For the first time in many months, it's been over 4 hours since I've woken up and not had a cigarette.
I wrote a post here last summer as I was attempting to quit smoking, it went well for about a week but unfortunately I broke down and started smoking again. I blamed it on the stress, the trading and all other sort of things. Like in Lethal Weapon it felt like "the wrong week to quit smoking" or something like that. Of course it was all just excuses really, but now I'm as determined as ever to give it another go and take a break from most things to see this through.
I started smoking when I was 20, we had a pretty chill class in highschool where only a couple students out of 30+ smoked so I never got introduced to it that way. I was one of the people who didn't understand what it meant to be addicted to smoking, it felt ridiculous to believe some people couldn't be without it. I started my military service and everyone started telling me that I will start smoking there because everyone does. The stress and being outside all the time will get you to smoke. I brushed it off as I was sure that wouldn't affect me and for the longest time it didn't.
I started smoking the last month of my military service out of boredom as we didn't have much to do at the end of it. How ironic is that, looking back now I almost wish I had started smoking earlier to relieve the stress. Ever since that last month I continued smoking and it's gotten to a point where it feels like it's affecting my health and way of life. Throughout the 8+ years I've attempted to quit many times and I recently read that only 6% of people that attempt quitting on their first time succeed. So I hope that percentage is greater now as I can't even recall the number of attempts.
To be able to ease my quitting I've decided to replace that addiction with another past addiction that I had, gaming. At the time where I could spend countless of hours just sitting in front of the PC and gaming I never thought about cigarettes, so I am hoping to get back into that mindset and being without smoking for a couple weeks until I feel confident again that I can stay smokefree.
This will be where I will spend most of my time in the coming weeks and hoping I can kick the habit of smoking.
I will be using nicotine gum to not make it too difficult, it will be more about the smoking habit at first and then moving away from the nicotine addiction by mixing it up with regular gum now and then and at one point quit nicotine as well.
My hands are somewhat shaking still as I am writing this and they have became really warm as have my feet as well.
I will be posting my gaming onto @dtube if you are interested in seeing an ex-pro player come back into the game and once I have a new PC I will look into streaming it on @dlive. Even if my PC could handle it I wouldn't feel comfortable streaming right now as I probably will get easily annoyed at stuff.
Will also be blogging about it now and then and I'm hoping that together with the community I can fight this through and finally be smoke-free again.
Thanks for reading!
Have you try e-cigarette people said that they are health and you can still enjoy cigarette
Good luck! It is actually not that bad if you have something to focus on that keeps you busy, playing video games will certainly work.
Having a drink always makes me want to smoke cigarettes.
Keep fighting the good fight. It can be tough to have relapses, but we're all human. Turning your attention to gaming is a good idea and will help you a lot. Don't give up and you will eventually reach your goal, which will be good for you, your family and friends. Good luck to you.
Hit the gym, swing come kettlebells, clock up some miles on the treadmill - let your lungs remind you why you really do not want to smoke. Plus it is an hour in an environment where you cannot smoke.
Plus most gyms have a lot of specials running this time of year - so it is great time to join if you have not already.
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I liked your advices....But How many times a man can fight good..?
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep fighting as long as it takes brother.
i guess i lost my faith to this fight when i jump the gun.
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That's tough man, but I am sure you can do it. The key is changing habits. Which is easier said than done I guess. But maybe your gaming will work.
I was going to suggest Snus. I don't know if you have the same name in Finland ? But yea the tobacco that is in a pouch that you put under the lip. It's not supposed to be near as harmful as cigarettes. But still it would be replacing a bad habit with another bad habit so haha forget that - stick to the game plan ;)
My roommate has snus and offered me some to make it easier, but I think I'm going to stick to nico gum instead. Might use it a couple times if things get really tough.
My husband started smoking when he was 14, and smoked until the day he moved to be closer to me when we were dating. He quit cold turkey, because he knew how much it meant to me. I will be honest when I say he’s the only person I have come across who did not resort back to smoking, but it took him a few years to ditch the immediate desire to smoke when around others who were smoking. For the last couple of years, he has been using snuss and likes it. Gives him that little taste of nicotine without chewing gum and a plus side of not smelling like other tobacco products. Like @gtrplayer said, keep fighting the good fight. One of the negatives of quitting smoking is trying to replace the oral habit- the actual movement of taking the cigarette out and bringing it to your mouth. Replacing that with chewing gum, straws, toothpick etc will help a lot with that desire. Gaming is awesome too to preoccupy your thoughts :) good luck!
