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Quit smoking!
I recently joined a conversation http://www.ted.com/conversations/4515/full_information_disclosure_on.html about rating cigarettes and as always we went off-topic.
I'm a former smoker, I used to smoke 1-2 packs/day for almost 10 years but that was almost three years ago now...
Please, share your thoughts on smoking: Why do you do it, what are the up and down sides? Have you tried to quit? Are you as me a former smoker and wish to share your story on how you managed to quit?'
All entries are welcome!
Topics:
smoking
Hubertus Schubert
I firmly believe that everybody can quit the smoking habit - it's a matter of priorities and 'personal will' - but it's initially not easy. Have fun!
Nicholas Lukowiak 50+
Renato Moraes
PS: It works as a "mantra" somehow, because I'm often really into smoking a cigarrete and I repeat this sentence (followed by a sip in the water bottle):
"The cigarrete pretends to be my friend, but he's actually my enemy!" (Water!)
or in Portuguese:
"O cigarro finge que é meu amigo, mas na verdade ele é meu inimigo!"
This might sound really silly, but if it doesn't Always prevent me from smoking, it sure helps me out and may make sense (who knows?). I'm personally happy my friend introduced me the tip!
Autumn Frisco 10+
1)avoid fantasizing about the 'vice'
literally do not allow yourself to use your vice in as a comfort and don't talk about how good a cigarette would be right now
2)find a new habit- I recommend a healthy one
my new habit, a green food smoothie daily- a healthy gut can give you what I call clean energy (no ups or downs, thanks to the serotonin and other hormones benefited from a healthy gut)
I literally went back to my bad habit when my blender broke in the first few weeks of my progress
3)remember why you don't like it
this kind of goes along with not fantasizing about it
4)Anais Nin wrote "and the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom"
griffin tucker 10+
i'm using patches, and as i am, i'm trying to identify all the triggers that usually make me want to smoke so i can deal with them psychologically, instead of just using the patches to mask the triggers.
what i ask of you of whom decide to reply is to not reply with "congratulations" and a whole heap of positive re-enforcement at the moment, as I don't feel as though I have won the battle until 2-3 weeks after I rip off the last nicotine patch. in fact, one of the psychological processes i am learning to deal with is finding out why, when someone gives me positive re-enforcement about quitting smoking, that i later feel like a cigarette and often take up smoking again.
i'll keep you posted every few days to let you know how i'm dealing with some of the psychological processes (perhaps i'll list some of them)
Jimmy Strobl 30+
Keep us posted Griffin!
griffin tucker 10+
Kate Blake 50+
You are a real ideas man, posting conversation after conversation ... so many without responses, but still you persisted! Now you have TWO conversations on 'featured'! And I just love the way you are handling the crowd on 'protests' ... you are really amazing!
Whatever your 'bad' spot was your persistent effort has got you out of it - you are a STAR!
PS I just know how Jimmy Loves 'off topic' comments ... let him deal with that! I think he might be a good friend and support for you - well done Jimmy!
griffin tucker 10+
some of the psychological processes i have to deal with that trigger a want for a cigarette:
after an event as an artifcial reward system (such as a meal, waking up, accomplishing a task)
talking or thinking about cigarettes (as Autumn Frisco mentioned)
receiving positive OR negative re-enforcement (as Jimmy Strobl mentioned in the link he posted above)
replacing one addiction with another (i now drink a LOT more coffee, i should have replaced the habit with a healthy one, as Autumn Frisco also mentioned)
Kate Blake 50+
But truly your persistence is a big strength, and your ability to 'hear' others - you are a good listener Griffin!
... knowing where the addictive habits come from helps too.
griffin tucker 10+
i am finding that i am looking for excuses or 'cherry picking' as a phrase i've recently come across to better suit my urges to convince myself that i should take up smoking.
some of the thoughts i've come across are:
"i could take up smoking, but only smoke 5 or so a day, that way i'd look forward to each cigarette and get a better chemical release from my brain..."
wanting to take up smoking due to a certain woman i know of whom still smokes cigarettes.
using life's 'lows' as an excuse to take up smoking again.
imagining the deep future with myself smoking in it.
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
Jimmy Strobl 30+
griffin tucker 10+
it seems positive re-enforcement does work in a sense of negative re-enforcement in a way that i didn't want to let you guys down, so i didn't.
