For Freightchaser and John O..

[dieseldiva]

Let's try this again. A plea to stop smoking coming from 2 fellow expediters... let's work this thread for information on helping each other.

If you have stopped smoking or know someone that has quit, can you share with us please how you/they did it.

If you are a smoker, would you share with us any thoughts, feelings that you have.

Maybe you are neither but you still have something to share.

 

[dieseldiva]

I stopped. After a lot and I mean a LOT of times trying, I finally did. For the most part, I believe it's a mindset and by that I mean that if you really, deep down are not ready, you will fail.

Like others here, I had the misfortune of watching a loved one suffer, he was not a smoker but his melanoma had metastasized to his organs with his lungs being the worse. It was watching him trying to grab enough breath to be his normal witty, cheerful self that made me think long and hard.

Yes, I did it mostly for my brother but also for myself. I could barely breath after climbing the steps. I could not laugh without going into a coughing jag and trust me, I LOVE to laugh.

My doctor helped me. After diagnosing me with asthma, she prescribed a drug named wellbutrin to help me stop smoking. Here's the way it works. For the first two weeks you take a certain dosage and continue to smoke. THEN, you double the dosage and if you haven't decided to quit by that day, you'd better give it another thought or two. That medication combined with the smoking makes you sicker than a dog.

Now I don't mean to make this sound simple, you know it isn't. But when your stomach begins to do those flip flops and turns upside down, something has to give. I really believe that this is where your mindset comes in. At this point you only have two options. 1. You can continue to take the meds and eventually get tired of being sick from the smoking and give it up, or 2. You can stop taking the meds and take up the smoking again. Like I said, you have to be committed to it.

If this helps just one person, I am grateful that I had a chance to help, and Mark would love it too.

 

[bluejaybee]

After many years of breathing problems and numerous visits to the doctor, I finally saw the light and decided it was time to seriously try to quit. My doctor told me about CHANTIX and the "It's My Time To Quit" program. It was a God send for me. If you really want to quit and need help doing it, I highly recommend CHANTIX. They have a great web site and support for you also (if you need it). I didn't do the support, but it was there if I needed it. I smoked 49 years and thought I couldn't quit. And I quit while I was still driving. Now, you know how hard that was. But thank goodness I decided to quit. I can breath better and made it all winter without a doctor vist. Fresh burning cigarettes still smell so good. But you that smoke, I can smell your charred a@@ coming a mile away (just like I was and never knew it). Ha! I have been quit 1 year and 4 months.

 

[2czykats]

I only smoked for 11 yrs. but made up for lost time by getting up to 4 packs a day, and drinking alot of booze. I had alot of friends that had years of smoking ahead of me and I watched several of them die in their 50's and I was in my 20's. I to tried alot of ways o quit but could not so I cold turkey'ed it, was the worst time of my life for 6 months of withdrawls but succeded and now have not smoked for 19yr's 3 months, and stopped drinking 1 year ago also. One thing is I now have alot of extra weight and poor health because of it but can't stop eating. Exercise is limited due to severe arthritis. Wish I would've taken better care of myself other than just the stop smoking part.

 

[nightcreacher]

I was smoking 5 packs of winstons a day.My will power isnt the greatest,but my cough was killing me.Somehow,one day i just stopped smoking,of course i was taking cough lozenges,instead of cigarettes.Halls are really strong,and evrytime i thought about lighting up,id pop a lozenger.I have this theory,on the back of your tongue,from smoking,there is a resadue from the nicotene,and this intern makes you want another cigarette,the cough lozenges took away that taste for a cigarette.It worked for me,of course i quit drinkng the same day,how do you have a beer without a cigarette?stay away from alcohol,worked for me,no smokes,no alcohol,what a boreing life.3 weeks after quuitting,the cough went away,and the need for cigarettes did also,wanting a drink wasnt that easy,but i survived the ordeal,i gained weight,but i like to eat,didnt realize food tasted so good.Good luck to anyone trying to quit,i'm not one that preaches how you need to,but if you decide to quit,have a challenge with yourself,do it hourly,daily, weekly.you will be thankful when your smoke free.By the way,at the price of cigarettes now,i wouldnt be able to afford my black toy in the pic,if i were still smoking 5 packs a day

 

[Steady Eddie]

I smoked for over 25 years. I would make a point to try at least once a year to quit. Here are a few ways I would try.

When I worked on the riverboats in my early 20’s I remember sitting on the stern of the boat with my monthly supply of cigs. Took out my knife and cut open three cartons and pilled them up. One at a time I would throw them into the wheel wash. The next supply boat I would buy more. Didn’t work. Next, I heard if you would take a pin and punch a hole below the filter on the first pack then the second pack punch two holes and so on, it would allow you to draw more air than smoke. By the end of week two it looked like it was shot with a shotgun. Of course by then I would cover the holes to get more nicotine. That didn’t work. Over the years the longest I quit was 4 days.

