i'm getting tired of having to factor $35 a week into cigarette money. i think smoking for me is just more of a way to waste time than anything. i think i can deal with no nicotine... i'm good at fighting my body like that. what i don't think i'll be able to do is deal with not being able to take a five minute break any time i want to organize my thoughts, relax, whatever.

am i reading this right? you can't take a break without a cigarette, yet you can deal with no nicotine...

i don't think you're reading it right.

i can work without nicotine, it sucks but i've "quit" before for long periods of time. what drives me crazy is the physical lack of smoking a cigarette.

I used to drive busses, and many of my friends did this... 5 minutes breaks to keep on schedule during the off-hours, every 20 minutes or so... not EVERY break, but about every hour, they'd step off the bus and take a drag before going in circles again. I don't know anyone who drives buses who has quit, but I know many who have started because of it... kind of sad.

I just quit today. been chewing the gum. quit before for a year then went back. sux

i decided to go cold turkey--not saying the gumans stuff cant work for people; but i found out that when i "quit" in the past, i became addicted to the gum or patch. Then there came a point when i ran out and didnt want to spend $60 for another set of patches so i just bought another pack of smokes. need to break that nicotine addiction---the patch and gum just hep with the mental part

Two years here. My two bits of advice---hopefully you won't need it:

1. Sunflower seeds (in the shell)---a lifesaver...literally...try to get the low sodium flavor.

2. When you feel the urge to puff, get down on the floor and do as many pushups as you can as quickly as you can until you can't move your arms (this is great if you're at home----a little awkward if you're on a first date).

Of course, you go always go out and RIDE. Good luck my friend. Get used to living longer.

Quitters never win. Have you people never watched television with a moral?

It breaks my heart every time I get dropped by someone who I KNOW is weaker than me, but who doesn't smoke and thereby has greater lungs. Maybe one day it'll be enough motivation to quit.

when i first quit i used to go out for a smoke break or two a day while working; go for a little walk, breath in some fresh air. really, you can collect your thoughts much better without all that nicotine in your brain.

Yeah, even my Psych 101 textbook from many moons ago said not to make quitting an "all or nothing proposition," if you screw up and have one, don't let it ruin the entire quitting process, just keep on truckin'.

It's been about 5 years since I finally quit, and I can sympathize because it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I found that jogging and munching on raw carrots helped me. Oh, and stay away from bars for at least a couple months. Good luck.

This is the same way I was. We get two 20 minute breaks at work. I couldnt take one without smoking because I just found myself sitting outside in the park. Smoking out of boredom was the #1 reason I smoked by myself.

This also translates into the ways I stopped smoking (and may help you 666). I was so used to twiddling something in my fingers, and holding something in my lips, that NOT having a cigarette physically with me made me think about smoking even more. I put down the ciggarettes mid-pack... the "this is my last pack" BS doesnt work. Easiest way to do it I think, is to jump in your cage and toss that ***** out going 70mph, which is what I did mid-pack. Said to myself, "I'm never going to smoke again" and I've kept my word to this day. I replaced cigarettes with toothpicks (free at most places) and Eclipse gum. These kept my fingers and mouth busy, and before I knew it, I was completely over smoking. People kept knocking me, saying I looked like a redneck having a toothpick all the time... but it looked better than their smoking asses smelled! Also I recommend Eclipse gum because its the only kind I've found that I can chew for hours on end... literally, If I'm not thinking about it, I can go 10-12 hours on one piece.

i want to quit soon, but i'm not gonna put a date on a calender. i'm not ready to quit cold turkey yet, but i'm getting real close.

i guess after seven years smoking has lost its cool appeal with me.

I showed this and the other thread about quitting smoking to my girlfriend in hopes that she'll be able to use some of the good tips/experiences to help her quit...

Now, what would y'all say is the best thing I can do to support her? I don't want to nag her because I know she has to come to that decision on her own, but I've never been addicted to niccotine, so I don't really understand what she's going through...Any advice?

yo, when she's quitting and real agitated from jonesing... leave her the **** alone. the most annoying thing when stopping smoking is dealing with people when you need a cigarette.

oh, and to help her decide to quit just tell her it's extremely unattractive, deadly, republican and EXPENSIVE (especially in new york).

666pack, I presume the "republican" comment was a joke, but if I had to think about it seriously, I would venture to guess that smoking is a much more liberal type activity...not that it is really one or the other.

You can do any number of things to support someone who is quitting, but you cannot force or convicne another person to quit---they will either smoke more out of resentment or simply sneak them when you ar enot looking. Positive encouragement. Also, people become real A-holes when withrdawing from nicotine---dont take it personally or it will just make it worse. Nothing i hated more than the last time i quit was jonesn' for a smoke and being crabby only to have my girlfriend nag me about being crabby--which, in turn, increased my desire to smoke

well... to delve into this issue: marlboro gave an insane amount of money to bush in 2004.

smoking is much more libertarian, seeing as most of the anti-smoking people are liberals. Ironic, that the same people who were hippy pot smokers in the 60s all grew up, got elected to the city council, and now want to tell people what they can put in thier own bodies.

****ing pot smoking hippies.

they didn't even ride bikes!

I see what you are referring to now. I would then say that smoking supports Republicans (to generalize), but I would not say that the act of smoking makes one Republican. Anyway, I did not mean to get bogged down in this, I was just wondering if in general people thought if more liberals smoked vs. conservatives. skanking biker helps to explain it a bit with his libertarian comment.

Back to the actual topic of quitting, I remember when I quit I used to tell my wife that a great thing to get my mind off of smoking was sex. I fortunately was never the "smoke after sex" type.

I was once given the choice--one or the other----I chose the cigarette

i bought this book for a friend and never gave it to her. i dont smoke, but i read it anyways cause i was bored. it might be slightly helpful, but it would really just be funny if you bought her this.