Quitting Smoking Thread

[Renith182]

A Thread for those wanting to or in the process of quitting smoking.

 

I woke up today and decided that i didn't want to smoke anymore.

The thought has been in my head for a while.

Im 23 years old and have been smoking since i was 14/15 (8 or so years)

It has been more or less a pack a day habit for me for the last 5 years.

More recently it has been affecting my health, giving me major mood swings and affecting my life at work. More importantly i havn't been enjoying it for a while. Eventually it got from enjoying all my cigarettes, to enjoying half of them to enjoying maybe one or two a day to not really enjoying it at all. Became a habit because i have to quench some of my insecurities. i have realized that smoking is full of irrational thoughts, but the most irrational thing about is spending money (250 plus dollars a month) to kill myself slowly, and not even fucking enjoy it!

 

Anyways. its been 24 hours since my last cigarette, and quitting cold turkey is probably one of the hardest things i've done in my life. These withdrawal symptoms are making me docile sitting on this chair one minute and jumping up and down ripping my hair out the next.

 

Just thought i'd start a thread in case anyone else is or has experienced the same thing as myself right at this very moment. And for people thinking of quitting aswell.

 

Ren

[captain.obvious]

I smoked sometimes but never really got addicted to it, I used to smoke cigars a lot though and I felt like you miss actually doing it than smoking itself, you miss having an excuse to go outside or something. It gets easy though, honestly after about a week I didn't miss it at all anymore. Good luck man, stick with it, you'll get through it.

[Jorgi]

Ah good luck to you man, i've tried giving up so many times it's so hard. Currently i've given up giving up, purely because the last time it made me a bitch (more than i am already) and gave me the worst dreams ever, i hated it. But there are definitely times where i'll be having a smoke walking up the hill to my school, like so out of breath and thinking "what the fuck and i doing this for ? I used to be an athelete and now i can barely make it up the same hill i've been walking for 7 years?" but on the whole... Right now i enjoy smoking.

 

But Matt's definitely right, it's most definitely the habit that's hardest to break rather than the addiction.

[the1]

meh I go for weeks without it.

[Renith182]

I smoked sometimes but never really got addicted to it, I used to smoke cigars a lot though and I felt like you miss actually doing it than smoking itself, you miss having an excuse to go outside or something. It gets easy though, honestly after about a week I didn't miss it at all anymore. Good luck man, stick with it, you'll get through it.

 

Yeah man. The Majority of smokers i knew including myself, found that smoking helped to pass time very well. Different people are affected to different degrees of addiction. before sept last year. i hadn't drank in almost 3 years. Even now i drink every now and then but dont crave it or need it. Just happened I got addicted to it a lil more than anything else. Guess growing up and spending time with my old man who smoked 2 packs a day didn't help.Its been 48 hours. Just spent 2 1/2 hours in the gym. feels great and i think the worst of the cravings should be over. Good thing you quit aswell. I guess going outside for fresh air has a different meaning now.

 

Ah good luck to you man, i've tried giving up so many times it's so hard. Currently i've given up giving up, purely because the last time it made me a bitch (more than i am already) and gave me the worst dreams ever, i hated it. But there are definitely times where i'll be having a smoke walking up the hill to my school, like so out of breath and thinking "what the fuck and i doing this for ? I used to be an athelete and now i can barely make it up the same hill i've been walking for 7 years?" but on the whole... Right now i enjoy smoking.

 

But Matt's definitely right, it's most definitely the habit that's hardest to break rather than the addiction.

 

Thanks! its working out great so far. Better than the last time i quit. I guess i've made up my mind that i dont really wanna pay to kill myself and not even enjoy it. Well u gotta quit for yourself girl. If being bitchy is how you are, in the long run smoking aint gonna help that. I've found myself more confrontational in the last 48 hours since i quit. Because if someone gives u a hard time, normally you would just smoke it away and forget about it. But now I realize that i dont have that buffer anymore, and if the guy wanted to give me a hard time ill make sure they get it back. No need to kill myself slowly cause i was too pussy to lay it on a person. As far as health goes, that sucks. I guess i never was very athletic but the smoking never helped me get closer to getting in shape. Driving around everywhere doesnt help either. Unfortunately You are experiencing one of the many negatives of smoking. At least its getting you thinking though.

 

Its all in your head. I quit cold turkey. its the hardest method, but so far hasnt been as bad as i anticipated. I think something harder than that would be coughing out blood and finding your days are numbered because u have fuckin cancer. At least if u wanted to off yourself with a gun u had the choice of pulling the trigger or not. With cancer chances are u only have one choice. Give it a thought. How much are u willing to give up to become yourself again. Smoking involves alot of irrational thought. Hunting for smokes. Anxiety from lack of smokes. Justifying it even sounds irrational. I guess the real question is are you willing to DIE for a habit or a thing u think you love doing?

 

meh I go for weeks without it.

 

But i guess the point is.. u still go back to it after a few weeks

[Harry]

My smoking history is kinda weird.

First cigarette at the age of 14, but never really became addicted, just a social smoker at school and stuff.

Stopped entirely until 2007, when I was 18 and started becoming a social smoker again.

The next year came. Started smoking more at parties.

Soon after I'm buying packs of cigs. "Ah yeah, just for when I go to parties".

Smoking on the walk to school after getting off the bus. Trying to justify it "Only on the way to school, not so bad"

During lunch time, on the way to the train station, while waiting for a train or tram or bus, while walking to the shop.

And then at that point I realize I've fucked myself and I'm finally addicted:mrgreen:

5-10 cigarettes a day during normal week days, and 30-40 when I drank.

Again, I tried to justify by saying "well at least I'm not as addicted as guys that smoke a pack of 30 every day" but really, it's just fucking stupid to justify that shit. I tried to quit several times and couldn't.

November 2008 I made the decision to stop buying cigarettes and just did it cold turkey. It wasn't fun, it made me irritable, but it was for the best and since then I look at the CDs I've bought, guitars I've bought and other music gear/equipment I've bought and had I not quit smoking I wouldn't own this stuff.

 

But since then, no matter how much I try, I cannot avoid social smoking. I ended up breaking my promise to myself last month and bought a pack to smoke at parties. Last night I told myself "no smoking" but I did smoke, goddamn it.

