I really want to give up smoking but I am terrified.
December 29, 2015 7:30 AM Subscribe
Writing is my job. And when I am writing, I am smoking like it’s my job. And since circumstances allow, the smoking includes more than tobacco. I think I really really want to stop both for 2016 but I don’t know how I will write without my ‘muses’.
I have around 20grams of tobacco left and 5gm of green with a few days till the New Year. What can I do between now and then that doesn’t involve stuffing them both into my lungs. And what shall I do after midnight on Jan 1 when I have to produce another 3000 words that day, and the next and the next?
I’ve tried the quit smoking call lines and internet services but my contrary, oppositionally defiant nature and their wishy-washy responses make it a bad fit. I’ve tried the stop-smoking pills, both kinds, and they disagree with my head. I’ve tried patches but my skin welts and itches. I don’t chew gum or use mouth sprays and electronic cigarettes are not an option for a number of reasons, number one being that my love of having something in my hand to stick in my gob is part of the habit I need to break. I've read Alan Carr's books, both the original slender version and the hardcore thick version and I might read the thin one again. There's no nearby incentive to quit - i.e. kids, only a strong wish to. None of the usual arguments - money I'd save, that I would smell better, that my skin would be better - none of them work as an incentive. The only incentive I can think of is a wish not to have 'disgusting' as my automatic self-description.
I need to do this cold turkey. And I need strategies. Help. How did you do it?
I have around 20grams of tobacco left and 5gm of green with a few days till the New Year. What can I do between now and then that doesn’t involve stuffing them both into my lungs. And what shall I do after midnight on Jan 1 when I have to produce another 3000 words that day, and the next and the next?
I’ve tried the quit smoking call lines and internet services but my contrary, oppositionally defiant nature and their wishy-washy responses make it a bad fit. I’ve tried the stop-smoking pills, both kinds, and they disagree with my head. I’ve tried patches but my skin welts and itches. I don’t chew gum or use mouth sprays and electronic cigarettes are not an option for a number of reasons, number one being that my love of having something in my hand to stick in my gob is part of the habit I need to break. I've read Alan Carr's books, both the original slender version and the hardcore thick version and I might read the thin one again. There's no nearby incentive to quit - i.e. kids, only a strong wish to. None of the usual arguments - money I'd save, that I would smell better, that my skin would be better - none of them work as an incentive. The only incentive I can think of is a wish not to have 'disgusting' as my automatic self-description.
I need to do this cold turkey. And I need strategies. Help. How did you do it?
I quit smoking herb cold turkey in November. I was a daily user and have had trouble stopping in the past. This time I just decided it was time and I was going to quit. I expected my usual problem of sleeping problems to come up, that's always my biggest complaint. That and irritability. Pot makes assholes so much easier to tolerate, but it's really a crutch, eventually I have to deal with them, why not now? I got some chamomile tea and drink a cup half hour before bed, tastes like crap but it puts me out.
You can do this! Set your mind to it and plan to be successful. Clean your work area thoroughly, throw out all ashtrays, lighters, etc. Give a friend your pipe/papers/gear, or toss them too. Get a soft stress ball to squeeze for something in your hands. Google fidget toys, there are tons of little doohickeys you can play with for a minute to calm yourself. Go for short walks when the urge gets too much, fresh air and a change of scenery help a lot, even just for 5-10 minutes. Burn highly scented candles while you work, change them up daily. When it gets tough, remember that it takes an average of 3 weeks to change a habit, circle days on your calendar till you hit that 21 day mark, after that it's smooth sailing.
For tobacco, I got hypnotized and it worked really well for me, YMMV. Some things I loved after quitting cigs-being able to sit through a movie w/o leaving for a smoke break, learning to just sit quietly w/o fidgeting w/cigs, not stinking of smoke, not having to take frequent work breaks, etc. Also these days one can't smoke in most public places and even smokers I know don't smoke inside homes or cars either. It's just inconvenient! I didn't quit for those reasons, but they were welcome bonuses after. So make a list of things that will get easier minus smoking and post the list in your work area. Add to it as new things reveal themselves.
As for production and creativity minus the herb-I love weed and am the first to defend it's use, but man, we're really not more creative w/it then w/o it. I read stuff I've written stoned and it's often got a germ of a good idea but is mostly crap as far as content and structure. Hobbies have also improved now I'm not high. Your writing will improve in quality and quantity, I assure you.
One more thing to think about-buying pot is still contributing to misery in the world. Unless you're in a legal state buying from a licensed store, some of your dollars are ultimately going to Bad People doing Bad Things to Innocent People. That's one reason it really should be legal and regulated but I digress.
Set your quit date-you got this!
posted by RichardHenryYarbo at 8:05 AM on December 29, 2015 [6 favorites]
You can do this! Set your mind to it and plan to be successful. Clean your work area thoroughly, throw out all ashtrays, lighters, etc. Give a friend your pipe/papers/gear, or toss them too. Get a soft stress ball to squeeze for something in your hands. Google fidget toys, there are tons of little doohickeys you can play with for a minute to calm yourself. Go for short walks when the urge gets too much, fresh air and a change of scenery help a lot, even just for 5-10 minutes. Burn highly scented candles while you work, change them up daily. When it gets tough, remember that it takes an average of 3 weeks to change a habit, circle days on your calendar till you hit that 21 day mark, after that it's smooth sailing.
For tobacco, I got hypnotized and it worked really well for me, YMMV. Some things I loved after quitting cigs-being able to sit through a movie w/o leaving for a smoke break, learning to just sit quietly w/o fidgeting w/cigs, not stinking of smoke, not having to take frequent work breaks, etc. Also these days one can't smoke in most public places and even smokers I know don't smoke inside homes or cars either. It's just inconvenient! I didn't quit for those reasons, but they were welcome bonuses after. So make a list of things that will get easier minus smoking and post the list in your work area. Add to it as new things reveal themselves.
As for production and creativity minus the herb-I love weed and am the first to defend it's use, but man, we're really not more creative w/it then w/o it. I read stuff I've written stoned and it's often got a germ of a good idea but is mostly crap as far as content and structure. Hobbies have also improved now I'm not high. Your writing will improve in quality and quantity, I assure you.
One more thing to think about-buying pot is still contributing to misery in the world. Unless you're in a legal state buying from a licensed store, some of your dollars are ultimately going to Bad People doing Bad Things to Innocent People. That's one reason it really should be legal and regulated but I digress.
Set your quit date-you got this!
posted by RichardHenryYarbo at 8:05 AM on December 29, 2015 [6 favorites]
I had a pack a day habit (unfiltered Camels -- so good) for ... too many years ... and quit cold turkey Jan.1, 2003. I haven't had a puff since.
I wasn't planning on quitting and it wasn't a NY resolution or anything. I had tried several times before and it didn't take. But when I woke up late in the afternoon New Year's Day (which seems like it was midweek?) terribly hungover, mouth full of stale Camels, I thought, hell, I've already almost made it one day without smoking. Why not go for it? I cancelled everything planned for the weekend and holed up at home and battled through. It sorta came at me in waves. Lemon drops helped. So did pushups. By Monday the worst of the physical stuff was over, and I could think and deal with the world. It was several months before the habitual stuff subsided (cigarette with coffee, cigarette when hopping behind the wheel, cigarette break to walk a bit and gather my thoughts), but those cravings were easier to set aside than the deep, meat-borne yearnings of the first few days. The worst were the dark thoughts that I wouldn't be the same person without cigarettes -- like tobacco was the key to my talent and being. (Such as they were.)
