So tomorrow is my official quitting date. I am wondering if there are any others on here who made a decision to quit when they were making a switch to a healhier lifestyle and getting into triathlons. Any suggestions? Are there supplements, or vitamins that aid in the rebuilding of your body.
Thanks guys, you help is appreciated.
nicotine patches helped me quit…
That, and deciding that I don’t want to die by something that is self induced and I KNOW is bad for me.
and I was tired of smelling like an ashtray ( after you quit you will be surprised how badly you rationalize your behavior, and how bad smokers smell)
and I was tired of being treated like a second class citizen
and tired of paying soooo much for such a self destructive behavior…
Good luck
Smoke 3 packs tonight, seriously. Smoke yourself sick. Maybe drink yourself into a stupor to. It worked for me. Didn’t want to look at a smoke for the first 2.5 days.
You will probably fail. And that’s ok. Public pronouncements such as this are good in that respect.
Never quit quitting. It usually takes a few times to stick. You will likely need to re-define the exact type and extent of self control you will need. But you have it in you and you will find it.
Quitting is a process, as is anything worthwhile and life changing
Millions have suceeded.
The urge passes.
1st 3 days suck.
Sometime after a week or two there will come a time when you realize that cigarettes were not the only thing you have been thinking of for the last few minutes and you will be surprised and happy.
Millions have failed.
Buy the patch and wait until you really, really want a smoke and then stick it on to clean, oil free, shaved skin. After about 3 minutes a somewhat deep relaxation will come over you and you will realize you can do this.
It’s like breaking up with your first love… all encompassing and nothing will ever convince you that things will be ok again, but persevere and soon they will be and you will feel silly for your longings and desire.
Indulge every other desire you have for awhile, food, booze (careful there as it can lead to smoking), but don’t stress about gaining 5-10 lbs. Embrace it.
Quitting smoking is the single most healthy choice you can make. Everything else pales in comparision unless you are mainlining heroin. Your body, breath, clothes, car, home, will no longer stink. You will no longer be stigmatized. Sneaking outside like an outcast to catch a smoke. It is freedom. The cough, the $$, etc.
You will be so happy and proud once you are through this. It is truly a monumental achievement. So many smokers never can kick it and will literally die from their habit. If you don’t quit you will likely die from yours.
Obviously I have been through. Once upon a time (2006?) I won a triathlon after sneaking a quick one under the boardwalk in my wetsuit right before the ocean swim. Chain smoked 3 more right before the awards. RD and 2nd and 3rd looked at me very funny after picking up my scent. So don’t think you need to quit one thing before embarking on something else. Start the healthy stuff right now and let it displace the unhealthy things. Saying no to something is hard work and draining, so look for healthier alternatives to say yes to instead of or at the same time. Saying yes is always empowering. In time, you will have a lifestyle with simply no room for unhealthy habits.
The best way, in the immortal words of Nike is to “Just do it”. If you feel like having one, go workout. Also, don’t put yourself in the situations where you would normally want to smoke, like going out for a drink.
First, congratulations on your decision. You obviously WANT to quit. That’s very important.
I smoked 2 1/2 packs a day for 13 years. I quit cold turkey. No patches, no gum.
Make it one day … tough it out. Then on day two, think about what you invested in quitting on day one. Each day you don’t smoke is an investment you’ve made in not smoking that you don’t want to just throw away.
At the same time, throw yourself into your training. It increases the value of the investment. Think about how much smoking takes away from what you want to accomplish in triathlon.
Every time you see a smoker, be disgusted. That’s not you. Thank God that’s not you. You are not a smoker. Convince yourself.
Cut up lots of small pieces of carrots and celery and any other low-fat items you can munch to help get you through the oral fixation aspect during the first few days.
Tell as many people as you can that you’re quitting so you’ll be more shamed if you don’t succeed. Seriously. It will help at times. You need to employ every trick in the book and this is a good one.
I’m 54. I don’t think I’d be alive today if I hadn’t quit … 15 years or so ago now. You’ll never have any regrets about quitting. You’ll almost certainly have them if you don’t.
Be tough. I’ll have you in my thoughts and prayers.
Oh. Please tell all your loved ones that you’ll tax all their powers of tolerance while you go through this. It’s true. You’ll be a major ass. But it’ll pass. (Well, mostly it’ll pass. I’m sure plenty of folks still think I’m an ass.)
.
Keep trying, it sucks and short term failure is possible cut keep on trying. Also never say you are “quitting smoking” just think “I am not a smoker.” Also there is the huge chance that you will miss smoking and still see the beauty and coolness in it just don’t give in to the truth.
I miss Camels.
First, congratulations on your decision. You obviously WANT to quit. That’s very important.
I smoked 2 1/2 packs a day for 13 years. I quit cold turkey. No patches, no gum.
Make it one day … tough it out. Then on day two, think about what you invested in quitting on day one. Each day you don’t smoke is an investment you’ve made in not smoking that you don’t want to just throw away.
At the same time, throw yourself into your training. It increases the value of the investment. Think about how much smoking takes away from what you want to accomplish in triathlon.
Every time you see a smoker, be disgusted. That’s not you. Thank God that’s not you. You are not a smoker. Convince yourself.
