Quitting smoking...

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  • MetalVendor

    Well-Known Member
    Premium Member
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    83   0   0
    Jan 16, 2017
    1,542
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    Jefferson
    I am attempting to quit smoking (again). How did you quit? What helped you to stay away from cigarettes once you succeeded? Any tips and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Have a great weekend!


    Stephen WhoDat
    Liberty or Death!
     

    DBMJR1

    Madame Mayor's Fiefdom
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    23   0   0
    Jul 27, 2008
    2,313
    113
    New Orleans, La.
    Smoked two packs a day for 20+ years. Quit using Chantix. Gave me horrible nightmares. My doctor gave me .5mg valium to help alleviate the desire to jihad while awake. Those valium, as small as they were, saved my marriage.
    Craved cigarettes for years afterwards. I could pick up a cigarette today and begin right where I left off eleven years ago.
    Don't expect that craving to magically go away. It won't.
    Don't expect it to be easy, It won't.
    If you succeed, you will live longer, and enjoy a better quality of life while here, . . .




    , . . . unless you get hit by a bus. :)
     

    youcarrya.40?

    No longer carrying a .40
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    0   0   0
    Mar 3, 2017
    55
    6
    Amite La.
    First and foremost - You have to want to quit more that you want to smoke. I smoked a pack a day since I was 15, have been smoke free for almost 6 years now I think. I would never, ever go back.
    I stopped cold turkey because I was tired of it. I used things like suckers and hard candy to help with the habit of having something in my hands and to keep me busy. Also turning your attention to other activities such as a new hobby or even ramping up an existing hobby ( without having to buy cigs, you'll have some extra money towards your hobby)
    Best of luck to you!
     

    Danny Abear

    Well-Known Member
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    7   0   0
    Aug 11, 2007
    1,444
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    Brusly, La.
    I have smoked for over 50 years, trying to quit for the umpteenth time cause I can't breathe because of COPD. Go to any hospital and sign up for smoking cessation class, it is free and they will supply, nic patches, gum and chantix to help you quit.. Again, it is free, paid for with tobacco settlement money
    I'm presently down to about 14 cigs a day, from 2 packs a day.
     

    dk.easterly

    Well-Known Member
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    4   0   0
    Nov 28, 2011
    717
    16
    Clinton, LA
    Used the patch for about a week. Smoked for 15 years and haven't touched one in almost 3 years now.

    Start running or working out.
     

    AK shooter

    Redneck with a gun!
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    28   0   0
    Apr 12, 2008
    3,864
    63
    Raceland
    I smoked for over 20 years, quit using chantix. The dreams from the stuff were unreal. There were no nightmares for me. I have been smoke free for almost 9 years. Chantix is the easiest, but it effects everyone differently.
     

    John_

    Shooter
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    21   0   0
    Nov 23, 2013
    3,451
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    Hammond, LA
    I smoked for 35 years, pack a day, sometimes two. Quit cold turkey 22 Feb 2007, lots of gum, hard candies, toothpicks, and a whole lotta prayer. This was while I was working 12 hour shift as a boardman in an oil refinery control room, read super tough on nite shifts. And when ur units are crashing, after the battles. Many of us survived nite shifts on nicotine and coffee. Many times it was minute by minute to get thru it. But it got easier and easier with time.

    10 years later and not a single puff since. One of the best things that ever happened in my life. You have to change ur life for a while, stay away from friends and co-workers who smoke. And I gave up the bar room scene completely for one year. Quit my dart and pool leagues.
    The benefits....your overall health, expense of cigarettes, the stink factor, and you think more clearly at times. My sense of smell is terrific now. No more chronic bronchitis bouts, coughing and hacking.

    Don't miss it one stinking bit!
     

    GBob01

    Well-Known Member
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    2   0   0
    Sep 29, 2007
    276
    16
    the northshore
    Went through the Ochsner quit smoking program, it and all meds are free.
    Quit while using Chantix in 13 days. The dreams were great, no nightmares, no depression; did I mention the dreams were out of this world, I miss them.
    Smoke free for over a year now.

    Contact Ochsner and go through the program. Chantix, patches, nicotine gums or anything else you might try is expensive otherwise.
     

    Fred_G

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    2   0   0
    Jan 5, 2013
    1,680
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    West Monroe
    Used to smoke 2 packs a day for years. Tried quiting several times, even quit a few times for a while. Finally just got sick of it. I reduced the cigs I smoked down to just a few a day, and I was either craving a smoke, or dizzy from the nicotine... Just quit cold turkey. As stated above, you really have to want to quit. It is not easy, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

    The worst part I think was the first few days. Slowly got better over time, and I started feeling better, and could taste more. Go for it, cold turkey, pills, or patches, whatever works for you. Good luck!!!

    Heck, smokes are what, $5 a pack now? That is $1800 a year if you smoke one pack a day. Think how many guns you can get and how much more shooting you can do if you quit!!

