A small personal success

[theperfessor]

Well, it's now been over two months since I quit smoking. Forty+ years of 1-2 packs a day of Pall Malls and I quit cold turkey. Woke up one day and decided it was time and stopped right then. Gave my last pack and a half to a guy that does some remodeling for us and was working on our house.

Didn't want to post until I was sure I would succeed. I don't miss it. I have found some great sugar free gum to help get over the "fiddle" aspects.

I figure I'm saving about $3600+ a year now, plan to share some of that with the site on my one year anniversary and also plan to get out of credit card debt and then buy some new equipment as a reward to myself.

Also will not nag or preach to anyone else to change their ways. What is right for me isn't necessarily right for anyone else.

Just wanted to share.

[wiljen]

Glad you were able to quit. I had to when my daughter got here years ago. Seems they frown on smoking around a preemie with asthma for some reason. With prices what they are now, I can't imagine what it would have cost me.

[Artful]

Congrats - I was cigar smoker - when I walk past a smokes shop the raw smells still make my heart skip a beat but I can walk on past with out stopping. It's good to be able to breathe when some of my bud's can't catch a breath.

[tryNto]

Congratulations !!!!! Way to go...... Stick with it.

I did the exact same thing, with the same cigs (2 1/2 packs a day) 20+ years ago.
Took me another 21 years to kick the alcohol 'tho. 8 yrs sober July 3 this year. :bigsmyl2:

[WILCO]

Great job!!! Take it one day at a time and keep forward.

[RugerFan]

Congrats! Very good to hear a success story like that.

[metweezer]

Congrats and good luck to you Perfesser. It was my resolution over a year and a half ago and come this new years it will be two years. I have smoked for 50 years including Camels, Lucky Strikes, Madison Cigars and Between The Acts. The last two were tiny cigars and inhaling them was like inhaling glass. Unlike you, I still miss the buggers but I won't go back as I keep telling myself 'if you go back now then why did you make the sacrifice and do without for so long'?

[birdadly]

Congratulations to all of you who have done this to better not only your life but those around you! Definitely reap the benefits of doing so, good health and extra cash are always in high demand! -Brad

[Bent Ramrod]

Good for you, Perfessor. By all means stay off of them. I figured since I was able to stand the pangs of quitting the first time, I would be able to stand them any time I wanted to quit. Wrong--it was a much more protracted and miserable ordeal the next time. Enjoy the smells, the tastes and the extra energy you'll have--you earned them!

[scrapcan]

Perfesser,

That is not a small success. It is huge. You have the right attitude also. I made the choice many years ago with smokeless tobacco. It is not easy and it takes lots of willpower.

Also if you were a smoker in the home be aware that the non smokers will also go through what you are going thru. I was a non smoker with both parents smoking, I went through the ordeal of quitting smoking when I went to college. I had only been around it for 17 years at that point, but it was a tough ordeal. Even more so because it took a while to figure out what was happening.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Thanks for posting this. I've smoked for 40+ years and still do. I know I need to quit...... maybe this time. I quit once for four years. I went out with a buddy Pheasant hunting. We had only gone a few yards when a rooster got up and I drilled him. My buddy lit up a Camel and I asked for one. Smoked it with no problem. On the way home we stopped for gas. I figured that one cigarette every four years wasn't too bad so I bought a pack............ yup, been smoking again since. I don't claim to be bright. That story was a good 15 years ago.

[94Doug]

That's awesome. I am glad you made it. Ya' just have to be ready!


Doug

[cobroller]

Glad I don't have R.J.Reynolds stock, the dividend would drop.

Hang in there. I have quit coffee, Mountain Dew, Copenhagen, and bourbon cold turkey. I did start the coffee again after twenty years.

[fecmech]

Congratulations from another ex Pall Mall smoker. I quit in 1971 but had way more incentive than you. I had a rare eye disease which they were researching at Johns Hopkins at the time. Went there and they ran me through a bunch of tests and told me they believed it was tied to nicotine and it would eventually blind me. Tossed an almost full pack of Pall Malls into the Doc's trash can and that was it. Eye disease went away and never returned. It doesn't get any better than that!

[Char-Gar]

You did a very good thing and it took some real character. I quit in 1970 after 15 years of smoking.

