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Coming up on 1yr cigarette free

Winston

Winston

the enemy within
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I thought I would share how I did it.

1. I mentally quit before I physically quit. I talked myself into quitting over the course of about 1 year. So, that by the time I decided I was quitting it was not that hard to shut the urge down, because I had already made up my mind that I didn’t want to smoke anymore.

2. I replaced cigarettes with a Zyn nicotine pouch. In the beginning it would have been too difficult for me to go completely without nicotine. So, I replaced them with Zyn nicotine pouch. They make 3mg and 6mg ones. I often didn’t need to use that many. Just needed to get my mind off the cigarettes. And that worked like a charm. I don’t think Zyn is smoking cessation product. But, it worked for me. I would normally need one at night. But, I could go all day without one.

3. I weened myself off the cigarettes. I used to smoke one in the morning, then at every break during work. I slowly started removing cigarettes from my day, until I was only smoking one or two at night. That made it easy to give them up when I decided to.

4. I had health reasons to motivate me. Nothing will motivate you more than bad news from the Dr.

Have any of you quit or tried to quit?
 
Callen said:
Good for you! I quit when I became pregnant but after she was born I'd have the occasional "social " smoke. Took a heart attack to get me to quit completely.
Click to expand...

Best of luck with your cardio vascular health. It can be a pain to get under control. I was diagnosed with hypertension which was a big reason I quit. Just checked my BP yesterday. 145/78. Not ideal. Been on an exercise and fruits and salads regiment. Also on meds.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea last month. So, once I get my machine, I hope it brings me into normal range and that I can still eat a cheeseburger once a week
 
Winston said:
I thought I would share how I did it.

1. I mentally quit before I physically quit. I talked myself into quitting over the course of about 1 year. So, that by the time I decided I was quitting it was not that hard to shut the urge down, because I had already made up my mind that I didn’t want to smoke anymore.

2. I replaced cigarettes with a Zyn nicotine pouch. In the beginning it would have been too difficult for me to go completely without nicotine. So, I replaced them with Zyn nicotine pouch. They make 3mg and 6mg ones. I often didn’t need to use that many. Just needed to get my mind off the cigarettes. And that worked like a charm. I don’t think Zyn is smoking cessation product. But, it worked for me. I would normally need one at night. But, I could go all day without one.

3. I weened myself off the cigarettes. I used to smoke one in the morning, then at every break during work. I slowly started removing cigarettes from my day, until I was only smoking one or two at night. That made it easy to give them up when I decided to.

4. I had health reasons to motivate me. Nothing will motivate you more than bad news from the Dr.

Have any of you quit or tried to quit?
Click to expand...
I quit without the patches the same way.. even my state of mind
my baseline was 25 cigs a day (my normal daily intake), and i slowly removed them. somedays I smoked the same as the day before, most days i dropped one cig.. took me about a month to quit..I had rebounded before from cold turkey, so i was careful not to rebound i quit never to smoked "just one".. way to go!! after about 6 7 years ( depending on your age) your prior cig smoking is no longer a risk factor for your health either
 
anatta said:
I quit without the patches the same way.. even my state of mind
my baseline was 25 cigs a day (my normal daily intake), and i slowly removed them. somedays I smoked the same as the day before, most says i dropped one cig.. took me about a month to quit..I had rebounded before from cold turkey, so i was careful not to rebound i quit never to smoked "just one".. way to go!! after about 6 7 years ( depending on your age) your prior cig smoking is no longer a risk factor for your health either
Click to expand...

Congrats as well 🤝
I’m in my mid-late 30’s so, if I go multiple decades I hope my risk of COPD and cancer will shrink.

Just have to work on my cardiovascular health
 
I did for 3 weeks cold turkey probably a year and a half ago. Amazingly, didn't even really bother me, even living with 2 smokers. Could even have a beer and not be bothered. That's the test right there!

Then one day.. f it, I need smoke! Son of a bitch.. Need to do it again.

Congrats on kicking it. Hope it sticks.
 
Chock Full o Nuts said:
I did for 3 weeks cold turkey probably a year and a half ago. Amazingly, didn't even really bother me, even living with 2 smokers. Could even have a beer and not be bothered. That's the test right there!

Then one day.. f it, I need smoke! Son of a bitch.. Need to do it again.

Congrats on kicking it. Hope it sticks.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Yes, I quit alcohol 8 years ago, so I don’t have that to worry about. I know if I was still drinking I would be reaching for the cigarettes again.

You already proved to yourself you can do it. I think that’s a huge step; proving to yourself you can live without it.
 
Winston said:
Best of luck with your cardio vascular health. It can be a pain to get under control. I was diagnosed with hypertension which was a big reason I quit. Just checked my BP yesterday. 145/78. Not ideal. Been on an exercise and fruits and salads regiment. Also on meds.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea last month. So, once I get my machine, I hope it brings me into normal range and that I can steal eat a cheeseburger once a week
Click to expand...
Oh yes, I quit, used vaping so I could ween down the nicotine and now I'm done with the nicotine beast!!