Smoking just seems to go hand in hand with drinking/parties so much that it's so hard to avoid.

Since then there's been a price increase in cigs AFAIK so that's reason to not buy anymore, but I'll still be fighting the urge to smoke at parties nonetheless

 

As for you Ren, I wish you the best of luck in quitting dude.

[Catie]

i've never been in this situation before.

but i hope you can get through it and good luck!

[Renith182]

My smoking history is kinda weird.

First cigarette at the age of 14, but never really became addicted, just a social smoker at school and stuff.

Stopped entirely until 2007, when I was 18 and started becoming a social smoker again.

The next year came. Started smoking more at parties.

Soon after I'm buying packs of cigs. "Ah yeah, just for when I go to parties".

Smoking on the walk to school after getting off the bus. Trying to justify it "Only on the way to school, not so bad"

During lunch time, on the way to the train station, while waiting for a train or tram or bus, while walking to the shop.

And then at that point I realize I've fucked myself and I'm finally addicted:mrgreen:

5-10 cigarettes a day during normal week days, and 30-40 when I drank.

Again, I tried to justify by saying "well at least I'm not as addicted as guys that smoke a pack of 30 every day" but really, it's just fucking stupid to justify that shit. I tried to quit several times and couldn't.

November 2008 I made the decision to stop buying cigarettes and just did it cold turkey. It wasn't fun, it made me irritable, but it was for the best and since then I look at the CDs I've bought, guitars I've bought and other music gear/equipment I've bought and had I not quit smoking I wouldn't own this stuff.

 

But since then, no matter how much I try, I cannot avoid social smoking. I ended up breaking my promise to myself last month and bought a pack to smoke at parties. Last night I told myself "no smoking" but I did smoke, goddamn it.

Smoking just seems to go hand in hand with drinking/parties so much that it's so hard to avoid.

Since then there's been a price increase in cigs AFAIK so that's reason to not buy anymore, but I'll still be fighting the urge to smoke at parties nonetheless

 

As for you Ren, I wish you the best of luck in quitting dude.

 

Thanks for your support man! Btw I was in Melbourne this time last year! Went to see my best friend and some other old friends from high school. Beautiful city man! Spent alot of time downtown at DeGraves st having good breakfast and good italian food aswell! Alot of time in Dangerfield. Gotta say its alot better than hot topic! Wearing one of their hoodies right now . Went to Soundwave festival with my buddy last year aswell. Fuckin envious that he gets to go this year while im stuck in Canada, Cause warped tour sucked balls last year and it seems like you fellas are getting all the good bands! Shitty about the fires and the fact that u can't take a shower for longer than 5 minutes without getting shit! haha. Sorry i enjoyed my 2 weeks there so its nice to reminisce. You guys definitely got it good down there.

 

As for the smoking, im sorry to hear thats the case. For me when i started i enjoyed smoking very much. I guess at first i loved the act but as the years went by it became more of an addiction (prolly more the fact thats its just a fuckin bad habit). But i know your situation because i knew alot of guys back in school who smoked socially. One of my closest friends (at the time) used to smoke alot at parties when he was trashed. Thing is tho even though i havnt talked to him in almost 5 years, word on the street is that hes a pack a day smoker now. Funny thing is hes going to school to be a doctor. It sure seems like its peer pressure thats causing u to continually smoke at parties. Prolly best to just let them know you're trying to quit, if they dont support you they're not worth hanging out with because friends should help other friends out. If its more of an association with alcohol, i dunno what to say really. I never really drank that much in my life, though i figured u want to smoke because willpower goes out the window when you're drunk, and causes u to do and think irrational things. i guess the closest thing is coffee and smoking for me. One of my favorite things. well was. I still drink coffee and sometimes get the urge to smoke but i realize that im better off without it because as much as it complemented each other, it did affect the good taste of it haha.

 

Before i quit smoking had been affecting my mental and physical well being. Couldn't keep my life and thoughts straight. Was getting in the way of my work and was getting sloppy. Made me a lil paranoid aswell cause its fuckin with my body chemistry. felt that a change for the positive was needed, and felt that a smoke free life was the solution to many of those problems. can't say that i've regret my decision so far.

 

This website helped me out with alot of my questions when it came to quitting smoking.

http://www.whyquit.com/

I read every article, and it helps with dealing with withdrawal symptoms aswell. Lets just say the last time i quit and failed, i realized that i wasn't addressing some of my body's needs during withdrawal, which made it ever more difficult. Read these articles and let me know if you have a change of heart. If u think really hard about smoking, there aint a positive to it. Its full of irrational thought similar to being a drug addict. which is pretty much what it is. Problem is its too easy and cheap to get a fix and governments make alot of money off this shit so its hard to quit.

 

But like i said in the previous post man, withdrawal symptoms are prolly nothing compared to finding out u got some fucking form of cancer and you're days are numbered. A point of no return and big regrets. Even though most smokers know the risks, i just dont wanna be one of those guys down the line getting the news and asking "Why me? Why did i have to get this". CAn;t be one of those assholes.

 

And besides man, From what i remember, the fuckin smokes down there tasted like shit anyway. haha.

 

Well hope it works out man!

Ren

 

i've never been in this situation before.

but i hope you can get through it and good luck!

 

Thanks! Don't get into that situation! its not worth it. Im sure you've been tempted or at the very least curious, but stay away from it. You're a non smoker now, and dont think it will make your life any better if you think its not that great. It only gets worse becoming a smoker.

[Catie]

oh yeah i have tons of family members and some friends that smoke. i've seen what it can do. they all can run or do anything without having to stop to breathe. i don't plan on doing it

[paint the sky grey]

i've been smoking a few times, basically already got an addictive feeling after the first time, which was pretty terrible at all because i couldn't really concentrate on anything a certain time after it. then i did it again and again but had to stop immediately from one to the other day because my mom started suspecting and my lies were running out. the following like 10 days were hard, but now i'm pretty good over it i think. still have the weird habit though to get nervous when someone smokes right next to me.

