Withdrawls, how to deal w/ 'em

[Roadrider]

My co-worker was a heavy smoker, he quit last year and he had tried everything but nothing worked. It finally came down to finally making up his mind that it was time. He used various hard candy to pop into his mouth instead of a cigarette. He's been smoke free for a year now. My late wife had tried many times to quit but was never successful. She died of an unrelated cancer almost 5 years ago. I quit about 26 years ago.

I think it helps if you

A) make quitting a priority in your life

B) Find something to substitute for the act of smoking.

Best of luck to you.

 

[warsw]

I remember it well. I quit smoking about 30yrs ago. I was really into water skiing and starting to get fairly competitive on the slalom course. I wanted to move up to the next level but I was getting winded and it was starting to hold me back. It was then that I decided to give up the cigarette and start a rigid exercise program. I now had the incentive to quit smoking that I never had before.

To help get through the first week I ask my wife to make me up a bunch of chocolate chip cookies. Every time I felt the need to have a cigarette I would have a cookie instead. I did gain 5lb the first week (thank god for the exercise program or I would have gained 40lbs) but it did work. Having a reason to quit, that is more important than the cigarette, is the real secret.

You do eventually get to where you will not even want to be around a cigarette. It is hard to see now but it will happen.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Having a reason to quit, that is more important than the cigarette, is the real secret.

Chiming in on top of everything I wrote. I agree with Warsw on this concept. My reason was pretty significant. My wife's parents used to smoke. They started young and never quit. Her mom got breast cancer, fought it for 1.5 years then died. 32 days later, her father was diagnosed with fast growing lung cancer and died about 9 months later. Once, I caught a look on Sherri's face when I lit up - a look that spoke, "I cannot live with going through this with you too." I quit within three days of that and haven't got back to it once.

Having been part of the fight against cancer with three people in my life; my son's godfather and my inlaws, I can say this: putting your family through this is not worth the modicum of comfort gained by a smoke. Smoking increases the risk of getting cancer and statistics on this are clear. You don't have to smoke to get cancer, but if you do smoke you are more likely to get cancer. Emphysema ain't fun either. Sherri's uncle has that.

Well...we all can come up with reasons. It doesn't take a genious to know that it's bad for us. Whatever the reason, you have to be resolute. I WILL NEVER SMOKE AGAIN! I say that every time I think of smoking.

 

[frayne]

Good luck, I have tried everything over the years, and I mean everything. It is a tough habit to break to put it mildly. I still smoke, maybe two or three a day. I know I need to quit but I love the buzz.

 

[Charlie Hoss]

Good for you, Medic!

I smoked from 17 til 23, quit when cigs went from $.25 to $.35 in the machines. One pack a day guy til the last 6 months then suddenly 1 1/2 packs. Coughed all morning. Had one cig left at midnight, Sunday night. Uhoh...smoke this now and suffer in the morning...or save it til tomorrow and have a nicotine fit tonight? ***** this...this is ********!! I'm smokin' this SOB right now, sleeping thru the night and in the morning I will have quit 6 hours ago.

I told everyone I knew,"You'll never see THIS guy smoking again!!" I got rid of all the ashtrays, old butts, anything that would make me think of smoking. This was a mission, a goal, a battle, FARGIN WAR!!!!

If I hadn't shot off my big mouth so much, I know there were times I would have picked up a butt off the sidewalk and lit it up! The real nicotine fits came about as often as I would usually have a smoke, about every hour. Strangely, they would last about as long as it would take me to smoke a butt, about 10 minutes, then it was ok for another hour.

Anytime I had the chance, I would again run my big mouth about what a hero I was for quitting. It made the difference. It was really tough for several weeks and it gradually got easier.

The most DANGEROUS period was maybe a year later, the mission was accomplished, the goal was achieved, the battles and the FARGIN WAR were won. I'd be sitting in a bar on Friday night, drinking, everyone was smoking, and I'm thinking, ****, one little smoke won't hurt me. Then I recalled others who tried "just one" and had to start all over. Screw that...I never did smoke another anything, and its been 38 years since then.

Now, I HATE cigarettes, and generally don't hang out with smokers, unless its outside.

