Smoking or Not?

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  • fivesilentmiles
    fivesilentmiles Posts: 14 Member
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    bump to read later.
    currently still smoking... need to figure out what might help & work best for me to kick the habit for good. :)
  • lifeskittles
    lifeskittles Posts: 438 Member
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    I also told my husband "I dont date smokers" and he quit too! He's fell off the wagon a couple of times but overall he is smoke-free!
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
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    Quit cold turkey after 20 years ... Read Allan Carr's Easy Way Book, it deprogrammed me like magic.

    Good luck, you can't crave what you don't want.

    When you truly realise there are no benefits to smoking you just don't want one.

    ^This, except for me it was about 15 years of smoking.

    ^ this again but only 8 years. Long enough. That book is a miracle, seriously.
  • RSBrewer1961
    RSBrewer1961 Posts: 13 Member
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    I smoked for 35 years and was a steady 1.5 pack-a-day smoker until 3 years ago when I bought my first electronic cigarette. I quit after 3 weeks with no withdrawl whatsoever. I switched to sweet fruit and coffee flavored nicotine liquids once my tastebuds regenerated because tobacco tasted horrible. I started out at a high nicotine level of 24mg/ml and am still using a Personal Vaporizer with 12mg/ml nicotine content today. I might switch down to the lowest level of 6mg/ml at some point but numerous studies have come out showing low-levels of nicotine to be beneficial for mental acuity. It's also being looked at to help stave off parkinson's and early-onset alzhemiers. My brain still thinks I smoke and I continue to enjoy the ritual but my blood pressure dropped from 150/100 to 117/83. I have lost 33lbs and I work out doing 4 miles a day, 5 days a week on the treadmill without any major winding issues. I can also run 6 flights of stairs and my breathing/heart rate recovers within a minute. This is the way to save your life without suffering in my opinion and if I choose to give up the vaping then that's going to be much easier now that I've stepped down the levels. Just my 2 cents but I've helped over 30 friends and family memebers quit and no one has gone back to analogs (cigarettes). Go digital!!
  • mrdexter1
    mrdexter1 Posts: 356 Member
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    another vote for e cigs...

    my partner hasnt had a real cig for over a month and hasnt been snappy as is normally the case ! - the only downside is my not having the commitment to stick to it as my diet is strict and the fact i have to sit outside and have a cig or go in the RV...

    Her workmates are doing well on giving up by using e cigs as well
  • D_Journey
    D_Journey Posts: 41 Member
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    I second what so many have said about E-cigs. But I'll add that you should try the Vaporizer variety (Like a Ego-C5, or similar) These are the ones that have flavored liquids which contain the nicotine.
    They are much easier to 'draw' smoke/vapor from.
    The earlier style E-ciggarettes are small and, in my opinion, too hard to 'draw' off of, and it made using them annoying.

    I bought a liquid nicotine style 'vaporizer' 3 months ago, and within a week I couldn't stand the smell of 'analog' cigarettes.

    I have gone down in nicotine levels, so I feel I'm still 'working' towards quitting smoking completely, BUT, by using the Vaporizer style E-cig, I have avoided 3 months of all those nasty added chemicals from regular 'analog' cigs, gained my taste buds back, and gotten compliments on 'how sweet' my car smells (rather than stale smoke).
  • mommarobb
    mommarobb Posts: 80 Member
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    I smoked a pack a day for over 20 years. On May 15, 2013, I quit :) I used Champix and motivation. I had to stop taking it 1 week after I quit due to horrible nightmares and sleep interruption. Within 6 weeks I gained 9 lbs but had lost my terrible smokers cough. I could walk the hill by the mall without dying. I joined this site 1 week ago and lost 6lbs :) It isn't easy. I still really crave smokes but for me, a big thing was that my hubby quit with me. If he hadn't, I don't think I could have. I also keep myself and hands very busy. Craving = Exercise. So when the craving is really bad, I exercise more which allows me some snacks (sugary) which helps the cravings. Also helps with weight loss if you stay within your numbers. Does your hubby smoke outside? He should support you in your choice. Good luck.
  • ncbeachprincess
    ncbeachprincess Posts: 91
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    Honestly I would put the weight loss on hold and try to quit smoking first. Not so much give it up, but focus more on quitting first. I feel like quitting smoking and trying to get in shape might be stressful if combined at first, and could sabotage your efforts with one or even both. I would still continue to work out and eat healthy, but place more of an emphasis on how much healthier you will be if you first quit smoking. That's just my opinion stemming from the fact that I think smoking is worse than being overweight :)

