the highways. [A true DG aside: The highways in Central Texas are seeded with bluebonnets and other wildflowers. In the spring, they stop mowing the grass and let the wildflowers grow - bluebonnets, indian paintbrushes - and the highways look amazing.]

http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/157-year-old-woman-discovered-alive-by-indonesian-census-takers-2010067/  It seems to me that the long term effects of smoking can be debated ;)

Cloves are nasty and I'm pretty sure they are not any better for you than regular cigarettes. I'd be curious about how many a day she smokes.

[Shirow]

Well, even if she smoked 100.. there is always an outlier. Compare the number of long lived people to the people who get lung cancer that smoke vs those who don't and I think the numbers are pretty clear.

In general, I think it's up to people what they want to do with their bodies though. I probably drink too much (high quality ;)) beer, but I like it.. so whatever.