# I'm kicking the habit



## TedW (May 6, 2012)

I bought a pack of Marlboro and stashed in my freezer because I know the stress will get to me at least a few times before I can say I'm clean free. My objective is to never finish that pack of smokes. I've been averaging a pack a day since I was 12… over 41 yeas ago. I think it's time.


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## mloy365 (Oct 30, 2009)

Smokes are really tough! You are in my thoughts! Good luck! Maybe this quote will help:-"Ted - The best things in life are not free… they require patience, commitment and devotion."


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Prayers are with you. It's the right thing to do. But it's one of the hardest you'll ever do.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

You can do it Ted ,go man go


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Good luck. Putting your habit on ice. I like that.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Thanks guys.. I'm hoping the anticipation is all in my head.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Don, I just took a peek at your website. Cool work on the hand planes!


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

We all have our addictions


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## Randy_ATX (Sep 18, 2011)

I'm not a smoker but I have heard a lot of good things about this book helping smokers kick the habit. Good luck to you. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/easy-way-to-stop-smoking-allen-carr/1100625699?ean=9781402771637


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## Bagtown (Mar 9, 2008)

Ted,

Been there.
I was ok if I kept busy and stayed clear of my smoker friends for a while.
Also had to stop going to the pub for a beer.
It's a tough road ahead, but it is so worth it.
You can do it.

Mike


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## boxcarmarty (Dec 9, 2011)

We'll do it together Ted. I'm 3 months smoke free. It hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it…...


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Marty.. that's awesome! I have no doubt it will be worth it. Let's turn that 3 months into 3 years.

Mike, I'm lucky in that I don't go to pubs and most of my friends don't smoke.

Randy, thanks for the suggestion but I'll just throw it on the bookshelf and never get around to reading it. I know myself that well 

Yes Don, we all do…. Maybe that's what I need is to find a better addiction.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Stay busy Ted, you can do it.


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## boxcarmarty (Dec 9, 2011)

How about we chase women? I'll chase them your way and you can chase them back…..


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## vonhagen (Dec 5, 2011)

you can do it and may the force be with you.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

I was a three pack a day smoker for 32 years.(thanks to Uncle Sam and Vietnam) Smoke free since April 15,1999. When wifey and I got married I promised her I would quit but not to bug me about it. She didn't and I did! 
Make up your mind that's what you want and you will succeed. Good luck.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Ted, I have faith that you can do this! Just keep thinking of how much money you'll save and how much longer you will be around to enjoy LJ! I laid out 3 smokes every day and they had to last for 24 hours, then I laid out 2 per day, then 1. Your mileage may vary.


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## AKSteve (Feb 4, 2012)

Way to Go ! Ted. you can do it man. I have been smoke free now for 2yrs 8 mos. I quit cold turkey when I had to go to the emergency room for Angina pains, Had 2 stents put in the next week. Never looked back, don't ever have a craving either, just thinking about going back under the knife has kept me clean all this time. I can't even stand the smell anymore. It is the "Best" thing you will ever do for yourself ever. and your family will thank you for it believe me !

Keep us updated and hang in there Bro!


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

Ted,
So, your kicking the habit…..
I hope the Nun isn't wearing it , when you do!!!

Good luck, stay busy, Change up your routine. If you do things different, ie; drink your morning coffee in a different room than usual, change things up. Start new (good) habits. It's tuff I know, I've quit several times!!!


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Okay Marty.. you chase them my way, then wait for me to chase them back.

(psst… the rest of ya don't say anyting. I think he might fall for this one







)


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

I'm thinking about new habits I can take up. I live in Chicago so I was thinking maybe I can take up a hobby of kicking police cars.. you know, to get their attention, and then running. That should keep me busy for a while.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

always add before you take away! anytime you feel the need for a cig, add something healthy in place of it….like a piece of fruit, a veggie….a walk outside…anything…Make this a positive experience instead of a negative one and you'll float right down the river instead of struggling to paddle upstream!

