Quitting smoking

LDPanda · Quitting smoking

I quit smoking tonight, mostly becuase of LDP. Ive been working hard to prepare for the ultraskate and it seems silly to do all that work and then reverse it all a minute later by smoking. On top of that, i received a big boost to my motivation this evening with the addition of my Subsonic Pulse (see pictures in the pictures section). So im starting this thread for my own benefit, as a place to vent while at work or whenever im having a hard time with it. If other people wish to post here, all the better, but its really just for me to work out my frustrations and (hopefully) share my successes. I fully expect this to be one of the hardest things ive ever done, but then again im going further than i ever thought i could on a skateboard too.

blake

yeah i think i need to do that to. its really not right for a 16 year old like me to be smoking. I DH Slalom LDP and play tennis i just cant do that with a cig in my mouth. i dont have the air i use to. i need it quite to.

jat.

Kudos! Good luck, man. The people I know who has attempted to quit all seemed to lack motivation. I'm rooting for you, wishing you the best of luck with your quitting and preparations for the Ultra Skate!

Belegnole

As a past quitter (that just doesn't sound right) and a current non-smoker I can say that mindset is your best weapon and biggest enemy all in one. Think positive and don't believe that it's hard. Thinking that it is hard is negative and works against you. I had tried to stop unsuccessfully a number of times because I really didn't want to quit. The final time I was given a reason that stopped me right there and then. My daughter had learned in school about smoking and when she saw me after school she wrapped herself around my leg and crying told me that she didn't want me to die. From that very moment I quit.......the power is within you. JUST SAY NO and congrats on taking the step!

LDPanda

Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement. Today has been a lil rough, i ran over a traffic cone on the way to work, been working really really slow, pretty twitchy and neaseous. But overall its good, im 15 hours smoke free (half of it was sleeping, but whatever) ill prolly go home early from work and put some miles on the pulse to take my mind off things.

Belegnole

cool! you killed a cone....keep it up

pavedwave

Dave, this is inspiring-- that was nearly a 30-mile ride you did last Sunday you know?!! It's great to see this -- you definitely have the resolve to do it.

LDPanda

Yeah, im closing in on 40 hours smoke free. Im feelin a lil better than yesterday. Hitting the trail when i got home from work was a huge help, killed all my jitters and nauesea (god, i can never spell that). The pulse is riding really nicely, i even passed some bikers uphill. Im having a lil foot pain (while riding, not afterwards) but i think thats mostly just getting used to the board. I brought my board and helmet to work today, i might take a break and fly out to alki beach, do a couple miles then come back to work, idk, we'll see. Thanks guys for all your support.

blake

man i wish i had the will power you did i cant do it i have already caved. Embarassed

Belegnole

try again....

blake

i wish i could do that i just dont have something to motivate me as much as you guys do/did

LDPanda

Well, ive passed the two day mark, thats a big step for me becuase thats around the half-life of nicotine in the body, which means the worst of it is behind me. I feel myself working a lil faster at work today, but unforntunately im still pretty on edge. I really have to stop giving quite so many drivers the finger, im pretty sure i flipped one of my coworkers off this morning and im sure the school bus full of children didnt appreciate it either. Anyway, I was able to go to a bar last night and enjoy a beer without being tempted to smoke, its even starting to smell the way nonsmokers smell tobacco, i guess thats a good sign. I talked to my boss and shes cool with letting me work slightly shorter days this week, so thats a big help. Anyways, back to the grind.

LDPanda

Four days down, today wasnt even that bad. I still get the urge to smoke, but saying no to it has become less painful. Work went well today, i worked as quickly as normal it seemed. After work and after dinner has been tough since its raining and i couldnt get my usual 10 - 15 miles in after work. Although, i did play around a bit with my wedging and pumped up and down the block in the rain with no slips, yay for avilas. I hope this rain stops soon or i might just have to start running or something Evil or Very Mad

Nicholas Jackson

Keep it up dude,

The first two weeks are the hardest but after that you will almost forget you smoked at all.

Nic

LDPanda

Yeah, ive got well over a week behind me now. Yesterday was really tempting for ssome reason, but hopefully today will be easier. On saturday i was able to hang out with my family (some of whom are smokers and the others make me want to smoke) without incident, so thats a good sign. I still rage out a bit more than i used to, but i keep it confined to on the road or on the internet Smile

I with the weather would get nicer here so i could skate after work again.

blake

dude good for you. when i skated with you sunday and i was smoking i saw that smoker look in your eye only like once. i hope you can do this. its all you.

