Seriously Considering Quitting Smoking?

[LongTimeComing]

I have been a smoker since I was 19. I started, in part, due to ease of availability. A girlfriend of mine, at the time, had a father who was fairly high up in the ranks of Phillip Morris. I got free carton after free carton.

Then I started working for UPS. It was the only good reason to step out of the truck or away from my area for a quick 'breather'. Besides, in my hub, more people smoked than didn't.

It became part of my routine, and has stayed that way ever since. When I was a driver, I smoked more than ever. Every time I had a bit of a drive between stops, I lit up.

For years, I have been trying to quit. I wanted to quit for myself, for my family, for my newborn daughter. My mom quit after she had lung cancer. My father had many problems related to his smoking. Those things never ended up being enough to convince me to stop. I didn't like the smell. I didn't like feeling self-conscious about smelling that way. I didn't like the financial investment that it demands. But none of that worked.

I've tried the gum, I've tried the patches, I've tried the pills. While they MAY have satiated the chemical crave, I still had the urge and NEED to smoke. The HABIT still wasn't broken.

I imagine I'm not alone, in this. I'm sure many of you want the same thing. I can say that I feel like I have finally found a solution that worked for me.

E-cigs.

If you have yet to try these, they are the closest thing to smoking a cigarette that you will ever get. It not only gives me my 'fix' for the nicotine, but I also get to 'go through the motions' of smoking, so my 'habit' can also be dealt with. And to top it all off, it doesn't smell, it doesn't harm, and it's quite a bit cheaper in the long run.

You get the 'feeling' of inhaling something. You get to see it when you exhale. You hold it in your hand.

I haven't bought a pack of cigarettes since a week before Christmas. Not once have I had to go back for a real cigarette because my e-cig wasn't working for me. I know different things work for different people, but if you haven't given them a try, I suggest you owe it to youself.

I highly recommend V2 E-cigs. It is one if the highest quality providers...clean, trustworthy, and professional. Their products aren't shoddy or cheap. Some people get fooled by cheap brands or local providers, which can ruin the experience. Spend a little more money, and you will get the better product.

Electronic Cigarettes | E Cigarette | V2 Cigs

Good luck!

 

[Brownslave688]

Once u quit don't ever pick up another one. Had a friend that quit for a year. As a treat he had one. By the end of that week he had a pack on him at all times.

 

[Anonymous 10]

You need to find some other kind of vice. 99% of men need there vices so start looking for an alternative one. Maybe make up a montra and start reciting it in your head when times get stressful. There is something else out there for you it's just figuring it out can be hard.


You are a man a husband and father. All three of these things can be some of the hardest test as I'm sure if you have been doing these for a while you can testify. As you have risen to those occasions you have to rise to these. It helps some to take about it. Maybe talking about it in this forum on your own thread could help also. Good luck and God bless

 

[moreluck]

Quitting is a piece of cake as long as you distract yourself from "smoking situations",
.

For example.......if every morning you pour a cup of coffee and head for the e-mail and light up....don't !!
You can pour the coffee, but go to your favorite chair to sip your coffee and read the paper. Turning pages will keep your fingers busy.
Maybe after dinner, instead of lighting up.......put your coffee in a to-go cup and walk around a couple blocks. The feelings to smoke do pass in a few mins.

It goes without saying, put away all ashtrays and packs of cigs. I still have 2 packs of cigs. in a zip loc bag and I put them there Sept of '08. They are there if I want them. I don't !! Do it cold turkey and realize they say it's harder than stopping cocaine.
I smoked for 48 years. People have used Nicorette to quit and one year later, they are hooked on the Nicorette and it's expensive stuff.
Maybe put the cig. money in a coffee can and go to dinner once a month with the other half..

 

[rod]

If you are "seriously" considering quitting then you will. If you aren't serious you won't --- its that simple. I quit after smoking 2+ packs a day for 25 years. I just knew it was time the way I was hacking and coughing all the time. I only tried to quit the one time---and I did. Its tough but it can be done. I haven't had one for 20 years now. I didn't change anything in my daily routine. In fact my wife countinued to smoke around me for at least another 10 years after I quit. What I can't figure out now is how 95% of those who smoke can afford them. Minnesota is considering another $1.60 increase in state taxes on them . That would put a pack at about $8.00. $80.00 a carton is crazy.

 

[Integrity]

I have been a smoker since I was 19. I started, in part, due to ease of availability. A girlfriend of mine, at the time, had a father who was fairly high up in the ranks of Phillip Morris. I got free carton after free carton.

Then I started working for UPS. It was the only good reason to step out of the truck or away from my area for a quick 'breather'. Besides, in my hub, more people smoked than didn't.

It became part of my routine, and has stayed that way ever since. When I was a driver, I smoked more than ever. Every time I had a bit of a drive between stops, I lit up.

