Smoking Vs stamina

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Replies

  • ShayanKhan2015
    ShayanKhan2015 Posts: 33 Member
    natboosh69 wrote: »
    I went from 20 a day to cold turkey around 5 weeks ago, doesn't even feel like I've ever been a smoker. You can do it.
    Thanx dear
  • jjuravinski
    jjuravinski Posts: 3 Member
    If you really can't do it, start vaping. I quit last year in January for about 6 months, broke down in July and had one cigarette, and it was all down hill from there. Then in October of 2014 I took up vaping and have smoked very few cigarettes since (not because I was craving or anything, just in social situations where they have been around). With that said, I much prefer the taste of vaping to smoking. And it does wonders for your ling capacity. A lot cheaper too. Good luck to you!
  • lbetancourt
    lbetancourt Posts: 522 Member
    I decided to quit when I decided I wanted to train to run a marathon. I felt it was necessary. Also, my employer was taking $40 per month out of my paycheck because I was a smoker. That played a VERY small part in my decision. I just REALLY wanted to run a marathon. I didn't consider myself a heavy smoker, I smoked when I drank. Which now looking back, could be A LOT. A happy hour on a Friday, I could smoke a whole damn pack. I enjoyed drinking beer & lighting one up. Anyway, I signed up for this smoke free text messaging for support. It worked for me. I have been smoke free since last July. I can't say that I don't ever miss it. I think that is just the rebel in me, if that makes any sense. Good luck to you.
  • Rogiefreida
    Rogiefreida Posts: 567 Member
    I quit cold turkey 4 years, 1 month and 10 days ago. It sucks for the first 1-2 weeks, no way around that. My husband quit cold turkey as well 3 months before me. It is possible.
  • ShayanKhan2015
    ShayanKhan2015 Posts: 33 Member
    Just smoked last one so from now I'm giving a try possibly the best one .
    The best thing about this thread people are helping and motivating me and other smokers and love their stories and commitment ..
  • ShayanKhan2015
    ShayanKhan2015 Posts: 33 Member
    4 hours now I didn't smoke another one but a lot of craving did some squats to keep involve in something else ..
  • Don't smoke!
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    edited April 2015
    How many times did I TRY to quit? At least two hundred or more using various "quit smoking" crutches. How many times did I DECIDE to quit? Once. Without a single crutch except for determination. And it worked. That was eleven years ago after 31 years of smoking two to three packs a day. Best thing I ever did. Cold turkey and determination are the only way.
  • HowlinAl
    HowlinAl Posts: 277 Member
    I took Wellbutrin for about 3 months, I don't know if it was the drug, or if I was just finally ready to quit. But it worked. I think the most important thing is to allow yourself to fail... Just get back on the wagon. I've been smoke free for about 3 years now.
  • Wandering_1
    Wandering_1 Posts: 95 Member
    Yes there absolutely is. It will be 2 years on June 22nd for me. I honestly thought it wouldn't last but here I am. I think what helped me be so successful and stay quit this time around was WANTING to quit. Nobody was telling me to quit. Who wants to do what people are telling you to do right?

    I also used the patch and gum. I knew it didn't work for some people but I figured I'd try it anyway. It worked. I used both at the same time. Just make sure you follow directions and you'll be fine. I also chewed straws. Big time. I mauled them. But it worked too! Go to quitplan.com. They will send you free patches to start.

    Support is imperative. So is MFP. Never give up. There are people who care and want to help you be successful.

    You can do it!
  • MissMary75044
    MissMary75044 Posts: 517 Member
    I switched to vaping about a year ago. For the first six months I would cheat and have the occasional cigarette. I've now been cigarette free since November and no longer want them.
  • ShayanKhan2015
    ShayanKhan2015 Posts: 33 Member
    Love and respect for all of you, thanks for your support and guidance, it's been my 11 hour I didn't smoked just coz I see posts of you people ..
  • cosmichvoyager
    cosmichvoyager Posts: 237 Member
    I don't think I am as addicted to cigarettes as many people seem to be. We all have different neurochemistry and while I smoked for many years, it was never very much at one time.
    I am able to smoke a cigarette every month or so and not pick it back up as a regular habit, etc. If I go out drinking with friends and have like 2 cigarettes on a Saturday--the gym on Monday is much much more painful on my lungs so that's a motivator not to smoke for sure!