I was never much of a pot smoker, so that was not an issue for me (and I've smoked weed a handful of times in the intervening years).
Anyway. Good luck -- I'm pulling for ya, and I bet lots of other folks are, too.
posted by notyou at 8:10 AM on December 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
I wasn't planning on quitting and it wasn't a NY resolution or anything. I had tried several times before and it didn't take. But when I woke up late in the afternoon New Year's Day (which seems like it was midweek?) terribly hungover, mouth full of stale Camels, I thought, hell, I've already almost made it one day without smoking. Why not go for it? I cancelled everything planned for the weekend and holed up at home and battled through. It sorta came at me in waves. Lemon drops helped. So did pushups. By Monday the worst of the physical stuff was over, and I could think and deal with the world. It was several months before the habitual stuff subsided (cigarette with coffee, cigarette when hopping behind the wheel, cigarette break to walk a bit and gather my thoughts), but those cravings were easier to set aside than the deep, meat-borne yearnings of the first few days. The worst were the dark thoughts that I wouldn't be the same person without cigarettes -- like tobacco was the key to my talent and being. (Such as they were.)
I was never much of a pot smoker, so that was not an issue for me (and I've smoked weed a handful of times in the intervening years).
Anyway. Good luck -- I'm pulling for ya, and I bet lots of other folks are, too.
posted by notyou at 8:10 AM on December 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
There's two parts to your habit - the oral/fidgeting fixation and the nicotine. You're trying to break two habits at once, so cold-turkey with cigarettes might mean cold-turkey on the nicotine, but a substitute for the oral/fidgeting fixation until the nicotine habit's passed.
For the oral/fidgeting part, I understand gum may not be best because of sore jaws and it's generally not the same physically for fidgeting so it might not do the trick. E-cigarettes with nicotine isn't really enough of a change.
You could try small suckers - small so they don't last long and you're primarily left with a stick to mouth. Or toothpicks, maybe mint or cinnamon-flavored if you want taste. Get a substitute that works for you and then wean yourself off that substitute.
posted by lizbunny at 8:16 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
For the oral/fidgeting part, I understand gum may not be best because of sore jaws and it's generally not the same physically for fidgeting so it might not do the trick. E-cigarettes with nicotine isn't really enough of a change.
You could try small suckers - small so they don't last long and you're primarily left with a stick to mouth. Or toothpicks, maybe mint or cinnamon-flavored if you want taste. Get a substitute that works for you and then wean yourself off that substitute.
posted by lizbunny at 8:16 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'd second the vaping. My 70-year-old mom - a smoker for 40 years - is now vaping, and she finds it's the first thing that's going to help her quit. My husband, who isn't a smoker, took up vaping so he would have something to do with his hands while he works. I was hesitant when they both started doing it because of the Fedora Reputation it has on the internet, but it's not unpleasant and not a bad alternative.
posted by Zosia Blue at 8:18 AM on December 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Zosia Blue at 8:18 AM on December 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh, and there's everything from non-nicotine liquid (just flavored smoke, basically) to gradually leveled nicotine. You could start at a low level, or none at all.
posted by Zosia Blue at 8:19 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by Zosia Blue at 8:19 AM on December 29, 2015
"my love of having something in my hand to stick in my gob is part of the habit I need to break"
Your love of inhaling cancerous substances is the main habit you need to break. I was a heavy smoker for several years and nicotine lozenges have been a godsend. Getting *off* the lozenges has been :ahem: not as easy as I thought, but they have prevented me from smoking hundreds and hundreds of cigarettes, so who cares? I'll quit the lozenges eventually, and in the meantime I have stopped destroying my lungs. One of the major revelations of the lozenges for me was that I previously assumed that I was AS addicted to the fidgety doing-something-with-my-hands aspect of smoking as I was to the nicotine, but nope...it's really just about nicotine.
posted by cakelite at 8:26 AM on December 29, 2015 [6 favorites]
Your love of inhaling cancerous substances is the main habit you need to break. I was a heavy smoker for several years and nicotine lozenges have been a godsend. Getting *off* the lozenges has been :ahem: not as easy as I thought, but they have prevented me from smoking hundreds and hundreds of cigarettes, so who cares? I'll quit the lozenges eventually, and in the meantime I have stopped destroying my lungs. One of the major revelations of the lozenges for me was that I previously assumed that I was AS addicted to the fidgety doing-something-with-my-hands aspect of smoking as I was to the nicotine, but nope...it's really just about nicotine.
posted by cakelite at 8:26 AM on December 29, 2015 [6 favorites]
Something that really helps me curb nicotine/recreational cravings is smoking something herbal, like Holy Smokes. I realize this isn't terribly helpful but it's an option on weaning from smoking tobacco to smoking herbal blends, to smoking nothing. For me it is less the nicotine and more the ritualistic behavior, similar to that of drinking tea or rolling a cigarette or preparing a pipe. Anyway, good luck.
posted by Marinara at 8:29 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by Marinara at 8:29 AM on December 29, 2015
You could always use my brother's method - he had cut down and down and down, to like 5 cigarettes a day, but couldn't finish it off. Then he got the swine flu. He was sick in bed for a week, and when he got better enough to even consider putting something foreign into his lungs, he tried to smoke and it tasted terrible. He never smoked again, and that was 5 years ago. He makes better art now than he did then.
But seriously, sometimes it takes a shock to the system to change habits like that.
And for the psych aspect - you're afraid you won't be able to write without it. Remember, remind yourself, that if that really happens, you can always start again. It won't happen, but maybe keeping in mind that you're choosing to try this, and you can choose to go back, will help your frame of mind. You're turning smoking (of either kind) from a habit into a choice, and the great thing about choices is the CHOOSING, if that makes sense. And in my experience, being aware of the act of choosing helps my mind function better no matter what I'm asking of it.
posted by dust.wind.dude at 8:35 AM on December 29, 2015
But seriously, sometimes it takes a shock to the system to change habits like that.
And for the psych aspect - you're afraid you won't be able to write without it. Remember, remind yourself, that if that really happens, you can always start again. It won't happen, but maybe keeping in mind that you're choosing to try this, and you can choose to go back, will help your frame of mind. You're turning smoking (of either kind) from a habit into a choice, and the great thing about choices is the CHOOSING, if that makes sense. And in my experience, being aware of the act of choosing helps my mind function better no matter what I'm asking of it.
posted by dust.wind.dude at 8:35 AM on December 29, 2015
Get an empty glass jar with a screw top lid. Dump your ashtray into it and seal it up. After you quit when you get the urge, take a whiff of the jar contents. That's what you don't smell like anymore. That's what you're not putting in your lungs anymore. It's going to smell awful to you.
Swap your smoke habit for a coffee/tea/sparkling water habit. It's something to put in your mouth; the caffeine will help; and you'll get a little more exercise because you'll be going to the bathroom more.
Speaking of exercise, force yourself to take a daily walk. Even if it's just around the block or to the end of your road. The hardest part is putting on your shoes but it's the best thing you can do for yourself. Do it no matter the weather or how much you don't want to. Make it non-negotiable.
You CAN write without smoking. The fear that the words will be gone with cigarettes is the nicotine taunting you. Quitting smoking is terrifying but so very worth it. I know you can do this. And if you screw up and have one, don't throw in the towel. Just start over and resolve to go longer next time. You can do this.
posted by Kangaroo at 9:08 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Swap your smoke habit for a coffee/tea/sparkling water habit. It's something to put in your mouth; the caffeine will help; and you'll get a little more exercise because you'll be going to the bathroom more.
