I've had an on and off battle with smoking over the past 7 years. I have quit for periods of say 3 months or so with Nicotine replacement (like E-Cigs). I've been in a very good mood as of late and turning 25 wasn't the big horror I thought it was going to be. I woke up on Sunday, realized I had no smokes (I started again around the end of February during party week for my Birthday). I just decided I wasn't going to smoke anymore. Just decided... It was really weird, I have had no pangs, no urges no nothing. Usually it's a hair pulling battle and nicotine replacement, I have never been in a happier mood. It feels great!
In other news, I was going to do a couple of PC upgrades as my PC is getting to two years old since I built it... I got a bit carried away ended up buying a brand new desk, chair, 120hz (3d monitor), doubled my ram, and got some new SSD's, new Speakers, and am now waiting excitedly like a child at Christmas.
Whoever said money doesn't make you happy, didn't have any
Also, got the number of a girl I had my eye on a while back and things have been going extremely well.
Congrats on quitting! Keep it up! I'm approaching the three month mark myself, if you don't count three weeks of e-cigs. Thinking of the morning hacking and nasty blobs helps me when I feel like one, although I haven't had a craving for a week or so.
I don't smoke anymore but I dip (chewing tobacco you don't . . . chew). I've been steadily cutting down this week and man is it hard. I've been at a can a day + for a while and I really just need to stop. I've been averaging 1.5 cans so far this week and am breaking pattern habits of when I dip. It's only been 4 days but good lord, just cutting back has caused light headedness and irritation along with some minor headaches. It's starting to get easier though, hopefully within a couple weeks I'll be ready for a cold turkey. Maybe one day I'll join the "I quite Tobacco" club, hopefully soon.
Last cig was on the 16th, so going strong, I'm puzzled by why I don't even have the urge and it feels so easy. I think it has something to do with my general mood. Also the PC stuff arrive tommorow! Aw yeah 120hz gaming here I come!
Can I ask you smokers...why did you start smoking?
We've known it's bad for you for longer than you 25 year olds have been alive. So it's not like when my mum and dad started in the 1960'd before the evidence was fully in.
It felt good. I know a lot of smokers. Step Dad, Uncle even my great grandma (she died in her late 90s a few years ago) and smoked over 20 a day since she was young. My Step Dad was also extremely physically fit and strong. He would out run, sprint lift than non smokers younger than him. Similar with my uncle. I heard about the health risks, but from everything I had seen the health risks seemed to be negligible.
But I really started when I was around 18, a friend from Hong Kong at University was buying a different pack of cigs every day I got curious and asked him why? He was looking for a replacement or something better than his favourite Japanese Brand (Mild Seven) which in fact is my favourite brand. He was explaning to me the different flavours, harshness, hit etc. So I tried them along with him. Meanwhile another Chinese friend noticed that I had taken up smoking and he insisted I smoke premium Chinese cigarettes like Chungwah and Panda(extremely rare). So I started on a journey sourcing cigs from all over the world to see what my favourites are, it also made watching a movie so much more enjoyable. Before I knew it I was hooked and it was always in my hands.
Like I said I have quit a few times for about periods of 3 months with Nicotine replacement, then had a pack, then quit again, and so on, but I find when I'm on holiday or going out drinking a lot I tend to smoke a lot more then I have to quit all over again.
This time it was different, I have refused cigs, I have no urge I have been able to enjoy drinks, movies and gaming without smokes. It feels good to be free!
I didn't quit out of any fear of health benefits, I quit because I didn't like the feeling of helplessness and the slavery I have with Nicotine, not just smokes. I've read around that it takes 3-4 weeks for 99% of nicotine to completely leave the body, (I haven't had this since I was 17/18) so I really look forward to that day. To be free from slavery to nicotine! It just feels mentally great.
Also when I first started smoking, I was adamant that I could quit whenever I liked, and it is about Mind over matter, the past 7 years that belief proved to be false... But now I may finally be proving myself correct. That's another big thing for me. I'm the sorta guy who would push the red button when it say's don't push it.
I've been around smokers since birth in a similar way (and heard all the excuses and reasons why it ain't that bad) and all it made me do is hate smoking.
I'm just utterly baffled why a seemingly rational adult person would start smoking with all the evidence we have.
It'd have to be AMAZING to counteract all the cancer, lung disease and early death to make it worthwhile.
I started with the odd cigar while in the Marines, maybe one or two a year. Cubans are made out to be a big deal in the states so when in Europe and they were available, I had to try. I didn't really start cigs until I was married and things started to not go so well. One of my friends smoked a no-chemicals added brand and I found I enjoyed them. Smoked for about 7 years, first couple as a light smoker, then mid. the last year moved to heavy, got sick of it and quit.
Once someone has learned "how to smoke" by that I mean inhale the nicotine without coughing or getting a headache. The feeling of smoking develops a need, like hunger, but this is a specific hunger that only a smoke will alleviate. It's very difficult to explain to a non smoker. It's like the feeling of thirst or hunger if you haven't been feeding yourself for a while, but with smoking it's worse, only difference is, thirst and hunger are actually necessary, smoking is all about the "want" but the brain believes it is even more important.