LDPanda

I totally cant focus at work right now so im gonna make it at least look like im working. Its hard to listen to people with thick accents who never finish a complete sentence all day long. Punctuating some of these statements is rediculous, it looks like i threw a bag of commas at my monitor. Its sunny at the moment, i hope its dry enough to skate whenever i actually gtfo of here. Blake, i might have been giving you an eye, but i doubt it was the smokers eye, i wouldnt smoke pink cigarettes even when i was a smoker lololol, just messing with you, ive tried them and theyre not that bad (except for the whole killing you thing). bah, i gotta get back to werk, lame.

blake

haha i know they may not be the manliest cigs in the world but i know when your quitting it doesnt matter what kind as long as it is a cig. but that is good that you are almost over it.

pavedwave

Dave, you are an inspiration, I say that sincerely! Spotting you on the trail today was great, I wish I'd had my board rather than my bike, but what really blew me away was seeing YOUR TRACKS weaving back and forth up in the icy frosty trail near Matthews Beach, that's nearly an hour farther north up the trail!! You snagged a great day for some 30+ degree pumps.

LDPanda

Hey thanks man, i appreciate it. I went really far today, further than ive gone before solo. Its awesome u could see my tracks Very Happy

my ride out was pretty tough, i had some pretty severe back pain, but the way back was awesome, i made great time up that long slow hill. I was to the point where the trail splits and couldnt believe i was there already, i did a lil double take. Hope to see you out there on ur board soon Smile

LDPanda

It looks like another dry sunny (though cold) day. Im looking forward to laying down some more tracks on the trail Smile

Ive been blazing fast at work today, i think ramping up my caffine intake has made up for the lack of nicotine Laughing

It gets easier each day, i can tell my sense of smell is returning a lil bit, i can smell the smoke on my leather jacket i wore today. Im obviously not done with the whole process, but i gotta say this was a lot easier than i had imagined. I know you say you dont have any inspiration to quit Blake, but i can tell you that its easier than you might think. I started smoking a lil younger than you, dont wait eight years like i did to quit. Smoking isnt cool, being in great shape is Smile

The ultraskate was my inspiriation, i hope maybe it can be yours too.

blake

i know it isnt cool and tennis way harder for me then it use to be. and i know i should quite. i am thinking soon i will find something that will make me quite

LDPanda

That came out preachier than i had intended, im sorry. If theres one thing ive learned from this experience its that the motivation for quitting has to come from within to be successful.

Belegnole

I keep telling people this....

You have to really want to quit, to be able to do it.

If you believe that you really want to quit, then quit with the excuses and quit smoking. Every time you find a reason why it's hard it is an excuse to smoke. Don't fall for it......every time you focus on the negative, STOP. Change tracks and focus on the positive. When your focused on the positive you can't be stopped. Use the negative things you find creeping in, to strengthen the positives by realizing you don't want those negatives to begin with.

Feeling grumpy?....look at what addiction does to you.

feeling sick?....forgot that smoking was poison to your body eh.

Mind over matter, that's all it is........and your what matters

LDPanda

Tonight at 9pm will be two weeks smoke free for me. Im proud of what ive accomplished so far, but i also know i still have work to do. I sometimes get weird cravings for a cigar or the hookah or my buddy's electric cigarette (effing wierd if you ask me), and i have to tell myself that i cant do those things yet. There might be a time where i can enjoy the hookah or a cigar without starting smoking again, but i know that now is just too soon. It really is mind over matter as you said bele. I often thought about it this way: getting a tattoo hurts at times, but you wouldnt tell the artist to stop, it would be unthinkable. Thats how i felt about quitting, it might hurt here and there, but going back to being a smoker is unthinkable, it simply isnt an option, so i just take a deep breath and keep going with my day. Thanks for all your support guys, especially James, having your support and encouragement has helped me reach this milestone.

Belegnole

Congrats on making it this far, I would say you've done it. The cravings/urges keep happening. At least they keep happening to me and I quit around two years ago now.

LDPanda

Three weeks down and still going strong. I had some freinds over last night and we used the hookah and i was worried i would be tempted to smoke cigarettes afterwards but i wasnt. The only time its still really hard is right after i eat, but i suppose that will go away eventually. Im pretty sure ive beaten it now, yay.