Speaking of exercise, force yourself to take a daily walk. Even if it's just around the block or to the end of your road. The hardest part is putting on your shoes but it's the best thing you can do for yourself. Do it no matter the weather or how much you don't want to. Make it non-negotiable.
You CAN write without smoking. The fear that the words will be gone with cigarettes is the nicotine taunting you. Quitting smoking is terrifying but so very worth it. I know you can do this. And if you screw up and have one, don't throw in the towel. Just start over and resolve to go longer next time. You can do this.
posted by Kangaroo at 9:08 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I't so much easier to step down from vaping - the returns on it are diminishing and annoying eventually - than cigarettes. It is the only thing that worked for me after 30 years.
But if you are absolutely certain that won't work for you, go get wellbutrin/zyban/buproprion and deal with your narrative that you need smoking to write, which is actually your biggest stumbling block and also a myth invented by the anxiety you're probably self-medicating with nicotine. You may want to get some rescue anti-anxiolytics when you get the zyban.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:13 AM on December 29, 2015
But if you are absolutely certain that won't work for you, go get wellbutrin/zyban/buproprion and deal with your narrative that you need smoking to write, which is actually your biggest stumbling block and also a myth invented by the anxiety you're probably self-medicating with nicotine. You may want to get some rescue anti-anxiolytics when you get the zyban.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:13 AM on December 29, 2015
I know several people who have successfully quit smoking by switching to vaping and then titering their nicotine down over time by using liquids that have progressively smaller amounts of nicotine added. As they went, the amount of times they vaped also naturally decreased. It was easy and painless and now they don't smoke and also don't vape. It was not switching one habit for another, it was switching and then gradually quitting without having to muster up the willpower to QUIT. As Lyn Never points out, the diminishing enjoyment returns naturally make vaping much easier to quit than going cold turkey on cigarettes.
If you do try this route, buying a natural vape liquid like those offered by Velvet Cloud is a good idea as they don't contain a lot of the common vape liquid ingredients that are of increasing concern because of toxicity.
posted by quince at 9:19 AM on December 29, 2015
If you do try this route, buying a natural vape liquid like those offered by Velvet Cloud is a good idea as they don't contain a lot of the common vape liquid ingredients that are of increasing concern because of toxicity.
posted by quince at 9:19 AM on December 29, 2015
I am a writer, and I quit smoking a while back. The most important thing for me to keep productive was to change the place I wrote. I was so used to sitting in that chair, with that computer, with my ashtray right there-- that's how I had done it for years.
So I made a new place for my computer, I rearranged all of my things around my desk, and I even changed the icons on my desktop. I worked on my writing during the day instead of at night. All of the other quitting-smoking details, I just did what worked best (Altoids instead of smoking, used wellbutrin to help with the first month, blah blah.) But writing and smoking was so inextricably bound that I had to completely change my writing routine.
My word count did suffer a bit for the first couple of days-- don't be hard on yourself if yours drops or it takes you longer to hit goal. You can do it! The first two weeks are the worst!
posted by headspace at 9:51 AM on December 29, 2015 [7 favorites]
So I made a new place for my computer, I rearranged all of my things around my desk, and I even changed the icons on my desktop. I worked on my writing during the day instead of at night. All of the other quitting-smoking details, I just did what worked best (Altoids instead of smoking, used wellbutrin to help with the first month, blah blah.) But writing and smoking was so inextricably bound that I had to completely change my writing routine.
My word count did suffer a bit for the first couple of days-- don't be hard on yourself if yours drops or it takes you longer to hit goal. You can do it! The first two weeks are the worst!
posted by headspace at 9:51 AM on December 29, 2015 [7 favorites]
I know cold turkey is appealing. When you decide to make this important change, you just want to do it! But I want you to think about about the changes you are making: the green stuff, the nicotine and the smoking habit in general. That's a lot of changes all at once. I'm absolutely sure that some people can do this all at once. You may be one of those people and if so I'm impressed and wish you success. However, cold turkey quitting has the lowest rate of success with quitting cigarettes. Complicate that with two substances and your success chances are further reduced. I'm not trying to be discouraging but only to be realistic and encourage you to think long-term. A longer quit time may not be as exciting but may be more successful.
I would encourage you to pick one first: probably the green stuff. Give yourself two to three weeks of not increasing your nicotine and let your body adjust. There is a good chance you will increase the remaining addiction intake when you give up the first so it is important to try to control that. Then titrate down your tobacco over 2-3 weeks. If you can't tolerate the gum or patch, I strongly urge using lozenges or vaping. Of course, YMMV. In vaping, you can also titrate down the amount of nicotine.
I previously worked in smoking cessation so I have some experience in this field. I also recommend you come up with stronger motivations for quitting. Money, health, future family, etc. When you take away a habit of smoking, you also need to replace it with something that brings you enjoyment- a new hobby, physical fitness. When you take something away, you should replace it with something. I love the idea Kangaroo had about the jar of ashes and cigarette stubs.
Best wishes on however you choose to do this! Most importantly-don't start again. The habit comes back quicker than you can imagine. Personal experience and all.
posted by Kitty Cornered at 9:51 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I would encourage you to pick one first: probably the green stuff. Give yourself two to three weeks of not increasing your nicotine and let your body adjust. There is a good chance you will increase the remaining addiction intake when you give up the first so it is important to try to control that. Then titrate down your tobacco over 2-3 weeks. If you can't tolerate the gum or patch, I strongly urge using lozenges or vaping. Of course, YMMV. In vaping, you can also titrate down the amount of nicotine.
I previously worked in smoking cessation so I have some experience in this field. I also recommend you come up with stronger motivations for quitting. Money, health, future family, etc. When you take away a habit of smoking, you also need to replace it with something that brings you enjoyment- a new hobby, physical fitness. When you take something away, you should replace it with something. I love the idea Kangaroo had about the jar of ashes and cigarette stubs.
Best wishes on however you choose to do this! Most importantly-don't start again. The habit comes back quicker than you can imagine. Personal experience and all.
posted by Kitty Cornered at 9:51 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I and my Bear quit together by attending a one week set of addiction cessation classes, conducted by a woman with past addictions to hard drugs and alcohol as well as cigarettes, which culminated in a cold turkey quit. Here's why it worked for both of us (and we were both heavy long time smokers):
1. We spent some of the week identifying "junkie thoughts," i.e. those things we tell ourselves to give ourselves permission to smoke. For example --
"I just want one cigarette/one puff.
I can't drink alcohol/coffee/tea without a cigarette.
I need to smoke to calm down.
Just this one time.
I can't write/work/drive without smoking."
We wrote all of these down. We learned we were never going to be nonsmokers, but we could become ex smokers.
2. We listed the top 10 reasons we had for quitting. My top three, for example, were better breathing, to arrest lung disease, and a stronger, healthier heart. We wrote those down.
3. We figured out exactly how many cigarettes a day we smoked. For me, it was 21.
4. We discussed word by word and then memorized the following mantra, which I still say to myself on the now rare occasions that I think about smoking:
"I'm wanting to smoke right now. I know that I can smoke, and that my drug is legal and available. I choose to stand up to my addiction because I know that just one puff, and I'm back to smoking [21] cigarettes a day, and because I want [better breathing, to arrest lung disease, and a stronger, healthier heart]."
