brimsalabim wrote:I have a friend who quit by being hypnotized to feel sea sick whenever around cigarette smoke. It worked. It might be worth a try but it doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve also heard transferring the addiction habit to something less harmful like eating wheat thin or goldfish crackers helps get through it.

Dad did toothpicks. It was all a mental game and he won.

Aussie Seahawk wrote:I meant to post on July 23 that I hadn't had a smoke for 6 months, and only just tonight remembered to do so. Stopped Champix/varenicline course on that date, and really feel no different (ie, no significant desire to smoke has returned), so I'm really pleased. Not getting smug or carried away, but I'm really believing good progress.

JGfromtheNW, how are you faring?

Honestly I fell off the wagon for a couple weeks, but I'm back to no tobaccy. A friend of mine who had also been quitting brought some nice Norwegian Shag on a weekend camping trip which did me in for a couple weeks. Bought a bag of it, went through it and then realized how stupid it was.

10 days without again. It sucked to start the quitting process back over, but I wasn't nearly as irritable as earlier in the year and knew what to expect and how to deal with it. I've come to realize that, even if I go months without smoking, the desire to smoke a nice hand-rolled cigarette (or spliff) will probably never go away.

Pre-rolled cigs like Marbs, American Spirits, whatever still sound D I S G U S T I N G to me.

Seahawkfan80 wrote:

brimsalabim wrote:I have a friend who quit by being hypnotized to feel sea sick whenever around cigarette smoke. It worked. It might be worth a try but it doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve also heard transferring the addiction habit to something less harmful like eating wheat thin or goldfish crackers helps get through it.

Dad did toothpicks. It was all a mental game and he won.

I've heard butterscotch lifesavers.

Juul has been helping me with it. Mimics cigarettes better than any other e-cig I've tried and I find myself forgetting about it for awhile. Baby steps like Bob. I definitely notice a difference in my lungs even while still using the Juul vs smoking.

Seahawkfan80 wrote:

brimsalabim wrote:I have a friend who quit by being hypnotized to feel sea sick whenever around cigarette smoke. It worked. It might be worth a try but it doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve also heard transferring the addiction habit to something less harmful like eating wheat thin or goldfish crackers helps get through it.

Dad did toothpicks. It was all a mental game and he won.

Not a bad idea. Would be cool if they still had the old packs of cinnamon ones.

vin.couve12 wrote:

Seahawkfan80 wrote:

brimsalabim wrote:I have a friend who quit by being hypnotized to feel sea sick whenever around cigarette smoke. It worked. It might be worth a try but it doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve also heard transferring the addiction habit to something less harmful like eating wheat thin or goldfish crackers helps get through it.

Dad did toothpicks. It was all a mental game and he won.

Not a bad idea. Would be cool if they still had the old packs of cinnamon ones.

Make your own, cinnamon oil and put in a glass jar, let them soak a day or so depending on the bite you want, take them out and put oven on warm and let them sit a few hours stirring them occasionally.

Probably cheaper then paying whatever a box of them cost these days.

chris98251 wrote:

vin.couve12 wrote:

Seahawkfan80 wrote:

brimsalabim wrote:I have a friend who quit by being hypnotized to feel sea sick whenever around cigarette smoke. It worked. It might be worth a try but it doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve also heard transferring the addiction habit to something less harmful like eating wheat thin or goldfish crackers helps get through it.

Dad did toothpicks. It was all a mental game and he won.

Not a bad idea. Would be cool if they still had the old packs of cinnamon ones.

Make your own, cinnamon oil and put in a glass jar, let them soak a day or so depending on the bite you want, take them out and put oven on warm and let them sit a few hours stirring them occasionally.

Probably cheaper then paying whatever a box of them cost these days.

We used to make them that way too...except we did not bake them. Wood naturally soaked up the cinnamon oil. Leave them in a few days and then let them dry.

YOU CAN ALL GO EAT A BIG BAG OF DICKS(Hamburgers)!!!!!

I'm 17 days in cold turkey and I want to end the world. First couple of days sucked, then it got real easy, but now my cravings are really insane. But I am a non smoker and am glad to have joined those of you here who have quit in the last year or so.

Good for you!! You can do it!!

JGfromtheNW wrote:Honestly I fell off the wagon for a couple weeks, but I'm back to no tobaccy. A friend of mine who had also been quitting brought some nice Norwegian Shag on a weekend camping trip which did me in for a couple weeks. Bought a bag of it, went through it and then realized how stupid it was.

10 days without again. It sucked to start the quitting process back over, but I wasn't nearly as irritable as earlier in the year and knew what to expect and how to deal with it. I've come to realize that, even if I go months without smoking, the desire to smoke a nice hand-rolled cigarette (or spliff) will probably never go away.

Pre-rolled cigs like Marbs, American Spirits, whatever still sound D I S G U S T I N G to me.

Sorry you're going through it all again - I only read this a few days ago. Norwegian Shag and Dutch Halfzware is certainly a nice smoke. I used to buy it from an online tobacconist in Boston through the mid 90s to mid 00s, when all the importing rules tightened and prices soared. I had a very close email friend in Juneau who very kindly used to send me some gift tobacco as well. She was one of the few women I ever knew who smoked rollies.

