I Quit!

[Nuttinbutnet]

20 year/2 pack a day Habit. Quit cold turkey 10 years ago. A week after I quit, we went springer fishing in the Channel. Dropped anchor next to a guy who was setting up. He put his rod in the holder, leaned back in his seat, put his hands over his head in a big stretch. Right hand came down to his breast pocket, pulled out a smoke and lit it. I almost jumped outa the boat and swam to the nearest 7/11. Getting past the times you are used to having one is the hardest part. That's really the habit part. Got past the part of having one when I was fishing and I never thought about in again in that situation. Good Luck and if you REALLY want to quit, you will.

[id. painter]

I started chewing copenhagen at age 18. After 24 years of chewing, one day, i quit.
My tollerance for nic. was so high that i could put in a big old chew and lay down and go to sleep, all night and swallow it all, no problem.
About two years ago i had driven about 200 miles to got point hunting for the day. As i got out of the truck to start walking i realized that i had only one small chew to last the entire day. If i wanted more chew i would have to drive into town(45min one way) and that it would ruin my day of hunting. So, i put that chew in my lip and headed out for the day. I told my self that i would just keep it in till i got back to town later that day.
As teh sun sank i realized that i had gone the whole day without , mostly. I have a very young daughter (now 4) and thinking about leaving her before she is grown would such a sad story.
I went home and told my wife that i was going to stop chewing the next day. Good, she said (as she rolled her eyes).
It has been almost two years and it was 10000 times simpler than i thought it would be.
If you can get thru the first day, you can win. It took me about 5 days to get to feeling better after stopping. But, once off em for about three days, you should never go back.
I am more prowd of that life change than of anything ive ever done...... Ill be rooting for you all the way.... You can and will!!! You must want it.... Good luck. id. p.

[OceanBlue]

Hey Mel... No I didn't tell Tuni... YET! Check into the program, man. Look for the link on Circuit (local news section - it's still on the front page today - ooooh and stock is up!) I wasn't real serious about it until after I filled out the survey (check it out - they pay you to do it!)

We can do it, Mel. We can.

Nuttinbut - Thank you! You just helped me with my next assignment which was to identify barriers to success. That's IT! Hours on the boat - whattammigonnado?

ID - Thanks for sharing. I've done it before and I know from experience that days 1 & 3 are about the hardest to get through.

So here I go again... GULP

[ 04-03-2003, 01:13 PM: Message edited by: Pilar's Mate ]

[Fishslayer]

Good for you! Let us know how it goes, never know I maybe next

[northriver1]

Does the mean I need to buy a smaller bottle for the Depoe Bay fish cleaning party? You can do it, best of luck.

[OceanBlue]

Northriver1: Not on your life! If anything it will need to be a bigger bottle. I can't give up one vice without getting totally out of control with another :grin: That would be foolish!

[Tilla]

Do it! Good luck!
You will look and feel much nicer without having to haul around that little oxygen tank with tubes to your nose several years from now.

An ex smoker.............so far.
Does anyone know how to quit a nasty gum chewing habit?

[Stratocaster]

Been chew free for 5 months and 1 day after 20+ years and couldnt be happier.Good luck, it will be one of the best decisions youve ever made. The patch is what i used. :smile:

[seasquid]

Hey Pilar's Mate,

Good luck to you...after we "smoke" a few tuna this summer I'll sit down with you for some shots.

Hey, look at this way, you quitting smoking should add to your life span, which ultimately means more tuna trips.

Oh, it probably also means there will be sunflower seeds all over the boat from this point on.

I'm rooting for you!

ss

[BuKuBass]

I quit last summer after 35 years/pack-a-day. PM... the thing to focus on is: If you never have that next cigarette, you'll never have any more. And you're a better person than one lousy smoke. Hang in there, if you can get thru the first two weeks, you've got it made. Don't succumb to the temptation of "I'll just have one to teach myself how terrible it tastes". Don't do it. YOU ARE STRONGER THAN ONE CIGARETTE !!!

