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(Cigarette) Smokers & ex-smokers

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Ruby Dragon, Aug 23, 2019.

  1. Ruby Dragon

    Ruby Dragon Well-Known Member

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    I quit smoking on 26th April this year, and since quitting, I've had recurring dreams in which I smoke. In the dream, I feel disappointed in myself for starting again, and the dreams feel so real, I can actually smell and taste the cigarette.

    The main reason I quit smoking is because I'm on an antidepressant that makes the cigarettes taste horrible. I quit smoking before it could have an effect, but I know if I were to try smoking now that the antidepressant is in my system completely, it would taste horrible and make me feel nauseous.

    I have to add, I go through "phases" when it comes to smoking. I'd start smoking, and stay a smoker for a year, sometimes two or three years, then decide to quit. I'd then quit for a year or two, then start back up. If I stood strong the last time I quit smoking, it would've been about 6 years and 7 months now. I don't know why I always start smoking again. I guess I didn't get my mind right completely. But after such a long time... I don't know if I could still blame my mindset.

    I know smoking's bad, not to mention expensive, and the plus side is that I now save a LOT of money. I used to smoke one and a half carton a month. I know some people smoke a carton every few days, but I still feel like I smoked too much. I still get cravings, and I'm still in the habit of "doing something" before chores. I'd normally have a cigarette before starting chores, and depending on how long the chore takes to complete, I'd have a cigarette again afterwards. Now that I no longer smoke, I have nothing to do before starting chores, and it takes a while for me to get motivated enough. I guess you can say I've used smoking as a crutch, and a motivational action of sorts.

    When the cravings get real bad, I usually have a cup of coffee. And I know too much coffee is also bad for me. I drink roughly 6-8 cups of coffee a day though, which isn't that bad, I think? I don't want to replace smoking with drinking coffee, but it seems to sort-of be the case here. Then again, I always used to drink around that amount of coffee a day, even when I was still smoking. It's just weird that I still dream about smoking. My dad quit smoking more than a decade ago, and he says he also dreams about smoking from time to time. He smoked for many, many years on end before deciding to quit for good.

    To the ex-smokers: Did you quit gradually (smoking less and less, then stopping) or did you stop cold turkey? Each time I've quit smoking, I've done it cold turkey. I'd finish the pack I was busy with, and then just not buy any more. I'm usually moody for a few days after quitting, but that's normal. It's my body's way of acting up about its nicotine addiction not getting satisfied anymore...
     
  2. Andrew99

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    I’ve only smoked two cigarettes in my life and hated them both. I’m proud of you for quilting though! :slight_smile:

    Do you smoke or ingest marijuana? I heard that it can help quit the urge to smoke cigarettes and it can help with your depression?
     
  3. Chip

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    Under no circustances would I recommend marijuana. The nature of the way it impacts neurochemistry, it is more likely to make depression worse than make it better. It may numb out the feelings of depression in the short term, but will make things far worse in the long term,

    As far as maintaining a tobacco-free life, Chantix and Wellbutrin, both prescription medications, have been clinically shown to reduce cravings. Some people have found that taking niacin, a B vitamin, is helpful, as it is ciochemically somewhat similar to nicotine in reducing cravings. For the physical part of the addiction (holding the cigarette), licorice sticks, made from real, natural licorice (fennel) has been helpful to many.

    Cigarettes have been intentionally engineered, over decades, at a cost of literally billions of dollars, to be the most addictive product known to man. That is one of the reasons I'm such a strong advocate that people never smoke, even super occasionally. Making the decision to quit is a very positive step, and I hope and am confident that you will find success.
     
  4. Ruby Dragon

    Ruby Dragon Well-Known Member

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    I agree. To answer Andrew's question: I smoked marijuana sometime between 2011-2012, and though, as Chip said, it helped to make me feel better temporarily, it actually caused me to try to slit my wrists. And I ended up in a mental hospital for 10 days and was on suicide watch. Couldn't even shower without having someone constantly knocking on the door. It was horrible! So I would NOT advocate ANYBODY to ever smoke that stuff. Or to ever smoke, period.

    And the antidepressants I'm on is Wellbutrin, and I've been on it previously too, and also quit smoking thanks to it. I'm actually hoping that I never have to go off them, because that would keep me from starting back up with smoking. Of course the REASON I'm on it isn't something I'd wish to remain though (depression). It's helpful knowing that even if I were to try to take up smoking again, it'd make the cigarettes taste horrible and would keep me from getting hooked again. So far, so good. I still get cravings from time to time, but it's getting better as the days go by.

