I quit after 15 years, when I got out of the service. When I got recalled to AD I started again. A year later I had quit again.

I can’t remember how many times I tried to quit, fellow sailors did not help by handing me one. And smoking was a easy reason to step out side and get away from work for five minutes.

Good luck in staying nicotine free. I’m rooting for you

If you’re feeling weak you’ve got my email and I’ll give you my number. Wish everyone could quit that crap.

I was a short term smoker, only 2 years of the crap but quit 5+ years ago.

Mind over matter, one day at a time. I only get pangs once or twice a year, usually when the winters comes.

Good for you!

I smoked for 18 years - from the time I was 15 until I started my current job 10 years ago. (I half jokingly told my Dad and my former Boss if I actually got the job, I'd quit. Well... )

The two biggest things that helped me were a change in environment and Nicotine gum. I went from a stressful place where a LOT of people smoked, and took regularly scheduled smoke breaks to a place where damn near no one smoked with a LOT less stress. That helped probably more than the gum - but it was tough those first few days - breaking the "routine".

The worst cravings would come when I was out with friends drinking. After about 6 months, I fell off the smoking wagon. Told myself the typical "I'll only smoke when I drink" - but it actually worked. If I wasn't at happy hour or tailgating or whatever, I was fine.
Did this for a few years, and at the same time I was getting in shape, running 5ks, etc. Started noticing that I was smoking less and less and eventually told myself I could kick it 100% for good.

I haven't smoked since January of 2012 and couldn't be happier. And this coming from someone who LOVED, LOVED, LOVED smoking.
You can do it - so keep up the good work!

Good luck. I gave it up almost 30 years ago. You can do it.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig Marine:
Like many have said, quitting is the easy part, staying off is The challenge. Changing your lifestyle will help keep the monster away as will getting involved in a cardio driven exercise program at a gym. I got involved in competitive cycling when I stopped but know others who started jogging as a way to increase their cardiovascular function.

Stay the course brother; one day at a time.

“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.” - Mark Twain

I' at about 2.5 years myself of tobacco free. Still miss it on occasion.

Be aware quitting smoking is a Major cause of Misophonia.

Resolution of cognitive dissonance.

In very simplified plain-speak, each of us have both conscious and unconscious thought. Conscious is logic, and unconscious is emotion. A disconnect between the two is cognitive dissonance. This is why despite knowing that cigarettes are bad for our health, many people continue to smoke. Their conscious knows the deal, but their unconscious, which drives behavior, didn't get the memo. The unconscious still believes cigarettes are good, and that removing them from ones life is bad. Trouble is, the unconscious is slow to learn and difficult to retrain.

In this state of cognitive dissonance, one might be able to will himself to quit an addictive substance using willpower, but there is such a concept of willpower fatigue. Like any other muscle, sustained willpower will eventually fail. Most of us who've ever tried to quit an addictive substance know this all too well.

Enter resolution of cognitive dissonance. If one can deliberately commit the time and effort to re-educate his unconscious to fully comprehend and agree with what the conscious already knows, thereby resolving cognitive dissonance, quitting an addictive substance can become a relatively easy one-time decision, not requiring willpower to sustain. Once your emotional unconscious is in harmony with logical conscious, you literally remove desire for the addictive substance. Without desire, there's no temptation. Without temptation there is no day over day struggle to abstain. You simply no longer want it.

Apologies for the dissertation, but maybe someone will be interested enough to take a deeper dive into the subject, and maybe find what they've been looking for.

I'm 8 months sober after 27 years of having the monkey on my back. Once I grasped this theory, it was like a switch flipped in me. Instantly, and literally with a glass of whiskey in my hand, I knew wholly and without a shred of doubt that it was over. Put the drink down and ran like hell, never to return. I'm free now, and always will be. Maybe this tale will inspire someone else.

OP, congratulations on your continued success.

I quit cold turkey the day the Obummer administration said they were adding a dollar a pack tax on cigarettes. Decided I was not giving that administration a penny I didn't have too. That was back in 2013.

Keep the motivation and stay strong, you can make it.

Congratulations! Started when I was 14. Smoked 2-3 packs a day from age 20 to 38. Completely nicotine free since April. Best thing I ever did for myself. What I saved on cigarettes makes the payment on my new truck that doesn't reek of cigarette smoke.

I quit January 25, 2012. For me it was fairly easy because for 4 days I was too sick with Bronchitis to even think about lighting a cigarette. On day 5 when I felt well enough to smoke I found I only had 2 cigarettes in the house. Did not feel well enough to go out and get more and that made me think about the cost, which was 10 bucks a day. Crumpled up those last 2 cigarettes and after that every time I was tempted to pick up a pack I thought about what those damned things cost me.

My tip here that when you are tempted, and you will be tempted, just think about the financial cost and the cost to your health.

