Do you smoke cigarettes?

[Truman42]

I am a non smoker atm and my NY resolution was to start again. Sometimes breaking those is a good thing.

We need an unlike button.

Or a stupid post button.

 

[manticle]

People know what it does and make a choice. I'm for less government interferenc, not more.
Pretty much ex smoker here who can enjoy very occasional cigarettes without becoming re-addicted.
However over time I have bcome less interested and those occasions are becoming far more occasional.

 

[woody0055]

Seems more and more people are quitting so curious to know how many of us HBers are smokers.

I gave up 18 months ago for a variety of reasons

1. I was smoking 60 a day and using cigarettes as a method of dealing with depression, the addiction was actually making me feel even worse about myself.
2. My habit was costing me over $100 per week at a time when i could least afford it
3. It was going to kill me sooner than later....probably sooner.
4. I want to be around when my 3 kids give me grandkids
5. I was sick of feeling like **** and coughing my ring up every day.

I guess everyone gives up eventually, but it many cases it is because of deteriorating health and i didnt want to have the choice made for me. I knew it was going to be hard as i had given up in th past many times, ony to succomb to temptation, but this time I really wanted to do it and was doing it for me, not because someone else wanted me too.

One thing that really helped me through the first 2 months was spending the money that i would have spent on ****, on myself. I found the worst cravings for me were in the evenings after tea, so to take my mind off things i shopped for stuff online and spent the $100 a week on fishing gear, tools and anything else that just wanted??? It worked for me and i can honestly say that i'll never smoke again. However you guys choose to quit, patches, efags, champex or whatever, its never too late. Good luck

 

[whitegoose]

I haven't had a cigarette in about a week.

I had my first cigarette at 14 and while I was never a heavy smoker, I did become a smoker and would go throgh a packet every couple of days, more if I was out drinking.

On my 25th birthday I started trying to quit and definitely for me there was the nicotine addition, but the phycological addicition was what got me. Habits, social scenarios, alcohol - they all triggered a really strong addiction in me. Anyway I'm 33 now and over the last 8 years probably the longest I've gone without a cigarette would have been about 6 months - and getting to that point was not much fun for my wife (who was then my girlfiriend) - lots of leaving parties early when I felt like crumbling, lots of bad moods and arguments. But thanks to her support I got there.

After a while I developed the skill of being able to get out on the turps and smoke like a chimney, and then be a non-smoker again Monday to Friday. This worked great for years. But slowly, slowly, slowly it has been getting a grip on me again... sneaking one in when I wasn't even drinking but out with mates, then one before work, then a couple during work, etc etc. It is a sneaky ************ of an adiction.

Anyway, I'm now giving it a serious crack to get rid of the habit, to get it out of my life for good. Quite weird that this thread popped up just as I was making the decision. It's been really helpful to read everyone's thoughts. I don't have the challenge that a 40 year pack-a-day smoker has, but that doesn't make it an easy road. It will be a huge help that my best mate has also quit (probably sick of me bumming smokes of him for the last decade!)

 

[rick1111082]

For me it's a healthier alternative.
I cant stand the taste of cigarettes now and can smell a smoker a mile off.

it's also a habit changer because you can have a couple of drags of your e-cig and put it down. you don't need to 'smoke' the whole thing.
I can also wean myself off nicotine gradually (currently down to the equivalent of 2mg ciggies).

the draw is a psychological addiction but this psychological addiction wont kill me. Where cigarettes are pretty much guaranteed to kill me.

I highly recommend E-cigs. it's hard to adjust to them initially, but if you stick at it for 4-6 weeks, you'll never go back to the analogue cigarette.

Amber

Edit: Also, I can smell again, I can sit at the bar and when people say they can taste oak and raisins in a beer, im not sitting there anymore struggling to find it myself.
food tastes amazing and I can walk for more than 200m without huffing and puffing.

Email the guys at Vapeking.com.au
Brian is a top guy and will help you with getting everything you need to get setup.

cheers for this info mate, I almost had a smoke on saturday but i managed to find a place in Toowoomba that sold E-Cigarettes and carts. I got in contact with Vapeking and put in an order for a EGO-T Starter Kit - Type A kit with a couple of sampler packs.

