A stoner's guide to quitting nicotine

Discussion in 'Fitness, Health & Nutrition' started by Freedom, Jun 11, 2009.

  1. I kept tongueing the ulcers and they spread and my gums are now swollen making it hard to eat. I set up an appointment with my doctor (found out my most recent ex has oral cold sores and neglected to tell me :(, hopefully I dodged that bullet, they look more like kanker sores). I was feeling pretty depressed all day and would have killed for a smoke, but i remembered your 6 to 8 minute craving statistic and it helped. After work i went and worked out, sat in the sauna, then tossed a foot ball around with some friends. Depression is gone and so are the cravings. Now im just anxious for my dr's apt.

    Thanks again for the guide and help.
     
  2. #42 Freedom, Jul 8, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 8, 2009
    Hi, thanks for the props! :wave::)

    I've not heard of those electronic cigarettes..:confused: how did you get onto those? So they just have the nicotine and not the tar and other crap?

    Nicotine has loads of different effects on the body and mind, I should imagine that the medium you use to consume it makes no difference. *
    Nicotine reduces appetite and increases metabolism, it's a stimulant so it raises your blood pressure. It also alters your mood, this, (pinched from Wikipedia) explains part of why the fucker is so addictive:
    "
    Research suggests that, when smokers wish to achieve a stimulating effect, they take short quick puffs, which produce a low level of blood nicotine.[31] This stimulates nerve transmission. When they wish to relax, they take deep puffs, which produce a high level of blood nicotine, which depresses the passage of nerve impulses, producing a mild sedative effect. At low doses, nicotine potently enhances the actions of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain, causing a drug effect typical of those of psychostimulants. At higher doses, nicotine enhances the effect of serotonin and opiate activity, producing a calming, pain-killing effect. Nicotine is unique in comparison to most drugs, as its profile changes from stimulant to sedative/pain killer in increasing dosages and use.
    "

    I'd be interested to hear more about the technique you are using dude...I guess it's just another form of nicotine replacement? Anyhoo...

    And I know it's hard man, it could well be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Never felt so much like a junkie in my life! But remember what I said earlier, nothing that is worth having comes easy. You have complete control over your brain, decide you are going to quit, and quit. It can be that simple if you let it. :)

    * I used lots of nicotine replacement. I asked my counsellor at the time 'Did the fact that I was still taking on nicotine in gum and patches, mean that I wasn't actually curing my addiction', she assured me that our bodies take the nicotine in in a completely different way to cigarettes, :rolleyes:
    I also suspect that my counsellor was trained to tell me exactly what I needed to hear. :p

    According to Wiki, nicotine, once inhaled will get to your brain in seconds, however it is consumed.
    Go figure. :cool:
    there could be something in it, because once I had to give up the gum, it was certainly nothing like giving up cigs!
     
  3. Yeah its basically a nicotine vaporizer. I want to quit to save some money and just because its better for me. I'm really high right now and watching south park so writing is hard. Hehehe :)
     

  4. :wave:
    It was a revelation to me that cravings only lasted a few minutes. I had always just assumed that if I tried to quit I would be lusting after a cig 24/7. :p Once I found that out I knew I could always last that long, anyone can wait just a few minutes, even me.
    You will start to recognise key times throughout the day as craving times, this can go on for a few weeks. Don't forget how much of a change you are going through and you are expecting your body to just keep up. Be ready for these times with either nicotine replacement, fruit a drink or a task to occupy your hands. Make sure what you elect to do to occupy yourself is always a positive thing. You don't want your brain to start resenting what you have chosen to replace nicotine with.

    I think a trip to see the doc is a good idea man, quitting cigs is hard enough on the mouth without added complications. Hope you get it sorted. :)
     
  5. I'm writing the next part. The benefits. You all deserve to see what you have to look forward to. Trust Freedom, it's AWESOME. :cool::metal:
     

  6. Doood, I hear ya man ;) Try writing a whole guide when you are completely mashed up on some primo quality homegrown. ;):smoking:
     
  7. #47 QuantumStorm, Jul 8, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 8, 2009
    Oh I can only imagine, i've smoked a bunch of my friend's first grow and its good, just not like the sour diesel I smoked last night. :smoking:

    Edit: I forgot to add that the cartridges for the electronic cigarettes come in 16mg, 12mg, 8mg, and 0mg of nicotine so you can get the 0mg ones and still go through all the motions and get the taste without anything else :)
     
  8. well freedom, I gotta come clean. I bought a pack for the camping trip and they all got smoked up. :( As I said earlier though, now I don't have any urge to get another. Probably won't for a month or so. I don't get my strange twisted relationship wit tobacco.
     
