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Old 24th September 2018, 17:13   #1681
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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Originally Posted by arindambasu13 View Post
if fitness goals can work to prevent one from smoking, that is a win-win situation!
Very true! Two goals with one bird.

However, anything that helps to prevent the smoking is acceptable in the short term. Let's be ridiculous and suggest, erm, let's see... MacDonalds! Fine, so eat burgers three times a day: they are easier to give up than cigarettes

Curiously, I ate a lot of Japanese food, sushi and sashimi, while I was giving up. I guess it helped me not to be able to afford the tobacco. It was an odd choice though (apart from the fact that I love the stuff) because, back then at least, there was as much smoke in an ex-pat-frequented, London Japanese restaurant as there would have been in a nearby pub.


Whatever works. But if it is healthy, sure: win-win!
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Old 25th September 2018, 14:29   #1682
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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It is of course easy to be wiser after the event, and I had very little luck trying to follow and implement the above principle
Can you please, please order Allen Car's The Easy Way book on Kindle and start reading it right away? Read slowly & carefully. Target 2 chapters per day minimum, without any breaks.
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Old 25th September 2018, 14:40   #1683
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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Can you please, please order Allen Car's The Easy Way book on Kindle and start reading it right away? Read slowly & carefully. Target 2 chapters per day minimum, without any breaks.
Will do.

I was given this book some time back by a senior colleague at work, but will need to read it in detail now. I have heard from several people that it is a bit of a revelation.
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Old 1st October 2018, 17:12   #1684
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

I started smoking for the first time around 3 years back that too occasionally like once or twice in a month. It went this way for some time. But having joined IT industry, facing stressful times, the smoking frequency started to increase to at least once a week. It was still happening occasionally afterwards, like 4-5 cigarettes in a month. The smoking increased as I started to travel. With each trip, I undertook every 3-4 months, at least 10-15 cigarettes were the norm.

The situation changed last year. From November 2017, I almost started smoking daily. I could not even realise, but I was smoking up to 5 cigarettes a day in February 2018! I realised, started to decrease and committed myself to 0 cigarettes for the month of April. I was successful for the month with a score of 0 cigarettes!

I again fell for the temptation in May and smoked at least 10-15 cigarettes that month. I again tried to maintain discipline but still smoked around 4-5 cigarettes in June.

I once again committed myself to 0 cigarettes in July and passed that test successfully without any puffs. I was doing good in August as well but fell for the temptation in the last week of August. Since then I have smoked around 10 cigarettes till last Friday. From October again I am targetting 0 cigarettes for this month and if all goes well, I would like to completely give up on smoking from the new year.

I started smoking out of stress, to be honest, and it was helping me to relieve the stress. Don't know if it is just me, I loved smoking during cold weather especially winters. That's why I am worried if I will again start smoking daily with the onset of winters from next month. To curb the temptation, I am focussing on 0 cigarettes in October. I will be turning 28 in a couple of days

For the people who are heavy smokers, they may try this approach of giving up smoking for a day, then a week, followed by a month and so to ultimately reduce/quit altogether.

Apart from all the said ill effects of smoking, it has caused an extended sore throat (though no pain as such, mild reddish in colour). It gets better when I quit for a month, but the reddish throat again appears after a few days I start smoking. I had also felt slightly swollen tonsils because of it. Especially the flavoured cigarettes, the ice-burst mint variety caused lots of itching and I gave up that flavour at all. I have smoked only the light classic. I hope the reddish throat will go away with 0 puffs this month. I will also start gargles with warm salt water every night starting from today. My throat is not friendly to cigarette smoking!

PS - To manage temptation, I take a cup of black tea instead of smoking during the targeted 0 cigarettes month.

Last edited by bluevolt : 1st October 2018 at 17:19.
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Old 1st October 2018, 21:04   #1685
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

My advice to you, bluevolt, would be to fix your target on two months, not one. Or even three! Target the end of the year right now!

People differ in their reactions. For most of us, it is the early days of giving up that are the worst, in terms of physical withdrawal symptoms. Perhaps that is not the case for you, but if it is, then why are you putting yourself through this repeatedly! Just give up for ever and save yourself the pain of having to do it again and again.

After getting through those initial physical symptoms, the battle becomes more of a mental thing: nicotine plays mind games with you. I guess we can play the games too. A friend's mother used to say, "I haven't given up smoking, but I'm not going to have my next cigarette until I am sixty." Well, of course, when that day came, after a decade or three, she did not smoke that cigarette.

You know you can get through the first month. All you need to do is carry on from there. Give it a try! Oh wait, trying is not actually good enough: do it!

All the best...
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Old 13th October 2018, 19:42   #1686
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

Gotta love sitting on the other side of the booth without a speck of temptation!

Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking-img_20181013_194015453.jpg

BTW I forgot when I quit the gums. Nicotine is out of my system for good. Now to count the days, months and years that would go by. I've put on weight by some 5 kg ever since I've quit.

