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Anyone quit smoking?

shanyinshanyin Novice YoginSault Ontario Veteran
Has anyone here stop smoking before? I'm up to a pack a day now and curious if you used a plan and if you feel better. I'm up to a pack a day and want to start changing things in my life so I'll start feeling not so depressed sometimes. Like it was re-stated here before, if you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you've always got.

I'm mostly curious about how you felt after a long period of not smoking, as there are many guides that seem reasonable on the internet.

Comments

  • Not yet but meditating prevents me from thinking about smoking. I figure if I meditated more, maybe I would smoke less. I could be wrong. My daughters' father is attempting to quit all smoking at midnight and start practicing Buddhism tomorrow. I chant a lot which is very calming. Keeps me from smoking because I am upset.
    blu3ree
  • The best way is cold turkey. It's best for personal growth. Illusion gets The mind attached to things. Right views dissolves illusion.

    Benefits
    Increased energy levels. Increased happiness. Increased motivation upon quiting. No anxiety for going "without"
    TheswingisyellowMoonIzAMooreNirvana
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    Good answer.
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    edited February 2013
    I quit smoking in 1995. I quit cold turkey. It was hard, I put on weight but kept telling myself the only thing I had to do was not pick up a cigarette. It was the best health decision I have ever made. Look you won't stink, food will taste better and you won't be paying a company to slowly kill you. The downsides to longterm smoking are immense, it takes years to fully maifest but once they do you will have destroyed 50-75% of your lung tissue. This does not come back. At that point death is painfully slow but assured. I am an RN and have seen it's toll, killing upwards of 400,000 people a year. My father had COPD from years of smoking. The end of his life was so difficult, eating even became a chore because he would get out of breath. He ended that situation at 50 with a bullet to his chest. Please quit. Cold turkey was successful for me and my understanding is this route has the highest success rate. I heard chantix was relatively successful for people. Nicotine addiction is very hard to defeat. Bless your life, and be good to yourself and keep trying. I wish you much success! :thumbsup:
    blu3reeBunks
  • robotrobot Veteran
    edited February 2013
    I quit after smoking all through my teen years. All my life since then I have been glad I did. My satisfaction with that decision has never faded.
    Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for yourself right now.
    I agree with blu3ree. Cold turkey, never look back.
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    I'll bookmark this thread and if I go two weeks without a smoke I'll let you guys know. Thanks for the support.
    Bunks
  • Cold turkey after 25 years of cigars and cigarettes would be to extreme for me. Good luck @shayin. If he quits cold turkey, I'll post how he did it. He has tried before and becomes so angry that we have broke up over it. Maybe he will be more successful this time.
  • Lately I have seen several people using electronic cigarettes. A guy let me try his and I was surprised at how authentic it felt. One of those might help to transition from a full blown smoking habit more easily.
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Gentle Man Veteran
    I tried cold turkey three times and tried Nicotine patches once for a month, finally used Nicorette gum plan and then tapered the gum-- been off smoking 3-4 years now, lost count of when I last smoked. Was on equivalent of 2 packs a day of inhaled cigar smoking when I used the gum instead of smoking and then tapered the gum.

    Food tastes better, can smell things better, and am some less anxious and frustrated. Can meditate better.
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    I have an e-ciggarette I never use it. I bought it for that purpose. Maybe I'll try it. I'm out of smokes right now so I'll try it tommorow.
  • After 40 years I quit cold turkey 2 years ago. Like so many others I had quit a zillion times before only to go back within a few days after much suffering. This time however it just wasn't that difficult. Yes I would like a smoke even today but if I just take my mind elsewhere for a few moments the craving goes away. Its all between the ears. Take to heart what smoking does to your body and it will motivate you.
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Gentle Man Veteran
    Any kind of self-mod stuff, quitting smoking, meditation development, habit changing, etc-- learn to not be too down on yourself, just enough to motivate change is what you might need, no more ideally (I know that Illusion puts apparent obstacles in way of achieving that, and know by doing it that Illusion can be overcome).
  • My advice to you is not specifically Buddhist related, but is based on my own practical experience of what worked for me.

    When I quit a couple years ago I used the nicotine patch. For me, it was a gradual way to wean myself off of the addictive substance, and it reduced the withdrawal component significantly. I was a smoker for about 25 years and after several failed attempts, this one stuck.

    I had gotten to the point where my body was no longer particularly resilient, I was feeling pretty bad physically on a regular basis. It was impacting my ability to do things I wanted (hiking, backpacking, and exercise), and I got sick at the drop of a hat. I decided that if I wanted any decent quality of life for myself going forward, this was a change that needed to be made. My father was a smoker for over 50 years and his health is greatly diminished with COPD and emphysema. I didn't want to wind up like that.

    It's been two years and I don't regret it a bit. I made a list of all the benefits I could think of in becoming a non-smoker: physical, psychological, emotional, and financial...and stored it on my iPhone for easy reference. I referred to it whenever I was tempted to smoke. I also downloaded an app for my phone which calculated how much I have saved, and how many cigarettes I haven't smoked. At the time of this post, I have saved $5,245 and not smoked 14,000 cigarettes.