Belegnole

congrats....on another week, they'll stack up.

My biggy was not after eating, I could always have another bite. I however Had major issues with the habit of getting into my car and having a smoke...go figure. I am happy that I quit after the divorce though, as I would have freaked if I couldn't have had my post coitus smoke.....lol

LDPanda

lol. i still drive with the window down even though i havent smoked in weeks and i live in seattle (ie. it rains a lot). I guess some habits just die harder than others.

Alec

Coming up to three years for me, a couple of weeks to go.

I found that lying on a hospital bed hearing the words "You are having a heart attack" helped me.

Luckily they were wrong but I didn't start again.

LDPanda

Wow, im thankful it didnt get that far for me. The time i knew it was time to quit was after a 28 mile skate sesh with a couple buddies. I got back to my car and drove to 7-11 to buy a pack of smokes. I felt so silly buying cigarettes in my warmup, all sweaty from working out. I knew right then that it was time to quit and when that pack was gone it was my last. Im still working on it, after i eat is still a struggle, but ive gone thru some pretty serious tests of will already and succeeded. This weekend i went out with my old roommate. We lived and smoked together for 5 years but this weekend we went out for steak and beer and i didnt give in to the temptation of a post-meal smoke with him. I felt pretty proud of that, i cant imagine a more tempting situation.

LDPanda

Im sick

I have a sore throat and im so happy i dont smoke anymore. I think back on all the times i smoked while sick, how horrible it felt to do it, how much worse it was not to. Its awesome not being a slave to a leaf anymore.

Winnersh

Awwwight lads. I decided to give up the 'fags' when I chose to become a father.

Money for fags (yes..... I know the American slang) = money for nothing.

LDPanda

Its been a while since i posted here, mostly becuase ive been pretty sick, but i passed the one month mark. Yay! I can really feel that smoking is no longer part of my lifestyle, i dont have a hard time with it anymore, its just not there. Im getting really excited (and nervous) for the ultraskate. THeres so much prep work i still need to do like figuring out clothes, light, gps or no gps, etc. I still cant push mongo or switch, so if it starts to rain im gonna have to learn realy fast. Thats my biggest concern, if i knew i would have pumpable conditions the whole time i wouldnt be worried, but this is the northwest and you never know.

Belegnole

Congrats on the month, after awhile they just pass on by and then you get to the point where your saying was that two years? After the first few weeks I stopped placing any importance on how long it had been....it helped for me, but now I don't know how long I have been clean....lol

samhell

How's it coming now, I see it's been since Marh 5 since you posted in this thread.. My wife and I just quit saturday, tomorrow morning at 11:30 am
it will be 72 hours smoke free... we're doing pretty well, and are ready
for smoke free lives, we're actually very excited to get
the cigarette monkeys off our backs.
So far, I havn't had any major withdrawal episodes, a little
edgy and bitchy at times, but I think we're doing very well....
we're putting all the money we spent on smokes in a jar each day
then wil reward ourselves at the end of each month...
We were both mentally ready to quit, we've been talking about
quitting for the last 4 years, but never made the committment..
I do believe that now is the time...
Congrats to you man, I hope it lasts, and I encourage
anyone here who smokes to quit, I'm not preaching, but I
do know life will be better without it..
I'll keep you updated on our quitting campaign.
Very Happy

LDPanda

Congratulations! Keep up the good work.

Things are going really well for me. Its getting to the point now where i forget how long its been. I was really proud to participate in the ultraskate, it was proof of how far ive come.

The best thing about quitting so far has been all the extra money i have now, its great!

I would think having the support of your wife would be a big help, I wish you two the best. Keep us updated!

camel

I quit smoking on Sept.1 2008. I have had a couple at parties from time to time, but I no longer feel like a weak slave to those things. It has given me a renewed strength of mind that has allowed me to do other things in life without fear of repercussions, completely confident that I could achieve my goals.

I quit cold turkey, one day, I made the decision and I am not going back. The physical and mental addiction have been broken.

Yay me! hehehe...

Winnersh

camel

HAHAHAHAHAHA! That's a great story man. I just heard on the radio yesterday that smokes are 10 bucks a pack in NewYork. Wow. In ATL, they are around 4 bucks, I think... New federal vice taxes are going to go online soon for tobacco and the FDA is now the regulating body for those companies. Soon you will see pictures of deformed nasty lungs printed on the packs (they do this in Canada). Or pictures of kids with the quote "Don't kill me..." It's kind of disturbing which is the point anyway. I am just glad to be done with it...

samhell

Day 9. and we feel like it's all behind us now.
Psychologically it's a trip, now I'm trying to figure
out why I smoked in the first place...
Life is already better being smoke free..
Getting a ton of excercise everyday is helping
a lot. It was easier to quit than I thought...