Also educate yourself on the negative impact cigs have on your health. So often people try changing behavior without changing their believe system - which never works. This is why most diets fail.

You can do it!! Good luck! You'll be so glad in the end!


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## nomercadies (Dec 31, 2011)

(Hope this helps, written in 2006)

Smokin' the Stock Market

High school students smoke you know. Not all of them, but lots of them do, especially the ones that are trying to show everyone they aren't afraid of looking defiantly at danger and authority.

My students smoke. Not all of them, but most of them do. My students are with me because they have turned a regular high school upside down with inappropriate, violent behavior.

My students are labeled "Severely Emotionally Impaired." The names for that impairment on the street are very much more rude and some argue more accurately descriptive.

We teach and learn appropriate behavior as well as the regular academics. The goal of our program is to return the students to their home school successfully. We don't always succeed. Some of our kids stay on with us and graduate from high school through our program. Some of our kids talk rotten and angrily about my mother (a really sweet and wonderful woman, by the way, whom they have never even met) and drop out of school altogether.

I used to smoke. I quit in 1982. I had smoked for 22 years and at the time I quit I was doing two packs of Kool Filter Kings a day. I think I had lots to prove too. It didn't occur to me until a year and a half ago that I should set aside the money I spent on cigarettes for something worthwhile instead of just allowing it to drift back into the money I spent every day. I chose the stock market.

I have a direct deposit set up for the money I don't spend on smokes. I tell the kids not to bother me on smoke break and check my portfolio on the computer. Funny, if I really smoked, I would have to walk across the street onto the public sidewalk to smoke. Neighbors to school property all across the country love that. Clusters of teachers, staff, and bus drivers all standing, huddled in the snow or rain to grab a quick hit before they have to return to their duties isn't modeling the best behavior, but I would get time away from work if I joined them . nah!

These days, I take my smokin' time without leaving the classroom. The kids are respectful of my break time too. They often ask, "Are you on smoke break Mr. Thayer?" "I'll check back in a couple of minutes if you are." "How's the market going by the way?" "Will we have time to check our practice portfolios later today?"

We can set up a practice portfolio easily by assigning a dollar figure to their addiction (not just smoking by the way) and doing regular deposits to the practice account, then investing the money.

I have done quite well in the market, especially if you consider that the money I have accumulated was going to be spent lining my lungs instead of my pockets.

I often ask the students, "Where is your smoking money?" Then I show them mine.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

Ted,

Go for it!

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.
~Henry David Thoreau~


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Every time you want to buy a pack, buy a tool Ted. Some old crusty vintage something to restore. It'll keep you busy and be cheaper in the long run.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Good luck. Keeping occupied is the key to success.


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## Toolz (Feb 26, 2008)

I smoked a 1 to 2 packs a day for 49 years. It took losing half a lung to cancer before I managed to quit. It is hard but you CAN do it. Will keep you in my prayers for success


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## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

Good luck Ted.
Mind over matter.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Hang in there, Ted.

I quit cold turkey 12 years ago. It was maybe the hardest thing I ever did, but sooooooo worth it. The important thing for me was to hang on to the thought that "this too shall pass". The first several days of physical withdrawal are tough, and then you move into the emotional withdrawal, which was even harder. For about three months, I just wanted to kill someone. Anyone… it didn't matter.  But after that, it was like the greatest relief in the world to have that gorilla off my back! So just tough it out, knowing that there is a huge reward at the end of the struggle.


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## nomercadies (Dec 31, 2011)

After being free from smoke for all these years, I think I would toss my lunch if I was made to light up again. X-smokers are the worst complainers of second hand smoke, but for a reason. It hurts, but the hurt keeps me away. It hurts … so … Good!


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## darinS (Jul 20, 2010)

You can do it Ted. I quit chewing after 34 years (I started young) and since the wife smoked, i would too (sometimes). I did find that using the nicotine gum helped me out. I ended up using the gum for 2 1/2 months, and been tobacco free for almost 2 years.