I think you make the right decision, it's not a really sexy habit to snusa
I didn't use snus, but I used to chew. You don't want to get going on that stuff instead. better to cut it all out.
Props to you for realizing you had a problem with it and working through kicking it. Just work your way through those shakes and you'll pull through :). Its not easy by any means.
ALSO does this mean the new game now that Diablo is done is WoW?? Going from one Blizzard game to another I see...
Yes, I think it will be the best one to keep my mind on the game as much as possible. With FPS and Diablo I have this thing where after a couple hours I lose concentration and look for other things to do, but an MMORPG can be different. :)
Plus Diablo you can easily pause and stop... there's no pausing when you're in a 40 man raid that lasts a couple hours so you LITERALLY won't be able to go out for a smoke :). It actually is quite the perfect way to force yourself.
It took me a good 2-4 weeks before my cravings started really cooling off. It was hard for me to be around people smoking or to be able to turn down smoking when I drank, and that honestly waxed and waned for 6 months or so. Now that I'm on the other side of it I am sooooo happy to be done with it. It's so worth it, I promise. Check out Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allen Carr. Reading that book when I was ready to quit really put things in perspective and strengthened my resolve in a big way. I think you can find a pdf of it for free.
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Hi), I once also tried to get rid of nicotine addiction after 17 years of continuous smoking, but all these attempts were reduced to zero, kept a maximum of 3 weeks and already began to think that I could never give up and almost despaired. I tried to replace cigarettes and nicotine gum and tablets and even cigarettes without nicotine, but none of the methods worked (and one day I came across a very interesting book by author Allen Carr, I started reading and for a long time I had the confidence that I could end withthis very bad habit, I read it very quickly because I really wanted to start a new life faster) and waking up on the morning of July 4, 2007, I experienced this unique feeling when you get rid of something that prevents you from living! It's been more than 10 years and I did not do one puff, as I advised reading this book 2 to my friends with a similar experience of smoking and it also worked for them)) So it's never too late to change your life for the better !!!
You can do it..
I totally understand the military thing bro, Thats why I started too! I mean, I started in my first tour to Iraq but its all the same... fucking military, lol..
I wanted to say ~Good luck bro~ I know you can do it! I quit one year ago now after smoking for over 15 years! If I can do it you can do it too! My trick was to just think about every negative thing I could everytime smoking would cross my mind. Like how stupid it was to pay for cancer, how bad it smelled, how expensive it was, how much it hurt my lungs, how I was a slave to it, how it sucked to go on a plane or to a movie without craving one. and I would go on and on until i was so disgusted I didn't even want it anymore.. the truth is we all know how bad it is to for our health to smoke, I mean there is a fucking warning on every pack you smoke! lol.
anyhow, you just need to retrain your brain to think about it negatively rather than positively. Now when I think about smoking I don't crave it at all, I just get pissed I willingly payed to poison myself for so long! Trust me, you will feel so much better it is ridiculous ;)
Hang in there, bro.
You can do it!
There's a great book you might try. I often send it to folks who are wanting to stop smoking. There's the key: STOPPING not quitting.
The book is, "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking", by Allen Carr (yes, a WEIRD similarity to my own name...).
If you are a quick reader, you'll be able to do it in a sitting. Alternately, if you NEED to take some time to let the ideas set in, the book allows for that too.
I JUST sent out our last copy before the New Year (by request- I ain't no crazy person shoving my beliefs on folk), but you can find it for a couple of bucks on HPB.com (Half Priced books).
The video game deterrent is excellent.
I wish you the best of luck and strongest of wills!
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check it out! :)
@acidyo
Stay healthy so you can enjoy your gazillions :D Best wishes
I am free already. smoke during my early age of 14. Just quit for 5 years now. You can do it bro !!!
