Any Advice on Quitting Cigarettes?

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camaguey

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 25, 2021
249
397
west indies
Do not try to break the habit inmediatly. I suggest to go for alkaline tobacco like burley in the begining. Then , when you want a cigarette , light your pipe and smoke for about the same time that you spend on a cigarette. Continue doing this during the rest of the day. After several days you won't miss the cigarette so much. I still smoke a couple of cigarettes in the morning (roll my own) but after that i only smoke a pipe during the day and end up with a cigar after dinner.
 

AJL67

Lifer
May 26, 2022
4,836
25,363
Florida - Space Coast
I smoked 4 packs a day, then while on vacation about 14yrs ago i got the flu, serious flu as in bed for over a week with fevers, chills, bronchitis, the works, when i was over it i didn't even want a smoke, it was all out of my system and i was done with cigarettes.

Too bad i spent about 7 grand on that vacation and spent it all in the hotel room bed sweating and dying LOL .. it was an expensive way to quit cigarettes but take the good with the bad.
 
H

Hfinn

Guest
Try the simple approach. Quit and don't expect anything after that. If you start to bother, then you will be disappointed, because nothing should happen, you just smoked your last cigarette and go about your business.

I think you are not at risk of getting stressed out by abruptly quitting, you are still getting nicotine from pipe tobacco. Cut it from the shoulder.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nov 20, 2022
2,179
21,124
Wisconsin
My experience as a physician is that if you seriously decide to quit, you will be successful no matter what technique you use. All the above may be helpful to make it easier. If you are not yet determined to quit, nothing will be successful.

Studies show that a few things will increase your chances of being successful:
-Setting a quit date.
-Telling everybody your intention to quit and your quit date. Peer pressure works!
-Working with your primary care physician - if they are interested in helping you.
-Get rid of all cigarettes and social cues that are associated with smoking as much as possible
-Have your partner/spouse also quit if they are a smoker

Good luck. Perhaps you can put your journey on the forum to get our support as well. You may also be an inspiration to others who also wish to quit.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,811
29,650
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I used smokeless tobacco. Snus and snuff in specific. I wasn't really trying to quit cigs I just found that I really enjoyed them a lot more. One of the problems with tapering off of cigs is it's a lot harder to measure the dose. How much nicotine is in a cigarette puff depends on how big the puff is. But snus is a good replacement for cigs. By the way at this point I snus most of the day and use nasal snuff and pipes when possible and I almost never desire a cig and even when I do it is more a novelty nostalgia thing that is easy to laugh off.
Big important note no matter what method you go for persistence is the most important factor (lots of studies have found it's less about what method works and more about trying until one sticks, how is less a factor then how many attempts.). Which means if you have a plan and slip up, well you're human and that means much less then determination and the outlook of this is a long haul operation which isn't about a quick victory but not surrendering even if you retreat.
 

brooklynpiper

Part of the Furniture Now
May 8, 2018
643
1,377
The simplest way is to get more addicted to something more expensive!

I’m only kidding.

I think a lot of posts here are highlighting good qualities for any challenging personal change: persistence and self-forgiveness.
 

Oddball

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 29, 2022
224
1,048
TN
I would start when I have a couple or few days to myself, and by that I mean a time to smoke my pipe whenever I want. Then let the pipe tobacco replace the squares... That sounds stupidly simple but if you begin to look forward to the pipe then you will slowly forget about the squares... I also paid extra sharp attention to every little change in the smoke as I made my way through it. From the initial light, where I puffed like a coal train, to the post pack slower draws, how the flavors change, how the nicotine hit or... didn't, how it smelled, etc etc.

Squares are like scrolling through social media for a 5 second clip of idiots falling off bikes or being bit by snakes. Ha something new ha something new ha something new, over and over....

The Pipe is a kaleidoscope for the senses, it's all there if you let yourself enjoy it...
 

