# Quitting smoking - need your support



## meta (Oct 23, 2006)

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum, but I've been lurking here for a while, and it seems like you have a great community here. 

I recently started Kyokushin, something that I wanted to do for years. I  want to continue training for as long as I can. With this new goal in mind, I now feel motivated enough (for the first time) to quit smoking. 

I've been a smoker for 7 years. I never noticed any adverse effects on my health until I started training. Kyokushin training is very demanding, and I often find myself out of breath, which is very frustrating and humiliating.

So yesterday I finally decided to quit. I read many useful articles (and forum posts) on quitting smoking, but I need others' support to help me overcome this habit. I can't really rely on the support of my friends, since many of them smoke. So I hope to find some support among fellow martial artists. I'll keep you posted on my progress, and I'd really appreciate any helpful advice. 

Thanks a lot!


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## davemitchel (Oct 23, 2006)

Good luck meta,

when your fingers start reaching for 'the pack', go the PC instead and reach for the forum. Lots of interesting things here to get your mind off the evil sticks ......  

Dave


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## Drac (Oct 23, 2006)

The *BEST *of luck meta...I quit for 2 years, did it cold turkey..I was weak and started up again...*Don't be weak...*


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## HKphooey (Oct 23, 2006)

I used Charms Blow Pops!    It worked and I have been smoke free for over 3 1/2 years.  Denstist loved my new habit. Lol.  Eventually I did not need the lollie pos.

Good luck with it!  The place I noticed it the most, was swimming under water.  Ask a child I could hold me breath for at least a 45-60 secs.  As an adult smoker, I was lucky if I could hold my breath for 15 seconds.  You will noticed a drastic channge in your "workout breathing"


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## Drac (Oct 23, 2006)

HKphooey said:


> I used Charms Blow Pops!  It worked and I have been smoke free for over 3 1/2 years.


 
My brother purchase a pack of plastic straws and cut them down to cigarette size and carried then in an old pack..You never saw him without one in his mouth, and it worked ...


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## Bigshadow (Oct 23, 2006)

Glad to have you posting instead of lurking!  Good luck on quitting smoking!  Your body will thank you later.


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## SFC JeffJ (Oct 23, 2006)

I quit a couple of years ago, it's hard.  You might want to look into zyban/wellbutrin.  It really worked for me.

Jeff


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## Brian R. VanCise (Oct 23, 2006)

Good luck.  This is a great thing to do for your health.


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## hemi (Oct 23, 2006)

Meta, 
My hats off too you, I wish you the best of luck on quitting. I have had a lot of people that quit tell me they used certs, or gum to help with the cravings. Stay strong and dont let them beat you.


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## arnisador (Oct 23, 2006)

Good luck! This will make a huge difference in your health.


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## Jade Tigress (Oct 23, 2006)

meta said:


> Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum, but I've been lurking here for a while, and it seems like you have a great community here.
> 
> I recently started Kyokushin, something that I wanted to do for years. I  want to continue training for as long as I can. With this new goal in mind, I now feel motivated enough (for the first time) to quit smoking.
> 
> ...




First of all, welcome to Martial Talk.  

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking. It will be difficult but YOU CAN DO IT! I smoked for 10 years, was close to 2 packs a day when I finally quit almost 17 years ago. I had tried to quit unsuccessfully a couple times before finally succeeding with cold turkey. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. 

Nicotine leaves your body in 3 days, after that, all your cravings are psychological. It would be a good idea to talk with your doctor too, as there are now treatments available which can increase your odds of success. (zyban/wellbutrin, like Jeff mentioned, works well for a lot of people, congrats to you Jeff  ) 

 Buy some hard candy and gum. Keep focused on your training. That will be a good motivator for you in quitting successfully. 

Good luck and keep us posted! :asian:


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## fireman00 (Oct 23, 2006)

Good luck meta!

I quit 9 1/2 years ago when I started tae kwon do.  I had to take the route of using a nicotine inhaler for 4 months followed by 3 months of nicorette gum then 2 years of wrigley's doublemint gum before I lost the craving for a smoke.

Stay away from your "triggers", learn to do deep diaphramatic breathing in stressful situations, drink lots of water, eat lots of crunchy stuff, and chew gum.


