any quitters here?

[Guest tnmale46]

okay now that is just crazy talk!! You want me to go off the deep end and start shooting up the place

tnmale, you can, i just decided to not have the next one. Seemed easy at the moment.

last time i tried i made it two weeks. almost went crazy wife said either you go buy some smokes or im gonna go buy you some:blush:

[Daniel]

i quit after i left the army around dec 04. i had smoked for about ten or eleven years. didnt smoke for about a year and a half. i need to quit again.... i may just do it after this pack is over. ive kept it to a half pack a day or less so i hope it wont be to hard to drop.

[Guest Jason F.]

I quit in 2000 after 13 years of smoking. Most of the time i was a light 1 pack a day smoker but at times got up to two packs a day. I quit cold turkey just because I promised my wife I would quit before we got married.

For me the hardest part was the car. I was so used to smoking in the car that anytime I was in one for more than 5 minutes I was looking for a pack. That lasted a long time, at least a year. I had already stopped smoking in the house as I had roommates that did not smoke. It was fairly easy to quit at work as well if I just stayed busy and took fewer breaks. The car was hard though.

Keep it up. You will feel much better.

[Mike.357]

yanno, I have been coughing some nasty stuff up the last day or so. I guess it is tar and such that is starting to free itself up.

This morning you'd a thought I had an oyster stuck in my throat and a side order of a half of stick of rotten butter.

Yikes it almost scared me.

sorry if this post was disgusting.

[Guest Disney]

Yeah.... I forgot to mention the side effects..

You will cough up some nasty stuff for a while. I would say I did for about a month or so. People kept looking at me like "I thought you quit smoking, why are you hacking up a lung?!"

The other unfortunate side effect is weight. I put on 15 pounds VERY fast. That crept up to about 30 over the next year. I have yet to take that all back off.

Good side effect for me are this:

Better breathing

More stamina

Feel better in general

FOOD TASTES GREAT!!!

Clothes don't smell like ash tray anymore

no burn holes in upholstery

Teeth aren't yellow'd

breath don't stank

wallet is fatter ($3/pak*2 packs/day*365days = $2190/yr=lots of new guns)

Chicks that don't smoke like me know.

Chicks that smoke still like me.

Food. The new taste is worth a second mention!

[Guest 2HOW]

I quit after 40 years, last august, used Chantix, and it worked like a miracle.

[waynesan]

I finally quit for good about 10 years ago. Haven't touched one since. During the 25 years I did smoke I quit temporarily on several occasions for weeks, months, and even years, only to take it back up out of stupidity.

The time I quit for nearly 3 years I bought some smoke alarms for the house. After putting them up I wanted to test them (see where this is going?). My neightbor, who smoked, was standing in his yard so I asked him for a cigarette to test my alarms. I came in the house, lit up, took a puff, blew into the alarm, it went off and I did too! Man did that taste good! I went straight to the store and bought a pack - just to smoke a couple for old times sake. Within a week I was back to a pack a day.

Lesson learned - Don't play with them. Don't ever take that one puff for whatever reason you may think is a good one at the time.

After I quit the last time, I dove into exercise as never before. And within a short time I lowered my blood pressure, decreased my bad cholesterol, raised my good cholesterol, and had more money in my pocket. So good luck on your staying off the smokes. It is one of the things in life that if you are successful in doing will give you a great feeling of accomplishment and a story of inspiration for others when they need some encouragement.

[Guest Jason F.]

I was the opposite. I took one smoke about 6 months after I quit and it tasted like week old rotten wet ass. Never had a problem wanting another one after that.

[Mike.357]

week old rotten wet ass

great, now I have to give this up too?

[Guest Grout]

I've quit caring,does that count?.

[Guest DrBoomBoom]

I quit smoking 35 years ago, only smoked for five years. When I'm with someone who smokes, a freshly lit cigarette still smells good to me. Sometimes I dream that I've started smoking one every once in a while. I wake up scared as if it was a nightmare.

In the last few years I buried two of my best friends, both died way too young. One had emphysema, the other had throat cancer. The doctors told them cigarettes were definitely a large factor.

Keep at it, Mike, you'll be glad you did.

[Ricochet]

Congrats Mike, on the 14th of November 2006 was my last cig. I had smoked 10 years and was up to 2 packs a day easy. I still want one at times but I know I am one cigerette away from starting again and so I won't smoke that one. My husband stopped about a week after me and we have saved lots of money, the cars aren't stinky anymore.