[corkyking]

I quit last May after 30+ yrs.

You will if you want to. We ex-smokers are all for you.

My wife is considering quitting but having a tough time getting motivated-would you care to share info on how you're doing it. I'm not familiar with the link in your post.

thanx

[skein]

Good job, lady. You're the one who says, "make no little plans...." Well, this too, is a big one. I believe you have the grit to do it.

There are many, many of us (your extended family, remember) who are pulling for you.

See ya at the fish cleaning station.

Skein

[Gus Orviston]

GREAT NEWS! It will be tough, but we are all rooting for you.

My brother has recently learned he has lung cancer from smoking. It is horrible what he is going through and the outlook is very very grim. He can't talk on the phone for more than a few minutes, can't go fishing, his health is gone, and hopefully he can gain it back if they can get it to go into remission.

Funny thing about lung cancern, it doesn't shock the rest of the smokers in the family. Nobody has yet said....WoW, I am quitting because that is very scary. No seeing the light for anybody... I guess I don't understand it, I know cigs (or the things added to tobacco are powerfully addictive)

gus

[OceanBlue]

Okay, so I enrolled in this program designed to help people quit smoking.

So far, I think it is a pretty good thing.

My assignment today was to tell friends and family that I'm quitting. I feel like my Ifish friends are like extended family, So here it goes... I'M QUITTING! [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

My "quit day" is scheduled for 4/11/03. Wish me luck? Anyone got any suggestions to make this easier to take? I haven't talked much about it and now that I am, I'm getting fearful. :depressed:

[The Fishing Geek]

Quitting smoking will help you live long enough to become a burdon to your children.

Here's hoping all goes well.

[ 04-03-2003, 12:50 PM: Message edited by: The Fishing Geek ]

[Miss B Haven]

Oh NOOOOOOO! You didn't! Man - don't tell Tuni! I'll get double duty on it! :shocked: [img]graemlins/icon_argue.gif[/img]

Serious now- I'll be rooting for ya! Maybe I'll be able to when they decide to declare them as CWID (Chemical Weapons of Individual Destruction). Nahhh.. I'd probably just go into hiding! [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

4/3.. 4/4.. 4/5.. 4/6.. :grin:

[id. painter]

Pilar will probable hate me for this, but,,,My wife wanted me to quit sooo bad she was willing to let me get a boat, (new ,bigger boat)..Maybe you could get a new boat out of the deal. Just use the extra cash you will save , it adds up over the year(years). Good luck...id. p.

[OceanBlue]

Everyone,

Thanks so much for your support! I've said it before, I'll say it again... what a GREAT bunch of folks!

To all of you who have quit tobacco - Congrats! I really admire your success! Gives me hope.

Seasquid - I'll take you up on that belt! Hmmm... great idea for my "reward" assignment - More TUNA trips!

Skein - I love ya man! How about you voice-record that so I can play it for positive reinforcement? :grin:

Gus - I'm so sorry to hear about your brother! :depressed: Addiction is funny. It feeds a very strong denial response. "It won't happen to me" is what we hear in our heads. "Couldn't possibly... why I've heard of folks smoking a pack a day (or two or three) and lived to be (fill in the blank) years old!" Best wishes for your brother's full recovery!

Tilla: [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Corkyking: You've got a pm.

ID - YES! I'm supposed to line up rewards for myself. Hmm... I could get some mileage out of this... :grin:

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

Okay, since you have made the decision to stop, I expect you to stick with it!!! So to that end, I have a little reward for you. When you go along on the tuna research trip, you WILL NOT be a smoking. If you are, I will assume you are on fire and throw ya overboard. So don't smoke and stay dry. How's that for a reward? Too much threat, okay, how about hoping you will be able to tuna fish into your nineties? You will do it, I know you can. I smoked three packs a day when I came home from Vietnam and made the decision to stop. Did it cold turkey. But even today, I still want to light up when someone does it around me. I just made the decision to stop and did. You will too. And you made it a sure thing by telling everyone. Now you must succeed. Expect to see a new Pilars Mate in July.

