Last cig at night - smoking cessation

[zapatos]

On my one day test: I think I need to give up coffee and tea until I've surmounted my habit; sat here writing this, the coffee is telling me I need a cig to go with it. There's something about the taste of the coffee without smoke mixed with it that I'm obviously missing. It's obviously a very strong trigger and I don't need the mental hassle from that bugging me. Several times this morning, my right hand spontaneously twitched to reach out for a non-existent cig; gives me an indication of just how habituated I am.

 

When my sister gave up smoking she had to also give up visiting pubs. She said smoking and pubs just went together, and she couldn't handle the strong impulse to smoke when in that environment.

[StringJunky]

When my sister gave up smoking she had to also give up visiting pubs. She said smoking and pubs just went together, and she couldn't handle the strong impulse to smoke when in that environment.

I don't drink alcohol very often but when I do I like to go OTT; bottle of wine = leathered. I shall definitely avoid alcohol until I've cracked it; too risky.

Edited September 2, 2016 by StringJunky

[DrmDoc]

On my one day test: I think I need to give up coffee and tea until I've surmounted my habit; sat here writing this, the coffee is telling me I need a cig to go with it. There's something about the taste of the coffee without smoke mixed with it that I'm obviously missing. It's obviously a very strong trigger and I don't need the mental hassle from that bugging me. Several times this morning, my right hand spontaneously twitched to reach out for a non-existent cig; gives me an indication of just how habituated I am.

 

No caffeine too! I think it's best to lessen your likely cravings for caffeine with some substitute other than your usual so that the burden of breaking one habit isn't complicated by the influence of another. Perhaps another caffeinated source other than your usual. I hope this helps and, again, good luck with your efforts.

[StringJunky]

No caffeine too! I think it's best to lessen your likely cravings for caffeine with some substitute other than your usual so that the burden of breaking one habit isn't complicated by the influence of another. Perhaps another caffeinated source other than your usual. I hope this helps and, again, good luck with your efforts.

I already drink de-caffeinated coffee and I'm over the withdrawals on that; the headaches are quite something coming off that. I no longer use bags of granulated sugar because the amount I was using was causing my moods to swing wildly. I buy the odd bag of sweet probably every few days. I generally watch the sugar side of things now. I will have to be even more savage on that sometime soon because treatment gave me high cholesterol; that's another project.

[iNow]

At bedtime, have a tall glass of water by the bedside. There will be times when all of your thoughts and mantras won't be enough, when the craving invades your mind.

 

In those instances, sit up. Take a SLOW deep breath. Pick up the water and take a small sip. Slow, gentle, low sip. Focus on the feel of the water in your mouth, on your tongue, swallow gently. Take another SLOW deep breath. Take another small sip of water.

 

Repeat a few times until your mind is clear. You only need to delay and the craving will generally pass in 8-10 minutes.

 

Breath. Sip. Relax. Repeat. Rest and sleep will soon follow.

 

If this fails, stand up and stretch briefly, then repeat the breathing/sipping routine until calm.

 

You have a plan. Follow it. Stay on target, and if you fall down then refuse to stay down.

[DrmDoc]

Caffeine withdrawals for me was a bit of a bitch. Morning, noon, and night I had to have some type of tea beverage to get on until bladder issues became insufferable. I had to also avoid dietary substitutes leading to weight gain...you know your body wants something, so you eat until that something is satisfied or until you can't stuff anymore down your throat. So I gained a little weight but I'm working on it.

Saw this DNews video today, thought you might be interested: This is The Best Way To Quit Smoking

[StringJunky]

Saw this DNews video today, thought you might be interested: This is The Best Way To Quit Smoking

Cold turkey. That's the way I feel is right for me but I just wanted something to level out the mental stress and focus on habit changing.

 

It was an interesting experience yesterday, not smoking. I woke up OK at 6am and had a coffee. After sitting, for three or four times picking up my coffee, I reached on the table for my non-existent rollups; my arm started to reach out before I'd even consciously thought about picking up my tobacco!

 

I was a bit wobbly late morning and thinking about smoking so I decided to do some grass mowing. The feeling soon passed, with a few more following but I knew it was just a short phase. After that, I sailed through the day and slept OK. I woke up and smoked this morning. I'm glad I did it because I know what's coming and that the cravings are only temporary. I feel stronger for the experience in preparation for Monday.

 

The pills seem to be doing the job I want. Even though the desire was strong, my will beat it and it wasn't that hard to do. I experienced a level of stress that was quite manageable.