[Renith182]

oh yeah i have tons of family members and some friends that smoke. i've seen what it can do. they all can run or do anything without having to stop to breathe. i don't plan on doing it

 

Nobody plans on doing it. Sometimes it just happens. Just make sure it doesnt haha.

 

i've been smoking a few times, basically already got an addictive feeling after the first time, which was pretty terrible at all because i couldn't really concentrate on anything a certain time after it. then i did it again and again but had to stop immediately from one to the other day because my mom started suspecting and my lies were running out. the following like 10 days were hard, but now i'm pretty good over it i think. still have the weird habit though to get nervous when someone smokes right next to me.

 

Funny you say that, because i remember my first 6 months of smoking the headrushes i got. One in particular was before an english exam i had to do. I remember having 1 1/2 hours to do it, but i was pretty much staring at a blank page for an hour because i couldnt gather any thoughts. After the headrush passed though i got 4 pages in half an hour and actually passed haha. I noticed now that i also got a rush of sneaking around school and my neibourhood finding places to smoke in peace. Maybe at the time i was a dumbass and wanted to get out of the house so i didn't have to hear what my rents had to say.

 

Good that you quit though! You can only lie so much until you get caught in one of them. She probably knows aswell. Most parents do. Back in the day people didn't have a problem with smokers. Nowadays though alot of people frown upon smokers. I guess what you're experiencing when near a smoker is having the shoe on the other foot. Same with me. I guess we're lucky most governments are discouraging public smoking, to discourage smoking overall. Carry some gum around with you so when you feel like smoking, chew it to distract your thoguhts! Hope it helps!

 

Ren

[Chriss]

It's awesome to see that you've made the decision to quit, and it's really great seeing how determined you are to doing so. I wish you the best of luck.

 

I've honestly never wanted to smoke--I get horrible headaches even just being around the smoke--but one thing that completely turned me off to ever even thinking, "Eh, maybe," was watching my grandpa deal with throat cancer for five years and then dying in 2005 from emphysema. That was almost my entire teen life, so if anything was gonna keep me away from cigarettes, it was that. I have a few friends and family members who smoke, and I want nothing more than for them to quit, but I know for some people, it's just not that easy, so to see someone like you putting in all this effort to quit is great! I have a friend who quit recently, and he's been smoke-free for almost a month. He says he's never felt better.

[Harry]

I will say that when I was 14, I told myself I'd never take drugs, never smoke etc.

Didn't exactly work out since a few months before my birthday I had done drugs and smoked cigarettes:p Again, goes to show that sometimes it's not planned, you just do.

 

Ren, I'll respond to your big post later, I can't quite do that right now as I'm heading out soon

 

@Franzi : Definitely for the best you stopped.

There is some fun stuff to smoke (a substance of a "green" nature), but cigarettes are just fucking dirty. I can barely smoke sober anymore, it just feels gross

[the1]

It's all bad. But I never get a temptation for smoking so much as a temptation for something to do that doesn't require anything....it's an activity that can stop me thinking for about 10 mins.

[paint the sky grey]

Funny you say that, because i remember my first 6 months of smoking the headrushes i got. One in particular was before an english exam i had to do. I remember having 1 1/2 hours to do it, but i was pretty much staring at a blank page for an hour because i couldnt gather any thoughts. After the headrush passed though i got 4 pages in half an hour and actually passed haha. I noticed now that i also got a rush of sneaking around school and my neibourhood finding places to smoke in peace. Maybe at the time i was a dumbass and wanted to get out of the house so i didn't have to hear what my rents had to say.

 

Good that you quit though! You can only lie so much until you get caught in one of them. She probably knows aswell. Most parents do. Back in the day people didn't have a problem with smokers. Nowadays though alot of people frown upon smokers. I guess what you're experiencing when near a smoker is having the shoe on the other foot. Same with me. I guess we're lucky most governments are discouraging public smoking, to discourage smoking overall. Carry some gum around with you so when you feel like smoking, chew it to distract your thoguhts! Hope it helps!

 

Ren

some of the dudes who always went out smoking with me got these headrushes too and sometimes the teachers even doubted that it was really their own work they deliverd there because they were actually bad in school. i think it depends alot on how you react on nicotine and also how your social backround is. what i want to say is that my mates for example had a fairly instable social backround where their parents didnt mind at all that their kids already start smoking with like 10 and where school doesnt matter.

i have a strong social backround, my mom has an important job, an image she has to keep up and there i always didnt fit in with feeling attracted to punks, listening to different music and stuff. i have to wear tidy closes, get good marks in school and keep up her image aswell because i often hear stuff like "ohh look, thats ms xy's daughter, you know the one. she has to be a bright kid." thats why i was always under a big pressure when i went to smoke with these punk mates. i had to pay attention to not to be seen, not to smell that strong at all, not to be seen with these "dirty punks". and when my family suspected something i just said "yeah i was hanging around with these dudes, they smoke a lot." my grandparents freaked out and mom started doubting the story after a while. so i had no other choice. on top of that they always told me that they all are gonna break the contact with me if they see me smoking anytime. im actually kinda thankful for that and for the fact that the punks i used to be with are gone now. otherwise i would probably still hang around and smoke with them. and im glad that my family never found out that i were a sort of smoker.

 

and you are right about the feeling. we dont have these strict laws here in germany yet though. basically only a law that forbids smoking in restaurants and pubs but even there we got some exceptions called "smoker pubs" where only smokers and over 18s can enter. i think thats kinda ridiculous.

 

 

@harry

i know what you mean. but taking drugs was a bit to heavy in my opinion. i was already dieing of fear when i hold a normal cigarette in my hand.

i'm glad that these times are over now.

[Renith182]

It's awesome to see that you've made the decision to quit, and it's really great seeing how determined you are to doing so. I wish you the best of luck.

 

I've honestly never wanted to smoke--I get horrible headaches even just being around the smoke--but one thing that completely turned me off to ever even thinking, "Eh, maybe," was watching my grandpa deal with throat cancer for five years and then dying in 2005 from emphysema. That was almost my entire teen life, so if anything was gonna keep me away from cigarettes, it was that. I have a few friends and family members who smoke, and I want nothing more than for them to quit, but I know for some people, it's just not that easy, so to see someone like you putting in all this effort to quit is great! I have a friend who quit recently, and he's been smoke-free for almost a month. He says he's never felt better.

