Yes, that is me giving a cigarette to a friend on a yacht trip in Greece. And this was exactly what has happened to me more than ten years ago, just another way around.
I was always into sports heavily and was always laughing at those stinky dudes that could not live an hour without a smoke. Now it is not funny anymore as once i took that cigarette from a friend to prove how easy it is to quit smoking i am still spitting fumes. Heavily.
I have tried quitting so may times, as i hate this part about me. I hate my weak willpower regarding this matter and lack of determination which gets weaker and weaker with each hour without inhaling that poison. I know all the consequences, i know all the damage i am doing to myself. Hearing it once again does not help anybody who is addicted to smoking.
This time i am going public with this. I have just had my last cigarette 30 minutes ago and i am already feeling the withdrawal symptoms. I get nervous, paranoid i have cold sweat and i am doing more spelling mistakes than usual. Yes, it is that bad for me.
But today i am writing this with the goal to get through 30 days without a cigarette. And i will be sharing my experiences daily. If you have found a way how to quit smoking that worked for you, share this in the comments, maybe somebody picks it up and it will work for him, because as far as i know, there is no single way that works, and everybody finds his method or dies prematurely. And i love life, i love technology, i love medicine achievements and if i succeed maybe it will give me those few extra years, when eternal life is discovered lol. So i want to still be around and increase my chances :)
I welcome anyone who wants to do the same and join me for those 30 days, to exchange experiences and support each other in those hard moments to come, so it's like a club of public smoking addicts :) Let me know ant let's do it together.
As for now, i am going to drink another glass of water, i do not know if it is the sweating or body starting to get rid of toxins, but each time i have tried to quit smoking i have noticed an increased need for hydration.
Tomorrow i will let you know how was my first morning coffee (another extremely tough thing to do is this habit having coffee and a cigarette together like they are bound with some invisible bond) without a cigarette.
I have also had a logo made some time before by a graphics designer that i know which is kind of ironic or sarcastic for all that try to quit a bad habit and can't. It is under CC and you can use it in any posts related to trying to quit any bad habit. I will also be using a tag #canquit on all of my posts related to this and everybody is welcome to use it if you are trying to get rid of some dependency too. With the support of the community and ones like us it might be easier.
I usually do not ask for upvotes and resteems. And i am certainly not asking for upvotes now. But if you resteem and somebody joins me or starts his own #canquit campaign you might save a life or two:)
good luck, hard task. Now you get hooked and buy STEEM instead of cigarettes. ;)
I am afraid i will spend all the money i save and more on the food lol
At least now you have prepared yourself to quit it and we hope that you will be successful in your mission.
I hope so too. Thanks mate!
Hey, good luck! Never too early to stop
Yes, you are right, and thanks! :)
All the best @bescouted - Just think of all the money you'll be able to plug into steem/crypto rather than giving it over to tobacco companies and the tax-man.
I've quit myself a few times and one thing that really worked for me was flipping the script and realising I wasn't 'giving up anything.' I was gaining so much - health, not stinking (clothes, home, breath), money, better taste and smell etc.. You #canquit
Thank you for your support! I was thinking that actually, i could save up for steemfest3 trip and buy everybody a round for not smoking for a year! lol
And yes, the hardest part now, will be to beat that physical withdrawal and after that thinking of all the gains will help a lot. Thanks once again! I can say already that support from you guys is having a positive impact on my determination. So probably it was a good move to go public after all :)
By the way, how long did you smoke before quitting?
I smoked from 15-35, 20/day on average until the first time I quit.. I made it 3-4 months. Then quit for 6 years, relapsed for a couple of years, then quit again ... I'm now 45
I am glad you made it! Do not take that shit anymore. It is sooooo easssyyyy to relapse. All it takes is one "innocent" cigarette :) Had a 4 month clean stretch once. And then one puff...
Exactly! I must admit I used https://www.champix.co.nz/what-is-champix the last time and it help with the cravings for sure.
Anything that makes it work and everybody finds his way. You did find yours! Thanks again, going to bed, maybe it will be better in the morning. Good night @steemmeupscotty
Sleep well!
@bescouted Some things are bigger than ourselves.
Iow, most people who successfully never pick up another smoke,
Your addiction falls along the line of any addiction...My name is @bescouted...I am a cigarette-addict; to which all will reply: Hi @bescoued ;+)!
