Okay...so...quitting Smokin.


murphzlaw1
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 204
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • 4 weeks later...

Sooooo....Murphzlaw....Today is the Great American Smoke Out. :cowboy: ...no time like the present to throw the smokes all away! :dirol: C'mon! I know you can do it! :console(1): Stop making those reservations and be like a Nike....just do it! :crazyeyes: I got you in my thoughts today. :hideingbhindcurtian:

ah To`na....ah...mmm...er....it's been like 50 some odd days for Murph since his last cig!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

I threw away my last pack the day I quit. No point having them around if you're not going to smoke them. If you're keeping a stash in "reserve," what's the point?

When I quit smoking, I quit. I didn't stop for a while, until things got rough. Things have been rough. I found other ways to cope with stress. Keeping a "spare pack" around is just silly. If you get off the nicotine...and then get stressed out and you smoke "just to get thru the stress," what are you really doing? You're reinforcing the habit. You're going back to the nicotine addiction.

I don't need that. I never kept a spare pack. I threw them away, and kept them away from me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

I want to share something I posted in the Mod area, when the question of how my quit-smoking program was going came up:

I think an important thing to remember when quitting is that if you slip up, you shouldn't berate or belittle yourself because of it. I mean, it's a habit of many many many years, and it's pretty damned difficult to just change that habit, especially so quickly.

What I did when I was getting ready for my "quit" was, really, just think about the smoking. I thought about why I was smoking, I thought about what I would be able to do when I quit smoking. I thought about the money I'd save (I smoked the Marlboro lights, and those were $14 bucks for 2 packs. For me, an almost pack a day smoker, that's $7 bucks a day I wouldn't have to spend.

Barring an accident, I'm going to be here for both my kids' graduation. My father couldn't say the same thing. He made mine, true....but my sisters, he died before they graduated.

Again barring an accident, and if I can get my fat ass outta the chair and do some exersize, I'll be here for both my kids wedding. My dad was already dead when I got married the first time.

If my luck holds....I'll see my grand children.

I think you guys might not understand how big of a deal it is for me to think that far into the future. Being a rather pessimistic person, and with the depression I've had for a good portion of my life, I was rather surprised when I reached the ripe old age of 25. I fully expected to be dead by then. Not that I was super suicidal (no more so than any other loner young person), but I just really expected to die early. Here I am at 35, and while I still feel that really, any day is gonna be it...I'm kind of cautiously looking forward to getting older.

My dad was 45 when he died. Given HIS age of death, I still have 10 years. On the other hand...he was an alcoholic, a smoker, and had generally poor health. I'm overweight. Dad was quite a bit worse off.

Point being, if I'm careful, and I keep lookin after my health, even a little bit, I'm actually gonna make it to 50.

I bought this house knowing I will never make it long enough to actually OWN it.

Now, I'm not so sure about that. (granted, I pay extra on my mortgage every month, so it's less than 30 years, but..yeah.)

All this, I thought about, when I decided it was a good idea to quit smoking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I applaud your effort to quit, whether or not you make it to the one-year mark

(that's when I realized that I had really quit).

I am going to make a suggestion... one that doesn't make terribly good financial sense,

but one that may make it easier to realize the benefit in the short-term of redirecting those "smoking dollars".

Maybe you won't ever see the house paid off. Maybe that doesn't really matter, in the long run.

My suggestion is that you redirect the money that you typically spent on smoking to a purpose that

will produce an immediate benefit to humanity and an immediate counter to your tendency toward depression.

Pick a worthy cause... a local animal shelter, a local shelter for the homeless, something that you can believe in.

Send the money to them once a week... the same that you would have spent on smokes.

If you have the time and ability, volunteer there once a month or so.

See for yourself the immediate impact that your quitting is having on your community.

It will be far easier to reach that one-year mark than if the alternative is knocking 2 years off

of a 30 year mortgage that you might not live to pay-off anyway.

Brightest Blessings, as Brother Fawz is fond of saying.

(and I kind'a like the sound of it!).

Edited by Hexalpa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • Administrator

Today, I celebrate 90 days without smoking. I'm not going to say that it's been easy, or that there haven't been times that I think either A) I REALLY NEED A SMOKE, or 2) you know, one cigarette wouldn't be bad..

Even with some serious rough patches, I kept to my goal and stayed off the cigarettes.

It's now easier to be around others when they smoke, and still not be super tempted. Of course, I AM a little tempted. But I can hang out with my buddy for a while, when he chain smokes, and not give in and say "gimme."

Today, according to my little phone application (Quit Now!) I reached the goal of "Physical Condition Improved." I am also 24.7% of the way towards Heart Disease Death Risk reduced to half.

I have NOT smoked 1352 cigarettes. I have saved $443 by not buying smokes. I have saved 5 days, 15 hours, and change, in time, by not smokin.

I've noticed that I don't go outside for "smoke" breaks nearly as often, when I'm working. I'm more productive. I don't need to get out of my office.

I'm not so foolish to say that "I'm NEVER GONNA SMOKE AGAIN."

What I can say is, "I'm not gonna smoke TODAY."

Oh. And I quit the coffee. Well, mostly. I still have a cup from circle K once a week or so, but I'm not drinkin 4 cups a night anymore. It was causing anxiety attacks, for some reason. :P

um...that's it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I switched to electronic cigarettes. I dont get all the poisons of burning matter and I can control my nicotine.

I have used these for almost a year, I started at 24mg nicotine and am now down to 10mg. people look at you wierd, but vapor is not smoke and nothing is burning. err, plus I can get all sorts of flavors too, or just tabacco flavor. I am now using cola flavor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats Murphy!

Yeah, us to have cut down by half using a good e-cig...and yes the flavors are really nice!

Wtg! Murph, hope for us to be saying the same next month!!

Blessings of Peace,

Man $65 a carton???? Holy Man Capt!!! We thought $45 was bad....and I SwORE I'd quite when they reached a$1 a pack!!!.....25 years ago or more! (First cigs were 35¢/pk and $1.90 at the exchange when I went to boot camp!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that's about the same as what i was paying for them on base in germany.we sold them for upwards of $50 a carton,and that was back in 77 :download: .

i wish i could tell you it gets easier with time,but even after(almost)3 years,it doesn't.i still use an e-cig(no nicotine,menthol flavor),not as much as i used to,but driving i do.i will admit tho that there are days i have to question as to why i stopped(never quit),i just remind myself that if i smoke one,i'm screwed.

anyhow,good job murph,and may you continue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not so foolish to say that "I'm NEVER GONNA SMOKE AGAIN."

What I can say is, "I'm not gonna smoke TODAY."

Sometimes all you can do is say "I'm not going to smoke THIS MINUTE." (Just keep saying it one minute at a time.)

Oh. And I quit the coffee.

BLASPHEMY! Imagine poor Coffee Sloth's reaction! Horror! :fie::shok::scare2:

um...that's it.

Seriously... well done. It is not easy to change habits, especially when those around us engage in the behaviors we want to distance ourselves from. Good on ya.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share