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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2011 : 07:31:42 [Permalink]
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From 17 I smoked for 8 years then quit, got a girlfriend to quit too. Then we broke up and with doing the dating and bar thingy again I started for 5 more years. That second time was a bitch trying to go cold turkey. I kept cheating. One day I realized that if I wanted to be a nonsmoker that meant not smoking period. Every time I got the urge I would tahe inventory, my desire to be a nonsmoker was stronger than the urge to smoke, so I stopped. That mental trick worked for me. I now have maybe five cigs a year when I chose and don't have chronic urges. Going from a pack a day down to a few a year, I can happily live with that.
I noticed in the beginning I would get an urge every 5 or 10 minutes but they became less frequent over time. That gave me the reinforcement to keep going until the daily urges stopped. That took about 8 months. After that it was very hard to even be around smokers but now that too has gone. You don't need to be giving tobacco companies and your state your money. Cut them ropes that bind you and make you a slave! Who decides what your going to do, them? Ant time you want to quit more than you want to smoke you'll be winning. Smoking is for young kids and old fools. You can do it. Good luck. SS |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
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bngbuck
SFN Addict
USA
2437 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2011 : 10:11:08 [Permalink]
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Ebone.....
Pure, unadulterated fear works pretty well.
I smoked for 22 years about 2 packs daily. The first Surgeon General's report was released in 1964. I was 36. Having an enquiring mind, I read the whole thing (big, big document) and then started to do some serious investigation. This was pre-internet and the process took months.
I suceeded in talking to 15 doctors of many specialties. Some of them were smokers. The response was unanimous, QUIT. Sometimes this rejoinder was delivered through a cloud of cigarette smoke. Yet, all of them said, "quit now, or it will seriously damage your health."
I quit frozen turducken. Never again picked one up. It was the single hardest thing I ever did in my life. Took about two years. Eventually, the desire gradually went away. But I was really scared shitless after finding out what the ridiculously stupid habit would do to me. I was a fucking believer because the people that convinced me were rational scientists that knew what they were talking about.
The doctors I talked to and a lot of reading totally persuaded me that cancer and/or heart disease in later life were almost inevitable. COPD, emphysema, etc., were very probable, as my immune system weakened with age. I was really, really scared and I don't scare easy, having taken many unbelievably idiotic personal risks in my then-young life. (jumping out of airplanes, dare-devil skiing, high altitude jeeping on mountain cliffsides, wild stock market ventures, etc.) I actually played real Russian Roulette once for a paltry thousand dollars. I was a risk-taker. I wouldn't do that today for anything less than a million dollar bet. Cash.
When I turned 67 (31 years later), after a routine check-up, my docter suggested I take a "nuclear treadmill" test (treadmill exercise followed by a radioactive isotope injection and then a reading of the radiation emission by a scanning camera.)
It showed I had some coronary artery blockage. I next had a coronary angiogram which showed over 90% blockage of 3 coronary arteries. The cardiologist said I was in extreme danger of a fatal heart attack. The next day I had 6-bypass heart surgery (eight hours on the operating table and heart-lung machine.) Recovery fron this most invasive of all surgeries is really a terrible experience. Takes most of a year. Hurts a hell of a lot. But it saved my life and I am truly grateful that I lived long enough to find the blockage and correct it.
I then really started taking care of my body. My cardiologists (3 of them) told me that my heavy smoking habit was undoubtedly the primary cause of the arterial blockage. I am now almost 83 and pretty damn healthy for my age. I am damn lucky to be alive!
This is a cautionary tale. Smoking is an almost unbelievably stupid activity. It is genuinely slow suicide. It is asking for an early, painful death. Anyone who openly chooses to smoke after truly researching the subject is just plain fucking dumb, or else has a death wish. Period.
Get lung cancer or coronary artery disease and all of your rationalizations for continuing to smoke will vanish instantly. Learning the horror of what it will do to you is far greater than the brilliant rationalizing and fooling yourself that you are doing now. IT WILL KILL YOU, Ebone! Way before your time, and very painfully. How otherwise brilliant people can continue to smoke totally confounds me, but I guess it is just another example of the magnificent complexity of the human mind. |
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular
Norway
1273 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2011 : 13:12:08 [Permalink]
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| appeal to fear? hasn't that been proven to be one of the least successful methods to get people to quit? |
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bngbuck
SFN Addict
USA
2437 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2011 : 19:39:11 [Permalink]
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On Fire.....
| appeal to fear? hasn't that been proven to be one of the least successful methods to get people to quit? |
Proven where?
