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Who has quit smoking?????

Working in addiction medicine I can tell you that a nicotine craving lasts 3 minutes. If you can make it those 3 mins without caving the feeling will go away. It takes about a month to reverse habits so expect the cravings to last about that long. You got this man!!

PS: I’ll be quitting smoking myself once I pass my licensing exam in a few weeks. I was going to quit before I started studying, but on one of the first pages of my study material it explicitly states that you should not quit smoking while studying for the test. I figure if the the psychology experts say this then maybe I should wait until after my test haha
 
I never smoked but used snuff/chewing tobacco. Lots of hard candy for a month and gum, was good to go after that. Still have the urge every now and then when I get stressed.
 
I smoked once I didn't like how it made me feel. I dipped Copenhagen for 15 years, this March will be 10 years since I quit. I have to admit there are still days when I want another. I turned to food when I quit tobacco, guess that is why I am as big as I am. I had it kinda easy when I quit though I moved from Texas to DC and in order for me to buy it, I had to make a special stop to get it.
 
I haven't had a cigarette in 16 years. Somewhere along the way after that, I picked up dipping. I'm 47 days dip free today. Like my stopping drinking, it's one day at a time. Sometimes, it's an hour at a time.

Keep on keeping on!
 
Just keep trying and eventually it'll work. It'll be 8 years this halloween since I quit. I no longer feel guilty about my golf purchases since I quit ?:D
 
A trick I've found to be effective.....I told @Nessinator to hide all the cigarettes so even if I wanted one I couldn't find one. By the time I make it to the store the craving will be gone.:LOL::LOL::LOL:
 
Canadan said:
sunflower seeds.. busy work.
mints.. sometimes just changing the mouth experience helps.

..and pure frustration
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when i quit cold turkey it was not easy.....i felt like i owned stock in David Sunflower seeds for a year.
 
I haven't had a cigarette since 2005 and I'd love to say it's not a big deal anymore, but I'd have one in a second hahaha! I absolutely loved smoking. Even tried to do the whole vaping thing for a while and loved it too -- but the 'potential' health risks in both are just too much to stomach for me.
 
Used to smoke 1.5 packs a day for years. Last cigarette was June 21, 2002.

Strange that I remember the date, I never meant to. It just stuck.

For me it was easy because of a lie that I told my young son, then only a couple of months away from his 7th birthday.

He didn't know as I didn't smoke around the kids but would sneak away and sidestep the questions about the residual smell.

Sean had just learned some of the horrors of cancer and its causes. As he was repeating to me all that he learned, concentrating upon smoking for the last bit, with the desperate pleading eyes of a child he asked me, "you don't smoke, do you daddy? Please tell me you don't smoke?"

So... I did. I lied right to this sweet child's face and told him what he'd asked me to do, tell him that I didn't smoke. Damn, if that didn't gnaw at me more than maybe anything else in my life prior.

So I had to turn a lie into a truth. That kid just wanted to know that his daddy would be safe and I wasn't man enough to tell him the truth.

But I sure loved him enough to stop, the very next day.

Not so much as a puff since, cold turkey, never looked back.
 
I quit back when I live in Tucson. Took two tries and the hardest part was figuring out what to do instead. The physical habit is just as hard to change as the mental and chemical ones.

Becoming a wedge bouncer seems harmless enough. Good luck!
 
I use the gum. Works great. Golfing with my wife is a little difficult. She likes the smell of cigars (and likes beer. She’s a dream come true). However, my regular guys are a couple of doctors. Reverse peer pressure.
 
Never smoked but chewed for about 17 years. I’m just about 1 1/2 years tobacco free! I’ll be the first to say it wasn’t easy and there are still
moments I have that craving. It took my 7 year old at the time breaking down scared that I was going to get the big C....

I chewed a TON of bubble gum those first few months! I had also been told black pepper essential oils helped ward off cravings when they arrived so carried a bottle when they hit and dropped a couple of drops on my tongue. Not sure if it was the oil itself or simply the taste that got it off my mind...

I also made achievable goals. 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, etc... Be proud of them when you reach them! Pick a milestone and reward yourself! Eliminate the go to moments first. For me it was after eating and driving down the road.