Indygrap

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 18, 2022
244
597
New Orleans, LA
I hate to admit it but a vape “works”. I used the quotes cuz now I use it as a replacement. The upside is; it doesn’t shred my throat, I don’t smell like smoke, I don’t spend as much money, & I don’t have to duck out every so often or for as long to get a hit.
I picked up pipe smoking about a year ago & I’m trying to do that instead of vaping. I enjoy it a lot more than any other nicotine delivery system, it just isn’t as practical for me at work. I can’t typically spend 10-15 minutes away from my station to enjoy a pipe.
The good news is I haven’t had a cigarette for over a year now. I smoked a pack+ a day for over 30 years. Vaping isn’t good for you but I’m hoping it isn’t as bad as cigarettes. Pipes are probably the least of all the evils even though I still inhale on occasion. Good luck with your journey & I hope you’re able to kick cigarettes
 

Sam Gamgee

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 24, 2022
648
1,680
49
DFW, Texas
I will tell you how I quit. In the spring of 2000 I stayed up late and smoked all the rest of my cigarettes in the only pack I had left. I flicked the last one away (funny how I’ve missed that act, as well as tapping off the ashes) and have never had another one.

I didn’t smoke anything for about seven years; then I found pipes and enjoy a few bowls a month. (Being a heavy pipe-smoker has never appealed to me.)

The main thing I did was simply make up my mind that I was no longer a smoker. Back then one could still find smoking sections in restaurants. I enjoyed the act of choosing non-smoking. It helped out with my new identity.

I know if I lived a million more years I’d never smoke another cigarette.

It was _very_ hard to quit though. Very.

Good luck. You can do it if you really want to.
 

Sparcdude

Lurker
Feb 9, 2023
41
181
New Hampshire
I was a 2 pack a day smoker for 30+ years. I just decided one day to stop and I was horrified to find it was easy for me to do that. Obviously that won't work for everyone, but sometimes you just have to try cold turkey. It may work.

A friend of mine quit smoking years ago, but he always has a single cigarette with him. If he feels like smoking it, he'll take it out and then stop and say something like "I'm not going to smoke this right now" and puts it away again. A bit bizarre, but it works for him. He never says he won't smoke, just that he won't smoke it right now.

I just stick with my one cigar a day and 4-5 bowls a day. No longer have the coughing jags that would strike at odd times, so bonus!
 

Yambo

Might Stick Around
Jan 11, 2023
63
78
42
Spain
I've been on and off cigarettes since I was 12 years old. Almost every time I quit I did it by tapering off. Last time I only smoked 4-6 cigarettes all of them after supper. But it was hard to quit anyway.

Sometimes I think I could do as my spouse: smoke them only on special occasions. But I don't know if I can face the risk of falling back into it.

It's different for everyone, but maybe the good side effects of quitting I got could encourage you:

- I enjoy pipe smoking much more. Like way more.
- Sex life has improved drastically. I though I was fine on that aspect, but, brother, you'd quit today if you knew to which extent things get better. Sensation-wise especially.
- I sleep much better. I usually had vivid dreams, but the bad kind, the ones that doesn't let you rest.

Good luck!
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
My late wife tried quitting two times before she succeeded on her third try, with an American Lung Association group that provided support and a few methods. Most memorably, she smoked only in one place in the house, and kept a tall Mason jar with all the butts to dramatize the amount she was smoking.

It was dramatic enough, and visual enough, to break her of a three pack a day or more habit that was closely associated with her grading papers and writing. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't fun, but it kept her spirits up and provided enough competitive edge so she stayed with the process.

I quit my pipe in solidarity, knowing how important it was to her health and energy level. Her final illness was not smoking related as far as the science knows. And she felt a lot better after quitting, and regained her ability to walk distances and stopped clouding the windows above her paper grading station with cigarette tar.

I blew up when a guest at a New Years party we gave tempted her with cigarettes. What a jerk. I wasn't sorry I'd been rude about it. How bloody cruel. But that's a different story. If people want to quit, support them, never mind your own addictions.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,775
45,379
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
When you're really ready to quit, you'll quit.

I was a 2 pack a day smoker for well over a decade, and failed at every attempt to quit. Then one day I was leaving the Disney lot, and as I exited the gate I finished my last cigarette and threw away the empty pack in the trash. I told myself I'd have another cigarette when I really wanted one. That was August of 1983, and I haven't really wanted one since.
 

Barisitom

Lurker
May 31, 2023
1
3
I get where you're coming from, transitioning from cigs to pipes can feel like a whole new world. But, you know what, I'd actually suggest you take a look at a vaping device. You can use it as a substitution for your pipe sometimes. I see some guys mentioning it in the thread and totally agree. It might seem unusual but vaping is just like meditation, just like a pipe, but without the mess. And the flavor variety, man, it's off the charts! You can experiment till you find your fave. I ordered my vape online and I was surprised that you could also choose your nicotine strength. This way, you don't have to go cold turkey on the nic hit if you don't want to.