[ni'k]

someone on here was talking about how this was the best decision of their life or something. i want to know what it feels like say 6 months down the line, do you start to feel strongly different health wise?

i've put myself thru absolute fucking torture with cigs, ive been a VERY heavy smoker for years, i started at about 14 and will easily do 40-60 if im out for a night, ive stopped intermittently recently for up to 2 months at a time but keep failing. i don't know if there is some sort of pyschological shit that i need to think through or what.

at the moment everytime i smoke its pure pain, my throat is wrecked, it feels like knives going down it. very bad, but i cant stop, or at least manage to stop and not destroy my confidene by giving in. i really really need to stop now, i live in constant fear of disease and when i breath out sometimes its like my breath is skipping like a cd, hard to explain.

i dont want to get into a whole bullshit self help you can do it if you try discussion that just rehashes the same positive encouragement cliches. but anyone with any real experience of what it feels like to quit and how to do it could probably be helpful. if i could quit and just not think about it ever again id be so happy

[Glice]

Giving up was fucking horrible. I gave up for 11 months last year and haven't had one for a fortnight. I felt ill constantly. I didn't put on weight, and I did do a lot of cardiovascular exercise.

I wouldn't say it's worth it, except to say that it's a good thing to not be reliant on. Running, gay though it is, really helped me have the impetus to not smoke.

But generally, all this 'you'll feel much better' bollocks is bollocks.

Happy to have helped.

[radarmaker]

Hmm, timely - I quit for the first time last night after 15 years of pretty dedicated smoking. Feel pretty good about it so far, but naturally it's very early days.

Have you read Allen Carr's book? It's main focus is to psychologically prepare you for quitting, so that you're happy to do it by the time you finish reading. Worked a treat for me, but then again, you might want to check up on that in a couple of months...

[ni'k]

yeah ive read that book a few times and it REALLY helped maybe i should read it again
you can find a torrent of its pdf if anyone else wants it

[ni'k]

i think if i smoked for another 15 years id have to be reanimated as a puppet with automatic cig smoke reflex for the last 13 of them because id be long fucking dead

[stu666]

i'm nearly 30 now, started smoking when i was 11 or 12. i managed to give up (tobacco) for a whole year a while ago but have started again. when i did stop i was able to buy lots more music with the money i saved, that's one good incentive. i did feel a little better for it too. since then though i've tried lots more times to quit but keep failing.

[knox]

first and second week will be hell.

i quit and started doing it again so many times.

you put on A LOT of weight too.

I can't say long term because I never managed not to give in for months.

I smoke VERY LITTLE now (compared to what I did) and I can say I can do things like walk fast and go up the stairs without your heart racing, and a lot less headaches. Certainly, when I don't smoke for a long time I feel a lot less intoxicated. But then I get so cranky.

[floatingslowly]

I've smoked for about 20 years with half of that working for a pulmonary physician.

I've seen the worst of the worst, and yet, I have no intentions of quitting.

I'm a big fan of "fuck it".

hope you do better. best o' luck.

[tesla69]

This weeks marks 3 years for me...but I was never as heavy a user as the original poster. You may have a chemical imbalance the dopamine triggered by the tabac helps resolve. I've heard the electric cigs are good.

I honestly miss it. Its a great time killer. But I do feel cleaner inside, I had a bunch of ear and throat infections but haven't had one since. I'd suggest taking a lot of vitamin C (500 mg every other hour and use a high quality brand, esterC is good) during your detox, and lots of water.

I think quitting caffeine (or reducing intake significantly) has been more helpful.

Just remember when you're feeling bad or craving or anxiety the feeling will pass. and if it doesn't, higher level assistance should be sought.

[ni'k]

yeah i definitly feel i have some sort of chemical imbalance
can you explain more about this?

[knox]

can't you become chemically imbalanced by being addicted to a stimulating substance?

[ni'k]

well ive been addicted to many different substances over the past few years

ive quit everything except cigs.

[knox]

nicotine is highly addictive, researches suggest possibly the most difficult substance to quit.

but what i mean is your brain has been used to that extra stimulation once you quit you must be prepared for a long period of bad mood and depression.

the hardest part.

you cant tell ? but im going through it right now.

[akprodr]

Originally Posted by knox

can't you become chemically imbalanced by being addicted to a stimulating substance?

Sure, but it works both ways.

You can start with an addictive personality--somewhat hereditary. Both parents were alcoholics and I'm very much aware of that possibility in myself.

And, I think, addiction is more or less a synonym for a chemical imbalance. Regardless of yr poison, ya gotta keep that dopamine flowing. (or something like that.)

[ni'k]

so how are you supposed to fix a damaged dopamine system?

[akprodr]

Originally Posted by ni'k

so how are you supposed to fix a damaged dopamine system?

When you find out, let me know!

[knox]

Originally Posted by akprodr

Sure, but it works both ways.

You can start with an addictive personality--somewhat hereditary. Both parents were alcoholics and I'm very much aware of that possibility in myself.

And, I think, addiction is more or less a synonym for a chemical imbalance. Regardless of yr poison, ya gotta keep that dopamine flowing. (or something like that.)

of course, if you need that external boost it must mean something.

this is why i get annoyed when people talk about drug addicts or obese people etc. simply being their "choice"

[making the drama scene]

I decided to quit smoking last march, when i lay in bed and couldn't sleep.
I had no desire to quit before and had not thought of it until that night.
So, between all the thoughts, which kept me from falling asleep, there was the one about me smoking and what would change if i stopped and most of all: "why the hell do i smoke?" and the answers were all the usual shenanigan like: it tastes good, i like smoking, it helps relax, i can use waiting times, blahblahblah.
in fact, i couldn't convince myself, why i was smoking...so i quit and have never smoked tobacco again
but: my roommate had allen carr's book at home, because he was trying to quit as well, but it didn't work for him...
so i read it, but i do not know if it was the book that kept me from starting again, because i had allready quit for 2 weeks when i read it. but actually it doesn't matter.
i did not really have any detox symptoms or what you call it.
i just had the wish to smoke in the situations where i was used to light a cigarette, but got over it very fast. except, when i saw my brother smoking, i allways felt a desire for a cigarette and never got over it, but now he's quit as well, so this is over for me too...

but i guess i was very lucky...or not, i don't know, i've never really analysed why it was that easy for me. and i won't. i've quit.

[akprodr]

Originally Posted by knox

simply being their "choice"

Of course, it IS a choice. When you want a smoke (or fix or hit or whatever), you have a choice--give in and do it or stand firm and resist. It comes down to willpower--can you resist what your body/mind is telling you it wants.

You also have a choice to seek help or not. (Whether help is available or not, for yr particular addiction, is another matter)

[SONIC GAIL]

Originally Posted by knox

of course, if you need that external boost it must mean something.

this is why i get annoyed when people talk about drug addicts or obese people etc. simply being their "choice"

I totally agree with you here. Any type of addiction is not just a choice. It is much more complicated than that. There are hereditary and psycological factors. Most addicts make the initial choice to try something when they are young and don't really understand the true risk of addiction. Before they know it they are grown up and it's too late to simply stop.

A drug addict for instance goes through phsysical and mental withdrawl from substances. When you are going through this it makes it very hard to control your behavior. You just want to stop hurting at that point, it's not really about getting high anymore.

The tendancy to over eat is much harder to overcome than many under stand.