WARNING, WORDS. CLICK HERE TO GO BACK

so i always said i'd quit before i got married, had a kid, or turned 30.

never tried to quit before. have finally decided that its time to do this. i know there have been other threads and all, but i think a lot of it is DNL attempting to quit again and again and people talking shit and blah blah blah. i want to sort through a new thread

so i know that the best thing to do for most people is to go into this with a plan. set a date, have a support system, all that crap.

has anyone tried any [non nicotine] drugs, like the zyban, etc? does insurance cover that, is there a generic, does the generic work? habit forming? crazy side effects?

basically any information and tips would be cool. i'm thinking about looking at different stuff and speaking with a doctor sometime in the next week about the alternatives. i'm not so concerned about the willpower (although tips to keep it off your mind, and to ease the mouth/hand fixation thing would be cool)

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really, the only thing i know is that when i'm eating peanuts and watching tv i don't think about going to smoke. so its like the peanuts might work with the mouth/hand thing. but im also not trying to put on 20 pounds either. i don't think i'll have any problem with the willpower part outside of breaking the routines. i'm more concerned with the physical addiction.

i was gonna put this in the lounge, but i know i'll get trolled like hell no matter where i put it and nothing will happen to the people who ruin it, so fuck it. i'll put it here so more people will participate, and i will ask that you shut the fuck up if you dont have anything topic related to say. if you guys are nice, i won't turn tww into a blog about quitting smoking.

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[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 12:51 AM. Reason : lots of ways out]

1/31/2008 12:46:25 AM

also, has anyone ever tried using a calendar to smoke one or 2 less per day, and then get down to a little bit and THEN quit once you get used to smoking less. that sounds like a reasonable one

1/31/2008 12:50:31 AM

1/31/2008 12:54:14 AM

Had a collegue do these smokeless cigs (it is actually a device that was made of plastic). Basically you inhaled small doses of nicotine that could be decreased over a period of time.


He went from smoking a lot to not smoking at all fairly quickly


[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 1:04 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2008 1:03:28 AM

i know it's cliche, but it's still worth saying imo. the biggest hurdle is actually really not wanting to smoke anymore. if you don't have that and still actually like smoking, it's going to be a long uphill battle.

my experience is pretty out of the norm i think with it being so easy, but i'll share anyway. i tried quitting a few times with several different conventional methods. i knew i should stop, and i liked the idea of stopping, but i never really had a strong desire to stop. below the surface, i still enjoyed it. when i finally truly wanted to quit, the rest was cake. i went cold turkey for about 2-3 weeks, and that was it. i had some minor cravings the first week, but since i no longer enjoyed smoking they were easy to ignore. if i got a desire for the oral fixation thing, i'd grab a toothpick, popsicle, or just a piece of ice.

it's been about 4-5 years and i haven't had any relapse. i do still have one every once in a while if i go out (like 3-4 a month, usually not even that). i don't even think about them any other time.

^that worked really well for a friend of mine also when he had to quit before his kid was born. he went from 1.5-2 packs a day to nothing in only 2 weeks or so. he obviously had some extra motivation though.



[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 1:06 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2008 1:04:37 AM

10/10 for presentation

N/A for content

1/31/2008 1:10:15 AM

Quote :

"Had a collegue do these smokeless cigs (it is actually a device that was made of plastic). Basically you inhaled small doses of nicotine that could be decreased over a period of time."

any idea what they were called? or if not, and you still see him, i'd appreciate it if you tried to remember to ask (hahah i know its a lot to ask to get a question asked for a random person, but it would be nice!). i wanna know cause it sounds cool, plus i want to talk to the doc about any kind of devices or drugs. especially stuff that uses nicotine to cure nicotine. im curious how well those types of things work, like if its worth the money or if i might as well decrease my intake on my own over time

btw this goes to anyone who recommends an item. if you know the name that would really be cool to know. if not, i'll do what i can with th descriptions hhaaha

Quote :

"i know it's cliche, but it's still worth saying imo. the biggest hurdle is actually really not wanting to smoke anymore. if you don't have that and still actually like smoking, it's going to be a long uphill battle."

see, i know i CAN quit, and i definitely want to... and i definitely know what you mean about really not wanting to, and committing, and all that. i have no doubt that i am at that point -- i'm just concerned with actually having a plan and a backup plan, and options and stuff... because i know how well plans can work when breaking addictive habits. and i know how counterproductive it can be to just jump into it and go for it, no matter how good the intentions. if that makes sense.... i'd rather spend a week coming up with a plan than potentially struggling with it for days, than stopping and restarting and all that crap.

i do appreciate the advice from those who have responded so far. i want the first time to e the only time, so i wanna know all the stuff to expect and all the stuff people have gone through

anyone use that 1800 number they give out on the radio, the quitline?

