Guest HariSampath Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 As a smoker of 25 years...I had been through it all...this is addressed to habitual smokers of LONG times..how the heck did you deal with it ? I mean, I have been there and done it, like all of you..started like everyone else, in the teens, and never had a reason to quit...honestly ( despite knowing it is harmful...I LOVED it). The times when one is stressed out...the times when one has had a great drink/meal, the times when we are confronted with a feeling of ennui, nothing to do, the times whe we just HAD to light up in order to stay calmed.....yes we know it is harmful, but however we argue it, we know that this damned thing was our ONLY solace during all those times....and then suddenly your wife/girlfirend/family....in collaboration with your doctor tell you that you cannot do this any more....I had an operation now, at 40, my left lung...and still, considering everything else, I damned near LOVE this thing..how to bid him a farewell...should we ?...WHY ? and most importanly HOW ?? ...and how is life without him ?? PLEASE help !!! :pray:
Dhondy Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 What op did you have? Isn't that enough of a motivation for you to quit? Have you tried Nicorette, Zyban or Champix?
Lurker Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 I personally desist smoking. Cant find one good reason to like it really. And of course hate the smokers breath. I did have a bit of coffee addiction. I would consume about 3-4 cups a day. But most of the time I would make a full cup and then leave it half way through. Apparently I didnt like coffee so much as I loved the sensation of a warm cup in my hand as I took a break from work. Realized then it was all mental. Now I sip a cup a day,if that. I suppose your problem, if thats the word, would again be mental. It is perhaps the escapism that it brings that atrracts you.
King Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 I've had my glory with smoking too but I was way too guilty every time I lit a smoke. I was so guilty I couldn't smoke in public places, couldn't smoke when people were around and used to throw away the burning cig if a neighbour caught me smoking. I liked to smoke but anything above 4 a day made me sick, literally. The throat used to itch a lot and invariably used to develop flum. I first stopped smoking at work (8-9 hours of no smoking ), slowly started to only smoke over the weekend (I used to smoke about 20 over the weekends :D ) and eventually stopped smoking over the weekends too. Cricket and gym were other two reasons I gave up smoking too. I knew I lasted in the ground or gym longer and fitter when I wasn't smoking. Now I have a cig occasionally but am quite sure it will take more than terrific effort to get hooked to smoking again.
Guest HariSampath Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 @..Lurks...you cant really have an experienced comment like "escapism" etc as you hadn't been a serious smoker..only those who have been there for years on end can give their honest experiences, and TRUST me, it ain't easy.... @ docs...it was a surgery caused by congestion of plural membrane, of the left lung....yeah I had tried everything like the patch, the gum, and all forms of sclaed down cartons....with very moderate success, but after a while it comes back, harmlessly "khane ke baad, peene ke baad"...and you know the rest. I have realised that it takes some doing...and it has to happen for the RIGHT reason ( not because health issues/websites/family tells you), but because you realise YOU don't need it..
Lurker Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 @..Lurks...you cant really have an experienced comment like "escapism" etc as you hadn't been a serious smoker..only those who have been there for years on end can give their honest experiences, and TRUST me, it ain't easy.... Fair enough Hari. Since I havent smoked anytime I cant say at all what drives one to smoke. The closest analogy that I could draw was my addiction to coffee and that was escapism for me. But of course it may not be the best analogy.
Ram Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 I dont smoke, but I can relate with the OP. I have had several of my friends, ex-roomies who are/were addicted to smoking. As is with any addiction, I suppose we need a lot of common sense/self-restraint to overcome it. As Ravi had pointed out, a gradual phase out plan works best. P.S - Not sure how useful the above post is, still..
Dhondy Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 I hate what smoking does to your teeth and your breath. Pretty superficial, I know, given that it facks up your lungs, heart, oesophagus, arteries, dick and bladder, but since people can't see their innards, you'd think at least their vanity would stop them from smoking.
Predator_05 Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 I hate what smoking does to your teeth and your breath. Pretty superficial' date=' I know, given that it facks up your dick .[/quote'] If that doesn't put you off smoking, nothing will.