BTW, one result of my 37 year habit is that I now have COPD. However, because I now exercise every day I do NOT have any functional deficit due to COPD. Meaning I am symptom free and my COPD only becomes diagnostic during a volumetric lung capacity test or when the doctor is listening to my lungs.

Due to your 32 year history of smoking it is very likely that you do have COPD. My tip for dealing with this is to engage in hte one single therapy that has been proven to be the most effective treatment for COPD. That treatment is to start Walking For Exercise. Meaning work yourself up to a sub 15 minute per mile pace and do at least 4 miles every day. Do the math and that is 1 hour of moderate exercise every day. Not only will this help your lung capacity it will also help you to lose weight and provide a huge boost to your cardiovascular health. Note, I wont say walking is free, fact is you need good shoes that are correct for your feet so it's about 600 bucks a year for shoes. In addition if you join a gym as I did you also have the gym fees that cost a bit. However you will be able to avoid going on a drug regimen that can damage the kidneys or liver. It's also possible that exercise may prevent you from ever becoming dependent on supplemental Oxygen.

BTW, currently per my Garmin fitness watch my VO2 Max is pegged at 40, which is about twice the value for a typical COPD sufferer who only uses drugs. In addition I also have a defective Mitral Valve that will have me going in for open heart surgery and considering both issues my doctor says I am an Olympic class athlete for someone with a bad ticker and COPD. Needless to say I am a real believer in exercise because with my heart condition it is quite likely my taking up exercising after quitting smoking has probably saved my live.

Bottomline, you have started on a new path for the rest of your life and I congratulate you on quitting smoking. However don't stop there, start walking. Once you get strong enough you can even start jogging a few days a week but I would suggest not going nuts about running. Because our knees are a lot more "seasoned" than some youngsters knees so we need to respect our knees if we want them to last.

In three years I can absolutely guarantee you that you will be absolutely amazed at how much better your feel. Note, I get a Cold perhaps once every 18-24 months and they usually only last about 3 or 4 days. In addition I have not had Bronchitis even once since 2012.

late 1974 was when I quit smoking. A two pack a day smoker coworker with a nasty dry cough died one night from a heart attack.

I had a pack a day habit and with the same cough.

I quit the next day. The next 6 months was hell on earth but I made it.

Congrats, remember to never smoke another one, thinking "just one won't hurt".

A fellow quitter myself, I have to treat it like an alcoholic does a drink. DON"T!!

Congratulations and stay strong. Sounds like you are mentally prepared to beat the beast.

I wish everyone that smokes could come to work with me for just a few days. The effects of smoking are horrible. Especially if they are combined with diabetes and obesity. Just buried my brother in law last week. Life long smoker, diabetic, obese. He was 67.

Thanks for all the responses and support folks.

V-Tail-
The hardest moments for me are driving and right after meals. Evening meal is the worst. The way I cope with it is to go outside for a walk. That helps.

Unfortunately I have a family member who continues to smoke in the house. Nothing I can do about that and frankly I'll just have to tough it out. My way of coping with that is to just make myself scarce in that part of the house. Yeah it sucks but I can't disown them. Tomorrow I start a project to give myself a safe smoke free space in a part of the house that individual doesn't go in. I'm seldom here except in the evenings anyways so it's manageable.

The way I've been dealing so far with the mental games is kinda to ignore them or more precisely not have the time or energy for them. In times past I would find myself dwelling on the withdrawal and playing the mind games. I don't know why but so far this time the issues my mind would have twisted just aren't twisting. Perhaps this is some of the reprogramming that 7 Zark 7 was referring to.

It's not easy but so far that's been ok.

ZSMichael- Chewing noises irritated LOOOOONG before smoking cessation. Funny though. The irritation feels the same as the irritation of a nicotine craving.


Scooter123- I started walking and light jogging about a month ago, before quitting the nicotine. I'm at that stage now where I HAVE to at least walk some every day. I feel better when I walk so I don't want to miss it. I've walked in the rain several days in the last week. I also got at gym membership this week so when it gets colder I can do treadmills inside in addition to other routines.


Thanks again everybody. I probably will check back in from time to time here. It's encouraging to hear from all the folks who have successfully quit as well as those just offering support.

I am happy for you. Sounds like it is your time.

Buy those bags of baby carrots. For many, they help. Don't just eat them. They are a healthy substitute.

And always remember. You don't smoke cigs. They smoke you!


Congrats my SF friend.

Quit cold turkey after around 40 years about 15 years ago. Takes lots of will power. Good luck.

HELL YES!!!!!!!! Good for you!!!!! I quit 16 years ago after 30 plus years of the evil habit. Toughest thing I've done in years. Good for you, now PLEASE don't pick one up again. Its difficult I know, but next thing you know you will find the idea of smoking REPULSIVE!


BEST OF LUCK!!

I quit 11 years ago, keep up the fight it gets easier, but I still want one occasionally.