Update Big Smoke? How are you doing? Still going strong?

2 cans a day? Mother of god that's some heavy dipping.

I won't deny that I chewed a lot - but it was only 7-8 dips a can for me (Skoal Longcut Wintergreen). But yes, most of the day was spent with a dip in my mouth.

But, now I'm standing at 114 days with no chew & saving over $900.

Ahh, you took big dips.

Even at my heaviest dipping, a can would last me almost a week, but I take small dips.

It's crazy to look back and think how much you used to do something. I never thought that I used to smoke that much. But thinking back...from the period of 18-20...I was smoking almost 2 packs of Marlboro Reds a day. That's ****ing nuts. There would literally be times where I would finish one cigarette and use it to light another one.

I used to always get the "Holy shit you take big dips" comment. LMAO

So what you're saying is that you can fit a lot in your mouth.

LMAO

I quit.

Been a little over a week since my last cig. I feel better physically and mentally. No real cravings, but it's hard to say no if a friend offers me one.

I stuck with it. Yesterday was 100 days cigarette free. I still get cravings from time to time but I'm doing pretty good with it.

I smoked for 10 years, quit 5 years ago. I still think about them. I smoke in quite a few of my dreams. I almost want to smoke one just to show myself how terrible they would be.

Get's better after 6 months I quit Feb 8 2013 and don't miss the habit.

It was making me sick and had whooping cough couldn't stop coughing it sucked bad. I may have saved my lungs now.

Am so glad I quit smoking don't want it don't need it.

I don't like being around it when my boss comes around with his grape cigars I can smell him five feet away. I don't want be like that. No matter what smoking stinks.

I use to like the smell of a good cigar or pipe I'm just afraid to try it again or I'd be back smoking worse.

Don't try it dude. Even it you didn't like it, it would trigger that craving and you could end up smoking more than before in matter of weeks days. That's my fear of trying one again.

183 days since my last dip of Cope long-cut after 35+ years. Most of the time I don't miss it but every so often damnnnnnnnnnnnn.

I'm about 3 weeks in on quitting this time around. I'd gotten where I could take it or leave it. I'd usually start dipping during the summer again when I'm doing lots of home projects and yard work. I'd then quit when the school year started back up, and I spent my days at the office where I couldn't dip. This year, though, I managed to get full on hooked again, going through a can a week (which is pretty heavy for me).

Decided to quit while on Spring Break, and I haven't had one since. I'll probably go back to bumming dips whenever I'm around my friends that dip and occasionally buying a can when camping or on fishing trips, but I won't let myself get hooked back into regular dipping again. It's really not that enjoyable whenever it's a regular habit. Way more fun when it's for special occasions and socializing with buddies who also dip.

Pipes still smell good to me. But I'm very much over smelling like an ashtray.

**** smoking!

Today makes 6 months. I rarely get cravings at all and pass instantly. The difference is crazy. The smell of people smoking has become gross to me. Any one else still going strong?

Yes sir! I've had a couple smokes when out with friends, but other than that, I've been doing well! Glad to hear you're also doing well! :thumb:

Keep up the good work men!

I love grape swisher sweets

My year anniversary no smoking was a happy feeling, but also a bit of a downer as well. As I referenced earlier I got a bunch if massages to make my back feel better and then kinda "fell into" quitting after 18 years.

On one hand I have made great strides. I don't get cravings to smoke anymore at all, and I have found a whole new part of myself with a running routine and regimen I adopted. Last year on june 26th I ran a 12 minute mile and felt like I was going to die, and instead, lately I have been running 1.5-3 mile stretches @ 6:45 ish-7:15ish pace. All of this Absolutely makes me feel great...

Except that my back is still all ****ed up :(. It went out on me again just like last year. I had been looking forward to sprinting a mile in 6:00 flat on thurs, but that went down the tubes. My back has now been out for almost 2 weeks and I'm still spending over 2 hrs a day with heat pads and ice packs etc etc.

Life is funny, what can ya do I guess?

