Nicote-free cigarette from genetically modified tobacco
November 9, 2001 5:48 PM Subscribe
Nicote-free cigarette from genetically modified tobacco Apparently a company has developed it and they're running taste-tests too, in stores soon. Looks fine for wannabe smoke quitters. You found another way to get
rid of cigs ?
damn right they're addictive but that smooth cool taste sure is satisfying.
posted by Frasermoo at 6:58 PM on November 9, 2001
posted by Frasermoo at 6:58 PM on November 9, 2001
There is a tar-free cigarette. They're called Carltons. You can get a more substantial drag by sucking a straw on a humid day.
posted by lileks at 7:02 PM on November 9, 2001
posted by lileks at 7:02 PM on November 9, 2001
After 10 years of smoking I quit during a time I came down with a flu. Aided by my wife who have me horrific sponge baths with lemon juice to get rid of the toxins in my skin. Regardless, it can be done.
posted by mmarcos at 7:17 PM on November 9, 2001
posted by mmarcos at 7:17 PM on November 9, 2001
You found another way to get rid of cigs ?
an heavy smack addiction.
posted by jcterminal at 7:47 PM on November 9, 2001
an heavy smack addiction.
posted by jcterminal at 7:47 PM on November 9, 2001
A Nicotine-free cigarette is hardly a quitting aid. It's not the physical activity that needs gradual weaning, it's the substance in the tobacco. Does anyone *ever* buy O'Douls?
Imagine huffing away on cigarettes that are just as harmful as regular ones, and getting no relief from withdrawal symptoms... That's nothing but a recipe for failing and going back to the real thing.
What this really sounds like is the cigarette for people who don't smoke yet to start on. Perhaps then they'll never get addicted (or know the dual bliss of clarity and calm that comes from smoking 3 cigarettes in a row).
posted by scarabic at 7:49 PM on November 9, 2001 [1 favorite]
Imagine huffing away on cigarettes that are just as harmful as regular ones, and getting no relief from withdrawal symptoms... That's nothing but a recipe for failing and going back to the real thing.
What this really sounds like is the cigarette for people who don't smoke yet to start on. Perhaps then they'll never get addicted (or know the dual bliss of clarity and calm that comes from smoking 3 cigarettes in a row).
posted by scarabic at 7:49 PM on November 9, 2001 [1 favorite]
toxins???? in my skin????
auauauauauauaggghghghghghg!
(i kissed the marlboro man goodbye on july 11, 2001 after 30+ years. heart attack = powerful motivator)
posted by quonsar at 7:49 PM on November 9, 2001
auauauauauauaggghghghghghg!
(i kissed the marlboro man goodbye on july 11, 2001 after 30+ years. heart attack = powerful motivator)
posted by quonsar at 7:49 PM on November 9, 2001
You found another way to get rid of cigs ?
yeah. quit, cold turkey. I smoked heavily for 9 years and did it.
that's one way, anyway.
posted by lizardboy at 7:52 PM on November 9, 2001
yeah. quit, cold turkey. I smoked heavily for 9 years and did it.
that's one way, anyway.
posted by lizardboy at 7:52 PM on November 9, 2001
Back when I smoked, I smoked Carltons, and low-tar or not, they still got me to a-wheezin' the morning after.
posted by Oriole Adams at 7:54 PM on November 9, 2001
posted by Oriole Adams at 7:54 PM on November 9, 2001
You found another way to get rid of cigs?
Teeth clenching, white knuckle, cold turkey as well. It's been a little more than a year, and I've spent the last four months working in a smoke filled bar and still haven't started again.
I'm amazed and thankful every day that I manage to not smoke.
Oh, I chewed a lot of gum (regular, not niccotine gum) in the beginning and that helped the oral fixation.
posted by jennyb at 8:14 PM on November 9, 2001
Teeth clenching, white knuckle, cold turkey as well. It's been a little more than a year, and I've spent the last four months working in a smoke filled bar and still haven't started again.
I'm amazed and thankful every day that I manage to not smoke.