After reading through alot of the posts on the aussievapers forum I'm pretty sure I have ade the right choice.

I'd also like to sincerely thank Amberdigits for the info one more day and it will be a week without a cigarette. Baby steps but I am confident.

 

[AmberDigits]

You're Welcome.

It will take a while to adjust to e-cigs, but if you stick at it, you won't be able to stand ciggies anymore.
Liquid Nicotine is illegal to sell in Australia but you are allowed to import up to 5L before customs start asking questions.

I import a litre of 36mg nicotine from China and then water it down with vegetable glycerine and flavours.
there are plenty of e-liquid calculators out there but I find this one the best:
www.todmuller.com/ejuice/ejuice.php

Keep your water at 0%
Keep your flavour at 20%
Start with wanting to make a 18mg base and you can dilute from there.


Order 36mg 100% PG Nicotine and water it down with VG. this is the equivilent to 2L of 18mg nicotine. it should last you 6 months+
the rest is self explanatory.


also, you will NEVER have an ecig that tastes like smoking an actual cigarette, but you will have to try some different flavours to find one you like.
some people go for sweet, others savoury.
look at www.juicewhore.com.au and shoot an email to Del asking which is the most popular for new vapers. she'll help you out.

If you need any other advice, shoot me a PM or hit up the aussie vapers forum.

Cheers and good luck!

Amber

 

[Florian]

(can you imagine prescribing heroin for addicts trying to quit heroin?)

It's commonly called methadone and has now been successfully used in many countries for centuries, including in Australia. It helps heroin and other opioid addicts to establish a 'more normal' lifestyle first without having to worry about their addiction. Once a stable lifestyle (a place to live, work, non druggo friends etc) is achieved the addiction can be dealt with. It works for many but not for all.

This form of treatment doesn't really apply to cigarettes in my eyes, as they usually don't turn your life upside down like stronger drugs can. Still, some smokers have success with nicotine products, but it wouldn't be my cup of tea.

 

[wbosher]

I went cold turkey on Sunday night, had my last smoke just before bed. The worst of the cravings have gone now, apparently I should now be 100% nicotine free

My wife is still struggling and having the occasional smoke, she's tried patches, hypnosis, gum, now she's on Champix...all failed. I've told her to just stop, the first few days are absolute ****, but after that it's not too bad.

Our place has been pretty unpleasant for the last few days with both of us quitting at the same time...walking on eggshells, you could cut the tension with a knife. Feel sorry for the kids, they just look at us in "the wrong way" and the poor little buggers cop it. My daughter is wrapped that we're doing it though.

 

[Truman42]

I went cold turkey on Sunday night, had my last smoke just before bed. The worst of the cravings have gone now, apparently I should now be 100% nicotine free

My wife is still struggling and having the occasional smoke, she's tried patches, hypnosis, gum, now she's on Champix...all failed. I've told her to just stop, the first few days are absolute ****, but after that it's not too bad.

Our place has been pretty unpleasant for the last few days with both of us quitting at the same time...walking on eggshells, you could cut the tension with a knife. Feel sorry for the kids, they just look at us in "the wrong way" and the poor little buggers cop it. My daughter is wrapped that we're doing it though.

Good on you mate..Stick with it. It will get better. As will your health and your bank account.

 

[rbtmc]

I only smoke the occasional marijuana cigarette.

 

[labels]

I gave up and literally DID save the money I would have spent on cigs. The first savings gave me a $10,000 deposit on my 4WD. The second lot gave me a three week trip to USA, New York, Time Square, dream stuff really, and staying with brewers I met online, doing beer judging in USA and other really good stuff....

For those that find it hard to quit, put these goals in place, big goals like an overseas trip, big ones like Europe or USA. The dollars add up and up so quickly as you watch your account grow it's an incredible incentive that will keep you on your path to quitting with a hell of a reward at the end of it.

Good luck -=Steve=-

 

[tazman1967]

This is a great Ad from Thailand, should make an Aussie version.

 

[roverfj1200]

Had a major health scare..... No Ciggies now........ Heart and lungs will never recover..

 

[whitegoose]

This is a great Ad from Thailand, should make an Aussie version.