Make all the changes you want but some things will always be there lol. Either way I'm still damn glad I quit smoking, that shit is for the birds

I don't even think about it until I smell it on someone else or I see threads like this

**** cigarettes

1 year and 5 months now. 0 cigarettes.

I admit though, I do still break out my old corn cob pipe and partake some Cavendish when out camping, canoeing and such.

If I'm out in the woods and I see a person with a corn cob pipe, I run.


You really should go Meerschaum. Everyone is intrigued by the person who smokes a Meerschaum.

http://pipesmagazine.com/files/flora...aum-pipe-2.jpg

Almost 5 years without. They gross me out now.

I made it a full a year. This was the first "new years resolution" I've ever kept. One year and 6 days cigarette free now.

Awesome!

I'm at around 17 months I think. Can't believe I wasted so much of my life smoking. Awful habit.

I quit when my daughter was born.

Cold turkey, no e-cigarette or anything.

I'm a man, and when I make my mind up to do something, I do it.

I now have not had a cigarette for over 5 years. I feel better, and the smell of cigarette smoke makes me nauseated.

You can do it. Just make up your mind, stay busy, And DON'T SMOKE!

Easy for you to say it was easy for me to say. I'd go **** myself, but I quit doing that cold turkey after TWO years.

Funny this thread was bumped. Today is my six month cog free day. I love it.

Cool bump brah.

This, hell I've walked away from much worse after much longer with out ever looking back

Aww ****, didn't realize this was an old thread.


Seriously if you want to be done you can. Just be stronger than whatever is against you.

Here I am 2 years later cigarette free. I used the e-cig for about 4 months and haven't looked back since.

Congratulations, man.

That's huge. Seriously.

Congrats man. Keep strong man.

Awesome

It's a year and a half for me, and it feels great. I still miss smoking. I miss stepping away for a few and just enjoying a smoke. But I can't go back to feeling that way.
I had a cold recently, and have been fighting it. Just the crud, with the stopped up nose, chest and throat congestion, etc. and I couldn't help but think, this is how I used to feel all the time.

Always happy to read success stories. I had my last cig in 1985 and shortly after in 1986 bought my last can of Skoal.

Bumping for myself. 3 years and 3 days cigarette free. Never even think about it anymore. I feel better and can notice a big difference in my health.

How? I can't even. Vape didn't work. It sucks.

yep,bro,better quit smoking and begin vape,but best no smoking,no vape....:)

I miss you, Dr. Pepper

That turd is still floating around

Don't be afraid.

Think about this for a second? Fear is an enemy. It's an obstacle to your path to success. It can be destructive in a sense where it hinders your own self-confidence. You MUST learn how to conquer your fears and don't allow them conquer you. You need the confidence and the trust and belief in yourself that you will do this in order to achieve. And you WILL do this.

But Don't think too far ahead. Take it one day at a time. And when you find yourself successful for that one day that you didn't touch a cigarette period, say to yourself, "I am a successful person today and it's days like today that proved I will do it."

And when you get up the next day, say to yourself, "today is a new chapter in my life but I shall call upon yesterday to give me that feeling of reassurement or evidence that I'm ready, willing and capable of not touching a cigarette again today." You need that positive reinforcement to help subside the fear. All it takes is that one time and you could use that as a building block or as a stepping stone.

If there are times where you crave or are battling the temptation of evil, say a prayer to God and ask him to dwell within you to comfort you and to help you persist through your battle. I'm a believer that success does not come alone.

There will be times where you will struggle. It's normal and part of the process. This isn't easy. It will be a challenge. You're gonna need that courage. You need to know what courage is. Courage isn't the absence of fear, but the judgement of something that is more important than the fear itself.

Seek out judgement and ask yourself questions. Challenge yourself. Say stuff like, "what's more important to me for the here and now? Smoking this cigarette which will contribute to me starting up again, making me feel like crap, and increasing my risk of cancers, diseases or perpetuating the quiting process so that I could continue my journey of feeling good about myself and being healthier and reduce my risk of cancers, diseases." Feel it out through your body and draw comparisons of the times when you felt like crap to when you were smoking, to the times when you didn't smoke and how much better you feel. Stop, think, and feel....then use your judgement and apply it to your decision making.

