Anyone Smoke?

[StarMan]

Cigarettes, that is.

I'm almost 30 and have been a guilty smoker for 10 years. I've been dealing with a few early-mid life crises lately because - frankly - it's time. In the past I always thought I'd leave it to my future self to sort my shit out and with the 3-0 looming I feel I've reached that future self.

In other words, I'm a well practiced procrastinator.

Hitting the gym again and cutting back on drinking have resulted in a clearer perception of the direction I've been going and where I ought be going. But going to the gym and smoking don't feel okay. It's great to get a sweat up and a buzz but it'd be nice to do so without the odd cough which I know can only be attributed to smoking.

So, time to quit.

Now I know I can simply quit NOW and that's it. But (got to have a "but" don't I?) I have been put onto a book by an Allen Carr called EASYWAY to stop smoking, which from all accounts is very effective at instilling a non-smoking mindset. So I'm going to give it a go.

What I'm curious to know is - if you smoke, do you give thought to quitting, or are you resigned to being a smoker for life? If you have smoked and don't now, why did you quit? Do you ever become a true non-smoker after kicking the habit, or does the thought of lighting up again still linger on occasion?

Your thoughts.

 

[RoJoHen]

I have never smoked, but I know a lot of people who have. From what I've observed, cold turkey really seems to be the best route to go. You'll feel like shit for a couple days from the nicotine withdrawal, but after that, you'll be good to know. I know people who have tried gum and patches or have simply tried cutting back in order to ween themselves off, but those are the people that never quit. A few weeks later they're back to smoking up a storm because they never allowed themselves to be rid of the temptation.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I smoked for over twenty years. But I quit last year, going on 15 months now.

Some days I think about how nice it would be to have a puff; most days I don't though. Knock on wood, but I hope I've quit for good.

 

[StarMan]

Cutting back doesn't seem effective. My Mother says she's "cutting back" but all it seems to do is drag out the withdrawal and make the cigarette all the more rewarding. The addiction remains intact.

I did go cold turkey once and went about a year, with one or two smokes scattered in there when I was out drinking. I felt guilty the following day knowing I'd broken the promise I'd made to myself. Then I found myself in a stressful environment and - hey presto - back to smoking.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

Ah, the big smoking question.
I'm going to jump in and reveal myself as an unashamed smoker and have been for 30 years ( oh crikey!)

Your question: Yes I give quitting a fleeting thought, I know too well that it affects my health and my bank balance.

But I balance that with ~ I only smoke, at most, 10 a day. Never at work, only when I get home, it helps me to relax with a glass of wine and I enjoy it.

It also helps me think/concentrate. I smoke more when I'm online or painting or in a stressful situation.

Man has offered me a financial reward for everyday that I do not smoke, he gave up 5 years ago. I do not think I am strong enough to do that. The addiction my well be within me.

StarMan, go for it. Good luck.

 

[JiNX-01]

Used to. Quit a couple of decades ago.

 

[Tosk]

Nope. I enjoy my health and money too much to piss it away.

 

[Kommander]

Yes. I started when I was 7 and slowly went from one cigarette a month or two, to half a pack a day as a teenager, one pack a day since my early twenties, and for the past year or so a pack and a half a day because I've been under a tremendous amount of stress. I also occasionally smoke cigars and very occasionally smoke a pipe.

The only reason I don't quit is because I really don't want to. Yes, I'm fully aware of the health risks and the "you're slowly killing yourself" propaganda. However, I do plenty of other things that could also be considered "slowly killing myself" as well as several other things that could easily result in my immediate death, just as every living thing does. Also, following this logic, all living things are slowly dying.

I have quit twice, because my ex-girlfriend wanted me to. I didn't find it all that difficult. In fact, nicotine withdraw feels good in a lot of ways. The only downside is that I'm really irritable for a few days. I started up again both times as a result of breaking up with that ex-girlfriend. Both times, the first thing I did afterward was going to the store and buying a pack of cigarettes because fuck her.

I may eventually quit. Cigarettes anyway. Cigars and the pipe aren't about the nicotine for me and with the amount that I smoke either of them the effects on my health and bankroll are insignificant.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I smoked for 18 years from when I was 17 until I was 35. I gave up when I became asthmatic. I went cold turkey. The first few weeks were difficult but it got easier after that.

I found it easier when avoided those situations in which I smoked heaviest such as playing cards with the neighbours.

 

[chardman]

Quitting was simple for me, but NOT easy, as it involved spending 6 weeks in a coma, beginning in January of 2008. (I suffered total respiratory failure due to a nasty bout of pneumonia.) I experienced nicotine detox and withdrawal while unconscious. By the time I'd regained consciousness, I was past the physical aspects of addiction. Psychologically, however, (and after almost 4 smoke-free years) I still experience strong urges to smoke from time to time, particularly when under stress.

 

[Kirkman1987]

Yes, I love smoking. I'm 24 and have been a light smoker (3-4 a day) the past few years. Haven't given any serious thought to quitting at this point.

 

[SmoothieX]

Keep on puffing away, my wife will love your business in 20 years.

 

[O'Dib]

I always take up smoking when on extended visits back home, 'cause it's about 5 times cheaper, and still OK to light up in some establishments. I can finish off a pack during a night of heavy drinking, but usually take 2 or 3 days to work through it.

I find it extremely easy to not smoke in the States. I wouldn't feel good about putting down that kind of cash on a regular basis, and none of my friends smoke on this side of the pond. Still, I recently picked up a pack 'cause it seemed to fit in nicely with a bar-crawl oriented evening, and enough time hadn't passed since I flew back into the country for the need to have left me completely. It's been a month and it's only halfway gone, 'cause I spent some time in a hospital, and got a little health-paranoid after that experience. I'm looking forward to a taste once I'm over these sniffles I'm currently having.

All that to say, I'm not sure if I'll ever quit completely, 'cause I'm really not that much of a smoker currently. Used to be pack-a-day for about two years, then quit completely for a full year, 'cause I had started coughing severely. I struggled with quitting before that, but the health scare made it pretty easy. The girlfriend "let's both quit" pact has got to be the least effective thing I've tried, and can be pretty sobering for both about how much you actually value the relationship.

 

[Deckerd]

Smoked till my early 30s and then gave up. The most recent research reckons that if you give up at 30 you'll suffer no long-term effects, so now is the time to do it StarMan. The ones who say just stop are correct. Just do it when you're ready. You need to get your mind set because if you're half-hearted about it, you'll just cave.

 

[ITL]

I stopped for a year but started up again (I know, I know...I'll quit for good eventually. Promise!) and as others have said, quitting cold turkey style is the best way.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Never smoked, never tried, never wanted to. Always found it repulsive. When I was a kid, everyone smoked. Family parties took place in a gray, choking haze. Everybody's house was scattered with overflowing ashtrays and everything was always covered with a film of ash. When I got to be a teenager, my friends were just as bad. Hanging out in their apartments or basements or the little shack in the woods was always blinding and choking. This is probably one of the things that contributed to my preference for a solitary lifestyle.

 

[Deckerd]

Smoking made you sad and lonely?

 

[RJDiogenes]

No. What do you mean?

 

[Deckerd]

Well there seemed to a lot of self-pity in that post, without actually saying anything about the OP's dilemma.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Heh. No self pity, just discomfort.