5. We accepted the absolute awfulness of cold turkey quitting -- and it was awful -- because it gave us such a strong incentive never to smoke again, so we would never have to quit and go through that again.
Hope that helps. I will tell you that I love life without cigarettes.
posted by bearwife at 9:52 AM on December 29, 2015 [7 favorites]
1. We spent some of the week identifying "junkie thoughts," i.e. those things we tell ourselves to give ourselves permission to smoke. For example --
"I just want one cigarette/one puff.
I can't drink alcohol/coffee/tea without a cigarette.
I need to smoke to calm down.
Just this one time.
I can't write/work/drive without smoking."
We wrote all of these down. We learned we were never going to be nonsmokers, but we could become ex smokers.
2. We listed the top 10 reasons we had for quitting. My top three, for example, were better breathing, to arrest lung disease, and a stronger, healthier heart. We wrote those down.
3. We figured out exactly how many cigarettes a day we smoked. For me, it was 21.
4. We discussed word by word and then memorized the following mantra, which I still say to myself on the now rare occasions that I think about smoking:
"I'm wanting to smoke right now. I know that I can smoke, and that my drug is legal and available. I choose to stand up to my addiction because I know that just one puff, and I'm back to smoking [21] cigarettes a day, and because I want [better breathing, to arrest lung disease, and a stronger, healthier heart]."
5. We accepted the absolute awfulness of cold turkey quitting -- and it was awful -- because it gave us such a strong incentive never to smoke again, so we would never have to quit and go through that again.
Hope that helps. I will tell you that I love life without cigarettes.
posted by bearwife at 9:52 AM on December 29, 2015 [7 favorites]
Go to your doctor, talk to them about it. I did, got a prescription for Wellbutrin, did nothing to alter my smoking habits (I was at about 2-3 packs a week) and within a few months I had quit. The first thing I noticed was not wanting to smoke while being productive (Writing, slogging through content to review). This kicked in maybe a couple weeks in, and then after a couple more months of only smoking at 'ritual' times (first cup of coffee, after meals, before bed etc) I found my cravings fading first in the evenings and then eventually to the whole day. YMMV but definitely speak to a doctor about your options.
posted by deadwater at 10:03 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by deadwater at 10:03 AM on December 29, 2015
Quitting cigarettes is simple: Never Take Another Puff
Don't get me wrong - it's not easy. To make it easier, you can do a little work to understand your addiction, and find some tips and tools to be successful, like this one:
You are taking on a difficult challenge - it helped me to set goals: Quit for just the next 3 minutes. Once you've done that, quit for just the next 3 hours. Once you've done that, quit for just the next 3 days. Then 3 weeks. Then 3 months. Then 3 years. If you relapse, start over. 3 minutes, 3 hours, etc
I did it nearly 10 years ago. The first 3 minutes were easy. 3 hours, not so bad. making it 3 days was a major milestone, but once I made it I knew I was serious and I wasn't going to go through this ever again.
It *is* possible. It *will* be uncomfortable at times. You *can* do it.
I also love life without cigarettes.
posted by ElGuapo at 10:24 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Don't get me wrong - it's not easy. To make it easier, you can do a little work to understand your addiction, and find some tips and tools to be successful, like this one:
Blood sugar plummets in many people when first quitting. The most common side effects felt during the first three days can often be traced back to blood sugar issues.The linked site has pages and pages and pages of helpful, constructive advice and anecdotes that boil down to what bearwife said: "just one puff and I'm back to smoking"
...
It is not that cigarettes put sugar into your blood stream; it is more of a drug interaction of the stimulant effect of nicotine that affects the blood sugar levels.
...
To minimize some of the real low blood sugar effects of the first few days it really can help to keep drinking juice throughout the day. After the fourth day though, this should no longer be necessary as your body should be able to release sugar stores if your diet is normalized. If you are having problems that are indicative of blood sugar issues beyond day three, it wouldn't hurt talking to your doctor and maybe getting some nutritional counseling.
You are taking on a difficult challenge - it helped me to set goals: Quit for just the next 3 minutes. Once you've done that, quit for just the next 3 hours. Once you've done that, quit for just the next 3 days. Then 3 weeks. Then 3 months. Then 3 years. If you relapse, start over. 3 minutes, 3 hours, etc
I did it nearly 10 years ago. The first 3 minutes were easy. 3 hours, not so bad. making it 3 days was a major milestone, but once I made it I knew I was serious and I wasn't going to go through this ever again.
It *is* possible. It *will* be uncomfortable at times. You *can* do it.
I also love life without cigarettes.
posted by ElGuapo at 10:24 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nicorette chewing gum. I used it and I could not imagine a cup of tea or going to a bar without cigarettes... and yet, it turns out that I didn't really miss a cigarette in my hands at all. It may not be the most clean break, but it clears your lungs up and it sure beats going back to gigs.
posted by zaelic at 10:38 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by zaelic at 10:38 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I am a writer, and I gave up weed, and then later I gave up cigarettes.
I waited forever. I couldn't even tell you why. I procrastinated. I had a lot of excuses and fears. I justcouldn't imagine life without smoking. I thought I would never write again.
It's been my experience in quitting things that substitution is garbage. Nothing is as good anyway. Do you want to be a scrawny little lizard, unable to face your own fears and desires? Nah, you can handle it. We all can.
Here's the thing about quitting cigarettes, in particular. It's bad for just a few days. Then it's emotionally bad for a few weeks and months. And then... it's fine.
And if you ate a lot in those months, well, the weight will come off.
The strategy I used was "being sick" for three days—giving myself permission to be a big lazy loser and whiner. And then... I went to work.
Also? Smoke until New Year's! Or something. Pick a date. And smoke it up till then.
It's been almost exactly a year since I quit smoking and my skin looks AMAZING. People tell me that every day almost. I weigh less today than I did when I quit smoking. Overall, I grow more beautiful with each passing hour. ;)
Also? My writing has improved. Not immediately! But distinctly, and obviously. I feel better!
Contact me if you wish. But you don't need any tricks or strategies. You literally don't put ONE cigarette or joint or pipe in your hand or in your mouth. That's the trick. And there will be some crying. But it'll pass.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:48 AM on December 29, 2015 [8 favorites]
I waited forever. I couldn't even tell you why. I procrastinated. I had a lot of excuses and fears. I justcouldn't imagine life without smoking. I thought I would never write again.
It's been my experience in quitting things that substitution is garbage. Nothing is as good anyway. Do you want to be a scrawny little lizard, unable to face your own fears and desires? Nah, you can handle it. We all can.
Here's the thing about quitting cigarettes, in particular. It's bad for just a few days. Then it's emotionally bad for a few weeks and months. And then... it's fine.
And if you ate a lot in those months, well, the weight will come off.
The strategy I used was "being sick" for three days—giving myself permission to be a big lazy loser and whiner. And then... I went to work.
Also? Smoke until New Year's! Or something. Pick a date. And smoke it up till then.
It's been almost exactly a year since I quit smoking and my skin looks AMAZING. People tell me that every day almost. I weigh less today than I did when I quit smoking. Overall, I grow more beautiful with each passing hour. ;)
Also? My writing has improved. Not immediately! But distinctly, and obviously. I feel better!
