Giving up smoking

[Nick Ink]

Made it through the corn roast smoke-free.

That's good going. I was only able to stop smoking after I'd stopped being around smokers.

[kadiekatRN]

Day 11. 

Yesterday was hellish because my patch fell off or something at around 4 p.m.  I tried one of F's lozenges and subsequently made myself puke.  It was gross.  I was also PMS-ing, irritable, tired, and headachy. I wasn't at risk of caving in to smoking.  I just was a terrible excuse for a human being.  Plus, I managed to piss off F, who has also been doing well by sniffing his breath when he came home from practice. He was very offended, and then I was tearful because I was feeling like a Terrible Human Being.

Today is OK.  My run this a.m. was easier than usual.  No stops to cough up nasty phlegm. 

Also proud to say I made it through a backyard cookout with several smokers without even really being tempted.  That was on Sunday.

I'm switching to the 7 mg patches this Sunday.  We'll see how that goes.

[milesofsparks]

I can't even imagine how hard that must be. 

[kadiekatRN]

It's not that bad.  Just definitely meeting challenges as I kick this nastiness.  Am looking forward to when it doesn't contribute to a nasty mood.

[donblood]

It happens, but so slowly.  Be vigilant.

[jebreject]

Katie, I'm so proud of you guys!

[Em]

Dug up this thread to read pollo's story about quitting using nicotine gum, because I bought some today. I found it helpful and encouraging. I absolutely must quit smoking, for financial reasons if nothing else (seriously, that's the most compelling factor at the moment), and I am utterly incapable of going cold turkey or tapering down, I did not like the patch when I tried it before, and I cannot use any fancy drugs because they would interfere with my other fancy drugs.

I have good things and bad things going for me. I don't drink, so it will be easy to avoid that common trigger. However, I have a couple of good friends with whom it's like, our thing--we sit outside, no matter the weather, and smoke and talk about everything under the sun and watch people go by. I think they will be supportive of my efforts, though.

The other slight complication I foresee is twofold, and has to do with my psych meds: 1) I'm rocking kind of a delicate chemical balance here, and am nervous about doing anything at all to throw off my mood, and 2) one of my meds gives me a side effect that is basically extreme feelings of restlessness and the need to move about, so it's hard for me to be productive at the office if I can't get up and do something every once in awhile, and smoking is just the easiest thing to do. I mean, I know everyone who works at an office job feels that way, but I can't really describe it, it's like an extremely intense compulsion to get up and move (I fidget excessively anyway to deal with it to some extent). I suppose since my superiors don't currently seem to mind my taking smoke breaks as long as they don't exceed my total break time combined, I could just sneak out for a little walk partway down the street during the time I would normally be smoking. Or maybe that would make it worse. I dunno. These are just my thoughts.

[Em]

Holy shit, I just tried chewing a piece of this gum--is it supposed to make me feel like I'm definitely gonna hurl? Jesus, maybe I can quit cold turkey.

[jess]

Nicotine can cause nausea, so I'd imagine it could make you nauseous especially if you're getting a bigger dose then you are used to.

[Em]

Yeah that makes sense. I dunno though, I'm accustomed to quite a few rather heavy cigarettes ... oh well.

[Nick Ink]

Maybe you and your friends can start some new habit, which includes all the other factors but replaces the smoking part? Cards? Thumb wrestling? It is tricky.

This thread coming back reminds me that my 2 year milestone just came and went without me really noticing. Which certainly isn't to solicit applause, but rather, as the progenitor of this thread, to offer some encouragement.

[alex]

I suppose since my superiors don't currently seem to mind my taking smoke breaks as long as they don't exceed my total break time combined, I could just sneak out for a little walk partway down the street during the time I would normally be smoking. Or maybe that would make it worse.

I'd say it's definitely worth trying. Maybe get an apple to snack on while you're out and about to occupy yourself and make it seems less like a smoke-break without the smokes and more just like a different kind of break, or something like that?

I'm not really speaking from quitting-experience here, though (I smoked on and off for a few years, but was very lucky in that I never really had to make any effort to consciously quit, I just kinda lost interest and so stopped), just that I believe in the importance of going out for a little walk every now and then. And I do have a habit of accompanying people on their smoke breaks but eating an apple rather than smoking (but if you're wanting to stop, that's probably not what you should do: eat your apple on your own rather than do it while watching other people smoke).

[Em]

That's a good idea, Alex. I'll definitely try it. And congratulations Nick Ink!

[kyle]

On a related note:

Due to the fact that I lost two people in my life due to alcoholism, I will be taking of this month and maybe more from drinking. My family has a pretty rampant history of addiction so I'm gonna make sure I have a handle on things.

Also cutting back smoking a good deal as well. Back to averaging 1 to 3 a day. Not drinking will help with this.

[Ignatius]

Good ideas. Good luck with it! If you're like me, one very helpful trick is to really think about what might happen about 12 hours down the road when you're confronted with an enticing proposition that runs against your plans. At that point I usually realize that what I generally wish and expect might happen as a result of drinking has never yet come to pass, while sad nights often have.

[elpollodiablo]

Argh. So I had a cigarette at a bachelor party a couple of weeks ago, and then another few at a BBQ some days later, and then two or three more at an outdoor festival over the past weekend. After the last time I got very upset, berated myself, enumerated the reasons that I quit and why I was glad that I quit. It's been almost a week since I had one, and I know there's absolutely nothing physical to the cravings, but the thought of smoking is a constant, nagging presence in the back of my mind. When I make plans to go out for drinks, the junkie part of me is going "Oh man wouldn't it be nice to have a cig." And I have to consciously tamp it down. It fucking sucks. Prior to that bachelor party, I hadn't had a single puff in 19 months. I hate this shit; I just wish there were some way to burn out the impulse.