Many years later, a few co-works went to the patch. Ok I will try it but not tell them I was using the patch. “I can quit without the patch” in a manly way I said. Well my doctor gave me some that was different from theirs. That worked! I was ready to quit. You have to have a mind set to give up something that ruled your life. That little white thing would tell me “you better stop and buy some more, you don’t have enough for the day. Stop what you are doing and light me” Well, I was the only one that stayed quit, until, I became an expeditor, now out of boredom I took up cigars. Like Clinton I don’t inhale those. Ha, not all the time anyway. Unlike Clinton I only smoke them .

So if you are reading this I say to you….D O N ‘ T S M O K E ! And become the worse kind of smoker…a reformed smoker. You know those that quit and nag you about smoking. They know something you don’t.

It’s an awful habit.

 

[LDB]

My dad quit when I was about 3 years old. He quit cold turkey. Back then there were no patches or meds or anything. He just decided he was the man and the smokes weren't the boss and quit. My mom didn't quit till I was about 10. She also just quit. They made a point of always discouraging me from making their mistake of taking it up. I'm thankful they quit as soon as they did but wish they'd never started. I think everyone who said it requires making up one's mind is correct because that's what they had to do to make it work. I applaud anyone who takes that control of themselves and accomplishes that. It's no small feat.

 

[bluejaybee]

I have heard that quitting was the easy part. Staying quit was the hard part. Ha! But for me, quitting was the hardest. After I made it 2 or 3 days without smoking, I knew I could do it. In the 49 years I smoked, I never made it past a day when I tried to quit. Why? Cause like someone said earlier, you won't quit til you make up your mind to. Now, drugs, patches, chewing gum, Hall's, etc., may help us get through it, but you gotta want to. I know I feel better, but now have a pot belly that is cutting my wind off. Ha! But hopefully this summer will work some of it off.

 

[TeamCaffee]

Re: Stop Smoking Now!!!
I was raised in a home where everyone smoked in the house, in cars, and in restaurants. So when I started smoking at 12 years of age I just fit in with the rest of the family. It did not take long to become very very addicted to cigarettes and they ruled my life for many years. The only time I could go more then 1/2 hour without a cigarette was when I was asleep. By the time I turned thirty I had the morning hack but a couple cigarettes, cup of coffee and I was ready to start my day. I tried everything to quit and spent a fortune on any device that came on the market but it took forever to fix my head to really want to quit. Cigarettes had been my crutch and my best friend for many years but it was killing me. I finally made up my mind it was time. I bought the nicotine patches, sat on our front porch evening and smoked one pack of cigarettes, crying the whole time. The next morning I put the patch on and for the first week all I could think about was wanting a cigarette and how bad I hated life and how irritating my family and co-workers were. The next week I could go short, very short periods of time without hating the whole world. When the cravings were really bad I would rub the patch and that seemed to help. In time the cravings became less and less and I quit hating the world. I was truly amazed cleaning my house and cleaning our vehicle at what my poor family had, had to put up with. I had no idea how bad our house stunk or how bad my clothing stunk. To this day though I cannot get impatient with smokers as I know for me how hard it was to quit and I do not wish that on anyone. If you have not had that addiction I do not think you can really realize how bad those cravings can get. I was lucky when I quit I was still working in a courthouse and was able to just stay away from my buddy smokers and the areas I usually smoked. I do not know that I would have the will power to quit smoking while driving a truck. Anyone that has stopped smoking my hat is off to you and for those that still smoke you know the consequences but never give up trying one day everything will click and it will be the time to quit.

So far over ten years no smoking and I plan on keeping it that way.

I am very sorry for the people who have died of emphysema and also the people who have had to watch loved ones die from emphysema.


I have very mixed feelings on the government getting involved with this issue also.

 

[Falligator]

I didn't start smoking til I was 21 after I got out of the
Army. I quit after 7 years cold turkey. I was only smoking about a pack and a half a day. IE except on long trips. The mood swings were the worst for me. It seems as though I'm also eating more since I quit. There's something else I have to cut back on....

 

[dhalltoyo]

Believe this!

I smoked while I worked on a Respiratory Unit. What a hypocrite. I dealt with folks dying from lung cancer. When suctioning bronchial secretions my patients would often cough very forcefully. After performing this patient care I would dispose of the used equipment; it was not usual to find pieces of lung tissue stuck on my safety goggles.

Thank God for His help to break the habit.

Here is a link that might be a blessing to someone trying to quit.

Smoking Cessation Center

 

[TJ959]

I started smoking in the service when I was 19. I tried several times to quit but nothing ever seemed to work. Finally when I was 34 my wife and I decided to start a family. When she got pregnant, I decided to quit cold turkey. That was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I still have dreams that I'm smoking and it smells real good when someone lights up. That was 27 years ago and it still effects my life. I'm convinced that you will never quit unless you really want to. It doesn't matter how bad it is for you or if it scares you. If you enjoy smoking, you don't really want to quit. Use every tool you can to quit but mostly you have to want to quit. The only regret I have is that I was skinny when I smoked and I'm rather chubby now.