    A lot of people feel better switching to vaping because no smoke/tar. That+wanting to feel great when you exercise could be the motivation you need. Good luck!
  • cmcdonald525
    cmcdonald525 Posts: 140 Member

    A lot of people feel better switching to vaping because no smoke/tar. That+wanting to feel great when you exercise could be the motivation you need. Good luck!

    Not to mention all the different flavors! They keep me from binging on sweets. Any time I feel like picking up a candy bar or cookie I find myself thinking, "nah. I'll vape it instead...." Now if only I could find a cool ranch dorito e-juice. ..
  • Birdie1952
    Birdie1952 Posts: 48 Member
    dougii wrote: »
    I smoked for 40 years, at times quite heavily. I tried gum, patches, and took Chantix for several years because I liked the dreams. One very cold January morning, home sick from work, out on my front porch I lit a smoke took a couple of drags, looked at it and asked myself just what the hell I was doing... Haven't touched a cigarette in over 4 years now. Traded smoking for exercise and running. I did find that a half dose of Chantix each day for the first number of months helped a bit with the cravings (and I got to keep those good dreams going) but eventually I got rid of this crutch as well. In the end only you have the strength and ability to give smoking up.

    From my prospective there is no half way with this addiction (if I were to smoke one today I would be back to a pack a day in no time). I no longer think about smoking at all and the smell of them no longer bothers me. The odd part is that in a lot of my dreams I am still smoking..... Good luck with quiting!

    I've been quit for 13 months. You are the first person that has talked about dreaming about smoking. I have those dreams too!! They are so real. I feel the burn at the back of my throat...taste the smoke.......wonderful. :smiley: Wish I could have one every night. :blush: I took Chantix to quit also. Wonder if that has anything to do with our dreams?
  • BMohring
    BMohring Posts: 1
    All you need to do to quit is to find out you have 2 fully occluded arteries and could have a lethal heart attack at any moment. Then you will have the motivation to quit. or you could just quit now before any of that happens
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    BMohring wrote: »
    All you need to do to quit is to find out you have 2 fully occluded arteries and could have a lethal heart attack at any moment. Then you will have the motivation to quit. or you could just quit now before any of that happens

    Not necessarily. I had a friend who had throat cancer but kept smoking. He ended up dying from a wreck in a truck while drinking.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    Birdie1952 wrote: »
    I've been quit for 13 months. You are the first person that has talked about dreaming about smoking. I have those dreams too!! They are so real. I feel the burn at the back of my throat...taste the smoke.......wonderful. :smiley: Wish I could have one every night. :blush: I took Chantix to quit also. Wonder if that has anything to do with our dreams?

    I still have smoking dreams eleven years later. They scare the heck out of me!
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    I wish people here would stop saying "There is always a way to quit." I think that is not true. If it were, why is lung cancer tied for first as the most common cancer in the United States, with about 221,000 new cases a year? Every smoker I know has tried to quit, over and over. Obviously, those people did not make it. This is not to mention all those people who get emphysema. Almost all cases of lung cancer are tied to smoking, and many cases of emphysema (AKA, COPD) are.
    I smoked for over 30 years, about two packs a day, starting at age 13 years. As you know, the earlier you start smoke the heavier a smoker you will be and the harder it will be for you to quit.
    I tried to quit for years. I had strong motivation. I play tennis and run. I played soccer until age 50 years. I tried every method and strategy available except hypnosis.
    Finally, I tried Chantix. I know it gets a bad rap, and it is often hard to get your insurance company to pay for it. I know some people experience bad dreams and scary emotional episodes. I know the studies that were done with Chantix to earn its FDA approval showed that it only increased the percentage of subjects who were not smoking at one year after starting from 25 percent to about 30 percent -- and many of those people probably had smoked a bit in the meantime and so likely returned to smoking after one year. But it worked for me.
    It is not easy to quit. It is really hard and many people never do. So, don't give up. Try anything and everything. Get whatever help you can. Try Chantix, it was a godsend for me.
    And keep up the exercise. I think it helps. It gives you added motivation before you quit. And you feel better exercising as soon as you do quit, which gives you some tangible, positive reinforcement.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I quit in July, cold turkey after 30 years. Go get it.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    edited April 2015
    The website whyquit.com did wonders for me. Did you know that after only 48-72 hours, the addiction of nicotine is OUT of your system and after that it's all mental? First day is tough, second day easier, and third day - what a relief it is!
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    Oh, and prostate cancer is the first most common, followed by breast cancer.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    Oh, and prostate cancer is the first most common, followed by breast cancer.
  • Jessikin13
    Jessikin13 Posts: 52 Member
    I started vaping. Not saying it's for everyone, but I can breathe a heck of a lot better and can wean off my nicotine levels