Oh, I chewed a lot of gum (regular, not niccotine gum) in the beginning and that helped the oral fixation.
posted by jennyb at 8:14 PM on November 9, 2001
<gratuitous Simpsons in-joke>We aren't worried, our customers enjoy Duff for it's smooth taste, not it's alcoholic content.</gratuitous Simpsons in-joke>
Oh yeah. Smoked for 7 years; quit 5 years ago. Cold turkey as well. It didn't suck as much as I expected it to.
posted by boaz at 8:47 PM on November 9, 2001
Oh yeah. Smoked for 7 years; quit 5 years ago. Cold turkey as well. It didn't suck as much as I expected it to.
posted by boaz at 8:47 PM on November 9, 2001
I have quit by many different means. Carlton's didn't help. Nicorette didn't help. The Patch was worthless. I smoked while wearing the patch! I don't see how this is any different.
Cold turkey's the only way. After three days or so you're done.
posted by Benway at 8:55 PM on November 9, 2001
Cold turkey's the only way. After three days or so you're done.
posted by Benway at 8:55 PM on November 9, 2001
Best. Scene. Ever.
Bart: To help save money, I'll take up smoking and then quit.
Homer: Son, I'm proud of you...quitting smoking is one of the hardest things you'll ever do. Have a dollar!
Lisa: But he didn't DO anything!
Homer: Didn't he, Lisa...? Didn't he...?
Damn - the way Homer says that last line is priceless. Sorry - but this thread was just ripe for that scene.
Me? I'll probably have to go through what quonsar did, sadly...just can't resist. I suspect part of the addiction/need is self-medicating, to a degree. Good on ya, quonsar, for kicking it. Hope you're doing great.
posted by davidmsc at 10:04 PM on November 9, 2001
Bart: To help save money, I'll take up smoking and then quit.
Homer: Son, I'm proud of you...quitting smoking is one of the hardest things you'll ever do. Have a dollar!
Lisa: But he didn't DO anything!
Homer: Didn't he, Lisa...? Didn't he...?
Damn - the way Homer says that last line is priceless. Sorry - but this thread was just ripe for that scene.
Me? I'll probably have to go through what quonsar did, sadly...just can't resist. I suspect part of the addiction/need is self-medicating, to a degree. Good on ya, quonsar, for kicking it. Hope you're doing great.
posted by davidmsc at 10:04 PM on November 9, 2001
I'm giving up right now for the fourth time! I've tried cold turkey and failed. I'm a big fan of the nicotine gum as it does help with the withdrawal and the 'nipple fixation'. If you're wondering why I'm trying to quit yet again - it's health. I did a basic cardiovascular test and realized I was in bad territory. This, despite weight training twice a week. Additionally my girlfriend is 8 years younger than me, so I have to 'keep up' so to speak ;)
posted by skinsuit at 10:48 PM on November 9, 2001
posted by skinsuit at 10:48 PM on November 9, 2001
A Nicotine-free cigarette is hardly a quitting aid. It's not the physical activity that needs gradual weaning, it's the substance in the tobacco. Does anyone *ever* buy O'Douls?
this is where i'd have to disagree. it *is* the physical activity. I've examined my own smoking patterns, and 95% of them have been -- for lack of a better word -- ritualistic, or habitual.
nicotine, as far as that goes, i find i need every 3 or 4 days... but, when one smokes heavily, you smoke from instinct: ie, i just ate a meal, i'll smoke, i'm waiting for the bus, i'll smoke; i just went outside, i'll smoke, etc.
I've found (trying to quit a variety of ways, using the patch, etc.) that i mostly smoke less for the nicotine and more for the process. a nicotine-free cigarette might help me beat the last frontier, -- drinking without smoking. (or travelling without moving, etc.)
or i could just quit drinking as well.
but for a lot of people -- that's not feasible.
i celebrate the introduction of cigarettes that put smoke in your lungs but don't deliver nicotine. any step is a good one. one has to wonder though -- what's the point of putting out a smoke to help people quit smoking??? ... seems a bad idea, at least fiscally -- unless you're charging ten/twenty bucks a pack, which is basically what the damn patch breaks down to. there's got to be more to the story here.
posted by fishfucker at 11:00 PM on November 9, 2001
-- what's the point of putting out a smoke to help people quit smoking??? ...
