I guess it's easy does it one day at a time and all those other quips on the walls of those smoke and coffee filled rooms. Sixteen years of the rooms and smokes one day too.

~Bill's friend

Congrats, keep trying.

After 20 years,
I quit, almost 2 years ago,
Not a day goes by that I don't think at least once, "right now would be a good time."
but... several times a day I savor the fact that I quit.
I ENVY people who can smoke occasionally.

reward yourself by buyin' a new bike with the money you're savin'!!

Congrats to all the people who quit. When I lived in australia I used to smoke all the time, then I got back to the states, went out one night had too many cigs and woke up with a horrible cold and basically just stopped altogether after that. I never really had any cravings or anything so I assume I wasn't addicted. I'll occasionally have a smoke every now and then (probably once every three or four weeks) if I'm out with friends but for the most part I'm not really a fan.

One thing to consider if you are thinking about using Zyban (same as Wellbutrin)... The drug has been known to raise the seziure threshold in some people, and even bring on seziures/ latent epillepsy. It's a great anti-depressant/ stop smoking aid, but some people just aren't wired for it. I took it before I went on lexapro for depression and was having intense panic attacks and a general twitchiness. I went in to see my doctor about two weeks after starting it and she took one look at me and told me never to take it again. Def. discuss this with your doctor prior to beginning therapy because apparently in some cases, once you have a seziure from the wellbutrin, you are at dramatically increased risk of having them again. Not fun.

wow, this thread really is awesome. i ask that we keep it alive for all the smokers on the forum... smoking is a big problem, for the person smoking, the people around that person, and the environment. every person that quits smoking is like, a great accomplishment. it's so awesome to see so many people living up to this **** and really getting done with it. 2006 seems like a good year to quit. i'm going to quit being a ***** and really put some effort forth... i just have to pull the addict thing here and say that i have had what may be one of the worst couple weeks of my life and just bought a pack, which will last me through the weekend. monday i have plans for going on a long ride, so maybe that's when i'll official start quitting.

god, reading back over the things i say in reference to smoking i really do look like a ******bag addict

Agreed, keep it alive. If you don't post it once a day, it will be assumed that you are a chain smoking failure.

I'm kidding. And with that, I'll admit that I had one yesterday. But only one. Not bad, methinks.

^5 for only one in a day. that's tight.

I posted about my experiences in this thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ghlight=smoked
Next week I'll be at 3 months. It's great to see how many other people have made this step. I hope we can all keep it up.
When I'm really hurting I do think about my bike. I think about how quickly smoking can undo all the work I've done toward riding stronger.

not smoking is why I'm a cyclist.... I traded addictions, the question is which ones cheaper

I had a seizure disorder, my neuroligist wanted to put me on Welbutrin after we appropriatly medicated the seizures, then I quit the coffin nails and made some other diatery adjustments, and now I am seizure free. without the meds, and smoke free without the welbutrin.

Smoke Away, worked for me, my wife and a guy from work. check the website, I'm not trying to be some ******bag ad but it worked.

I was buying smokes at the little store around the corner from my house. $5.50 a pack. 2+ packs a day. I was horrified when I did the math.

Good God, so true. Packs of smokes (in my size) were up to like $8.50 when I quit. It might not seem like much, but having that extra bit of cash in my pocket everyday has been nice.

$8.50x7 = $59.50
$59.50x52 = $3094

$3094 = (pick one):
- trip for myself and the gf to __________
- money to start going back to school
- new computer + lcd display
- new Canon L series lens
- new custom bike

Well worth it.

totally. riding helped me quit. helped with motivation.

going on 4 months and 11 days...hoping till the day i die of something else.

Made it through the weekend.

I never knew how much of a crutch my smoking was. I found myself taking gum breaks to get away from family and feel like I could start back up at any moment.

Anyway, I don't want to keep bumping this thread for little reasons. I just wanted to say that re-reading it helps me.

keep it up dude. The more time goes by the easier it'll become.

I slept about 3 hours last night, and walking to work today I walked by someone who was smoking and for the first time in a while, I had a really intense craving for a smoke. I kept on walking and just went and got a cup of tea instead, but damn it was not a good feeling at all.

I actually went off the zyban this weekend, and I'm feeling great... better and better each day. This is the first time in well over a decade that my brain hasn't been chemically 'enhanced' somehow. And that's a good thing.

I started today--one day late. Popped the pill and slapped on the patch. In one month, I get clipless shoes. In two months, I get clipless pedals. In three months, I get either a road frame or a bling set of track wheels. I'm not drinking a single drop of alchohol until I have been quit for three months.

the no alcohol thing is a good motivator... you'll be so ****ing healthy then it won't even be funny. keep it up and don't freak out if you slip up a bit at the beginning - just remember that you REALLY have to stop smoking for GOOD and any time you cheat, you're failing in that endeavour.

also do the mental exercises i suggested. they are extraordinarily powerful.

i know you guys can do it

alright: this is it. last night i finished my weekend pack, and today i start quitting. cold turkey. no more cigarettes. not when drunk, not when stressed. no more ****ing cigarettes. KEEP TABS ON THIS **** AND MAKE SURE I DON'T PUSS OUT. thanks bf

yeah, you'll be happier when you're done, but damn are days like today really really really tough. gah! I'm dyin today. C'mon tea, do your magic!!

Same here. I smoked my last one last night, and put on a patch this morning. It feels weird to not smoke and not be pissed off at the same time. I like it. My new frame also arrived today, so I get to begin disassociating working on my bike with smoking too.

This is good.

I quit smoking after 3 years about 2 months ago. After taking a class in Neuroscience I learned that nicotine is the most addictive substance-- more so than heroin. (Mainlining as much nicotine as one injects w/ heroin will stop your heart and kill you DEAD)

Here is how I stopped smoking:
1. I stopped buying packs and began to only smoke if I found someone who was willing to give me one.
I eventually became really proficient at bumming... but my daily cig count dropped immensely.
2. I cut down on drinking during the weekends (I would go through a pack a night).
3. I told all of my friends that smoke to never, under any circumstances, let me bum a cigarette… which sucked… but worked.
4. After a month, I was down to one cig a day.
5. (most importantly) I then paired smoking with something negative... such as I could only smoke a cig. while studying, cleaning out my car, pulling weeds (any awful chore that I hate doing). This is tough to do but works the best... because you are basically tricking yourself to respond negatively to the idea of smoking. After a month of that crap, I was good to go. I haven’t smoked since and def. don't plan on picking the habit back up.

Do research, visit a hospital, talk to family and friends who have been smoking... motivate yourself to change.

It all comes down to how hard are you willing to work for it.

Another idea is to connect a sense of pride to your ability to fight temptation. As in, whenever you falter in your attempt to quit, adopt a sense of embarrassment or incompetence…

Sounds like a Dr. Laura tactic—but if you REALLY want to quit, you have to try everything.

I don't need a cigarette, but I want one. This is so weird. I want cigarettes to not be associated with frailty and addiction and death, but they are. GRRRRRRR!