About Quiting Smoking

Moxie

Moxie

Pre-Flight
Gone West
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
76
Well, many of you Babes know that I'm a long-term, high volume smoker.

WAS, a long-term, high volume smoker.

I quit on Saturday. Now, to you non-smokers out there you may be thinking "five days, big deal", but you heavy smokers out there know that it *is* a VERY big deal.

All these years people have said all the right things, "it's not good for your health, you'll save money", you know the rap. None of that impacted me. Cigarettes were my companions. No way was I giving them up.

Then, a couple of years ago it occurred to me that I wasn't addicted to smoking, cigarettes owned my butt. They owned me.

I didn't like it, but it didn't stop me.

Then I heard about a book on another site, Allen Carr's "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking". I bought it, read most of it (skipped a couple of the middle chapters) read the last page, put the book down, my cigarette out and announced in my head I was done.

The difference is that the book helped me to realize that I wasn't giving up anything, instead, I was fighting tooth and nail, denying the cigarette monster in my belly his fix. I can fight. You KNOW I can fight. So that's what I've been doing. Every time I get the urge to light up, I know in my heart of hearts that it's the nicotine monster wanting to control me and make me give him his fix. If I give him one, he'll just want more.

So I haven't given him the one. No patches, no pills, no gum. No smokes.

sigh....
 
Good for you.

At current rates, how many packs unsmoked make up one hour's flying time?
 
Good for you, Moxie! Fight the good fight.

About 15 years ago my mom quit her 3-pack a day habit cold turkey after 35 years. If she hadn't done that, my kids would never have met their grandma. I thank her every time I see her.
 
GOOD FOR YOU, MOXIE!

I smoked from my early teens into my early 20's, finally ending at 2 packs a day by the time I was 23. I can't tell you how many times I "quit" only to take it up again.

Then I read What to Say When You Talk To Yourself. It's a short book, badly written, and seems unbelievable, but at it's heart is one core truth that, as a programmer, I recognized.

What you tell yourself becomes your reality.

I finally managed to quit smoking when I started telling myself I didn't smoke. Whenever I got an urge, I pulled out a piece of notepaper with something pretty much like this on it and read it, ALOUD to myself.

"I do not smoke! I hate smoking. I hate the taste, I hate the smell, I hate what it does to my teeth. I get sick when I am near tobacco smoke! I can't stand the stuff and have no cravings for it at all! I am an EX SMOKER!"

I'm 36, I haven't smoked in 13 or so years and you know what?

I hate cigarette smoke and any other form of tobacco smoke. I haven't felt a craving since the first week when I quit, because I was able to convince my self that I didn't smoke.

It sounds insane - but what your brain hears enough, it believes. If you tell your brain, out loud, over and over, what you want about yourself to be true, your brain will come to believe it, and your life will follow. Reason applies, of course - telling yourself you can fly by flapping your arms won't get you anywhere.

But it will help you quit smoking, I'm walking, talking, non-coughing, NON CRAVING proof!
 
Way to go girl. I have a crew member that is trying to stop. He has tried everything including hypho-therapy. I will suggest that book. I tried smoking in college and it made my stomach do holla-hooo's around my butt. I did however use Copenhagen for five years and it was hell to quit. Living hell. I loved it. So, good luck!:cool:
 
It is quite an addiction. My wife was a smoker for 15 years, quit cold turkey 25 years ago. She still says she would occasionally like one but is too scared because of her sister. Her sister had quit for 15 years and while on vacation decided she must no longer be addicted and so could have one. One turned into a pack and a half a day within two weeks. She went through hell quitting again.

Thankfully I have never been addicted because I still enjoy a good cigar when golfing or BBQing.

P.S. or motorcycling - note the avatar!!
 
MSmith said:
Good for you.

At current rates, how many packs unsmoked make up one hour's flying time?
Click to expand...

At what they cost around here, my wife and I were smoking a bit more than two hours worth a month of Skyhawk SP time, about three and a half of Cessna 150 time.
 
Moxie said:
Well, many of you Babes know that I'm a long-term, high volume smoker.

WAS, a long-term, high volume smoker.