Contact me if you wish. But you don't need any tricks or strategies. You literally don't put ONE cigarette or joint or pipe in your hand or in your mouth. That's the trick. And there will be some crying. But it'll pass.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:48 AM on December 29, 2015 [8 favorites]
Here's how I have come to understand it. This is my own view from several rounds of cessation assistance in various forms. Each former smoker has their own story, and given the plethora of options available, it's quite obvious that there isn't (yet) a single solution.
As you'll know from Alan Carr's book, smoking is an acquired habit. The process itself if quite disgusting – inhaling burning biomass. All one has to do is look at the filter after are a cigarette and see that brownish residue that remains. Smoking is in essence a battle of the self, for physiologically it's harmful and repugnant, yet the mental addiction is quite pleasurable and concrete. To the point where the body comes to largely ignore the physiological consequences (oh inhaling hot particulate matter into the soft tissues of the mouth and lungs) in favour of the rush.
How does that come to happen? The most impactful addition research on nicotine that I read was the proliferation of nicotine receptors in the brain.
That nicotine hijacks the brain's reward system is well-known. In a nutshell, your brain has a reward system that gets you "addicted" to behaviours that result in things that you need. Food. Shelter. Sex. Going to work every day at first can be quite unpleasant and artificial, but as you receive pay checks, you become conditioned to associate the process of work with the paycheque, which then provides you with food and shelter, at least. Generally, the brain is conditioned through responses that produce positive results and minimise negative results. Although not always – and while that is the subject of a different inquiry – nicotine and marijuana both hijack the reward system. Now, instead of performing an activity and receiving a reward for that activity, you can reward yourself whenever you want, simply by lighting up.
When the nicotine hits the brain, it activates the nicotine receptors and gives you the reward. Thus the merry go round of addiction. You didn't DO anything to get the reward. You didn't take care of any of your needs or anything else. You wanted a hit and so you got a hit. As you build up your behaviour as a smoker – and here's the scary bit – the nicotine receptors in your brain multiply. You have now switched your behaviour from being rewarded by one set of rewards, to another.
So there's your head, filled with nicotine receptors. When you stop smoking, you experience suffering, for those receptors now go unfed. It is unnatural to smoke, and therefore that density of nicotine receptor is not natural. The suffering comes from the fact that you are no longer receiving a very powerful reward that you have conditioned yourself to receive. You have empty nicotine receptors, and that's stressful.
This often exhibits as the duality of mood that smokers experience. When smokers begin to abstain, they begin becoming anxious / depressed / irritable / etc. They report that life goes from multicoloured to grey. Many of the symptoms replicate generalised anxiety and depression disorders – and from both the inside and the outside, they seem to be anxious / depressed. Yet, when they have a cigarette, behold!, their mood lifts and the anxiety is relieved. That right there shows how intertwined the addiction is with mood, and with perception itself. The good news is that the excess nicotine receptors begin dying off almost immediately, and within six months, begin to resemble normal levels. Hence, the decreasing power of the addiction with time.
So that is what happens to your brain when you quit – and what the large body of cessation aids is dedicated to. Either NRT – which breaks the dependency on the product without breaking the dependency on nicotine – to wellbutrin – which alters the mood so completely that one does not at all notice the discomfort of quitting smoking.
Regardless of how you quit, it is essential to remember the time-bound property of the nicotine receptors dying off. Any discomfort you feel is not "real", it's a perception based on the lack of feeding that body of receptors. And when you quit, you have stopped feeding the receptors. That's step 1. Step 2 is that they have to die off, and that takes time. What that means is that you 1) have a high likelihood of showing symptoms of mood disturbance in that time, and 2) that the addition will disappear in time, as the receptors die off. Part of the bargaining of addition that leads people back is the sensation that the mood disturbances are going to remain permanent. That's basic hyperbolic discounting – "because I feel bad now, I discount how good I may feel in the future." That is the core lie that unseats most peoples cessation attempts, and I call it a lie because biologically the research shows that the longer you abstain, the easier abstaining gets. And it's not only a matter of willpower or recovery, it's also a matter of neurological changes in the brain. The great news there is that if you can abstain from smoking, it will get easier every day.
The second point is much more difficult, and that's the behavioural conditioning. As you've said, you have integrated smoking into your very workflow. That means that when you are not smoking, you may not feel in the flow of your work. That has a biological component, as listed above, but also a behavioural component. Which is that you probably associate cigarettes nearly as a tool for your writing. As you have a computer, a notepad, a pen, a cup of coffee, a desk, a workspace, you have cigarettes.
I could go on all day about how addiction integrates itself into everyday behaviours, but I'll keep it brief on that point. You have to consider that there are many people who do the same job as you, who are not smokers. There are many people that produce the same volume and/or quality of content without inhaling nicotine. Therefore, it is not a de facto tool of the trade, and if you really think about it, it's not a tool of the trade at all. It's an addiction that has little or nothing to do with your work. If your perception is that it makes you faster or more focused, I would say that the reality is that when you are not smoking, you are slower and less focused. Because the nicotine receptors in your brain are unfed and its modifying your perception. Does that mean you will always be slower and less focused? Research would say not, for after a period of 6 months, the addiction will probably have gone into remission nearly completely.
That was most evident in the rat playground study, where a researcher found that cocaine is not inherently addictive, rather it's the combination of an addictive substance and context. That rats placed in a low-stimulation environment were more likely to develop addictions to cocaine than rats placed in a high-stimulation environment.
What does this mean for you? That in addition to the biological addiction, there is also a contextual addiction. For that, it may help to evaluate and consider the context. When you quit smoking, you may find yourself grossly under stimulated by either your work, or your environment, or both. The reality is that the environment has not changed, rather your perception of it has. In that way, cigarettes may be a crutch that enable you to cope well in a lower-stimulation environment that you would like or suits you. Only you can know that and it's probably an interesting thing to think about.
Regardless, once you have made it past the first 48/72 hours of quitting – when the biological symptoms really hit their peak – you are then into the behavioural associations. Maybe you find yourself bored, or distracted. That's not only the addiction rearing it's head, that's also that your environment is boring and under-stimulating. Cigarettes simply allow you to cope with it. Hence, the low-stimulation rats, where they developed addictions to cope with an environment where there simply wasn't much else to do.
In terms of what this means to you and your cessation attempt, you would do well to manage the impact of the experience. Tony Schwartz is a big fan of managing your energy, rather than your time. How that is relevant here is that you need to manage your energy, post-nicotine. There are a number of ways to do this, but I'll give you two examples:
1) If you are going to write in the same place, set a clock for 45 minutes. Write for 45 minutes, and then go for a 15 minute walk. Get a coffee. Change the scenery. Then go back to writing. Do this for a maximum of 4-5 iterations a day. Then rest and leave your work context.
That has three key components. The first is setting up a work process that is free from cigarettes. It does that, by two, setting up a new reward mechanism. Often times, people love cigarettes because they break up mundane tasks. They provide soft moments in processes that do not have break points. So take your breaks, but rather than doing them when you want to smoke, do them according to a timer. That is your reward for completing that 45 minutes of work. A change of scenery and a bit of stimulation. Finally, three, that separates work time from the rest of your life, and gives it boundaries. Boundaries are very important when you quit smoking, for you are re-estabilishing reward mechanisms. You are literally retraining how your brain acts at work. And thankful that happens quite quickly!
2) Write in a different place. If it's not going to work for you to change part of your process, then you may do well to bin the entire routine and go somewhere else and work for a while. If short punctuations and time management are ineffective strategies, than by getting ride of the entire context, you will begin to form a new context. If you choose a new place to work – start with a week or two weeks or a month – you are leaving cigarettes in the old place. Smoking was part of your old environment and routine. You are now in a new environment and routine that they are not part of.
