Quitting Smoking: How long does this suck?

**ANON-505** · 03-19-2007, 10:12 PM

I grew up in Ohio. Skied a whole bunch.

Smoking, back then, back there, was cool.

Somehow, I've been carrying this stupid addiction around with me for wayyyy toooo looong.

So, I quit. Not "I'm trying to quit". I just fucking stopped smoking. forever.

I breathe only air (and a bit of something else here and there).

Anyway. It's been 5 days, cold turkey, and it totally sucks.

I feel like shit, and I still want a smoke all of the time, really really badly.

I recognize it's going to be years and years of wanting a smoke...but...

how long is this whole withdrawl bullshit going to last? When will it just be like a desire to have a smoke, but not overwhelming? Right now, it sucks balls, because I want a smoke all of the time, like every fucking second

aaghghghghg!

How long will this suck?

**ill-advised strategy** · 03-19-2007, 10:15 PM

I bet the worst of it is almost over.

copenhagen can help in an emergency.

**ICEHOCEY77** · 03-19-2007, 10:45 PM

21 days I believe....best of luck.

**Pow4Brains** · 03-19-2007, 11:14 PM

Bullshit. Hate to break it to you, but it's forever (at least for me). I can't drink without wanting one. Good luck mang and hang in there, it will get a little better.

**shera** · 03-20-2007, 05:48 AM

Don't dip or you'll have two ways to be addicted.

I think you'll be ok in another week.

**OldLarry** · 03-20-2007, 05:50 AM

Originally Posted by YetiMan

I bet the worst of it is almost over.

copenhagen can help in an emergency.

:nono2:12345

**Tippster** · 03-20-2007, 07:15 AM

DO NOT DIP - you'll only get hooked on that!

Drink lots (I mean gallons) of water - it'll help flush the crap out of your system. Also, keep the ganj intake down for a while - the smoke still contains tar and other shit that you're trying to wean off of. If you must smoke I'd recommend a bong or water pipe, at least that'll clean it up a bit.

Stay strong, mang - at 5 days the Nicotine is out of your system and you're basically fighting the mental addiction, not the physical one. Unfortunately that doesn't make it any easier.

**philippeR** · 03-20-2007, 07:25 AM

I was a serious smoker (for 20 years+, 30 to 40 cigarettes or cigarillos / day).
Stopped several times. Once for 6 months, with nicotine patches. Always failed.
I've quit, for good this time, in early february. Now on my 7th week. Real cold turkey (belly aches etc) lasted 5 days.
Now I still feel very strongly (but in short episodes) that something is missing in my life. A powerful and depressing feeling, but not specificaly targeted at tobacco. It's rather strange actualy. I can be with smokers and not craving it. But several times / day I will get an overwhelming feeling of absence (taht I compensate for by eating or drinking...)

Your mileage may vary, but I can't say enough positive things about Allen Carr's book. (And I'm definitely not a client of personal development books etc). But Carr's approach has been really effective so far with me. The book is very poorly written, but its message definitely worked for me.
II strongly suggest you give it a try.

Oh, and no nicotine intake ever. Even with copenhagen. It's out of your system.

**ANON-505** · 03-20-2007, 08:27 AM

yeah, fuck copenhagen or chew.

I'm done with it. over.

I know that (especially with a beer or coffee) I'll probably want a smoke for the next two decades, and I can handle that. It's the total bullshit withdrawl that I want to end. My stomach is doing backflips, and my lungs (ironically) feel worse than usual.

I smoked, and I'm super active, but never felt the effects of smoking. It's not like I could go faster or further if I could breathe better...breathing isn't my limiting factor with exercise...it's usuall strenghth.

Anyway...I've been drinking tons of water, lots of pistachios (oral fixation), lots of mints (oral, again) and some herbal spray that I spray in my mouth when I get a serious urge. (Contains lobelia, chinese licorice, oat seed, mullen, and others).

My wife is an acupuncturist, and she's been doing a bit of work on me as well...which seems to help

This sucks...but it's for the best.

Smoking = the suck.

