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Post by Ginnie on Feb 19, 2008 22:53:43 GMT -4
Unusual thread, but here goes:
In about a week, I'm going to try to quit smoking for the umpteenth time.
Background: Has smoked for 35 years. Presently smokes about 10 cigs a day. Once quit two years ago for three months.
Any good hints, tips or suggestions based on your own experiences?
Note: I am quitting cold turkey. No patches or gum. Posts of encouragement very welcome!
I will keep y'all up to date on my progress... ;D
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Post by LunarOrbit on Feb 20, 2008 0:15:07 GMT -4
Good for you, Ginnie. I don't know what kind of tips or advice I could give you since I've never had to quit smoking. But as someone who lost his father and grandfather to lung cancer I know quitting is the best thing you could do.
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Post by BertL on Feb 20, 2008 10:41:09 GMT -4
My dad quit too, after +/- 40 years at a rate of at least 20 cigarettes a day. He started off with patches and is completely cigarette free now.
If he is able to stay off the cigarettes just fine now, you should theoretically have over 50% less trouble*!
*) Calculations not actually supported by recognized and appreciated calculators
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Jason
Pluto
May all your hits be crits
Posts: 5,579
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Post by Jason on Feb 20, 2008 11:58:19 GMT -4
I've never smoked, but I've tried to help some people quit.
I understand that the first thing to do is get rid of all cigarettes in your house, car, and work. Don't just toss them in the trash where they can be retrieved later either - cut them up with razor blades and hose them down or burn them so that they're unusable. Don't leave any behind "just in case".
I've heard that you should stay away from peppermint (including peppermint toothpaste), because the taste might get you thinking about cigarettes again.
Avoid places and situations where you commonly smoke now. If you always smoke after watching a TV show, for instance, don't watch the show. Change your habits that include smoking.
Get the support of your friends and family members. Have them ask you on a regular basis whether you've had a cigarette.
If you're religious, ask God for help too. And if you're not religious, it can't hurt.
If you slip up don't give up completely and start smoking again. Acknowledge that it was a mistake and get back on the horse again.
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Post by lionking on Feb 20, 2008 12:20:23 GMT -4
First, ensure that you have the will. Keep on reading how muc hahrmful are cigarettes to the human body. Get yourself frightened with it. Then, if you are a heavy smoker, don't quit everything at one time. Try to decrease your consumption bit by bit (do a schedule for yourself).
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Post by Jason Thompson on Feb 20, 2008 12:41:37 GMT -4
My wife's father quit cold turkey after being in hospital with a collapsed lung. Some of the other patients on the ward had some sort of external lung arrangement for their treatment, and seeing the crap in those plastic bottles in those who smoked scared him off it. He couldn't even think of smoking again after that. So try the aversion therapy route and go to a hospital and ask to see the effects of smoking.
Or, as Lee Evans suggested, use nicotine patches: one over each eye stops you finding your fags....
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Post by Jason Thompson on Feb 20, 2008 12:44:09 GMT -4
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Post by echnaton on Feb 20, 2008 14:55:43 GMT -4
It is not easy to quit so get a friend that will check up with you daily on your progress. It makes you feel less of a heal if you do relapse to talk to a friend and pledge to quit again.
Break the chain of routine that leads to smoking. If you routinely smoke after a meal, then have an activity to do right after eating. Going for a walk, opening a single serving fruit container or a pack of gum will do. Anything to substitute for the cigarette. One of the pitfalls of quiting is eating too much as a substitute. Try not to do that, but if you do it is not a reason to resume smoking because a little extra weight is better than smoking.
Success is measured in the number of days you don't smoke, work build that number until you can count your smoke free time in years.
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Post by gillianren on Feb 20, 2008 16:04:40 GMT -4
Best of luck. I've never smoked, either--few of my friends do, come to that--but I am at least academically aware of how hard quitting is. Remember at least that you have our support; I, for one, am willing to read the occasional--or frequent!--PM of frustration. Just keep that goal in sight. I'm sure my horror story is minor compared to some of the others you get around here, but my dad died (25 years ago Friday before last) of smoking-related causes at age 44.
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Post by LunarOrbit on Feb 20, 2008 16:19:55 GMT -4
My dad tried nicotine patches for a while, but by the time he decided to quit it was already too late for him. He didn't tell anyone except my mother that he was trying to quit because he didn't want us to think he was a failure if it didn't work. So my best advice is to not try to do it alone... your family and friends will support you.
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Post by Ginnie on Feb 20, 2008 16:59:06 GMT -4
Great suggestions, I appreciate every one. The last time I tried to quit (went three months without smoking) I bought a book about quitting smoker. It's author was a doctor who treated patients that wanted to quit. He said that patches, laser or accupuncture don't work very good. Basically his method was cold turkey and pure willpower. It didn't seem to matter if someone smoked two cigs a day or two packs - the difficulty was almost the same. I KNOW I can do it. I have to do it before I find out someday that I've got cancer or something. That's something I worry about. Also, if I quit my gums would be in better shape - so my Dentist tells me. Also, if I quit my sleep apnea wouldn't be as bad - so the sleep specialist told me. Also, if I quit my irregular heartbeat wouldn't act up as much - so my heart specialist tells me. Another thing, when I quit smoking before a couple of people asked me if my psoriasis was going away. I wasn't aware of it but maybe there's something to that too. And my wife and kids will be thrilled if I quit. The heart thing is a 'fly on the wall' according to my doctor. I've had irregular heartbeats happen on two occasions over the last three years. It doesn't settle down and I have to get zapped at the hospital. I asked the doctor why does he have to put me to sleep when they zap me. He said, dryly, "Because it hurts so much". Ha ha.
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Post by gillianren on Feb 20, 2008 19:16:54 GMT -4
The heart's what got my dad.
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Post by wdmundt on Feb 20, 2008 19:57:16 GMT -4
Okay -- I'm not a smoker, so I can't really speak to that exactly -- but I do know that you have to keep busy, busy, busy. It should be a good time to do some new painting projects or dust off an old hobby. Sitting around staring at the walls will be the wrong thing to do. Keep your brain and your hands busy.
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Al Johnston
"Cheer up!" they said, "It could be worse!" So I did, and it was.
Posts: 1,453
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Post by Al Johnston on Feb 20, 2008 22:44:33 GMT -4
Good luck with it ;D
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Post by Ginnie on Mar 2, 2008 21:24:53 GMT -4
Update: Last cigarette was Feb 29 at 11:50 p.m. I figure if I can go 158400 seconds without a smoke, I can go another 40 or so years...
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