[Catshooter]

Good for you prof. That can be a tough row to hoe.


Cat

[dragonrider]

Well done Pefessor, well done indeed.

[firefly1957]

Good for you that is great to hear but what are the feds. and Indiana going to do without all that tax money! I have tried smoking but never liked it myself.

[nvbirdman]

I used to smoke Lucky Strikes. I woke up one morning and told myself I don't smoke anymore. That was just over thirty four years ago. Missed them for about a week, and then couldn't imagine ever lighting one up again.

[462]

Good going, Perfessor. I takes a huge amount of courage and dedication to quit, knowing that there'll be urges and withdrawl symptoms to fight against. Hang in there, man.

[MtGun44]

Well done! I never smoked, but have watched many a good person fail repeatedly to
kick this habit. It is clearly not easy, although it seems easier for some than others,
perhaps just force of will or perhaps differences in the physical addiction from one
person to the next.

In any case - the extra money will be useful, no doubt, and I hope you enjoy a long
and healthy life.

Bill

[smoked turkey]

Very good decision. I know it will pay big benefits in the years to come. I think your reward list is very appropriate. Congradulations Professor!

[Buckshot]

............I've smoked for 30 years, and still do. I know I should quit and I did once ...............for a whole week [smilie=l: My dad smoked for over 40 years. One day during a phone call mom said, "Oh by the way your dad quit smoking". A couple weeks later I was down at their place, probably working on a car. Pop walked up and while we were talking I noticed a pack of cigs in his shirt pocket. I mentioned mom said he'd quit. He simply said, "I did". I figured I had him cold then. I asked about the pack in his pocket. He looked a bit surprised then pulled the still cellophane sealed pack out and looked at them and said, "I figured if I wanted one I didn't want to have to bum one". I don't know when he threw that pack away, but he had in fact quit cold turkey. That's self control as far as I'm concerned[smilie=l:

..............Buckshot

[blackthorn]

Good for you!! I know how hard it is to quit. I quit in 1972, cold turkey like you. My ex wife continued to smoke and probably still does. I found it took about a year to notice a real difference in my metabolisim. I quit the last day of hunting that year and the next year I found myself WAY ahead of my smoking buddies when we went up the mountain in the mornings. If you are like me you may find you get the urge to smoke based on a certain smell, even a time of day, like right after a meal etc. For me these urges kept appearing at longer intervels for years. I can't really say when those urges stopped, but they do eventually. Hang in there.

[WildmanJack]

Perfessor,
Congrats on quitting. I did the same thing back in 74 ( 1974 that is). According to the studies, it's harder to quit smoking than it is to quit Heroin!! Hang in there, and don't look back.
Jack

[Blacksmith]

Perfessor

Bin there done that. Good for you!!! As the others have said the urges get less and less over time and eventually go away completely. If an urge gets strong just think of all that money that will go up in smoke if you start again.

Blacksmith

[FISH4BUGS]

I quite 15+ years ago after smoking since I was 18. I used peppermint Life Savers. When I wanted a smoke, I popped a life saver and inhaled after the coolness settled in my mouth and throat. The urge went away.
I can now occasionally enjoy a cigar at the range or while cutting the grass.
I just wanted to quit and got it in my head that I wanted to quit.

[RayinNH]

Congratulations perfessor. I too quit smoking 29 years ago when my wife got pregnant with our first. I was a pipe smoker. I came out of "retirement" for one evening when a local smoke shop was having a pipe smoking contest. I came in second and won a $50 gift certificate to a local eatery. I've never smoked since.

I do think it's more difficult for a cigarette smoker to stop though because of the inhaling. Pipe and cigar smokers don't inhale as a general rule unless they were previously cigarette smokers...Ray

[DLCTEX]

Way to go I quit Oct. 4, 1971 after smoking for 10 years. They had gone up to 50 cents and I had a wreck going after a pack, so I quit. Wife smoked for another 4 years and finally quit by putting two packs in a drawer so she knew she had them if it got too tough. Several months later she gave them to a sister and BIL as she didn't need them anymore.

[S.R.Custom]

I quit cold turkey back in '00 on January 1. I was amazed at the degree to which my physical constitution & stamina improved when I did. Every now and then I'll bum a smoke or two if I'm having drinks with people or smoke. But invariably, the next day I'm sorry and it's a loooong time until I bum any more.


