Im a smoker too. But like Myron, I said if I have a kid, then I'll quit. Smoke about 1/2 pack a day. Not that hard core.

 

I have to say that I'm ashamed of myself that I smoke even though I have a child AND am expecting.

I will say, though, that I only smoke out in the garage, and not in the car when he's with me.

 

Pat,

Good luck quitting smoking. It took my dad almost ten years to quit, and he did it for his kids, too. I've started dipping... about a can every two weeks, and none on the weekends. I rationalize it away since I don't crave it, but I know it's bad. I only dip at work because my wife gives me hell at home if I do it here.

Once again, good luck to you. The cost and the ability to put more money inot the car is a good motivational tool. Since I only spend $5 a week, it doesn't work so well for me.

 

Pat when you "want to quit", you will quit.......and it looks like you may be at that point.

You are better than a "leaf".

 

You should quit for your kid. Even if you don't care about if you are here or not, your kid will need a father for as long as he can have one. I think you want to be around to see your grandchildren right ?

 

All sounds like great advice. I will quit. When? ????

 

The best time would have been when you moved. You would have upset a lot of the habits you normally connect with smoking. I know, I know. The militarty routine doesn't change that much, but theres the month of leave between commands, and you'll have a new route to work, so it wouldn't be a case of "I used to pitch my finished butt out the window by that stop sign" or whatever. I did pretty well between New York and Hawaii. The gum helped with cravings. I would go as long as I could and use a piece of gum a a crutch to get past the craving.
Once I got here and started going to sea, though, I lasted all of two weeks.
Anyway, I digress. I'm supposed to be helping. I suggest quitting during a vacation. I know I smoke more when I'm stressed. I don't smoke near as much when I'm on vacation. Quit then. Nicotine takes only three days to leave your system entirely. After that, it's all mental. Once you're back, it's tough, since going to the smoke pit is also a social activity, as well as a nic fix. When I got out here, I could still go to the smoking area and BS without thinking too much about a butt. It was times like the middle of a particularly boring watch after little or no sleep and a cigarette would be perfect to wake up, or after a particularly sh***y watch to relax. Those time are the toughest. As far as quitting as home. Whenever you get a craving, turn your attentions elsewhere (like your wife )

Anyway, that's my .02 Good Luck. Keep us posted.

 

congrats on the new baby hope quitting wont be so hard for you best of luck

 

Is dipping smokeless tobacco? DOesn't that thing burn??? but i d k. Buy

Here's what you have to do, you just have to go COLD TURKEY. But in doing so, think bout your son, your fam, and health reasons, regardless. Go smell a flower w/o smoking, smoke a cig and try smell that flower again. You can do the same w/ food, shampoo, fruits.

When you smoke, you are no doubt harming yourself, but you are missing out a lot of things in life. To go cold-turkey, you need aides to help along. But mostly it is just will power. Why live a life of congestion and being clogged up? Regret is the worst thing in life, and if you regret when age hits you that you didn't quit earlier or yous houldn't have started, then that regret will forever be hard to swallow.

When health diminishes, that's hard to swallow. But, ya, its totally just my opinion. The effects are and will linger. Sometimes quitting is too late, the damage is done. But its never too late to give yourself chance.

Also, put cig in water and see what comes out, and you'll see what is going into your body.

and it depends what u smoke in terms of costs.. but oh well..

 

I don't smoke so you can take this thought with pinch of salt but I suggest you find someone you don't like who also wants to quit and you make a bet. That should keep you going through those tough spots.

Might work.

Good luck. I know its tough. My dad's been quitting on and off fo the last 20 years.

 

Quitting isn't that bad, it's the reasons why you start back up again that get you.

i.e.
I lost my job; I need a cigarette (after 7 weeks).
I'm still unemployed...
Thought I had cancer...
I broke up with the girl...
etc.

The lozenges worked best with me, but as soon as anything came up that freaked me out, it was a good excuse to start up again. Which I did gladly.

I've tried cold turkey, nic gum, nic candy, but not the pills... Too many people I know got screwed in the head after taking the anti-depressants.. .(forget what they are called)....

Good luck, and I'll be quitting soon too... which I keep telling myself over and over again.

(my first post... heh.)

 

I did as the post above said... made a bet with my roommate.
I shaved his head after 2 weeks... He shaved mine after 7 weeks...

I ended up liking the shaved head thing, and have been
"ritualistically shaving my testi..." err head for 6 years now.
While being beaten in a potato sack.

 

GPATMAC,

Congaratulations on your new child on the way. And thank you for serving our country. Considering how addictive nicotine is, this is not an uphill battle it is and UPHILL WAR. I know this post might be consiered over the top by some but I only want to give you the resolve or proper ammunition to fight this if you will. Study your habit and nicotine like the enemy. Lets put this in perspective. What kills more americans every year, terrorism or tobacco smoking? Do you want to endanger your precious children to tobacco terrorists?
Do you want them to see you smoking and think it is acceptable? When they get older do you want them to sneak cigs from you and think they are cool. Do you want to subject them to what you are going through right now or even worse like some others have posted about?

Lets study the enemy:

Why do you smoke (examples like: boredom, comfort, social, sumtin to do while watching TV, etc). When do you smoke? Who are people you smoke with? Where do you smoke?