Anyway, I was only trying to say that I was scared shitless when I fully realized the consequences of smoking. I would think anyone of reasonable intelligence would reach the same conclusion. If such a person fully comprehended he/she was doing irreparable harm to their lungs and respiratory system by smoking, I don't think I or anyone else would need to "appeal to fear" to persuade them to quit, they would do it themselves.
If they don't, then it looks to me like they just don't accept the abundant medical evidence because they are too ignorant, dumb, or arrogant to do so. Kind of like climate change deniers, or Bible believers. Or homeopathic "medicine" users.
What would you call someone who fully understood that she was seriouusly harming her body by continuosly inhaling a substance that was proven by scientists to cause cancer, and many other serious diseases; and continued to do so despite a complete understanding of the consequences? A drug addict?
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tw101356
Skeptic Friend
USA
333 Posts |
 Posted - 07/27/2011 : 21:19:54 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Valiant Dancer
You have to hack the nicotine withdrawls. The physical component can be replaced with vegatable sticks. (carrot or celery, unimproved. Improvement via your favorite addative such as ranch dip or salsa leads to the weight gain aspect.)
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Spice mixes add tons of flavor improvement with near zero calories.
A mix of good dried chili powders, cumin, black pepper, and garlic powder add a lovely flavor to celery sticks. I can practically gorge on this combination and end up consuming mostly water and fiber.
Carrot sticks go nicely with an Indian spice mix. I just buy a jar of garam masala mix at the local Indian food store (and you can find it in a regular grocery).
As an added bonus, a tablespoon of either and a couple tablespoons of oil makes a great coating for chicken before grilling.
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- TW
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The Rat
SFN Regular
Canada
1370 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2011 : 04:43:17 [Permalink]
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Appeal to fear? Here's a line I've used here before, just might put some fear into you:
Q) What's the worst thing about getting a lung transplant?
A) Every time you cough you get a mouthful of someone else's phlegm
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Bailey's second law; There is no relationship between the three virtues of intelligence, education, and wisdom.
You fiend! Never have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the Church? - The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Blackadder II
Baculum's page: http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=3947338590 |
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Fripp
SFN Regular
USA
727 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2011 : 06:13:23 [Permalink]
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I have virtually zero experience with this particular issue but in regards to the "appeal to fear", my wife's 75-yr-old father, a life-long smoker stemming from his Army days, stopped cold-turkey after going to the ER for COPD.
Perhaps another meaningless anecdote, but my $.02 nonetheless. |
"What the hell is an Aluminum Falcon?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought my Dark Lord of the Sith could protect a small thermal exhaust port that's only 2-meters wide! That thing wasn't even fully paid off yet! You have any idea what this is going to do to my credit?!?!"
"What? Oh, oh, 'just rebuild it'? Oh, real [bleep]ing original. And who's gonna give me a loan, jackhole? You? You got an ATM on that torso LiteBrite?" |
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Elmo the Clown
New Member
31 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2011 : 06:25:50 [Permalink]
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Remember this: Your mind and body will be your enemy. They want it. They need it. They will tell you at every opportunity. Shit, I have been off of nicotine (this time) for almost three years. I still smell people smoking and have to resist the urge to bum one, especially if I have been drinking.
Wellbutrin: Helped first time, not so much second time. Didn't try third time.
Chantrix: Worked pretty damn well except for the bone aches. Aching bones are not something I generally like, so I quit it early.. but it got me over the hump.
It took way too much nicotine gum, and I got mouth sores.
The patch worked best each time I think, except in the summer when I couldn't keep the darn thing on. It removed the physical symptoms (which were pretty severe for me), and allowed me to concentrate on the psychological ones (which were many, but manageable since I didn't feel like my whole body was trying to get me).
Damn... I miss my cigars. Punch Gran Cru, Fuente, and Excalibur FTW.
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Support a clown, buy a luury cruise from www.ChicLuxuryCruises.com (or any cruise...) |
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Elmo the Clown
New Member
31 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2011 : 06:27:12 [Permalink]
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Fear? The idea is to quit before the onset of disease.
edited to add:
Best of luck to you. Think of each cigarette as a nail in the back of the head to cigarette execs and politicians in cahoots. |
Support a clown, buy a luury cruise from www.ChicLuxuryCruises.com (or any cruise...) |
| Edited by - Elmo the Clown on 07/28/2011 06:28:48 |
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Ebone4rock
SFN Regular
USA
894 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2011 : 07:04:36 [Permalink]
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Thanks for all of the perspectives folks.
I have two problems. I was born without a fear gene. I have no fear of death whatsoever, I do not want it to happen soon, but I do not fear it.