 

Thanks man you're support is much appreciated. My lungs are aching right now, but still in the withdrawal stage and prolly soon will be hacking up some nasty stuff.

 

You're headaches are the same ones my mom gets. Every person is different, and i think like my mom, you are extremely sensitive to nicotine. Obviously smokers like drinkers build up tolerances to nicotine and alcohol. Good thing though, because it keeps you away from that shit. Ive known friends who find themselves going into bars not to smoke, but to smell second hand smoke, because they've been exposed to it for so long. As for your grandfather im sorry to hear about that. It Must've been very traumatizing dealing with that shit your whole teenage life, but at least you came out the right way from it. I was thinking about this earlier and the way my father smoked for over 20 years. Reading labels on packs of smokes saying that kids of smokers have the higher chance of starting. I figured it could go both ways and you and i are perfect examples of it. Both of us have family we care and love and look up to, who smoke. Looking at it deeper, my old man used to drink, work till he had chronic stress disorder, stopped caring about anything including myself and my mom. Its all SELF DESTRUCTIVE behavior. I guess for you, seeing self destructive behavior in the people you care about has warned u to stay away from that type of lifestyle. I guess for me seeing this behavior in someone i looked up to and care about made me want to mimic it in some strange way. I almost mimiced the lifestyle of my role model and thought it would work for me. Now i realize my old man made alot of mistakes and so have i. Not to mention he used to smoke constantly in front of me when we would spend time together, so i guess sometimes smelling smoke would remind me of those good days.

 

But you're right, it is very hard to convince some people to quit. After all even though it is a very selfish act (Second hand smoke) it is entirely their choice to smoke or to not smoke. My old man quit because the doctor told him he would have serious complications in his health in the next 10 years (which was 12 years ago) and hes still around. For me the smoking seemed to be affecting my whole life. For the last 2 months before i quit i had been depressed, had thoughts of offing myself, and was just having a hard time keeping shit straight (affecting friends, work etc.). Went to see the doctor and suggested smoking could be having an affect on my physical and mental wellbeing. Self destructive behavior. Thinking back in the 8 years i had been smoking, only the first 3 or 4 years were the times i actually enjoyed smoking (felt headrushes, genuine relaxed feelings etc). But recently before i quit i noticed i didn't enjoy even one of the 20 or so i had during the day. And it occured to me that i was paying big money (240 plus bucks a month almost 3 grand a year) to do something i didn't enjoy and was killing me slowly. Doesnt make any sense. At that point i knew i was addicted, because i was doing something for the fuck of it, and it didn't make any sense. I made a decision a few days ago that living my life by CHANCE was too hard to swallow, and that the amount of money i spent in my life could probably buy me the nicest coffin and gravestone in the cemetery.

 

So yeah buddy, try to keep convincing your relatives to quit. I read a story where a wife tried to get her husband to quit smoking. Her method was pestering him and making him feel bad about what he was doing. Everytime he bought a pack of cigarettes or a carton, she would throw the same amount of he spent on it down the gutter. When the husband would ask why, she would say what im doing is wasting money, but at least it wouldnt hurt anybody. Haha sounds crazy but shit like that might just work. I guess in your case, make sure its not YOUR money

 

Ren

 

I will say that when I was 14, I told myself I'd never take drugs, never smoke etc.

Didn't exactly work out since a few months before my birthday I had done drugs and smoked cigarettes:p Again, goes to show that sometimes it's not planned, you just do.

 

Ren, I'll respond to your big post later, I can't quite do that right now as I'm heading out soon

 

@Franzi : Definitely for the best you stopped.

There is some fun stuff to smoke (a substance of a "green" nature), but cigarettes are just fucking dirty. I can barely smoke sober anymore, it just feels gross

 

Its all good man lemme know your thoughts later.

 

Smoking the 'Green' stuff isnt all fun and games either. Living in British Columbia, Canada where the best weed in the world is found, i deal with alot of people who like the shit. They always say that smoking weed is healthier than cigarettes. Yes Cigarettes have alot of chemicals inserted into it that weed doesnt have but smoke is smoke. Whenever someone tells me that, i always ask them that if they went into the forest and chopped down a tree and set it on fire, is that good for them? Most of them say no its not good for you. So whats fucking difference with smoking weed which is also 'natural'. Im not advocating a straight edge lifestyle, Just dont be living in denial of the lifestyle you choose. Not shitting on you Harry haha, its just not as good as everyone says it is. I see weed smokers hacking up green and red shit aswell.

[Renith182]

some of the dudes who always went out smoking with me got these headrushes too and sometimes the teachers even doubted that it was really their own work they deliverd there because they were actually bad in school. i think it depends alot on how you react on nicotine and also how your social backround is. what i want to say is that my mates for example had a fairly instable social backround where their parents didnt mind at all that their kids already start smoking with like 10 and where school doesnt matter.

i have a strong social backround, my mom has an important job, an image she has to keep up and there i always didnt fit in with feeling attracted to punks, listening to different music and stuff. i have to wear tidy closes, get good marks in school and keep up her image aswell because i often hear stuff like "ohh look, thats ms xy's daughter, you know the one. she has to be a bright kid." thats why i was always under a big pressure when i went to smoke with these punk mates. i had to pay attention to not to be seen, not to smell that strong at all, not to be seen with these "dirty punks". and when my family suspected something i just said "yeah i was hanging around with these dudes, they smoke a lot." my grandparents freaked out and mom started doubting the story after a while. so i had no other choice. on top of that they always told me that they all are gonna break the contact with me if they see me smoking anytime. im actually kinda thankful for that and for the fact that the punks i used to be with are gone now. otherwise i would probably still hang around and smoke with them. and im glad that my family never found out that i were a sort of smoker.

 

and you are right about the feeling. we dont have these strict laws here in germany yet though. basically only a law that forbids smoking in restaurants and pubs but even there we got some exceptions called "smoker pubs" where only smokers and over 18s can enter. i think thats kinda ridiculous.