What are you going to do to stop the enemy? People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. Have a plan written down. Have several strategies to fight each reason.

Here are some ideas:
The WHY...Some people smoke because of either a hand fixation (for a lack of a better term) or oral fixation. If these are one of the reasons why the enemy wins please try: Getting a hand strengthener, take up wood carving, Get a dart board. For Oral: Get some strong licorice to suck on, get some of that nicotine gum, cut an apple up and crunch on it etc.

Look at when: After dinner, sex, in the morning when you get up. Substitue this Tobacco Terrorist behavior. Instead of smoking and watchin football, do pushups / situps, go out for a walk. Play a video game, stare at a picture of that nasty black lung someone posted earlier for 5 minutes.

Who: avoid your smoker friends when they go to light up. I cant stand it when you tell someone you quit and they immediately ask (wanna butt?) avoid those situations. Ask your self are they asking me to help or hinder me? If you go to a bar and someone is slaving to the T.T. and your are fighting every urge to ask for a cig. Get outside take a little walk. Go to the juke box and pick some tunes as a reward for putting up the good fight. Focus on THE PLAN, take deep breaths, have your licorice ready, think about HOW FAR YOU HAVE GOTTEN in the WAR!

And where: Did you smoke while out on patrol? Find something else to comfort you. get some hand warmers if it is cold. bring a piece of wood to carve. Some people love to smoke and drive, maybe get a mouth guard to chew on.

Reward yourself for not smoking for a certain period (make it an attainable goal and then make the goal harder to achive gradually) Buy some tunes, take the wifey out to a nice dinner etc.

punish yourself for smoking: exp..monetary...take money away from something you want (not need) and put it into the children college / higher education fund like a 529 PLAN. Go out for a grueling run etc. Have a bet with a friend where you have to do something you wouldn't want to. Cut his/her lawn, scrub their floor.

And some final thoughts.

Dont give up if you do smoke. Reduction is better than nothing at all. I know it can be a real B*tch trying to quit. Take it in stride and analyze the WHO ,WHAT, WHERE WHY. Do you need a tougher strategy in that type of situation. Maybe make the punishment worse.

I have seen cold turkey work for some people, where others do the gradual thing. It seems you have it bad with dipping and smoking, tough spot to be in. Look deep down inside yourself and think what will work for yourself. Try both.

When in a social situation try repeating in your mind "This **** doesn't exist in my world" focus on repeating something like that over and over again while having the above mentioned tools available to you.

~or~

Think over and over again "Bonzi!" (sp?). If I am not mistaken, that japanese war cry in WWII meant "Kill or be killed". Kill your Tobacco Terrorist habit or let it kill you and your children.

Think of this. Do some research about cigarettes and the companies who make them. Cigs are so cheap to make and these companies make huge profits on the going price on packs of cigarettes it is sickening. It is cheap to make and it is so easy to get repeat customers. Look and see how they agressively target children to get them hooked. THEY ARE WAGING WAR AGAINST YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN. Why do you want to line the pockets of some rich corprate jerk who will then use that money to target your CHILDREN!

I have been told the older you get the harder it is to quit. You think it is hard now. Wait and see 10 yrs from now. Likewise the quality of your life experiences can suffer. For example: When you are older do you want to be able to hike that really cool mountain with your kids and treasure the experience or do you want to have to turn around and go back down with a pounding headache and wait down at the bottom with an iron lung machine or havta take your medication....

I like you as an I-clubber (I don't know if I would have posted such a psycho rant if I didn't). Please let me know if any of this helps. And if you want to use me for a pep talk or help (like the trainer for a boxer in the ring) you can PM me.

Remember BONZI. Kill or be killed.

 

I smoked and dipped for quite a few years prior to my second one being born...It wasn't quite a 1/pack per day situation but it was a 3-4 day can a Copenhagen kind of habit....1982-1998...I can honestly say I have now not had a smoke or dip since Dec 31, 1998...

Smoking was not difficult to quit...it was the dipping...so convenient, you could do it anywhere...but most of all, and this may sound sick but is the truth, you could control the amount of nicotine you needed by how much you injested as compared to spitting...most serious dippers (that was me) did not need to spit at all...addiction? YES!

Now most dippers know that you go typically from the candy Kodiak, flavored Skoal, to Copenhagen...once you've reached the Copenhagen level the tobacco companies have you hook and line...you get soo addicted to the snuff that it is almost impossible to quit...

I tried to quit cold turkey and I did for about two weeks but everyone around me knew I was trying to quit believe me...before I went nuts (I was still holding out), I went to Costco and bought the 2mg Nicorette gum...solved the problem...there is the 4mg one you are suppose to start with but because of my two week head start, I felt I could bypass it...anyhow, all it took was that one $49 set...I have now been freed...try it.

 

I've been trying to quit myself. I'm about 3/4 pack a day, plus half a can of Skoal. It makes it even harder being deployed, since all there is to do other than work is smoke. You smoke when you can't get a break, and when you can't get a break you dip. I really wanted to quit this ish over here, but it's so part of my routine. I just need to squash this thing once and for all.

The first step on the road to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right?