[REASON]

Originally Posted by freeztar

Tomorrow will be a great time to test my willpower as some friends are coming over for a barbecue, and some of them smoke. I feel very confident that I can resist the urge.

I'm confident you can, too. And it is very empowering when you do.

Remember, you are the master.

[Galapagos]

Originally Posted by InfiniteNow

I would get down and start doing push-ups when I had cravings. It helped it go away.

This is exactly what I did. I just did body weight exercises whenever I had a craving. The high from the work out + the exhaustion made me not want to smoke at all.
I actually kept up with the whole fitness thing, and the end of my cigarette addiction marked the beginning of my weigh lifting addiction.

To those of you still struggling, try picking up some fitness activity, or just doing light body weight workouts whenever you get a craving. And good luck to you all!!

[sanctus]

Originally Posted by koji8123

the title is kinda like 'why have sex when AIDS will kill you?' lol anyways good luck guys with the quitting plans!

Well, if there would a preservative for the "sigarette-bad-components" I would not want to stop smoking. It is not the same there are protections against getting AIDS, as far ass I know the fact of smoking increases the risk whatsoever you do...

[koji8123]

Originally Posted by sanctus

Well, if there would a preservative for the "cigarette-bad-components" I would not want to stop smoking. It is not the same there are protections against getting AIDS, as far ass I know the fact of smoking increases the risk whatsoever you do...

I guess there's ways of quitting smoking and AIDS... not so much
cure for cravings, not for lowered white blood cell count, good point but still

[InfiniteNow]

Reason and Freezy,

Your openness discussing this is very refreshing. You guys rock. Just try to remind yourself that there's no such thing as "just one" cigarette. Try not to think of it that way, since you know once you have one, all of those beautiful little addiction components in your brain are awakened from their dormant state and saying "holy sweet jeebus, i forgot how high i felt when doing that." ... and they will prompt your cravings to begin again, then (as Reason so aptly stated) it's back to square one again.

Some people make the mistake of thinking about having one cigarette to "reward" themselves. "Hey, I've been smoke free for a month now. I am going to have just one to reward myself for all of my efforts." But, when you think about it logically, it's not a reward at all, but a betrayal. Why would you reward yourself by negating all of your hard work and focus to move away from that behavior? This concept makes much more sense when viewed in a different context. "I've been off heroine for a whole month. I think I'll reward myself by shooting up." See what I mean? It should be no different with ciggies.


Sanctus - If working out is not your thing, then you could always try masturbation to help the craving pass. It's a lot more fun, and feels good too. Just hopefully you are not THAT addicted, or you could really hurt yourself by doing it too often and rubbing yourself raw. <hmm... and you might want a smoke when you're done, too. scratch that. i don't think that's a very good idea after all.>


Cheers all. Thanks again for all of your openness in this thread. It has reminded me of how many times I struggled trying to let those things go, and how glad I am now not having them dictate so many aspects of my life. Happy grilling.

[freeztar]

I think I may have stumbled upon a possible answer to this thread's question.

Anyone who has ever tried smoking probably remembers that first cigarette vividly. For some, it brought a wave of nausea or a nasty coughing fit. For others, those first puffs also came with a rush of pleasure or “buzz.”

Now, a new study links those first experiences with smoking, and the likelihood that a person is currently a smoker, to a particular genetic variation. The finding may help explain the path that leads from that first cigarette to lifelong smoking.

The new finding also adds to growing suspicion surrounding the role of a particular nicotine-receptor gene in smoking-related behaviors and in lung cancer. Other researchers have already linked variations in the same genetic region to smokers’ level of dependence on nicotine, to the number of cigarettes smoked per day and to a far higher risk of lung cancer — the ultimate outcome of a lifetime of smoking.

In a paper published online today in the journal Addiction, a multi-university collaborative team of researchers specializing in statistical genetics, gene analysis, and trait analysis reports an association between a variant in the CHRNA5 nicotine receptor gene, initial smoking experiences, and current smoking patterns.

If your first cigarette gave you a buzz & you now smoke, a gene may be to blame | University of Michigan Health System

[Donk]

I'm a smoker.

Once I gave up for exactly one year just to prove I could, but the side effects weren't pleasant. No real cravings, not much weight gain - but my brain turned into porridge

At the time I was in a job which suited me very much. 50% of the time was routine typing, filing, checking... Not thought-intensive activities, so while doing those things my hindbrain was busily inventing new and better ways of getting the work done. The other 50% of the time was working out the details, implementing them, training others on the new techniques. It took a while before I noticed it, but during that year I had virtually no new ideas. I just coasted. So I started smoking again and the brainwave faucet turned back on.

There were no nicotine replacements back then, either gum, lozenges or patches. It was smoke or cold turkey. I'd proved that I could do the cold turkey thing, but the cost was more than I was willing to pay. I did cut down though, to around five a day.

18 months ago I decided to taper off, replacing cigarettes with gum. Within weeks, I was down to two a day. By June, one every five days. Then eight. Then twelve...

I opened my current pack in July last year. I still have six left, and the gap is still increasing. 97 days to my last one, and (so far) over 120 days since. At this rate, I'll still be able to look at that pack and say "I'm a smoker" until some time in 2011.

[Michaelangelica]

High status individuals doctors, actors- change values/opinions/attitudes/values.