Just two FYI's for you, your blood pressure can rebound a bit higher for the first year after quitting nicotine, but you should start seeing more results now that it's been a year.

Hibiscus and Green tea both lower blood pressure, make up some of that and drink it. Hot or iced, both good!

Also, my hubby had sleep apnea, and used a machine for a while but what helped the most was a wedge pillow that elevated his head. It's been a miracle. Get yourself one of those, you can find them on amazon or any of the big box stores, and not too pricey either. He now doesn't need his machine and doesn't snore at all with the pillow. The minute the pillow is gone, it's back so it's constant but they're more comfortable than the machines for sure. Worth the try!!

Congrats! Smoking is a monster, and you beat it!!
 
Winston said:
Best of luck with your cardio vascular health. It can be a pain to get under control. I was diagnosed with hypertension which was a big reason I quit. Just checked my BP yesterday. 145/78. Not ideal. Been on an exercise and fruits and salads regiment. Also on meds.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea last month. So, once I get my machine, I hope it brings me into normal range and that I can still eat a cheeseburger once a week
Click to expand...
It was 24 years ago. I have my hypertension and cholesterol well under control. Good luck in your journey to good heart health.
 
Ginger Ale said:
Oh yes, I quit, used vaping so I could ween down the nicotine and now I'm done with the nicotine beast!!

Just two FYI's for you, your blood pressure can rebound a bit higher for the first year after quitting nicotine, but you should start seeing more results now that it's been a year.

Hibiscus and Green tea both lower blood pressure, make up some of that and drink it. Hot or iced, both good!

Also, my hubby had sleep apnea, and used a machine for a while but what helped the most was a wedge pillow that elevated his head. It's been a miracle. Get yourself one of those, you can find them on amazon or any of the big box stores, and not too pricey either. He now doesn't need his machine and doesn't snore at all with the pillow. The minute the pillow is gone, it's back so it's constant but they're more comfortable than the machines for sure. Worth the try!!

Congrats! Smoking is a monster, and you beat it!!
Click to expand...

Thanks. I will try the pillow. My Dr. said I have a mild case. So, hopefully that will sort it out.
 
Winston said:
Congrats as well 🤝
I’m in my mid-late 30’s so, if I go multiple decades I hope my risk of COPD and cancer will shrink.

Just have to work on my cardiovascular health
Click to expand...
You'll be fine. I didnt quit until I hit 50, it was either that or take the road of heart attacks and death my father did
Once you see what that's like...well my father gave me some advice about it. "you dont just drop dead, you go through an agonizing process of diseases until you do die". Last time i saw him was in a hospital room with tubes. RIP dad
 
Winston said:
I thought I would share how I did it.

1. I mentally quit before I physically quit. I talked myself into quitting over the course of about 1 year. So, that by the time I decided I was quitting it was not that hard to shut the urge down, because I had already made up my mind that I didn’t want to smoke anymore.

2. I replaced cigarettes with a Zyn nicotine pouch. In the beginning it would have been too difficult for me to go completely without nicotine. So, I replaced them with Zyn nicotine pouch. They make 3mg and 6mg ones. I often didn’t need to use that many. Just needed to get my mind off the cigarettes. And that worked like a charm. I don’t think Zyn is smoking cessation product. But, it worked for me. I would normally need one at night. But, I could go all day without one.

3. I weened myself off the cigarettes. I used to smoke one in the morning, then at every break during work. I slowly started removing cigarettes from my day, until I was only smoking one or two at night. That made it easy to give them up when I decided to.

4. I had health reasons to motivate me. Nothing will motivate you more than bad news from the Dr.

Have any of you quit or tried to quit?
Click to expand...
Congratulations!!
After smoking for more than 40 years, I know how hard quitting can be.
My Father died at 65 from lung cancer.
I didn't want to follow in his footsteps in that regard.
So, well done!!!

P.S. as a side note, Dad smoked Winstons.
 
anatta said:
You'll be fine. I didnt quit until I hit 50, it was either that or take the road of heart attacks and death my father did
Once you see what that's like...well my father gave me some advice about it. "you dont just drop dead, you go through an agonizing process of diseases until you do die". Last time i saw him was in a hospital room with tubes. RIP dad
Click to expand...

RIP. Yes, it’s unfortunately a tough way to go.
 
Crakhobarbie said:
Congratulations!!
After smoking for more than 40 years, I know how hard quitting can be.
My Father died at 65 from lung cancer.
I didn't want to follow in his footsteps in that regard.
So, well done!!!

P.S. as a side note, Dad smoked Winstons.
Click to expand...

Haha, yes, just a bit of cheeky fun the profile picture. Congratulations on your quitting as well 😃
 
Yes. I quit about 6 years ago. It was a combination of vape, pipe, and patches. Once I was past it, I put the pipe and vape down after about three months.

