I’m still on the cold turkey trail too. Fuck it’s a rough walk. 3 days 21 hours
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I’m proud of each of you making the effort and succeeding in quitting smoking.
I posted this in the checking in thread lately. I’m adding more to it over here.
I’m the one who would wear the patch and take it off to shower and smoke ten cigarettes and then wait a couple hours and put the patch back on. I couldn’t follow the directions. I was more interested in smoking.
For two years I went through the motions of trying to quit with NRT, patches and then gum.
It wasted my time, and it wasted my money.
I loved the patch because it put a good high consistent level of nicotine in me.
When I quit smoking I stopped and started sometimes 50 times a day.
For about two years.
Until then I had never ever even tried to quit for any time at all.
It was an addiction and a bad habit.
My whole life was consumed with stopping and then smoking and then stopping again etc. etc. etc.
I wanted to be quit but I also wanted to indulge.
It just about drove me crazy.
Quitting smoking. Smoking. Quitting smoking. Smoking. Quitting smoking. Smoking. Over and over and over.
When I finally said ‘I am done, this is it’ it was such a huge relief to get away from the back and forth.
A peaceful feeling came over me of ‘I can do this’ and not only I can do it but ‘I am going to do it.’
I’m hoping that there’s something of benefit in here for those who have a difficult time quitting an addiction which is also a bad habit.
NRT is great for those who want to use it and want to follow the directions and use it the way that the directions say. I was unable to. I was more interested in the nicotine and the smoking. It just perpetuated my addiction.
Chewing chewing gum on the other hand helped me deal with it.
Once I was over it I was over it without a doubt in my mind. I was done. 100% positively finished with it.
Editing to add that the day that I decided to really quit, about the one millionth time, but this time I was pretty concentrated on really quitting, I googled ‘quitting smoking’ in my search engine and a support group popped up.
I was too shy to post in it, but I read what other people were doing and I saw that they were dealing with the exact same things that I had been dealing with.
And so many of them had succeeded in stopping.
I thought, if they can do it, I can do it.
That is what I kept thinking. “If they can do it I can do it.”
I read and read and read and I learned a lot about my addiction and that really I could stop even though I had made up my mind this time I really truly was going to.
Cold turkey.
It’s what worked for me.
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So don’t shoot me, but this is something I’ve looked into a lot. There’s consistent and undeniable research constantly coming out about how vaping is far less harmful than smoking and the most effective cessation tool. It saves lives.
I’m gonna leave this here from Cancer research UK.
No, I’m not saying vaping is good for you. Nicotine is addictive. But vaping can reduce the risk of cancer and its demonisation is keeping people on the cigarettes.
Yes, I’m aware there are a lot of different views out there and I know what the CDC and the FDA are saying.
But suggesting vaping is in any way worse or just as worse as smoking is false misinformation that keeps people smoking. Especially in the UK and in the EU where the incredients in the liquid are highly regulated.
Quitting is the gold standard. And nicotine is a hard beast to beat. I just had to add some nuance in this discussion.
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That’s not what I’m saying. I’m not denying it’s less harmful than smoking. Although the jury is still out on it, that does seems logical. I am saying it’s harm reduction. Which is helpful for hopeless cases. But, imho, when you really want to quit smoking/nicotine, it’s no use.
I know about the NHS advice. They are unique in the western world with it. I would never advise it but that might be clear by now.
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Yeah, I think I’m coming to this as someone with a mother who’s the most dedicated smoker you’ll ever meet. She drives me bonkers and I would love for her to make the switch. But because there’s so much conflicting opinion in the media, she somehow convinced herself smoking is a healthier option than vaping. She also thinks air conditioning is unhealthy. But smoking is fine. It’s the air con that’s the real killer.
Ok. Rant over. I’m gonna come back to this thread when I’m ready to kick my last vice.
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I wanna celebrate a win with my fellow quitters!
This morning i was cleaning out my purse and there was a half used vape. My anxiety peaked and i knew i had to throw it away asap. It couldnt wait for me to get thru the rest of my purse. I THREW THAT VAPE AWAY! not today satan.
Cjp +1: addiction 0
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HELL YEAH - that is an awesome victory CJ
Keep strong my friend 
You rock! Best way possible to handle the situation!
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Hey @Curtis-81 how’s it going?
Is such a hard habit to kick, sending you some more strenght!
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Hope you are ok and that specialist is helping you, in hope that also health is better for you
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Good for you. No second thoughts, just positive action.
I’ve got a problem with throwing shit away. I have not gotten any more tobacco since I quit but I still have my pipes. They are in the junk drawer.
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Thank you. When the cravings hit they hit hard but so far I’m winning. Each day gets a little easier, maybe? I don’t know yet.
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Today I was up in the mountains with my boys and was thinking about the whole smoking thing. I’m damn good in the forest. I have summited peaks taking few breaks and smoking the whole way up. I wonder what it’s gonna be like once my lungs clear up a bit. Maybe unstoppable is an arrogant word to use but I already outhike everyone I know except for Apollo. I still feel good about my decision to quit.
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i like the sound of unstoppable and the fact that you will be able to continue hiking forever – so lovely breathing in the fresh air and the not wheezing is a great bonus. Well done on your smoke free streak!
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Thank you so much. It does feel good. Ditching my bad habits one by one. I’m excited about treating my body nice for the first time ever.
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Do you climb 14ers? Just curious.
You will do even better and you have stopped damaging yourself. Your body has begun the healing process. You probably already look better too.
You will wonder why you ever smoked.
Smokers do not realize when they are in active addiction…. Most smokers do not have good color in their complexions. They are a little washed out.
Before I quit I thought I looked fine after smoking decades and decades.
Then shortly after I quit all these people were making comments about my skin. Even strangers. It was amazing.
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It does! Time helps, a lot!
But is difficult, my brain still plays some dirty tricks on me and I do sometimes dream that I am smoking, not sure if that happens to you.
Guess is normal after so many years being an active smoker.
I also try to keep something to play around with my hands, sometimes a hair tie or a pen does the trick.
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It’s been a while since my last 14er. In my twenties I was all about the tall ones. These days I’m more interested in 13ers and twelves, most of them have no names. And the high alpine lakes are some of the best in the world. At least I think so.
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Yeah I’m just 10 days in so I still experience the dirty little mind games and shit for sure. I do try to keep my hands busy too. I smoked pipes so there was the cleaning and the curing and the swapping and the resting and it was a whole ritual. The first few days drove me almost a little insane.
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I started up to see Ptarmigan Lake in 2019. It was below freezing and too many for me icy rocks at the beginning at 10,600. I turned around. It was the best decision for me at the time. Friend’s pics were so beautiful from up there with a white ring of snow and ice around the blue lake. Colorado. @Curtis-81
I could hardly tell I was ‘at altitude’ there at the beginning of the trail.
Benefit of not smoking.
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