For years, I have been trying to quit. I wanted to quit for myself, for my family, for my newborn daughter. My mom quit after she had lung cancer. My father had many problems related to his smoking. Those things never ended up being enough to convince me to stop. I didn't like the smell. I didn't like feeling self-conscious about smelling that way. I didn't like the financial investment that it demands. But none of that worked.

I've tried the gum, I've tried the patches, I've tried the pills. While they MAY have satiated the chemical crave, I still had the urge and NEED to smoke. The HABIT still wasn't broken.

I imagine I'm not alone, in this. I'm sure many of you want the same thing. I can say that I feel like I have finally found a solution that worked for me.

E-cigs.

If you have yet to try these, they are the closest thing to smoking a cigarette that you will ever get. It not only gives me my 'fix' for the nicotine, but I also get to 'go through the motions' of smoking, so my 'habit' can also be dealt with. And to top it all off, it doesn't smell, it doesn't harm, and it's quite a bit cheaper in the long run.

You get the 'feeling' of inhaling something. You get to see it when you exhale. You hold it in your hand.

I haven't bought a pack of cigarettes since a week before Christmas. Not once have I had to go back for a real cigarette because my e-cig wasn't working for me. I know different things work for different people, but if you haven't given them a try, I suggest you owe it to youself.

I highly recommend V2 E-cigs. It is one if the highest quality providers...clean, trustworthy, and professional. Their products aren't shoddy or cheap. Some people get fooled by cheap brands or local providers, which can ruin the experience. Spend a little more money, and you will get the better product.

Electronic Cigarettes | E Cigarette | V2 Cigs

Good luck!

LongTimeComing,

That is great that you desire to quit smoking.

It is great that you found something that works.

Quitting smoking was one of the more difficult habits to break.

I quit in 1991 and it was a very difficult journey to complete freedom from the cravings.

Be well all who try quitting. If you slip up, don't give up.

Sincerely,
I

 

[soberups]

Congrats on being smoke free.

My 25 yr old daughter recently quit smoking, and used the e-cigs as a replacement to help her wean off of them. She has been smoke- free for 2 months now, and only occasionally uses the e- cigs when the cravings return.

As a non- smoker, I find the stench of cigarette smoke and ashtrays and moldy old butts to be absolutely nauseating. The e-cigs, on the other hand, have only a very faint fruity smell to them, sort of like an air freshener and not at all unpleasant. My hope is that e-cigs become the new norm and cigarettes go the way of 8 track tapes and polyester leisure suits; quaint relics of a bygone era.

 

[serenity now]

my method for quitting * have someone that loves you, slap the the out of you every time they see a cig. in your mouth * every time *

( the slap should be hard enough to turn your head and also knock the cig. out of your mouth )

 

[bbsam]

My wife and I quit a little over 10 years ago as part of the decision to have kids. I find the E-cig notion a little bit alarming. I have this alarming notion that this ids the solution to allow me to go back to smoking. As they say, "Once an addict, always an addict."

 

[soberups]

My wife and I quit a little over 10 years ago as part of the decision to have kids. I find the E-cig notion a little bit alarming. I have this alarming notion that this ids the solution to allow me to go back to smoking. As they say, "Once an addict, always an addict."

I agree that the better choices would be to either never start smoking in the first place, or to quit and abstain completely from any sort of smoking or smoking replacement.

There are people though who simply cannot kick the habit no matter how hard they try. I am told that it is even more powerfully addictive than heroin. Just as there are recovering heroin addicts who will likely spend their lives on methadone maintainence, there may very well be people who can at least minimize the damage they do to themselves and others by substituting the e-cigs for real ones. If that is the best they can do, it still beats death from lung cancer or emphysema. Lesser of two evils.....

 

[bbsam]

I absolutely agree. I just wonder if for myself an e-cig would prove enough and keep me from going back to the 2 packs of Old Golds a day. I think I'll just not take that chance.

 

[PT Car Washer]

Next month it will be 6 years smoke free. I know if I have just one I will be right back to where I was.

 

[pretender]

Quitting is a piece of cake as long as you distract yourself from "smoking situations",
.

For example.......if every morning you pour a cup of coffee and head for the e-mail and light up....don't !!
You can pour the coffee, but go to your favorite chair to sip your coffee and read the paper. Turning pages will keep your fingers busy.
Maybe after dinner, instead of lighting up.......put your coffee in a to-go cup and walk around a couple blocks. The feelings to smoke do pass in a few mins.

It goes without saying, put away all ashtrays and packs of cigs. I still have 2 packs of cigs. in a zip loc bag and I put them there Sept of '08. They are there if I want them. I don't !! Do it cold turkey and realize they say it's harder than stopping cocaine.
I smoked for 48 years. People have used Nicorette to quit and one year later, they are hooked on the Nicorette and it's expensive stuff.
Maybe put the cig. money in a coffee can and go to dinner once a month with the other half..