    Same.
  • aquamarina_182
    aquamarina_182 Posts: 119 Member
    mind over matter, I quit cold turkey 3 months ago and have never looked back....i breathe alot better which makes working out a bit less strenuous
  • wonko221
    wonko221 Posts: 292 Member
    There's a book by Allen Carr called THE EASY WAY TO QUIT SMOKING. I've heard a lot of very good things about it. I was an on again, off again smoker for about 30 years, and I finally quit for good about 10 years ago when I had pneumonia. My lungs felt way too fragile for smoking after that.

    I read Allen Carr's book last March. I had been a smoker for 18 years, and had attempted to quit many times over that period.

    On March 8, 2014, i had my last cigarette as i finished the book. On March 8, 2015, i celebrated a year nicotine-free, thirty pounds lighter, and much, much healthier than a year before.

    A few quick things on the book - it's not a magic bullet; there is no 'trick' to it. It simply helps you understand the ways that addiction works both physiologically and mentally, and helps you cut those away. It's written in plain language, and most importantly to a smoker - you are encouraged to continue to smoke while you read the book. It's not like you need to commit to quit, and THEN pick up the book. Allen will actually tell you to light up a cigarette periodically in the book.

    You can order the book online; i have also found local book stores keep several copies on hand.

    You CAN quit. I'd recommend the book if you want quitting to be relatively easy and painless.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Oh, and prostate cancer is the first most common, followed by breast cancer.

    Actually, according to the latest figures from the National Cancer Institute, there are about 231,000 new cases of breast cancer every year, versus 221,000 new cases of lung cancer. So, yes, there are more breast cancer cases and it is the most common cancer. I would not say that difference is insignificant, but it is a pretty small difference, which is, I guess, what I was trying to portray.
    There are only 220,000 new cases of prostate cancer. So, technically, they are the same.
    If I can just add some information here, though, there are about 158,000 deaths from lung cancer per year. That compares with 40,000 from breast cancer and 27,000 from prostate cancer. It is that difference in mortality that perhaps led me to overstate the case, a bit.
    After all, it hasn't been that long that breast cancer has been more common than lung cancer, and these statistics vary a bit year to year and are not exact.
    http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/commoncancers
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    tufel wrote: »
    Oh, and prostate cancer is the first most common, followed by breast cancer.

    Actually, according to the latest figures from the National Cancer Institute, there are about 231,000 new cases of breast cancer every year, versus 221,000 new cases of lung cancer. So, yes, there are more breast cancer cases and it is the most common cancer. I would not say that difference is insignificant, but it is a pretty small difference, which is, I guess, what I was trying to portray.
    There are only 220,000 new cases of prostate cancer. So, technically, they are the same.
    If I can just add some information here, though, there are about 158,000 deaths from lung cancer per year. That compares with 40,000 from breast cancer and 27,000 from prostate cancer. It is that difference in mortality that perhaps led me to overstate the case, a bit.
    After all, it hasn't been that long that breast cancer has been more common than lung cancer, and these statistics vary a bit year to year and are not exact.
    http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/commoncancers

    The mortality rate of lung cancer is phenomenal. I know or know of several people who died from it, and not a single one ever smoked. Yet everyone I've ever known with throat cancer did.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I tried pills and patches, but the only thing that really worked for me was going cold turkey.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I had my last smoke 120 days ago....and started vaping...it's not a cop out at all.

    Cigarettes have over 4000 known chemicals in them including anti depressants and chemicals that are known to help speed the uptake of nicotine into the body never mind the cancer causing ones.

    It's not just the nicotine that is addictive...it's the actual habit. We all have our triggers. Getting in the car was one of mine...waking up...drinking coffee...after a meal.

    Now I get my nicotine and the hand to mouth habit. And I have 4 chemicals in my juice.

    It is so much cheaper than smoking and my lungs have better capacity.

    My entire family has pretty much switched. My brother who smoked 2 packs a day hasn't had a smoke since December...he has had a vaporizor since October but depending on the voltage and nicotine levels some still smoke.

    My dad still smokes occcasionally but not often, same with my sister...

    If you have an issue with quitting try vaporizing. You do get lots of choices of flavors and you can reduce nicotine levels if you want.
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