[jebreject]

Imagine a switch in your brain. On one side, it says "smoker," on the other, "non-smoker." Flip that switch.

Sounds cheesy and stupid as hell, but it seriously helped me considerably.

I've had a few in the last month or so, though, and they always make me feel like shit--physically and mentally--and they don't even taste good. But still I want them. So I know what you mean, Miles. Just remember how much better life is without them, because it really is.

[FreddyKnuckles]

Cigarettes are gross.  non-smokers think that.  smokers don't think that.  You've got to get to the point where you REALLY believe the former.

[kadiekatRN]

It may help to think about the effects smoking can have on your soon-to-be child, too.  Even cigarette smoke residue on clothing can increase SIDS risk as well as provoke asthma/allergies, etc.  That fact has helped me a lot (although I'm sure it is more powerful when you're the one carrying the baby) to reinforce my decision to quit.

Sort of like Jeb said, I also shifted myself into the category of non-smoker.   

Not sure how to get you over the hump after having had some cigs, as I think that one thing that has helped me (besides the seven months so far of worrying about the little human inside me) was avoiding single cigs here and there or puffs.  Recommit yourself and then pass by those opportunities for a puff or just one cig when they arise. It's never worth it because it is so rarely one.

[G.C.R]

I been falling on that slippery slope too. It's been long enough that I think of myself as a non-smoker, then I was allowing myself the label of non-smoker who can have one on occasion every three months or so, then non-smoker who smokes when drinking, and now it's non smoker who has one maybe every three days or so. So, not a non-smoker. It's crap. I think the point where I had a cigarette and then didn't notice that I smelt fucking wretched was the point I should have put he brakes on. Much sympathy, pollo.

[FreddyKnuckles]

smoking whilst drinking even hits nonsmokers so don't feel too bad.

[jebreject]

It's really hard for me when a.) I'm drunk or b.) in a high stress situation (like after our house was broken into, for example). It's also really goddamn hard because almost every single one of my friends smoke. Even some of the people who've supposedly quit are smoking every single time I see them. It's easier when M is around, because she doesn't smoke, and doesn't like it when I smoke. In the winter it was a lot easier thanks to the smoking ban, but now that it's summer and everyone is having fires and backyard hangouts, it's a lot more difficult.

But hey!, it's also really important not to get too down on your(our)selves about it. It's hard. You're going up against years of reinforced behavior. In my case, I started smoking when I was 13. By the time I'd quit for good (so far, minus those few cigs here and there) I'd been smoking for over half of my life. That's a long time! That's really hard to break! I can't even imagine how tough it would be for someone like my dad, who's been smoking for FIFTY YEARS. That's not to make excuses or allowances, but you gotta know what you're up against. You may be over the physical addiction, but that's NOTHING compared to the years of conditioning you've done to yourself. So think about how good you've done, how impressive it is that you've gone this long without smoking, that you have done so much to break out of those bad habits that feel as natural as, well, breathing--and maybe you slip up sometimes, but you know you're better than that. You know those cravings are fleeting, and that if you just power through them, it gets easier and easier.

Also, dude, smoking is gross.

[elpollodiablo]

Man, I'm so glad I posted that earlier tonight. I went out and had an epic amount of drinks with a bunch of people who are still committed smokers and I was able to resist bumming one, but I did end up with a Black & Mild which I inhaled maybe every third puff or so. Quitting smoking was (and is!) the hardest thing I've ever done, and until very recently I was *very* proud of the fact that I was able to stone quit after about 13 years of a constant habit--my experience was much as you describe, jeb, I started smoking at around 13 and was a pack-a-day guy until I quit in January of 2010. Having quit was a real source of pride for me, since I've been unable to curb self destructive behavior on so many other fronts, like drinking and eating like shit and being a fatass. D has been a huge source of support for me as well, and sort of reified the sense of pride I got from being able to walk away from smoking and not feel bothered by being around it. In the normal course of things I basically never even thought about it, until recently. I've been spending a lot of time by myself with D in NYC and me here in Ohio and it's definitely led to me dropping back into some self-destructive behaviors that I really abhor, but it's *so fucking hard* to jettison that shit on your own. It actually got me to a point earlier this evening where I wrote out a list of reasons why I don't want to be a smoker. They're all related to my health and the health of my family. I don't want to be a smoker anymore, I truly don't. And the fact that I'm waaay over the physical dependency and am now finding myself battling this purely on psychological grounds is in a lot of ways even more frustrating, because so much of my identity is bound up in my presence of mind. I treat my body like shit. I don't wanna die of heart disease.

Sorry if this has been needlessly maudlin. I really, *really* appreciate the support from you guys. I think it's going to be okay in the long run, because smoking is fucking gross and I can still recognize that after like ten beers. But goddamn. Living life is a rock hard fucking affair sometimes.

[Bernard]

Can you direct scorn at smoking? Can you make it, and people who do it, targets of your contempt? I know when I'm going through a breakup there's often that window where I kind of need to demonize the ex, what did I ever see in these barf pants, in order to separate myself.

If what you're going through is mostly psychological, maybe you can treat it like a breakup? elhuevodiablo thanks you for your efforts, stay strong devil.

[Nick Ink]

You certainlly have my sympathy. I'm very doubtful whether I could've given up when I was going out to the pub and surrounded by smokers. The main factor for me doing it was a lifestyle change, being mostly at home and being with non-smiokers (i.e. wife and kids). I'd smoked for 24 years until then though, so, well, that wasn't good.