nicorette.

[perth]

i decided (again!) to quit smoking. this time i decided to get a little bit of help. went to my local pharmacy and picked up a box of orange flavoured nicorette. someone please tell me this stuff works, because it cost $45 bucks.

actually, i would be interested in hearing from anyone who has successfully quit smoking, and how they did it.

~james

[Nic Name]

Wouldn't it be easier to quit smoking if they just priced the cigs at $45 a pack? And you wouldn't hafta spend anything kick the habit? I'll bet you don't have that nicorette habit very long!



Seriously though ... good for you.

If money matters to you, start putting the money you were spending on damaging your health into a jar where you can see it ... and promise yourself something you can't afford as a reward for quitting for a year.

Use this to calculate the cost of smoking: http://www.lungs.org/cos.htm

Don't reward yourself if you go back to your old bad habit. Commit to donating all the money saved to the Cancer Society, if you choose to go back to killing yourself with tobacco ... and pray that they use the money to find a cure for what smoking does to your lungs.

[perth]

this stuff doesnt even taste good. sure, its like an orange tictac, for about 2 seconds. then its like chewing on pepper. 'the tingle tells you its working'. not a pleasant thing.

the only time im really tempted to smoke is when im at work, and that makes it an especially hard habit to break, because theres a social aspect to it. but my motivation to quit in the first place was the birth of my son 9 months ago. when hes 10 years old and wants to go play catch or go hiking, i want to be able to keep up with him. i dont want him to have to explain to his friends that his dad stinks at sports because he smokes.

so i put up a bunch of pictures of him around my cube. i cant leave my cube without his smiling face pleading with me to not light up. my guess is that the addition of pictures to my cube, not nicorette, will help me break this habit. guilt is a powerful motivator.

ive spent over $7000 on cigarettes in my lifetime. coincidentally, thats about how much i need to scrape together for a down payment on the house im buying. damn.

~james

[Nic Name]

The $7,000 is already wasted. Don't focus on that, except to make a commitment to your son that you won't waste his future education.

Compound Savings Calculator

Thinking of your son for a minute, you could easily calculate the education fund that you will amass by setting aside, say $1,186 per year, (pack a day rates) which will be $47,969 accumulated for his college education by the time he's 18. He'll be so proud of you.

If you contribute to a tax deferred education savings or retirement savings plan the accumulation for him is even more.

It's awesome that you've got a young boy who will grow up trying to be just like you. You've got the best motivation in the world to quit smoking. You've got something to live for.

[Undertoad]

The childless amongst us, meanwhile, can die at will.

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by Undertoad
The childless amongst us, meanwhile, can die at will.

Just one of the many freedoms you enjoy. :-)

I quit smoking twice; only the second time stuck. If you're partnered with a smoker, it's pretty important you both quit at the same time.

The "go out for a smoke break" social pressure can be severe, although my smoking days were when you could still smoke at your desk and ashtrays were stocked as office supplies, which will give you an idea of how long ago *that* was. Free access to cigarettes *and* coffee was a powerful combo.

Since you do have kid[s], remeber that the effects of sidestream on them are nasty. I don't recommend anything that provdes substitute nicotine such as gum or patches.

[perth]

If you're partnered with a smoker, it's pretty important you both quit at the same time.

thats one of the problems. when my wife was pregnant, neither of us smoked. bout 2 weeks after he was born, we were both exhausted from so many sleepless nights that we went back. for so long, it was the only stress-reliever either of us knew, so it was easy to fall back in. im working on getting her to quit with me, but shes in a real high-stress job, so its difficult for her.

Since you do have kid[s], remeber that the effects of sidestream on them are nasty.

im not really sure what you mean. i dont smoke around my son, but i get the impression you mean something other than second-hand smoke. my dad smoked around me all my life, and according to my doctor, thats why i suffer from mild asthma (an asthmatic smoker, feh. im stupid). thats another thing i dont want to happen to my son.

but im about to go to bed, and ive just finished my first full day without a smoke. i dont even want one right now. but if past attempts are any indicator, im in for a rough day tomorrow.

~james

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by perth


im not really sure what you mean. i dont smoke around my son, but i get the impression you mean something other than second-hand smoke.

Living in a household with smokers is what I mean, and "I don't smoke around my son" is kidding yourself; just because you don't *see* the smoke doesn't mean it's gone. After you've been off cigarettes long enough for your sense of smell to clear up you'll realize how pervasive and persistant tobacco smoke and other residues are, because you'll be able to smell it anywhere people smoke, even if they're not doing it "around" you.

I grew up in a household where my dad smoked like a chimney, and my mom smoked secretly. Today she smokes in her own "apartment" withing my brother's home; she's still pretending nobody knows she smokes. But walk into her space in the house, and you instantly know it's full of smoking residue.

Oh, she's alone now because he died of cancer at 59.

Originally posted by MaggieL
But walk into her space in the house, and you instantly know it's full of smoking residue.

It's rather hard to miss the large flashing neon "This space is full of smoking residue" sign.

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by dhamsaic


It's rather hard to miss the large flashing neon "This space is full of smoking residue" sign.

No, it just stinks.

[perth]

fell off the wagon last night. 4 smokes over the course of my shift at work. im not gonna beat myself up too much, it was a rough night. a buddy of mine who was successful at quitting suggested that i keep a toothbrush and some toothpaste at my desk, and whenever i feel the urge to smoke, go brush my teeth. this has the added benefit of whitening the teeth in my newly smoke-free mouth. so im gonna try that tonight. we'll see how it goes.

Living in a household with smokers is what I mean, and "I don't smoke around my son" is kidding yourself; just because you don't *see* the smoke doesn't mean it's gone. After you've been off cigarettes long enough for your sense of smell to clear up you'll realize how pervasive and persistant tobacco smoke and other residues are, because you'll be able to smell it anywhere people smoke, even if they're not doing it "around" you.

maggie, i see what you mean now.

~james

[Undertoad]

I know that in dieting, what you think of yourself after falling off the wagon is critical... your current attitude is exactly right. We can't be perfect, all we can try to do is try.

[Nic Name]

[Bitman]

Don't hope - pray.

I don't understand that part. What's the difference? Wouldn't a better quote be:

Don't hope - plan.

[Scred]

quitting is easy. i think i quit smoking a dozen times one spring. try not smoking anymore. thats the real pisser.

when I finally decided to stop smoking, I had to come to grips with the fact that I was a little nicotine junkie, and that all the willpower and overpriced pharmaceutical gum substitutes in the world wasn't going to cut it unless I wanted to stop. really wanted to stop. i went nutso for at least three months, but after 12 years I'm all the better for it. so much so that the doctors dont count my former smoker status as a health risk since it's been so long.

i sat across from a chainsmoker at work for 8 hours a day. i think i ate 5 rolls of sugarfree mints a day while I worked with her. had to do SOMETHING other than light up a smoke.

in the Fisher King, when Parry (Robin Williams) confronts Jack (Jeff Bridges) about smoking, Jack replies "i'm trying to quit." Parry rips him a new one telling him that there's "no trying." He says "there are two kinds of people in the world, Jack: smokers, and non-smokers. Decide which one you are, and *be* it"


so, in the most kind and warm and gentle way I can think of putting this, dont dick around and make up your mind. you can do it. it is the most important thing you can do for yourself. and for your son. but for yourself first. So be a non-smoker. and brush those teeth. Alot. do *anything* - just don't touch that next cigarette. good luck