    I did gain a bit of weight, but as a non-smoker, I began to exercise regularly and lost it. Now I am likely in the best shape of my adult life. I can do a 30-45 minute cardio workout and hardly be winded. It's amazing to think of the progress I have made. Once the weather gets nice, I am going to start running with the goal of running in a 5K before the end of the summer. I want to climb a mountain, and having goals of this sort which use healthy living as a foundation will keep me from ever going back to smoking again.

    Best of luck to you. When you are honestly ready to make this change you will be successful! :)

    TheswingisyellowBunks
  • My wife and I both quit about six years ago. We'd tried quitting separately before that, but discovered it's twice as hard when you live with a smoker, so it was both or none.

    Here's all I can say: you'll be miserable for a while, but it gets better. The craving does gradually go away. There will come a time when you realize that, while you miss lighting up, it's not that big a deal anymore. It varies, but once you've gritted your teeth and made it through a couple of months, you reach a point where you know that you can do this.

    There's no magic formula for getting rid of the craving, only time.
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    "Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it a hundred times" ~Mark Twain :lol:
    Vastmindblu3ree
  • I'm two years without. Cold turkey is the absolute only way to quit. One of the tricks I used was whenever my friends would be smoking cigarettes I would just go on and on and on about how gross and unhealthy it is for you. I was really annoying about it, but it helped me to stay on track. Two years out and I still crave cigarettes from time to time, so don't expect the desire to go away any time soon.
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited March 2013
    shanyin said:

    Has anyone here stop smoking before? I'm up to a pack a day now and curious if you used a plan and if you feel better.

    Yes. No. Yes. I quit mostly because I wasn't enjoying it anymore and it was starting to bother my throat. I also had a tooth pulled, and the vicodin they gave me helped kill the cravings for the first five days, so I figured it'd be a good time to try and stop. I'd tried before but ended up smoking again. This time, however, I really wanted to quit and I even had dreams where'd I'd give in and have a cigarette and wake up feeling disappointed in myself until I realized it was just a dream, which helped keep me on track. It was hard, but I just took it one day at a time. After I quit, I noticed my sense of smell greatly improved. I also notice I didn't get sick as often, lost my smoker's cough, had less phlegm, etc. And I went from being able to run a couple of blocks to a couple of miles thanks to the increased lung capacity. All in all, I'm glad I was able to quit.
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited March 2013
    I agree with Cinorjer.

    I smoked for 16 years.
    Cold turkey worked best, and it took about 8 times.
    Educate yourself on all the possible withdraws,
    so you dont get caught off guard. I often gave in
    bec I was so miserable but didn't know how/all
    the connections were related.
    The withdraw symptoms change week by week and
    you can help prepare yourself. The main ones for me
    were constipation and nightmares. Once I put things in
    place that could help....It made 'toughing it out' alot
    easier. You have to sit with the cravings. They will pass.
    I promise. Each time it does...remind yourself...it will arise
    again....and pass again. Don't give up on quitting! Your health
    and quality of life is worth the struggle. :)

    http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/withdrawal1-printable.htm
  • I quit for the second time (and the last time) in 1999. January 31, 1999 was Quit Day. Cold Turkey.

    Several years before that I'd quit for 3 full years - then started smoking again! Went right up to nearly a pack a day again in about 6 months! Quitting the second time was just that much harder. But I did it.

    I don't get sick as often, I don't have an irregular heart beat as often, everything (me included) smells better, tastes better and feels cleaner. It was worth quitting.
    But I will say this- if they ever come up with a proven cancer-free cigarette, I'd probably start smoking again. Because even after all this time, I still miss it now and then in certain social situations...
  • chelachela Veteran
    edited March 2013
    I quit, but it was many failed attempts and a slow process. The hardest part for me was when I would go out and have a few drinks. I think there is a chemical thing that takes place if you have ever drunk and smoked. Even when you are done smoking with barely a thought about it, the moment you have a drink, there is a terrible craving for a smoke. It took many years for me to get over that.

    The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to try to pick up a healthy habit to replace a non-healthy one. Even something simple like make yourself a cup of tea whenever you would normally have a cigarette break. You can deal with your attachment to good habit later, if that is an issue, but the most important thing now is to get healthy. Also, make sure to get plenty of sleep. I noticed when I was smoking that if I stayed up late, that is when I would smoke the most (even if not drinking).

    And yes, stopping smoking had a great impact on my health, in general. I used to get sinus infections all the time and I haven't had one of those since I totally quit some years ago.
    Jeffrey
  • For me it was chewing tobacco, and the last time I quit was about 6 years ago though it wasn't exactly cold turkey.

    I used the mantra "tadyatha, gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi, svaha! “ .

    For me it was very effective in quelling the experience of suffering/dissatisfaction as the “Heart of Wisdom of the Perfection” sutra proclaims about it.
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited March 2013
    blu3ree said:

    The best way is cold turkey...

