It's Time........to be a quitter.

Doc Bernard

Doc Bernard

Indie Arms Member
I just cannot do it anymore...........

So, in 2 weeks time, I am quitting. Smoking, that is. I have tried 2-3 times over the past 15 years.

Any help, especially from those who have quit or are in the process? How did you do it? And PLEASE.......no "I just quit cold turkey, just decided to not smoke anymore" stories. that method doesn't work for me.

I am doing it for 3 reasons:
1. Health
2. Financial: 1 pack/day= 6.00 Times 365 is over $2,000 a year. I will divert the money into a savings account.
3. Psychological: I hate being addicted to something.
 
Go for it Doc.
you have everything to gain.
I can say without a doubt that the psychological aspect is the key. I found that every single hour/day I went without one gave me a sense of pride. Conversely, I felt like I would throw all that gained ground away if I snuck just one. I also came to realize all those auto-response trigger mechanisms I developed like hand on the car door, hand on a beer, dish in the sink or cup of coffee, etc, even when I didn't especially want one, it was just automatic. I figured out that if I distract myself when those impulse thoughts pop up, they go away in a minute or two and I'm sort of ok. I chewed a lot of toothpicks and a lot of gum. It also helps if you don't hang out with other smokers for a while. Don't exactly know how that translates into cutting back (had to do it cold turkey) but after 4 or 5 failed attempts I finally figured out that I needed to fight those impulses and it finally worked. It just got easier and easier. Been 17 years now. Go for it.
 
Hey there,

I don't post here much, but I read EVERY DAY to stay educated. I respect the work that many of you do. Doc, you've repeatedly inspired me with your prose regarding your experiences in providing props and services to productions needing cool things like weapons and effects / stunt work. Thank you for your help in my education.

I hope I can return just a small bit of the debt I owe learning from you, by sharing a story of my final successful attempt to quit smoking:

I quit smoking 13 years ago. How'd I do it? After many failed attempts, it was simple;

1. I cheated. I smoked a lot of pot (in lieu of the cigarette). I realize most people don't have this luxury.

2. I chewed a lot of gum.

3. I took several deep and slow breaths when time I craved a cigarette (when I remembered to).

I had originally deleted this next one and was about to post when I reconsidered (I didn't want to come across as arrogant). After thinking, I realize this might be beneficial after all: this is what has kept me smoke free:

4. I CAN NEVER HAVE "JUST ONE"! EVER! I've been tempted a few times over the last 13 years, but I just realized what had happened with my prior failed attempts. It always started with "well, just this time...".. I can never have "just one". Never again.

Good luck to you man.

Dillon
 
Hey Doc, good luck. I smoked for about 10 years, from a half pack a day up to 2 packs a day. i just quit about a month and a half ago, cold turkey. I was about to turn 30 and figured - it's now or never.

Here's what helped me get through the first two weeks:

I didn't change my routine. When I was smoking, my mornings went like this:
Wake up, pour a cup of coffee, take the dog out, smoke a cig, second cup of coffee, second cig, shower then work.

Now it's:
Pour the coffee, take the dog out, read the paper, second cup of coffee, check email, shower and off to work.

Every time I tried to quit before I also tried to avoid the things I associated with smoking, like coffee, sitting on the back deck in the morning, etc... That threw my whole routine out of whack and I didn't know what to do with myself. So I just replaced the smoking with another activity - everything else remained the same. That helped me psychologically.

I told my wife I was quitting and asked her to keep me on track. If I thought about buying smokes, I'd call her and she'd talk me out of it. Find someone to keep you focused and hold you accountable.

If I smelled smoke, I wanted to smoke. Wait until all the nicotine is out of your system before you put yourself around it again. A week should be enough.

If you don't work out, start to. Every time you want to smoke, do some pushups or crunches or squats or run around the block. You'll get a rush of endorphins and it should help keep the cravings at bay. If you already work out, keep at it.

Drink a ton of water. I found that ice cold water helped suppress cravings. Plus it's good for you.

Eat healthier. For me, cigs and fried food go together like peanut butter and jelly, so I switched to fresh veggies and leaner meats like chicken and fish. Your body is recovering from an addiction, so give it good fuel to rework itself and start healing.

Warn everyone you love that you're quitting, and watch your emotions. I was incredibly irritable for the first two weeks, had a lot of pent up energy. If you know you're about to be an ass, distance yourself until you cool down and you're in a better mood. It's just the nicotine, it'll pass.

It's been about 5 weeks and I honestly don't really miss it. I still love the smell of cigarette smoke, but I don't have the urge to smoke. And like Dillon said, I know that I can never have "just one" again. I enjoy it way too much, and I know that. So I have to be done for life.

Good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.

Michael
 
Never smoked, but I do know that it can be very helpful to focus on what you want as opposed to what you don't want. Start calling yourself a non-smoker or a smoke-free person, both in your head and out loud. Put up pictures of what being smoke free will do for you, what you will get by quitting. Are there other people who want you to quit? Have them write down why and read it every day. Write your reasons down too. Remind yourself of why you are doing something often enough and the how usually comes together. Focus on that as ooposed to what you are losing.

And reward yourself as often as you need to to reinforce the behavior (Maybe a new toy after being free of smoking for a month...or a day...whatever works)

It's a good thing you're doing. :thumbsup:
 
I found chewing nicotine gum to be a good interim step between smoking and being nicotine-free. Then, when I prepared to stop chewing the gum, I began going to acupuncture sessions. I continued with acupuncture until I had been nicotine-free for two months. Have a time line and don't deviate from it.