    Thanks for your valuable insight Chip. It's information not always known by everyone, so it's good you mentioned it here, where many users could potentially see it and make informed decisions :slight_smile:
     
  5. Ryu

    Ryu
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    I’m smoking a lot at the moment
    I know that I shouldn’t it’s just something I find myself doing more and more. I’m going through about a pack a week.
    Not only is it something of an escape from what’s going on at the moment in my life, it’s just something to do. I got a job at the start of the summer and we have to have half an hour breaks during our shifts and I normally have two then because it’s just something to do, gets me outside, means I can listen to music and people won’t bother me.
    I never thought I’d start smoking to begin with, the one thing I don’t want to be is my dad but the more time goes on the closer I feel like I get to becoming what he is, and I’m just disappointed in myself more than anything else.
    I don’t really care enough to quit though. It’s bad for your health but that’s almost a good thing to me, it passes time, it’s an excuse to hang out with friends. The irony is I’ve stopped waiting for munchies parents to leave the house so I can go outside and smoke and just smoke in my room, and I haven’t seen much of my friends this summer. It’s something.
     
  6. Chip

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    Not to scare you, but you are at the point of addiction. Unless you want to be addicted to something that will soon cost you $200+/month (USD), please stop TODAY and don't ever have even one more cigarette.

    No one ever plans to become addicted. Everyone says "Oh, it won't happen to me", or "Oh, if I start to feel addicted, I'll stop". That isn't the way it works, and the tobacco companies are counting on the stupidity of people to not believe all the info that's out there. This product is engineered, start to finish, to addict people and kill them.

    Not to be an ass but... find something more useful and less destructive. A year or two from now,if you don't, you'll look back at this post and realize it's about the stupidest excuse anyone could ever have for smoking.

    Take a walk. Read a book Look at your phone. Meditate. Call or text a friend. There are a million things you can do that won't create addiction and harm your health. Really. This is just ridiculous.

    If it's a self-esteem thing, take an hour and watch Brené Brown's three TED talks. You deserve better, and the majority of people who smoke *do* have self esteem issues. But don't let your self-esteem turn into paying tobacco companies hundreds of dollars a month. That's just idiocy.

    What it really boils down to is whether you give enough of a shit about yourself to make smart choices. It won't be a choice for much longer, if it even is now.
     
    #6 Chip, Aug 27, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2019
  7. Benway

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    I picked up smoking when I was 24, long after the age that most people start. I had just gotten out of a stint in a mental hospital and I was looking for something to numb the pain of my day-to-day existence. Soon I was smoking two packs of Newport Box 100s a day. For years it was great. I cut down a lot when I switched to vaping, years ago but I still get nicotine in my system, but it doesn't really do anything for me anymore except make me feel normal. It's not a habit I would recommend picking up. I spend about 50 or 60 dollars a month on my habit, but that's still too much. I also sometimes smoke a pipe, but I don't inhale that.

    Anyway, I came very close to quitting when I tried nicotine lozenges, but then I got hooked on the nicotine lozenges and felt profoundly unwell if I didn't have a nicotine lozenge under my tongue, so I went back to vaping when a life event hit me hard in April or May of this year. I'm going to try to quit again in the future when this current life event dissipates. I want to see if my doctor will put me on Wellbutrin for my depression, anyway but that may be a difficult sell because I'm Bipolar 1 and she doesn't want me to have any antidepressants at all, which sucks because some days I'm so depressed I can barely stand up.
     
  8. Phoenix92

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    I started smoking back in High School, and then I was able to quit after going away to coolest, but then picked it back up after starting work(restaurant work, Busser & Dishwasher, 10 hour weekend shifts w/o breaks) so I needed something to help relax.
    Not too heavy of a smoker, a pack a week/week and a half, super light amount, but I still needed that relaxation.

    And then before I got with the ex-fiancé, I switched over to a vape, low nicotine levels(I started at a mere 6mg). This was all well and good, I had been thinking of reducing my nicotine levels down to 3mg, but then I got with the ex(who was at a much higher level(28mg nicotine in her juice). Long story short, she got me hooked on a much higher level of nicotine, one which has taken me much longer to get off of. But I’ve been nicotine free since June, and I feel absolutely wonderful!

    As for the ex, last I heard she’d switched back to smoking, this despite her psychiatric meds being counteracted by nicotine.