Who here has quit smoking?
 

Been a whopping 8 days for me... but I know I'm done this time, as comapred to last time.. I wasn't sure.

If you did quit, what kinda nasty side effects did you go through ? I am producing a lot of nasty, dark phglem... hoping that this is "normal" , and that my lungs are just cleaning themselves out. Scary stuff, gives me more reason to not smoke again.

If you have quit, congrats... share your stories if you wanna.

I quit smoking, but half my co-workers smoke and it's really hard. I still have the odd one...*ahem*

I had a persistent cough while I smoked and it lasted for about a week until after I quit. No major phlegm or anything. You'll see a rapid increase in lung capacity and energy.

Good job!

Quit years ago.
Resolved to go for a whole year without so much as a drag.
A year and a half later I had a stick with a friend. Nearly made me sick.
Haven't touched the sticks since then.

Smoked a pack a day for 15 years
I had a major surgery last year and couldn't leave my bed for 5 days afterwards.
The 5 milligrams of morphine every 7 minutes made it fairly easy to forget about smoking.
Haven't had one since.
Now I just have to get rid of my morphine addiction and it will be all good.
Neal

I used to smoke for about 10 years, both my parents smoke (my mom heavily to this day, 3 packs/day of the cheap, cheap american stuff) and I used the "with all the second hand smoke, I might as WELL be getting something out of it!" excuse. Worked really well for me ;)

I finally stopped after I made the decision I was sick of it. Got sick of the smell on my fingers, got sick of the taste in my mouth, the cost, the selection - everything. I'd tried before that, many times, with no luck - it wasn't until it felt right that it worked for me. I've had a few since that happened, and each time it reminds me why I don't do it anymore.

Still want to from time to time, but it's the thought more than the actual desire of the taste or the "experience".

Good luck - make sure you have LOTS of support and there's a cool trick I saw the other day, every time you want a smoke, text someone about it ;)

It talks about that a bit here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/.../smoking.shtml

anyway, good luck! :)

Quit for this?
 

quit 2 years ago , 11.00 a pack 7 days a week.. $300 a month if i kept away from the bar....
now i spend $400 + a month on this hobby...
just now i have a chance of outliving a couple of these fish...
I had the 7,7,7.. hardest days were the 7th 7th week and 7th month....
now don't smoke near me..i'm a Bad Non Smoker..
probably cause i still want one ..
but have no desire to have one...!!
good luck... i just spent my money so i couldnt afford any!!!!

LOL - ONLY 400 a month? Before I was doing SW I was probably hitting that - glad my wife doesn't read this forum! ;)

Yeah I have quit, 6 or 7 times and planning an eighth in the next few months.:lol:

Hey, you might be interested to see how smokers lungs look like; if yes go and check out the "Body World 3D" in science world very cool !

Haha. Ya, how does that saying go?..."Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a hundred times."

Smoked basically since '74; '75; '76. $.40 cents a pack then.
Back in '97 I quit for 1 1/2 years (up to somewhere in '99). Been a "part time" smoker since, if there is such a thing. (Mostly off, by far).
Back in '97 I used "The Patch" when it was prescription only. Seemed more of a commitment then. Now that it's available over the counter it's too easy to Yo-Yo. Smoking, Patch, No Smoking. Smoking, Patch, No Smoking.
I must say, after 20+ years of being a full time smoker, it's hard to give up fully and completely. It's like it becomes a part of your soul. Definitely a sense of incompleteness without it. I find the Patch does help though when times were tough. You still think about it, but you don't dwell on it. Then, over time, it gets better with the decreased dosages.

Good luck and cheers,

Quit 7 yrs ag o and quit chewing SKOAL last Dec after I had to go for major back surgery.. but still every now and then I have a chew ....
:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

dont tell my kids My daughterwill kill me :redface:

I quit smoking after having that nasty habit for about 25 years. Was having chest pains and went to see the doctor. He told me to quit if I wanted to get rid of the pains. He took a chest x-ray and everyting was ok. Got a prescription for Zyban, it worked really well for me. I had tried cold turkey and the patch before with no luck. About a year after quitting I started in this hobby. Been smoke free for 5 years. Good luck and stick with it.

My Momma Didn't raise a quitter :lol:

I quit with Zyban also.But the Zyban caused me to be sort of moody.Dumped my GF who I knew for 11yrs:redface: Started smoking again a yr later while playing pool and drinking beer.If I can quit pool and beer I think I'll have the smoking thing beat.

Hehehe - only losers quit. :mrgreen:
Seriously I wish I could. Have tried everything - accupuncture, hypnosis, patch, zyban (that is nasty stuff), cold turkey, that gum stuff..........

I quite in May after 22 year of a pack a day. haven't really noticed any big change except I'm now gaining weight. Still want a smoke now and then but I just eat LOL.

J

My dad was a 2 pack a day smoker for 20+ years. Then when I was in Gr.9 his doctor took an x-ray of his lungs & told him "See this, dead within 6 months." He quit cold turkey right then & there.

When he got home & told us, I wrote out a contract that he signed & all of us signed that if any of us ever caught him with a cigarette, even if he was just holding it for a friend, he would have to buy each of us a brand new vehicle of our choice. That would have been the world's most expensive cigarette:biggrin: Gotta love Grade 9 Consumer Ed.

We never did get our cars but we still have our dad:biggrin:

My uncle, "the Doctor", was over for a dinner party a week later & all my uncles smoke so I asked him very politely not to smoke in front of my dad, since he was trying to quit & his doctor said it would save his life. This uncle decides not to listen to his nephew, whips out a cigarette, lights it & blows smoke rings in my direction. I smiled, went into my room, went to the washroom & filled up my water pistol, & put out his cigarette for him:twised: Shot him full in the face. Boy, did my parents get mad. hehehehehe. Worth it though.

