Texas Hunting Forum
Quitting Smoking
Posted By: retfuz
Quitting Smoking - 03/29/16 08:21 PM
I stopped smoking a little over three weeks ago. I took Chantix and it worked. Chantix cost almost $150.00, but thats almost what I was spending monthly on cigs. If anyone is considering it, Chantix was very helpful.
Congrats! $150 is cheap in the long run. I quit back in 1997, quit cold turkey and went on vacation so I wouldn't be tempted by co-workers, etc. for nearly two weeks. I had quit before and only been smoking 4-5 years.
Now, if they would just develop Chantix for Dr. Pepper and Mexican food...
Posted By: Navasot
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/29/16 08:30 PM
Good deal congrats its not an easy task..
I don't miss the headaches each morning or everything smelling and tasting like smoke
Posted By: Navasot
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/29/16 08:33 PM
Only now i just have to worry about my salt intake with seeds.... never can sit still... eat snack foods constantly
Posted By: Cast
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/29/16 08:47 PM
Nav, salt is no longer declared bad for you. Really.
Posted By: CCBIRDDOGMAN
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/29/16 08:54 PM
Good for you. I quit cold turkey on September 1st 1998. Smoked my last cigarette sitting on a camo bucket in a dove field. I had started trying to slow down and that was my 1st cig of that morning and it tasted like crap, about half way through it, I tossed it and said no more. I will say I smoked alot of weed back then and I'm sure that helped with quitting the cigarettes.
Posted By: beaversnipe
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/30/16 03:46 AM
I stopped smoking a little over three weeks ago. I took Chantix and it worked. Chantix cost almost $150.00, but thats almost what I was spending monthly on cigs. If anyone is considering it, Chantix was very helpful.
Beware of the side effects of chantix.
Posted By: blackcoal
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/30/16 04:09 AM
What are the side effects?
Posted By: BigPig
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/30/16 04:18 AM
Suicide was the biggest side effect. My dad took it and it worked, but he had nightmares that he said were so real it effected his daily life. This man isn't afraid to walk through the woods in pitch dark, but he couldn't go in tight spaces after Chantix. He could t go in his closet, shower in his bathroom had to use the kitchen sink, couldn't sit in a deer blind, and almost couldn't drive his vehicle except with the windows down. It was interesting for a while, then 1 day he woke up and all was fine. He put his clothes back in his closet and could take a real shower again. He smoked for 40 years, after he quit he became diabetic, has high blood pressure, not sure they were related to the Chantix or the quitting after all those years, could've just been timing
Posted By: Navasot
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/30/16 04:16 PM
Nav, salt is no longer declared bad for you. Really.
I would think 3 bags of seeds a day is a bit much lol
Posted By: KRoyal
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/30/16 04:40 PM
Congrats sir, I quit smoking and going on 185 days. Started vapeing in its place and started out at 18MG of Nicotine and I'm now down to 6MG of Nic. I could probably do without the Nic really, but Nic by itself really isn't harmful to you, it is a stimulant just like caffeine. Feel better, no shortage of breath anymore, everything tastes better.
Posted By: soooo
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/30/16 05:26 PM
Today is my last day on Chantix, after 30 days. Don't want to smoke, but I miss doing something with my hands at certain times, like reading or when on the phone.
No suicidal thoughts, but have felt the urge to strangle a few people.
Posted By: _Lee
Re: Quitting Smoking - 03/30/16 11:41 PM
Congrats! I quit smoking last September using chantix as well. One other thing I do now in its place is chew gum. The Chantix was free with my insurance, I have heard several insurance companies are offering it for free these days.
Posted By: CenTex
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/01/16 03:27 AM
but Nic by itself really isn't harmful to you, it is a stimulant just like caffeine. Feel better, no shortage of breath anymore, everything tastes better.
Unfortunately this is not true. I smoked my last cig a year ago and still chew nicotine gum all day every day. Nicotine by itself restricts blood flow which can lead to heart failure.
Congrats!
What are the side effects?
A close family member tried Chantix for a few weeks to quit smoking, and had his death planned out to the minute detail. Where it would happen, when it would cause the least inconvenience, how it would happen so it wouldn't be ruled a suicide so that insurance would still pay, and his next of kin wouldn't have to identify the body...
Thankfully, he realized what was going on and weaned himself off with the help of his Doc. That Chantix is no joke.
There's a lot of success stories with it, but there's a lot of death associated as well.
Congrats to the OP, I'm sincerely glad it worked for you. You're a better man than me, I'm going on 20 years of smoking, with good intentions of quitting but no progress.
Posted By: txtrophy85
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/02/16 07:25 AM
Nav, salt is no longer declared bad for you. Really.