The benefit of that is you are not trying to fight the momentum of your current environment, abstracting a key behaviour from it, rather you are creating an entirely new context.
Regardless, while quitting smoking is half the battle, the other part of the battle is establishing new routines and rewards. You cannot discount that you smoke for a reason. You get something out of it. It does something for you. Quitting the product is one thing. Changing the behaviour is the next thing. You would do well to set up new patterns and new rewards, for if you just quit smoking, then there you will be, in the same old life, now without the previous reward mechanism. You need a new reward mechanism.
That is the reason that it seems for sport to help so many people quit. Because they switch 1 chemical reward (nicotine) for another (endorphins). It's very important to keep in mind that quitting smoking is not only the decision not to smoke, it's the decision for a healthier life and way of being – a different life.
Thus, I'll wind up by saying that ultimately, this isn't about quitting smoking. It's about choosing health, and choosing a new life and way of being. And that's uncomfortable, for it involves stepping out of your comfort zone. But then, it's also very important to understand that after quitting smoking, you will not be the same person living the same life. You are not meant to be the same person living the same life, for your life now is that of a smoker, and you don't want to live that life anymore.
So three things:
1) It takes 72 hours for the worst of the biological suffering to peak and begin receding. Once that happens, it will get easier every day. That's biology.
2) Once you've beaten the 72 hours, you must change your patterns at work. Right now, you have nicotine set up as a tool, and you have to break that association with it. Maybe you can do that in the current place you work, maybe you cannot. Regardless, you must break that association to be successful.
Also keep in mind that the perception may be that the quality of your work is suffering, but that may just be your perception. Turn your work in, and take the feedback. If there's a decrease in quality, maybe it's manageable in the short-term while you go through this. If not, assess it at that time. Regardless, you must keep in mind that there will be mood disorders and disturbances in this process, and you may not be an accurate judge of your own work for some period.
3) Recognise that this is a life choice, and that you are not meant to be the same person after you quit smoking as you were when you were smoking. You are meant to be a different person. And I reinforce that because it can be uncomfortable to change who we are – even if its for the better. It can feel unnatural and there can be social pressures and other disturbances. But if you know that you are intending to become a different person, it makes that whole process easier, even pleasurable.
If you can't do it cold turkey, I had a great time on Wellbutrin. It worked really well. I will say, it is intense and takes a lot of time to settle into and complete. If you can do cold turkey, it's much more efficient!
posted by nickrussell at 10:58 AM on December 29, 2015 [6 favorites]
As you'll know from Alan Carr's book, smoking is an acquired habit. The process itself if quite disgusting – inhaling burning biomass. All one has to do is look at the filter after are a cigarette and see that brownish residue that remains. Smoking is in essence a battle of the self, for physiologically it's harmful and repugnant, yet the mental addiction is quite pleasurable and concrete. To the point where the body comes to largely ignore the physiological consequences (oh inhaling hot particulate matter into the soft tissues of the mouth and lungs) in favour of the rush.
How does that come to happen? The most impactful addition research on nicotine that I read was the proliferation of nicotine receptors in the brain.
That nicotine hijacks the brain's reward system is well-known. In a nutshell, your brain has a reward system that gets you "addicted" to behaviours that result in things that you need. Food. Shelter. Sex. Going to work every day at first can be quite unpleasant and artificial, but as you receive pay checks, you become conditioned to associate the process of work with the paycheque, which then provides you with food and shelter, at least. Generally, the brain is conditioned through responses that produce positive results and minimise negative results. Although not always – and while that is the subject of a different inquiry – nicotine and marijuana both hijack the reward system. Now, instead of performing an activity and receiving a reward for that activity, you can reward yourself whenever you want, simply by lighting up.
When the nicotine hits the brain, it activates the nicotine receptors and gives you the reward. Thus the merry go round of addiction. You didn't DO anything to get the reward. You didn't take care of any of your needs or anything else. You wanted a hit and so you got a hit. As you build up your behaviour as a smoker – and here's the scary bit – the nicotine receptors in your brain multiply. You have now switched your behaviour from being rewarded by one set of rewards, to another.
So there's your head, filled with nicotine receptors. When you stop smoking, you experience suffering, for those receptors now go unfed. It is unnatural to smoke, and therefore that density of nicotine receptor is not natural. The suffering comes from the fact that you are no longer receiving a very powerful reward that you have conditioned yourself to receive. You have empty nicotine receptors, and that's stressful.
This often exhibits as the duality of mood that smokers experience. When smokers begin to abstain, they begin becoming anxious / depressed / irritable / etc. They report that life goes from multicoloured to grey. Many of the symptoms replicate generalised anxiety and depression disorders – and from both the inside and the outside, they seem to be anxious / depressed. Yet, when they have a cigarette, behold!, their mood lifts and the anxiety is relieved. That right there shows how intertwined the addiction is with mood, and with perception itself. The good news is that the excess nicotine receptors begin dying off almost immediately, and within six months, begin to resemble normal levels. Hence, the decreasing power of the addiction with time.
So that is what happens to your brain when you quit – and what the large body of cessation aids is dedicated to. Either NRT – which breaks the dependency on the product without breaking the dependency on nicotine – to wellbutrin – which alters the mood so completely that one does not at all notice the discomfort of quitting smoking.
Regardless of how you quit, it is essential to remember the time-bound property of the nicotine receptors dying off. Any discomfort you feel is not "real", it's a perception based on the lack of feeding that body of receptors. And when you quit, you have stopped feeding the receptors. That's step 1. Step 2 is that they have to die off, and that takes time. What that means is that you 1) have a high likelihood of showing symptoms of mood disturbance in that time, and 2) that the addition will disappear in time, as the receptors die off. Part of the bargaining of addition that leads people back is the sensation that the mood disturbances are going to remain permanent. That's basic hyperbolic discounting – "because I feel bad now, I discount how good I may feel in the future." That is the core lie that unseats most peoples cessation attempts, and I call it a lie because biologically the research shows that the longer you abstain, the easier abstaining gets. And it's not only a matter of willpower or recovery, it's also a matter of neurological changes in the brain. The great news there is that if you can abstain from smoking, it will get easier every day.
The second point is much more difficult, and that's the behavioural conditioning. As you've said, you have integrated smoking into your very workflow. That means that when you are not smoking, you may not feel in the flow of your work. That has a biological component, as listed above, but also a behavioural component. Which is that you probably associate cigarettes nearly as a tool for your writing. As you have a computer, a notepad, a pen, a cup of coffee, a desk, a workspace, you have cigarettes.
I could go on all day about how addiction integrates itself into everyday behaviours, but I'll keep it brief on that point. You have to consider that there are many people who do the same job as you, who are not smokers. There are many people that produce the same volume and/or quality of content without inhaling nicotine. Therefore, it is not a de facto tool of the trade, and if you really think about it, it's not a tool of the trade at all. It's an addiction that has little or nothing to do with your work. If your perception is that it makes you faster or more focused, I would say that the reality is that when you are not smoking, you are slower and less focused. Because the nicotine receptors in your brain are unfed and its modifying your perception. Does that mean you will always be slower and less focused? Research would say not, for after a period of 6 months, the addiction will probably have gone into remission nearly completely.