Guest HariSampath Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 Almost all my friends of 20 years smoking who had quit said it was because they drastically cut down first..apparently the key thing was to scale it down from a "leisure/pleausre" to a rare necessity, like after a morning coffee and a lunch/dinner etc...and they all say it worked, because if you slowly get it to a point when smoking is just an absolute necessary 2-3/day, you have probably quit 90%, and it gets far easier from that point. Typically almost all my non smoking friend's advice over the years have been " you are never gonna quit if you talk about scaling down, just facking drop that sh1t, stamp it out and never do it, just listen to your Mom and girlfriend".....no , no....this advice had never got me anywhere ...and ex smokers will know why..
Guest dada_rocks Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 Here is novel idea (1) never took to smoking to start with:haha:
Ram Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 Almost all my friends of 20 years smoking who had quit said it was because they drastically cut down first..apparently the key thing was to scale it down from a "leisure/pleausre" to a rare necessity' date=' like after a morning coffee and a lunch/dinner etc...and they all say it worked, because if you slowly get it to a point when smoking is just an absolute necessary 2-3/day, you have probably quit 90%, and it gets far easier from that point. Typically almost all my non smoking friend's advice over the years have been[b'] " you are never gonna quit if you talk about scaling down, just facking drop that sh1t, stamp it out and never do it, just listen to your Mom and girlfriend".....no , no....this advice had never got me anywhere ...and ex smokers will know why.. True, Drastic measures NEVER work, be it work/life and more so with giving up addictions. I have heard of some herbal cigs, dunno how far it is true/useful.
CC1981 Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 Typically almost all my non smoking friend's advice over the years have been " you are never gonna quit if you talk about scaling down, just facking drop that sh1t, stamp it out and never do it, just listen to your Mom and girlfriend".....no , no....this advice had never got me anywhere ...and ex smokers will know why.. This may not work for you but it works for others- so don't go trashing a way just coz it doesn't work for you. I saw my grandfather- who used to smoke 30-40 cigs a day till his 55th birthday- cough up a speckle of blood with his phlegm one fine morning and go from 30-40 cigs to zero in the span of 5 minutes. He stuck with that for the last two decades of his life as well. And like you, i too asked him once how to quit smoking- his answer was pretty simple : ' You are a person with a brain, the cigarette is an object. Just the thought that you are slave to a mindless, textless,informationless object should tell you how pathetically weak you are being- there are plenty of better tunes to make you dance. If you wanna be an addict, atleast become addicted to some concept, person,idea etc. instead of an innanimate object.' Guess what ? that advice worked too. There is no one way to quit smoking- some can do the step-reduction style, some cannot. Some can do the sudden-stop, some cannot. Try out every avenue till you find the one that'll be workable for you- all these 'gimme your special advice to quit smoking' doesn't get you anywhere, since you are essentially looking for a quick-fix.
Desi Cartman Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 My story is going to be a lengthy one , I hope someone can learn from it At the age of 18 I was introduced to smoking by my friends, I was so allergic to smoke that I couldn’t smoke for more than 4 puffs but then I found the clove cigarettes as they were lighter on my throat and they tasted better. One clove cigarette lasts for more than 7-8 mins and I became a habitual smoker. After graduation as I was moving to Aus I had decided that since a pack of cigarettes cost $10 I wont be able to afford it on my student budget and hence I will have to quit. As soon as I landed in Aus I decided to have few Marlboro lights every now and then. Well that "now and then" went on for 7 years. I fell into depression for a few years (basically home sick and some personal problems) and then told myself it was ok to smoke as its helps me with low mood and anxiety (it actually makes it worse). I was always waiting to quit when I meet my life partner and I did meet her more than 2 years ago and told her that I plan to quit smoking ASAP and promised that I would. Well again I didn’t till we got married. I am glad I quit then I have stayed away from it. I still have a week or a day when I will buy a pack and smoke a few but then I'll throw the pack away. I still don’t tell my wife if I have a cigarette (like a teenager) as I