I quit on Saturday. Now, to you non-smokers out there you may be thinking "five days, big deal", but you heavy smokers out there know that it *is* a VERY big deal.

All these years people have said all the right things, "it's not good for your health, you'll save money", you know the rap. None of that impacted me. Cigarettes were my companions. No way was I giving them up.

Then, a couple of years ago it occurred to me that I wasn't addicted to smoking, cigarettes owned my butt. They owned me.

I didn't like it, but it didn't stop me.

Then I heard about a book on another site, Allen Carr's "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking". I bought it, read most of it (skipped a couple of the middle chapters) read the last page, put the book down, my cigarette out and announced in my head I was done.

The difference is that the book helped me to realize that I wasn't giving up anything, instead, I was fighting tooth and nail, denying the cigarette monster in my belly his fix. I can fight. You KNOW I can fight. So that's what I've been doing. Every time I get the urge to light up, I know in my heart of hearts that it's the nicotine monster wanting to control me and make me give him his fix. If I give him one, he'll just want more.

So I haven't given him the one. No patches, no pills, no gum. No smokes.

sigh....
Click to expand...

Atta Girl! I'v been smoke free 11 years and working on staying that way every day. Hardest thing I ever did. - quitting.

Your habit is a big wheel, every time you smoke, you sipn it up, when you don't smoke the wheel slows down, eventually it will stop.
 
Way to go, Moxie! I quit 4 years ago. Ther first year, the money I saved went to buy this computer. The next two years, I rewarded myself with nice Swiss (flyers) watches. The last? Paid for half my flight training... (And I bought them by the carton, and used coupons!).

Like you, I got angry. Angry that I'd let something have this kind of power over me.

The "urge" to smoke a cigarette I'm told lasts about 3 minutes. Personally, I used Lifesavers as a crutch when I quit. Felt the urge, popped a Lifesaver (interesting symbolism there, eh?). I kicked the Lifesavers easily after several weeks...

You're to a point where it starts to get a bit easier. The danger now, is the "Man, that wasn't that hard" noise that plays in your head. It's followed with "I could even have one, and not more.....". Lifesavers. Or regular gum (my father used this for quitting cold turkey after 30 + years). Or whatever distraction you find suitable.

Keep at it, (they've got nicer airplanes, doesn't it make you mad we helped them buy them?). :cool:
 
As I remember, my father used carrot sticks. Relatively non-fattening, cigarette-shaped, good for you.

The really interesting thing is the improvement in the health of us 3 kids. We went from flu twice a winter to not at all for several years.
 
Yeah, Moxie!

That is great news. There will be ups and downs, but you've got the best support group in the world to SUCCEED!

Congratulations!
 
Moxie,

Great news!! I'm told it's a very difficult habit to stop, but it sounds like you've got the right mindset. We'll offer all the support we can! You go.

Chip
 
Ken Ibold said:
Good for you, Moxie! Fight the good fight.

About 15 years ago my mom quit her 3-pack a day habit cold turkey after 35 years. If she hadn't done that, my kids would never have met their grandma. I thank her every time I see her.
Click to expand...

My Dad was a Chesterfield man(sev. packs a day) for many years. One day he just flat-out quit, cold turkey. Back then they were $3.39 per carton . Six months later what became known as the Surgeon General's Report was published. He was with us for another 45 years.

HR
 
woooo hooooo!!! Way to go Moxie! I tried smoking a couple of times when I was in high school (it was the COOL thing to do) but I would get physically ill every time i tried.
I have no idea how tough it is to quit, but like others have said, you have a HUGE support group to help.

Dee
 
EXCELLENT!! You can do it Moxie!!! My Secretary a smoker of 20+ years quite this past December when she got pneumonia. When she smells people who smoke she says G-d did I smell like that. Best Decision you could have made for you and those that care about you!!!!
 
I quit ages ago, although I was never a heavy smoker, I was one of those 'while having a beer with the boys' kind, that turned into about a pack a day. I found that the first few days were tough, but that after you had gone through 5 days you just say to yourself, man I don't want to just waste those five days and all that effort so you made it to six and that turned into not wanting to waste the previous six and on and on. Unfortunately for me I played alot of baseball and got severely hooked on the Skoal and Redman. Quitting that was awful, and although I never have a craving for a cigarette, a good dip sounds very tempting! Don't substitute one bad habit for another and don't stop quitting. You've already got this much time invested.
 