That was most evident in the rat playground study, where a researcher found that cocaine is not inherently addictive, rather it's the combination of an addictive substance and context. That rats placed in a low-stimulation environment were more likely to develop addictions to cocaine than rats placed in a high-stimulation environment.
What does this mean for you? That in addition to the biological addiction, there is also a contextual addiction. For that, it may help to evaluate and consider the context. When you quit smoking, you may find yourself grossly under stimulated by either your work, or your environment, or both. The reality is that the environment has not changed, rather your perception of it has. In that way, cigarettes may be a crutch that enable you to cope well in a lower-stimulation environment that you would like or suits you. Only you can know that and it's probably an interesting thing to think about.
Regardless, once you have made it past the first 48/72 hours of quitting – when the biological symptoms really hit their peak – you are then into the behavioural associations. Maybe you find yourself bored, or distracted. That's not only the addiction rearing it's head, that's also that your environment is boring and under-stimulating. Cigarettes simply allow you to cope with it. Hence, the low-stimulation rats, where they developed addictions to cope with an environment where there simply wasn't much else to do.
In terms of what this means to you and your cessation attempt, you would do well to manage the impact of the experience. Tony Schwartz is a big fan of managing your energy, rather than your time. How that is relevant here is that you need to manage your energy, post-nicotine. There are a number of ways to do this, but I'll give you two examples:
1) If you are going to write in the same place, set a clock for 45 minutes. Write for 45 minutes, and then go for a 15 minute walk. Get a coffee. Change the scenery. Then go back to writing. Do this for a maximum of 4-5 iterations a day. Then rest and leave your work context.
That has three key components. The first is setting up a work process that is free from cigarettes. It does that, by two, setting up a new reward mechanism. Often times, people love cigarettes because they break up mundane tasks. They provide soft moments in processes that do not have break points. So take your breaks, but rather than doing them when you want to smoke, do them according to a timer. That is your reward for completing that 45 minutes of work. A change of scenery and a bit of stimulation. Finally, three, that separates work time from the rest of your life, and gives it boundaries. Boundaries are very important when you quit smoking, for you are re-estabilishing reward mechanisms. You are literally retraining how your brain acts at work. And thankful that happens quite quickly!
2) Write in a different place. If it's not going to work for you to change part of your process, then you may do well to bin the entire routine and go somewhere else and work for a while. If short punctuations and time management are ineffective strategies, than by getting ride of the entire context, you will begin to form a new context. If you choose a new place to work – start with a week or two weeks or a month – you are leaving cigarettes in the old place. Smoking was part of your old environment and routine. You are now in a new environment and routine that they are not part of.
The benefit of that is you are not trying to fight the momentum of your current environment, abstracting a key behaviour from it, rather you are creating an entirely new context.
Regardless, while quitting smoking is half the battle, the other part of the battle is establishing new routines and rewards. You cannot discount that you smoke for a reason. You get something out of it. It does something for you. Quitting the product is one thing. Changing the behaviour is the next thing. You would do well to set up new patterns and new rewards, for if you just quit smoking, then there you will be, in the same old life, now without the previous reward mechanism. You need a new reward mechanism.
That is the reason that it seems for sport to help so many people quit. Because they switch 1 chemical reward (nicotine) for another (endorphins). It's very important to keep in mind that quitting smoking is not only the decision not to smoke, it's the decision for a healthier life and way of being – a different life.
Thus, I'll wind up by saying that ultimately, this isn't about quitting smoking. It's about choosing health, and choosing a new life and way of being. And that's uncomfortable, for it involves stepping out of your comfort zone. But then, it's also very important to understand that after quitting smoking, you will not be the same person living the same life. You are not meant to be the same person living the same life, for your life now is that of a smoker, and you don't want to live that life anymore.
So three things:
1) It takes 72 hours for the worst of the biological suffering to peak and begin receding. Once that happens, it will get easier every day. That's biology.
2) Once you've beaten the 72 hours, you must change your patterns at work. Right now, you have nicotine set up as a tool, and you have to break that association with it. Maybe you can do that in the current place you work, maybe you cannot. Regardless, you must break that association to be successful.
Also keep in mind that the perception may be that the quality of your work is suffering, but that may just be your perception. Turn your work in, and take the feedback. If there's a decrease in quality, maybe it's manageable in the short-term while you go through this. If not, assess it at that time. Regardless, you must keep in mind that there will be mood disorders and disturbances in this process, and you may not be an accurate judge of your own work for some period.
3) Recognise that this is a life choice, and that you are not meant to be the same person after you quit smoking as you were when you were smoking. You are meant to be a different person. And I reinforce that because it can be uncomfortable to change who we are – even if its for the better. It can feel unnatural and there can be social pressures and other disturbances. But if you know that you are intending to become a different person, it makes that whole process easier, even pleasurable.
If you can't do it cold turkey, I had a great time on Wellbutrin. It worked really well. I will say, it is intense and takes a lot of time to settle into and complete. If you can do cold turkey, it's much more efficient!
posted by nickrussell at 10:58 AM on December 29, 2015 [6 favorites]
I'm (still) trying to quit this time, but I've done it before, with NRT. 2nd Jacqueline that you may be using nicotine to optimize concentration, and that it's a thing people with ADHD do to self-medicate. If you have ADHD (or even if you don't), the idea that smoking helps with focused work isn't just a narrative; nicotine both calms and stimulates for various real reasons.
Which is why, if you're heavily addicted, I think it's worth at least considering some form of NRT. After trying a bunch of different products, I liked Nicorette microtabs/mini lozenges best (with the patch, initially, but I also used just the microtabs on their own, and it was ok). These were great compared to other forms of NRT. They just dissolve under your tongue - you're not left gagging on a huge rock like with the huge lozenges, or getting lockjaw or losing dental work from the tackiness of the nicotine gum. I alternated that with Dentyne chewing gum, which doesn't get as tough as other non-nicotine gums, and not as quickly. Munching on that all day will still be uncomfortable, but not as much as nicotine gum or other kinds of gum. Looks like the mini lozenges available now don't come in an unflavoured version, which is a shame, but imo the one available (mint) is less bad than orange or whatever.
Failing that (and failing an ADHD diagnosis, or treatment if you do have it and don't want the drugs), would find a less noxious stimulant that's not connected with smoking for you (maybe green tea?).
A change of scene, definitely helpful for me in past quits. Would arm myself with substitute stimulant, gum, and lozenge and hide out in a library. (In fact that is my plan, to be acted upon very soon. I have also found this cold turkey plan [pdf] which I've yet to try :/ but may.)
The only incentive I can think of is a wish not to have 'disgusting' as my automatic self-description.
Maybe work on finding more and consciously building these up. This also helped me in advance of my longest quit. If fear doesn't help - a lot of the more compelling incentives for me were related to vanity. Look at some pics of smokers' hair, skin, nails, teeth, etc. Good luck.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:56 AM on December 29, 2015
Which is why, if you're heavily addicted, I think it's worth at least considering some form of NRT. After trying a bunch of different products, I liked Nicorette microtabs/mini lozenges best (with the patch, initially, but I also used just the microtabs on their own, and it was ok). These were great compared to other forms of NRT. They just dissolve under your tongue - you're not left gagging on a huge rock like with the huge lozenges, or getting lockjaw or losing dental work from the tackiness of the nicotine gum. I alternated that with Dentyne chewing gum, which doesn't get as tough as other non-nicotine gums, and not as quickly. Munching on that all day will still be uncomfortable, but not as much as nicotine gum or other kinds of gum. Looks like the mini lozenges available now don't come in an unflavoured version, which is a shame, but imo the one available (mint) is less bad than orange or whatever.