 

 

@harry

i know what you mean. but taking drugs was a bit to heavy in my opinion. i was already dieing of fear when i hold a normal cigarette in my hand.

i'm glad that these times are over now.

 

Interesting story fran! Its how how 'peer' pressure can make u do and not do things aswell. I know you dont mean to be condescending, but not all smokers come from bad backgrounds. My parents brought me up good too, and taught me some valuable lessons in my life (though i learned some of that shit the hard way). My old man used to smoke and used to do it in front of me (respected businessman), so i guess big paychecks dont mean good judgement outside of work.

 

Im glad you quit smoking, and for whatever reasons it doesnt matter because at the end of the day u quit. But judging from the sound of things, it seems like your family is pretty hard on you eh? Seems like Image and how things look from the outside are very different from how things REALLY are on the inside? I have the same experiences with my family, and it seems oppressive sometimes that i have to live up to other peoples expectations so ive made an active decision to not do so. Because at the end of the day, my life is my life to live and good decisions are my decisions to make and my mistakes are MY mistakes to live with, but at least they are mine. Strangely i have a feeling that this pressure from your family might've been the reason why u started smoking in the first place. Wanting to try different things, and wanting to rebel in general? haha. This pressure on image and how you represent your family can cause people to find escapes. Prolly the same reason celebrities do irrational things and get on the front page of the tabloids. Im not passing judgement on you or anything, but is the reason for quitting was somewhat related to smoking in the first place, it might be something you want to address.

 

Ren

[Harry]

Thanks for your support man! Btw I was in Melbourne this time last year! Went to see my best friend and some other old friends from high school. Beautiful city man! Spent alot of time downtown at DeGraves st having good breakfast and good italian food aswell! Alot of time in Dangerfield. Gotta say its alot better than hot topic! Wearing one of their hoodies right now . Went to Soundwave festival with my buddy last year aswell. Fuckin envious that he gets to go this year while im stuck in Canada, Cause warped tour sucked balls last year and it seems like you fellas are getting all the good bands! Shitty about the fires and the fact that u can't take a shower for longer than 5 minutes without getting shit! haha. Sorry i enjoyed my 2 weeks there so its nice to reminisce. You guys definitely got it good down there.

 

As for the smoking, im sorry to hear thats the case. For me when i started i enjoyed smoking very much. I guess at first i loved the act but as the years went by it became more of an addiction (prolly more the fact thats its just a fuckin bad habit). But i know your situation because i knew alot of guys back in school who smoked socially. One of my closest friends (at the time) used to smoke alot at parties when he was trashed. Thing is tho even though i havnt talked to him in almost 5 years, word on the street is that hes a pack a day smoker now. Funny thing is hes going to school to be a doctor. It sure seems like its peer pressure thats causing u to continually smoke at parties. Prolly best to just let them know you're trying to quit, if they dont support you they're not worth hanging out with because friends should help other friends out. If its more of an association with alcohol, i dunno what to say really. I never really drank that much in my life, though i figured u want to smoke because willpower goes out the window when you're drunk, and causes u to do and think irrational things. i guess the closest thing is coffee and smoking for me. One of my favorite things. well was. I still drink coffee and sometimes get the urge to smoke but i realize that im better off without it because as much as it complemented each other, it did affect the good taste of it haha.

 

Before i quit smoking had been affecting my mental and physical well being. Couldn't keep my life and thoughts straight. Was getting in the way of my work and was getting sloppy. Made me a lil paranoid aswell cause its fuckin with my body chemistry. felt that a change for the positive was needed, and felt that a smoke free life was the solution to many of those problems. can't say that i've regret my decision so far.

 

This website helped me out with alot of my questions when it came to quitting smoking.

http://www.whyquit.com/

I read every article, and it helps with dealing with withdrawal symptoms aswell. Lets just say the last time i quit and failed, i realized that i wasn't addressing some of my body's needs during withdrawal, which made it ever more difficult. Read these articles and let me know if you have a change of heart. If u think really hard about smoking, there aint a positive to it. Its full of irrational thought similar to being a drug addict. which is pretty much what it is. Problem is its too easy and cheap to get a fix and governments make alot of money off this shit so its hard to quit.

 

But like i said in the previous post man, withdrawal symptoms are prolly nothing compared to finding out u got some fucking form of cancer and you're days are numbered. A point of no return and big regrets. Even though most smokers know the risks, i just dont wanna be one of those guys down the line getting the news and asking "Why me? Why did i have to get this". CAn;t be one of those assholes.

 

And besides man, From what i remember, the fuckin smokes down there tasted like shit anyway. haha.

 

Well hope it works out man!

Ren

 

 

Admittedly there are some aspects of Melbourne that REALLY piss me off, but to be fair it's only stuff you'd notice if you lived here (I've lived here my entire life)

I've never been to Dangerfield, ever, haha. I'm usually found in guitar shops in the city lol.

 

But anyway, back on topic. I've never been much of a coffee guy, so the whole "Coffee and cigarette " thing in the morning some people do isn't something I relate too. I would just have a cigarette by itself really.

As for social smoking, it's not really down to peer pressure for me.

My friends will ask if I want a ciggie, but I might say no and they'll leave it at that.

When I drink, I dunno, I just get an urge to smoke and I don't really understand why.

Last weekend, I was at a party and saw my friends smoking and said "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!", so they didn't offer me any cigarettes, but I had some left in my backpack and smoked those, and fortunately I only had two (and due to the tax raise on cigarettes here I don't want to buy anymore).

 

The biggest irony is that even though I could quit daily smoking cold turkey, is that social smoking has proven to be 1000 times harder to quit.

When you're addicted, you smoke simply to get rid of withdrawal symptoms and you don't always enjoy it so much anymore.

But once you're off the addiction, when you do smoke again you really enjoy it and because of the fact I am now down to about 1-5 cigarettes a week, I admittedly do really enjoy those few cigarettes I do smoke now.

Another thing is that because I'm such a light smoker nowadays, obviously it's doing far less harm than if I were to be an addicted daily smoker. So while somewhat irrational, I can justify social smoking because I know it's not doing the major damage it did when I smoked daily.

It's a battle I lose every single weekend, at least for the last few months now that I've been extremely social and going out a lot, but hopefully eventually I can stop, but I know it ain't gonna be easy.