  9. You know it's bad when you walk into the doctors office and without missing a beat he said "I thought you were going to quit smoking" Those moments you realize how bad you smell like cigs. All my clothes are cig scented even the ones I just washed.

    Thank you for your guide. I've smoked from 18-38 now... I love cigarettes and it is SO hard for me to stop. It was easier quitting meth than cigs. It's past time I should quit to where it is dramatically affecting my health. Very very hard as you know.

    Your guide was like a sign to me that I need to really take the shit seriously and stop.
     
  10. #50 Freedom, Jul 15, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 22, 2010

    I totally understand man. But you must STOP seeing yourself as twisted and/or strange, I know there's nothing easier than self flagellation, but it's non productive. ;) The fact is, that at the moment your brain sees no real reason for you to quit. You are young, don't smoke everyday or even every week and because of that it probably doesn't really even cost you monetarily.
    On page one I talked about us often needing a significant event to pre empt an attempt to quit, you just haven't had that yet...but you will. :) Give it a few years and when your teeth start going brown at 25 and your hair becomes lank and dry and your skin starts sagging and going gray and you feel like you can't get out of bed because your lungs are trapped in your throat, you might feel more inspired. ;) Or you could try and save yourself that agony by dropping this bag of bricks now. It's all about realising that there are waaaay more sensible drugs to be taking. :p

    Something will happen at some stage which makes you really want to try and quit. Then you will know you are ready.


    Anyhoo, don't sweat it. I know you won't be a slave to nicotine forever, trust Freedom. :cool:



    I hear ya man, even my pets used to smell of tobacco. :eek: I remember the cat jumping on mhy lap in the garden once and he reeked of cigs! :( He does love his drugs though. Shhh. I didn't say that k?.
    I loved cigs too dude, I know how you feel. Just try and accept that we're not allowed them :p MJ gooooood, nicotine, baaaaaaad, mmmkay? In the end, if we value our health, we gotta make some brave decisions. Besides, I'm thrilled I had the quitting experience now, it was honestly life changing. Like taking acid for the first time. :)
    You can do it, you know you can. You've recognised it's time for a change, now ya just gotta make it happen. Formulate a plan and stick to it, make it that simple for yourself. Gluck! :yay:
     
  11. #51 myles117, Jul 15, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 22, 2010
    Hahahaha maybe I needa new addiction to replace nicotine. weed better step up to the plate :p
     
  12. #52 Freedom, Jul 15, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 22, 2010

    You rule. ;)
     
  13. nahhhhhh new highssssss :) :laughing: god I missed these convos
     
  14. Hahaha thread derailed, now about BDSM and green?

    :smoke:
     
  15. Great guide!

    I am in the process of quitting the habit myself!

    +rep :wave:
     
  16. #56 kerenski, Jul 22, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 22, 2009
    hey freedom,

    well first off +rep for making such a greatly amusing and informative guide.
    i gotta say... i'm a fucking nicotine-junky, i'm not addicted to the stuff i'm dependant -.- i started 14years ago at age 13 and pretty much since then i've been a chainsmoker, i've been up to 3packs a day at times, atm at about half that, so 20-30cigs/day. what i mean by being dependant instead of addicted is as follows: an addiction constantly prompts you to get whatever you're addicted to, a dependance however prohibits you from doing anything else until it is satisfied. it's usually like that: i think "hmm... could have a cig about now..." and either i immediately do that or it just becomes so hammeringly fixated in my mind until i finally(like 5 mins later) give in.
    i once even had a pneumonia and didn't even manage to quit for one day...:eek:
    i've quite often been at a point where i thouight "ah fuck this, i'll just quit" but then immediately the whole self-delusioning machinery jumps into action as you've described quite well, i have virtually tried every quit-aid available: the gum, the patches, injections, hypnotherapy, books, just willpower... all of that saw me fail... my record was 5 days... 5 days without smoking in 14 years, no wonder i got chronic bronchitis... -.-
    but i have to say actually your method has something all those others lack... it prepares you, it deals with the time before quitting, it gives you means to counter-act the traps your addicted mind constantly sets for you, and i really like that, plus it's written real entertainingly by an ex-smoking pothead:D
    so actually reading this thread has for the first time in like 4 years gotten me to seriously thinking about quitting again, but not in that fearful "i'll lose sumthin"-way, but rather as something good i can actually achieve... thanks just for that already:rolleyes:
    so actually now i think as soon as my new grow (check my sig xD) really kicks in and i got the constant harvest schedule rolling i might have a viable shot at becoming a non-smoking pothead :D (buying really isn't an option here, the cops are so damn annoying that all but the shadiest dealers have quit, making the price for hash about 15$/g and for weed 20 at least if you manage to get any at all...)
    thanks again^^