Quote :

"10/10 for presentation N/A for content"

thank you, im gonna try to give lots of exit buttons in my threads from now on!

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 1:23 AM. Reason : various typos/add]

1/31/2008 1:21:18 AM

Hey, I just wanted to say that I think it's very good you want to talk to your doctor about options. Going at it alone isn't usually very easy, and knowing all the stuff out there to choose from can be pretty helpful.

Just wanted to wish you luck at kicking the habit. My mom's a smoker, and she keeps saying she "should" quit but doesn't really "want" to quit. It's not an easy thing to do.

1/31/2008 1:31:49 AM

I'm sort of in the process of quitting right now too.

I eat more. It sucks.

1/31/2008 1:34:29 AM

if you quit drugs, you can quit smoking too

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 1:46 AM. Reason : ..]

1/31/2008 1:42:59 AM

quitting cigs is actually easier than i thought it would be....this may sound dumb but the easiest way to quit is to stop buying them

for real

1/31/2008 1:44:10 AM

^^^^^ I think it is just known as a nicotine inhaler (nicotrol is major producer)

It doesn't have nearly the nicotine a cig does (but it prevents withdrawls and hits your system quicker than a patch or gum). He really liked it because he could use it just like a cig when he wanted. In addition, he could go out for smoke breaks with other collegues still etc. I think it was covered by his insurance (I will ask when I see him).



[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 1:45 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2008 1:44:10 AM

also jackleg it only sucks REALLY bad for the first 5 days...days like 5-15 are kinda ok...days 15-30 are pretty much the same....plus since u dont like mary j wanna it should be easier....thats what always got me yearning a cig at first...

1/31/2008 1:49:18 AM

just get it in your head to quit

every human has some willpower, i smoked for years and quit all at once

no need to ween yourself off if you are really serious about it, imo

1/31/2008 1:50:26 AM

oh and one last thing jackleg


in my opinion, if you have 1 or 2 a week thats still considered quitting....1 or 2 a week aint shit....that saying "everything is ok in moderation" is true

1/31/2008 1:51:49 AM

Quote :

"quitting cigs is actually easier than i thought it would be....this may sound dumb but the easiest way to quit is to stop buying them"

But the asian at the convenience store is like a fucking drug dealer! Calls my name no matter where I am!

You want-a da menthols, ya?

1/31/2008 1:54:26 AM

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 2:03 AM. Reason : double]

1/31/2008 2:02:00 AM

Quote :

"if you quit drugs, you can quit smoking too"

haha thats why i know that i CAN, because i basically kicked the only addiction stronger than nicotine

but i'm using what i learned there in this, and thats why i'm doing the whole planning thing, and consulting the doctor, and all that. plus, i know i leaned a lot harder on cigs and caffeine when i first quit. i was a coffee fiend, and i quit cause i didn't want to be dead tired without it. so i leaned even harder on cigs

and now i smoke like a pack and a half a day, and that's almost 50% more than what i smoked before i 'leaned' on nicotine so hard. a year or 2 ago, i smoked a pack and maybe a few per day... and i'm definitely up. so yeah didnt list that one as a reason, but definitely another driving force behind my decision. thats a big increase for a short time

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 2:03 AM. Reason : double]

1/31/2008 2:02:29 AM

that's a lot of substances you went through

1/31/2008 2:04:15 AM

to all the people who say cold turkey, i just dont see very many examples of that working the first time and staying 'clean/nicotine free'. i actually know a little bit about the whole process of addiction and quitting, and even lead a little group like on saturday am (just for an hour or so, im no professional counselor or anything) of people who have just quit other things. like a relapse prevention thing.

but all the training i've had, and all the stuff i've read say that the relapse percentage in smokers who quit cold tukey is pretty damn close to 100%, where you actually stand a fighting chance if you go into it with some kind of plan (at least having a fallback and a friend to call or something like that). so thats why i'm looking at that. ppreciate the input and im not rejecting it, just know its not for me. thanks though

^not really

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 2:10 AM. Reason : its like im missing buttons on the keyboard!!1]

1/31/2008 2:09:18 AM

Quote :

"You want-a da menthols, ya?"