Captain Mike

[OceanBlue]

Thanks Mike! Talk about a carrot and a stick! Great thing about being Captain, you get to make the rules!

Tuna fishing in my nineties... And you'll be drivin' the boat, right?

[HawgJaw]

Good luck Jennifer. I will be quit 1 year on Easter. Thinking about quitting is twice as bad as doing it. The fact that you are telling everybody is a great start. Remember that deep breathing helps a lot if you get stressed (ie:Pilar knocks your fish off with the net). It is very important not to have even one, but don't give up completly if you slip. I sure wish my mate would give it a try. You can do it! HJ

[Bait O' Eggs]

I had the copenhagen addiction bad, I could suck the juice out of 2 cans in a day without even trying.

I worked with a bunch of smokers who were going to do the Jan 1st new years resolution quitting thing. I told them if they would quit smoking I would chewing Last dip was 12/31/01 11:59pm. Spend 3 days in hallucinations but snapped out of it and said boy was I stupid for spending all that money on snuff for all those years.

The little rewards were my ticket. Snuff was $3 a can at the time, I would stick $6 a day in a jar and go spend it on stuff I normally wouldnt splurge on at the time. Had some sweet toys over the first year. Then the money got silly as the habit had long been dead.

I met up with one of the guys a couple weeks ago I worked with who quit with me, havent seen him in over 10 years and he still doesnt smoke. :smile:

I wish you all the luck, if you really want to do it, you can.

[reeldick]

Congratulations on your decision. I was a three pack a day guy for years. I've been off them for seven years or more.
I have a tip that was given to me by the nurse practioner at my doctors office.
"Change your daily habits!" Don't get up in the am and read your paper, have coffee, and smoke a cigarette if that is your normal habit. Change any thing that you associate with smoking. Read the paper in the evening.
I found the little changes really helped.
Good luck.

[Newbie McNewberson]

My father was a chain smoker until I was about 4. My brother was 6 at the time. One day, my dad was driving him to school, and lit up a cig for the road. He happenned to look in the vanity mirror and noticed my brother mimicking the action. He wanted to turn around and smack him, but thought about it a moment. That day at work, he threw that pack of cigarettes in the garbage, said "I'm through with this s#!t," and never lit one again. Here's a tip: Take a picture of your kids, stick it in the same pocket you normally put your cancer sticks in. Every time you reach for one...well, you know. Good luck and God Bless.

[husker]

PM---its the best thing u can do for oyur health....me i cant stand hanging around smokers....i cant fish with smokers i cant go to bars.....

good luck with your endevour......^5

i quit smoking 15+ years ago.....and i am glad i did

[Flatfish]

Your urge to light up will pass no matter if you smoke or not. 3 years and counting. It is tough. You gotta be tough too. You cannot be weak for the first 2 years. One minute at a time. It gets better with time. But for a while the IQ of the entire planet drops several points.

You can do it. One minute at a time.

Mark and the dog.

[Paddlefish]

Good luck!! :smile:

My dad quit in one day.

Unfortunately, it was the day they spotted the gray X-ray shadow on his lung after 40 years of unfiltered Chesterfields.

And, unfortunately, three of my kids never got the chance to know their Grandpa -- and a couple of them would have made a great combo with him!

I quit after only a couple of years, so it must have been relatively easy for me but, after a while, no more cravings, smelly ashtrays, furniture burns, emergency runs to the store, and -- especially -- no more comical cigarette-package-and-lighter flying through the air when you suddenly need to SET THE HOOK!! :smile:

[pole bender]

what program did you enroll in? I have been very seriously wanting to quit also.