Good luck on quitting smoking, man. I know it's hard as fuck, but you can do it, dude. If you get the urge to smoke while you're not gaming, I would suggest getting a bunch of gum and just popping some into your mouth. I've heard the oral fixation on chewing can help ease with quitting smoking from a few people.
Quitting an addiction is really a tough time,but never stop quitting on quitting smoking!
Fight till the end,we all have addictions and we all should never stop trying to quit.Since you have asked the community and also got a replacement habit,then it will get easier.
Remember don't quitting on quitting on smoking!
I do smoke yet @acidyo. I'd try to stop many times lot. But couldn't do yet. I know smoke has more worst disadvantages. But after come to the steemit control it coz I sitting in-front of steemit screen. Thanks for discuss matching my life styles topic. I'll try to stop bad smoke addiction.
Yeah man you should definitely try and blog about it as well.
Think of all the Steem you can buy instead of cigs. :)
Yep...that's correct...I started smoke before 15 years ago. Its unstoppable. But when I came to steemit Its control level in now. Thanks for your attention.
you should stop smoking... coz smoking causes cancer
Yep man...Definitely stop and I should think my 1st baby coming out next June.
Congrats! That's a huge accomplishment. I ended up using a vape pen to quit- It wasn't the nicotine quite so much as the hand to mouth motion that I was addicted to. I started because I wanted something to do with my hands so I didn't feel so awkward. I hope that you're able to keep your mind off the cigarettes and quit this time around. It's hard but it's so worth it.
Stay strong man - that is no small endeavor you're undertaking! Obviously I can't fault the plan of replacing one compulsive habit with another - I did that with steemit and gaming and it's worked!
I feel your pain. Smoking is addictive and it is time to go cold turkey [Forever]. Realize that the addiction doesn't own you. You have power over it. The best way to stop the addiction is to know that you are stronger than addiction.
Never stop fighting , I was addition to cigarettes and weed for years and I could not even go half a day without smoking but I realized I am better , when I became pregnant I smoked the first couple months and realized im selfish , I have to do this for myself and my baby , we all just need a reason to stop
Good luck and keep your motivation. I stop during december :)
Thanks and good for you! Stay strong!
You too !!!! :) This one attempt will be the good :)
It's difficult to stop something you are very used to do. I might be to dramatic here but in my experience of quitting some of my addictions I felt like I was letting go a part of myself, it was really hard. Luckily, I had some support from my family and friends. You can do it man. It may take some time but as long as you have the will, you will succeed in quitting your smoking addiction. Good luck and I hope you all the best!
In my family we have people addicted to cigarettes, alcohol and coffee (this one doesn’t matter much)
So I have seen up close the damage this types of addictions can make.
That’s why I don’t smoke, nor drink coffee on a daily basis, and alcohol I do drink, but not much.
I just don’t want to deal with this type of issues that negatively affect our lives.
Good for you for doing all you can in order to quit this addiction. I hope you succeed at this.
Hey dude, have a look at my post, https://steemit.com/smoking/@sauna/are-you-ready-to-quit-smoking and if you follow my system you will quit smoking.
Congrats! Smoking sucks
fight till the end bro,, @acidyo
Good luck quitting. I have smoked and quit on and off for years. I found that not drinking alcohol, not socialising with smokers (at least initially) and finding distractions (gaming is a great idea) all help considerably but at the end of the day it comes down to will power. Good luck and if you put your mind to it, I’m sure you’ll succeed.
As a hardcore gamer myself (not a pro one though. ;>) i would love to see more gameplay from you. I do really recommend you to try Path Of Exile. If you love the Diablo series, here is one fresh and ingenious ARPG, free to play, yet with unlimited variations and endless theorycrafting.
I'm sure you will enjoy it, i bet my 10000 satoshis for it. :D
I had a pretty similar smoking career as you did. Let me tell you what worked for me:
I met a girl just after I had quit and introduced myself as a non smoker - which was technically not a ly. We came together and I never started again. This happens 13 years ago, we are now married, have 2 kids and I have never touched a single cigarette since then.