I got faith in you buddy. You can do it.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I started at 19, stopped at 26 when my kid asked me why I stunk and was killing myself. Started again two years later for two years, finally kicked it forever.

I'll tell you this: for me, quitting smoking has turned out to be easier than losing weight!!


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## TorqNut (Apr 29, 2012)

I started smoking at age 14, I quit on 7 JAN 1991. I haven't had one cigarette since then. I quit cold turkey and I can honestly say I have not looked back on it one bit. The weight gain that went with it was a bigger consideration but I finally won that battle. You will be amazed by the "new smells" and tastes that you will experience from this moment forward. Good Luck - I will be rooting for you.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Just the price of a pack should be enough of an encouragement. Pack a day at $5.00×365 = $1,825.00. There is a new table saw,bandsaw,whatever. It mounts up quick and it isn't going to get any cheaper.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

3 generations from now, no one will remember if you smoked or not.

Our time here is short, enjoy it


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

You can do this, others have. Like someone said, you will be amazed at how much better food tastes, how good things smell (and how bad!) Hang in there and keep us informed.


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## Fishinbo (Jun 11, 2012)

I was smoke-free for a year. Then I got reconnected with a smoker friend. 
Back at it ever since. Now, it's a struggle to quit.


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## nomercadies (Dec 31, 2011)

I watched a neighbor couple sit on their back steps and ponder how they were going to keep the house. They were going through some tough times. They both sat and worried and and smoked one cigarette after another. They couldn't find enough money for the house payment, but they would go through the couch cushions if necessary to find enough money for smokes. If you take Howie's numbers above and multiply by four … that's one heck of a bandsaw … or Scottrade portfolio …

I have an addictive personality. I can't help it. I just figured out I need to take on addictions that make me happy instead of control me. I'm addicted to investing. I shared the change in direction I made from smoker to investor with my doctor. He said it was a good move as if I had decided to keep up the smoking habit, I'd be dead. I'm 66 and retired. Investments were a big factor in helping me decide to go and do what I wanted to do instead of what my employer wanted me to.

I am thinking of giving up addictions I never had so as to feed my investing monster more aggressively. I was thinking about e-mailing Patreaus and asking how much his addictions cost him, but I think they are watching his e-mails and I think I already know the answer to what it cost him.

Without much exaggeration, it really is a decision between a good life and death. My dad got emphysema (2 packs of Pall Mall a day). It isn't fun to watch your loved one wither. Smoking doesn't just kill you, it takes away your energy, strength, stamina, and sucks the good out of life. Dad had to stop and sit on a bench between his car in handicapped parking and the inside of the market. He was thin and starting to lose his vision. When no one was looking, he snuck a smoke. I held his hand as he died. He was in so much pain. His health situation was that they couldn't give him much in the way of pain killers.

Can you think of something you will do with the extra years you will have of life, health, and strength?


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I used to feel exactly like Moron. I enjoyed smoking (or so I thought), and whatever possible health risks might be involved were not as important as enjoying life for the short time we're here anyway.

BUT, when I did finally quit, I realized I was able to enjoy life *more* rather than *less*. What I thought was the "enjoyment" of smoking was really just the relief of feeding the nicotine addiction. Smoking is the equivalent of burning yourself just so you can feel the pleasure of putting ice on it.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

HANG IN THERE TED!

It is worth it!

YOU CAN DO IT!


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

I wish you well. The health implications of smoking are terribly seripous.My son quit after smoking for years he now does weightlifting and the whole nine yards I am extremely proud of him.It is one of the hardest things to do but achievable if you stick with keeping buisy it get's easier after a while every day is a great milestone>I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Alistair


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Try this math…...I was a three pack a day smoker. That was $10 a day in 1999.
10×365x13 years=$47,450.00 and that is 1999 prices! Just keep thinking about this and you will overcome a lot of the feelings. Like Alistar said, keep busy. Take it one day at a time.