Try this also: Figure out how much you spent on cigarettes each day and put that amount of money in a jar, each day. If you don't, you'll never see the savings from quitting. It won't be long and your FARKLE budget will be full.

I think its really important to get your partner to quit with you, if possible. Its twice as hard to quit if a loved one is constantly smoking around you.

A good exercise program will be a good incentive to succeed. Take up running or bicycle riding. You'll benefit in other ways.

I hope this helps. You have a lot of us pulling for you. We'll save you a seat in the No Smoking section.

Charlie

 

[Last Chance]

Okay, last week i went to see my doc about help in not smoking. He gave this medication thats supposed to help after a week of taking it. Today is my one week day, and I'm sticking w/ the plan no matter how hard it gets. I've been seeing too many pt's w/ lung problems and have had some diff breathing at times myself recently. Not to mention the prize after 1 year off smokes. Honestly though a 2nd bike doesn't mean **** right now, all I can do is think about having a cigarette and honestly it has only been 4 hrs w/o one. I can't sleep because of the fits and there's nothing to do besides watch info-crap-mercials. The dogs are gonna love me now 'cuz they've walked about 3miles longer than the usual 1a.m walk just so I wasn't near the house for the first 2 nic fits.


SNIP

girlfriends that were worth it but, exceptions rather than the rule.Thanks for any advice, Im going to go vomit now.

That medication wasn't "Chantix" (verenicline) by any chance was It.? If so keep using it. However I approached quitting a little different. (Its been 6 weeks nicotine free). I got the nicotine nasal spray (nicotral) and I already had nicotine lozenges. I took the medication (Chantix) for a week, but substituted the nasel spray for cigarettes. Then after the first week (+ a couple days) quit using any nicotine at all. Amazingly for me, I had absolutely no physical withdrawal symptoms. I have smoked 1-2 packs for 40 years and once quit for 4 years. I've tried to quit 1,000s of times and failed. One reason I don't drink or do drugs is, as severe as the withdrawal is for me physically, I can't imagine what it would be like trying to go through withdrawal from "real" drugs!!!! Chills, night sweats, nightmares. shakes, etc. The time I did manage to quit it took 6 months before I could really function again. Stupidist thing I ever did was to have that "one" cigarette after quitting for 4 years. It's 20 years later and I won't make that mistake again.

The Chatix has been a god send for me. It's been almost like I never smoked. I don't feel ANY physical cravings and other than "nibbling" to keep my hands busy I don't miss them (smokes) a bit.

It will be interesting to see what kind of "withdrawal" I experience when I finish the Chantix. I hope none!

Good luck, and use the on-line "support" webb site that goes with the prescription. Also an 800 number to call for "support". Even at $100 per month for the prescription I'm over $200 ahead by quitting. Theoretically, I would be better off staying on Chantix for the rest of my life than I would be to smoke!

LC

 

[Greg E.]

I quit a whole mess of habits 17 years ago. The last thing was Skoal. Boy! What a challenge! Some times it was minute to minute. It's been my experience that, if you just push the urge away for a few minutes, you can get through it. NEVER NEVER listen to that little voice that tells you that you can have "just one". If you listen to that voice, you'll never make it.

 

[Fencer]

Hypnosis. Word. Did the moogly-oogly-hocus-pocus **** on a Thursday night at 7:00 PM. The session lasted an hour. Haven't had a craving in almost three years except for once recently on a ride. Yuk.

I knew you were a little weak-minded fru-fru home decorator.

Evil- I never started the habit cause I hated my parents smoking so much. They have both quit for over 20 years.

Best thing you can do is get those around you to quite so they are not tempting you.

when you feel weak, pull out the R. Lee Ermy doll (ecuse me, Action Figure) and have him tell you in that great DI to what a little wimp, pathetic, weak assed ******* you are for need a butt in your lips

 

[Rickster]

A thing/trick that helped me (I stopped last September) was to laugh at myself when I found that I wanted/craved a smoke. Laughing at myself was better than getting pissed off -- YMMV, but it helped me.

 

[FJRay]

I quit in 84 after I got divorced and went bankrupt all at once. I figured I should quit and get rid of all the ******** all at once. When current wife quit she had the laser treatment at 9:00 in the morning and never looked back. I thought it was a bunch of crap but it worked for her after years of trying. Hang in there because the results are worth every bit of the pain.

