|Bunghole| Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 It actually isn't quite as bad as I thought it would be. I have smoked 1-2 packs a day for about 25 years (I am 41 now). I am using these Nicorette lozenges (thanks [b]ElFlocko[/b] for recommending them in various threads!) and they really do seem to help with the cravings. They taste like shit and they hurt my throat when I swallow but I have now gone almost 24 hours without a cancer stick. Neither mundane nor pointless I suppose, but here I am. I am doing it because there's no good reason to smoke and every good reason to quit. Its bad for me, I have two boys that have been begging me to quit, its expensive and I can't afford it. It smells bad. I will say this: I think smoking cessation aids should be subsidized by the government. I'm not for a lot of government doing a whole lot of anything, but jeez...getting people to quit smoking [i]now [/i]would cost taxpayers and insurance companies a lot less overall then paying for their health care when they get emphysema, cancer, throat polyps, etc. And these lozenges are fucking expensive...but still cheaper than the alternative in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Keep your head up, Bung! You can do it! This will be one of the biggest challenges you ever take on. I highly recommend you visit this site for motivation, information, plus a couple of free ebooks: http://whyquit.com/ Now, the lozenges were key to my quitting smoking, and I don't know that I would have been able to without them. But when the time comes to stop using the lozenges that will be a challenge as well (not nearly as bad though). Eventually you will have to quit nicotine cold turkey one way or the other. That site is [b]invaluable[/b] in helping you understand how nicotine affects and [b]physically changes[/b] your brain leading to addiction, and how to fight that addiction. Once you understand exactly how your brain and the rest of your body is reacting, it makes it that much easier to fight the urges and move on. I've been nicotine free for the last 2 months, and that's the first time in 22 years. If I can beat that addiction, anyone can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bunghole| Posted April 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 [quote name='Elflocko' timestamp='1303849662' post='985996'] Keep your head up, Bung! You can do it! This will be one of the biggest challenges you ever take on. I highly recommend you visit this site for motivation, information, plus a couple of free ebooks: [url="http://whyquit.com/"]http://whyquit.com/[/url] Now, the lozenges were key to my quitting smoking, and I don't know that I would have been able to without them. But when the time comes to stop using the lozenges that will be a challenge as well (not nearly as bad though). Eventually you will have to quit nicotine cold turkey one way or the other. That site is [b]invaluable[/b] in helping you understand how nicotine affects and [b]physically changes[/b] your brain leading to addiction, and how to fight that addiction. Once you understand exactly how your brain and the rest of your body is reacting, it makes it that much easier to fight the urges and move on. I've been nicotine free for the last 2 months, and that's the first time in 22 years. If I can beat that addiction, anyone can. [/quote] How long has it been since you last had a cigarette? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 [quote name='Bunghole' timestamp='1303850092' post='985998'] How long has it been since you last had a cigarette? [/quote] 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyInDC Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Elflocko made it through Munich's Oktoberfest without one before the general smoking ban a few years back, which means he was presented with more temptations than ever. I remember we barged in on a table of smokers on the first afternoon he and Mrs. Elf arrived. Not to mention the following Saturday night they went to the wee hours when it really turns into smoke pit...although not so much anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bunghole| Posted April 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 [quote name='Elflocko' timestamp='1303850252' post='986000'] 2005 [/quote] So it took you almost 6 years to get off nicotine entirely? Yikes! I can't afford lozenges for all that time! Or were you chewing or something instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 [quote name='Bunghole' timestamp='1303852521' post='986011'] So it took you almost 6 years to get off nicotine entirely? Yikes! I can't afford lozenges for all that time! Or were you chewing or something instead? [/quote] Just the lozenges (and yeah, they're fucking expensive). Read as much as you can off the site I mentioned. Once you learn about the nicotine half life, how it affects your brain, and how your body is going to react when you quit, it makes it [b]so much[/b] easier to deal with the withdraw and cravings. I also recommend you start exercising (doesn't have to be strenuous, just get your pulse up and use your lungs) and drink lots of fruit juice to keep your blood sugar stable as that helps control the cravings as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bunghole| Posted April 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 [quote name='Elflocko' timestamp='1303854196' post='986017'] Just the lozenges (and yeah, they're fucking expensive). Read as much as you can off the site I mentioned. Once you learn about the nicotine half life, how it affects your brain, and how your body is going to react when you quit, it makes it [b]so much[/b] easier to deal with the withdraw and cravings. I also recommend you start exercising (doesn't have to be strenuous, just get your pulse up and use your lungs) and drink lots of fruit juice to keep your blood sugar stable as that helps control the cravings as well... [/quote] I will definitely check out the site. And yeah, I have been having some sugar cravings, which I normally only used to get right before bedtime after a bout of drinking and smoking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 quiter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorclaws Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1303865132' post='986079'] quiter [/quote] 100% wife driven? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MULLY Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 I can't agree with the subsidizing by the gov deal. Why? Because the government didn't ask or tell us to start smoking. If they did, yeah, all for it. I'm a smoker, been doing about a pack a day for 30 years now. I too wish to quit but don't have the willpower. That's fucked up too because there are times when I got entire weekends without smoking. I don't smoke in my house, by choice, so I leave my cigarettes in the car. The parking isn't too far away but it's far enough for my lazy ass. If I don't go out on the weekends it's more often than not that I go the whole weekend without one. That means, I could stop if I really tried, I think. As soon as I get in my car though, "engine on" "cigarette in mouth". Need to break that routine. Maybe if I bought a new car and made it no smoking. Hmmm, the BMW 5 series is looking pretty sweet. MULLY can't really afford a beamer though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MULLY Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 You know what? I applaud anyone that has had the urge to quit and stuck to it. What I can't stand are the fuckers that quit then act like you having a cigarette is the worst thing known to man. Or they bitch about places that allow smoking. To all of those people, go fuck yourself. MULLY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bunghole| Posted April 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='gatorclaws' timestamp='1303868611' post='986093'] 100% wife driven? [/quote] Ha! No, me and the bitch have been separated since her Christmas Day 2010 drunken meltdown and her subsequent arrest...on Christmas Night...in our home...in front of little kids...so....yeah. Needless to say that Child Services are now a part of my life. And I still aint smoking as of right now (10:16pm)! GIT-R-DONE! I am dying for one though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTBengalsFan Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='Bunghole' timestamp='1303870857' post='986102'] Ha! No, me and the bitch have been separated since her Christmas Day 2010 drunken meltdown and her subsequent arrest...on Christmas Night...in our home...in front of little kids...so....yeah. Needless to say that Child Services are now a part of my life. And I still aint smoking as of right now (10:16pm)! GIT-R-DONE! I am dying for one though. [/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalBacker Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 As you know, I'm a big fan of e-cigs, but something else that can help you through the tough times are snus. (pronounced snoose). I've only tried a few different kinds and most of them taste like ass, but I really like Camel Mellow. I tried chewing tobacco once and almost died, never have and never will try snuff, but Camel Mellow Snus are good. You don't spit, you just put the pouch between your cheek and gum, swallow normally. It's in a pouch similar to a tea bag but much smaller, so you don't have loose tobacco floating around. When you first put one in, especially the first one you try, it will kind of burn for a minute or so, but then it gets pretty smooth. Leave it in until it loses flavor, usually 15 minutes to a half hour. They are like 99% safer than smoking. Anti tobacco people will try to convince you they are just as bad as smoking, but they're lying or misinformed. The risk of throat or mouth cancer with them is so minimal it's almost non existent. Especially if you're just using them here and there to get you over the hump of quitting smoking. Good luck Steve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MULLY Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 I've heard making it past day 3 is a slight turning point. Good luck, man. I wish you only the best outcome with this. MULLY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='BengalBacker' timestamp='1303885987' post='986137'] As you know, I'm a big fan of e-cigs, but something else that can help you through the tough times are snus. (pronounced snoose). I've only tried a few different kinds and most of them taste like ass, but I really like Camel Mellow. I tried chewing tobacco once and almost died, never have and never will try snuff, but Camel Mellow Snus are good. You don't spit, you just put the pouch between your cheek and gum, swallow normally. It's in a pouch similar to a tea bag but much smaller, so you don't have loose tobacco floating around. When you first put one in, especially the first one you try, it will kind of burn for a minute or so, but then it gets pretty smooth. Leave it in until it loses flavor, usually 15 minutes to a half hour. They are like 99% safer than smoking. Anti tobacco people will try to convince you they are just as bad as smoking, but they're lying or misinformed. The risk of throat or mouth cancer with them is so minimal it's almost non existent. Especially if you're just using them here and there to get you over the hump of quitting smoking. Good luck Steve! [/quote] Sorry Backer, but I just can't endorse the Snus suggestion as it's still tobacco with all of its carcinogenic properties and poisons. At least with the lozenges and I'm guessing the vaporizers you're narrowing your exposure down to the nicotine which is the single poison to which you are addicted. The last thing one wants to do when trying to break nicotine addiction is use another tobacco product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='Fulcher_33' timestamp='1303886079' post='986138'] I've heard making it past day 3 is a slight turning point. Good luck, man. I wish you only the best outcome with this. MULLY [/quote] Absolutely correct. The half life of nicotine in your blood is 2 hours, meaning that it diminishes by half every 2 hours, so it takes 72 hours for it to completely leave your system. Once your bloodstream is completely free of nicotine your brain starts re-wiring its dopamine receptors to work normally (about which it is ever so pissed) so you'll still have pretty strong cravings for a couple of weeks. They go away though, I promise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='Bunghole' timestamp='1303870857' post='986102'] Ha! No, me and the bitch have been separated since her Christmas Day 2010 drunken meltdown and her subsequent arrest...on Christmas Night...in our home...in front of little kids...so....yeah. Needless to say that Child Services are now a part of my life. And I still aint smoking as of right now (10:16pm)! GIT-R-DONE! [b]I am dying for one though.