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## meta (Oct 24, 2006)

I am simply overwhelmed by your support. Thanks to everyone who responded!

It's been 30 hours since my last cigarette, and yes, it's been tough. But every time I feel tempted to light up, I think about this forum and how embarrassing it would be to admit to you all that my quitting strategy didn't work. 



davemitchel said:


> when your fingers start reaching for 'the pack', go the PC instead and reach for the forum. Lots of interesting things here to get your mind off the evil sticks ......



Thanks, Dave! I also found it useful to do knuckle push-ups every time I get my cravings. Woke up this morning with very sore knuckles. Today I&#8217;m doing squats instead. 

Lollipops also help... 



Drac said:


> My brother purchase a pack of plastic straws and cut them down to cigarette size and carried then in an old pack..You never saw him without one in his mouth, and it worked ...



That's a great idea! I might try that. I use lollipop sticks (after the candy is gone) to trick my mind into thinking it's a cigarette. Helps tremendously 



Jade Tigress said:


> Nicotine leaves your body in 3 days, after that, all your cravings are psychological.



I will keep this in mind. I read somewhere that the third day is the hardest. That&#8217;s Thursday for me. Fortunately, I will have classes all morning and early afternoon, and a two-hour training session in the evening. That should keep me busy enough to keep my mind off smoking. 

I think the most difficult thing is that I associate smoking with many pleasurable activities. Like going to my favorite coffee shop in my home town or having a cigarette after finishing a particularly difficult task...


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## Lisa (Oct 24, 2006)

meta said:


> Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum, but I've been lurking here for a while, and it seems like you have a great community here.
> 
> I recently started Kyokushin, something that I wanted to do for years. I  want to continue training for as long as I can. With this new goal in mind, I now feel motivated enough (for the first time) to quit smoking.
> 
> ...



Meta,

All I can offer is my support and to tell you to never quit quitting.  The benefits you will see from being a nonsmoker are tremendous and soon enough you will not know how you ever smoked.

On a personal note, my father is awaiting a quintuple bipass.  He has smoked for 57 years and this along with a bad diet has damaged his heart immensely.  He has been given no option but to quit.  My Mom is showing her support by quitting with him.  Don't get to his point where his quality of life is decreased.  Quit now and enjoy all the years you have ahead of you.


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## exile (Oct 24, 2006)

Meta---this is great advice you've gotten. I've never smoked, but I've had many friends who have and who quit successfully. Exile's point about the nicotine craving diminishing physiologically, but staying with you psychologically, is absolutely true---and something to watch out for: stress and anxiety seem to make people in early stages of quiting vulnerable to getting derailed. So, apparently, does alcohol---for a lot of people smoking and drinking in social situations go together. You could probably block those kinds of triggered temptations by working out in advance how you're going to handle them. Best of luck, you're already way healthier than you were 30 hours ago!


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## Kacey (Oct 24, 2006)

Good luck to you - it sounds like you have the right attitude.

Something else to consider (just to add to Lisa's story): my mother smoked for about 30 years, as did her best friend.  They tried to quit together several times, and finally tried hypnosis... which (sort of) worked.  My mother finally quit for good when her friend died of lung cancer 3 months after the hypnosis; Hedy waited too long to quit that last time.  Shortly after that, my grandmother (mother's mother) died of emphysema; she had been a 2-3 pack a day smoker for 60 years, and was the only one of her siblings to die before 95 - and she was 78.  She was also the only one who smoked.  

Some other things my mother said helped (and prevented weight loss) - she took up crocheting again.  Having something to do with her hands, she said, helped keep her busy, and replaced having a cigarette in her hands.  Crocheting may not be the activity for you, but there are lots of things - from sewing to crossword puzzles - that you can carry easily that will keep your hands busy.


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## Ping898 (Oct 24, 2006)

Good luck with quitting!!!  I am not a smoker, but my mother is and she's struggled for a long time with it.

As for my advice, I would suggest doing a spring (fall) cleaning of your home, if your place is anything like my folks, the cigarette smell has seeped into everything and one way to help stop the cravings is to avoid the smells, plus after you are no longer around the smells you will find you because more sensitive to the smoke and less tolerant of it!

