Tri-ing to Quit

Well, I quit in 1975 Steve, and it was exercise that did it for me. I started mountain climbing and bike riding, and figured that if I was going to keep up with the fitness routine, the cigarettes had to go. I just tossed 'em away and never had another one. The best advice I can give is to keep active, and stay away from situations where you would normally smoke. That can be tough, but you and I know you are doing the right thing by quitting, and you might as well give yourself the best fighting chance possible!

BTW, welcome to the forum!

Max

I quit a couple of times - for good in about 1991. Did it with nicorette - now its more - How great it is to work out hard and not gasp for air  When I was new to the "quit" - I kept gun in the pocket I used for cigarettes to counter that sinking feeling of "no cigarettes." Biggest motivation? That great 25 mile ride and you could still breathe - yes?

Malvey
Thanks for the advice! Yes I was able to breath (surprisingly) . I was smoking a pack a day about a month ago. Now Im down to 10. About every other day I remove one from my daily allotment . I guess Im a purest, in that I want to totally quit on my own. But maybe the gum will be a good idea when I get down under 4 a day. thanks
Steve

Don't do it the hard way. Get the nicorette; get Zyban if you need to. Keep working out and good luck!

Well, quitting smoking is a huge accomplishment!  Good luck with your training!

good luck with quitting and good luck on the tri lifestyle!

Keep it up Steve! So how many cigs are you down to today??

Also, I think you'll find tris are their own reward!!

D

1) quit for you and only you. As soon as you quit for someone else or something else then it because easier to blame them / that for not quitting.
2) NOPE – Not one puff ever. Use it as a mantra – not one- no excuse – EVER. Once you get your head around the fact of not smoking again ever then you commit to doing it – no compromise.
3) ICE water. Loads of it – it will wash away and numb every craving – and its good for you.
4) EAT. Yes you might put on weight for a while but it would take about 75 pounds of extra weight to do the same sort of damage to you that a 20 a day habit is already doing.
5) Can you quit for 5 minutes? Sure you can – so always break it down into small stages. Quit for a day. It that gets too much then do it for an hour – or 10 minutes. Forget about forever and focus on the next few minutes. Reward yourself with the water and look at the next 5 minutes again. It works.
6) When you quit you may get cravings. Now the cravings can appear to be bad but think of it like this a) – if you knew that your next craving was going to be the last one ever then would you find a way to get through it? How will you know if it’s the last one ever unless you DO get through it? B) – Would you light that next cigarette if you knew it was going to be the one that triggered cancer? How do you know that the next one won’t be the one?
7) Habit!!! It’s a habit mainly. Change your habits. Your body has come to expect a cigarette as a response to a situation. IE – I’ve left work – light up a cigarette. I get in the car – Light up. Etc. Retrain your body – change your routines and reward your body differently –with a walk or some fruit for instance. It takes time because you have probably spent years getting your body to react like it does. Give it time to change. And remember NOPE.
8) Cigarettes offer you nothing. All the adverts, the “I enjoy smoking” etc – it’s a lie. You can get higher on exercise and fell and smell better too. By quitting you are giving nothing up except a deadly life threatening habit. You will be so much better for it.
9) Craves. Deal with it by riding the crave not fighting it. The crave will disappear if you smoke or if you don’t – so don’t. Create a mental picture of the nicotine demon (the nicodemon) that is controlling you and slap the merry shit out of it. Remember – the demon will die unless you feed it.
10) do whatever it takes to stay quit – its worth it in the long run. If it takes NRT’s then do it. The patch is fine to – whatever works for you is the right thing to do. Miracle cures that sound too good to be true probably are.
11) you are an addict. That’s ok. Just remember that when people say is ok to have one. Would they give a junkie a hit? An alcoholic a drink? No, of course not. Most people do NOT understand what you are doing – that’s ok – do your own thing!

12) It’s ok to be a miserable bugger. You’ll get over it and be better for it. You may want to warn people though!!!

You can do it. A positive attitude works wonders. You can choose to be positive about everything. Scares the crap out of people as well. The benefits are enourmous and the money saved will soon buy you a new bike!!


Mike
Day 301 quit.



go for it.

Wow thank you all for the words of encourgement and the reality check (mikenhe). I took it down to 9 today. Going to Sam's Club and get the gum tonight.
Steve

No heaters here, hope the tri and no more heaters go well!