Most people double the amount they smoke when switching from a full flavor to a light or ultra light. I can just imagine what would happen when you tried to satisfy your nicotine craving with a cigarette that had no nicotine!
posted by phewbertie at 12:25 AM on November 10, 2001
Most people double the amount they smoke when switching from a full flavor to a light or ultra light. I can just imagine what would happen when you tried to satisfy your nicotine craving with a cigarette that had no nicotine!
posted by phewbertie at 12:25 AM on November 10, 2001
It has now been 81 hours since my last cigarette. I gave up smoking four days ago, due to a terribly persistant cough.
It has been a lot easier than I thought it would be, as well. The cravings are intense, but I'm not shedding teards. Granted I only smoked a little less than one pack a day for four years (ultra-lights, even), but it is basically having to rewire your brain that is the real bitch.
Get in the car--look for a cigarette. Finish a meal--light up a smoke. Work 10 hours in a cloudy haze of smokers at the bar. I am constantly reminded that I will never, never have a cigarette again.
It is disheartening to read that most smokers will resume smoking within six months. This is what I hear from all my friends, too. How many of your successfully quit cold-turkey and stayed smoke-free on your very first attempt?
And for what it is worth, I'd cut off my feet for one of those nicotine-free cigarettes.
posted by brittney at 12:41 AM on November 10, 2001
It has been a lot easier than I thought it would be, as well. The cravings are intense, but I'm not shedding teards. Granted I only smoked a little less than one pack a day for four years (ultra-lights, even), but it is basically having to rewire your brain that is the real bitch.
Get in the car--look for a cigarette. Finish a meal--light up a smoke. Work 10 hours in a cloudy haze of smokers at the bar. I am constantly reminded that I will never, never have a cigarette again.
It is disheartening to read that most smokers will resume smoking within six months. This is what I hear from all my friends, too. How many of your successfully quit cold-turkey and stayed smoke-free on your very first attempt?
And for what it is worth, I'd cut off my feet for one of those nicotine-free cigarettes.
posted by brittney at 12:41 AM on November 10, 2001
Brittney: good luck, gambatte!
No, I don't think anyone quits on their first attempt. I quit on about my 4th attempt, but my first serious attempt, in 1976. I had been a 2-3 pack-a-day smoker for about 6 years, since college.
I quit cold turkey. I didn't tell anyone I was quitting, so I had an 'out', I knew that if it got rough, I could just start again, without feeling embarrassed. Sound like a strategy destined to fail, because it made it easier to relapse? Maybe, but it worked.
Part of what made it work was psychological preparation. I knew I'd feel like crap for days or weeks. I knew I'd have a short temper. And I knew those things would pass. So when I felt lousy, I told myself "This, too, will pass." And it did. I keep a close watch on my emotions, and when I was about to snap at someone, I told myself, "This is the nic fit talking, don't do it," and I didn't. And that passed, too.
The physical addiction was gone in two to three weeks. But the habit, the custom of having a cigarette with coffee after a nice meal, or lighting up one as I sat down to do an annoying task, like homework or billpaying, that took a good year or more to get over.
At six months, I didn't relapse because every time I thought of having a cigarette, I realized that if I did, I would have gone through all the hassle of quitting for nothing! It would have all been a waste, and I'd just have to do it again, and I couldn't stand the thought of that. So I didn't.
Brittney, skinsuit, anyone else trying to quit, best of luck to you. Remember, no matter how miserable you feel during the process, it will get better. Eyes on the prize.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 3:36 AM on November 10, 2001
No, I don't think anyone quits on their first attempt. I quit on about my 4th attempt, but my first serious attempt, in 1976. I had been a 2-3 pack-a-day smoker for about 6 years, since college.
I quit cold turkey. I didn't tell anyone I was quitting, so I had an 'out', I knew that if it got rough, I could just start again, without feeling embarrassed. Sound like a strategy destined to fail, because it made it easier to relapse? Maybe, but it worked.
Part of what made it work was psychological preparation. I knew I'd feel like crap for days or weeks. I knew I'd have a short temper. And I knew those things would pass. So when I felt lousy, I told myself "This, too, will pass." And it did. I keep a close watch on my emotions, and when I was about to snap at someone, I told myself, "This is the nic fit talking, don't do it," and I didn't. And that passed, too.
The physical addiction was gone in two to three weeks. But the habit, the custom of having a cigarette with coffee after a nice meal, or lighting up one as I sat down to do an annoying task, like homework or billpaying, that took a good year or more to get over.