Mark Twain said quitting smoking was the easiest thing he ever did, he said he had done it a thousand times(or something like that) All former smokers know it's hard but you can do it. Just have to get committed.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Has anyone tried those electronic cigarettes as a way to ease the cravings when quitting smoking? 
Just wondered if they are any better than patches etc.


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## Bagtown (Mar 9, 2008)

Ted,

How's it going?

Mike


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I tried to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving, but I couldn't keep the damned thing lit.


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## MarkSr (Oct 14, 2012)

Ted, I've smoked for 40 yrs. and tried to quit probably 40 times, and still trying. A buddy of mine once told me, to quit smoking you have to get past the 5 THREE'S (3 Minutes, 3 Hours, 3 Days, 3 Months, 3 Years), yesterday I got to 2 months and 17 days. Tomorrow I will start again. I'm still trying, lets keep in touch and see if I can keep up with you. What do you say?


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## MarkSr (Oct 14, 2012)

Sorry the 5 THREE'S are (3 Hours, 3 Days, 3 Weeks, 3 Months and 3 Years) I got a call last night and was told I did not quote my friend correctly. Oh well you get the point. "IT'S HARD AS HELL, BUT WE CAN DO IT"'


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Mark, in my experience, once I got past the three months it was smooth sailing.

In the first 3 days, the physical addiction is influencing your thoughts. In the first three months, it's the psychological addiction that will get you. After that, the choice to light up or not is 100% your own.


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## RibsBrisket4me (Jul 17, 2011)

Congrats Ted!!!! THink of all the tools you can buy with the $$$ you used to spend on smokes1


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## MarkSr (Oct 14, 2012)

Well Charlie, I guess my friend was 2/3 right anyway. Physical or Psychological Addiction, it's just plain tough. Ted, this is me talking now about me. I used to drink 1 gallon of DeWards White Lable Scotch each and every week, for years and years, and sometimes more. But when the doctors told me I had to stop drinking and smoking I said okay, haven't had a drink in a very long time, but the cigs., that's a different subject. But we are going to do it, right Ted


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## cebfish (Jan 15, 2011)

just think how many tools you can by with the money you sve


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## oldretiredjim (Nov 14, 2011)

2 packs of Camels/day for 10 years. For me the tough part was morning coffee and having a beer. but the pangs go away and the longer it has been the shorter they are. good luck.


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## steve6678 (Oct 4, 2012)

Me too, ha, 12 yrs old, pack a day at least, and now I have a machine and make my own, I don't count em' anymore. I am 45, I quit for 1 year once, went back.
I think the time is coming soon though, I would like to be a non-smoker, but at the same time I really enjoy smoking, really. I have a Dr. that tells me I should quit, and I have the Patch in a cupboard just sitting there.
Maybe someday soon, or not, sometimes I think I'll wait till they (Dr.) tells me I HAVE TO quit, then I will. I may be waiting for something to be wrong with me first, hmmm.
Good post


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

TED, You still out there?

We would all like to know how you are doing.


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## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

Hi Ted,

Saw this post and wondering how you're doing. If you've started again, no shame in quitting again.

If I had a cheerleader outfit, (which I don't) and if I knew how to shake pom-poms (which I don't) and IF I didn't get annoyed with cheerleading in general (which I do) I'd give you a big CHEER!

Hang in there. I've never smoked, so I certainly can't tell you I've been there, but know that I'm rooting for you in a lumberjock, grunting, no unnecessary physical contact kind of way.

S


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## toeachhisown (Eddie) (Mar 30, 2011)

Ted you can quit , not easy but its up to you,they are very additive and after you quit dont do them again as you will allways be addicted to them, i got to do the same myself


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Hey gang, sorry for not revisiting this thread for a while. Here's the progress report to date.