That's a very cool ad

 

[Malted]

 

[Truman42]

Well after 3 years of being back on the ciggies I've finally quit them. It's early days yet but with the help of champix I'm doing good and haven't had any cravings or other withdrawals.
I've tried Champix a couple of times before but what I think helped this time was a book I read..Allen Carr Easy way to stop smoking.

I got the ebook version and read it on my iPad and it was only $8.00. What the book does is tell you why willpower alone doesn't work and why you shouldn't rely on willpower to quit. It uses cognitive therapy and I don't know why but it seems to have helped this time along with the champix. I searched a few forums for comments on the book and found that many people quit after reading the book so it seems to have a very good success rate. He also has clinics that have a money back guarantee and they have a 90% success rate.

Anyway I just wanted to share this for anyone else considering quitting. Give the book a try. No affiliation etc

 

[Yob]

You did well last night Truman, if you can not smoke when having a few beers you got it nailed.. Good luck with it man.

 

[lukiferj]

I have stopped smoking a heap of times. The last time has been about 5 years now. Has not been easy. Every so often I think I could try one just to see but from experience, this quickly escalates. I am not a "social" kind of guy. Well done Truman. Good luck. It does get easier. Put your smoke money into a brew jar. See how much you can save.

 

[thedragon]

Congratulations Truman. Stay strong. It's worth it.

 

[wbosher]

Been almost 6 months for me now, never even think about them any more. No problem sitting with a table full of smokers at the pub any more, outside of course.

Trying to get the missus to give them away too...that's going to be harder than actually giving them up myself I think. :lol:

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

I'm an easyway way too Truman and so are lots of my friends now, I think 12 have read the book now and one failed, start living your life and don't look back.

To bad for Allan Carr though, the smokes knocked him off in the end but I'm sure he has no regrets, that man has left a legacy that not man can top and that is something his family can very proud of indeed!!

 

[kymba]

I quit the smokes in November 2009 with the help of champix. The dreams you have on those tablets are the craziest **** you'll experience legally. I would actually pike on social occasions to sleep instead

I've had 2 smokes since then and violently threw up immediately after both occasions

I don't recommend the allan carr audio book, it is so monotonous I recon it could put someone high on meth to sleep

 

[Donske]

I need a smoke after reading this thread.

Really though, I'm always staggered at how preachy ex smokers are, seems pretty hypocritical to me.

 

[AHB_Admin]

I quit 12 days ago after 18 years of smoking.

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

I need a smoke after reading this thread.

Really though, I'm always staggered at how preachy ex smokers are, seems pretty hypocritical to me.

Agreed with you there Donske, I think as long as smokers are aware of others(which I know when I smoked i was ultra aware), then the non smokers have nothing to get on their soap box for, reformed of not.

 

[mje1980]

Best thing I ever did was to have a smoke with my sister at age 15 or so. Being young and dumb I smoked it as quick as I could. And promptly spewed everywhere. I still remember how **** I felt and so have probably smoked less than a full pack in my whole life.

 

[mje1980]

Agreed with you there Donske, I think as long as smokers are aware of others(which I know when I smoked i was ultra aware), then the non smokers have nothing to get on their soap box for, reformed of not.

The most classic smoker thing is when you're talking to a smoker and they exhale with their mouth pointed to one side haha. Like WTF is that gunna do hahaha

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

I quit 12 days ago after 18 years of smoking.

well done Austin, your body will settle into it's new groove soon, for me it about the 2 month mark when the light came on and mostly forgot the smokes, i smoked for a similar time too.

 

[QldKev]

I quit smoking, that KJ jelly works well

 

[mmmyummybeer]

Best thing I ever did was to have a smoke with my sister at age 15 or so. Being young and dumb I smoked it as quick as I could. And promptly spewed everywhere. I still remember how **** I felt and so have probably smoked less than a full pack in my whole life.

I had a similar experience, except I was a bit younger around 12 or so and obviously dumber as I had another try and ended up on and off them for years. Haven't smoked for near on 10 years now and never looked back. I would be too much of a tight wad to start up again now anyway. You can buy a six pack of craft with change for less than the price of one pack of smokes and would be far more enjoyable too.

The weird thing I recon about stopping smoking is when you haven't had a smoke or thought about a smoke for years and then you have a dream where your smoking.