At six months, I didn't relapse because every time I thought of having a cigarette, I realized that if I did, I would have gone through all the hassle of quitting for nothing! It would have all been a waste, and I'd just have to do it again, and I couldn't stand the thought of that. So I didn't.
Brittney, skinsuit, anyone else trying to quit, best of luck to you. Remember, no matter how miserable you feel during the process, it will get better. Eyes on the prize.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 3:36 AM on November 10, 2001
I wish using Spell Check was addictive for Metafilterians.
posted by Carol Anne at 4:32 AM on November 10, 2001
posted by Carol Anne at 4:32 AM on November 10, 2001
A Nicotine-free cigarette is hardly a quitting aid. It's not the physical activity that needs gradual weaning, it's the substance in the tobacco. Does anyone *ever* buy O'Douls?
this is where i'd have to disagree.
I have to agree with fishfucker, here. While the chemical withdrawls only lasts a few days, I was white knuckled and pulling my hair out for well over a week. that physical habit is a bitch. I kept telling myself, though, "just two weeks, just two weeks..." After I had gone two weeks without smoking, I was free and clear and I haven't missed it since, and that was almost two years ago.
Good luck, Brittney, you can beat it.
posted by lizardboy at 6:14 AM on November 10, 2001
this is where i'd have to disagree.
I have to agree with fishfucker, here. While the chemical withdrawls only lasts a few days, I was white knuckled and pulling my hair out for well over a week. that physical habit is a bitch. I kept telling myself, though, "just two weeks, just two weeks..." After I had gone two weeks without smoking, I was free and clear and I haven't missed it since, and that was almost two years ago.
Good luck, Brittney, you can beat it.
posted by lizardboy at 6:14 AM on November 10, 2001
Maybe it's just me, but I've switched to a cig that contains 0,3mg nicotine/cigarette from a 1mg/cig ..and i'm smoking less then before. I've noticed that I'm not constantly thinking if I've got enough cigs for the day anymore.
I think that a gradual decrease of amount of nicotine can surely help quitting the addiction ..it's not like cheating your brain into believing you're smoking less , you're actually giving your brain less chemical problems.
Of course I'm also willing to quit ..that's the 2nd try the first one failed miserably because I tried Nicorette..I don't suggest using it, it's expensive and useless because the amount of nicotine isn't decreasing at all, you're only replacing the source.
posted by elpapacito at 6:27 AM on November 10, 2001
I think that a gradual decrease of amount of nicotine can surely help quitting the addiction ..it's not like cheating your brain into believing you're smoking less , you're actually giving your brain less chemical problems.
Of course I'm also willing to quit ..that's the 2nd try the first one failed miserably because I tried Nicorette..I don't suggest using it, it's expensive and useless because the amount of nicotine isn't decreasing at all, you're only replacing the source.
posted by elpapacito at 6:27 AM on November 10, 2001
A Nicotine-free cigarette is hardly a quitting aid.
One other perspective here -- such a cigarette would be a preferable alternative to people who are starting to smoke. Sure, it's still a bad habit, but if you can avoid the addiction it will be easier to stop.
posted by mattpfeff at 7:05 AM on November 10, 2001
One other perspective here -- such a cigarette would be a preferable alternative to people who are starting to smoke. Sure, it's still a bad habit, but if you can avoid the addiction it will be easier to stop.
posted by mattpfeff at 7:05 AM on November 10, 2001
It took me three years to learn the skill of not smoking a cigarette; after ten years, I'm pretty good at it. I could write a small book about the process. However, I'll try to keep this short.
For me, the hardest part was the fact that I was an addict and I could never, ever, have another cigarette. On the other hand, I was an addict and relapses were almost guaranteed. The only way I found was to realise that it had taken me twenty years to first learn to smoke without puking, then to hold my cigarette like I'd been smoking for years. After that came playing pool with a smoke in my mouth, lighting a cigarette in the back of a pickup going sixty mph. Keeping a cigarette lit during a rainstorm. By the time I was ready to quit I had quite a bit of time, money and talent invested in smoking.
After I quit, I had to learn how to wake up without a cigarette. I had to learn how to go to bed without relaxing with a smoke. I had to relearn how to talk on the phone, finish a meal, or be depressed without lighting up. All of these were hard.