The cravings come and go. And come and go. Until they stop. And they will stop (!). The key to surviving the cravings is relaxation. Only you know what will relax you the most. Maybe it's a glass of water. Maybe it's deep breathing. Perhaps it's a shower. Or music. Lollipop. Jumping jacks. Belting out Summer Wind with Frank Sinatra. Whatever it is, that's what you need to use to survive those minutes. If one doesn't work, use another.
 
He who doth not smoke hath either known no great griefs, or refuseth himself the softest consolation, next to that which comes from heaven. ~Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, What Will He Do With It?
Click to expand...

Good food, good sex, good digestion, good sleep: to these basic animal pleasures, man has added nothing but the good cigarette.
kellner2.gif


my ct2

But if you really feel like quitting Doc, may it be crowned with success.

Frank
 
Good luck with that. I good friend of mine just had a stroke and they blamed it on smoking. She is in her 40s and pretty healthy except for that and she developed asthma also from smoking.
 
<~~~~~my photo wont help, but i wish you all the best...cuz you know, i'm only a few miles south, and if i smell smoke from the north, i'ma open a can of whoopass!
 
Oh by the way,

working on a construction site, in a metal shop (welding), in a kitchen (frying pan), standing on a BBQ grill or even just driving in your car get´s you a much higher dose of all that toxic stuff than sitting in a smokers bar the whole night.

So it´s time to make that change. Quit BBQ, sell your car (no wait, that´s bad for the buyer - better trash it - no wait, thats bad for the guys working there), stop making fries and steaks in your kitchen, and quit your job.

...



...you guys get the idea? Quitting smoking for health reasons, but breathing the same stuff every day in higher doses somewhere else makes no sense.

If you quit because you don´t like the taste or the smell or want to save the money, that´s a good reason.


Frank
 
Doc Bernard said:
I just cannot do it anymore...........

So, in 2 weeks time, I am quitting. Smoking, that is. I have tried 2-3 times over the past 15 years.

Any help, especially from those who have quit or are in the process? How did you do it? And PLEASE.......no "I just quit cold turkey, just decided to not smoke anymore" stories. that method doesn't work for me.

I am doing it for 3 reasons:
1. Health
2. Financial: 1 pack/day= 6.00 Times 365 is over $2,000 a year. I will divert the money into a savings account.
3. Psychological: I hate being addicted to something.
Click to expand...

The third one was my main reason , not health or money.
Focussed on this one and before you know it 6 months passed before I had one again.
That's why I dont have a tatoo and dont wear jewellery either, wedding ring not included.
I dont like to be defined by something especially something like smoking.
I can lite one up now whenever I feel like it and the second one maybe after 6 months or a year even maybe never again.


Ofcourse the final goal was to stay healthy and smell clean .:laugh:
 
Quit cold turkey after 7 years of a pack a day. It was the night before christmas and I just felt a psychological strength to do it. Looking back at it, it was all psychological for me.

My way to quit was to talk myself into hating cigs. I tied cigs to all of the negative things I could think of. It was just my time I think. I wish you success Doc. Keep at it!
 
I quit back in '96.

This will sound kinda gross but, download the nastiest picture of a lung removed from a cancer patient and make it your wallpaper. Seeing that everyday will make you not want one of those inside you.

Get an accountability partner too. One that will make you feel shame when you're forced to admit cheating when they ask.

Good luck!
 
Better yet, visit the Body Worlds exhibit and check out "The Smoker -" guy standing there with his chest flayed open and his lungs visible, so you can see how totally gray and black and hardened and tumor-ridden they are, from smoking (and he's standing there casually holding a cigarette - the taxidermists had a sense of humor...)

normal_smoker.jpg
 
I quit nearly 20 years ago... Then started back about 4 years ago and quit again 2 years ago.

Here's the deal. You may not like "cold turkey" but that is the ONLY way to actually quit.

If you keep telling yourself "I can't go cold turkey" then you WON'T quit.

Tips: Buy one pack... tell yourself "This is my last pack." Tell EVERYONE you know "This is my last pack."
Then when that pack is gone be sure to tell everyone "I quit".. Not "I'm trying to quit" Or "I'm cutting back" because BOTH of those statements give you the excuse to start again!
The more you tell others and yourself that you actually don't smoke and that you quit the easier it becomes, and the more you believe that you actually did quit. Plus, you told everyone you quit.. How is that going to look if you start back? Like you lied.
You can do it.
 
Meditate on this - might not help but it sure couldn't hurt...

Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other toxins. These include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT. Nicotine is highly addictive. Smoke containing nicotine is inhaled into the lungs, and the nicotine reaches your brain in just six seconds.

Nicotine in small doses acts as a stimulant to the brain. In large doses, it's a depressant, inhibiting the flow of signals between nerve cells. In even larger doses, it's a lethal poison, affecting the heart, blood vessels, and hormones. Nicotine in the bloodstream acts to make the smoker feel calm.

As a cigarette is smoked, the amount of tar inhaled into the lungs increases, and the last puff contains more than twice as much tar as the first puff. Carbon monoxide makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Tar is a mixture of substances that together form a sticky mass in the lungs.

Most of the chemicals inhaled in cigarette smoke stay in the lungs. The more you inhale, the better it feels—and the greater the damage to your lungs.
 
You might look at Swedish snus (not the American snus) and once you've broken the actual smoking habit transition to the patch and ease off all completely. 60 minutes discussed snus recently (it is supposedly very different than dip and doesn't have the same kind of oral cancer rates). I don't have any real insight just seemed like it might be better than some of the alternatives. Good luck.
 
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