[iNow]

When cravings hit, remember the four D's:

 

Distract...do something else

Delay...10 minutes is usually enough

Deep breath...relax and calm yourself

Drink water...slow sips, physical touch in the mouth, soothing

[tar]

StringJunky,

 

I don't know how the drug you are taking works, but I would imagine it has something to do with your pleasure/reward system.

 

Back when I quit for good, I was most helped by three things. One, my desire to not be unable to breath, on some oxygen machine, thinking that I did this to myself. Two, Phi for All's suggestion to just board up that route and make smoking not an option. Three, learning that the nicotine receptors in your brain receive the nicotine and release dopamine. This is the exact same, the EXACT SAME dopamine that is released when you win a card game, or look at a pretty girl, or see a green tree against a clear blue sky. So it was easy to just say I have not given up dopamine, I have not given up pleasure and feeling good, at all. I have just given up that one way to get it released in my brain, but I still have 100 other ways to get it, that are almost free, easy, readily available, not expensive, not dangerous, not stinky, and that also usually turn out to be beneficial or pleasurable for someone else, as well.

 

Regards, TAR

Edited September 3, 2016 by tar

[geordief]

StringJunky,

 

I don't know how the drug you are taking works, but I would imagine it has something to do with your pleasure/reward system.

 

Back when I quit for good, I was most helped by three things. One, my desire to not be unable to breath, on some oxygen machine, thinking that I did this to myself. Two, Phi for All's suggestion to just board up that route and make smoking not an option. Three, learning that the nicotine receptors in your brain receive the nicotine and release dopamine. This is the exact same, the EXACT SAME dopamine that is released when you win a card game, or look at a pretty girl, or see a green tree against a clear blue sky. So it was easy to just say I have not given up dopamine, I have not given up pleasure and feeling good, at all. I have just given up that one way to get it released in my brain, but I still have 100 other ways to get it, that are almost free, easy, readily available, not expensive, not dangerous, not stinky, and that also usually turn out to be beneficial or pleasurable for someone else, as well.

 

Regards, TAR

If you are right that is a very good argument. and perhaps it gives a method for boosting one's chances of success in quitting.

 

Give yourself extra opportunities for exercising your (depleted?) pleasure muscles over the hard period of weaning yourself off the weed.

 

Get a new hobby perhaps . Take up painting? Writing a diary might be doubly useful ....

 

.

[StringJunky]

As long as you view it as a test, and not a quit-for-a-bit-and-go-back, you should be OK. It's kind of weird though. It's great that you're excited, but I've never heard of anyone wanting a warm-up to stop anything. Most smokers would be smoking them like they weren't going to be available in a few days. I know I got sloshed the day before I quit drinking. I usually have dessert the day before I go on a diet, too.

 

This is hardly mardy behavior. You're really looking forward to this. Awesome.

Thinking about your post again and people 'piling it in' in the run up to any form of cessation is actually setting yourself up for failure because the 'come down' feeling, from that period of excess at the end, will be that much worse and could encourage you to give up before you've started.

 

It's my opinion that if you feel you the need to go on a mad scramble of excessive consumption before cessation you are very likely to fail because you don't really want to do it....but you feel should; 'should' is not a strong enough motivation in breaking a strong addiction. I want to stop, but I know nicotine and long-term habituation are hard things to deal with but my heart is in it and I don't feel a panicky urge to smoke more because, deep down, I love smoking; I don't. This is a relationship I want to end forever.

Edited September 3, 2016 by StringJunky

[iNow]

It's really beautiful when you finally start thinking of yourself as a non-smoker instead of an ex-smoker.

[StringJunky]

It's really beautiful when you finally start thinking of yourself as a non-smoker instead of an ex-smoker.

Yes, until one reaches that point of visualising oneself as an ex- <insert addiction> addict, it's not going to happen. I learnt this from my time with using drugs recreationally.

