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The Almost War That Wasn't; Chantix And Quitting
Topic Started: Mar 22 2009, 08:23 AM (1,196 Views)
Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
Quote:
 
A couple of things I've realized: I have to break all positive association with smoking, or else I will forever romanticize it and end up jonesin' for it for the rest of my life. F'dat....


Yeah, I've heard that that's one of the biggest challenges; not so much the chemical dependence, but the mental associations you place with smoking and other activities.

Keep at it though man, you're doing yourself a huge favor.
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thanks! The health reasons, for me, are really the least of reasons to quit. Important reasons, to be sure, but addiction is about immediate gratification. It's more immediately gratifying to have more money in my pocket. It's more immediately gratifying to be able to smell freshly-cut grass, rain, baking bread... It's more immediately gratifying to be able to take a nice deep breath without wheezing, not having to worry about how I smell, not worrying about running low on cigs and feeling like I have to run out and buy more...
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
3 Days, 20 hours, 33 minutes
$28.27 saved
115 sickarettes not smoked.

Current playlist:

1. Sixx A.M. "Accidents Can Happen"
2. Sixx A.m. "The Girl With Golden Eyes"
3. Survivor "Burning Heart"
4. Mister Mister "Broken Wings"
5. Tears For Fears "Woman In Chains"
6. Lou Reed "Heroin"
7. Elliot Smith "Needle In The Hay"

Current state of mind: Flat. Level. Not really happy, not really sad, not really much of anything. It's like a dead calm. Weird....
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Dewey
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HOLY CARP!!!
Keep it up, buddy!
"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685.

"Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous

"Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011

I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thanks, Dewey. :thumb: Still goin' strong, and I expect it will continue. :) I appreciate the encouragement. Another 90 minutes, and I'll have four days down.

I went to Walgreen's and picked up a card for the Missus... :wub: and a scented candle, because now that my sense of smell is returning, I'm enjoying things like this. (Plus, it gets the smoke odor out of my study, which is the only place indoors, that I ever smoked.)

The thought briefly crossed my junkie-mind, that Walgreen's also sells cigarettes. :veryangry: Kinda' pissed at myself, but pleased that the urge wasn't much more than a passing thought, and that I was able to just shrug it off.

(Eh... How sick is it that a place that sells medicine and things to improve one's health, also sells the most lethal, most addictive, legally available substance in the world?) Hrmph... :angry:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
7:00 p.m.

4 days in the books! :thumb:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Optimistic
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HOLY CARP!!!
Woohoo! :yesgrin:
PHOTOS

I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up.
- Mark Twain


We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
-T. S. Eliot
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
*BEAMING!* I feel GREAT!! :)
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Optimistic
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HOLY CARP!!!
It sounds almost too good to be true, Frank! It seems like the first few days were actually pretty easy. Is the worst part already over, you think?
PHOTOS

I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up.
- Mark Twain


We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
-T. S. Eliot
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Well, I think the first week is the hardest, but yeah... I think the worst part is over. The physical addiction is over with, but that's never really been the difficult part. The hardest part is changing all of the emotional and mental associations.

For instance, whenever I drive, I smoke. Whenever I talk on the phone, I smoke. Whenever I listen to this particular song, I smoke. Whenever I finish dinner, I go out on the deck and watch the sun setting and have a smoke...

Right: Everything has to be "re-wired," so that relaxation = relaxation.
Any thought of cigarettes can't be, "Boy, I sure enjoyed that one, back when I used to smoke..." Nope. It's got to be, "Boy, I sure was a dumb-ass. Smoking is death and slavery."

And that's the hardest part. It's like playing a chess game with yourself. If you win, eh.... you barely win. If you lose, you still lose.

I think the hardest part is over with, though. Time will tell... :)
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Optimistic
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HOLY CARP!!!
Sounds like the mental stuff is such a crucial part of successfully quitting, and I would imagine it's a part a lot of people don't address enough.

Good luck to ya! :)
PHOTOS

I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up.
- Mark Twain


We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
-T. S. Eliot
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Free Rider
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Fulla-Carp
Hey Frank, you're doin' great! :thumb:

One day at a time and you'll kick it's ass. Thinkin' about you, dude. :)

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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thank you so much, Opti!

Thanks, FR!

Opti, you're right: The mental component is easily the BIGGEST and most essential part of... well.... ANY addiction, really -- But most especially, smoking.

I want this to be the last time I ever go through this, and I'm working like crazy to get free. :)
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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brenda
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..............
You can do this, Frank. :)

I bet Larry would come over and kick yer hinie for ya if you need some tough love. :lol2:
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Hahahaha... So far, there hasn't been a need for that. I'm just thrilled that I have a shot at being free. :)
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Five days DOWN!! w00t!!!!

Today was a tough day, for some reason. Craves all day long...

I had some errands to take care of, and one particular errand took me to a bar, where the patrons were having beers and smoking. I could have easily asked any of them for a cigarette, but didn't.

Next, I stopped at a gas station for something to drink. I asked the lady at the counter, "Out of curiosity, how much is a pack of Marlboro Lights?" She said they were $5.42/pack.

WTF???

I said, "I quit five days ago." She said, "Good. Smart boy." :thumb:

(It would have been easy to say, "Yeah... Lemme' have a pack, then." No one would have been the wiser. No one, that is, except me.

Somehow, even though I had craves all day, I don't think they were for cigarettes, specifically. (If that makes any sense at all...)

I f'cking HATE this. I am a goddamned drug addict; a jonesin' junkie-slave; I am hopelessly, stupidly hooked. :weeping: So f'cking awful and frustrating... How did I get here? This wasn't the f'cking plan!!! :mad2: Miserable... Just utterly f'cking miserable. :(

*sigh*

Anyway:
I have been quit for 5 Days, 1 hour, and 16 minutes
I have saved $37.28
I have NOT smoked 151 cigarettes. (Holy sh!t!)
If each cigarette takes five minutes off of my life, then I have saved 12 hours and 35 minutes of my life.
My Quit Date: 3/21/2009 7:00 PM
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
One day at a time, Frank. You can do it. Today was a tough one, but you hung in there. You can do it again.
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thank you, Sue. I appreciate that. :hug:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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brenda
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..............
Frank, glad you said 'NO' today. Keep it up, buddy. Each day is another victory for you. You're beating this thing every day.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Ben
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Senior Carp
Keep it up, man!! :thumb:
- Ben

"Playing 'bop' is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing." - Duke Ellington

bennieloohoo@gmail.com
Or you can just PM me. :P
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thank you.... Halfway through Day 6. :)

To others trying to quit, making your 24-hour point in the evening, ROCKS!! When you wake up in the morning, you're halfway through the next 24-hour block, and then if you keep busy throughout the day, by the time you start craving, you're already so close to completing another day. Then celebrate making it through, and by the time you start craving again, it's just about time to go to bed. :lol2:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Well done. You are getting a 10% return on your life. Pretty good investment of you ask me.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thanks, Mik. I'm earning it back, believe me. This is the toughest thing I've ever done.
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Yer a tough guy.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
If this addiction had an ass, I would kick it. :lol2:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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