The hardest part, though, was to realise that for the next forty or fifty years, there will be times when I want the euphoric buzz that only comes from tobacco. And that there will never be a safe time for me to give in. Because that yearning for a smoke will be stronger an hour after I give in than it has been for years and it will never, ever go completely away.
Like I say, I'm pretty good at ignoring my urge to smoke now. I can even laugh about those urges. But now that I've written this too long piece about smoking, I thing it's time to take the dog for a walk.
posted by faceonmars at 7:46 AM on November 10, 2001 [1 favorite]
For me, the hardest part was the fact that I was an addict and I could never, ever, have another cigarette. On the other hand, I was an addict and relapses were almost guaranteed. The only way I found was to realise that it had taken me twenty years to first learn to smoke without puking, then to hold my cigarette like I'd been smoking for years. After that came playing pool with a smoke in my mouth, lighting a cigarette in the back of a pickup going sixty mph. Keeping a cigarette lit during a rainstorm. By the time I was ready to quit I had quite a bit of time, money and talent invested in smoking.
After I quit, I had to learn how to wake up without a cigarette. I had to learn how to go to bed without relaxing with a smoke. I had to relearn how to talk on the phone, finish a meal, or be depressed without lighting up. All of these were hard.
The hardest part, though, was to realise that for the next forty or fifty years, there will be times when I want the euphoric buzz that only comes from tobacco. And that there will never be a safe time for me to give in. Because that yearning for a smoke will be stronger an hour after I give in than it has been for years and it will never, ever go completely away.
Like I say, I'm pretty good at ignoring my urge to smoke now. I can even laugh about those urges. But now that I've written this too long piece about smoking, I thing it's time to take the dog for a walk.
posted by faceonmars at 7:46 AM on November 10, 2001 [1 favorite]
It took me three years to learn the skill of not smoking a cigarette; after ten years, I'm pretty good at it. I could write a small book about the process. However, I'll try to keep this short.
For me, the hardest part was the fact that I was an addict and I could never, ever, have another cigarette. On the other hand, I was an addict and relapses were almost guaranteed. The only way I found was to realise that it had taken me twenty years to first learn to smoke without puking, then to hold my cigarette like I'd been smoking for years. After that came playing pool with a smoke in my mouth, lighting a cigarette in the back of a pickup going sixty mph. Keeping a cigarette lit during a rainstorm. By the time I was ready to quit I had quite a bit of time, money and talent invested in smoking.
After I quit, I had to learn how to wake up without a cigarette. I had to learn how to go to bed without relaxing with a smoke. I had to relearn how to talk on the phone, finish a meal, or be depressed without lighting up. All of these were hard.
The hardest part, though, was to realise that for the next forty or fifty years, there will be times when I want the euphoric buzz that only comes from tobacco. And that there will never be a safe time for me to give in. Because that yearning for a smoke will be stronger an hour after I give in than it has been for years and it will never, ever go completely away.
Like I say, I'm pretty good at ignoring my urge to smoke now. I can even laugh about those urges. But now that I've written this too long piece about smoking, I thing it's time to take the dog for a walk.
posted by faceonmars at 7:47 AM on November 10, 2001
For me, the hardest part was the fact that I was an addict and I could never, ever, have another cigarette. On the other hand, I was an addict and relapses were almost guaranteed. The only way I found was to realise that it had taken me twenty years to first learn to smoke without puking, then to hold my cigarette like I'd been smoking for years. After that came playing pool with a smoke in my mouth, lighting a cigarette in the back of a pickup going sixty mph. Keeping a cigarette lit during a rainstorm. By the time I was ready to quit I had quite a bit of time, money and talent invested in smoking.
After I quit, I had to learn how to wake up without a cigarette. I had to learn how to go to bed without relaxing with a smoke. I had to relearn how to talk on the phone, finish a meal, or be depressed without lighting up. All of these were hard.
The hardest part, though, was to realise that for the next forty or fifty years, there will be times when I want the euphoric buzz that only comes from tobacco. And that there will never be a safe time for me to give in. Because that yearning for a smoke will be stronger an hour after I give in than it has been for years and it will never, ever go completely away.
Like I say, I'm pretty good at ignoring my urge to smoke now. I can even laugh about those urges. But now that I've written this too long piece about smoking, I thing it's time to take the dog for a walk.
posted by faceonmars at 7:47 AM on November 10, 2001
I've quit many times in many ways, then stayed off for three or four years before succumbing again. Of all the treatments, Zyban is the most effective. It really does avoid almost all of the physical discomfort involved in quitting, but it is weird, and ever so slightly dangerous.