As far as drugs go, all of the side effects such as rectal bleeding and suicide turn me off. I only like recreational drugs. :)
I think the patch is the way I'm gonna go. I think I will start on Sunday. |
Haole with heart, thats all I'll ever be. I'm not a part of the North Shore society. Stuck on the shoulder, that's where you'll find me. Digging for scraps with the kooks in line. -Offspring |
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bngbuck
SFN Addict
USA
2437 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2011 : 10:03:54 [Permalink]
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Ebone.....
| I have two problems. I was born without a fear gene. I have no fear of death whatsoever, I do not want it to happen soon, but I do not fear it. |
OK. There are two distinct types of mortality fear. One is the fear of going to Hell (or even Perdition), both of which are portrayed as very uncomfortable, to say the very least. To anyone with a properly functioning neural system, this is utter nonsense, as is the concept of eternity. You, Ebone, do not believe in Hell or Eternity. Consequently you have no fear of death leading to Hell.
However, you may well have a fear of death that takes the form of Fear of Not Living Anymore. This is fundamentally different from fear of death leading to Hell. It really boils down to what one defines as "fear". Webster defines it as: 3. fear: profound reverence and awe.
I would posit that you (and many others here) have considerable "reverence and awe" for your own life and/or your existence. Nothing religious in any way, merely a respect mingled with love and awe.
I can at least state in my own case, that I do have such a respect for my own life. I love it and do not want to give it up. I strongly do not want to stop existing. My 'do not want' is so strong that I feel that I can properly define it as a "fear". I fear dying because it means no longer existing, not where I may "go" after I die. Anyway, how could I "go" anywhere if I did not exist any more?
I feel, to paraphrase Descartes, that Cogito ergo sum, sum ergo gaudium!
So I would say that, irrespective of genealogy, that you do, in fact, have a fear of death; in the sense only that you strongly do not want to cease existing. It is too much fun to think and act and be, that you do not want it to end.
Et tu? Quid dicus?
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bngbuck
SFN Addict
USA
2437 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2011 : 20:14:58 [Permalink]
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Ebone.....
Well, what do you think about not wanting to die?
Is it enough to make you stop killing yourself? I understand you have no fear of harm or death and also that you don't particularly want to die uncomfortably; but is the trade-off of losing the gratifications of sucking smoke into your lungs in order to live a considerably longer and more healthy rest of your life, is it worth the pain of drug rehab?
The patch may well help you, particularly if your system really needs nicotine by now; but what are your thoughts about the psychology of quitting - the distraction need, the repetitous body movements, the ceremony of lighting, the need for peer compliance and group belonging, etc.? Is your particular drug addiction more physiological or psychological? How much do you really want to smoke as social behaviour, irrespective of how much your tissues crave the nicotine?
Do you truly want to literally burn the candle wherever the wick protrudes, and devil take the hindmost?
What are your feelings?
I'd like to hear your thoughts.
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Ebone4rock
SFN Regular
USA
894 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2011 : 08:43:19 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by bngbuck
| Well, what do you think about not wanting to die? |
Well I don't want it to happen anytime soon!
but what are your thoughts about the psychology of quitting - the distraction need, the repetitous body movements, the ceremony of lighting, the need for peer compliance and group belonging, etc.? Is your particular drug addiction more physiological or psychological? How much do you really want to smoke as social behaviour, irrespective of how much your tissues crave the nicotine?
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Yes, this will be the toughest part. If I didn't smoke I would never get out of my office. I could spend November - March and never see daylight! Other than meetings it is the only time I get to socialize with other co-workers.
This is what stresses me the most!
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Haole with heart, thats all I'll ever be. I'm not a part of the North Shore society. Stuck on the shoulder, that's where you'll find me. Digging for scraps with the kooks in line. -Offspring |
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bngbuck
SFN Addict
USA
2437 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2011 : 10:19:03 [Permalink]
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Ebone.....
Thanks for emerging from your thick cloud of poisonous gas to respond to my queries. It's nice to hear your voice again on your own thread.| Well I don't want it to happen anytime soon! |
In your own personal situation, what constitutes "soon"? How many years of healthy life would you want to enjoy before not caring if you died or not?
Seriously, how many years - with no serious illness, disability, or pain - would you consider enough time to have lived before arriving at a time when you did not care one way or the other if you were to die immediately? Put a specific number on it.
If anyone else listening has any views on this subject, I would be delighted to hear them. As probably the oldest member of SFN, it is a subject of some interest to me. |
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Skeptically quitting
