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Thats it I have to quit smoking

post #1 of 61
7/6/08 at 7:43am
Thread Starter 
First it is really really bad for you. Second the powers that be at the state house in Ma. has just raised the Cig Tax. A pack of smokes now ( Marlboro Lights ) cost upwards of $7.00 A PACK WTF.



I have Just had it with this state. I am just taxed to the teeth. Any of my other hometheater buddies doing the same.
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post #2 of 61
7/6/08 at 7:55am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

Well you can always emmigrate from the Old States to the New States.
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post #3 of 61
7/6/08 at 8:45am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

Smoked for 25 years. Started taking Chantix in February, haven't had a cigarette since then and have been off the Chantix for 2 months. If you really want to quit, the Chantix is a big help. I could never have done it cold-turkey.
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post #4 of 61
7/6/08 at 8:58am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

Good luck! My uncle, 20+ years ago, used hypnosis. I think it converted him into a Mountain Dew addict, but that's still a positive result

And $7 per pack! Even at $6 a pack, and a pack a day, that's nearly $2200 per year! You're a car guy, right? What can you do with an extra $2200 each each year?
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post #5 of 61
7/6/08 at 9:07am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

$7 buys a middling-decent bottle of wine. Which would you rather have?
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post #6 of 61
7/6/08 at 9:08am
Thread Starter 

Re: Thats it I have to quit

2200 a year, looking at that I want to vomit. I could have new rims a chip and a CAI for my New GLI or pay off some bills. my neighbor gave me some of his chantix that he had left over from when he quit. I am going to give them a try. he said even half a pill a day works very well. I want to quit sooooooooooooooo bad. I hate smoking its not even enjoyable now. But I work with 3 guys who smoke so thats tough. 7 bucks is just ridiculous to pay for something that is killing me and thats almost 2 gallons of gas.
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post #7 of 61
7/6/08 at 9:11am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

it won't be easy, but you can do it - as others have mentioned, keep thinking of reasons & incentives why its a good idea - write them out so that when you're tempted you can go back to them.

I quit about 5 years ago using patches, and while it was tough and i definitely relapsed a few times, if you keep trying you can do it. I still think about smoking often and i'm certainly not one of those former smokers who is a jerk to current ones, but I'm very glad I quit. I will say that you have to be serious about quitting - for me no amount of external factors (girlfriend, health, cost, etc) would have been enough to make me stop - it was a decision I had to make internally. Good luck dude.
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post #8 of 61
7/6/08 at 9:19am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

Everyone's chemistry is different, but the cigs are a serious addiction.
MANY other substances are easier to kick.
Tapering off is not a good plan, you need to get those chemicals out of your body.
Any chance of getting to another work situation with no smokers?

BTW, a lot of us did quit cold turkey.
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post #9 of 61
7/6/08 at 9:32am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

I quit seven years ago this past January. I'd tried hypnosis a couple of times in the past with no results. Last time I did the patch and except for a half-cigarette once or twice in the first couple of weeks, I haven't had a cigarette since. I did the whole program, starting with the highest dose and gradually stepping down. By the time I was done I wasn't having cravings or feeling deprived and the transition from low-dose to no-dose was seemless. I still get the passing impulse to light up every three or four months (usually when I'm around someone smokinig) but it passes in seconds. That's one of the things about the patch. It doesn't (initially) prevent the cravings. It lets you resist them long enough for them to pass on their own - which they do. Most smokers can't hold out long enough to learn that, which is why quitting is so hard.)

However you do it, good luck. It is certainly worth it.

Regards,

Joe
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post #10 of 61
7/6/08 at 9:53am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

My mother quit a month ago with the Chantix and so far hasn't cheated. She's tried a dozen other methods before and none lasted more than a week. Good luck!
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post #11 of 61
7/6/08 at 9:55am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

I've been quit for 15+ years. I quit when cigarettes were just reaching $2.00 a pack here. (Tobacco was our state's main money crop) I used the patch. I had to have a prescription for the patch, at the time. Now you can get them over the counter. Watch out though............the day I quit, the doctor weighed me. I weighed 211 lbs. Three months later, I weighed 245 lbs. I got as heavy as 270 lbs., but am now back down to 245 lbs. (I'm 6'2") When you quit, you get your taste buds working good again. Everything tastes so good, especially ice cream, that you eat much more. Even though you may be full, your taste buds scream.......more, more!