**RootSkier** · 03-20-2007, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by philippeR

Your mileage may vary, but I can't say enough positive things about Allen Carr's book.

My parents are on week 6 and week 8 of quitting after reading this book. I was just talking to them last night about it. I am stoked, my dad has been a smoker as long as I can remember, and admitted last night that he had never even tried to quit before.

They are not the self-help book-reading types, but whatever, they said it helped them look at it in a different way. Whatever works.

Good luck, mang.

**philippeR** · 03-20-2007, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by ANON-505

yeah, fuck copenhagen or chew.

I'm done with it. over.

I know that (especially with a beer or coffee) I'll probably want a smoke for the next two decades, and I can handle that. It's the total bullshit withdrawl that I want to end. My stomach is doing backflips, and my lungs (ironically) feel worse than usual.

I smoked, and I'm super active, but never felt the effects of smoking. It's not like I could go faster or further if I could breathe better...breathing isn't my limiting factor with exercise...it's usuall strenghth.

Anyway...I've been drinking tons of water, lots of pistachios (oral fixation), lots of mints (oral, again) and some herbal spray that I spray in my mouth when I get a serious urge. (Contains lobelia, chinese licorice, oat seed, mullen, and others).

My wife is an acupuncturist, and she's been doing a bit of work on me as well...which seems to help

This sucks...but it's for the best.

Smoking = the suck.

To elaborate on my experience re cold turkey. The real craving symptoms lasted less than a week (unability to stay focused, stomach ache indeed, pain in my bones, cold sweat

...). Those were non existent with nicotine patches.
But unpleasants physical side effects lasted longer : cough (like I had to eliminate the tar) and a fucked up sense of taste (I'm still overly sensitive to salt. everything seems too salty) mostly. Those are not caused by nicotine, but by the smoke (the lack of thereof) I guess. Nothing you can do but to look at the big picture : You're done with smoking.
Only positive effect : I definitely have more breath.

But yes, it will gradually get better. Just don't expect an overnight epiphany in the next few weeks...

Keep on.

**TeleHoar** · 03-20-2007, 10:11 AM

Congrats Anon!

I am on day 9 of no smokes today, too!

I cut way down for awhiole and then just woke up and said "today is the day" and quit cold turkey.

It is a bitch and will be for a long time...I've quit many many times.
Hopefully this one will take!

It's always the "One cig wont hurt" attitude that gets me back on the nicotine train.

**MOHSHSIHd** · 03-20-2007, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by ANON-505

I recognize it's going to be years and years of wanting a smoke..

Not necessarily. I quit in early July of last year, and now the thought of smoking a cig totally disgusts me.

also, don't start to dip, or think that since you quit smoking you can now dip...

you have to fully quit ALL TOBACCO. I used to dip as well, and I quit all tobacco at the same time to fully release my body from nicotine. its the only real way to quit.

**Staggerwing** · 03-20-2007, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by ANON-505

yeah, fuck copenhagen or chew.

I'm done with it. over.

Can't directly help with the smoking, but I did have quite the dip habit. As others have said, don't go there.

The second line tells me that you have internalized/owned a reason to quit. I had tried quiting the dip before, but couldn't make it until I decided it was time to quit. All the health warnings and wife nagging wasn't enough. As soon as I decided I was tired of being bitch to some overpriced plant, I had enough inner strength to make it through.

Sounds like you hit the same point.

You are going to make it.

DisArray · 03-20-2007, 10:40 AM

Stick it out. Cold turkey is the way to go. Just realize that eventually the cravings WILL go away. Dip, gum or patches only prolong the misery. I say you've got another week or two to go and the worst is over. If you can make it two months, then you'll be golden.

**Tunco** · 03-20-2007, 10:49 AM

Better living through chemistry. I tried to quit tons of times, but Zyban was just what the doctor ordered.

And it will quit sucking one day. The thought of a cig now makes me sick.

**shamrockpow** · 03-20-2007, 10:54 AM

Years and years is definitely an overestimation. Most people lose the desire after a few months and don't really think about it after that.