My only regret is that Super Soakers hadn't been invented yet:twised: :twised: :twised:

Anthony

I smoked 3 packs a day for almost 30 yrs. I was driving down the Highway and for some reason with no thought about quiting, I tossed my pack out the window. Over the years I tried the patches and the gum and even got a prescription or two and that didn't even slow down my smoking, just got a double dose of nicotine. Cold turkey was the only thing that worked for me.

Side effects....people stayed away from me for a couple of weeks. I was like a bear with a sore paw.

About 3 months after quiting I was at a gas station and offered the clerk a toonie for one cig, took about 3 puffs and new I was finished. I am also a bad ex smoker. I cant stand the smell of stale smoke. People just walking into the room after a smoke stink and I cant stand that smell.....however I will go outside with a smoker and enjoy the smell of fresh smoke. It will be 8 years in Feb since I quit.

Don't even want to talk about the weight gains....

Scott

I quit smoking 4 years ago after losing my mother to cancer. Now I just spend the extra money on my saltwater addiction. :idea: Now I wish that I could get the wife to quit and spend her share on my addiction too, that would be fantastic!!! :biggrin:

mmm mmm, I love smoking. I have never really thought about quitting but I am sure the day will come.

Definitely wasn't expecting this kind of response! It's kind of shocking to see how many smoke (or .. don't smoke anymore) .

I hadn't smoked for long, being young.. I suppose that's good that I kicked the habit now. I started at 18.. or just before 18, and I am only 20... I can't really say I am having any withdrawal... sure, I'm irritable, but that's about it.. and well, I guess I've got some extra anxiety/panic from quitting (more than I already have) .

Question for those ex-smokers... when you quit (and sorry to be so nasty and graphic) but did you cough/bring up (or maybe not even cough) dark coloured phglem? I assume this is the body's way of cleaning out the lungs.. but it sure gets the ol' anxiety going!

Congrats to those who have quit, big thumbs up.... keep spending that extra cash on the reef tank.. it's a good way to go... that's my plan at least :)

reply
 

I quit for 2 years a while back, and have started again for a couple of years. The first thing I noticed when I quit was that my sense of smell came back right away. I can still smell very well as a smoker, so when I quit before I could smell chewing gum 50 feet away. No Joke!

Its only been 9 days for you Scott.. :lol:

I'm aware haha. What I mean is I am glad I quit smoking now at a young age, rather than continue and quit later on, when it may be a lot harder.

9 days and feelin' allllriiight. just gotta stay away from pubs, and it'll be gravy.

YES that black crap from your lungs is your body trying to get rid of it...heck my body does it now and as I said I still smoke

For those who have tried cold turkey, I am proof that its possible to use that method.

What I did was set a date (Jan 1 2002). I did that sometime in the first quarter of 2001. SO I had plenty of time to prep myself for the quit date. On New Years, I was smoking, and smoking... Had a fresh pack... the clock struck twelve... we exchanged hugs and kisses... I offered everyone smokes, and then gave my pack to a random person.

I have been smoke free ever since that day. Dont think about smoking, dont crave smoking, and dont forsee myself taking it up again. To this day, my friends remember that day and are amazed how I stayed smoke free!

I do have to tell you, that the first 2 weeks after quitting were HELL!! I NEVER want to go through that ever again!! Once you get over the 2 week hump... you are home free.

i quit three years ago, went to school to become a Registered Nurse, thought i would be a hipocrit is kept at it. also my brother smoked, we are identical twins and lived together. we both did Zyban for a week and then quit both cold turkey. havent had a cig or even a puff since than.

the nasty phlem you are coughing up is cuased by the irritation from the smoke. the body produces it but cant get rid of it because the cigarettes damage the trachea. the cells lining the trachea have cillia which are little fingers used to move debris and mucus out of the lungs. smoking kills these cells causing all that crap to be trapped in the lungs, so smokers have to cough it out the "smokers hack". they will grow back if you havent smoked for too long.

the biggest thing i noticed was my sence of smell. man when i smoked i couldnt smell a thing.

I quit 5 years ago on my 1st anniversary, wanted to quit before we had any kids, didn't want them growing up in a house full of smoke even though I always smoked outside. Got myself some Zyban and a few weeks later no more smoking, haven't had one since and very very rarely get a craving.

I quit cold turkey 32 years ago.:mrgreen:

HOLY CRAP BOB YOUR OLD>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:BIG:

I started smoking when I was 12 after lifting dads cheap US cigarettes - but really didn't get into it all till about 16 where I figured it would do me better to smoke alot.. Yeesh. I've tried the patch (Gave me nosebleeds), Zyban (Anxiety Attacks look out!), Gum (Swallowed it), Hypnosis (Lets try that again?) when I was younger... Fast forward a few years, Met a girl - stopped smoking like that. Time went on, and I realized I didn't like the situation I was in - and honestly me starting smoking is what drew her away (yahoo!)..

Since then I'm a funny smoker... I'll smoke 3 months, and then put a patch on, smoke while on it and stop. Leave the patch on until it slides off in the shower usually 3 days and I'm good... Seems May Long Weekend, until Labor Day I smoke, and then briefly in December...... The more I've done it the more I've found it easier to just stop and not look back.

I have noticed better breathing, no more stabbing chest pains, not having to gasp when the heater is on in my car, better sleeps because I am not getting up at 3 for a puff, can wear the same clothes for days on end if I wanted to as they wouldn't stink like an ashtray, save that 11 bucks per day, and get to be a real jerk to the smokers standing out back of my office that are always there forcing me to wade through the haze to get inside every day..

I wish I never started, but I can't re-do what I've done so I've just learned to moderate my moderation - thats the best I can do?

Good luck to all who are kickin' the habit.