Way to go Moxie! :dance:

I have no doubt that smoking was responsible for the death of my father a few years ago. I'd give anything to have him back. So I'm not only thrilled for you that you are quitting, but I'm just as thrilled for your family and friends! They will get to keep you around longer now!
 
Attagirl!

I don't know if the desire ever leaves completely. After 25 years or so of cigarettes, I put them down in favor of a pipe almost 20 years ago. Didn't quit that 'till after my wife had heart surgery and commented that the smoke was bothering her. That was just over 3 years ago, and I still want a smoke once in a while, but each impulse is easier to resist. It is doable, and each anniversary - 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, etc will make you feel better about yourself.

Again, congratulations, and stick to it.
 
Congrats Moxie!

I've never smoked (I watched my father die a slow death due to cigarettes) but some of my employees have quit in the last year or 2. All of them have commented after being off cigs for a few months that they didn't realize how much the smoke STINKS.

I've also heard the cigarrette smoke gums up insturments in airplanes over time, so maybe there'es a savings there too.
 
Good job, Moxie!

Stick with it; remember the 3/3/3 of quitting: quit for three days, and you're 1/3 of the way there; three weeks, you're 2/3 of the way; three months, and you're an ex-smoker!

Dan
 
YAY Moxie!! Go girl!

I am a heavy smoker right now. I need to quit too. Rest assured, however, that I will not tell anyone I'm quitting. The most irritating thing in the world, when I'm trying not to even think about smoking, is to have someone say "Hey, are you still not smoking?"

You can do it tho! You're past the toughest part!
 
Moxie

Congratualations,
It is a hard battle but you are winning. I quit over 20 years ago. Just stopped cold. Stayed home like a angry bear fighting to keep off the butts. 5 to 6 days later felt so good that I was on the way of beating it. I felt urges for over 6 months but continued to be smoke free. Today it is so nice to smell that fresh dawn air.

Keep going


John J
 
It's not easy to quit "cold", Barbara, but it's really the only way. If I can do it I know you can. Hang in there.
 
Moxie, you GO, girl! We're all proud of you!

My parents both quit cold turkey back in the 1950s. My Dad will be 89 this year and my Mom 84. On the other side of the coin, my 50 year old cousin is on her deathbed from cancer, lungs to brain to everywhere. Yes, she was a smoker.

We are all on your side. You can do this!

-Skip
 
good for you Moxie. I quit 10yrs ago and still crave them on occasion. I am afraid it is a burden we carry for life. I guess I've reached the point now that I feel like I have too much effort invested in quitting to ever go back. And thankfully with florida banning smoking just about anyplace but outdoors, it's a lot easier to stay off them. If I was sitting next to a guy here at work who smoked? Like things were 25yrs ago when I started? I'd be puffing my brains out for sure. Hang tough. The first five years are the toughest! tc
 
tom clark said:
good for you Moxie. I quit 10yrs ago and still crave them on occasion. I am afraid it is a burden we carry for life.
Click to expand...
I'm telling you - take the book I recommended to heart (badly written and all).

I have not had a craving since I quit, and I even had one evening when I smoked a cigar with some friends a few years after quitting and the only thing I felt was sick.

What you tell yourself about your ex-addition matters!
 
Smart girl. Your going to like yourself even more!
 
Good fer you, Moxie.

Do not EVER give in to the temptation to just have one.
It would mean that all your efforts up to that point were a total waste.
It's very hard, it's but worth it.

- Richard
 
Moxie said:
Well, many of you Babes know that I'm a long-term, high volume smoker.

WAS, a long-term, high volume smoker.

I quit on Saturday. No patches, no pills, no gum. No smokes.

sigh....
Click to expand...

Oh just Shut TFU...ooops, sorry, it's been a week for me too...:cheerio:
 
Moxie,

Excellent! Now, I think we need to go get a $100 burger to celebrate. :) It's been too long!

Kent
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top