Motivation is everything... good luck to you.
yeah, just had that too. i'm living in the middle of nowhere in portugal. no car and 1.5 hours of walking (in the rain) to get tabacco. i thought it's a good time to stop smoking... but here i am, going through all my ashtrays and smoking the ones that have about 1cm left on it. it's decreasing every day... now i'm almost smoking the filters and start to think it might me healthier for me to take this walk and buy a few packs. for my health... it's difficult
Today is the day of quit smoking.
But I think vtue best way to quit any addiction is to ask God to help you.
Smoking is a hard habit to break. The change in lifestyle and cravings can be tough. Atleast you acknowledge that you need to quit even if you fail last summer keep on trying. Gaming should occupy your mind and find some less stressful ways to deal with what is stressing you.
This post has been upvoted and Resteemed!
I am so proud of you for finally taking the first step on your journey to making yourself more healthy. I am going to start following you in hopes that your posts can help me be strong in my journey to try to quit smoking this year as well.
After two days, the physical addiction has disappeared. The rest is a matter of mind. Stay strong and just think about the most valuable thing you have: your health and thus the lifetime you will win. My congratulations!
Best of luck with the giving up dude... it's an incredibly tough thing to do. I am currently on day three without a smoke so I know how you are feeling. For me the toughest time is around 6pm in the evening, that afterwork moment. My weirdest symptom I get is my arms go totally restless, and I don't know what to do with them. I end up doing a bunch of kung-fu punches just to wear them out. Just remember, lot's of people give up all the time. You CAN be one of those people and I'm sure you will be! Good luck!
It is not easy to stop smoking.. but not impossible! The nicotine and the many chemicals that they put in cigarettes, they are their own to create addiction! Keeping yourself busy is a good option, although I know warcraft well and can be called another addiction! :D You can try decreasing the percentage of nicotine, with patches or buy an electronic cigarette.. but the first thing to do and motivate yourself to quit, be mentally strong to stop this habit! Good luck
Keep it up @acidyo...u can..... nothing we can't do,,everything doing ur mind...best of lu k to u
Very motivational article that can inspire a lot of people with this problem, but i wish you all the best because you are very strong
I quit smoking 3 years ago after 10 years tries, but still missing it when stressed.
Congrats! And good luck to you as you continue to overcome the addiction, many blessings!!
Some of us have it easier than others. I used tobacco for years; first cigarettes at a very young age in the 1960's in NY. Then I started on the chewing kind. I stopped because I found it embarrassing and gross. It wasn't who I wanted to be or be perceived as. It was expensive and illogical. Then there was the health insurance. So I stopped. Wasn't easy at first, but it was a matter of my mind winning a struggle with animal impulses. You're too good for that shit.
Hey man! You can do it!
I had a relative with same situation as yours , I know this times are hard but you can do it. Just do baby steps on your habits, the magic does not effect over night, but you can do it! . I hope the huge amount of support from the community somehow help you to totally change your habits. Just keep on fighting. I will wait for your gaming vids and cant wait to watch one!
Hey @acidyo We will be right beside you through your journey, My hole family smoked and my mom was one of them but I had trouble breathing around her. So she quit colt turkey it took 3 tries. Love your gaming post, please keep contributing to the gaming community. I would love to see the gaming post in the future. You should use gaming and steemit as a counter to the time you spend on smoking. Lets do this!
I think i'll give quiying anothre try, thank you.
Hey @acidyo
My family were smokers. My uncle and my mom desperately wanted to stop, but time went by, they felt weak, powerless and beaten down buy not being able to quit. Uncle eventually did quit. My mom is still trying to quit, evethough she still smokes 1 or 2 a day but she made a huge progress.
Is it too late to quit smoking or Is the damage done?
Hell no, It's never too late to quit smoking, the only time it's too late to quit smoking is when you're six feet under.
I’m wishing you good luck!
I think you should not play the game inclusive of your effort to quit smoking, Ideally you should take some exercise up also add to that some walking. Staying within the same environment is one of the triggers to returning to habits.
@acidyo I'm totally with you man, I can relate! I feel like I want to quit smoking too. I hope you make it!
I admire your focus. Quiting a Bad Habit is really difficult. Keep on doing it. Good luck.
I am sure you can do it....keep trying my friend