With your coffee, may I suggest investing in some of the strongest peppermints on the market...Altoids is close. Everytime you want a smoke pop a mint. To fill the void from the smoke in your hand, keep a pencil handy or anything along that line.
Best regards on your new journey!
Remember, what's bad for you comes easy. It's doing the hard work of denying the flesh that is good for your body, the Holy Temple of God, long-term.
Peace.
Great appreciation for your support! I'll go get some mints. Mhmm already can taste them lol
;+)! Best regards @bescouted.
Great idea: Instead of ~$8. on a pack of smokes, mindfully invest $8. in SP.
That's a win-win!!
Peace.
I'm afraid all that money will be invested into food :)
Prayerfully, you're still 'on the wagon'. As long as it's healthy selections you should be okay. Btw, gum, gum, and more gum....A huge wad of Orbit, or other sugarless gums should help with the nervous habit associated.
Keep your focus on all the great things associated with not smoking. It's an addiction, literally. It has to be rejected, literally. It may not be easy; but, we all know it's best.
Btw, e-cigs get a mixed review; but, I know a lot of people who seem to ween themselves from the nicotine. The downside is their still feeding the habit. And, if the e-cig is absent, they're too vulnerable to picking up the smokes again.
BE strong! Just say no thanks, REALLY!
Peace.
I had managed to quit with the help of e-cigs some time ago for 4 months. And i was even barely touching e-cig anymore. But for some stupid reason, maybe i wanted to taste how bad it tastes after such a time, i had one smoke, and ... it was enough to relapse. No such mistake anymore.
At least you're trying. I know it seems like I'm sending you mixed messages. But, you've proven you can quit. So, you probably need to do a self-analysis behind the real reason you keep picking it back up again...
Lack of discipline?
Reminds you of a happier time with someone else?
Cure for public anxiety?
Conversation piece?
Anger buster?
Only you know the real reason why you won't make it finite.
First thing remains, acknowledging forever more that you are an addict. People who respect you won't offer you one. If you respect yourself, you won't accept. You will be a mature adult and say, NO THANKS.
Peace.
Yeahhhh congratulations. I spoke for 12 years now. So i know what do you mean. But you will be good. You can do it if that is really want you want. I have stopped for 6 months a couple of years ago. The most difficult part is the habit. Not even the need to have nicotine. You can do it David. Be strong.
I've tried many times before. Each time i wanted it each time i failed. Only this time i will have to say it loud. Like "guys, i had a smoke, i am.a weal loser that can not keep a word to himself!"
And i do not want to do that :)
Yeah I see where You going with it. And in my opinion anything that work for You is fine. I think You will be able to do it. And if You sail once again (that I hope not) it is not a shame to admit your failures. That will only make You stronger... and maybe the next time You will be able to do it. But now forget about that... because I think You will be able to do it. keep it strong :D
You're like the addict who's not serious. He goes to AA as a stay-out-of-jail-free card. When you get serious...I mean REALLY serious, you will hate cigarettes and everything they stand for.
Until then, you may as well just light up. (lol)
Sorry to sound so insensitive; but, I hear a whine. When I hear someone approaching me for help, giving me the whine, I inwardly rme and know they're not REALLY serious yet.
I've known people who get the scan and quit in the instant; and, others who get the scan and buy a new carton. Some smoke and live to be a 100, seeming not bothered by them; and, others who light up with barely a breath to inhale.
Remember, it's bigger than you. It's a cold turkey kind of thing.
Peace.
Oh I understand all too well how difficult quitting can be! I have been a smoker for about 15 years, off and on, and I have “quit” more times than I can count. Most notably during both of my pregnancies, then for 6 months after heart surgery. (It was a heart defect; not disease). Then started up again until I got pneumonia and quit for 2 months and now here I am again.
Oddly enough, I find second-hand smoke absolutely disgusting, yet I am a smoker myself. I don’t smoke in our home since we have 2 daughters and I generally don’t smoke during the day now since I’ve drastically reduced my coffee drinking habit. My weakness is when I have an alcoholic beverage or when I step out for a break on my porch at night.