Aslo if you live in the US and have an employer that participates in the Health Care Flexible Spending Account where they take pre-tax dollars from your paycheck for medical expenses, you can get any of the stop smoking aids like the gum or the patches that you use reimbursed, reduces your taxable income.  Check with your HR. 

GOOD LUCK!!! and welcome to MT


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## IcemanSK (Oct 24, 2006)

I have never smoked, but both of my parents did. My dad never did quit. He died of lung cancer 5 years ago. My mom just quit a few months ago. I know how hard it is. You've got a lot of good advice from folks here. All I can say is, I'm in your corner.


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## donna (Oct 25, 2006)

Good luck with your efforts. found this little bit of information that was very interesting, 

*What Happens to Your body if you stop smoking Right now?*

Wade | Prevention, Cancer, Your Body, Greatest Hits | Wednesday, July 19th, 2006 




I think one of the main reasons its so hard to quit smoking is because all the benefits of quitting and all the dangers of continuing seem very far away. Well, heres a little timeline about some of the more immediate effects of quitting smoking and how that will affect your body RIGHT NOW.

*In 20 minutes* your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
*In 8 hours* the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal.
*In 48 hours* your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.
*In 72 hours* your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.
*In 2 weeks* your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.
*In three to nine months* coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.
*In 1 year* your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by half.
*In 5 years* your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
*In 10 years* your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
*In 15 years* your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
So, you have more immediate things to look forward to if you quit now besides just freaking out about not being able to smoke.
Reference:http://healthbolt.net/2006/07/19/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-stop-smoking-right-now/


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## Hand Sword (Oct 25, 2006)

In the words of the Adam Sandler movies... "YOU CAN DO IT !!!"


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## meta (Oct 25, 2006)

An hour ago I was very tempted to go out and buy some cigarettes, but I decided to stay home and read forum posts instead. If it wasn't for your support, I'd probably be back where I was several days ago. So once again, thank you to you all!

Lisa, Kasey and IcemanSK, thank you for sharing these stories with me. It must be hard to see your loved ones go through all this suffering. It helps me to think that I'm quitting not only for myself, but also for the sake of those who care about me.

As for keeping my hands busy, crocheting is a great idea. I enjoy it very much, but I haven't had a chance to do it in years, so I might try that. Thanks, Kasey. 

I'm trying to notice positive changes in my body, such as those that donna mentioned. I had trouble falling asleep last night, and I feel very irritable and moody, but I know that all these discomforts are nothing compared to the long-term benefits of being a non-smoker.


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## bydand (Oct 25, 2006)

Keep up the good Meta!  I lost my Father-in-Law to lung cancer, that combined with the smoking induced emphysema was enough to solidify my resolve to NEVER go back to them.  The temptation is still there even years later, but the rewards FAR, FAR outweight the alternative ending.  Good luck, *it will get easier* the longer you go without!


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## Kacey (Oct 25, 2006)

I'm glad we could help!  Please keep us up to date on how you're doing.


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## meta (Oct 26, 2006)

Today was the hardest day so far. I woke up feeling tired, and I couldn't concentrate all day. At some point I realized that these are probably just physical signs of withdrawal. I had two hours of training today, and I'm feeling so much better now.  In my Kyokushin class I was reminded of my reasons for quitting, and this was enough to make my cravings go away, at least for a while... I have two more training sessions this weekend, which is a good thing.


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## IcemanSK (Oct 26, 2006)

As hard as it is, it'll be worth it.


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## bydand (Oct 26, 2006)

I'll be willing to bet food is begining to taste better already.  Just one of the great benifits.


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## donald (Oct 27, 2006)

meta,

I tried to give up the smokes a no. of times. Before my Pastor gave me what turned out to be great advice. At this point I had been praying, and struggling(I did try the patch,but the stupid thing would'nt stay lit!) with this for quite some time. What he said was,"why don't you pray and, ask The Lord Jesus, to help you stop. When HE is ready for you to stop. I did, and by GOD's Grace,I've stopped!!!!  I have already prayed for you, and will continue, till you say stop.

