Help rah quit smoking

[Hercules]

Originally posted by Lancer
Astonishing...but while you're doing it its the most natural thing in the world. Well, until breathing becomes an issue.

Well yes breathing but also coughing becomes an issue.

[Lancer]

Laughing too. Start laughing and the hacking soon follows. Not a good sign.

[Straybow]

Originally posted by ColdPhoenix
Good luck!

I've smoked a pack a day for 15 years and am starting a clinic to quit on the 15th July where they'll give us Champix. Let us know how it goes, ironically I am a bit concerned about taking a drug that tampers with the workings of my brain. Getting married on 30th August so doing it as a gift for my fiancee who hates me smoking...

Oh, very gallant, good sir!

[b etor]

Wow, think of how much money you will be saving once you stop buying all those packs. Good luck.

[Theben]

As a teen I never could understand starting up a habit that I would want to quit years later. Not that it mattered b/c I'm allergic to something in cig filters. For the longest time I thought I was allergic to tobacco.

[Berzerker]

congrats Rah, 6 weeks is over the hump. I found the harder habit to break was the hand to mouth motion, the nic gum helped get over the addiction. HANG IN THERE, its gets easier with every passing day

[MikeH]

The important thing to remember is, even if you do fail, fail as little as possible. Don't beat yourself up about it, don't give up, just go back to quitting straight away.

What I used to motivate me was the thought that I knew I wanted to give up, and the first few days and weeks are so bloody hard that I didn't want to have to do that again.

[Harovan]

I can't help him to smoke, so I can't help him to quit either. I just can tell how I did it. I quit 8 years ago, after having smoked 30/day for 25 years. For me helped to prepare it by reducing my chain-smoking habit to strictly one cigarette every 2 hours (about 9/day) for several months. Then I quit it entirely.

I didn't use patches, drops, gums or other replacement drugs, they are evil. The best helper to quit smoking is stubborness, of which I have plenty.

[rah]

Good to hear Harovan. And all the others that had smoked as much and as long as I have.

Every time i used the the other methods (replacements) I would eventually fail.
Chantix is not a replacement drug, and not a happy pill.

I don't know if I would still be smoke free if I wasn't taking it, so for now, I'll give it some of the credit.
Placebos and a strong will might be enough.

[Harovan]

A rather amusing fact is the way I decided to do it now. It was the day before Christmas, 1999. I was at home and still had 5 in the package, Gauloises blondes (a french brand). I had the choice to either move my butt now and buy cigarettes for the holidays, or to quit, which I had planned anyway months ago.

I decided to indulge in my laziness, and to not move my butt. To strengthen my will I even left the last five cigarettes in the package in my desk; I didn't destroy them or throw away. My wife smoked them 1 or 2 years later (she doesn't really smoke, only on rare occasions).

[rah]

For the first month, I carried an unopened pack in my pocket wherever I went. I wanted to reinforce that it was my choice not to smoke, not I couldn't because there were none convienent. I still have half a carton in my car that I guess I should give away, but I do want to leave one pack somewhere near as a reminder of choice. And yes, quite a few poeple thought I was strange to do it. But a few people would ask to see the pack and would cheer me on when they saw it was still sealed.

[b etor]

[MikeH]

I did that too. Well it was a packet of rolling tobacco but I carried it around for ages.

[Pekka]

rah, listen to me my good man.

First of all, you recognize you need to quit, which is good. Now whole point is... forget these people who say it will destroy you, you will go through horrible withdraws... it's not actually rocket science, but it is very much psychological. That it surely is.

Now think about it. Do you really enjoy smoking? Does it actually taste good, and before you answer yes, think about it. Does it actually taste good? Does it make you feel better? Just from the hedonist point of view. I realize the social draw, where you'd light one up and have a chat, that's the worst I guess.

But aside from that, it doesnt' taste good. Yet you think you need to have one. Does it really calm you? I mean really, does it? Or rather, is not having a smoke the nervous sweat breaker?

Tell me rah, do you feel the urge to smoke when there's a sign "no smoking"? Why? If there was no sign, you wouildn't even think about it right then. Are these "you're going to DIEEE!" advices helping?Don't you feel like having a smoke right then, to calm you down, except now you don't feel like it, so you're in double trouble?

It's psychological. Surely there's real physical game into it as well, but it's mostly psychological. To fight those triggers, that's the key IMO. Are you afraid, that when you smoke your last one, that then you can't enjoy it anymore? Rah, listen, what do you think you'll be missing out on? What exactly is it, that you will miss? THe bad taste, the coughing, or the urge to smoke when you aren't allowed, what part of it will you miss?

Aren't you really afraid of this urge itself, where you feel like you are missing out? And isn't that the feeling, the fear of missing out, that you're giving up something you have urges to do and you liked, but did you really like it man? Is the fear the worst though? If it is, then realize it. Realize you are having the fear of that, and focus on that fear, don't mix it up with urge to smoke, it's got nothing to do with that. Realize, that you aren't going to miss anything, on the contrary. When you get rid of this fear, it'll be almost easy.

[rah]

Do you really enjoy smoking?
Does it actually taste good
think you need to have one
Does it really calm you
Don't you feel like having a smoke right now

Yes
YEs
YES
yes
YES

Thank you for all your help P.