[/b] [/quote] Just remember, a craving only lasts for a maximum of three minutes. Ride it out for that long and you'll be fine. I used a stopwatch on my phone to count down the time every time I had a craving for the first week. Made things a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='gatorclaws' timestamp='1303868611' post='986093'] 100% wife driven? [/quote] Bung is 100% wife driven nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bunghole| Posted April 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Oh my wife is fucking nuts all right. One day I'll have to recap the crazy Christmas we just had with her getting drunk, making a fool of herself at a family Christmas party, trying to jump (repeatedly) out of a moving vehicle on the interstate on the way home from said party, being verbally abusive all the way home, dovetailing into being physically abusive once we arrived home and then finally culminating in her arrest and our separation. Good times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khatmandude Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 I also quite smoking cigarettes a few years ago. I did it cold turkey though as I was fasting during Ramadan, couldn't have a cig in the daylight hours so I figured if I go all day without one, might as well continue it into the night. I did and haven't been a smoker in 6 yrs now. I remember the biggest thing that helped me was having a straw or pen that i could chew on to satisfy my oral fixation. The cravings went away pretty quickly (each incident of a craving) but I still want a cigarette at times......even to this day (very rare but it still occurs). I obviously don't succumb to the craving but its there still nonetheless so you have to be very strong willed. I do remember I took a drag of a cig a few months ago and hated the way my mouth tasted after, was all dried out and the smell on my fingers after holding a cig for only 5 seconds was unbearable. I can't figure out why I ever thought it was a good idea to smoke cigs........ Good luck Steve.......YOU CAN DO IT! [img]http://popcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/robschneider.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengals8580 Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='Bunghole' timestamp='1303849024' post='985990'] It actually isn't quite as bad as I thought it would be. I have smoked 1-2 packs a day for about 25 years (I am 41 now). I am using these Nicorette lozenges (thanks [b]ElFlocko[/b] for recommending them in various threads!) and they really do seem to help with the cravings. They taste like shit and they hurt my throat when I swallow but I have now gone almost 24 hours without a cancer stick. Neither mundane nor pointless I suppose, but here I am. I am doing it because there's no good reason to smoke and every good reason to quit. Its bad for me, I have two boys that have been begging me to quit, its expensive and I can't afford it. It smells bad. I will say this: I think smoking cessation aids should be subsidized by the government. I'm not for a lot of government doing a whole lot of anything, but jeez...getting people to quit smoking [i]now [/i]would cost taxpayers and insurance companies a lot less overall then paying for their health care when they get emphysema, cancer, throat polyps, etc. And these lozenges are fucking expensive...but still cheaper than the alternative in the long run. [/quote] The government and the tobacco companies work together, theyd never pay for that stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bunghole| Posted April 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='IKOTA' timestamp='1303921698' post='986276'] I also quite smoking cigarettes a few years ago. I did it cold turkey though as I was fasting during Ramadan, couldn't have a cig in the daylight hours so I figured if I go all day without one, might as well continue it into the night. I did and haven't been a smoker in 6 yrs now. I remember the biggest thing that helped me was having a straw or pen that i could chew on to satisfy my oral fixation. The cravings went away pretty quickly (each incident of a craving) but I still want a cigarette at times......even to this day (very rare but it still occurs). I obviously don't succumb to the craving but its there still nonetheless so you have to be very strong willed. I do remember I took a drag of a cig a few months ago and hated the way my mouth tasted after, was all dried out and the smell on my fingers after holding a cig for only 5 seconds was unbearable. I can't figure out why I ever thought it was a good idea to smoke cigs........ Good luck Steve.......YOU CAN DO IT! [img]http://popcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/robschneider.jpg[/img] [/quote] Rob Schneider will make me strong! 48 hours and counting... **pops lozenge** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khatmandude Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='Bunghole' timestamp='1303928207' post='986370'] Rob Schneider will make me strong! 48 hours and counting... **pops lozenge** [/quote] You give me an idea. I want to make a lozenge to ween people off of Marijuana. I'm going to call Robert Shapiro and see what he says about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.