Smoking: cigarettes, cigars, whatever

[comedyzen]

, i have stuck with marlboro, even though for the past week i have really been trying to quit. quitting is so hard. while we have this thread, anyone have any advice on quitting besides the patch or gum, because that just does not work for me. ?

.

I know this is a late response to your request, but figured I would offer some advice anyway.

I used to smoke Winston Lights for 10 years. Quit smoking 2x before I found a method that worked. I did a combo. I read a book by Alan Carr called "The Easyway to quit smoking" or something like that. I did this alongside taking Zyban. I was really against prescription pills because I do not like to medicate and worry about side effects....but Zyban has been around for 15+ years, so plenty of studies have been done on it (Unlike a newer drug called Chantix, which works well, but there has been a lot of reported suicides because of it).

Well I have been off the smoke for 1.5 years. No real major cravings. Quitting was the hardest thing I have ever done. I really enjoyed a good smoke when I did it and liked the buzz when I was without a smoke for 2+ days. But now when I se a smoker, I pity them...I have yet to meet a smoker who is glad they started. But i will tell you this, if I am ever diagnosed with a terminal disease, the first thing I am going to do is buy a pack of Winston Lights.

[Fade to Black]

Well I have been off the smoke for 1.5 years. No real major cravings. Quitting was the hardest thing I have ever done. I really enjoyed a good smoke when I did it and liked the buzz when I was without a smoke for 2+ days. But now when I se a smoker, I pity them...I have yet to meet a smoker who is glad they started. But i will tell you this, if I am ever diagnosed with a terminal disease, the first thing I am going to do is buy a pack of Winston Lights.

This is probably the most concise, articulate expression I've ever read of what a smoker's life is like ...

[raskolnikovboogie]

I smoke rollies exclusively (while in Australia). While difficult to master, they are richly rewarding. No one wants to bum a smoke since hardly anyone can roll worth a damn, they're dirt cheap, kick in the lungs strong and they burn longer than a regular smoke.

Plus, from time to time, you can impress girls with your sweet skills.

edit: whoa, please excuse the forum necromancy.

[trentk]

Usually smoke dimitrino and co botschafters.

[Farkhanyassin]

Mild Sevens then Sampoernas for dessert..

[michael_kard]

I hate that almost all my friends are smokers. Looking at them inhaling smoke makes me very sad.

[quiet noise]

I have put down smoking for good.

[sinbad]

I tried to quit smoking. Because last month I went to X-ray.
The doctors told me that I had severe lung disease.
I still smoke every day and wants to quit.

[comedyzen]

^ I'm sorry to hear about your recent Dr's visit. Please scroll up to an older post of mine and perhaps give the method I used a try. It was shared to me from a friend who quit after 30 years of 1.5 packs/day of unfiltered smokes (yikes). I tried a couple of methods prior including going cold turkey and none of it worked. I am happy to say I am still smoke free!!! You will be amazed on how tough and quick your body/lungs will rejuvenate after you quit....you just have to really WANT IT. Good luck!!!

[sam_tem]

any smokers ever tried switching to you know what and then quitting that? i've never had a cigarrette, but i couldn't imagine it compares to smoking a bowl in any way and theoretically that'd make you cut back on how much you could light up.

anyhow, i've got to stop smoking now so i can do my semi-annual physical and i'm really dreading the next few weeks. been running my butt off so i'm literally skin and bones right now so hopefully it shouldn't take me too long to get out of my system.

sorry to hear about the cancer thing man, that shits too real.

[sinbad]

Thanks everyone for encouragement, I will try to follow your way.
Hopefully it will help me. Every day I have to bear with the annoying cough all the time.

[Fade to Black]

well the you-know-what is packed with nicotine too, isn't it? A bowl is like a pack of cigarettes. At least that's what it feels like on the lungs, but I think it actually is, chemically speaking.

edit - just checked, it was tar, not nicotine.

[sam_tem]

yeah, that's the dissapointing thing in my mind. it's something that hundreds of thousands, if not more, folks do every single day, but the amount of studies done seems to be relatively small and inconclusive towards anything. i say inconclusive in that certainly anything that's inhaled is going to contribute to cancer, but few studies find any significant link because the usage is generally of smaller quantities and over shorter periods of time.

with all the misinformation floating around there really needs to be some major conclusive studies done and especially as we slowly move to universal health care because it's usage only seems to be increasing with time.

[sinbad]

I know that smoking is not good to the body.
But sometimes it helps to relax from stress when we work and thinking about work a lot.
Than to know that we can not quit it easily.

[trentk]

Tea seems to make nicotine withdrawals disappear. Not cheap bagged tea, but puerh, aged oolong, or sencha.

For those in nyc, the tea gallery is a good introduction to tea:
http://www.theteagallery.com/default.asp

For those quitting smoking and not too interested in tea: theanine pills would probably have the same effect.