I would think 3 bags of seeds a day is a bit much lol
You quit dip too?
I haven't had a dip since right before Christmas. The first few weeks were tough when on the ranch or driving down the road. After that it gradually got better
Posted By: Cast
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/02/16 10:08 AM
Nav, salt is no longer declared bad for you. Really.
I would think 3 bags of seeds a day is a bit much lol
Nope, the twenty year study is long done on salt and the scientist were wrong again. Salt is needed in the diet and a lack of it is very bad for you. It is pretty hard to intake too much salt. It DOES NOT increase BP significantly. It is actually your friend, take it off your watch list.
Posted By: PKnTX
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/02/16 10:08 PM
It's not news to anyone that smoking is probably the worst thing people do to their health and quitting one of the hardest. Congratulations to all who've done it and to those who've decided to!
Nicotine and tobacco in general are deceivers. LIARS.
Convincing our bodies and minds that we need them.
That everything would be better if we'd just use them.
"Just one more time, it'll be okay."LIES!
Posted By: SmithR
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/04/16 10:59 AM
Congrats
I quit smoking in may 2015,also with chantix. I never had any of the side effect but I did gain 20lbs.
10 months later I am 60lbs down and feel better than I ever have.
Posted By: KRoyal
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/04/16 09:28 PM
but Nic by itself really isn't harmful to you, it is a stimulant just like caffeine. Feel better, no shortage of breath anymore, everything tastes better.
Unfortunately this is not true. I smoked my last cig a year ago and still chew nicotine gum all day every day. Nicotine by itself restricts blood flow which can lead to heart failure.
Congrats!
Nicotine does constrict blood flow same as caffeine and other things found in a lot of foods. Inhaling the pure form of Nicotine has been studied and the results have found that there really aren't any real ill effects from it. To much of anything of course could be bad for you. Nicotine gets a bad rap because it is linked with tobacco and cigarettes however it is no worse for you than your morning cup of coffee if you're inhaling its pure form.
Research shows that nicotine, used in isolation(pure form), can be effective for brain enhancement and helpful in treating a number of brain-related disorders.
Tobacco smoking has been reported to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, particularly of the lungs. In spite of extensive research on the health effects of tobacco smoking, the substances in tobacco smoke exerting these negative health effects are not completely known. Nicotine is the substance giving the subjective pleasure of smoking as well as inducing addiction. For the first time we report the effect on the rat of long-term (two years) inhalation of nicotine. The rats breathed in a chamber with nicotine at a concentration giving twice the plasma concentration found in heavy smokers. Nicotine was given for 20 h a day, five days a week during a two-year period. We could not find any increase in mortality, in atherosclerosis or frequency of tumors in these rats compared with controls. Particularly, there was no microscopic or macroscopic lung tumors nor any increase in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells. Throughout the study, however, the body weight of the nicotine exposed rats was reduced as compared with controls. In conclusion, our study does not indicate any harmful effect of nicotine when given in its pure form by inhalation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8614291
Posted By: Wilhunt
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/04/16 09:54 PM
Congrats on quitting. I stopped 13 years ago. I first tried just cutting back and not carrying them with me. I was able to get down to 10 a day easy, then went on down to 3 a day. That was not so easy. I was at work and my no. 3 cigarette was gone and I was frustrated as heck. A friend came in and I got a cigarette from him and fired up...I realized all the anxiety I had thru was gone with that first puff. I was very disappointed in myself. That was the last one.
Posted By: billybob
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/05/16 11:19 AM
Stick with it I smoked for 55 years up to 3 packs/day and you don't want to have to quit because of heart failure or clogged arteries. It's been 2 years since I got out of the hospital and quit. There supposed to be a point where you start feeling better when you quit...afraid all my damage was done and never had those good feelings after quitting.
Posted By: RedRanger
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/05/16 11:28 AM
I like to have a few cigs when I am having a drink in the evening.
I never let any vice get control over me........
Posted By: Erathkid
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/05/16 01:55 PM
Weekend smoker here. If I quit alcohol I wouldn't smoke at all. Hard to do. Really enjoy a good cigar with a cold beer.
Posted By: Erathkid
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/05/16 02:03 PM
Nav, salt is no longer declared bad for you. Really.
You know what they call people that say salt isn't bad for you? Cadavers. Unless you're an athlete that sweats profusely on a daily basis, you don't need extra salt. Plenty of it in the food we eat. No reason to add more to the average person's diet. Cardiologists around the world would agree.
Posted By: fowlplayr
Re: Quitting Smoking - 04/05/16 02:04 PM
Weekend smoker here. If I quit alcohol I wouldn't smoke at all. Hard to do. R
That's my problem too. In order to completely quit smoking, I think I would have to quit drinking as well. I'm not ready to jump on that wagon right now.