1/31/2008 2:09:58 AM

yo get that nicorette gum...skewfield gave me the king thats 4mg per piece....a camel menthol(my exregular cig) is 2mg or so....you can cut them up...anyways...they take away the urge...and they taste so bad it will make you quit quicker

1/31/2008 2:09:58 AM

yeah im definitely looking into the gum, thats one of the things i wanna ask the doctor... like from a purely chemical standpoint (meaning not the obvious benefits of no smoke, etc), why choose gum to gradually lower your dosage instead of just lowering it while still smoking... and work something else in once you get to that goal, move to the next step (whatever it is)

1/31/2008 2:12:40 AM

honestly i'm from the school of thought that i know myself more than some packages directions do...the nicorette shit is like saying take at least 9 pieces per day for the first like 50 days...fuck that...you'd have to rebuy the shit in a few days...heres what i'd do(at least looking at your situation, not what "i" did)...i'd get down to like 7 or 8 a day and chew maybe 5 or 6 pieces of gum...then after like 2 or 3 days graduatlly go down to like 3 or 4 cigs a day with like 5 or so pieces of gum...then like after a few more days go to like 1 or 2 cigs with like 3 or 4 pieces of gum...then finally just chew like 2 or 3 pieces of gum and have no cigs...then a few days later get to like no cigs and only chew a piece of gum like once every few days


i had like 7 cigarettes last saturday and didnt even have an urge sunday...havent had one since those 7...only had 7 cause i got really drunk...but seriously...one or 2 per week aint shit...before those 7 i hadnt had one in like 8 days...before that like 7 days

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 2:19 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2008 2:17:44 AM

1/31/2008 2:18:03 AM

1/31/2008 2:20:34 AM

Dude, I quit cold turkey 6-7 months ago. I think I was never truly addicted despite smoking a pack a day for 2-3 years prior. I suspected that much was true whenever I'd get sick with strep or whatever and just not smoke for 1-2 weeks until I got better. That shit affects different people in different ways..

I literally just.. quit.. smoking..


No relapse.. no bullshit..

1/31/2008 2:23:03 AM

Quote :

"the biggest hurdle is actually really not wanting to smoke anymore."

true

that.

1/31/2008 2:26:31 AM

i love spending money on shit thats good like jeans and art

1/31/2008 2:27:56 AM

this thread makes me wanna smoke. it's all the images of the cigs bein conjured up...

1/31/2008 2:29:19 AM

When I quit, I just gradually smoked less over about a 2 week period until I was down to one a day for a week or so... then quit.

1/31/2008 4:17:37 AM

How is it that people still START smoking?

1/31/2008 4:20:55 AM

yeah if you quit doing drugs cigs are easy!!!!!!!!!11111111111111111

1/31/2008 4:32:57 AM

a simple plan is good, and maybe even a backup also. don't go to crazy with it though, or you'll be focusing on that more than the task at hand. also, your plans will not work perfect. once you get going, expect to do some adjusting,tweaking, or plain old tossing stuff out.

1/31/2008 5:13:44 AM

You're definitely gonna eat more, so you will gain some weight if you quit. If my dad quit (he went cold turkey) after being a 1-2pack smoker a day for about 25 years, anyone can quit. He actually flew to Germany, and was craving a cigarette so long, but realized it was the longest in years he's been without one so he just kept going. Never smoked since.

1/31/2008 7:01:19 AM

I smoked for almost six years and finally quit about 16 months ago. I was smoking a pack and a half when I quit cold turkey. Like the first guy said deep down you have to REALLY want to quit. I had "quit" a few times before but deep down I didn't care if I started smoking again. I had tried to gradually quit a few times and it didn't work for me. When I finally quit I just made sure I NEVER bought another pack. I also chewed gum and sunflower seeds for the first week and that made things better for me. After the first week or two you will still have cravings but they are small. I STILL get very small cravings now but it's not too hard to control them.

1/31/2008 9:17:35 AM

http://www.chantix.com

2 people I know have quit using this....they say it makes them sick to their stomach to even be around someone smoking so they have no urge at all to smoke.

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 9:22 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2008 9:22:23 AM

jackleg, if you wanna quit go buy some patches. u should be able to find generic ones for ~$25. gum doesn't work worth a shit (and tastes like shit), while the patch delivers a constant stream of sweet sweet nicotine it really takes the edge off and takes away about 90% of the cravings. combine that with even just a small amount of will power and you'll be straight. after a couple weeks/a month on the patch...u shouldn't want to put one in your mouth. just watch out for the drinking...the patch isn't nearly powerful enough to combat those cravings.

Quote :

"i don't think i'll have any problem with the willpower part outside of breaking the routines. i'm more concerned with the physical addiction."

if the physical/chemical addition is the issue, get the patch. oh and you're have some wacked out dreams too (bonus).

1/31/2008 9:29:58 AM

instead of nuts, go to sunflower seeds. stopped cold turkey after several years and only had sunflower seeds to stop the craving, been straight for years now with no regrets.

