A huge step forward for me

Well, I really think I want to quit smoking. I've been smoking since I was 16, and I'm 18 now and have been smoking about a half pack a day for a long time. Everytime I've had a cigarette lately, I've asked myself "why?, why am I doing this to my lungs?" And so today I woke up hungover [first alcohol hangover EVER] and have been puking fairly regularly now, and I went to have a cig and I took one drag and started gagging. I quickly ran inside, but I had the dry heaves and I didn't actually vomit up anything, and as shitty as this is to be hungover, I don't even want to think about smoking right now. I threw away the rest of my cigarettes and as hard as I think it's gonna be, I'm going to quit for good.

I'm really tired of waking up every morning with coughing fits, gasping for air and having a smoker's cough that won't go away. I'm already unfit to begin with, but smoking makes it worse and I find myself out of breath fast when I have to do shit at work that puts a strain on the body (mostly heavy lifting). Also, I live in Michigan and after going on vacation to Florida and realizing just how expensive cigs are here I don't feel like wasting any more money on these bastards ($5.50+ here, down in Florida and I;m assuming other southern states it was fuckin $2.50! I couldn't believe it).

Anyways, I'm not sure why I made this thread, I guess it's just to see how well other people have coped with quitting and to see how many have quit and relapsed verses how many quit for good.

Thanks for reading, and if anyone has any helpful tips please feel free to share them.

I posted this in another "quitting" thread:
I quit smoking November of last year ......I only had one cigarette Christmas day after the family dinner and my cousins all egged me to have one celebratory cigarette . Since then I have not had one smoke and I dont crave it either. From a 2 pack a day habit in the mid 90s I tapered to smoking only lights (lol) , a pack a day, than a pack a week, than I just stopped buying cigarettes and started mooching off my siblings Than I just totally quit.
After a good decade of subjecting my lungs to this shit I can say I'm very happy with the changes I've made and I did it on my own time. Nobody forced me, and I didnt do it half-heartedly (which probably wouldnt work anyway. I'm a very extreme person when it comes to my habits , its always all or nothing.)
What also influenced me to quit was my getting back into an exercise routine this year ....it kind of defeats the purpose of exercising when I take smoke breaks in between, doesnt it ? (yes, I used to do that!)
If somebody told me two years ago (when I was still smoking regularly....could not even DRIVE without a cigarette in hand ! always had to smoke after meals! etc) that I would be giving up cigarettes for good this year I'd prolly have laughed at his face. You might just surprise yourself, miracles happen everyday.

crystalcallas said:

when I was still smoking regularly....could not even DRIVE without a cigarette in hand ! always had to smoke after meals! etc)

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Holy shit you sounded a lot like I am. I seriously chain smoke when I drive, and I could never figure out why (I have a feeling though that I do it to cope with stupid drivers :D ) but the majority of cigarettes I have are when I'm driving. I'll light one after another until I get to where I'm going. And yes, after big meals I go out on the porch and have a cig, or usually when I'm drunk I crave cigarettes like no other. If anything will get me to relapse, I think it might be booze, and as sad as it is to say I'm not gonna quit drinking anytime soon (although the thought of alcohol right now sickens me )

^^^^totally. I used to be the type of person who would panic if we so much entered a non-smoking Mall or a restaurant with no smoking area. I would smoke a pack a night , especially when in a bar or drinking. It was a HUGE habit .

Baby steps all the way is all I can say....with the recent smoking bans everywhere, plus the very real desire to start exercising again coupled with the fact that I had stopped going out/drinking like I used to just all lead to quitting.

I won't lie...I had 2 cigarettes this entire year (lol) but that was only when I went out with a couple of friends I hadnt seen in years and it was more of like something that I just ALWAYS did whenever I drink/hang out ....the good thing is it was just for that moment....I couldnt wait to brush my teeth (lol) and wash the smoke out of my hands and hair and woke up the next day with no cravings whatsoever.

Everytime I've had a cigarette lately, I've asked myself "why?, why am I doing this to my lungs?

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So.... What did you come up with?

Why are you doing it?

^ cause I'm addicted. I've gone the whoole day though wiythout a cig, even at work [at a restaurant], where everyone smokes, I passed up the oppurtunity and I really think I can beat this.

^^^^awesome website!!!

i have recently quit smoking as well....a little over two weeks now. last summer i smoked about half a pack a day then i cut down to one to two a day during sports season (from like october through february.) once the season was over, i picked it up again to maybe five cigarettes a day and i didn't exercise at all really. now i am training again and decided i needed to stop altogether. i know this isn't exactly as momentous an accomplishment as what you guys are doing, but i'm excited to see how much harder i can push myself athletically now that i have completely stopped. i don't think the psychological, contextual cravings ever go away...i love to smoke while i walk (and of course when i am fucked up) so i always really want a cigarette when i am waking somewhere or drinking/drugging.

Uggghhhh I need to quit smoking but Ive been smoking more than ever lately. Bleh.

I'm a bit weird in that I hate smoking when driving. There's just something yukky about it for me. I even hate passengers in my car smoking (although I'll reluctantly allow it). The only time I'll smoke when I'm driving is if I'm doing a 3-hour journey or something and it's ridiculous to have to pull over just for a smoke.

I'm one of those weird people for whom there are not particular 'triggers'. I don't have them while on the phone, I don't necessarily need one on waking, nor after a meal.

My smoking is regular and habitual, I have one precicely every 2.5-3 hours, regardless of what I've eaten or drunk, or what I'm doing. So my consumption is about 7 a day on the average day. The only time I'll smoke more is when I'm drinking, then I can go through 3/4 pack in a night quite easily. When drinking is the only time smoking is pleasurable for me as well. The other times it's like a chore - a necessary thing to get over and done with (*sigh* okay, time for a smoke) so my brain chemistry stays 'normal'. Sometimes, particularly at work, it's actually just a huge pain in the ass and an annoying interruption to have to do it.

It's really time to give up for me as well. I think gum or patches for me next time I try. Good on you, and good luck!

Thanks all. So far, so good, but man oh man have I been tempted.

I'm closing in on 24 hours without nicotine right now. This weekend I had planned on quitting, but I ended up bumming... 2 ultra light menthols, and 2 djarum blacks.. when my girlfriend wasn't around. I told her to kick my ass if she caught me smoking. As soon as I left her house Sunday night I bought a 6 pack of half-sized black & mild cigars and smoked them all on the drive home. My downfall is always being behind the wheel - I love to chainsmoke while driving.

Hopefully I just quit for good. This has been one hell of a day.

quitting smoking is easy. i've done it so many times i cant even count...