I did gain weight but I am now working that off at the gym.

[Mike.357]

it really helps being able to read everyone elses experiences with this nasty addiction. Today has been real hard, me and the wife are about to kill one another and are pretty much trying to stay out of each others way.

I keep thinking how if the antis put as much effort into making tobacco illegal instead of guns that they might actually be able to do something that makes sense.

I mean here is a product, probably subsidized by the gov't that kills God knows how many people each year. Then they let this product be out there in virtually every gas station, quickie mart and grocery store in the land.

I wonder what would happen if gun makers started mass mailings to customers with coupons towards guns. You know Winston sends stuff to me all the time, yes it has my name on the label but it also says "or current resident" So it is not like they need you permission to send the stuff. I have no doubt the Bradys would throw a fit over ammo coupons in the mail or cash money off the purchase of a gun.

[Mike.357]

substitute gun smoke for cig smoke

black powder yes, modern smokeless no. That stuff is not good to be breathing.

back in the day people would use black powder to season meat.

[The Rabbi]

I dipped snuff/smoked a pipe for 10 years. I quit in January '91. The only way I was able to do it was take a trip to Europe (honeymoon) because all my old habits were out the window in a new environment.

That isnt to say I havent had a cigar or something since, but I consider myself a non-smoker. I think back to the dependence I experienced and that's enough to keep me from going back to it.

Of course with a good excuse I'd do it in a second. You're never the same after you've experienced nicotine addiction.

[Guest db99wj]

I quit a few years ago, but have gone through a few "periods" of high stress where a month would go buy and I would smoke and the occasional having some drinks with the guys and well smoke one. A cigar every once in awhile as well.

[Mike.357]

I ain't about to go do it right now, but there are times I really enjoy a fine cigar.

When we lived in Fla I had a buddy who knew connected people and he would hook me up with a Monte Cristo on occassion. Ones from Cuba. Dang I loved them things.

I can get a knock off Monte Cristo around here, it is Nicauraguan or something but they are still fairly good.

I would be way to scared to try one now. Maybe in September on vacation though.

[Guest mikedwood]

Best of luck Mike!

Maybe you will inspire me to quit. This whole give up smokes to buy more bullets and guns may be the angle I need to get the will to kick the toughest habit I've ever had.

You got me thinkin anyway. Kick it!

[Guest jackdog]

Hang in there Mike, Hell I quit after 45 years and a three pack a day habit. Chantix worked great for me and I only used it for about 3 1/2 weeks. Feel great now, a lot more energy, increased sex drive, and don't miss them at all. Actually when I get around people that smoke now they smell like S--t. So just hang in there and remember, your kicking a product that has had you addicted for years.

[Mike.357]

Today was by far the easiest one to get through. I really only had a fit one time, and it was not very bad.

Man Sunday was like one big nicotine fit. So maybe I am turning a corner.

We will see how tomorrow shapes up. gonna be pretty stressful at work. I got about 800 cases of wine going to hit me in the nose about 8 AM.

And the bright side is I turn 50 too.

[Daniel]

so i smoked 4 cigarettes yesterday which meant one pack lasted three days and i havent smoked any today. although i really want to smoke a pack at once atm.

[Mike.357]

Well it has been one week since my last smoke.

I am experiencing all the symptons of major nicotine withdrawal. I feel like I am getting the flu, I am depressed, mad, tired, irritable, restless, and probably a half dozen others that I cannot list right now.

I tell you one other thing. I have had some wild crazy dreams the last few nights. I can't recall details (yall know how that is) but I wake up in the middle of the night either in a cold sweat or in a euphoric state. And that is all in the same night.

One whole week, cold turkey. A week ago I would have given myself about less than half a chance of getting this far. If I can make it one more week I will feel real good about my chances of making it all the way.

I keep telling myself ( and I believe this to be very true) that what I am experiencing is nicotine fighting like hell to get back in my system. Almost like I am possessed or something. Every day I make it without smoking is one day closer to freedom.

I also have to keep telling myself that I am not getting sick, but rather I am getting well.

[The Rabbi]

[ame]

[/ame]

[Mike.357]

Thanks Bill, it helped lighten the moment

I feel like Flounder right about now. In a few weeks I may resemble him too.

[Guest gunslinger707]

Hang in there Mike it get's easier !