I think that I enjoyed the part about smoking more though. I have been trying to quit since December, failing more times than I can count on my fingers....maybe because I don't want to quit. But I keep trying. Laughed about taking up a hobby, going to pottery class, and everyone's first project was an ashtray!

nicotine is addictive.


It's not "you".... or what you want.

It's HARD!

I'll keep trying...but I make no promises. I swore that I would quit when the prices kept going up....didn't. I swore that I would quit when every ailment I have is blamed on smoking, including ingrown toenails....didn't. I swore that I would quit when my health insurance costs are 50% more because I smoke....didn't. So I don't know what would work.

12 years ago I quit after 20+ years. I get urges several times a week still. 3 or 4 times a year I'll get me a fancy cigar and that keeps the murderous impulses in check.

I was only able to quit because my company started providing nicotine patches for the same price as a carton of cigs (they assumed about half the cost for any employee who wanted to try). I started wearing the patches and I kept smoking but over a period of about 8 weeks I was smoking less and less and one day I realized I was down to 1 or 2 cigs a day. So I threw out the last couple cigs and went for a couple weeks on just the patch and one evening I realized I had forgotten to put the patch on that morning. That was 4/20/2003 and haven't had the patch or cigarettes since.

Just an occasional cigar and my doctor said not to worry about that. My blood pressure and kidney problems will get me long before that does.

I thought that you were not allowed to smoke while wearing the patch. At least, that is what the package says. I tried the patch and got terrible insomnia. As one who has never had a problem with sleeping, that was just not something that I could tolerate.

The oddest thing to me is that I got an electronic cigarette, hoping that it would help wean me off, but apparently, there is something more than the nicotine that I get out of smoking a cigarette. It is not terrible, and I find that I don't need as much of the hits off of the e-cig as I get from cigarettes. Once you light up a cigarette, you finish it, even if you only needed a couple of puffs---because it is there. For some reason, I still crave cigarettes with the e-cig.

I will keep trying. And failing. And trying again until it works.

but before I had started trying to quit I was smoking 3 packs a day. Patch plus cigs still couldn't equal that amount so I never felt sick like everyone said I would. All it meant was the patch helped me go longer and longer between cigs.

My wife, on the other hand, found out she was pregnant with our (now 25 year old) daughter and just never picked up another cigarette. She didn't seem to think I was funny when I told her she had it easy since she could just get pregnant to quit.

And I understand completely - the ritual and fiddling around with the lighter and packing the cigs and having the emptiness (physical emptiness, not spiritual lol) inside filled with smoke (instead of steam) are all things I miss. My son has been on and off the eCig and he just keeps going back to regular smokes. I once tried a couple puffs on his ecig and it was interesting but I didn't get the same feel I used to get from regular cigs.

The only real advantage I ever saw to ecig (besides the lack of smoke going into your lungs) was that you used to be able to puff on it in places that wouldn't normally allow regular smokes. But now everyone is clamping down on that too so it's it's not as much of an advantage. One of my co-workers sneaks into my office so he can use his vape. They are not allowed in the building but I don't mind and it is a long walk from where we are to the only smoking area on the property (purposely put way out there to make it a PITA to go have a smoke). I don't know if I'm being a good guy or an enabler but I still have a little streak of stickin it to the man in me so I let him break the rule. And he always has new weird flavors I smell pretty cool.

Anyway, I wish you best of luck and no matter what, enjoy life!

I really want to quit too. For about the 2 millionth time. I'll soon be moving into a new place and don't want it smelling like cigs, so maybe that motivation will help.

"Moving into a new place" is also why I haven't been around here much the last few days. The closing is coming up quickly and there seems to be hundreds of last-minute things to do. Also some other real life stuff I may post about later.

of my being lazy. Good luck with the move. I know how much trouble moving can be, and closings are really stressful.

If you can't quit when you move, just make sure that you smoke outside....that might motivate you if nothing else does. Not that much works to motivate me. But there has to be a way, since people have done it.

Only smoking outside, that is.

Staying totally off-topic: I moved from Los Angeles to East Jesus but at least I'm enjoying the local wildlife. At sundown here, rabbits come out and chase each other around the yard.

2 baby squirrels have taken over the birdbath. Which severely pisses off the birds. They are dive-bombing the squirrels and pecking at them. The squirrels are like "LOL, come at me, bro." And just keep diving into the birdbath and stuff, while ignoring the birds. Which seems to piss them off even more.

This is at my Mom's house, WAY out in the country. I'm moving into a place closer to town, but with lots of trees and greenery surrounding it. Which will be another nice change from L.A.

I'll have to go back and watch it now. Best of luck on your efforts to kick the habit!

I wish there was an easy way. I hate how it has control over me when I don't let anything else have control of me.

Last edited Sat Jun 27, 2015, 10:55 PM - Edit history (1)

I say we, because my wife and I both quit the tobacco habit at the same time. I don't think there is any doubt that having a "buddy" quit with you is helpful, as you can both encourage the other to hang in there and don't give in to the urge.

We quit on December 12, 2000. That date sounds kinda familiar. 12/12/00.

We figured that, if we could quit smoking on that dark day, we could lick it for good.

And we did.

Maybe picking a significant time to quit could help.

Ultimately, you can do it if you want to. If you don't quit, don't beat yourself up too much. Keep up with the herb too. That plant has some amazing curative power.

I actually searched the site and found your post in the help forum when the link to the specific time in the video wouldn't embed. It would be really nice links to specific times in youtube videos would embed on this site. Maybe I should post in ATA and see if EarlG or Elad could fix that.

...