 

I'd say that maybe 1/3rd of my regular social group smokes, maybe even less, so it's not like I'm always surrounded by cigarettes, although one of my closest friends is a daily smoker.

He actually wants to quit smoking eventually too, because he's like me, a musician, who'd rather spend money on CDs and guitar equipment than ciggies.

[Harry]

 

and you are right about the feeling. we dont have these strict laws here in germany yet though. basically only a law that forbids smoking in restaurants and pubs but even there we got some exceptions called "smoker pubs" where only smokers and over 18s can enter. i think thats kinda ridiculous.

 

 

@harry

i know what you mean. but taking drugs was a bit to heavy in my opinion. i was already dieing of fear when i hold a normal cigarette in my hand.

i'm glad that these times are over now.

 

Interesting. Smoking has been banned inside ALL pubs and clubs in Australia.

If one wants to smoke, they have to go outside in the beer garden or out the front.

Weed, as far as I'm concerned anyway, is a pretty lightweight drug.

I like it, I use it, but neither do I advocate or encourage the use of it.

If someone wants to use it, fine, if not, I have no problems. Most of my friends choose not to use it, and I totally respect that:)

 

Its all good man lemme know your thoughts later.

 

Smoking the 'Green' stuff isnt all fun and games either. Living in British Columbia, Canada where the best weed in the world is found, i deal with alot of people who like the shit. They always say that smoking weed is healthier than cigarettes. Yes Cigarettes have alot of chemicals inserted into it that weed doesnt have but smoke is smoke. Whenever someone tells me that, i always ask them that if they went into the forest and chopped down a tree and set it on fire, is that good for them? Most of them say no its not good for you. So whats fucking difference with smoking weed which is also 'natural'. Im not advocating a straight edge lifestyle, Just dont be living in denial of the lifestyle you choose. Not shitting on you Harry haha, its just not as good as everyone says it is. I see weed smokers hacking up green and red shit aswell.

 

I'll admit I used to binge drink a lot.

The last time I did was in December, at a pub and I threw up on myself:rotfl: but apart from that, I've really gone off binge drinking now as I've gotten older and grown up a lot and I usually chill at parties with only a few drinks, which ensures I remain in fairly good control of myself and don't do anything really stupid.

Weed however, apart from one time when I got the munchies really badly and had no food (I've only ever had the munchies once, strangely enough, from smoking pot), I've never had a negative experience with it and I only started smoking it regularly a few months ago (I usually use it probably, 4-8 times a month).

Unlike drinking, I never get hangovers, I've never felt horrible the next day, I've never done anything stupid.

Alcohol has caused me to become violent and angry and ultra emotional at parties in the past (back when I had real problems with drinking), but weed ALWAYS chills me out and I wouldn't dream of hurting a soul in that state of mind.

 

I've really started to drink less alcohol and smoke more weed and it's partly the reason why I feel so much better about myself. It's also to a degree, replaced cigarettes too.

I know a lot of guys who replaced alcohol with weed in their life and they stopped being violent and started to become more responsible (it sounds ironic, given the illegal nature of weed, but it's how it is, they really did behave better when off the booze).

My way of thinking is, unlike cigarettes, pot actually has a pretty nice mental effect and is worth the time using because it lasts a reasonable amount of time, whereas Nicotine just seems to go lose it's effect so quickly.

 

I deliberately don't buy my own weed (I always make a deal with people, they provide the weed, they can crash at my house and stuff like that), and have zero plans to use it every day.

I'll confess a few times I've been super blazed while on weed, but that's my own fault for smoking too much in too short a period of time. I'm not the kind of guy to blame the drugs, if it was my own doing, then it was my own doing, pure and simple.

I do stress that most of the time I use it, I don't have too much and I still maintain a lot of control over my thoughts and body, and NEVER ever do it in an environment that isn't safe. I would sure as hell never drive a car under the influence of it.

I realize it's still not as safe as not using at all, but at least I can admit that and don't try to justify it as being the safest thing ever

I do believe alcohol, at least from own personal experiences is possibly an even bigger evil than both nicotine and marijuana.

 

That all being said, I do try my best to live by "Everything in moderation" and I'm not addicted to anything anymore and as I said, it's been months since I last binged on alcohol, so I think I should be okay (for a while anyway:p)

[paint the sky grey]

@ren

yeah you are right at all. not all smokers come from difficult social backrounds but thats basically the opinion of my family. i mean that they think that every smoker is a bad dude.

but thats not true at all, if you wanna "ruin" your life with it, its your choice, but it doesnt make you to be a bad person.

and the reason for me starting smoking was actually just being attracted to the risk i think. i was 13 when i did it the first time i think and so some people had an easy influence on me. everyone i knew smoked and so i just felt attracted to it and wanted to try it aswell. like everybody loves to try forbidden things at this age.

these days im smarter and know that it was a silly thing, but you learn and grow with the things you do.

and its not that my family is strict like hell. i mean we have our rules, i try to rebel to them but exept them at all now. they are strict, but i really love my family for how they are.

 

@harry

even though its leightwight im not a fan of weed. i just have my thoughts about it and thats why i rather dont like it at all. but i wont judge you for liking it, even though im taught to do it, but i wont because im a tolerant person.

[Guro]

I'm really glad you've decided to quit Ren

 

I've never smoked and never wanted to. Basically just because I've seen what it can lead to. I lost my uncle to lung cancer 5 years ago. He had smoked for years, and that was obviously a big reason as to why he got cancer. He had it for years, and unfortunately he lost the battle. Just a little over a month before that, my Grandfather also died. He had also smoked for years and years, and a part of the reason why he passed away was because of that. A lot of my family still smokes, and I would really like to see them quit, but you know they have to decide for themselves.

Also a really close friend of my family has COPD. It's really bad. She's in and out of the hospital all the time. She can barely go out of the house, and when she's inside she's always connected to oxygen. She can't do a lot on her own, and it's just really breaks my heart. Two weeks ago, she was given max two more years to live if she's lucky.