Agreed--When I quit, I waited until the annual bid, and went from a road job to shifting trailers. Having a different routine really helps. I also quit drinking coffee for a while, because that was my favorite time to light up.

 

[ajblakejr]

Our health insurance provides for smoking cessation and you can also find help in the EAP (Employee Assistance Program.)

 

[packageguy]

I have been a smoker since I was 19. I started, in part, due to ease of availability. A girlfriend of mine, at the time, had a father who was fairly high up in the ranks of Phillip Morris. I got free carton after free carton.

Then I started working for UPS. It was the only good reason to step out of the truck or away from my area for a quick 'breather'. Besides, in my hub, more people smoked than didn't.

It became part of my routine, and has stayed that way ever since. When I was a driver, I smoked more than ever. Every time I had a bit of a drive between stops, I lit up.

For years, I have been trying to quit. I wanted to quit for myself, for my family, for my newborn daughter. My mom quit after she had lung cancer. My father had many problems related to his smoking. Those things never ended up being enough to convince me to stop. I didn't like the smell. I didn't like feeling self-conscious about smelling that way. I didn't like the financial investment that it demands. But none of that worked.

I've tried the gum, I've tried the patches, I've tried the pills. While they MAY have satiated the chemical crave, I still had the urge and NEED to smoke. The HABIT still wasn't broken.

I imagine I'm not alone, in this. I'm sure many of you want the same thing. I can say that I feel like I have finally found a solution that worked for me.

E-cigs.

If you have yet to try these, they are the closest thing to smoking a cigarette that you will ever get. It not only gives me my 'fix' for the nicotine, but I also get to 'go through the motions' of smoking, so my 'habit' can also be dealt with. And to top it all off, it doesn't smell, it doesn't harm, and it's quite a bit cheaper in the long run.

You get the 'feeling' of inhaling something. You get to see it when you exhale. You hold it in your hand.

I haven't bought a pack of cigarettes since a week before Christmas. Not once have I had to go back for a real cigarette because my e-cig wasn't working for me. I know different things work for different people, but if you haven't given them a try, I suggest you owe it to youself.

I highly recommend V2 E-cigs. It is one if the highest quality providers...clean, trustworthy, and professional. Their products aren't shoddy or cheap. Some people get fooled by cheap brands or local providers, which can ruin the experience. Spend a little more money, and you will get the better product.

Electronic Cigarettes | E Cigarette | V2 Cigs

Good luck!

​i quit smoking, and the only way is buy a pack of pall malls, no filter very bad taste,

 

[kingOFchester]

cigarettes go the way of 8 track tapes and polyester leisure suits; quaint relics of a bygone era.

Damn, now I have to redo my party room.

 

[LongTimeComing]

E-cigs are no more harmful than the air you breathe. The fluid in them is propylene glycol based, which is used in hundreds of products and considered medically safe. Hell, they are used in many types of inhalers. The rest of the ingredients are food-grade additives. Everything is approved for ingestion.

So yes, while I'm still going through the motions, at least I'm not harming myself or anyone around me anymore. I don't stink, and I don't stink up the place. I've noticed my urges to smoke die down since I've been smoking these.

bbsam, I would still consider giving them a try. You can start out with higher nicotine-enriched cartridges or fluids, and as time goes on, you can start working your way down. It won't be EXACTLY like smoking a real cig, but by and large, it's as close as you could ever get and not be harming yourself or others near you.

Ultimate goal is to just stop completely....anything and everything. While the cost is much cheaper for e-cig refills in comparison to real smokes, it's still a cost nonetheless. But in the mean time.....They have worked for me - a pack a day for 10 years, and no urges to have to grab for the real thing.

 

[LongTimeComing]

Our health insurance provides for smoking cessation and you can also find help in the EAP (Employee Assistance Program.)

Yeah, I believe they would pay for Chantix.......a pill that I have yet to meet anyone who was able to stop smoking from taking them. What too many people fail to realize is that smoking is more than the chemical urge...it's the plain'ol habit of doing it. It's the 'routine' that's damn hard to break, and for many of us....it's the FEELING of smoking. No pill, gum, patch, or lozenge will fix that.

One of my co-workers got on the Chantx through UPS....my dad got it through his doctor.....couple friends of mine got the Chantix as well. A couple of them said that it lowered their 'urge' for a cig.....but that they still WANTED one.

I understand that's a small subject group, but different things work for different people I reckon.

 

[bbsam]

LTC
Thanks for the input. For now, I think I'll just leave them alone. I haven't craved a cigarette in years and don't now. Just an intriguing"what if" mental exercise.

 

[menotyou]

I started smoking when I was 9. Best friends babysitter was just lovely. I stopped cold turkey 13 years ago on the 26th. The only way I could do it was first and foremost- desire. Then, the day I woke without cigarettes would be the day I stopped. It worked. 15 days to my anniversary.