Posted By: RCINTX
Re: Quitting Smoking - 05/02/16 08:43 PM
Quit 2 years ago this month. I got fed up of being controlled by it. Almost every thought was when I was gonna have my next smoke. Ran out one day and never bought anymore. Just ordered a new Sig for my 2 year anniversary, at least that is what I am going to tell my wife. I figure the Sig was much cheaper than the smokes. LOL.
Tried Chantix once. Had heart problems from it that left me in a cardiologist office at less than 30 years old. No issues since stopping Chantix. It does work, but I am not sure it's worth it.
Great job to everyone who has tried to quit even if they failed. It's tough.
Posted By: RiverRider
Re: Quitting Smoking - 05/04/16 01:20 AM
I will say I smoked alot of weed back then and I'm sure that helped with quitting the cigarettes.
Maybe you didn't really quit...maybe you really just forgot to buy your next pack of smokes.
Posted By: CharlieCTx
Re: Quitting Smoking - 06/05/16 03:54 PM
I quit smoking in 1993 after smoking 12+ years (Unfortunately I started young, 13) by going to a hypnotist for $50 at a hotel group session, laying on the floor on a pillow with 8-10 other people. It was about 5 hours with a break, in the dark, break in the middle, listening to a tape of the guy. Seemed like about an hour, worked for me, don't know about the others.
Hypnosis works, for many things, IF you want it to. It's not a solution if you're expecting a mind altering/against your will experience to take place. I still thought about it and had the habit to break (after eating, doing a squatski, smokers can relate to all of the ritual times), but I did not have the craving you get otherwise. I'll cluck like a chicken if you clap your hands 3 times and whistle (side effect I guess), but not a single drag since the day I walked out.
Until you drop the gum, vaping, chew or dip, you're still hooked on nicotine which is detrimental to your health.
Good luck to you.
Charlie
Posted By: 100%TEXAN
Re: Quitting Smoking - 07/28/16 01:09 AM
What are you guys doing to fight the urges to smoke? I chew a ton of gum but some of the urges are bad enough I'll grab a smoke and be fine for a few days.
Posted By: PKnTX
Re: Quitting Smoking - 07/28/16 02:39 PM
What are you guys doing to fight the urges to smoke? I chew a ton of gum but some of the urges are bad enough I'll grab a smoke and be fine for a few days.
There any number of distractions that might help short term but deciding which urge is
most critical is a good option.
Decide what URGE is more important:
The urge to believe the LIE that a smoke will make things better,
OR the urge:
That you be in control of your own emotions
That you want a healthier life for yourself and your family.
That you don't stink.
That you not spend money and time on a LIE.
Nicotine is lying to us. There is absolutely NO good to come of smoking.
Posted By: TKM
Re: Quitting Smoking - 08/23/16 04:10 AM
What are you guys doing to fight the urges to smoke? I chew a ton of gum but some of the urges are bad enough I'll grab a smoke and be fine for a few days.
Smoked three packs a day, quit cold turkey in 1997. My kids being small and talking about their kids one day being able to hunt with me. Hit me like a ton of bricks, haven't smoked since.
Posted By: luv2brode
Re: Quitting Smoking - 08/24/16 12:35 AM
thinking about quitting again
Posted By: TAT
Re: Quitting Smoking - 09/16/16 06:30 PM
I've been quit since the first of year! Feel way fetter too. Also bought a new truck and didn't want it to smell like smoke. Now I just need to work out more. It all comes down to will power! Someone on here said will power is key and a lot of good people would still be around if they would have better will power. That really hit home with me. Good luck. You can do it.
Posted By: SniperRAB
Re: Quitting Smoking - 11/22/16 02:43 PM
Most controllable factor in your Life
Posted By: KWood_TSU
Re: Quitting Smoking - 11/22/16 04:17 PM
I've been quit since the first of year! Feel way fetter too. Also bought a new truck and didn't want it to smell like smoke. Now I just need to work out more. It all comes down to will power! Someone on here said will power is key and a lot of good people would still be around if they would have better will power. That really hit home with me. Good luck. You can do it.
Very true statement right here to go along with that.
"Your mind can either be your greatest motivator or your biggest enemy. It's your choice which one you choose."
Posted By: Navasot
Re: Quitting Smoking - 11/22/16 04:31 PM
Nav, salt is no longer declared bad for you. Really.
I would think 3 bags of seeds a day is a bit much lol
I haven't had a dip since right before Christmas. The first few weeks were tough when on the ranch or driving down the road. After that it gradually got better