LDPanda

Congratulations on making it this far! I think the first week is really the hardest but be careful not to let your guard down, i got some wicked cravings in weeks two and three too.

Youre absolutely right, exercise is key to quitting. It gets rid of all that nervous energy.

Keep it up man!

pavedwave

Yeah John!! Awesome to hear this. Stoked for you, and for your wife.

Nicotine is badass, you guys are strong to dig down and overcome it.

samhell

Thanks James! Very Happy

Today is day 16 smoke free...
We're completely over it...
I feel like a new person without
that horrible addction on my back.
We've been getting a ton of excercise,
and already feel a huge dfference just
after 16 days..
I still can't believe I smoke for so long,
if I had known how easy it was to quit,
I would of done it a long time ago....
I found this picture online, thank God
we were never this bad...

samhell

Now 23 days smoke free....
Wow, I've got so much more
lung power already...
We feel like new people now,
hands down, the best thing
we've decided to do in a long time.
We are rewarding ourselves every day.
The money we would of been spending
on cigarettes over the last 23 days has
bought us lots of juicy bike parts for
our single speed/fixed gears...
We are commuting many miles each day and
loving every mile of it...
I've got people asking me how I quit smoking
so easily.. I'm just telling them, it's easy, just
stop... If I can do it, I know anyone else can too..
I'm nothing special, and I have no magical powers.
Life is so much better now...
Fvck cigarerettes, Fvck the tobacco companies,
we don't need your poison anymore.
Very Happy

LDPanda

samhell

Today is 35 days!
Very Happy

Clear sailing ahead!
Now on with a normal life...

WiZzY

35 days

Now you will start to smell people smoking in their cars on the highway while you drive way behind them and if everything goes well you'll find it's smells bad.
Also your tastebuts are starting to grow back and you will be able to recognize the different ingredients in your food.
Walking up the stairs won't give you a 140 bpm hartbeat anymore.
Life is gonna be good (take it from a 17 years long 2 packs/10 joints a day addict who quit 6 years ago Very Happy

)

G- Dub

Have you ever seen this?
http://www.electroniccigarettesinc.com/

I don't smoke, but if I did, I would probably buy one of these.

JeffVyain

Wow that's a lot of joints. I don't think MJ hurts your lungs tho. For a while, I was smoking MJ and running, and I would always go out and kill it whenever I smoked. Put me in that runner's high mode without even working for it Very Happy

LDPanda

All the wonderful medicinal/emotional/spiritual benefits of herb aside, it most certainly DOES damage your lungs. The reports Ive read state that one unfiltered, hand-rolled joint = approximately 3 filtered cigarettes worth of tar. Inhaling ANY smoke of ANY kind is bad for your lungs. This includes campfires, burning paper, cigarettes, opium, hash, crank, and whatever else you feel like putting in your body. Whether the medicinal (and other) benefits of herb are worth the damage you do to your lungs is a personal decision but dont fool yourself into thinking its 100% healthy for you. On the other hand, smoking isnt the only way to ingest herb ... Wink

JeffVyain

this is true. man, you seattle folk have it good up there. i believe you about the tar...i guess. i don't know. there's so much tilted data out there over MJ it's hard to believe anything they say about it these days. i've heard that tar fact before, but they were saying that a joint is way worse for your body because of how many toxins/how much tar etc gets into your lungs, but then a week later i find information out there saying MJ doesn't cause cancer. That people who smoke solely weed don't increase their chances of lung cancer, and that people who smoke weed and cigarettes actually get lung cancer at a lower frequency than people who smoke only cigarettes. so while there's probably loads of information out there regarding its effects, people will probably have different feelings about it depending on where they get their information. less propaganda, more scientific journals!

edit: I will say this about it. through my own personal experience i have found that i am a better person without it. but it does take the edge off and it has its purpose. i am on hiatus for now.

but yet, cigarettes. i'm sure people smoke for many different reasons. when you boil it all down, i think most people just find a little enjoyment in killing themselves just a little at a time. when they get frustrated, little girls cut themselves; big girls smoke cigarettes. it's all the same.