I caved during the days surrounding Thanksgiving. I spent the 4 day weekend with relatives in Indiana, most of whom smoke. I was there to enjoy the time with them, and the cravings were ruining it… so I smoked. I continued to smoke for a while after I got home. Didn't have any work, can't make noise in my makeshift work shop because the upstairs neighbor complains about the noise, couldn't get anything done on the internet because my connection is so sloooowwwww (I make websites as a hobby) and pretty much was sitting around twiddling my thumbs. So I smoked.

I quit again a few days ago and, so far, it seems to be holding. Whether this is the big finale or just another practice run, I cannot say just yet. Maybe, maybe not.. I don't know. What I do know is that if I'm not there yet, I'm pretty darn close.

I have a pack of Marlboro which I keep with me, but I don't smoke them. I even put one in my mouth and puffed on it for a while, without actually lighting it. So far, so good. But if I do decide I want to light that cigarette, I will, and I will smoke it. Somehow, just knowing that I can if I want to, really helps. As long as I know I can if I want to, I tend to not want to.

Many here have offered advice and various anecdotes. I appreciate the gesture, but it really doesn't help. My advice to anybody who wants to quit smoking is go ahead and smoke if you want to.


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## Bagtown (Mar 9, 2008)

You have to want to do it or you won't do it.
I was the same way.
I knew smoking wasn't a good thing.
I wanted to quit.
But until everything was right FOR ME.
I couldn't quit.
Don't try to quit for the wrong reasons or you'll be right back at it.

You're on the right path Ted.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I smoke…..I like it….I'll quit someday….maybe…maybe not…Noone will force me….And we are NOT second-class people like some try to make us out to be…..leave us alone, and don't bug us about smoking….If people don't want to be arond us cause we smoke, that's their lose….we're pretty good folks…..


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

The AA folks say "One day at a time", but to smokers it's usually "One HOUR at a time", which often becomes "One MINUTE at a time". 
Congrats on quitting. Will put you on my prayer list for strength.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I kicked the habit not to long ago. The best advice I got, I got on lumberjocks. Someone posted this link:

http://whyquit.com/joel/Joel0403nevertake_puff.html

I highly suggest you read this. It was exactly what I needed. 
My journey went as such:

The first week was actually pretty easy. I'm not entirely sure I had a physical addiction because even when I did smoke (I smoked for about 10 years) I never NEEDED a cigarette. For me it was something to do to occupy idle hands or as a reward system for finishing a task.

The second week was harder

The 3rd and 4th week sucked. Again, not physical cravings, but my "idle hands" were killing me. I decided to substitute something productive. As I mentioned above, I would have a smoke and "schedule" smoke breaks around tasks. For example I would say "when I finish this huge report, I am going to have a cigarette". Or in the shop "Man, sanding sucks, I'll have a cigarette in between grits", or at home, "when I am done with the dishes, smoke time!" or "when my daughter finally goes down for a nap, I'll sneak outside for a smoke".

What I did that really helped, and helped me in my hobby was dovetails. I am fortunate enough to work from home. Now, whenever I need a "reward" or a "break", I sneak out to the shop and hand cut a single dovetail. If I need to be quick, it's just a pin. The next break, I will cut a tail. Because these are not for projects, I don't have to stress about them coming out good, I just want to build muscle memory. I have cut well over 200 dovetails (about 10 "packs" worth). They still aren't terrific, but are way more than acceptable and get better every time I try.

Also with that $250/month extra I have, I buy "bonus" lumber. Since smoking has been a part of my life and budget for so long, I consider that money already spent. I can get almost 50BF *extra* of figured cherry, walnut, curly maple, etc *every month* instead of slowly killing myself. How awesome is that?


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Ted, I know that this experience is very, very different but it's an interesting story none the less.

I've been biting my nails since I was 3 yrs old so roughly 55 years. I've tried to stop a couple times but it was short lived. From what I understand, OCD stuff happens when you actually grow nerve pathways in the brain that make the habit stick. The longer you do it the harder it is to break those pathways.