1/31/2008 9:37:40 AM

I'm on chantix now. I've gone through the patches twice before and started again, so hopefully this works better.

I don't have any of the side effects (upset stomach, suicide), and it's working great. Been about a month for me.

1/31/2008 9:45:12 AM

I didn't actually read the majority of the thread, but I did want to say I know 5 people that have quit using Chantix and they all swear it's a miracle drug. The only thing they say that's "wrong" with it is you really have to want to quit. If you get it set in your mind that you want to quit, Chantix WILL help you get over the physical addiction, no problem, they all just say that it's the mental addiction that might cause problems if you're not truly willing to quit.

1/31/2008 9:49:31 AM

Quote :

"Dude, I quit cold turkey 6-7 months ago. I think I was never truly addicted despite smoking a pack a day for 2-3 years prior. I suspected that much was true whenever I'd get sick with strep or whatever and just not smoke for 1-2 weeks until I got better. That shit affects different people in different ways.. I literally just.. quit.. smoking.. No relapse.. no bullshit.."

see, i'm 29 and i've been smoking constantly since like 9th grade. i smoked in middle school too, but not like totally. when i say constantly i mean i've smoked at least a cigarette per day

and thats been for over half my life now. so i pretty much know smoking more than i don't know smoking. even when i've had bronchitis and shit, i still smoked. a couple weeks ago i was sick and it hurt like hell to smoke, but i still did it. so i think i'm gonna have a lot more of an issue than the average person who smoked in college and quit afterwards, etc.

but anyways i do appreciate all the names of stuff, and i've got them written down. as luck would have it, i got my appointment today with the doctor and he can help me make some of the decisions as to how, and then i'll pick a when. it really might not be hard at all (physically or mentally), i mean i have never tried to quit before. ever. not even a half assed new years thing that i broke 30 minutes later... so i have no idea what to expect. i bet its nothing, and the person who cited similarities between nicotine and heroin addiction never saw a smoker wheeled into a treatment center strapped to a hand truck, throwing up everywhere.

HA HA. thanks for all the info, i actually got a decent page of notes from this thread. and i wont let a couple bad apples spoil it for the rest of you..... as promised, everyone was nice, therefore there will be no blog

1/31/2008 10:54:12 AM

Quote :

"person who cited similarities between nicotine and heroin addiction"

I think they just say that to make smokers feel better when they fail... I highly doubt it's even comparable and doubt you'll have much of a problem doing it given the drug background you have and your ability to end those habits

1/31/2008 10:56:26 AM

theres a reason any 'expert' will tell you that cigarettes are THE hardest addictive drug to quit

and it has nothing to do with the previous heroin comment which i hadnt read before i posted this

[Edited on January 31, 2008 at 10:57 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2008 10:56:45 AM

yeah they must say it just to make people feel better, they've got to. cause i've never seen anyone quit smoking and get violently ill. i've seen it with people quitting other things. but, still, i know its gotta suck at least somewhat. and i dont want to have mood swings and be mean to people who dont deserve it and all that other crap either. there are lots of factors to consider. haha

1/31/2008 11:00:04 AM

if you want to quit you just gotta have the willpower. there isnt any special drug or special trick, you've got to be disciplined, I tried to quit several times but I didnt do it successfully until I decided it makes you are a weak person if you let some thing control you like nicotine does. be a man, quit.

as a side note, the gum does help

1/31/2008 11:03:29 AM

good luck with everything mr. leg.

i think im "addicted" to some of the medicines I take, cause if I go w/o them I am totally nonfunctional.

i can second the praise for chantrix. a friend of mine is using it and its helping him out a lot

1/31/2008 11:03:42 AM

hahahha i love all the people who are like "be a man, just quit" (not just here, you actually find this a lot in real life more than here). when in reality its something like "since we are merely men, it isn't as easy as 'just quitting'".

do you think maybe going to a nascar race will help me quit? new plan, i need to work on my being a man before i go talk to this doctor

ahahahaha sorry i dont mean to direct it at you dude, ive just heard so many people say that, when i've read so many articles from scientists about breaking addictions and the different problems, and i havent seen one yet that has found a correlation between amount of chest hair and ability to quit

and, joe, is xanax one of the ones you can't go without taking?

1/31/2008 11:13:30 AM

prozac and zolpidem/temazepam mostly. while i would say xanax, lately i use it now only for the times when i really need it, maybe once every two weeks when i can't for the life of me calm down and get my heart to stop racing. ive been working with a therapist and trying different things to naturally help me calm down.

1/31/2008 12:48:32 PM

PREPARE TO GET FATTER jackleg

your metabolism will go down and you will also snack more

1/31/2008 1:08:22 PM