 

[RsvlFeej]

Chewed Copenhagen for 27 years (from age 12 to 39 at a rate of about a can to 1 1/2 cans a day - a nurse friend calculated I was getting about the same nicotine as a 4-pack-a-day smoker). Made it nine months without a dip (cold turkey) after 7 years addicted, then went hunting with 3 guys who chewed - end of that quit - my longest until Dec. 31, 2003. Been off the crap since then. Tried: cold turkey (dozens of times), wellbutrin (twice), nicotine patches (twice, once as recommended, once at way more than the maximum recommended dose), hypnosis (once). Found an acupuncurist, but quit chewing before I tried getting stuck with needles, although he did help my back pain.

For this last quit, I tried one of the herbal quit-smoking aids (Smoke-Away). Don't know if it "really" worked, but for me, it helped a lot. I had been trying to quit with a lot more regularity when I hit 25 years of chewing, so maybe I had built up a little more recent memory of the suckiness of withdrawal symptoms, maybe my mind finally got right, maybe the wife's bribe of buying me any vehicle I wanted - up to $30K (test drove a 3.0 liter BMW Z3, bought an '02 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel), maybe the Smoke-Away actually worked - It very well may have, I had MUCH less severe withdrawal symptoms using it than by using any other method.

Short answer - even the Smoke-Away was not a magic bullet. Once the immediate physical addiction passes (I've heard numbers as low as 2 - 3 weeks), the ongoing need for a nicotine fix is surprisingly similar to the grieving process after a close relative dies (dad crapped out from lung cancer at 59, smoker from 12 years-old 'til death) - for the first few weeks-to-months after the nicotine (or relative) is gone, there are blindingly powerful urges/memories which gradually diminish in frequency and severity the further removed one gets from the quit/death date. Some of the urges/memories are wicked powerful even quite a bit removed in time - much stronger than it seems you should reasonably expect after say, a year, but you can get through them. That said, even more than three years out, with only the occasional pang (usually pretty weak, but some strangely sly mind games, i.e., "go buy a can, just don't open it" - when I go by the store where I used to buy Copenhagen - I still find myself saying, "If I'm ever diagnosed with a terminal illness, first thing I'm gonna do is buy a can of chew." Miserable freakin' crap.

Good luck with quitting.

 

[Windjammer]

Hypnosis. Word. Did the moogly-oogly-hocus-pocus **** on a Thursday night at 7:00 PM. The session lasted an hour. Haven't had a craving in almost three years except for once recently on a ride. Yuk.

Hypnotist to TWN: "You will post on an internet forum every time you think about having a cigarette".

TWN to Hypnotist: :dribble:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

On a more serious note, seeking help/advice from others who suffer the same addiction is a HUGE step in the process of ending an addiction. By learning their methods for coping with addiction and its aftermath, and by reaffirming your commitment and getting moral support from a group of like minded sufferers, you dramatically increase your odds of success. you're already seeing some of this at work here in this thread.

Maybe there's an internet forum for people trying to quit smoking??? Worth a Google. Hint: If you give it a go, stick around and help others to quit too. This does more to ensure continued success than anything else. Don't ask me to explain why, I really have no idea why that works.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[Wingman]

I just wanna know one thing when is the storm over?

My doctor told me the physical withdrawal symptoms last somewhere around 5-7 days, making the first week the most miserable. So, if you can make it the first week without smoking, you have kicked the physical addiction. As someone else mentioned, that one cigarette you bum after 3 days forces you to start the calander over, but also prolongs the withdrawal symptoms. Lots of fluids and some exercise should help to flush the toxins a little sooner.

Then you only have to kick the habit. It takes a minimum of 3 weeks to break a habit, most would say a month or more. This part is much less painful, but requires nerves of steel to stay quit. Strong willpower and a good support from people close to you are key here. It helped me to stay away from my friends who smoked. Your real (smoker) friends will understand and be considerate of your commitment to quit. Without my friends I wouldn't have made it past 48 hrs!

I remember all too clearly what it was like to quit, and I am not looking forward to it again. I only made it about 9 months on my last attempt. I was drinking heavily at a party, and started back like I had never quit. I still kick myself every time I think about that night.

