Liad Bar-EL

Tootsall: « Reply #10 on: Oct 24th, 2003, 6:57pm »

Hey Mike! I got an idea. Can you convince your wife that the money you save on smokes can be yours to spend on extra Eclipse horns? Man, to hear the way you guys talk about those things I'd have to think it would be one heck of an incentive! BUT!!! You gotta save the money FIRST! (yeah, yeah...nag nag nag).

Liad Bar-EL

FreshBrewed: « Reply #11 on: Oct 25th, 2003, 06:29am »

Actually, I already have the money saved for the new flugel. As for the dishes, my hands are starting to look like prunes! Believe me Thevor, smoking is NOT worth getting out of doing dishes! This morning I even opted for raking leaves instead of having that morning smoke. If this doesn't kill me it will definitely make me more physically fit.

Liad Bar-EL

Tootsall: « Reply #12 on: Oct 25th, 2003, 10:02am »

Ahhh, now there's a REAL MAN. Not afraid to let his "sensitive side" show while he rakes the leaves (probably got one those turbo-charged Bavarian leaf blowers)

Come on, Mike...you can do it! We're all pullin' for ya. Remember..if the women don't find ya handsome, at least let them find ya handy!

(thanks, Red Green)

Liad Bar-EL

TrumpetPlayer: « Reply #13 on: Oct 25th, 2003, 1:37pm »

Mike and others who are wanting to quite smoking, the whole answer to quitting smoking is quite simple. It’s called “willpower”.

It is not hard to quit, but it is hard to keep on the non-smoking trail. You have to gradually reduce the quantity, never smoke when you wake up, in the car, after (eating, toilette, sex etc.) any of the activities from which you tend to want a cigarette. I mentioned this before. By doing this, you will brake every habit that you may have connected with smoking.

When you actually decide to quit, the first three days are hard and one must be prepared for the next two months as well for they are the critical time. Never ask for a cigarette and try to stay away from "secondary smoking" – other people who smoke in front of you.

There are also gum and nicotine packets to reduce the physical addiction. There are even fake cigarettes that are plastic with a mint taste that don’t light up but give you the looks and “lip feel” of a cigarette … along the idea of a pacifier (for adults?).

Last point is to be careful of what you eat. Try to be on a diet when you quit smoking. Most people gain more than 5 kg during the first months.

That's the whole essence of quitting smoking. There are support groups that you can search for on the internet as well if you like.

Good luck,

Liad Bar-EL

Liad Bar-EL

TangneyK: « Reply #14 on: Oct 30th, 2003, 6:14pm »

Smoking... I'm a smoker too (as FreshBrewed knows). Having stopped a couple of addictions in the past, I'll tell you a few of things that worked for me:

One day at a time!! (Sometimes this meant one day, one hour, one minute, even one second at a time staying away from the substance in question.)

Focus on the root of the problem, not the symptoms. (Smoking makes me feel good. Not smoking doesn't. Thinking about that is not going to help. Thinking about why you need a cigarrette--stress, digestion, etc.--will help you "think out" your craving.)

Do things that make you feel good. (Again, smoking makes me feel good. I want to try and replace that with something positive. You've already mentioned practicing as an alternative, and I can't think of a better one.)

Drink lots of water!!!! (Water is good for everything--except breathing!! It'll flush out those chemicals a lot faster if you're well hydrated.)

Excercise. (Excercise produces/releases dopamines into your brain, so you feel better.)

Get a buddy. (Find someone that wants to quit smoking with you. You can share your nicotine fits together, and laugh at each other through them. Support is always a good thing, especially if you have someone that is going through the same thing you are.)
.............

Smoking is a pregnant dog to quit... Nicotine is the most addictive substance known to man. I hope some of this will help.

--Kevin

Larry Smithee

I quit smoking after working up to 2 packs+ a day for over 30 years. Acquiring the habit for me was almost instantaneous. I loved cigarettes almost immediately upon the first experiments in smoking at a young (foolish) age. I haven’t smoked for...well, I’ve forgotten now how long ago it’s been. I too tried many things to rid myself of the habit, including cold turkey, chewing gum, and all of the approved and marketed self-help products. Nothing worked.

What did work was a very lucky break that I wouldn’t want to revisit and that had nothing to do with smoking. I contracted legionnaires disease. This is a dangerous type of pneumonia that is contracted environmentally from contact with warm damp mildew areas. I ended up spending nearly 2 weeks in the hospital literally fighting for my life, but ultimately recovered fully. After being discharged from the hospital I was very weak and had lost a lot of weight. During this entire ordeal the idea of lighting up never occurred to me. It is, after all, the first 2 or so weeks that are the hardest in terms of giving up cigarettes and I had already accomplished that through the luck of an illness. It was very easy after that to fully abandon cigarettes.

Sorry to say it, but I have no magic bullets to offer. I wish I had better advice for those wanting to stop the habit. I would probably still be smoking if it weren’t for having the lucky break of a serious illness.
Larry

Tootsall

You just offered the "magic bullet", Larry. The realization that it is your LIFE that is in the balance. Glad you got over it (both Legionnaires AND smoking).