By GOD's Grace,
1stJohn 1:9


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## meta (Oct 28, 2006)

bydand said:


> I'll be willing to bet food is begining to taste better already.



You are right, and my sense of smell is also returning. Today I discovered that I can run faster too. 

donald, thank you for praying for me. I can relate to what you are saying. As a smoker, I knew I'd have to quit sometime, but I never felt ready to do that. Last Sunday I suddenly realized that I was going to quit on Monday. It was a very strong feeling, like I had no choice.  I think it was God's way of answering my prayers, and I'm glad that I was led to this decision through martial arts.


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 28, 2006)

Good luck and keep up the good work.


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## meta (Oct 28, 2006)

Thank you, Xue Sheng


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## ACKGuy (Oct 28, 2006)

After smoking for about 10 years and quitting here and there for small amounts of time (and never lasting) i'll tell you how i quit this last time. (going on 3 months now)  It is ALL in you head!  Convince yourself that this is the life altering change you WANT to and NEED to make and you CAN and WILL do it.  I have totally convinced myself that cigarettes are by far the worst thing I can possibly do for myself.  I can't even smell a cigarette now without being totally disgusted!  I have no craveings, even when i drink my morning coffee and after my meals, which was always my MUST smoke times.  I have also minimized my drinking drastically and don't crave them if i do decide to have a beer.

      Training is the best thing you can possibly do for yourself! I started training again after about a 2 year lay off.  I couldn't make it through the first 10 minutes of class without practically passing out.  I couldn't catch that deep breath i needed.  Now i feel 100 times better, still not where i want to be, but i will get there soon enough.  When you feel yourself getting better and better and being able to train longer and harder it becomes like a test. I feel I have to prove to myself how much farther i can go.  You also gain a sense of pride and confidence because you're achieving the goals you set for yourself.  Its a real boost in self esteem.

      My only drawback was that i gained about 8 - 10 pounds because of it.  Since training Ive lost about 12 pounds, so i guess it really wasn't a drawback after all.

      It was the best thing i've ever done for myself, i wish i took so many peoples advice and done it years ago.  Prove to yourself you can do it!  Believe in yourself that you can do it!  You owe it to yourself!

ACKGuy


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## wee_blondie (Nov 11, 2006)

Go on hon - you can do it!!!

If you need a pick-me-up, may I suggest:

http://supersilly.com/cgi/multicomp.cgi?num=1

Garunteed to make you smile!


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## meta (Nov 13, 2006)

I guess it's time for an update... It's been over 21 days since I quit. The first 3 days have been the worst ones. I didn't realize that my smoking was a full-fledged addiction, and I wasn't prepared for the physical signs of withdrawal, but, luckily, I survived.  

I became mildly depressed after quitting, so I started taking St. John's wort, which usually helps when I'm feeling down (I have a history of severe clinical depression, but thankfully that hasn't been an issue for years). I missed quite a few classes at the university because of this, so I have to catch up now, but it was all worth it. 

My karate training helped me enormously. I find that when I'm in the dojo, my mind is totally focused on what I'm doing instead of thinking and worrying about all sorts of things. 

Thank you to all who responded. It really meant a lot to me. 

Heather, thanks for the link. It sure made me smile.



> You are clearly a fearless master of excellence!



:rofl:


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## exile (Nov 13, 2006)

meta said:


> I guess it's time for an update... It's been over 21 days since I quit. The first 3 days have been the worst ones. I didn't realize that my smoking was a full-fledged addiction, and I wasn't prepared for the physical signs of withdrawal, but, luckily, I survived.



Hey, Meta, you're doing great!  Keep up the good work---from this point on, my ex-smoker friends tell me, it gets easier and easier every week. Just stay away from situations and environments which you associate with smoking as the `default' activity, and you'll be fine.


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## IcemanSK (Nov 16, 2006)

Great for you! Keep it up. Way to go!artyon: artyon: artyon: artyon:


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## fireman00 (Nov 16, 2006)

congratulations!  may you have many MANY more smoke free days to come!


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## donna (Nov 16, 2006)

Great work, hope it gets easier every day. I admire your determination.:ultracool


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