...Pop walked up and while we were talking I noticed a pack of cigs in his shirt pocket. I mentioned mom said he'd quit. He simply said, "I did". I figured I had him cold then. I asked about the pack in his pocket. He looked a bit surprised then pulled the still cellophane sealed pack out and looked at them and said, "I figured if I wanted one I didn't want to have to bum one". I don't know when he threw that pack away, but he had in fact quit cold turkey. That's self control as far as I'm concerned.

That's not self control. That's borderline corporal mortification. That'd be like going vegetarian while burning bacon incense at dinner time.

[94Doug]

I had a friend who's inlaw smoked for many years....he tried to give it up, and was just HE-double toothpicks for everyone, just plain ornery. One day, he started acting better....and everyone was relieved. Then they brought in the memory chip from the Deer cam out on the trail, and there he was, smoking a cig on camera. The family came to the agreement that if he just snuck out and had an occasional smoke, he would be easier to live with, and just let it go.

Doug

[Rockydog]

Perfessor, Way to go! Takes tough guy to go cold turkey. I never smoked but my EX was a 3 pack a day smoker. I got so darn ugly a couple days after she moved out that I almost started smoking. Took 2 or 3 weeks for me to get over the craving. But like you it was worth it. LOL RD

[geargnasher]

Good on you, Perfessor! Since high school I ran 20-50 miles a week, smoked a pack of Camels a day or handrolled Drum for 13 years and quit four years ago. The cravings never went away. After about two years I remember realizing one day that I hadn't thought about smoking for a couple of days, that was the first time. But the cravings were pretty much a dull roar with occasional blasts. I eventually got sick of being a crazy man so nowdays I smoke one or two handrolled cigs at work, but not on the weekends, been doing that for a little over a year, keeps the demons away but it'll still kill me before my time. Whoever said it's different for everyone sure was right, I hope you have an easier time of it than me. Getting over the habit took me about three days (learning how to eat, drive, take a break reload etc. all over again without the thing that was so ingrained into my daily rituals and routines), others smoking when I quit never bothered me a bit, but the deep-down shake-up to my mental chemistry never righted itself. I'm sure I can quit completely without going nuts, but I'm going to need some professional help to deal with the issues. The reason I ramble on here is to tell you I know what it's like, and if you can stay quit past all the recurring "euphoric recall" phases, youre a tough son-of-a-gun indeed. :drinks:

Gear

[Frosty Boolit]

I'm always happy to hear when someone conquers a dependency.

[pipehand]

Quit last January , myself. Cold turkey also, and the redefinition of myself as a non-smoker. Went through a bunch of candy and gum the first 8 weeks, and then tapered that off. Food tastes better, and I use less salt than I used to. Unfortunately, the rise in prices of food, fuel, and everything else have pretty well covered the $50 a week I don't spend on smokes anymore. Big improvement in stamina and no more morning smoker's cough.

[Matt_G]

Well, it's now been over two months since I quit smoking. Forty+ years of 1-2 packs a day of Pall Malls and I quit cold turkey. Woke up one day and decided it was time and stopped right then.

Good on ya. I did the same last July so 14 months for me.
It isn't that bad if you really want to do it.
If you do, you will.
If you don't, you won't.

[mroliver77]

Good for you prof!
I quit in 77, 78, 79, 80, 81 well you get the picture. I smoked Pall Mall pre rolled and Bugler from the big can. It was rough for me!
I watched my Dad die from cardiovascular disease long after he had quit. His Doc told me to take a good look cause that was my future. I knew he was right. It still took a couple years to get it done! Over 15 years now and I do not miss it. Once in a while the demon will whisper in my ear but I rebuke him and move on. Freedom is wonderful!!!
J

[odfairfaxsub]

i used to smoke until 30 days ago. now i went from 5 swishers a day to one a week on sunday. im almost done with it. i take my cigar and cut a slot out of it near the mouth and it gets me 80 percent air and 20 percent smoke. pretty soon i won't need it at all.

[Freightman]

Way to go Professor stay strong. I quit when they went from $0.30 to $0.35 in the machines that was the last straw as it was too high.