Last edited by Gannu_1 : 13th October 2018 at 19:44.
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Old 13th October 2018, 22:54   #1687
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

Congratulations, Gannu. After a while you'll forget to count, except maybe sometimes totting up the years to post on a giving-up-smoking thread
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Old 14th October 2018, 00:50   #1688
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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A friend's mother used to say, "I haven't given up smoking, but I'm not going to have my next cigarette until I am sixty." ...

well said. I started smoking at very early age and continued smoking for almost 15 years. half of my life I was smoking. Near the end of it, i was so addicted that I used to keep awake whole night for smoke. I tried to quit several times and was successful for few months but then a single temptation again would lure me back. Finally birth of my daughter was a striking revelation that I need to stop it and for good. The previous experiences of quieting helped me a lot. I knew that using a help like patch or nicotine gum will ease the journey. I finally stopped smoking, using Nicotine patches. What really helped me was a change in attitude, now even if I am tempted to smoke, I say myself not now after few hours, and the temptation dies. There were few incidences when i could not control my self and helped with a smoke. This is where I used to thought that now since I have smoked one, smoking another one is fine, I used to accept my defeat. But now I say that its ok this is just a setback and not a failure unless I smoke another one i will not be smoker again. And the journey continues without a smoke and without falling back. Now its been almost a year that I have had my last smoke and I plan to be nicotine free till the end of my life. And I say the same sentence you mentioned "I did not stop smoking but I don't want to smoke it RIGHT NOW".

Last edited by bblost : 14th October 2018 at 00:53.
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Old 14th October 2018, 08:14   #1689
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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Gotta love sitting on the other side of the booth without a speck of temptation!
Congrats bro! Incredibly proud of you. You have just given your body the best gift possible. Speaking from experience = with time, things just get better & better:

- After having smoked Marlboros for 22 years, now, I don't even think of cigarettes. I have an active social life with lots of nights out and smokers around me, but even the thought of smoking doesn't occur to me.

- You'll see marked improvements on your skin, taste, stamina etc.

Quote:
I've put on weight by some 5 kg ever since I've quit.
I put on a couple of kilos too when I'd quit. Don't worry - it's easy to lose 5 kilos than to dump cigarettes. Again, heartiest congratulations! It's a BIG BIG deal, so go out and pamper yourself a bit.

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Now its been almost a year that I have had my last smoke and I plan to be nicotine free till the end of my life.
Congratulations Kiran on freeing yourself up from the smoking trap!
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Old 14th October 2018, 21:56   #1690
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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Now its been almost a year that I have had my last smoke and I plan to be nicotine free till the end of my life. And I say the same sentence you mentioned "I did not stop smoking but I don't want to smoke it RIGHT NOW".
Congratulations! You beat the physical addiction, but nicotine is still playing the mind games with you. This can go on for some time. Keep winning!


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Old 23rd October 2018, 21:47   #1691
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post

- After having smoked Marlboros for 22 years, now, I don't even think of cigarettes. I have an active social life with lots of nights out and smokers around me, but even the thought of smoking doesn't occur to me.
One of the first things, I wanted to suggest/request you GTO was to quit the butt when I saw the Healthy Oil thread a few days back.

I am absolutely glad that you have already done it.

I too have done the same and I can absolutely relate with all the advantages you have mentioned.

One reason for not urging you for quitting was my inability to quote on the forum. Doing it for the first time. Hopefully I have done it correctly.
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Old 24th October 2018, 13:37   #1692
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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One of the first things, I wanted to suggest/request you GTO was to quit the butt when I saw the Healthy Oil thread a few days back.
Hey thanks! Much appreciated .

Quote:
I too have done the same and I can absolutely relate with all the advantages you have mentioned.
Congratulations to you too! It's a tough hill to climb, but no more difficult / easy than losing weight or many other things in life. Better to just put your mind to it and get it done with. As an example, till I read your post, I haven't even thought about cigarettes once since morning. It's completely out of the mind & body.

Quote:
Hopefully I have done it correctly.
Perfect.
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Old 7th January 2019, 23:06   #1693
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

I don't usually make New Year resolutions, rather set some goals for myself. However, this New Year, I simply decided I'm going to quit smoking - For Life.

I've stopped smoking several times before, but, stopping it forever is a first. Atleast for me, that's what worked. It's only been 7 days and I can't really say it worked but, the "For Life" part really prepares your brain for it. The 2nd or 3rd day I felt a craving for it, and then the heavily yesterday after lunch. But, when I think that I've stopped smoking "For Life" and its "Never" the craving vanishes!

I think or rather hope, I can hold on to the "For Life" part, true.
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Old 8th January 2019, 00:06   #1694
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

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when I think that I've stopped smoking "For Life" and its "Never" the craving vanishes!
It is that absolute decision that works. You are now a non-smoker. For life. Congratulations!

Quote:
I think or rather hope, I can hold on to the "For Life" part, true.
Don't think or hope: know. Smoking is not an option.

Welcome to the club: Happy New Year!
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Old 8th January 2019, 12:24   #1695
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Re: Help smoking Team-BHP members quit smoking

Met some of my friends from college after a long time. 15 years ago, when we were all single and used to meet every weekend, we all used to smoke. Now just one of that group of 12-15 people still smokes.

Even at work, I see this trend. At my first job, in 2001, almost all the guys on my floor smoked. Easily verifiable as we all used to head out together with the boss to smoke. Over time and successive jobs, I find that fewer and fewer of my team members smoke. At this job, again, there's just one guy on my team who smokes.

So are cigarette sales declining then? I'm guessing that for every generation that stops smoking as they age, there are even more youngsters taking it up?

Sadly though, my closest friend, my 'chaddi-buddy' for over 30 long years is still a heavy smoker with no intention of giving it up. Funny thing is that back when I started smoking (I quit in 2005) he had not started and was very angry with me for smoking. I've tried reasoning with him, getting angry with him, the usual things, but I'm really afraid for his health.

Last edited by am1m : 8th January 2019 at 12:34.
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