 

So good luck with quitting, I'm sure it'll feel amazing when you have quit for good

[Renith182]

Admittedly there are some aspects of Melbourne that REALLY piss me off, but to be fair it's only stuff you'd notice if you lived here (I've lived here my entire life)

I've never been to Dangerfield, ever, haha. I'm usually found in guitar shops in the city lol.

 

But anyway, back on topic. I've never been much of a coffee guy, so the whole "Coffee and cigarette " thing in the morning some people do isn't something I relate too. I would just have a cigarette by itself really.

As for social smoking, it's not really down to peer pressure for me.

My friends will ask if I want a ciggie, but I might say no and they'll leave it at that.

When I drink, I dunno, I just get an urge to smoke and I don't really understand why.

Last weekend, I was at a party and saw my friends smoking and said "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!", so they didn't offer me any cigarettes, but I had some left in my backpack and smoked those, and fortunately I only had two (and due to the tax raise on cigarettes here I don't want to buy anymore).

 

The biggest irony is that even though I could quit daily smoking cold turkey, is that social smoking has proven to be 1000 times harder to quit.

When you're addicted, you smoke simply to get rid of withdrawal symptoms and you don't always enjoy it so much anymore.

But once you're off the addiction, when you do smoke again you really enjoy it and because of the fact I am now down to about 1-5 cigarettes a week, I admittedly do really enjoy those few cigarettes I do smoke now.

Another thing is that because I'm such a light smoker nowadays, obviously it's doing far less harm than if I were to be an addicted daily smoker. So while somewhat irrational, I can justify social smoking because I know it's not doing the major damage it did when I smoked daily.

It's a battle I lose every single weekend, at least for the last few months now that I've been extremely social and going out a lot, but hopefully eventually I can stop, but I know it ain't gonna be easy.

 

I'd say that maybe 1/3rd of my regular social group smokes, maybe even less, so it's not like I'm always surrounded by cigarettes, although one of my closest friends is a daily smoker.

He actually wants to quit smoking eventually too, because he's like me, a musician, who'd rather spend money on CDs and guitar equipment than ciggies.

 

Your difficulty with quitting while partying is probably because of the drinking you do with it. You're judgement isnt as good when drinking and u tend to use your feelings to make decisions instead of your head. Whether you smoke 1 a week, 1 a day or 40 a day, smoking is still smoking. still has associated risks, though its not as bad for you since u smoke less. I know alot of musicians who smoke, figured it was part of the image. haha. But i guess if it makes you broke ass you cant do all the things u want to. Alot of people forget smoking can tie you down financially.

 

Interesting. Smoking has been banned inside ALL pubs and clubs in Australia.

If one wants to smoke, they have to go outside in the beer garden or out the front.

Weed, as far as I'm concerned anyway, is a pretty lightweight drug.

I like it, I use it, but neither do I advocate or encourage the use of it.

If someone wants to use it, fine, if not, I have no problems. Most of my friends choose not to use it, and I totally respect that:)

 

 

 

I'll admit I used to binge drink a lot.

The last time I did was in December, at a pub and I threw up on myself:rotfl: but apart from that, I've really gone off binge drinking now as I've gotten older and grown up a lot and I usually chill at parties with only a few drinks, which ensures I remain in fairly good control of myself and don't do anything really stupid.

Weed however, apart from one time when I got the munchies really badly and had no food (I've only ever had the munchies once, strangely enough, from smoking pot), I've never had a negative experience with it and I only started smoking it regularly a few months ago (I usually use it probably, 4-8 times a month).

Unlike drinking, I never get hangovers, I've never felt horrible the next day, I've never done anything stupid.

Alcohol has caused me to become violent and angry and ultra emotional at parties in the past (back when I had real problems with drinking), but weed ALWAYS chills me out and I wouldn't dream of hurting a soul in that state of mind.

 

I've really started to drink less alcohol and smoke more weed and it's partly the reason why I feel so much better about myself. It's also to a degree, replaced cigarettes too.

I know a lot of guys who replaced alcohol with weed in their life and they stopped being violent and started to become more responsible (it sounds ironic, given the illegal nature of weed, but it's how it is, they really did behave better when off the booze).

My way of thinking is, unlike cigarettes, pot actually has a pretty nice mental effect and is worth the time using because it lasts a reasonable amount of time, whereas Nicotine just seems to go lose it's effect so quickly.

 

I deliberately don't buy my own weed (I always make a deal with people, they provide the weed, they can crash at my house and stuff like that), and have zero plans to use it every day.

I'll confess a few times I've been super blazed while on weed, but that's my own fault for smoking too much in too short a period of time. I'm not the kind of guy to blame the drugs, if it was my own doing, then it was my own doing, pure and simple.

I do stress that most of the time I use it, I don't have too much and I still maintain a lot of control over my thoughts and body, and NEVER ever do it in an environment that isn't safe. I would sure as hell never drive a car under the influence of it.

I realize it's still not as safe as not using at all, but at least I can admit that and don't try to justify it as being the safest thing ever

I do believe alcohol, at least from own personal experiences is possibly an even bigger evil than both nicotine and marijuana.

 

That all being said, I do try my best to live by "Everything in moderation" and I'm not addicted to anything anymore and as I said, it's been months since I last binged on alcohol, so I think I should be okay (for a while anyway:p)

 

Like i said in a previous post, im in a city where the best weed in the world is. It seems like some of the activists and people who smoke a shitload of the stuff, actually tend to get stupid after a while. Its almost as if IQ goes down the shithole when they smoke too much of it. Its still not good for people. Sounds like you've replaced smoking ciggies for smoking weed. Though understandable, its like one addiction to another, but i guess everyone has to pick their poison. I agree with you that Alcohol is worse than both. You always hear people dying and killing other people from drunk driving. But smoking rarely ever kills anyone while driving (Unless u drop your ciggie and take your eyes off the road to find it). Alcohol ruins more shit than anything else. I dont remember smokers going back home wanting to beat their wife and kids. Though a friend of mine said the worse thing in the world is gambling. In one day, you can only smoke, drink, shoot up and snort so much shit until you pass out. But u can lose everything you have in one hand in gambling. As for moderation, its a tricky balancing act and you can definitely go down the wrong road with that shit. Sometimes not doing it at all can help.