I picked up the habit at 17 when I entered the military.
 
Winston said:
Have any of you quit or tried to quit?
Click to expand...

Yup. Worked on second attempt. The first wasn't entirely serious, though.

I smoked starting after senior year wrestling season ended in HS. Quickly became 1-2 pack/day, mostly unfiltered rolling tobacco since it was far cheaper per cig., tasted better, and plus you could directly control how much tobacco you're putting in each cig. Sometimes just a little narrow one would do.

I kept lifting but stopped running. But just a couple years later, middle of Sophomore year college, I realized that I was starting to get out of breath more easily. Still did the same punishing workouts but breathing was harder, sometimes even ended up dizzy during my conditioning routine at the end of a session. I went home for a break and said "let's just see what happens if I don't smoke". Didn't smoke. Thought ok, easy enough, I can stick this landing. IT was about 2 weeks. Got back to college.

Annnnd wouldn't you know it friends wanted to roll (take MDMA aka ecstasy aka "Molly"). So I did my usual and took two pills when everyone else took one. And that come on . . . first, there's the anticipation of the seratonin-dopamine flood. Second, MDMA is an amphetamine. As they were kicking in ok, nevermind, need to smoke. So I started right up again and told myself "ok, you can do it again later. That actually wasn't so bad".

College ended. I was going straight to law school. About a month before that I said to myself "ok, it's now or never with cigs, and you might as well reform your wild ass on other fronts." So I stopped ingesting things other than weed/alcohol, drastically reduced their intake, and stopped smoking cigs. (Once law school actually started, I dropped weed entirely - a mistake, I now think - and only drank once every 10ish days on average. Couldn't afford the slowdown when I was getting an average of 4.25-4.5ish hours of sleep a night.)




I did it by playing mind games with myself plus willpower. Mind games were, for example, telling myself that all I have to do is physically not move my arm, not take out the cig, not light it, but also, telling myself that I was not quitting. I was just seeing what would happen if I didn't smoke. That actually made a big difference. I didn't wean. Straight cold turkey.

I could handle the daytime. It was just constant whispers in my mind. "Who are they to tell you to quit? It's your body, your choice. Do what you want. And who cares if you die at 70 instead of 80?" 24/7. But I also knew that I can be extremely competitive. Instead of treating as "oh, I'm addicted and that's just me being weak", I made it a me vs. it thing. I externalized the addiction. It was an enemy, something I had to fight, and if I have to fight I have to win. That got me through the days.

The nights were the worst. It was the same thing every night for 3 weeks. I go to bed. I dream. In my dream, I have an opportunity to smoke. I give in. I wake up with a chunk of pillow in my mouth. I'd been trying to inhale it. I curse. I lie there for a bit. Eventually I drift off again. Repeat. Every 30-45 minutes, that, for three weeks.

But the me v. it thing held, as did my will. And after three weeks.....nothing. The smell repulsed me. I had no desire to smoke. No backsliding. It probably helped immensely that I'd only been doing it for several years, not decades


Suck it, nicotine.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for sharing that Winston. November 15th of this year will be my 4 year anniversary.

I tried to quit for years, but like you, I had to quit mentally first. It took a heart attack in January of 2020 to shock me back to reality, and it still took till November to quit.

I felt so guilty for the damage I did to my body, I chose an unconventional way of quitting, No stop smoking aids, nothing. I tortured myself. Because I knew the only way I would ever stay quit was to suffer.

I went from a pack a day down to 1/2 a pack instantly, and down to 1 cigarette a day by early November. And on November 14th, 2020, I took my last puff off my last cigarette, and beat the most horrible addiction ever. The cravings were completely gone and I was free.

People who never smoked have no idea how hard it is to quit. I'm proud of you!
 
Winston said:
I thought I would share how I did it.

1. I mentally quit before I physically quit. I talked myself into quitting over the course of about 1 year. So, that by the time I decided I was quitting it was not that hard to shut the urge down, because I had already made up my mind that I didn’t want to smoke anymore.

2. I replaced cigarettes with a Zyn nicotine pouch. In the beginning it would have been too difficult for me to go completely without nicotine. So, I replaced them with Zyn nicotine pouch. They make 3mg and 6mg ones. I often didn’t need to use that many. Just needed to get my mind off the cigarettes. And that worked like a charm. I don’t think Zyn is smoking cessation product. But, it worked for me. I would normally need one at night. But, I could go all day without one.

3. I weened myself off the cigarettes. I used to smoke one in the morning, then at every break during work. I slowly started removing cigarettes from my day, until I was only smoking one or two at night. That made it easy to give them up when I decided to.

4. I had health reasons to motivate me. Nothing will motivate you more than bad news from the Dr.

Have any of you quit or tried to quit?
Click to expand...

Congrats. I used the over-the-counter patch for about 2 months in 2015 and that was it.

Haven't touched a cigarette since and don't miss them at all.

But you really have to want to quit. You have to be ready mentally.
 
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