I've recently been fighting a finger bone infection that is a long story. The only two important parts are that the doctor said it could have been started from my nail biting and that the bet prognosis was amputation. (neither turned out to be true, it was from a splinter and I've managed to save the finger so far). Anyway, from that point on I stopped biting my nails. It was like someone would have said I would stop breathing. It happened cold and suddenly. It's been two months now and I am like a person who had never had the habit. I never have the urge.

Point is, even though you also have a chemical addiction wouldn't it be good if somehow you could convince yourself that a bad thing is waiting down the road if you don't quit. Much easier said than done I know. I never even considered that nail biting would lead to an amputation. Good luck with your quest.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

The cigarettes just sit there. I'm not even interested in them. I could have one if I wanted, but I don't. Lots of interesting thoughts going through my head, stuff I never though much about, before. I'm not working today, can't us my work shop because of the noise, internet is frustratingly slow. I could clean my apartment, but I don't fee like it. I don't have anything to do, that I feel like doing, so I'm doing nothing. Just relaxing.

I think I used to convince myself I needed the cigarette, and I've now convinced myself that I don't need it.

My lungs feel dirty, from 40+ years of smoking. I want all the black soot out of them. Wish I could take a sponge on a stick and reach down my throat and give them a good scrubbing. But I can't, so just have to let them recover.

I think, more than anything else, I feared letting go of something that was, or is, so much a part of who I am.

I wish I hadn't gone bald. I really liked having a head full of hair, that I could comb any way I wanted to. Oh well… some things change.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

Ted, this is a good thing to quit. I had a co-worker who always said, "Quitting is easy-I do it all the time." 
She was right. Seemed that she was always quitting after every cigarette.

Becoming a non-smoker is a little more difficult.
I wsih you all the best in your efforts. YOU CAN DO IT!


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## nomercadies (Dec 31, 2011)

Chance Four: "Hello, i'm Chance Four."

Everyone: "Hi Chance Four."

Before I started smoking, as a boy, I thought the smell of tobacco smoke was disgusting but the smell of fresh unlit tobacco was great. After I started smoking, the smell of raw, fresh tobacco was disgusting and the smell of lit cigarette smoke was great. Then after I stopped smoking the smell of fresh tobacco came back to being something I really liked and the smell of a burning cigarette almost makes me toss my cabbage. Is that similar with everyone?

I remember starting to smoke. I remember how hard it was to do it because it kind of hurt and I wanted to be sick when I did it, until I got to be a regular smoker. It actually hurt … but I was maybe 13 years old when I was sneaking smokes. It hurt in another way to stop. All the addiction talk has been covered already. But now, the great story is, I just can't be around it. It makes me sick, almost like I have developed some kind of allergy to the burning tobacco.

I understand there is a chemical you can take or drink or something that makes you sick if you consume alcohol. Being away from smoking for years now is my form of that I guess.

I'm sure I would have to fight to get back into the habit. Doctor told years ago I'd be dead if I was still smoking. (Started in 1959, quit in 1982, I'm 66 now, 23 years smoking 30 since quitting). I am just not that ambitious or tough enough to condition myself to be a smoker again.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

I remember as a kid, before I ever smoked, waking up in the morning and my mom sitting in the living room having her morning coffee and cigarette. The smoke in the air was horrible. It didn't bother me so much once I had some breakfast - cherios or frosted flakes or something.

I have never liked the smell of tobacco smoke. Even if it's my own, if I leave the room then come back in, and there is that layer of smoke right at nose level, it smells terrible.

Today I slept about 6 hours… a few this morning and then clunked out about 4 this afternoon. I felt like it, so that's what I did.