Failing that (and failing an ADHD diagnosis, or treatment if you do have it and don't want the drugs), would find a less noxious stimulant that's not connected with smoking for you (maybe green tea?).
A change of scene, definitely helpful for me in past quits. Would arm myself with substitute stimulant, gum, and lozenge and hide out in a library. (In fact that is my plan, to be acted upon very soon. I have also found this cold turkey plan [pdf] which I've yet to try :/ but may.)
The only incentive I can think of is a wish not to have 'disgusting' as my automatic self-description.
Maybe work on finding more and consciously building these up. This also helped me in advance of my longest quit. If fear doesn't help - a lot of the more compelling incentives for me were related to vanity. Look at some pics of smokers' hair, skin, nails, teeth, etc. Good luck.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:56 AM on December 29, 2015
N-thing vaping. I gave up cigarettes 5 years ago and have been a happy vaper ever since. It scratches all the itches: something to fidget with, something to inhale, some flavor, and a blast of nicotine. Start with some disposables to get the hang of it, then move on to vape pens or mods. Halo has very good and affordable starter kits (not affiliated, just a happy customer.)
I know there's a pushback from people who feel vaping "re-normalizes" smoking, but personally, I think that's nonsense. I don't know anybody who went from vaping to smoking; all the vapers I know are former smokers who have been happily cigarette-free, often for years. Think of it as harm reduction, that can also be kind of fun.
posted by monospace at 12:11 PM on December 29, 2015
I know there's a pushback from people who feel vaping "re-normalizes" smoking, but personally, I think that's nonsense. I don't know anybody who went from vaping to smoking; all the vapers I know are former smokers who have been happily cigarette-free, often for years. Think of it as harm reduction, that can also be kind of fun.
posted by monospace at 12:11 PM on December 29, 2015
Read the thin Alan Carr book again. I quit with that and I thought I could never quit anything. I suspected all the answers were in there to help me get free, and they were. It'll help you too. MeMail me if you'd like to discuss in depth.
posted by StephenF at 12:13 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by StephenF at 12:13 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don’t chew gum or use mouth sprays and electronic cigarettes are not an option for a number of reasons, number one being that my love of having something in my hand to stick in my gob is part of the habit I need to break.
Our friend here very specifically requested that he not be encouraged to use a replacement, such as vaping.
In general, too, it is a little shocking to see so very many people encourage others to use unregulated and unidentified chemicals. It does seem odd as well that someone should continue using a nicotine "cessation" product (one that includes nicotine!) for years after quitting smoking. That they would then recommend such a process to others, when it has so obviously failed them, is a testament to the sneaky power of addiction.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 12:31 PM on December 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
Our friend here very specifically requested that he not be encouraged to use a replacement, such as vaping.
In general, too, it is a little shocking to see so very many people encourage others to use unregulated and unidentified chemicals. It does seem odd as well that someone should continue using a nicotine "cessation" product (one that includes nicotine!) for years after quitting smoking. That they would then recommend such a process to others, when it has so obviously failed them, is a testament to the sneaky power of addiction.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 12:31 PM on December 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
Quitting is tough in different ways for different people, too. Personally I have never had any trouble with the physical parts (withdrawal/etc) of quitting smoking.
But even with years of no cigarettes, I feel the psychological craving many times a day, every day. So it's a basically endless struggle. I've quit and restarted a few times over the years, with my longest break being 5 years or so. But even with 5 years of no cigarettes, my desire did not change. I love smoking, only the worry about cancer/death can keep me from it.
As I get older, it gets a little easier to worry about cancer/etc and try to remind myself of that when my willpower gets lower. Also the less I am alone the easier it is --- I don't want the other people in my life to be worrying about me as much, so that works as a kind of accountability.
posted by thefoxgod at 2:13 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
But even with years of no cigarettes, I feel the psychological craving many times a day, every day. So it's a basically endless struggle. I've quit and restarted a few times over the years, with my longest break being 5 years or so. But even with 5 years of no cigarettes, my desire did not change. I love smoking, only the worry about cancer/death can keep me from it.
As I get older, it gets a little easier to worry about cancer/etc and try to remind myself of that when my willpower gets lower. Also the less I am alone the easier it is --- I don't want the other people in my life to be worrying about me as much, so that works as a kind of accountability.
posted by thefoxgod at 2:13 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I smoked 2 packs a day for over 30 years and quit cold turkey 13 years ago. I had tried and failed to quit probably a dozen times - hypnosis, nicotine gum, Wellbutrin. I realized I wanted to quit more than I wanted to smoke and was determined to finally beat this killer addiction. Some days I chose not smoking ten minutes at a time; others, a day at a time. I knew that one cigarette was all it would take to awaken the addiction. I used sunflower seeds to help with the hand-to-mouth thing and drank lots of water. Was it easy? Hell no! But quitting smoking is the thing I am proudest of accomplishing.I honestly have no desire to ever smoke again (and that took about a year after my last cigarette). Set a date and quit. PM me if you have any questions. You can do this!
posted by Linnee at 2:38 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Linnee at 2:38 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Don't think of it as quitting or, worse, giving up. Think of it as a gain - a gift to yourself. You're about to become healthier, richer and more fragrant to be around, all for the temporary cost of some transient discomfort. You're worth it.
If that doesn't work you could try my approach. Become a stressed-out, unfit, unhealthy, 40-year-old workaholic who finds himself in hospital being told by a neurologist that if you don't stop smoking you'll have another stroke. Worked for me.
posted by normy at 3:24 PM on December 29, 2015
If that doesn't work you could try my approach. Become a stressed-out, unfit, unhealthy, 40-year-old workaholic who finds himself in hospital being told by a neurologist that if you don't stop smoking you'll have another stroke. Worked for me.
posted by normy at 3:24 PM on December 29, 2015
I'm aware the asker isn't interested in vaping, but it's a real alternative that might be of interest to others reading this question. Countless people have used vaping to step down their nicotine intake and ultimately quit. I look at it as harm reduction. I haven't had a cigarette in 5 years and do not crave them. It's been great. Should I quit vaping? No doubt. But to me and many others, it's also fun. It's not the nicotine in cigarettes that's the most objectionable, after all.
posted by monospace at 7:11 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by monospace at 7:11 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Our friend here didn't specifically ask not to be encouraged to vape - rather, he rationalized his way out of vaping as a possible solution on very flimsy grounds. On grounds that every nicotine addict recognizes, pre-quit, as just that - pure baseless rationalizations.
Sure there are potential negatives to vaping, but for me and a lot of people I know, nothing has been remotely as successful as taking up the vape.
posted by mikel at 5:43 AM on January 3, 2016
Sure there are potential negatives to vaping, but for me and a lot of people I know, nothing has been remotely as successful as taking up the vape.
posted by mikel at 5:43 AM on January 3, 2016
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I'm not clear as to why breaking the "something in my hand to stick in my gob" part of the habit is so important? Because I know a lot of people who have quit smoking by vaping, then gradually reducing the nicotine content of the liquid they buy until they're down to zero nicotine. They still vape because they enjoy the hand-to-mouth action but once it's just flavored steam it isn't hurting you anymore so what's the problem?
posted by Jacqueline at 8:05 AM on December 29, 2015 [11 favorites]