:)
Jim Moonan 30+
We were having children, I was feeling it's effects more and more, it was getting expensive, there was a groundswell of educational messages that were flooding the media, etc. etc. and I just made the decision one day to change habits. I just stopped. I immediately liked the "new me" even though it was rough in the short-term. I would never go back to smoking, even if it was found not to be a bad thing for you.
I think what someone needs to do is kick into "delayed gratification mode" - don't worry about the fact that you will likely be miserable for a month or so - what's a month? Nothing! You have to be able to visualize what you will become for the rest of your life: a non-smoker. And if that's really what you want to be, you will sacrifice the short term misery for the long-term benefit.
On a side note, knowing how difficult it is to quit (did I mention that I "tried" to quit dozens of times before I actually did?) President Obama quit smoking. I cannot believe he was able to do that AND manage the country!!! I remember hearing that he was in the process of quiting and thought to myself "how could he possiblly do that and be president at the same time?" But he did it. It's one of those things about him that convinces me that he is an extraordinary man.
Jimmy Strobl 30+
Jimmy Strobl 30+
We're changing lives!
Jimmy Strobl 30+
Helena Ripoll Hazell 20+
I read through the brochure and it's very interesting, although I still have my reservations about the advertising of the effects of tabacco, nontheless if it makes a big enough impact on some people to the point they never want to smoke again, that can never be bad, it's just that, for me, it's a very negative way to approach the issue, I'd sooner chose other approaches.
Great conversation, by the way. It has been a great reminder of how much I enjoy my freedom from such an addiction and the positive impact it has had in my everyday life.
Thank you.
Rodger Cuddington
Rodger Cuddington
Jimmy Strobl 30+
Helena Ripoll Hazell 20+
I beg to differ with Muhammad Afif Idris, I have made such change, it takes one split of a second to chose to stop harming yourself and take action. That doesn't mean it's easy but it's doable. And I know many others who have made such change and after many years, continue to be non-smokers.
Smoking is an addiction not a habit. Nicotine stays in the body for about two weeks, after that two week period, the addiction is psychological.
I find the anti-smoking campaigns which promote brutal messages and brutal images of the effects of smoking rather harmful; in my opinion they only accentuate smoker's anxiety, guilt and worry which makes them want to smoke more. Instead I would promote education, have doctors, farmacists, etc. inform people about the fallacies, take out of the market all the useless and harmful substitutes for nicotine such as patches and gum, give people the right information and simply display messages of encouragement in cigarette packs and advertisements.
People already know how harmful tobacco is, what people need is encouragement and support.
To those of you considering quitting smoking or who already are in the process of stopping what I'd say to you is: Go ahead, don't beat yourself up if you only manage to stop for a few days, you already did very well stopping for so long, keep trying and remember you're not giving anything up, smoking is no pleasure, you're stopping harming yourself, you're aiming for better health, better economy, better quality of life.
All the best.
griffin tucker 10+
the only psychological actions remaining are still hard to overcome, though.
this is just my opinion from experience.
patches work, in my opinion, and every time i go out, i make sure i have a patch in my pocket ready to put on for when someone does finally ask me for a cigarette.
Helena Ripoll Hazell 20+
I have great respect for your opnion and experience but again, I beg to differ, the patches or any other substitute which, by the way, cost as much as cigarette packs, can never remove the psychological addiction. They might numb it for a while, however, the smoker's misery and depression, caused by the belief that they are being deprived of a pleasure or crutch, is not removed. It won't be long before the smoker on patches falls back in the smoking trap and if he/she doesn't, it takes a great deal of painful willpower.
And if I'm not wrong, you tried the patches, they worked for three months, and now you're back smoking, am I right? It's hell for the smoker who wants to stop smoking to rely on will power, and I'm speaking from my own experience here, it's a really painful way to go.
I highly recommend you check Allen Carr's website. http://allencarr.com/36/the-allen-carr-method
I am really not one to read this kind of self-help literature, however when a friend of mine shared with me what he had learned by reading his book, I didn't even have to read the book. It was so clear to me and, I'm proud to say, It's been more than six years since I stopped smoking and I do not miss it at all, never had withdrawal pangs either.
Griffin I sincerely wish you all the best and, by all means, whatever works for you, use it, but please consider that there are other far more easy and pleasant ways to stop smoking.