Cut up lots of small pieces of carrots and celery and any other low-fat items you can munch to help get you through the oral fixation aspect during the first few days.
Tell as many people as you can that you’re quitting so you’ll be more shamed if you don’t succeed. Seriously. It will help at times. You need to employ every trick in the book and this is a good one.
I’m 54. I don’t think I’d be alive today if I hadn’t quit … 15 years or so ago now. You’ll never have any regrets about quitting. You’ll almost certainly have them if you don’t.
Be tough. I’ll have you in my thoughts and prayers.
Oh. Please tell all your loved ones that you’ll tax all their powers of tolerance while you go through this. It’s true. You’ll be a major ass. But it’ll pass. (Well, mostly it’ll pass. I’m sure plenty of folks still think I’m an ass.)
.
Carrots and celery are a good idea, with me I think a lot of it was the oral fixation. Gum helped a lot, chewing on a toothpick, whatever as long as it is not a cigarette, and I’d really stay away from the nicotine stuff.
I quit at 9pm may 31, 2008.
I smoked from age 15 to 42.
I can honestly say, there are still days i want a cigarette. It is (for me) a daily commitment.
I tried quitting off & on for a couple years, never making it more than a day or 2 at a time. I had to make that commitment to myself that I was ready for a change.
I used Chantix for 10 days, I had some weird side effects and had to stop taking it. But, it helped me over the hump & I never looked back.
It is nice to not reek from the smoke, it is nice not to weeze at night, and it is really nice that my doctor is impressed with the turn around on my overall health & conditioning since I quit & began focusing on taking care of myself.
Stick with it, it will be tough for a bit but the payoff is worth it.
I did it the easy way - stop putting them in your mouth, stop lighting them.
I quit after a pack a day for 13 years. I went headbanging cold turkey. I made a deal with myself if I started smokeing again then no more beer. In light of that deal I was able to quit but it was not easy.
Good luck.
Good for you. I wish you the best of luck.
I promised myself that I could have one after every bj my bride gives me…4.5 years smoke free!!
I quit after a decade of heavy smoking and it’s been eight years since then.
Wasn’t easy and there were some false starts but when I succeeded it was by picking a date in the future, understanding that I had good reasons to quit, and then going cold turkey on that day and trying not to look back.
The first couple days were bad from a ‘wanting to smoke’ perspective but that faded fairly quickly after that. It was more about the empty time (sitting in traffic, waiting for an appointment) and the group thing (co-workers/friends stepping out for a smoke). Eventually that passed as well and I no longer consider myself an ex-smoker who quit, just a non-smoker.
The benefits were many and I am sure you know them all. Just stay committed and if you take a step back shake it off and keep moving forwards. It’s like a flat tire on the bike, don’t give up - fix it and move on.
Good luck!
Anyone who is looking to quit smoking should read this:
It’s roughly 100 pages so what do you have to lose?
get the patch you will have killer dreams . just never stop quiting till you stop for ever
good on you you thom
Here’s my two cents.
Most likely you will not be able to stop cold turkey. It’s great if you can and that should be your goal, to never smoke again, but it’s just really hard to lay down the cigs and never smoke again.
If you slip up and smoke don’t stop trying, keep at it. Don’t stop trying.
I smoked a pack a day 31 years ago and started running and cycling to help me stop. It worked but it took awhile. I was actually a fairly good runner by the time I was able to stop completely.
The take home point is this, keep on trying, if you fall off the wagon and smoke you haven’t blown it, just try again. It’s worth the effort.
I honestly think the best thing to do is to ask your self if you are serious…are you? if you know you are go and book your self in for an event. I gave my self 15 months to train for my first IM race. I decided to do it, booked it and stopped smoking on the spot. Once you start to cycle and run and you can feel how shit your lung feel you will know it was the right decision! You will very quickly feel the changes and your fitness will improve and your body will fix its self. Forget patches and all that crap just do some exercise, the pain and then the buzz of hitting a new Personal Best on a regular basis (Which you will do very regularly when you first start) will make smoking seem soo dumb. I have improved sooo much that I still get a buzz from just thinking about it. I dont stink of smoke and my kids have a much healthier and less grumpy dad. Appart from bigging my self up I am just trying to get accross just what a great idea it is to stop…you will get a whole new outlook by starting to train and giving up the smokes.
Yes sometimes I think of a siggy but its only for a sec or 2 and then its gone. Also, dont go drinking with smokers for a few weeks as that is when you will be at your weekest mentally! drinking makes everything seem like a great idea!
get the patch you will have killer dreams . just never stop quiting till you stop for ever
good on you you thom
I called them vivid dreams - like real life. I remember walking down the beach, and feeling the individual grains of sand between my toes. Very strange.
I can honestly say, there are still days i want a cigarette. It is (for me) a daily commitment.
It wont always be a struggle, but you’re right there is the short term addiction then many months of psychological craving. But just to let you know it gets better - much better - after that psychological phase ended (for me, maybe 2 years), I literally can’t imagine putting a cigarette to my lips and lighting it, and there are no situations that come up where I think “this would be better with a smoke.” The attraction of igarettes are just dead to me. In fact I think I have become mildly allergic to them.