Guest Farnsbarns Wunterslausche Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I am a heavy smoker, and I tried to quit a year ago and was nearly successful. I had a few months down, and before that, a few more months. The thing I would say is that, because you fail once, you can still stop. That's what they say. And, I have a few good tips. The standard max patch is only the equal of half a pack a day. When it comes to the actual nicitine withdrawl and it becomes too much, 2 might do it. Better than reaching for a smoke when you are going nuts. Also, I tried a anti-depressant called buprian. Many brands are based on that. It fills most of the nicotine receptors, preventing the negative chemicals released when you don't have nicotine, while at the same time releasing something that is released when you get nicotine. For me, it did nothing for the cravings, but it helped immensely with the negative emotional effects of quitting. IT ONLY WORKS IF YOU HAVE NO NICOTINE INPUT: if you are smoking or patching or taking in nicotine when you start it, it won't have any effect when you remove the nicotine from your system. Do it with Stein! Actually, who else smokes and would like not to, we could do it as a group AA style. My name is Farnsbarns Wunterslausche and I'm a smelly smoker! Anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Do it with Stein! Actually, who else smokes and would like not to, we could do it as a group AA style. My name is Farnsbarns Wunterslausche and I'm a smelly smoker! Anyone else? Actually, I HAVE been using the e-cigarette quite a bit more. The darned thing actually works! (as far as getting the nicotine). I notice I actually feel better not having so much "real" cigarettes, and more breath! Of corse, it is still nicotine. And, I imagine, while it MAY be healthier, I wonder about the harmful effects of breathing that much vapor. I know a guy who smoked as much as me, and he quit using chantax. I was shocked. I have another freind who just started it, and want to see how that is working. I am sure, I will need help in some way, regarding some form of drugs to help with the emotional issues. I currently don't have insurance, as well as emotional issues, so right now, not so good to try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnastynebr Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Put out my last cig on December 31st 2010 at 11:55 PM. Chewed gum for about six weeks after, but never even finished an entire box (30 day supply). I may jones for one if I see someone light up, but also go entire days without even thinking about smoking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Cheers to you for quitting. It's really difficult at first, but definitely gets easier as the days go by. I smoked for 13 years (started when I was 17). I guess it has been about 4 years now since I quit. One thing that helped me is I never focused on the exact date I quit. -That way I never thought anything like: "It's been 32 days, 6 hours , 41 minutes since I smoked.". Not focusing on how long it has been helped me to take away that last bit of control that coffin nails had on me. It's really awesome being able to smell things again, and taste food. I also don't get winded carrying guitars and amps when my band has a gig. Dem00n talked about this earlier in here, but the money you save will be great. It's like you're giving yourself a raise. I saved $1,900 a year after I quit. That got me a Nikon D300s camera, and the next year I got a Les Paul Special, and a new couch for my apartment. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 What I did with my 1st year's cigarette money: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I just had two cups of coffee and two cigs.........hmmmm... When I finish winning two current lawsuits, I'll give quitting a go......... ( We're looking at finally buying instead of renting, that'll help as well, to love in peace..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jannusguy2 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I was a 2 pack a day smoker for years. Come this August it will have been 2 years since my last smoke. I used the patch and a script for lightweight xanax. I was over it all in about 6 weeks. I will never smoke tobacco again. YOU CAN DO IT! My motivation was the money as much as the health aspects. Pissing away $4500.00 annually on cigarettes finally got to me. I have 2 new guitars with the $ saved. Don't stop trying! It feels so good not to be a slave to that **** anymore. Not stinking to high heaven is a plus, too. Hang in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 God, I almost want to start smoking so I can buy myself a guitar with the savings when I quit I have a lot of friends who are trying to quit smoking, and I can tell its super hard for them. Good luck man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markus78 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I have quitted smoking about two years ago and nowdays I am completely sure that I won't start it again. It is the first bloody month that is the hardest part... then it goes easier and easier all the time. It is very wise move to quit smoking. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnastynebr Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I am a huge advocate of the gum, as it worked very well for me. I didn't like to chew it, so I only popped a piece or two when I really needed a fix. It tasted very strong to me, so at most I was chewing 3-4 pieces a day early on. than after a week I was down to 2-3, and after the first month, I tried not to chew more than 1 a day. After six weeks I was going whole days without any gum, but was starting to have anxiety because I only had a few pieces left and didn't want to buy a second box. I knew if I bought another box, I would be on nicotine for another six weeks, so I decided to try giving up the gum, but had a few pieces left in case of an emergency. I never chewed any of the emergency pieces and was able to walk away completely. On New Year's day 2009, I quit cold turkey for almost three weeks, and had a melt down was back to smoking full force again within days of the first slip. Trying with the gum a year later worked better for me because I was still getting the drug. If I NEEDED a cig, I just popped two pieces at once to give myself a buzz, and I didn't want one anymore. Once I got over not smoking, the drug was easy to give up. 100% cigarette free for 6 months today, 100% nicotine free since mid February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Best of luck quitting, Wunterslausche! P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidl Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Tried quitting with the aid of Zyban. Effectively an anti-depressant. Had the exact opposite effect on me. I became very anxious and quite depressed. I got so frusterated about something one morning before going to work that I actually punched a huge wooden beam. The beam won. I broke three bones in my right hand and was lucky I didn't need surgery. In damp humid weather it reminds me of my foolishness. I haven't given up though. I will eventually quit. Hypnotism may be an option to try. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowdiddley Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Tried quitting with the aid of Zyban. Effectively an anti-depressant. Had the exact opposite effect on me. I became very anxious and quite depressed. I got so frusterated about something one morning before going to work that I actually punched a huge wooden beam. The beam won. I broke three bones in my right hand and was lucky I didn't need surgery. In damp humid weather it reminds me of my foolishness. I haven't given up though. I will eventually quit. Hypnotism may be an option to try. Dave Dave I highly recommend the hypnosis, I was hypnotized 19years ago and at that time I smoked 2.5 - 3 packs per day, not once during those 19 years have I had any desire to put another in my hand. No withdrawals at all, no cravings it was just like I had never smoked although I had smoked just about twenty years. I knew I'd never smoke again about 3 weeks after my hypnosis when after a night of drinking and partying I realized I had not thought of having a cigarette the whole evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpo Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Today is the first day of me giving up smoking. I had a cigarette first thing, then stuck a patch on. As bed times draws near I am really struggling. Between me and the wife we get through about 30 a day and will save around £3,500 a year ($5000) if we stop, that should be enough motivation but I can't bare it right now! I quit smoking after 39 years and years of attempted tries and failures. I didn't want to go 40 years though. So I saw my doc to get some anti-anxiety meds because I didn't want to try the patch again. Well here I am 1 year 5 months later and still not smoking. So if the patch fails, try again using zanax or something of the sorts. Good luck and don't give up!-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpo Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Tried quitting with the aid of Zyban. Effectively an anti-depressant. Had the exact opposite effect on me. I became very anxious and quite depressed. I got so frusterated about something one morning before going to work that I actually punched a huge wooden beam. The beam won. I broke three bones in my right hand and was lucky I didn't need surgery. In damp humid weather it reminds me of my foolishness. I haven't given up though. I will eventually quit. Hypnotism may be an option to try. Dave Yep! ZYban made me NUTZ!!! Don't use it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidl Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Dave I highly recommend the hypnosis, I was hypnotized 19years ago and at that time I smoked 2.5 - 3 packs per day, not once during those 19 years have I had any desire to put another in my hand. No withdrawals at all, no cravings it was just like I had never smoked although I had smoked just about twenty years. I knew I'd never smoke again about 3 weeks after my hypnosis when after a night of drinking and partying I realized I had not thought of having a cigarette the whole evening. Very impressive. I partake in the green sometimes and don't want to drop that part yet. Do you think it would make any difference? Its the tobacco dependency that I would like to stop being a slave to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Wunterslausche Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Yep! ZYban made me NUTZ!!! Don't use it!!! I'm not allowed Zyban, Champax or any other drugs that block the nicotine receptors because they all, necessarily, cause depression. It is on my medical record that I was diagnosed with depression. This was in the 90s when everyone who so much as looked at a doctor was diagnosed with, and medicated for depression. At the time I was 19, earning slightly less that my outgoings, had a mortgage (Yeah I got a bit ambitious), hated my job, got dumped by my girlfriend, had been recently forced in to moving away from my friends by circumstance, got burgled, got stabbed and mugged in separate incidents, felt like my parents had landed me in most of this for selfish reasons and generally had a **** life. Soon after being diagnosed and prescribed anti depressants I had a light bulb moment, I wasn't depressed, I was unhappy. Seems obvious now but I really hadn't seen the obvious. I changed my job, had loads of causal sex with numerous consenting women and got my chin up for a bit which got me over the rest of the crap and simply stopped taking the antidepressants. As a result of the medical record private health insurance costs twice what it would, and I can never be prescribed anything with even the slightest connection with depression. All because some NHS doctor somewhere received a back hander for a very poor diagnosis (OK, that's a speculative conspiracy theory but the facts stand). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Tried quitting with the aid of Zyban. Effectively an anti-depressant. Had the exact opposite effect on me. I became very anxious and quite depressed. I got so frusterated about something one morning before going to work that I actually punched a huge wooden beam. The beam won. I broke three bones in my right hand and was lucky I didn't need surgery. In damp humid weather it reminds me of my foolishness. I haven't given up though. I will eventually quit. Hypnotism may be an option to try. Dave Effectively, it straight up is an antidepressant (aka Wellbutrin). They noticed that many people who used it as an antidepressant also quit smoking so they marketed it under a different brand name strictly as an anti-smoking aid (and bypassing generic use to cash in as you could not substitute it with the way drug patents work, it may have lapsed now so it's possible they may allow substitution). I have been out of the pharmacy business for a few years now but I think my information is still up to date. Antidepressants can and do have a strange effect on a lot of people, that's why they tell you to contact your doctor in those scenarios (always amused me to see the commercials for antidepressants warning about thoughts of suicide, isn't that kind of the reason you are on it in the first place?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Wunterslausche Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Effectively, it straight up is an antidepressant (aka Wellbutrin). They noticed that many people who used it as an antidepressant also quit smoking so they marketed it under a different brand name strictly as an anti-smoking aid (and bypassing generic use to cash in as you could not substitute it with the way drug patents work, it may have lapsed now so it's possible they may allow substitution). I have been out of the pharmacy business for a few years now but I think my information is still up to date. Antidepressants can and do have a strange effect on a lot of people, that's why they tell you to contact your doctor in those scenarios (always amused me to see the commercials for antidepressants warning about thoughts of suicide, isn't that kind of the reason you are on it in the first place?). Yeah, one thing I always think is funny when I visit my folks in FL is the adverts for drugs. My understanding is they have to mention every side effect reported during trials so almost inevitably you get a warning stating that it may cause the very symptom it was developed to treat. We don't get that over here as no one pays for their medication here. That said, some antidepressants do cause thoughts of suicide. That and depression are not necessarily the same thing. There was a drug marketed as Xeroxat in the UK (probably under a different name else where) which was implemented in LOTS of suicides. Viagra was developed to prevent angina but was found to cause more serious heart problems, it was also found to have the benefits we all know about so they changed it's use but you can't have it if you have heart problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Wunterslausche Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Well, It's going OK. There's been a couple of hickups but I don't really know why because generally, it's doesn't seem too hard, famous last words perhaps, idk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Tari Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I quit during my last back surgy. They stuck 3 breathing tubes down my throat and had to pull them back out because they were cloged with nicotine. I died on the table because the tube filled with nicotine again. I SMOKED 3 PACKS OF MENTHOLE FOR MANY YEARS WHEN A PACK WAS BELOW A BUCK and the cigerette companies were adding extra stuff to the things. Been 10 years, and working on the water front for almost 30 years.between cancer from smoking or working in an asbestose invirement seen a lot of good people die of cancer. [thumbdn] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowdiddley Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Well, It's going OK. There's been a couple of hickups but I don't really know why because generally, it's doesn't seem too hard, famous last words perhaps, idk. It isn't when you REALLY want to quit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shnate McDuanus Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Awesome thread--just reading about people quitting smoking (I'm a lifetime non-smoker--not trying to be self-righteous here or anything) makes me want to take a few deep breaths and breathe in the clean air. I dunno why, maybe it's because I tend to have sensory responses to written words, but the air just feels cleaner now. For those who are quitting--good luck! I hope you all get rid of those demons. For those who quit--congrats. It's nice to see you all helping those who are going down the road to recovery that you once went down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 congrats glad it's going well - It can be hard to kick if your not ready as the mental addiction is tougher than the physical part. I tried numerous times but then married a woman who was highly allergic to cigarette smoke watching her suffer if I cheated made it easy to quit. Now if I could just kick caffeine and If i didn't hate vegetables maybe I'd be set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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