All the best
griffin tucker 10+
i checked out Allan Carr's method, albeit briefly with what information was available freely, but psychologically speaking, I really have to do it when I'm ready.
this goes without saying, sometimes spontaneously quitting can work, I've heard it work for many people, but in my opinion Earl Shoop's method I think is the best method I have come across (so far.)
Helena Ripoll Hazell 20+
I think you might be misinterpreting what I meant when I said it takes a split of a second to choose to stop harming yourself. Making such decision doesn't imply that the process of stopping smoking is spontaneous(although it may be for some), you just have to want to do it. Sometimes we get drawn back by our lack of confidence in ourselves or the uncertainty of how to go about things and decide we are not ready. In my most humble opinion, that is pure fear and it has very much to do with one of the fallacies of quitting smoking: believing one is giving up something, that one has to sacrifice a pleasure to attain good health. There is no such thing as being ready, ready for what? You either want to do it or not. It's only normal you don't feel ready, you are addicted still. Regardless of whatever may be going on in one's life, stopping smoking can only improve one's situation. Continuing with the addiction increases any stress one may be suffering.
For me, understanding my behavioural patterns when smoking, completely transformed my life. I gained so much confidence in myself by identifying those patterns and overcoming them. Because the so called crutch can come not only in the form of an addiction but also an abusive relationship, bad diet, etc.
Griffin, I'm committed that you stop smoking and if I can contribute in some way, even if it's just by showing that I care for a complete stranger's health, then so be it. I actually borrowed Allen Carr's book the other day, and read it in order to be more familiar with what I was actually recommending people to read.
It's an awesome book, easy to read and you can smoke while reading it, in fact, it's advisable that you do(if you are a smoker), if that's any incentive.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/014103940X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312359509&sr=1-1
Earl Shoop
I used to joke about how easy it is to quit: "I've done it... hundreds of times."
There were several factors in quitting:
Pleasure! Since we associate pleasure with both the nicotine rush and the relaxing "break," I made a conscious effort to divorce the experience of smoking from these. Having seen pictures of healthy pink lung tissue alongside blackened unhealthy lung remains... Visualizing black bits of tar and soot invading my fairly healthy lungs with each inhale helped to dilute any pleasurable aspect.
Money! (This will not help if you are getting your fix for free.) Each time one buys tobacco, one should put an equal amount in savings for a great family vacation... or funeral, if you're past the point of no return. Periodically, tally the money in savings and consider... there could be twice as much put aside, if it had not been spent on the evil weed.
Control over your own life! Who is in charge? You? Or a set of unthinking behavior patterns? Some take this to the max and quit "cold turkey." They never light up another smoke. (At least, that's what they say.) Most of us find it easier to "taper off." That's what I did, with the help of another pattern: procrastination. Each time that I found myself about to light up, I stopped and recalled that the last time I smoked was not that long ago... I put it away, vowing that I would force myself to smoke it, the next time I reached for it. (Then, I smoked it in disgust and horror - no fun allowed.)
My body got used to having the drug less and less frequently, as I procrastinated every other cigarette.
In a sense, it was like quitting over and over... less and less...
I hope this helps someone feel the power of taking charge.
mojtaba azari
I think ,is so hard to quit for someone who is addict.
the first step is to change culture...and after cultural efforts ,
maybe we should change laws for more press to use tobacco.
Robert Kinghorn
As a minor addict I found I had to identify my crucial moments (When I was just getting home from work, bored late at night, or stressed) and a..
vital behavior coupled with social structure to counteract those moments (Paying up $5 to a buddy if I gave in, setting a reminder on my phone to go to bed, making sure I was with a friend who isn't an addict as soon as I started getting a craving, etc.)
I've been using the book and the site (You can try it by using the coupon code "Workit04")
but I'd be really curious to see what others think of it.
Debra Smith 200+
I have deep compassion for them in their struggle with this addiciton. For anyone struggling to quit: I wish you the very best and a truck load of tenacity. Keep trying until you succeed. (PS We all need your contribution to the planet what ever it might be!)
Kate Blake 50+
Favourite topic of mine ... had two great aunts that rolled their own. It was disgusting, tobacco fell into the sink, the cooking everywhere. I was cured! If that wasn't enough Dad caught my brother and friend sharing one under the house. He gave them a nominal amount of money and said if they wanted to smoke they should go buy more.