    peace

    :wave:

    kere
     
  17. Right you fuckers. I'm getting this bitch back on track. :p Man, my threads always go off on tangents. :rolleyes:

    Thanks a lot. :) Quitting is soooooo 2009. ;)
     
  18. #58 Freedom, Jul 22, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 22, 2009
    *looks suspicious* Are you sure we weren't separated at birth?! :eek: You just described the exact smokey-person I was two years ago.;)

    I have good news for you my friend. You can sooo do this! Oh yes, we are of the same breed and I'm here to tell you, you may not believe it now, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life!!! Sorry got carried away. :eek:

    Haha! Yeah, I've been there. It's laughable really. Oh yeah sure, just quit. I mean it's not like it's as addictive as heroin or something. :rolleyes: You gotta learn to give yourself a break with this shit. Accepting the difficulty in this task is the only way to move forward, no point ignoring it. What you are doing is NOT insignificant.

    *nod* All the quitting aids in the world won't help you unless your brain is on board wih the task.
    Try not to think of it as failing. It has more of an effect on you than you might realize. When I was quitting I kept a diary on the wall and marked off each day with a cross as I went along. The negative affect that that 'cross' ended up having on me was a nightmare!! Allow me to try and explain:
    After a week and a half of no cigs, I suddenly had a baaaad craving. For inspiration I looked at my chart, covered in crosses. The only real association my poor, tiny brain could make at the time with crosses was doing badly at school. Crap answers ended in a cross, good ones got a tick/check. My brain screamed at me that the whole quitting process was a negative one and I had the goddamn paperwork to prove it!! :p
    I promptly started marking the days off with an acid house smiley face instead. ;)

    You have not failed because you will still succeed. Tell your subconscious, if it starts that shit again your gonna tell it to fuck off! :D


    This made me a smile a lot and is why I created this guide. Thank you. :eek::)

    You are very welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Bet you can't believe I haven't even got to the best bits of quitting yet huh? :hello: You sound like someone who is so ready for this challenge! It's time to remind yourself what tough stuff you're made of. It's both liberating and enlightening, I promise. :)

    Growing totally fucking rocks and fyi, is a great way to keep you occupied. Embrace it as a hobby and learn everything you can, the rewards are fucking fruitful! ;)

    Laters. :)
     
  19. woohoo, now that's a proper reply:hello:
    thanks for your concern, it's really seeming to go uphill in a way^^ just two more months or so and i'll have enough bud to finally make the switch from smoker to smoker :D
    thanks again, you really made my day

    peace

    :wave:

    kere
     
  20. Im so glad i dont smoke cigarettes, i can see how difficult it really is, and that most people who fail at quitting probably have the wrong mindset for the sudden change.
    Anyway, my mother has been smoking for many many years(not sure how many), and now has something like bronchitis( orsome lung infection) and says it actually hurts to smoke cigs, and she hasnt had one in over 2 days now! I thought great, maybe she actually has a shot if she gives it a try, so i said 'hey since you already stopped, why dont you just quit smoking?'(i bet i make it sound too easy). So she says 'i dont want to' and then tells me to go away and bother someone else. Im honestly really worried about her, i think she might have already accepted that she will be a smoker for ever. :(
    If you have any advice or anything it would be greatly appreciated, though im not looking for anything specific here, just thought id share my little story.
     

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