24 Hours Without a Cigarette...

[ravenwolf]

I realize that this topic has got to be beaten to death a thousandfold by now on the forums, but I gotta do a bit of venting, and I have a conundrum that maybe y'all can help me solve.
I've been wanting to quit smoking cigarettes for a couple of years now. I'm at a pack per week, which is down significantly from my Army days.
24 hours without one, what a feeling... I somehow simultaneously want to put my boot through a wall, but also feel encouraged about being healthier, saving some money, etc.
My ladyfriend has managed to go a whole week. So, I'm doing this to help support her as well - primarily for myself - but it's another thought that helps reinforce things.
This is not fun. At all.
The worst part is that when I smoked a small bowl of Five Brothers to see if that would help at all (it did a bit), I could feel myself wanting to inhale, which I've never done with a pipe before. That's like pipe-blasphemy. So now I don't know whether I should smoke a pipe and avoid this new subconscious wish to inhale a pipe, or just rock on sans pipe until I feel more confident about it.
I'm going to mull it over while attempting to stay out of prison :D Your thoughts are appreciated... pipe or no?

 

[condorlover1]

Well keep chugging along at it and all will fall into place.

 

[lostandfound]

Inhaling from time to time is not pipe blasphemy- in fact, I do it quite often. Not the same as I would inhale a cigarette, but nonetheless, I do inhale, and I'm not alone.

 

[mrenglish]

Yep, just keep at it. Take it day by day and hour by hour if you need too. It wont take long to get over the nicotine addiction but the psychological aspect can take awhile. Good luck, brother!

 

[ravenwolf]

Thanks guys. Maybe I'll go snoop the internet and see if I can find a nice Peterson as a reward for surviving this... maybe having a reward after a month would be a good incentive. All else fails, appeal to PAD.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Good for you. I think that when you can get your mind to stop dwelling on it, the crazy feeling will start to reside. Even with a pipe, you're going to get cravings from your lungs. I did take a sneaky sip of an inhale to help me past that, but I found that when I did inhale the flavors of the tobacco resided. I don't consciously inhale now. I do get an occasional unintentional, inhale, usually with a cough now-a-days. But, if you do inhale, we won't pick on you, ha ha.

Good luck through this. I can't stand the smell of cigarettes now, and when I did try to smoke one, it was like burning cardboard. You'll get there.

 

[eightywon]

Thought this was good

From pipestud

 

[brudnod]

Keep it up, one hour at a time, one day at a time. Keep track and be proud!

 

[saint007]

I quite for seven weeks this Summer. However, smoking a pipe kept my nicotine desire alive and I finally caved in a bought a pack of Winston.

 

[sallow]

For what it is worth, I haven't had a cigarette in 5 years and wouldn't dream of smoking one now.
Once I got rid of that immediate need for a cigarette, the daily pipe became much more enjoyable. It is something I look forward to after dinner. I would say keep with the pipe, enjoy the sidestream. Best of luck.

 

[crazypipe]

 

[frank13]

I'm eight days without a cigarette, and it's been dead easy. Granted, I'm smoking my pipe like a freight train, but even that is beginning to taper off. I smoked Marlboro and Marlboro Lights for thirty years. I've tried to quit several times, but always failed. I started smoking a pipe, and was smoking both the pipe and cigarettes for a couple of weeks. Then, as I finished my last pack in the carton, I simply didn't buy anymore. All I had was my pipe.
About two years ago, I switched from the Marlboros to American Spirit Full Flavor. From there, I switched about a year ago, to AS's organic lights. I think going two years without all of the additives and carpet fibers, ammonia, and all of the other shit that they put in cigarettes, really helped me make the final break.
I don't have the least desire for cigarettes, except as a very occasional "crave" for the convenience of cigarettes. Another thing I've noticed, is that there is a real class difference between pipe smokers and cigarette smokers. When I look around at the people who smoke cigarettes, no longer is it something done by anyone that I personally admire. Sick of getting winded, just climbing the stairs. I hear cigarette smokers hacking their lungs out... And then there's the stench. My wife isn't crazy about some of the Latakia/Perique blends that I smoke, and she never griped about my cigarettes, but she does appreciate the smell of some of the milder tobaccos like Captain Black White Label.
If you can't get off of the cigs, at least see if you can switch to American Spirits. At least then, you're smoking real tobacco, and not umpteen-gazillion additives and chemicals.
Best of luck to you. I'm on the same journey, but for the first time in thirty years, I honestly cannot see myself ever putting a cigarette in my mouth ever again.

 

[ravenwolf]

Things are going along well enough. Still get this odd, weird craving once in a while. I came from American Spirits too, Frankenstein. Usually their perique blend, but then I switched to the yellows to ease off the heavy Nic of those.
So far so good, about a week in.

 

[ravenwolf]

I think a big part of it is getting over the convenience of it, and the habitual times - after a big meal, with coffee, etc.
Pipes really do taste much better to me too, which helps. I have reduced my pipe smoking a lot, unintentionally. When I feel I've hit a safe zone, I am assuming the pipe time will probably increase again a bit and level out.

 

[sw0snuff3r]

If you can get past the habit part you should have it beat. I quit cigarettes with smokeless tobacco (swedish snus and nasal snuff) and even though I was still getting plenty of nicotine it took awhile to stop reaching for my cigarette pack, looking for them when I sit down with my coffee, driving to work, etc. I never thought to try quitting with pipe at the time but now I enjoy a bowl or two a day and have no desire for cigarettes at all. I can't recall exactly how long it took to get over the psychological aspect of cigarette smoking but I don't think it was too terribly long, maybe a couple of months. Keep at it and good luck!

 

[warren]

Habit as a link in the chain for sure. Nicotine addiction is the other. Changing routine and diet are two ways to address both. If you always enjoyed a cigarette after dinner, change the time you eat. And, alter your postprandial routine, go for a walk instead of TV or some such.
I'd succumb to a cigarette in a matter of hours if I was monitoring my quitting as closely as you are. That said, if it works for you, keep on keeping on.

 

[prndl]

wrong thread...my bad.

 

[mcitinner1]

:rofl: Prndl I've done that many times, but now I finally remember to check there. :rofl:
OK then where'd you go?

 

[prndl]

actually, I thought I was replying to rx2man's thread on losing things and forgetting where you put them.
apt, huh?

 

[frank13]

Well, at my highest rate of cigarette consumption, I was at 1.5 packs/day. Then, after switching to American Spirit, I dropped down to a pack/day. Then, after switching to the American Spirit Lights, I started smoking only enough to satisfy my nicotine crave, which meant that I was only smoking about half a cigarette, and further cut down to about half a pack.
The real deciding factor for me, was going to Costco and buying my monthly two cartons to the tune of $122.97. WTF??? :!: I made the decision right then, that I was done with cigarettes. I had a couple of pipes from previous attempts at quitting, and a can of Captain Black Regular. (White Label) I began smoking the pipe when I was on my last pack of cigarettes, and immediately dropped to 5 cigarettes/day. A few days later, I was down to 3 cigarettes/day. When those ran out, I just didn't buy more. Today is Day 9, although I really don't even bother to count, anymore. I am a pipe smoker: Full stop. ::