My org. is actually doing a research project where people make a cash deposit to quit smoking and submit to urine testing for nicotine every 2 weeks. If they stay clean for 2 months they get the money back. If not, it goes to charity. Needless to say, their success rates are a lot higher than average

**SheSkisTrees** · 03-20-2007, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by ANON-505

My wife is an acupuncturist, and she's been doing a bit of work on me as well...which seems to help

When you can taste your wife's kisses, you'll never crave another cig.

**William Murderface** · 03-20-2007, 12:58 PM

Dont drink. I can always go a week or so if I set my mind to it, but once I get drunk, I've smoked a whole pack before the night is over. Good luck.

**BigDaddy** · 03-20-2007, 02:17 PM

It gets easier the longer you go on. I never crave them anymore. Just think of it this way: You'll never have to go through the pain of (whatever number of days since you quit) again if you stay off. Good luck and you can do it!

PS- It took me a few times to quit, but you'll be so glad you did!

**PaSucks** · 03-20-2007, 02:34 PM

Anthony Keidis said something interesting about addiction in his book, Scartissue. He claimed that it was easier to stay clean the first time he quit and that it got a little harder to stay clean every time he got sober after that. (Probably 20 different times) This may seem obvious, but what he said after that is the interesting part. He believes that he is now clean (and has been for years) because it is far more of a struggle than it was the first time he quit. Because he is forced to work at it every day he is more prepared to fight the urges on a regular basis, whereas before he would go weeks or months at a time taking his sobriety for granted, and when a situation would arise that brought about an urge to use, he had forgotten how to deal with it.

Obviously he was talking about coke, heroin, and drugs much harder than nicotine, but in reality addiction to one substance is the same as addiction to another. Very interesting read. I guess the lesson someone could take from this is to make sure you never get complacent. Think about it every day. Just when you think you're out of the woods, your old demons will resurface, and you have to be prepared and as sharp as always, or you'll give in.

**TeleHoar** · 03-20-2007, 03:08 PM

^^Quitting smoking is harder than giving up the crack, heroin and cock.

Did I just say that??

**idiot** · 03-20-2007, 05:05 PM

[QUOTE=MOHSHSIHd;1190160]Not necessarily. I quit in early July of last year, and now the thought of smoking a cig totally disgusts me.

i quit last summer and i agree.........that said, for me it was about a week of pain, and after that you just have to keep saying no...

the cravings get less as you go.....good luck and stay strong

**ANON-505** · 03-20-2007, 05:39 PM

I am really really really looking forward to when the thought of having a smoke disgusts me. that'll be great.

Today was a lot better than yesterday. I'm trying to mountain bike every day, just pounding away trying to detox all of this bullshit from my system. Hacking up 10 years of lung butter and sweating out all of those fucked up toxins is actually pretty exciting.

I'm fortunate because I could really care less about drinking alcohol...I hardly have one drink a week. I do like to smoke something else, but that doesn't really make me want to smoke cigarettes at all. I quit drinking coffee about 3 weeks ago, knowing that I could never drink coffee and not have a smoke...they just go hand in hand.

Dip disgusts me and I'm not going to go there. I'm thinking about the nicotine gum, but only if I need it. In the past, when I've quit, I've always done the "oh, I'll just have one smoke, or just a few drags" and then it's over. This time, if I have that thought, i'm going with the gum. If I have it again, the patch. If I have it again, drugs. I'm never going to smoke another cigarette.
I breathe only air.
My brothers wedding in five weeks on the beach in mexico is going to be the real test. If I can make it through that, I'll be fine. I'm literally nervous for it, as he smokes, and so do some of his friends.

Thanks to all of you for your words of support. Especially what sheskistrees said. My wife is fucking psyched. Let's just say quitting is already paying off.

I have a two year old daughter (awesome! she skis, rides the chairlift) and another on the way. I definately feel like I have alot to live for.

**matanuskaski** · 03-20-2007, 06:06 PM

If you are seriously interested in quitting there is a new drug out called Chantix. It has had great results with some of our employees and customers. Nice thing is alot of insurance companies are covering it so it makes it a cheap way. If you're interested in more information send me a pm. Or google always is a good resource.