am ashamed of it and I fear that if somehow I am able to convince her that its ok to smoke 1 or 2 a day then I will go back to the usual 12-14 a day pretty quickly. I have tried chewing gums , patches (made me throw up with in hours and then I slept for 10-12 hrs), hypnotherapy tapes , read a lot of forums. The way I have found effective : A picture : Put a pic of a dieing patient of cancer as your desktop wallpaper. It made me stay away from cigarettes for 6 months once Nicotine chewing gum : you don’t need to chew the whole thing just take a small piece and that should kill the anxiety Water : it does help a lot , whenever you have the urge then just drink a glass of water and then decide to delay the urge for 10 mins Friends : tell all your friends that you have quit , even if you break the promise you made to yourself don’t tell your friends Hypnotherapy : It does help. I have a free mp3 which I will attach later today to this thread Its all in the head , at the end of the day its you who decides. Do you want to leave your partner alone in this world? Do you want to see your kids grow up? Can you imagine your family and friends crying when you vomit blood. I think of this and it makes me a little stronger every time. I hope my senti post helps some .. Good luck .... Wow I feel so senti :((
Dhondy Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 My story is going to be a lengthy one , I hope someone can learn from it At the age of 18 I was introduced to smoking by my friends, I was so allergic to smoke that I couldn’t smoke for more than 4 puffs but then I found the clove cigarettes as they were lighter on my throat and they tasted better. One clove cigarette lasts for more than 7-8 mins and I became a habitual smoker. After graduation as I was moving to Aus I had decided that since a pack of cigarettes cost $10 I wont be able to afford it on my student budget and hence I will have to quit. As soon as I landed in Aus I decided to have few Marlboro lights every now and then. Well that "now and then" went on for 7 years. I fell into depression for a few years (basically home sick and some personal problems) and then told myself it was ok to smoke as its helps me with low mood and anxiety (it actually makes it worse). I was always waiting to quit when I meet my life partner and I did meet her more than 2 years ago and told her that I plan to quit smoking ASAP and promised that I would. Well again I didn’t till we got married. I am glad I quit then I have stayed away from it. I still have a week or a day when I will buy a pack and smoke a few but then I'll throw the pack away. I still don’t tell my wife if I have a cigarette (like a teenager) as I am ashamed of it and I fear that if somehow I am able to convince her that its ok to smoke 1 or 2 a day then I will go back to the usual 12-14 a day pretty quickly. I have tried chewing gums , patches (made me throw up with in hours and then I slept for 10-12 hrs), hypnotherapy tapes , read a lot of forums. The way I have found effective : A picture : Put a pic of a dieing patient of cancer as your desktop wallpaper. It made me stay away from cigarettes for 6 months once Nicotine chewing gum : you don’t need to chew the whole thing just take a small piece and that should kill the anxiety Water : it does help a lot , whenever you have the urge then just drink a glass of water and then decide to delay the urge for 10 mins Friends : tell all your friends that you have quit , even if you break the promise you made to yourself don’t tell your friends Hypnotherapy : It does help. I have a free mp3 which I will attach later today to this thread Its all in the head , at the end of the day its you who decides. Do you want to leave your partner alone in this world? Do you want to see your kids grow up? Can you imagine your family and friends crying when you vomit blood. I think of this and it makes me a little stronger every time. I hope my senti post helps some .. Good luck .... Wow I feel so senti :(( Damn good read. Might help some people looking to quit.
Desi Cartman Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 Damn good read. Might help some people looking to quit. Thanks Its a life long struggle for smokers. BTW why cant the govt just ban all tobacco products ???
Predator_05 Posted February 13, 2008 Posted February 13, 2008 Thanks Its a life long struggle for smokers. BTW why cant the govt just ban all tobacco products ??? Major source of revenue for the treasury
Desi Cartman Posted February 13, 2008 Posted February 13, 2008 Major source of revenue for the treasury i know but the govt can make billions if they sell cocaine , why dont they do that ?
Predator_05 Posted February 13, 2008 Posted February 13, 2008 i know but the govt can make billions if they sell cocaine ' date=' why dont they do that ?[/quote'] 'cos it's far worse than tobacco.
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