    Something my doctor told me once, yes smoking is bad, but being fat is worse. He said that the fat causes more stress on your organs and not to mention poor mental health, than smoking does. I somewhat agree with this, as I have done research on the effects of smoking. I look at it like this, if I can get my weight and eating habits under control and more of a lifestyle, then when I do quit smoking, I will already know what and how to eat properly.
  • cnave99
    cnave99 Posts: 63 Member
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    Does your doctor smoke? Lol! It's unbelievable that a medical professional compared the two- but seriously, smoking is so deadly.
  • pajouey79
    pajouey79 Posts: 39 Member
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    I quit smoking before I started here and gained about 20 lbs. :angry: When i did quit last April though, I did it cold turkey and had a pretty rough week. I walked when i felt like smoking or anxious though and got through it. My BFF quit like a week before I did so we would send each other supportive emails and stuff (like the stuff below). It did help seeing how soon things change in your body once you stop. I do not envy you trying to quit when your husband still smokes, if you need support add me as a friend!

    Within ...
    • 20 minutes Your blood pressure, pulse rate and the temperature of your hands and feet have returned to normal.
    • 8 hours Remaining nicotine in your bloodstream will have fallen to 6.25% of normal peak daily levels, a 93.75% reduction.
    • 12 hours Your blood oxygen level will have increased to normal and carbon monoxide levels will have dropped to normal.
    • 24 hours Anxieties have peaked in intensity and within two weeks should return to near pre-cessation levels.
    • 48 hours Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal. Cessation anger and irritability will have peaked.
    • 72 hours Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites (the chemicals it breaks down into) will now have passed from your body via your urine. Symptoms of chemical withdrawal have peaked in intensity, including restlessness. The number of cue induced crave episodes experienced during any quitting day will peak for the "average" ex-user. Lung bronchial tubes leading to air sacs (alveoli) are beginning to relax in recovering smokers. Breathing is becoming easier and the lung's functional abilities are starting to increase.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    i quit about 9 months ago
    i sttarted with nicorette lozenges
    when i ran out of those i di the ecigs
    then some how tapered off and quit them...
    then used cinamon hard candies ,,
    then quit them
  • hetx2mommy
    hetx2mommy Posts: 26
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    i stopped smoking using chantix. i only had to take it for about 3 weeks
    i've been smoke free for over 4 years.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    I'm a smoker :-(

    I manage to work out - I can run 7 miles in an hour, lift weights, do 30 mins HIIT on an elliptical (not all on the same day!). I have no idea how much smoking affects me - maybe I'll do better when I quit?

    I did take a "staged" approach to my health: I starting eating right first; then ramped up my exercise. I've been at maintenance weight for a year now, so I figure I really have to let this one go too. I'm on day 5 of Chantix right now, with a quit date set for Wednesday.

    Sounds like you may be in the "contemplation" phase. It can last a while! But, when you are ready, it will happen!

    I tried Chantix and it really worked to help me quit, but after a week and a half, I became suicidal, going into rages for no reason, was completely unstable. I had to quit. There was no other option for me here. It is a great med if one doesn't have the side effects I did. It worked so great, even the nausea was worth quitting. Good luck to you!

    I am where you have been, the contemplation stage, changing one thing at a time.

    The side effect warnings are definitely scary! Sorry you went through that. I've been OK so far, but I'm just on the last day of the ramping-up stage. Start the full dose tomorrow... and stop smoking! Gulp!


    Btw - I quit first 15 years ago, the day I got engaged. My fiance went out and brought me Nicorette gum, and it was easy, I guess because I wanted to. I started up again a few years ago, as I went through a divorce from her. That showed her!
  • Leah_Alexis
    Leah_Alexis Posts: 139 Member
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    I've smoked since I was 15 years old (now almost 30). I've quit twice so far. Once cold turkey (which was easy as I just found out I was pregnant with my first and the smell of it made me nauseous). The second time I quit using the patch. Both of these past times when I quit I smoked a pack a day. I'm on my third round of quitting - smoking 1/2 pack a day. I'm on my 5th day of no smoking and It has been a struggle. I'm using the patch once again.

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