But then again, this won't be easy. What if you have a scenario where you're in a social setting with other people who smoke and smoking is a way to engage in that social setting? Now all of a sudden, you start to experience negative emotions where you crave, you want to blend into that setting and so you start to become irritable. When this happens, stop, and think. Don't let your emotions get the best of you, control them. Don't let your emotions distract you, and cloud your judgement. FOCUS! Go to a quiet place (I.e., a bathroom cubicle) and call upon God to help you persist through the battle of temptation of evil. Once you've done this, get out of that setting you're in. Yes be selfish about it. It's okay.

You could also be in a situation where you're stressed out and may need to seek out something like cigarettes as a way of compensating the stress. Please don't. They are plenty of things life has to offer to help relieve you from stress. Stress is all self-imposed. A lot of is how you think. You could always change the way you think, by switching your focus from negative thinking to positive thinking. This helps a lot. Thinking is synchronized with how you feel. You could always meditate, or do progressive muscle relaxation exercises to relax you as another way of relieving the stress in your body or to simply distract you from the stressors themselves. You could always exercise and go for a jog as well.

You also may want to Put a picture up of someone in your room that is suffering and dying of lung cancer and right beside that picture write with an arrow pointing towards that picture saying, "oh my, I don't want this being me." You could something like that as a motivational tool.

Lastly, good luck to you brother. I wish you the best!

I smoked for 20 years. I quit cold turkey on July 7, 2014 and never looked back. I read this book and I never read books. It really gets into the psychology of smoking. This book works and you can smoke while you read it.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....4,203,200_.jpg

Just popped in my first Grizzly pouch. Switching to that as an aid to quit. Gonna check that book Black Bob.

Which vape did you try? I saw you said you didnt like it.

I've tried a few (always top of the line at the time). And gum. And patch.

Hopeless.

I'll be 10 years smoke free in May. Only smoked for five years before that though.

Now chewing tobacco is another story.

That book helped me, especially the chapter about how nicotine works.

Thats crazy. The vape was the only reason I was able to quit. A little over 3 years for me. I used the highest level nicotine I could at first. Gave me a buzz like u qas 12 smoking my first cig again. Had to lower it pretty quickly. Once i got a good nic level it was great.

I've not had a smoke all day so far. I've been using the same chew pouch all day. In and out of my gums throughout the day.

Chewing sucks. Interestingly though, I have NO desire for a smoke. Not even out of boredom. At this moment, the thought of a smoke really turns me off.

Keeping at it. Keeping my mind focused. Trying to think of myself as an ex smoker now (mental game).

Will save ~$15 today. Haven't killed anyone yet.

Thanks guys.

Vapes have been a bust for me as well. I've bought 3 of them, and when I get them working right, they seem like a viable option. But for some reason, I can only get them working right for a day or two, then inexplicably something goes haywire with them and they stop hitting right and just make me cough. Then I get tired of ****ing with them and realize it's much easier to grab a real cig. Spent almost $100 on my most recent rig and it's just sitting around collecting dust.

Try snus. Not American brand snus, but Swedish snus. You should be able to find General somewhere around you. Somewhat safe way to get your nicotine and you don't have to spit.

Stopped January 29th this year 7 weeks so far? Good after 30 years of smoking.

1 thing at a time. :)

Woke up and binge smoked 4 cigs. Slapped myself then popped a pouch. Mornings are the worst.

...

Eventually you're going to have to give up nicotine or you'll never be able to quit.

Check out that book that Black Bob recommended. You can occasionally find the audio version of it on youtube but it gets taken down a few days after it goes up, or you can just spend 7 bucks and get it on Itunes.

I've got to make small methodical steps. First is to get the smoke out of me. I've had a lingering chest pain for the last week that concerns me.

I quit 25 years ago, cold turkey and never looked back. Some say that humans are rational beings; I say humans are rationalizing beings. We make up any sort of excuse to avoid something uncomfortable and if we do end up "failing", then that's used as an excuse to simply "give up". For me, the mindset was important. "Trying" simply is another way of saying "I'm allowing myself to fail". If you make it most of the day and happen to smoke one, how it that a failure if you used to smoke twenty? Sounds like a success to be built on, not a reason (excuse) to tear yourself down and go back to the pack a day habit.