Good luck as I’m certain you can do it!
 
Cmontgomery said:
Never smoked but chewed for about 17 years. I’m just about 1 1/2 years tobacco free! I’ll be the first to say it wasn’t easy and there are still
moments I have that craving. It took my 7 year old at the time breaking down scared that I was going to get the big C....

I chewed a TON of bubble gum those first few months! I had also been told black pepper essential oils helped ward off cravings when they arrived so carried a bottle when they hit and dropped a couple of drops on my tongue. Not sure if it was the oil itself or simply the taste that got it off my mind...

I also made achievable goals. 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, etc... Be proud of them when you reach them! Pick a milestone and reward yourself! Eliminate the go to moments first. For me it was after eating and driving down the road.

Good luck as I’m certain you can do it!
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The nervous energy is REAL. I used quitting smoking and its anxiety to my advantage.

I immediately embarked upon a double/split routine in the gym. I knew that I'd overtrain but didn't care. I worked out in both the morning and again in the evening. On days that I didn't do any resistance training, I did cardio or played sports. Active 7 days per week.

Got into the best shape of my adult life. At 5' 9", I was 195 lbs, 7% bodyfat.

Now I'm 5' 8", 200 lbs and a gazillion percent bodyfat. Shrinkage with bloatation. It can happen.
 
I quit almost 30 years ago cold turkey. I smoked 2 packs of Marlboro Lights a day and was in the store at lunch buying smokes when I spotted strawberry Jolly Ranchers. I said to the clerk give me that bag of Jolly Ranchers and quit smoking right there and have not touched a cigarette since.
To this day I don't know why I chose that moment to quit but I'm glad I did. I will smoke a cigar occasionally while playing golf or sitting on the deck in the summer.
 
Update: Just over two weeks without a cigarette. Starting to get easier.
 
I don't smoke. Have a buddy whose wife recently had open heart surgery and the doctor told him and his wife they would both need to quit. So far I think he has managed a week, but not sure how long that will go.
 
Confession time. I smoked in HS and college, and quit age 25. The being a total idiot, I picked it up again three years ago at age 38. I need to make an effort to kick this for the second time... its dumb. Kinda mad at myself for picking it back up TBH.
 
GraniteRoost said:
Confession time. I smoked in HS and college, and quit age 25. The being a total idiot, I picked it up again three years ago at age 38. I need to make an effort to kick this for the second time... its dumb. Kinda mad at myself for picking it back up TBH.
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Wow, I did the exact same thing at nearly the exact same time frame...25 to quit and 40 to start back up. Then after two more years I quit again after wifey found the cigs I had hidden in of all places, my golf bag....still don't remember what she had to go through my bag to find! I've now been smoke free for 17 years and will never touch another.

You can do it man. The difference is that this time you'll KNOW that you can't ever have just one!
 
Wildcat4life said:
Who has quit smoking cigarettes???? Due to a recent health scare I've decided the time has come. Today is Day 6.

I most often smoke on the golf course while waiting on the tees. My plan is to bounce golf balls on my wedge instead.

Any advice and/or ideas welcome.




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You can do it.

The easiest hard thing I ever did was quite smoking. Now, that being said, I didn't smoke for years and years, but I smoked enough to develop the habit and I know the fight. Probably a pack a day for 1-2 years.

I am, admittedly, a visual learner and all it took was a few pics from long time smokers' lungs to convince me.

The secret is... you can't smoke them if you don't buy them! Stay strong!
 
jlew2144 said:
I quit about 7 years ago... I used an ecig to step down the nicotine dosage. Started with 30/20/10/5 and then when I was on the 5mg dosage decided to play a game. How long can I go without hitting the e-cig?
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I’m on the e-cig as well. Quit smoking properly a few years ago, but still need the occasional hit in times of stress! Managed to stay off the proper bines though.
 
GraniteRoost said:
Confession time. I smoked in HS and college, and quit age 25. The being a total idiot, I picked it up again three years ago at age 38. I need to make an effort to kick this for the second time... its dumb. Kinda mad at myself for picking it back up TBH.
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Don’t kick yourself dude, is so easy just to fall back into it. All it takes is one and you’re right back there again. Been there, done that.
 
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