I chewed a lot of bubble gum too, so my mouth wouldn't miss the cigarette being there. It took forever for my hand to quit reaching for my shirt pocket, out of habit.
Good luck!
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post #12 of 61
7/6/08 at 11:25am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

I guess I have a lucky chemistry or whatever controls addictions. I can smoke a cigarette today and not smoke another one again for six months or ever. I have never been addicted to smoking. I used to smoke when I was working construction because the bosses would allow smoking breaks without yelling at a person to get back to work. The most I ever smoked was 5 cigarettes a day.

I am now a "recreational" cigar smoker and average 2 or 3 a month. During the warmer months I might have up to 4 a month. Good luck on quitting.

Mark, right now this thread is right above your thread about starting your own company. The heading for this thread could be misleading.
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post #13 of 61
7/6/08 at 12:06pm

Re: Thats it I have to quit

I’m the opposite of Marty—I am a complete nicotine junkie (when asked I said I smoked about two packs a day and that was the best day I ever had—and those were unfiltered Camels). It has been more than 30 years since my last cigarette and I no longer get even the occasional twinge of desire.

I quit cold turkey and my wife would no doubt claim that I was an unpleasant SOB for about a week. But even for heavy, addicted smokers, the physical addiction goes away in about that time. The psychological one is another matter.
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post #14 of 61
7/6/08 at 1:03pm

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sherman
First it is really really bad for you. Second the powers that be at the state house in Ma. has just raised the Cig Tax. A pack of smokes now ( Marlboro Lights ) cost upwards of $7.00 A PACK WTF.



I have Just had it with this state. I am just taxed to the teeth. Any of my other hometheater buddies doing the same.
And by quitting, you'll be stickin' it to the Man, too, since he won't be getting any cig taxes from you.

When our family owned a convenience store a few years ago, I'd always have to roll my eyes at the customers who complained about gas prices, yet didn't think twice about buying 2-3 packs of cigarettes at a time.
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post #15 of 61
7/6/08 at 2:35pm

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
The heading for this thread could be misleading.
So I added "smoking".


This discussion reminds me of a (somewhat old) joke of that guy saying "Nah, what are they talking about. Quit smoking? Using all sorts of chemicals and tricks? How difficult can it be?
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
I've done it a dozen times or more.



Cees
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post #16 of 61
7/6/08 at 4:02pm

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Cees, what are packages of cigarettes going for these days in the Netherlands? 5 Euros a pack? I'll bet VAT on a pack is several Euros all by itself.
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post #17 of 61
7/6/08 at 7:04pm

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Mark,

If you are going to do the Chantix, you really should go through your Doctor. A big part of the effectiveness is letting the stuff build up in your system while you are still smoking. So for the starter pack, you take a quarter dose, then a half dose for the first week while you continue to smoke. By the end of the first week, you are ready to quit because you aren't getting anything from the cigarette when you do smoke.

Even without this buildup while smoking, I wouldn't be borrowing any leftovers because they are full strength and they can knock you for a loop if you haven't gotten used to them. In truth, you really have to do the stuff by the book or it's not going to work.
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post #18 of 61
7/6/08 at 7:27pm

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Looking at it from a medical point of view, cause thats what i do...They are sicker, as a rule, than a non-smoker. And they get that way at a younger age. It also cost a ton of money to take care of "cronic" conditions that smokers tend to have. In Oklahoma, they added a tax to cigs to help pay for health insurance for small business owners, that would not be able to afford it for their employees. I think its good idea. I of course, do not smoke. Best of luck Mark, and see if your employer has any options to help you quit.
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post #19 of 61
7/7/08 at 12:56am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
Cees, what are packages of cigarettes going for these days in the Netherlands?
As a non-smoker since my youth I had to look it up.

It's roughly € 4.25. That includes VAT and the special tax (legally, prices offered to end-consumers have to include those over here).

But the catch is: there's one cigarette less in the package. Since a previous price increase when manufacturers tried to keep the price steady by taking one out, a standard package contains 19 cigs.

Lower prices are seen here and there. We're still one of the less-expensive countries in the Euro zone, in this respect, which leads to Belgians and Germans shopping across the borders.


Cees
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post #20 of 61
7/7/08 at 5:43am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quitting smoking will be one of the hardest things you will ever attempt.
Quitting smoking will be one of the best things you will ever do for yourself and your family.
Make sure that you are committed to becoming smoke free, don't do it just because you are pissed at what the things cost. Do it because you want to be able to use your senses of smell and taste again, do it because you aren't ready to pay the physical price that smoking costs.
Don't get frustrated if you 'lapse back', keep trying until you finally quit.
I quit a long time ago and often wonder why the hell I ever picked up the smoking habit in the first place.
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post #21 of 61
7/7/08 at 5:58am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
Originally Posted by LewB
Quitting smoking will be one of the hardest things you will ever attempt.
Quitting smoking will be one of the best things you will ever do for yourself and your family.