[tar]

StringJunky,

 

Yes, you are quit, as soon as you smoke your last cigarette. Then it is just a matter of learning to live without the nicotine. Break those old habits, those "times" when you always reached for a cigarette, its a thing between you and you. Hard at first, hard at second, but easy in a way, because you win a victory, every time you don't reach for one, and funny but that victory, gives you dopamine, because you have won that little battle. You will miss your old friend, the smell, the color of the pack, the oral gratification as you go along, the nicotine was a easy way to get dopamine in a general non specific, no reason way. I used to call smoking a punctuation mark for life, a comma and a period to reward myself for completing a task or to give myself an interim victory during a long grueling process of work or study. I had 20 reasons why it was OK to smoke. But as the weeks went by, I learned to live without the nicotine, and found those other ways to get dopamine, to feel good. I had a pretty friend at work that said she would stop if I did. I used to go out and talk with her as usual and not smoke a cigarette. We joked, that she was my dopamine fix, because she was that good to look at. She did not stop at first, but finally did as well. I also relied on the good folks here on the forum to tell me what to expect, tell me how the 6 month mark was a peak that once you reached it, an uphill climb would be over a easy downhill path was in store. They were correct by the way.

 

Long term I would add two precautions to help ensure success. One, don't stand downwind of smokers, and get that little bit of nicotine. Remove yourself from the room if you are inside with a smoker. Two, don't use any nicotine substitutes. It is the nicotine you are dependent on, and that is the demon you are releasing yourself from in quitting. Don't use a gum or patch or anything like that, because that is just the same as smoking. You are spending money to get the nicotine, which you are hooked on. Once off the nicotine, it no longer has power over you. Stay away from it, and enjoy other things about life. Pleasure is still the same as it always was. A hug is still a hug, a laugh is still a laugh, completing a task still feels good, solving a problem still is enjoyable.

 

Regards, TAR

By the way, those long grueling tasks...break them up into smaller components that you can "finish" one by one. This because doing things right, completing things, gets a reward. You guessed it. Dopamine.

Edited September 4, 2016 by tar

[StringJunky]

Stopped last night.

[geordief]

Good luck and fair weather I see they are thinking of bringing back prohibition in India

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37230259

[DrmDoc]

Thumbs up!

[iNow]

Good luck, sir! Watch out for day 3. Once you get through that then the rest is much more about self-discipline than withdrawal.

[StringJunky]

Thank you guys. I definitely felt the urge this morning. It's a good job I didn't sneak a smoke this morning because my Quit51 advisor would have found out with his CO meter. I was a good boy and didn't have one, so my reading was 8 on the meter after 9 hours stopping from Sunday night; Last week's reading was 16. if it had been over 10, he knows I've been smoking. It's good that they've a means of checking compliance with the programme. It also gives the smoker objective, visible evidence that their efforts are doing something in the right direction.

 

I distracted myself today by riding 10 miles/16km to a relative's house, cutting grass for two or three hours and still have a 16Km ride home; should be pretty laid back and tired tonight. I think the Zyban seems to be doing a pretty good job of not letting me feel too much anxiety and stress. It is certainly helping me stand to up to the urges and making those craving episodes tolerable. I have the option to extend the Zyban from 9 to 12 weeks if I think I need it.

 

 

Good luck, sir! Watch out for day 3. Once you get through that then the rest is much more about self-discipline than withdrawal.

I shall watch out on that day. Thanks.

Edited September 5, 2016 by StringJunky

[Phi for All]

It's a good job I didn't sneak a smoke this morning because my Quit51 advisor would have found out with his CO meter.

 

If you're good, they'll keep using the oral device. If they catch you sneaking, they may switch to the automotive version that goes up the tailpipe.

 

Stay strong.

[koti]

That won't work for me. I'm quite immune to embarrassment. I've embarrassed myself too many times already.

 

Yes, this needs to be my mantra.

How are you holding up StringJunky?

Power!

[StringJunky]

How are you holding up StringJunky?

Power!

On day 1 I feel pretty chilled and handled all the exposure to other people smoking and other triggers ok; I knew the craving feeling would pass, The Zyban seems to detach me from the craving feelings but they are still there. I found myself saying " I could with a fag (cig) but I'm not having one" and then just forgot about it. I've stopped the coffee for a while because it's too strong a trigger for me and it doesn't taste right without smoke mixed with it.; it's tea-only for a while.

Edited September 5, 2016 by StringJunky

[koti]

Go

 

On day 1 I feel pretty chilled and handled all the exposure to other people smoking and other triggers ok; I knew the craving feeling would pass, The Zyban seems to detach me from the craving feelings but they are still there. I found myself saying " I could with a fag (cig) but I'm not having one" and then just forgot about it. I've stopped the coffee for a while because it's too strong a trigger for me and it doesn't taste right without smoke mixed with it.; it's tea-only for a while.

Good to hear. May the force be with you !

[StringJunky]

Go

 

Good to hear. May the force be with you !

Thank you.

[iNow]

How you holding up so far, mate?