The problem is that the easier the quitting feels, the less you feel you've achieved - and the more likely you'll start again. A nicotine free cigarette might help at that stage. Can't see it selling though.
posted by grahamwell at 10:25 AM on November 10, 2001
The problem is that the easier the quitting feels, the less you feel you've achieved - and the more likely you'll start again. A nicotine free cigarette might help at that stage. Can't see it selling though.
posted by grahamwell at 10:25 AM on November 10, 2001
I smoke a pack of "Black Death" (John Players Special - JPS) every day. Anything lower than a 'light' cigarette is not worth my time, and I have to smoke 2 light cigarettes to get anything out of it. Personally, a nicotine-free cigarette is wasted money. The habitual smoking still relies on getting some nicotine into the system, even if it's not needed. At least that's how it is for me, mind you I'm a little odd.
posted by Dark Messiah at 10:39 AM on November 10, 2001
posted by Dark Messiah at 10:39 AM on November 10, 2001
an easy off method i'm trying is to go all natural (drum or american spirit or whatever) and then get it gradually down to two-a-day and then a few-a-week etc... how bad is a pack a month habit?
i miss filtered ramses IIs. sweet sweet rice paper.
posted by kliuless at 11:02 AM on November 10, 2001
i miss filtered ramses IIs. sweet sweet rice paper.
posted by kliuless at 11:02 AM on November 10, 2001
skinsuit: Why would weight training have anything to do with cardiovascular fitness?
It is impossible to quit smoking by ignoring your wish to smoke. If you ignore it, you let it lose its boundaries and attach to all your other thoughts (such as: "I'll get out of bed now," or "I think I'll eat).
You can't ignore your wish to smoke or look at it with false-dramatic loathing. You have to be able to hold it in your mind without it acting on you -- just to see it, from outside rather than inside, experience it, and be able to move it along and not let it rip up other thoughts as it goes.
Any attempt to quit smoking without learning about your own thinking is not just futile but also passes up a good opportunity to learn about yourself.
posted by argybarg at 11:50 AM on November 10, 2001
It is impossible to quit smoking by ignoring your wish to smoke. If you ignore it, you let it lose its boundaries and attach to all your other thoughts (such as: "I'll get out of bed now," or "I think I'll eat).
You can't ignore your wish to smoke or look at it with false-dramatic loathing. You have to be able to hold it in your mind without it acting on you -- just to see it, from outside rather than inside, experience it, and be able to move it along and not let it rip up other thoughts as it goes.
Any attempt to quit smoking without learning about your own thinking is not just futile but also passes up a good opportunity to learn about yourself.
posted by argybarg at 11:50 AM on November 10, 2001
I'm another one who quit cold turkey. I smoked for 11 years, then quit in July 2000. I came down with a bad case of mono (think: giant golf balls for glands) and was too sick to care for a few weeks. When I improved, I just didn't pick up the habit again.
That's where it got hard. The withdrawal symptoms were just about gone, but the habit remained. I just accepted that I was having a craving, one craving at a time, and won each battle, one at a time. As someone else said, ultimately it was easier than I thought it would be.
Good luck to anyone trying to quit. It does get easier. I just never think about it anymore.
posted by swerve at 12:40 PM on November 10, 2001
That's where it got hard. The withdrawal symptoms were just about gone, but the habit remained. I just accepted that I was having a craving, one craving at a time, and won each battle, one at a time. As someone else said, ultimately it was easier than I thought it would be.
Good luck to anyone trying to quit. It does get easier. I just never think about it anymore.
posted by swerve at 12:40 PM on November 10, 2001
It's amazing to hear my own stories told by others.
Here's some wise words that I've been told by ex-smokers
Once you make the decision to quit (not necessarily the action of quitting) you've won a huge victory. Relapsing is not a failure, but instead a part of the process. Every time you quit, you are that much closer to never having to quit again. Keep quitting, every single day, and eventually it becomes trivial to never have a cigartette.
For those who are trying to quit or who have recently quit, I strongly urge you to check out SilkQuit and their really cool little metering program. Also the Motley Fool's Quitting Smoking board is not only a great resource for information but also for support.