 

@ren

yeah you are right at all. not all smokers come from difficult social backrounds but thats basically the opinion of my family. i mean that they think that every smoker is a bad dude.

but thats not true at all, if you wanna "ruin" your life with it, its your choice, but it doesnt make you to be a bad person.

and the reason for me starting smoking was actually just being attracted to the risk i think. i was 13 when i did it the first time i think and so some people had an easy influence on me. everyone i knew smoked and so i just felt attracted to it and wanted to try it aswell. like everybody loves to try forbidden things at this age.

these days im smarter and know that it was a silly thing, but you learn and grow with the things you do.

and its not that my family is strict like hell. i mean we have our rules, i try to rebel to them but exept them at all now. they are strict, but i really love my family for how they are.

 

Well people may have prejudice against smokers, but smoking and ciggies dont have prejudice against anyone. Doesn't matter what race, colour, sex, age, class you are, it will still try its best to take your life. You're lucky to have parents like yours though. Haha The germans i knew in high school were fuckin chimneys. As for how you started, kinda the same way i did. was curious as to what these "Lucky strike" and Marlboro ciggies were all about. Problem is alot of kids who start have a hard time quitting, even if their thoughts change. Its probably worse because you will associate your childhood memories with smoking. As for smokers, Everyone from peasants to politicians like it. I hear Obama likes his ciggies aswell. A guy running a fuckin country likes to smoke. I guess you're parents are trying to promote the right thing to do with the wrong reasons? whatever its the thought that counts right?

 

 

 

I'm really glad you've decided to quit Ren

 

I've never smoked and never wanted to. Basically just because I've seen what it can lead to. I lost my uncle to lung cancer 5 years ago. He had smoked for years, and that was obviously a big reason as to why he got cancer. He had it for years, and unfortunately he lost the battle. Just a little over a month before that, my Grandfather also died. He had also smoked for years and years, and a part of the reason why he passed away was because of that. A lot of my family still smokes, and I would really like to see them quit, but you know they have to decide for themselves.

Also a really close friend of my family has COPD. It's really bad. She's in and out of the hospital all the time. She can barely go out of the house, and when she's inside she's always connected to oxygen. She can't do a lot on her own, and it's just really breaks my heart. Two weeks ago, she was given max two more years to live if she's lucky.

 

So good luck with quitting, I'm sure it'll feel amazing when you have quit for good

 

Im sorry to hear about your struggles with family. Their lives were not taken in vain because it taught you an important lesson in life. I thank you for your support aswell. You're stories reinforce my willpower to quit. When you get down and dirty and really think about it, its the most stupid thing ever. But its something that alot of people have a love hate relationship with. Its good that you've learned from the self destructive behavior of the people you love. Unfortunately for 8 years of my life, I mimiced that behavior in hopes of maybe finding some closure, but at the end of the day i got black lungs, but still a heart of gold. And it does feel amazing to have quit. It feels like im 15 again, though i still have some withdrawal symptoms i only know it can get better.

 

Thanks again for your support! Stay away from that shit!

[Renith182]

Its been 5 days since i quit, and even though my lungs are sore and im hacking up some nasty shit (part of withdrawal) with my body clearing out all the bad stuff i feel fucking great. Its more the healing process that is bothering me than the cravings itself. its alright though, No pain no gain.

 

Its almost given me a new lease on life, because i've rid myself of a burden. I gotta say though since i was addicted to it for a long time, it will be a challenge to keep myself smoke free. Im sure in the future there will be thoughts of smoking again. Because like any recovering addict, there will always be temptations in the future. Its a daunting task thinking about having to stay this way for the rest of my life. But as i always like to say, things in life that are easy, arnt really worth it! I just hope that its not so hard that i give up.

 

At this very moment though im about to go for a run. The highs of working out again without feeling the negative effects of tobacco are keeping me off the bad shit. replacing my smoking with keeping active really helps, since the highs from a good workout take away any cravings of needing a smoke. On top of that it just feels like progress in my life. One less thing holding me back. Thinking back i realized alot of things smoking had already taken from me. And maybe even held me back from realizing my full potential.

 

Most of all i'd like to thank all ya fellas for your support! and i hope some of my thoughts have helped you aswell! Thanks again!

 

Ren

[paint the sky grey]

Well people may have prejudice against smokers, but smoking and ciggies dont have prejudice against anyone. Doesn't matter what race, colour, sex, age, class you are, it will still try its best to take your life. You're lucky to have parents like yours though. Haha The germans i knew in high school were fuckin chimneys. As for how you started, kinda the same way i did. was curious as to what these "Lucky strike" and Marlboro ciggies were all about. Problem is alot of kids who start have a hard time quitting, even if their thoughts change. Its probably worse because you will associate your childhood memories with smoking. As for smokers, Everyone from peasants to politicians like it. I hear Obama likes his ciggies aswell. A guy running a fuckin country likes to smoke. I guess you're parents are trying to promote the right thing to do with the wrong reasons? whatever its the thought that counts right?

i know what you mean and that pisses me off. when people have a prejudice against you for such a ridiculous reason. prejudices in general are the last shit. im really lucky that i dont have these prejudices at all though my family has them against smokers. not that they make them completely bad, no, but every time they see a smoker, there's immediately a feeling coming up like "Ehw, rather stay a mile away from them, they smell." and thats what i dislike.

thats true. as earlier as you start smoking, the quitting time gets harder and harder because a "kid's body" is much easier to fall into an addiction than an adult one because you're not done with growing up yet.

the thing you mentioned with the politicians is the reason why i kind of prejudice the laws in the us or whatever, where you basically arent even allowed to smoke at home anymore. i've heard that such a city already exists. if even the politicians show publicly that they are attracted to smoke, why cant we normal persons do it aswell then?! i mean if you are a politician, you also have to be a kind of role model.

yeah kind of, i don't get it at all anymore.

 

your update sounds great! im really glad to read that.

[777]

I was in jail for the past 5 days and in jail I convinced myself I'd quit alcohol, weed and cigarettes.

 

 

 

First thing I do when I get out is get myself an extra large triple triple and have a cigarette. Jesus fucking Christ. I ain't drinking or smoking grass anymore though.