    Benefits
    Increased energy levels. Increased happiness. Increased motivation upon quiting. No anxiety for going "without"

    AGREED!

    Shanyin, Cold Turkey always worked for me --Especially in wintry cold air when you can go outside and fill your lungs with that delicious cold air. It's a nice substitute for the smoke. Actually, better than a mere substitute, in that doing so ionizes (or whatever) your lungs with a salubrious, almost electrical charge (thinking of electricity's other name here: potential difference ). And what a difference that fresh, cool, salubrious air does make. Going for walks in nature without those derned fags is a right straight thing to do to help kick the old habit.

    I quit several times. For me, the actual "quitting" was never that hard after the first couple of days. It was the staying quit that was hard. In my case, the last time I quit I just had no recourse but to fill my consciousness up with negative propaganda (how only "stupid people" smoked, how bad it smelled on people, how inconvenient it had become to make time and find places for it). Only short-term propaganda worked well with me; for, after all, long-term health issues were known to me before I ever started in the first place and were in essence remote or tangential to my core being.

    Nowadays I could take a cigarette and try to smoke it, but would be unable to finish it. I get an upset stomach now, after having had a tobacco-free lifestyle for over 15 years.

    Best of luck! But if you're trying to quit to please somebody else, it probably won't work (I hate to tell you). You need a sincere desire to quit. The situation is sort of like the detective played by Kenneth Branagh in DEAD AGAIN: when Branagh is looking at Robin Williams' pack of cigarettes, Williams' character draws attention to that fact and says something like, "Either you're a smoker or a non smoker. Pick which one you are and go for it." I am afraid that most of us just go too long with the day-to-day, duplicitous, procrastinating flow. I know I did for many years.

    Have some compassion on your lungs!

    Metta.
  • DobsDobs Maine, USA Explorer
    Yes I’ve quit, a # of times. Been nicotine free now for around five years. Quitting is a difficult road, no doubt about it. The recidivism rate is about the same as for heroin addiction. Persistence is the key; if you stumble you get back up. Just keep at it and don’t get discouraged.
    Personally the nicotine patches worked well for me. The gum didn’t. I think the reason was it was too similar to smoking, get the urge and pop one in your mouth. Although it’s certainly less damaging to your body than smoking you may find yourself dependant on it for much longer than necessary.
    Strive on until you succeed the results are worth it.
    Metta
  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    Cold turkey. Haven't smoked in several years, but I've lost track just how long it's been...

    Whatever you do, don't try that Chantix crap. It made my girlfriend LITERALLY crazy.
  • carolanncarolann Explorer
    I quit 8 yrs ago , cold Turkey , I was nearly 40 , wanted another baby and thought why put up extra risk factors to not Conceiving a healthy bubs .....I still think about smoking some times and wonder if I ll ever start again ......x
  • I've smoked for 14 years.

    I needed a month off (to take naps and deal with stress-emotions) including two weeks of chewing nicotune gums. Lot's of short meditation sessions.

    Then I got over it.
  • I also quit several times using several methods. For me, what made it stick was reading a book called "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" (or something like that), by a guy named Allen Carr. I don't know why, but the author just helped me to gain some objectivity about the addiction and to see how easy quitting actually is. The fear that quitting is difficult is far worse than the actual quitting. It hurts a bit for a while, no doubt. But it's as easy as never lighting another one up. Ever. Best of luck!
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited March 2013
    I smoke pipes and it has less impact on the lungs because you do not inhale the smoke. Still the mouth and throat. It doesn't deliver much nicotine so you might have withdrawal still. But it hooks you up with your oral craving fix.

    For me smoking matches my schizophrenia. You get a boost from low dopamine in that nicotine is acetylcholine. Pipes are ideal because you can only smoke one pipe a day per pipe. And you don't inhale.

    Nicotine builds tolerance to where a pack doesn't even help you relax. So you might as well stay in the 'shallow water' of pipes and not inhale anything.

    Wish you the best.
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    Smoking is a dopamine supressant?

    Curious because anti-psychotics are dopamine blockers.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited March 2013
    no drugs block dopamine. this can make you feel ugggghhh I cannot do anything. Like you go in the loony bin and they have you on so many drugs you cannot do anything. And then you lower when you come out and try and find a middle way.

    Smoking doesn't work on dopamine. That is good because ritalin and dopamine drugs will make you have so many delusions, I got daily voices for the price of trying ritalin.

    Smoking gives a different kind of reward than dopamine. It gives you acetylcholine.

    A lot of us mental people take acetylcholine/cigs to relieve the side effects of drugs. It can be terrible for cancer. That's why I smoke pipes because I get an oasis of relief. But the problem with cigs is that the body gets tolerant of nicotine and you need more and more and more and more and more......

    So for your quitting you could get 2 or 3 corncob pipes and a tin of tobacco and you would still get your oral craving though you would not get past the withdrawal because when not inhaling you get very little nicotine.
  • *fixed some things editing
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