If I can offer any words of encouragement, it’s that when I’m not smoking, I’m much more productive! I think I found myself looking for better habits to fill the void that I was feeling. Best of luck to you! Looking forward to hearing about your progress!
Well i can;t get pregnant so i will need to find another way for me :) I am also living alone, so nobody's forcing me to go on a porch :) It is already getting interesting to hear all those stories people tell and it seems there are so many smokers, with the majority of them secretly wishing to quit :)
I find second hand disgusting too even when i smoke. Unless i smoke at the very same time,. What a crooked matter it is :)
Productivity is increased that is for sure, for a simple reason, more oxygen is reaching your brain cells, end red blood vessels are capable of supplying cells with more nutrients. The same goes for physical stamina.
Thank you for your support @melodyrussell it is really valuable!
Oh come on! To quit smoking is the easiest thing! I've done it like a hundred times! 😁
Kidding aside, I feel you! It's really hard and I never succeeded on doing it "cold turkey".
But what has worked for me is vaping. Since I started vaping almost 1,5 year ago I haven't smoked. Well, I did taste it a couple of times (it was needed for a shooting) and the amazing thing was... I didn't like it! And that was the moment that I knew I wouldn't smoke again!
It helps a lot getting your nicotine through vaping and doing the move to bring the (electronic) cigarette to your mouth. But I have managed to drop the nicotine levels to 1 mg and soon I'm hoping to drop it to zero. That, in combination with the fact that I'm vaping a lot more scarcely than the beginning, gives me hope that I can get rid of vaping too in the next few months.
Give it a go. I was reluctant at first myself but it has helped me.
In any way, I wholeheartedly wish you to make it and try to remember that half the addiction is in your mind.
I know, I've said that too many times, and did it more times than that! lol
Vaping helped me one time, and i have also noticed that i vape more and more rarely. So i think this is a good alternative. I have a vape, and i have some juice with 0 nicotine. I can get myself through a phase of physical addiction that lasts 4-7 days, but then i slip on social aspects of smoking afterwards.
The last time i relapsed, was at a party when my vape battery went dead and i took a cigarette my friend kindly offered me lol
And thanks for your support!
Hope you the best of luck I think if you really want to it is in the brain to persist.
The problem is that i want it so much, and then at some point my brain tells me that i do not want it at all :) That are the hardest moments!
I smoke 3-4 cigarettes a day. 2010 I stopped altogether, it was not difficult, the decision was strong. Three years ago, because of some bad things in my life, I started to smoke cigarettes again, but not much as before, sometimes one cigarette a day, sometimes a few.
I understand that it is not easy for you; try to be aware of moments of panic and addiction and strengthen your decision. Good luck
It's wonderful how different people are. Some can smoke 4 cigs a day, and that's it. Some can have a beer each day, and not get wasted. I totally have no trouble with alcohol, but i have a serious issue with smoking :)
I can;t do, 4 cigarettes a day, or a few, i do not smoke them, i "eat" them. Sometimes two in a row. And i do not enjoy it anymore at all. That is why i have made this decision.
Good luck :) Day 1 is almost over.
Yes, but oh man...., i will put resume for day one i a post later tonight... :)
Good luck to you, smoking is money and health consuming. I've tried quitting myself several times and I always came back to it. I tried doing sports to free my mind and not to think about smoking too much. It's now my 5th attempt of quitting and so far it's going well.
I think the hardest part isn't quitting but rather not coming back to it!!!
Best of luck and keep in mind: you are stronger than the need of smoking.
Uffff... i hope so, how long does your last non smoking stretch runs now?
So far, It's been 2 months. Not so much when you think about it but the truth is that this time I feel like I'm down with it. After many try, I've always felt disgusted by the taste of tabacco and I convince myself to invest what I spent in cigarette elsewhere: travel...
Travel is such a better option, and for the money you spend in a year you can travel to a damn exotic country for a month!
How long was the hardest for you?
Check the price of flight ticket on www.adioso.com and then you'll see how far you can go with your quitting smoking saving 😀
Sorry. In reply of your "how long was the hardest for you?" -> the longest I quoted was for a bit more than a year
Think you'll smell better! 🚭
Think you'll live better, and longer! 🚭
Think if you were pregnant, and there is no 'but's (pun intended!) about it! 🚭
I can't think i'm pregnant :D So i'll just think the first two ones :)