I'll quit right after this cigarette... (*ugh*)
posted by fooljay at 2:46 PM on November 10, 2001
Here's some wise words that I've been told by ex-smokers
Once you make the decision to quit (not necessarily the action of quitting) you've won a huge victory. Relapsing is not a failure, but instead a part of the process. Every time you quit, you are that much closer to never having to quit again. Keep quitting, every single day, and eventually it becomes trivial to never have a cigartette.
For those who are trying to quit or who have recently quit, I strongly urge you to check out SilkQuit and their really cool little metering program. Also the Motley Fool's Quitting Smoking board is not only a great resource for information but also for support.
I'll quit right after this cigarette... (*ugh*)
posted by fooljay at 2:46 PM on November 10, 2001
I might also mention (since you may miss it) that there are some pretty cool Javascript based meters that you can add to your site to tell the world how long you've been cig free.
posted by fooljay at 2:51 PM on November 10, 2001
posted by fooljay at 2:51 PM on November 10, 2001
I paid for my boyfriend (a pack a day for 7 yrs) to take a stop-smoking hypnosis class about a month ago. He's pretty sure it worked, he's only had one really bad craving so far and chewed some nic gum for it. His dad died last night from a painful, horrid blood and bone cancer caused by 50 years of smoking, so I imagine he'll try very hard to remain a non-smoker.
posted by fotzepolitic at 3:09 PM on November 10, 2001
posted by fotzepolitic at 3:09 PM on November 10, 2001
FWIW, when I quit, it had nothing to do with my health. I just couldn't deal with the craving any more, with the amount of time I spent every day thinking about smoking. I felt like it was beginning to warp my personality. I wonder how many others quit for the same reason.
posted by lbergstr at 7:02 PM on November 10, 2001
posted by lbergstr at 7:02 PM on November 10, 2001
My mother smoked 20 or so years, interrupted only by her pregnancy with me.
Then she had a heart attack at the age of 45 followed by a heart bypass. Since that day 6 years ago - she hasn't smoked one cigarette.
A rather extreme quitting method, for certain.
posted by owillis at 8:10 PM on November 10, 2001
Then she had a heart attack at the age of 45 followed by a heart bypass. Since that day 6 years ago - she hasn't smoked one cigarette.
A rather extreme quitting method, for certain.
posted by owillis at 8:10 PM on November 10, 2001
Quit in early Feb, 2001, after 18 years or so. Used the nicorette inhalers to help me stay off when I was drinking, which was the only time after the first few days when I *really* jonesed.
Have smoked one cigar, socially, since then. Hooray for me.
Some people have an easy time of quitting, some don't. But, if you're thinking of quitting, regardless of what the propaganda says, remember : for some people, it's not hard to quit.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:28 PM on November 10, 2001
Have smoked one cigar, socially, since then. Hooray for me.
Some people have an easy time of quitting, some don't. But, if you're thinking of quitting, regardless of what the propaganda says, remember : for some people, it's not hard to quit.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:28 PM on November 10, 2001
Watch out for those cigars! I made that mistake. First it was one, then one now and again. Then it was one or two each weekend, and finally one every night. Oops, then I wanted something to some in the morning, and with in a few months I was back to 4-5 packs a day.
The other one that will get you is trying that one cigarette just to see if it can still "hook you." That too is a slippery slope.
It has been three weeks. Maybe this time I will make it :)
Not having much trouble so far. Zyban and the patch along with a support program.
posted by phewbertie at 3:52 AM on November 12, 2001
The other one that will get you is trying that one cigarette just to see if it can still "hook you." That too is a slippery slope.
It has been three weeks. Maybe this time I will make it :)
Not having much trouble so far. Zyban and the patch along with a support program.
posted by phewbertie at 3:52 AM on November 12, 2001
Good luck phewbertie. Me, I meant to say Feb 2000 since the last ciggie....goin' on two years now...
I love addictions personally...the feeling of getting hooked, the slow slide into dependance, the satisfaction of kicking the habit, whatever it might be. I've kicked a few nasty ones.
But then, I'm a WonderChicken.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:23 AM on November 13, 2001
I love addictions personally...the feeling of getting hooked, the slow slide into dependance, the satisfaction of kicking the habit, whatever it might be. I've kicked a few nasty ones.