Craftsman on the Lake, my brother bites his nails. I used to when I was young but the habit just never took. Hope I don't start now! hee hee

Chance 4, I don't know if I would consider it tough or ambitious to 'start' smoking. ;-)


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## nomercadies (Dec 31, 2011)

The "tough or ambitious" comment was tongue in cheek, but at this point, it would hurt and actually be work to get used to violating myself like that again. Isn't it odd how people do things to themselves that hurt for social or addictive reasons? I think of women first when I think of that. Plucking hair? High heeled shoes? Waxing? Undergarments that push and squeeze? Then men. Tattoos? Weight training? Smoking to look tough? Fighting? Lifting things when a wheeled cart is within reach? Piercings?

Then if you throw in drugs, there is no discrimination involved at all for gender, race, age, sexual preference, religion, or if you are a dog or cat person.

Silly humans.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Physical addiction is a BIG deal. My wife is a nurse and see's people overdosing quite a bit. When you give an overdosing opiate (heroin) user Naloxone, it completely negates the effect of the drug. She tells me more often than not, the patients are extremely upset that she ruined their high instead of grateful she saved their life.


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## rejo55 (Apr 5, 2012)

Hey, Ted,
You can do it the way I did in 1990--go offshore Louisiana on a drilling rig and catch double pneumonia, stay on the rig three more days to finish the job, drive straight to Houston, check into the hospital, stay three weeks and come out clean. Lord knows I tried to smoke for six weeks, but every time I'd light up, I'd choke to death coughing. After six weeks, I figured I had quit. Sure 'nuff, I had

Heavy price to pay, though.

Hang in there, Man. You can do it if you want to.

Have a good'un

Joe


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## carver (Nov 4, 2010)

I quit 7 years ago after 31 years. It's without a doubt the best thing I ever did for myself.I cannot stand the smell anymore. One of the tricks I made up….When I felt the urge without anyone knowing I would put my hand to my mouth like I had a cig in it then I would inhale just like smoking and then exhale just like smoking. This took care of me till the next time which got farther and farther apart.I figure this must work as a placebo since the phisical addiction is gone in one week and it's all head game from there. Good luck with quitting and realize the bad guys fighting the good guy.Good guy wins.


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## jlasersmith (Jul 5, 2012)

Hardest thing I ever did was quit smoking. I tried over and over. I tried cold turkey, I tried the patch multiple times, I tried the gum, the losenges… Finally I turned to chantix. After a friend recommended it. He had used it a year before and was still smoke free. Im now 2 1/2 years without one and he is 3 1/2 years without one.

Since quitting I have gotten myself into good physical shape. I now run, mountain bike, roadbike. 3 activities that smokers hardly participate in. My snowboarding has also improved.

I can honestly say quitting was the best decision i have ever made. I would never have had a chance with my girlfriend (soon to be wife) if i were a smoker. She wouldn't have looked twice at me. I could go on all day about how my life improved after quitting.

Good luck to you!


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

I'm finding it's not hard at all. I'm not craving or acting psycho or anything like I expected. In fact, I seem to be thinking clearer, probably due to more oxygen making it's way to my brain. I'm having my morning coffee as I type this, my pack of Marlboro sitting in front of me, and I have no desire to reach for one. It's been almost a week since my last falling off the wagon and I'm still waiting for withdraws to kick in. I should have done this years ago.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Nice Ted! As I mentioned the first week was a breeze for me too. It gets significantly harder though. If you can make it to the 4 week mark, you are golden. When kept me from smoking another one is I did not want to relive weeks 3, 4, and 5 ever again.

I started doing a lot of 5k's a year before I quit. I thought I was in decent shape. My first 5k after not smoking for 2 months was a real eye opener. *2 minutes* off my previous best with significantly less training. Before I would have been absolutely thrilled with shaving 10 seconds off my best.


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## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

Good luck Ted


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## Bagtown (Mar 9, 2008)

Keep puttin that Baileys in your coffee Ted, you'll be fine.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

LOL!!


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## nomercadies (Dec 31, 2011)

We need an update on the eve of a new year. Maybe you could send your cigarettes to a politician?


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