quitting smoking, advice

[That One Guy]

So, I've been wanting to quit smoking cigarettes for years now. Recently I believe I've come to a point in my life that is very appropriate for this undertaking. I graduated from college for massage therapy a couple weeks ago, and I started taking martial arts classes about 3 months ago. I'm 24 years old and I've been smoking for over ten years.

Its time to stop.


I know this.

So, its been 16 days since my last cigarette, and I have to say, I thought the cravings would have lessened by now.

Wrong.

The worst part about it is that I still don't feel any better........I mean, I was never a very stinky smoker. Even friends and family would notice that I never really smelled like a smoker so its not like I can say "now I don't smell gross anymore". My lung capacity doesn't feel any greater. I still have approximately the same stamina level. I smoked rolling tobacco so it wasnt very expensive......

When am I going to experience some benefits to not smoking anymore?

Right now all I am experiencing is really nasty mood swings and horrible, horrible cravings.....(I've replaced cigarettes with push ups, v-ups and squats, so my tone has improved over the last couple weeks, thats for sure.)

Please help....any advice from martial artists who have quit smoking because they thought it was getting in the way of their training would be especially helpful.

 

[Kacey]

I've never been a smoker, so I don't have any specific advice, although I will say that, in general, it takes 30 days to establish a new habit - in your case, doing push-ups, v-ups, and squats in place of smoking - so you're over halfway there!

Good luck!

 

[newGuy12]

When am I going to experience some benefits to not smoking anymore?

To quit smoking is incredibly difficult (at least it was for me). You see, I quit once for one and 1/2 years. I was doing yoga poses in the mornings, every morning, and then after about 6 months or so I quit.

Now, I'm not a doctor, or an expert of any kind, and, I did start again (and hope to join you in quitting, in about 6 months -- or whenever I get that "beaming up" type of feeling as the yoga kicks in again).

So, you see, I feel back prey to it, at least for now. That being said, you've already kicked! You are clean now from the acute withdraw!

As far as the mental obsession goes, it never did fully leave me. I could get a seperation, but never a divorce!!!

However, everytime that you wonder, know that being smoke free in and of itself is something for you to be VERY PROUD of yourself for doing! Addictions like this are no joke. They can be very strong to combat.

I salute you for your 16 days being smoke free, Sir!!!




Robert

 

[14 Kempo]

Congratulations on 16 days, smokefree.

I quit a little more than 4 years ago. I'm still wondering if my wind will ever return, but then I'm a whole lot older than you are, and I smoke for a whole lot longer. I am 48 and smoked for 27 years. From everything I know, the physical addiction lasts about 3-7 days, but the mental addiction can last forever. My cravings are minimal, I call them thoughts. They are much fewer and further between nowadays. One thing I know for myself is that I will never put a lit cigarette to my lips again, cause one will cause me to have to go through it all again.

All I can tell you is stick with it. Not smoking will have many, many more benefits than the former.

 

[Sukerkin]

From my own experiences, I went from 60-a-day to zero after several attempts to quit. I managed it by taking advantage of an aspect of my personality, that being that if I give my word then I will do anything humanly possible to keep it. So I promised a friend of mine, whose good opinion I wanted to keep, that I would stop.

End of smoking. End of spending about $11000 a year on cigarettes (the taxes on tobacco in the UK are astronomical). End of all my electronic equipment and the walls of my house being nicotine yellow. End of the reeking stench of stale smoke that pervaded everything (yes, smokers, it's not a joke, you do trail the stink along with you where-ever you go!).

The most obvious physical benefit I got from packing in was that my migraines dropped from practically one a week to once a quarter. That was a blessed relief.

As to the long-term nature of being a born-again non-smoker, well, sadly, there is no good news. For most of us our brain chemistry has been permanently altered. Yes, we're addicts and, like all addicts, the best you can say is that you haven't had a smoke today.

It does get easier as time goes on and it's only very rarely now that I'll smell cigarette smoke and think "I could really do with one of those". The painful bit is enduring the few days of physical withdrawal when you stop. The hard bit is never starting again.

In the end, it's all a matter of will and pride (and trying your damndest not to become a crusading anti-smoker ).

 

[Kennedy_Shogen_Ryu]

Congratulations on your decision and your progress. As easy as it is for people who never smoked to say otherwise, for a smoker quitting can be a very long and difficult road. Remember that your number one weapon is self control, only you can keep the cigarettes out of your mouth. And you're already on the right track by finding ways to keep yourself busy physically. I was in the best shape of my life for the first few months after I quit for just the same reason as you. Just remember that your brothers and sisters here at MT support you! Keep up the good work and keep us posted!
​

 

[fireman00]

I quiet 10 years ago after smoking for 17 years and unfortunately there are still times were I could still fire one up. But I can deal with it knowing that I'm a "non-smoker".

After a year I felt MUCH better but its a gradual thing, not one big BANG and you feel 100% better. I can breath more easily, I have more stamina, I don't reek of cigarette smoke and food does taste better.

The best advise is to drink lots of water, chew lots of gum, if you start to gain weight don't worry about it - that you can deal with later, and use positive visualization... HANG IN THERE ! you can do it!

 

[redfang]

I smoked for about 15 years, quit for 5, started off and on again for a year, now have been not smoking for about a year. I have to be all or none. My wife can smoke 1 cigarette a month when out with friends and be happy with it. I can't. The best way for me not to smoke is to stay very physically active. The more active I am the less I want to smoke. My prime motivation is that my father died of lung cancer at age 46 and I just buried a friend this year. He was 39 and died of lung cancer. Also, now I'm being told my blood pressure is too high and cholesterol is bad, so there's some more motivation for me. Good Luck, it is not easy to do, but definitely can be done.

 

[ont]

I smoked for 20 years and I have quit for 10. It is incredibility difficult to quit. I have quit before this and gone back to smoking. If I had one I would go back to smoking all the time. The craving and mood swings will eventualy slow down. Hopefully you have understanding family, friends and coworkers. It is well worth the effert!!!!

 

[Mark L]

I smoked for about 15 years, and have been off for a little longer than that. I quit several times, and went back several times. The thing that did it for me was a chart that showed how the human body would recover from smoking. I can't recall the specifics, but there were milestones like "after 8 hours your lungs will begin repairing", after xx days your lung capacity will increase by some number, after 15 years your chest x-ray will be indistinguishable from a non-smoker (I don't know if that is true, but it was my goal). I'm driven by goals, so this helped.

I found that my cravings subsided after a few years, then I turned into a smoking nazi. I've gotten over that, though I find cigarette smoke offensive still (though I do sympathize with the addicted). Substitution helps, especially if its good for you. Stay with it!

 

[HKphooey]

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