I wish you all the luck in the world with your endeavor, you won't regret it. I also remember how good I felt after a month without cigarettes. It's definitely worth the effort.

David

 

[rogdeb]

EvilM,

pm'd ya

 

[Last Chance]

I just wanna know one thing when is the storm over?

My doctor told me the physical withdrawal symptoms last somewhere around 5-7 days, making the first week the most miserable. So, if you can make it the first week without smoking, you have kicked the physical addiction. As someone else mentioned, that one cigarette you bum after 3 days forces you to start the calander over, but also prolongs the withdrawal symptoms. Lots of fluids and some exercise should help to flush the toxins a little sooner.

Then you only have to kick the habit. It takes a minimum of 3 weeks to break a habit , most would say a month or more. This part is much less painful, but requires nerves of steel to stay quit. Strong willpower and a good support from people close to you are key here. It helped me to stay away from my friends who smoked. Your real (smoker) friends will understand and be considerate of your commitment to quit. Without my friends I wouldn't have made it past 48 hrs!

I remember all too clearly what it was like to quit, and I am not looking forward to it again. I only made it about 9 months on my last attempt. I was drinking heavily at a party, and started back like I had never quit. I still kick myself every time I think about that night.

I wish you all the luck in the world with your endeavor, you won't regret it. I also remember how good I felt after a month without cigarettes. It's definitely worth the effort.

David

I must form reallllly strong habits. Took me 6 months + to really get past the occasional "urge". But stay tuff! and keep going. If you happen to stray. Then start again, and again and again.... Like I said I've quit literally thousands of times.. Only really succeeded twice.. This time for good... However, when standing in front of the firing squad I will accept that cigarette. :dribble:

LC

 

[Toecutter]

Hypnosis. Word. Did the moogly-oogly-hocus-pocus **** on a Thursday night at 7:00 PM. The session lasted an hour. Haven't had a craving in almost three years except for once recently on a ride. Yuk.

Hypnotist to TWN: "You will post on an internet forum every time you think about having a cigarette".

TWN to Hypnotist: :dribble:

And I thought this thread was about some poor, snow-bound FJR rider.

It's a just cause, Evil, so fight it with all the fight you got!

 

[turbodave_98]

There are various 12 Step Programs to deal with all forms of addiction. They have proven to be a useful tool to abstain from various addictions. The only requirement for membership in those programs are a "Desire to stop ....."

 

[twowheelnut]

There are various 12 Step Programs to deal with all forms of addiction. They have proven to be a useful tool to abstain from various addictions. The only requirement for membership in those programs are a "Desire to stop ....."

Thank goodness there exists not a 12 step program for motorcycling, eh?

 

[twodogs]

I concur that a powerful reason to become a non-smoker is very helpful. In addition, you have to just decide that you don't smoke. Not that you want to quit, not that you will try to quit, not that you think you can quit, not that you're in the process of quitting, etc... Those are thoughts that continue your smoker status and lead to failure.

Just decide that you don't smoke - you are not a smoker. Although you used to smoke, you're also not an ex-smoker, that's too close to implying that you will be a smoker again.

So, when you get a craving, dismiss it because you don't smoke. Not that it's easy, especially at first, but throwing that absolute I-don't-smoke switch in your brain is important.

I quit cigarettes on Friday, February 13, 1981 at about 4:30 pm. My first wife wanted me to quit. I did it for her. She never knew.

Good luck.

Bill

 

[Grumpy]

The wife and I quit in 1980 after smoking for 20 years......I was a 2-3 pack-a-day man....she was less. We saw her mother die of lung cancer, an awful thing and a sight I shall never forget as long as I live! I decided that I didn't want to die like that!!!!!

I believe that to successfullyt quit smoking one has to have an unshakable resolution that you'll never smoke again, for whatever reason that works for you? If you only think it'd be nice not to smoke, I'll practically guarantee that you'll start again. The tobacco companies have loaded the tobacco with addatives that increase it's addiction.

Then it's one hour at a time, then one day at a time, then one month at a time, etc. I understand that it's like being a recovering alcoholic. Habit is also a part of it in that you'll have to go thru a particular situation without smoking before you'll not want to smoke in that situation.

I'll have to say that it was the hardest thing I've ever done.

jim