I agree completely. (I emphasized the "for yourself" because even though quitting will definitely be good for your family, you have to really want to do it yourself if it's going to stick.)

I quit about 16 years ago. I was smoking 3 packs a day and decided I had had enough. I used the nicotine patches and just took it one day at a time. It was tough but worth it.

Good luck.
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post #22 of 61
7/7/08 at 6:18am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Some people have very bad reactions to Chantix, others have no problems at all using it. I know 2 people who quit using it.

I quit using Nicoderm. There must be a emotion chip in that patch or something because I had the worst week at work I can remember and wasnt tempted to smoke at all.

Good luck.
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post #23 of 61
7/7/08 at 6:36am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
Originally Posted by JonZ
Some people have very bad reactions to Chantix, others have no problems at all using it. I know 2 people who quit using it.

I quit using Nicoderm. There must be a emotion chip in that patch or something because I had the worst week at work I can remember and wasnt tempted to smoke at all.

Good luck.

I know a couple people who got seriously depressed. I got a little bit of that, not really depression but there was a definite loss of enjoyment for things that I enjoy (good food, movies, sports, etc). Kind of like a permanent cloud on a sunny day type thing. I was pretty glad to stop the Chantix, but the help it gave was worth it.

As to the wacky dreams, I only experienced that a few times in the first days after quitting. For three days straight I dreamed about women with strawberry plants tattooed on their bodies. I'm not very partial to tattooed women or strawberries, so I have no idea where the hell that came from.
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post #24 of 61
7/7/08 at 7:38am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Gale
BTW, a lot of us did quit cold turkey.

I quit cold turkey about 10 years ago. I was fortunate in that my body was telling me in no uncertain terms that I shouldn't smoke (I developed a nasty morning smoker's hack). Quitting cold turkey sucked, but it did have its advantages. First, it was free. Also, it told me a lot about myself, specifically, I was the master of my mind and body, not the other way around. Sometimes that can be a useful thing to know first hand.

However you go about it, good luck. It's an important step.
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post #25 of 61
7/7/08 at 11:00am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie
For three days straight I dreamed about women with strawberry plants tattooed on their bodies. I'm not very partial to tattooed women or strawberries, so I have no idea where the hell that came from.

I think that's a topic that needs its own thread!
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post #26 of 61
7/7/08 at 11:16am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
I think that's a topic that needs its own thread!

I wish. But for full clarification, the dreams were quite benign in nature. Just some weird psychedelic stuff. If anything more was coming, I'm afraid I woke up before it happened.
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post #27 of 61
7/7/08 at 11:18am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

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post #28 of 61
7/7/08 at 11:31am

Re: Thats it I have to quit

Quote:
Originally Posted by KurtEP
I quit cold turkey about 10 years ago. I was fortunate in that my body was telling me in no uncertain terms that I shouldn't smoke (I developed a nasty morning smoker's hack). Quitting cold turkey sucked, but it did have its advantages. First, it was free. Also, it told me a lot about myself, specifically, I was the master of my mind and body, not the other way around. Sometimes that can be a useful thing to know first hand.

However, you go about it, good luck. It's an important step.

The smoker's hack is what did it for me. 25 years, sometimes up to 2 packs a day, and I never had a cough. Not even a tickle. Sometime last year it appeared, and it didn't take long for me to want to finally quit. Luckily I was down to less than a pack a day at the end,
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post #29 of 61
7/7/08 at 11:46am

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie
For three days straight I dreamed about women with strawberry plants tattooed on their bodies. I'm not very partial to tattooed women or strawberries, so I have no idea where the hell that came from.
Are you sure it was tobacco you were smoking.
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post #30 of 61
7/7/08 at 12:12pm

Re: Thats it I have to quit smoking

Quote:
Originally Posted by troy evans
Are you sure it was tobacco you were smoking.

Never had any use for anything else, at least in the last 20 years or so. But one of the main side-effects listed for Chantix are changes in dream pattern and intensity. I have a friend who's dad had really freaky dreams for the whole time he was on it. Then again, knowing him, he was probably more succeptible for just the reason you posted.
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