But then, I'm a WonderChicken.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:23 AM on November 13, 2001
I regard the morning in August 1988 when my best friend asked me if I wanted a cigarette and I said yes as the darkest moment of my life.
We were driving to school; I was a sophomore and he was a junior. I looked up to my best friend and thought he was the coolest. When he asked me if I wanted a smoke I was shocked. I didn't know he smoked! I said, "Sure, I'll give it a try," knowing everything I knew about cigarettes and addiction and hearing my grandfather and my father coughing constantly.
Since that day the longest I have gone without some form of nicotine is about nine days. I quit smoking when I was a junior in college because I joined the rowing team (Florida Crew) and you simply cannot pull an oar with no lungs. Thank heavens all the older coaches chewed Skoal or Copenhagen. I started "dipping" in 1995. It's a bit more disgusting and certainly less socially acceptable, but the buzz is better and - except for having to sometimes spit a loose piece of skin - feels healthier.
When I moved to California in Sept 2000 I had to quit dipping. Why? It's over five times as expensive here as it was in Florida. Nobody dips in LA. So I started smoking again.
The coughing and wheezing started to really scare me by April. I think the smog in the air here just multiplies the damage smoking does to your lungs. By June I could hardly walk a flight of stairs without stopping - and I'm an otherwise incredibly physically fit 28 yr old. So I did the only thing I could do: I searched around until I found a store that sold inexpensive Copenhagen.
Don't get me wrong. I hate it. I hate myself for doing it. I know I'm weak and stupid and pitiful. I wish to holy hell that I had never gotten myself into this position. I wish that I wasn't the sniveling little weak bastard that I am and that I would just f*cking quit. I've used the patch, nicotine gum, low-tar smokes, tobacco-free chew, toothpicks, lollipops ... I need to quit. *Need*.
I *hate* nicotine. I *hate* the addiction. I *know* I need to quit and that the only way to do it is cold turkey. But for some reason I don't and the only thing I can imagine is that it's because deep down I *hate* me. And that really sucks.
posted by GatorDavid at 9:28 AM on November 15, 2001
We were driving to school; I was a sophomore and he was a junior. I looked up to my best friend and thought he was the coolest. When he asked me if I wanted a smoke I was shocked. I didn't know he smoked! I said, "Sure, I'll give it a try," knowing everything I knew about cigarettes and addiction and hearing my grandfather and my father coughing constantly.
Since that day the longest I have gone without some form of nicotine is about nine days. I quit smoking when I was a junior in college because I joined the rowing team (Florida Crew) and you simply cannot pull an oar with no lungs. Thank heavens all the older coaches chewed Skoal or Copenhagen. I started "dipping" in 1995. It's a bit more disgusting and certainly less socially acceptable, but the buzz is better and - except for having to sometimes spit a loose piece of skin - feels healthier.
When I moved to California in Sept 2000 I had to quit dipping. Why? It's over five times as expensive here as it was in Florida. Nobody dips in LA. So I started smoking again.
The coughing and wheezing started to really scare me by April. I think the smog in the air here just multiplies the damage smoking does to your lungs. By June I could hardly walk a flight of stairs without stopping - and I'm an otherwise incredibly physically fit 28 yr old. So I did the only thing I could do: I searched around until I found a store that sold inexpensive Copenhagen.
Don't get me wrong. I hate it. I hate myself for doing it. I know I'm weak and stupid and pitiful. I wish to holy hell that I had never gotten myself into this position. I wish that I wasn't the sniveling little weak bastard that I am and that I would just f*cking quit. I've used the patch, nicotine gum, low-tar smokes, tobacco-free chew, toothpicks, lollipops ... I need to quit. *Need*.
I *hate* nicotine. I *hate* the addiction. I *know* I need to quit and that the only way to do it is cold turkey. But for some reason I don't and the only thing I can imagine is that it's because deep down I *hate* me. And that really sucks.
posted by GatorDavid at 9:28 AM on November 15, 2001
You're close, though, GatorDavid. Really close. The Final Quit might happen within the next year. Trust me.
posted by argybarg at 9:10 PM on November 15, 2001
posted by argybarg at 9:10 PM on November 15, 2001
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posted by grabbingsand at 6:05 PM on November 9, 2001