[feisty's wife]

Pilars Mate....Fantastic!!!! you Sir, are doing yourself the best favor you can possibly imagine! I aplaud you, I did the same thing ten years ago, and I will never be sorry, especially after watching my Mom die of a brain tumor, related to smoking, and am now going thru the process of helping my Father go thru his dying of emphysema....not a pretty sight. Do yrslf a favor, go cold turkey, and if you slip, do not kick yrslf, just pick up and try again.If you beleive in God, ask Him for the strength tohelp you to not have the first one...thats all that matters, do not have the first one, been there, done that, also w drugs and alchohol, been sober 16 yrs w/o a drink, rode into Vancouver on a freight train in 1986, after being homeless for 4 yrs. Again...good for you!

[jdbrightfish]

After my mom had heart problems and she quit smoking and soon after she quit my dad quit in 21 day after he started the patches and he smoked for 55 years i am sure glad he quit , and now i am working on his weight now . just remember to stay fit and keep active to keep your mind off oof those nasty cigs and man keep up the great work and good luck [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[northriver1]

OK you have a deal, provided you LIVE up to your end of the bet. No smokes means a bigger and
better bottle.

[Jennie@ifish]

I tried about a month or two ago, and did OK for a while, and now I'm back where I was. :depressed:

Tell me about this new thing. Where do I sign up?
J

[Mikeymoto]

So it looks like Friday will be your quit day. I quit chewing copenhagen 7 weeks ago. I started in 1977 and quit for a year or so around 1987. Then I made the mistake of thinking that I could have just 1, well that 1 lasted until Feb. 14 2003. If you make up your mind to do it because YOU want to you can do it. If I could quit my 3 can a day cope habit anyone can quit if THEY WANT TO!!! It was actually harder for me the week before I quit that it has been in the 7weeks since I've been tobacco free. One thing to ponder in this last week is to concentrate on what you feel before you light up, what you feel while you smoke and what you feel afterwards. If there is an empty feeling before you light up, chances are that it will still be there afterwards only to a lesser degree. Good luck I know that you can do it.

[AuntyM]

I have not had a cigarette in 53 hours. Tried the patch last week and the darn things made me a wreck, so I tapered down till the stop day. So far so good.

OK.... NOW you know why I have been posting so much all week. Give up one addiction for another?

[OceanBlue]

Thanks again to everyone. I imagine you'll be hearing lots from me in the days and weeks to come. My assignment for today is to reduce my cigarette usage by 30%. I think that should be no problem. I put little labels on my pack to I have to make a tic mark every time I smoke. Makes me think twice about whether I want to see another chicken scratch on there.

AuntyM - Good for you!

Jennie/Pole Bender you have mail.

For anyone else interested in the program I've enrolled in... it is a "study" being conducted by the Oregon Center for Applied Science. It was offered through my employer and I'm unsure if it is available to the world at large. If Jennie or Pole Bender check it out, maybe they can tell us if they were able to see the program through the URL I sent them.

Northriver1 - Now you're talkin'!

Who all is going to the Jetty fishing party this weekend? I think I'm gonna be there and could use all your eyes to make me stick to the plan :shocked:

[id. painter]

Aunt M. Way to go !!!!! You have won. If you have made it this far, you can do it ,the hard part is over.... id. p.

[OceanBlue]

For those of you interested (or who know someone interested) the "study" that I'm participating in is a "21 days to Freedom" program. Based on your answers to a survey, they either put you in the smoking cessation program or a "control group".

There are some min. system requirements.

Check it out if you are interested. It doesn't cost anything, heck - they pay YOU...

Click here for Smokefree information

[Silver Hilton]

My goal is to quit (again) this weekend. Unfortunately, my biggest smoking trigger is being in the boat. So I'm kinda hoping, in a twisted way, that springer season gets closed on the Columbia, because that'll put me away from the trigger.

[OceanBlue]

SH - I know what you mean. The times I actually enjoy smoking are when I'm in total relax mode - on the boat or sunbathing... things like that. I guess it will be a while before I'll get to total relax mode again! Good luck to you!

[The Fishing Geek]

Bring the boat to me, SH. I'll help ya quit smoking, and make sure you STAY off of them. As long as it takes. :grin:

I'm just that nice of a guy.