Well cigarettes were very cheap and 8 year olds could buy them then. When they got back with 4 packets Dad made them sit on the back stairs and smoke every single one of them - 20 in a packet! I was instructed to watch. The fun soon turned, they went blue, then green, then kept vomiting. Brother and whole family are ardent opposers of smoking. Was never tempted to even try one puff of the vile things - even when subjected to peer pressure at school!
Needless to say smoking was banned on our property, visitors had to walk a long way to indulge their bad habits. The sad thing is I have extremely bad lungs from secondary smoking [Muhammad refers to it] a hazard of my job where people smoked heavy even when asked not to. Doctors advised me to sue my employers but that wont bring back my health!
Debra Smith 200+
griffin tucker 10+
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
Earl Shoop
"Many would have gained wisdom (or truth) but, they thought they already had."
Kate Blake 50+
Would never have willingly sat in smoky rooms ... it was a hazard of my job. When people disclose their deepest darkest secrets they tend to chain smoke ... I was there to help them work through their issues not judge them for the smoke that obviously caused me physical distress. I would cough and sneeze prolifically once they lit up. They would apologise and light another!
What smokers don't seem to realise is that you smoke through a 'Filter' ... these do indeed save a lot of lung/throat damage. Non-smokers do NOT have the advantage of filters, we inhale the 'rubbish' directly.
Sorry, but it was my experience that smokers didn't want to think about the discomfort they caused others. In one work place I would have an immediate allergic reaction, another colleague would get migraines and another chronic asthma attacks – we only had one smoker in that office but she asserted her right to smoke ...
So when one persons behaviour impacts on many why do we have to resort to legislative changes in order to preserve our health?
Earl Shoop
Kate Blake 50+
Never really understood those that want to waste so much of their life fighting court cases for compensation - sure the payout would make life more comfortable but life is too short, enjoy it, follow your dreams.
Muhammad Afif Idris
http://teamslumber.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/gambar-kotak-rokok-imej-lebih-ngeri-tahun-depan.jpg
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_smoking_bans
Muhammad Afif Idris
You cannot say that the action taken by the government does not work at all because maybe there are too many smokers in Malaysia we didn't see those who did quit. Maybe the government should stop all the stores from selling cigarettes.
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
Quick research : Malacca has recently ruled out that smoking in public areas are considered as an offence.
The whole of Malaysia needs to take Malacca as a lead if we seriously want to create a healthy environment for Malaysians.Clearly, citizens of this country need this.
Muhammad Afif Idris
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
P/S : Can you call me Muhammad? I prefer Muhammad because it sounds so much better than Aizat ;)
Muhammad Afif Idris
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
Muhammad Afif Idris
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
Muhammad Afif Idris
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
griffin tucker 10+
if it's within 30 days, i'll let you know how i go.
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
Comment deleted
griffin tucker 10+
edit: the html script wouldn't let me reply to your message, Tim blackburn, but my reply is:
it has to be someone irl, or i don't believe it would actually work...
Tim blackburn 30+
Autumn Frisco 10+
I can only imagine how much psychologically that could help someone like you who is in the midst of quitting. . .
Muhammad Afif Idris
Kate Blake 50+
Is this why you are not keen on the packaging laws? They will be plain boxes with very large graphic pictures ... asking for content details would detract from this!
PS Muhammad Afif am sure that Griffin has thought about this many many times - is that right Griffin?
griffin tucker 10+
I'm not keen on the packaging laws because I, like many other people I know, have learnt to ignore completely the graphical pictures on the cigarettes.
If there were a balance of negative and positive information on the cigarettes, negative being damage done, positive being truth pertaining toward manufacture process differences between cigarettes, I believe people in general would be far more likely to actually read the information.
In my opinion, scare tactics don't work in the long run (ie. negative re-enforcement) - positive re-enforcement (as long as with truth being the focus) is far more likely to have a lasting impact.
advertisements from the local government in australia have been focusing on the positive lately, and I believe this would result in a far more likely beneficial scenario to those who have already quit, but it doesn't go far enough.
positive re-enforcement for those who have quit works well, but it has the opposite impact on those who are willing to continue to smoke.
to summarise, displaying BOTH positive and negative re-enforcement truths on cigarette packets I believe would work far more positively in the long run.
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
griffin tucker 10+
i will think twice next time i light a cigarette in a public place.
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
Robert Kinghorn
As someone who is badly allergic to tobacco I sincerely appreciate individuals such as yourself. Thank you for being considerate!