    Feel free to PM me if I can help.
     

    charlie12

    Not a Fed.
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    4   0   0
    Apr 21, 2008
    8,518
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    Pride
    I smoked about 2 packs a day and quit a few times for probably a half a day or so. Then one night I was watching tv and said to myself when I finish this one I'm quitting. I put it out in the ashtray and never touched another. That was in 1985. I ate candy and it make my stomach hurt so I stopped that.
    Good luck
     

    dtd80

    Well-Known Member
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    23   0   0
    Nov 21, 2009
    1,227
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    Abbeville, Louisiana
    Youcarry is correct. Making the decision and wanting to quit will be a huge factor in bein successful. I love smoking but my health was not in good shape after 18 years of it. I tried to vape to help me ease off of it but quiting cold turkey was the best way. After two weeks of cravings, it subsided and I focused on working out and running. It's been 4 years now and although I know if I pickup a cigarette again, it'll be like yesterday but I choose not to. I can't run fast but my endurance is increasing and I love not having to cough and spit phlegm all the time. My breathing is a lot better also. Don't doubt yourself. If you truly want to quit, make the choice, believe in your choice, and just do it.
     

    Nail Gun

    Blissfully Ignorant
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    38   1   0
    Aug 18, 2010
    846
    18
    Slidell
    Great advice above. Also:
    -Do not drink while you're in the process of quitting
    -Avoid smokey bars, casinos, etc for awhile even after you're nicotine free
    -Consider not wearing the patch at night. Those dreams will really screw with you...
     

    Red Leader

    Well-Known Member
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    3   0   0
    Mar 5, 2014
    99
    6
    Hahnville, La
    You've got to make your mind up that you hate it. After that I used Zyban , 2mg Valium, and the lowest dose patch. After a week stopped the patch. After 2weeks stopped the Valium. After a month stopped the Zyban. Zero withdrawal.
     

    Brawny

    lol
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    9   0   0
    Sep 3, 2015
    879
    16
    Anderson, SC
    I've never smoked but my daddy was a 2 pack a day smoker. I hated it growing up. Clothes always smelled like smoke, riding around with him in a vehicle was annoying. If you have children they really do suffer.
    But anyway I don't know if my dad ever even wanted to quit, but one day he just stopped. Come to find out that he was on a stand one day and my cousin walked right up to him. He asked how he found him and he said he just followed the smoke scent. My daddy figured that if my cousin could smell him that the deer could too.
    It was hard on him for about 2 weeks but he never picked up another.
     

    dangermoney

    C'est Chaud Peur Lot
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    21   0   0
    Nov 16, 2008
    471
    16
    Gonzales, LA
    Great advice above. Also:
    -Do not drink while you're in the process of quitting
    -Avoid smokey bars, casinos, etc for awhile even after you're nicotine free
    -Consider not wearing the patch at night. Those dreams will really screw with you...

    I quit cold turkey 16 years ago after smoking for 23 years. No patches, gum, etc. I didn't want to trade one addiction for another.

    In the end I was smoking up to 4+ packs of Camels a day. Once I made the decision to quit for good, I put myself through all of the above and more right out of the gate. I found it was much easier to confront those things in my normal day to day routine that I got used to doing with a cigarette early on and start doing them without. By breaking these routines early on, it made it much easier for me to move forward quickly and helped me to not get over confident later on which often happens when one convinces oneself that he is strong enough to safely enjoy "one smoke".

    What really gave me strength was realizing the fact that I was enslaved to the habit. I came to realize that I was afraid to do anything that prohibited me from smoking and I was always worried about not having enough smokes to make it through an event. For me, the best thing about quitting was the liberation that I felt and continue to feel. I am able to do anything that I want without having to worry about whether or not I'll be able to smoke.

    These days I have no desire to start again ...
     
    Last edited:

    CatCam

    Ready, Shoot, Aim!
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    5   0   0
    Feb 20, 2013
    1,025
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    Oct 5, 1993 was the last cigarette for me -- cold turkey.

    Crazy thing is to this day I still get an occasional craving, doesn't happen often -- usually after a large supper consisting of steak......the urge goes away very quickly. Strange how this former addiction still plays games with you. Quit -- and when you do, be careful!

    Good luck man!
     

    MetalVendor

    Well-Known Member
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    83   0   0
    Jan 16, 2017
    1,542
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    Jefferson
    I just want to take a minute to thank everyone for the responses. Y'all really gave me some solid advice and pointers. Much appreciated. And it makes me hopeful to hear stories of how other people have quit. Time for Ole Stephen WhoDat to give this another shot! Cheers!
     

    John_

    Shooter
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    21   0   0
    Nov 23, 2013
    3,451
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    Hammond, LA
    I just want to take a minute to thank everyone for the responses. Y'all really gave me some solid advice and pointers. Much appreciated. And it makes me hopeful to hear stories of how other people have quit. Time for Ole Stephen WhoDat to give this another shot! Cheers!

    Make a good plan, and commit yourself 100%. Google "stop smoking", there are so many on line resources out there. For me, nicotine was truly an addiction. I loved the drug nicotine and its effects, especially with coffee (another stimulant).

    One year after being free from it, you will be so happy, and the immediate short term health effects are apparent in like 2 or 3 weeks in. It only gets better with time, exercise and prayer.

    I wish you the best success :) Just do it!
     

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