As others have said, after the initial three days the nicotine cravings will subside. When breaking a bad habit, finding something to replace it with is the most difficult. One thing that I always remembered was that if I tell myself that I'm going to wait an hour, minute, second before I have that smoke then I give myself a chance to find something else to do and the urge goes away. It's simply not possible to concentrate on something in an attempt to not think about it!

Bad habits are hard to break and good habits are hard to make. You can do it, heck I remember how hard it was to initially START smoking.

Who else Vapes? Not going to read this entire thread.

That's me. Quit smoking cigs the day after thanksgiving last year (2016, so not that long ago). Took a day off work to go to Columbia and get set up with the unit and juice. Wasn't part of the plan, but they had black Friday specials going on so I got set up cheap:thumb:

I was a 2+ pack/day smoker. Had been smoking for 23-25 yrs. Started out on 6 nicotine and am currently on 3 nicotine.

I want to know from other ex-smokers, how long does it take before cigs don't smell good anymore. The vaping keeps me from smoking just fine, but I was always told once you quit smoking cigs, they will start to stink to you. It's been this many months and still to this day, few things smell as beautiful as a freshly lit cig.

Took me almost a year. No i can pick it out a mile away and hate it

Bumping an old ass post here, but it will be 9 years for me on news years this year. Still haven't looked back, I hate the smell of them now. It's to the point I've almost forgotten I even smoked to begin with. This thread helped a bit with being accountable to myself and others. Anyone else from here still at it or has anyone gone back to smoking?

My last cig will be 3 years next week. I occasionally crave them, but have never really been tempted since I quit. Funny thing, I have frequent dreams in which I am smoking and trying to hide it.

Thank you Chantix! 13 years and counting.

Wonder how the OP is doing in prison?

,
 

Quit 02/03/2004 after 30 years of either cigarettes or the occasional joint.

Chantix knocked down the cravings, Chantix side effects helped me quit ahead of target because they were intense…so I ended up motivated enough to quit both.

Have not touched a cig, not once since.

I’ll smoke weed once in a blue moon, since I don’t drink these days.

Good luck to those resolutions :thumb:

Who knew eDave was so impulsive?

It will be 8 months exactly tomorrow morning. Smoked for over 31 years. Some days the struggle is worse than others. I know 8 months is a good start, but I wish I would have quit long ago.

lol nice

**** me.

I've failed.
Nicotine withdrawals are terrible. I'm coming up on smoking for 10 years.. ****

April 20th will be 5 years for me. I still get the occasional craving for one, but it passes quickly. After 40 years of smoking, I refuse to let myself have a moment of weakness since quitting was the hardest thing I've ever done. I realize now that I'll always be an addict, much like drug/alcohol addicts, so anytime I get the urge to smoke, I remind myself how miserable I was when I did.

When my grandpa quit smoking, he would put the money he would have spent on cigarettes into a piggy bank every day as a reminder. I started doing the same thing, and deposit the money every year on my anniversary date. That comes out to $2400 a year which is what they cost be back then. Last time I looked, my brand has gone up from $4.50 to $7.29 since I quit

If you are struggling, check out the author Allen Carr. His method has a high success rate and is based on sound science. I quit in 1992. Enjoy the withdrawal symptoms, they are simply a sign that you are free from being a slave. The urge to smoke will go away whether you light up or not. Don't try not to think about smoking, embrace the thoughts, study them and realize you don't need it.

It's easy; we only make it hard so we will give into the cravings. It's a terrible addiction and a nasty habit.

Does it count if you quit after the very first one you tried about 20 years ago?

When I quit smoking, I was buying Camel Turkish Gold for $3.15/pack. Noticed at the gas station the other day the same thing is now over $9. Really surprised it hasn't priced more people out of the habit.

Many smokers I know have switched from their regular Camel/Marlboro to cheap off brands that smell like burning pennies. So gross...