I've had a few dreams in which I "rolled" a cigarette, but only ever "lit" one once, and then woke up feeling a bit sheepish for a few seconds! Incredibly, drinking alcohol or indulging in a bit of weed doesn't make me crave a cigarette, but I would have once thought that "separation" to be utterly impossible.

NoChops wrote:YOU CAN ALL GO EAT A BIG BAG OF DICKS(Hamburgers)!!!!!

I'm 17 days in cold turkey and I want to end the world. First couple of days sucked, then it got real easy, but now my cravings are really insane. But I am a non smoker and am glad to have joined those of you here who have quit in the last year or so.

A belated reply, sorry, echoing Lymon's words, and wishing you support! All the feedback here I've received since January has been very beneficial to me. The astronomical cost of tobacco products here in Australia is belatedly my friend, too. The money we save is awesome! I'm so much looking forward to my first overseas trip as a non-smoker next year... it is very liberating to think of.

Hoping to see a post about you making it 1 year, Aussie. Looks like we're right about there.

Rootin' for all of you!

JGfromtheNW wrote:Hoping to see a post about you making it 1 year, Aussie. Looks like we're right about there.

Wow, your memory is astonishing! THANK YOU, and YES! One year today of no smoking, and doing just fine. Doing planning for our week in New York next May, spending the money we've saved.

IF I still smoked, I would almost not need a lighter. It is forecast to be 45C/113F here tomorrow - a forecast I've never seen before for Adelaide. Met Bureau say it may go higher, even to all-time record of 46C/115F (Jan 12, 1939). Several northern places forecast to push 118-121F, and appalling fire danger. Blazing sun, and an evil, searing northerly wind.

Anyway, JGfromtheNW, how goes it with you? Please let me know!

MontanaHawk05 wrote:Rootin' for all of you!

THANK YOU - the support I've received here has been wonderful. I still get urges to smoke from time to time, without warning or reason, but they don't last long, and overwhelmingly I am grateful to be FREE of smoking/nicotine, and confident I will never answer its siren song, even when stressed (which I've had plenty of recently, but such is life, of course).

Man, that's awesome! So happy for you, that's a hell of an accomplishment after all that time smoking. Have you gone back and read your original post? I imagine it's a trip to think about the angst and everything else you were feeling as you wrote it.

That's waaaaaaaaaay too hot. I couldn't imagine that type of heat. Worst I've experienced is about 105F on the water.

It's been going well for me. Still no smokes since August. My lungs feel great -- I feel like I can actually breath. Overall my cardio is waaaay better than it was before as I feel much more comfortable hiking, getting back into working out and snowboarding on the weekends. I still get random urges just like you, but I've been staying strong.

I hope the trip planning goes well. Never been to NYC before, but I'll be trying to get to the east coast in the next couple years.

And thanks for the support, Montana!

Aussie Seahawk wrote:

Bobblehead wrote:Get a subscription to welbutran.. Happy pills.
They make your brain forget your a smoker.

good luck, it's a bastard of a habit.

Thank you, but I don't want to take that as I already take 40mg a day of fluoxetine (Prozac) for depression, so Zyban (as it's called here) would be contraindicated. I also have a friend who tried quitting using it a few years back, and he said it made him "stark, raving mad" (although, but by his own admittance, he's rather unstable anyway. Sadly, this friend, who is about 50 or so, had a stroke in October and has permanently lost the sight in his right eye.

FYI/FWIW

ZYBAN & Wellbutrin are the exact same drug/medication

“Bupropion”

Generally speaking, they are prescribed based on the reason you are taking them.
ZYBAN for quitting smoking
Wellbutrin for depression or other mood disorders.

I know this because of my profession but I also have a first hand experience.
Many years ago I wanted to try ZYBAN to help me get off Copenhagen (smokeless tobacco) but my insurance would not cover the cost. I asked my Dr. about Wellbutrin, he was willing to write me the script but advised me to not do it. His reason was that in today’s world of data collection I could find myself in a mental illness data base.
This for many may be a non issue but for me and my profession along with my gun/shooting life style, could absolutely be an issue.

Mental Health issues can, and absolutely should interfere with a persons ability to own and carry a gun.
Mental health issues can also prevent me from maintaining my license to do my job. The government and the public have problems with “nut jobs” being in my line of work. Taking Wellbutrin doesn’t make you a “nut job” but it may put you in the same database, and you may never be able to remove yourself.

It wasn’t a risk that I was willing to take.

Bupropion is a good drug, and has helped many people with various issues but be aware of the situation I’ve described, not all Drs will take the time to inform you on all of side issues. Many drugs have side issues that are not listed as a “side effect”

Hell, guys, I quit 40 years ago and I still get random thoughts that "a smoke would be nice right now." They don't stay long, and generally I can just laugh them off. Plus, just the thought of paying more than $5-8 for a pack of smokes makes my head spin.

Good to see you guys have success. Not smoking for most of my adult life was one of the best things I ever did for my health.

sutz wrote:Plus, just the thought of paying more than $5-8 for a pack of smokes makes my head spin.

This right there is the only thing I'll really ever lecture smokers about. Your body is your body, but think of your wallet.

At the very least, using cheap smokes all the time, a pack a day is $2,000 per year. Add that up and, if you start smoking in college or earlier like many folks do, you're out by something in the $40,000 range by the time you're in your mid-thirties. Just think what better things you could accomplish with your money!

So, pmed, did you stop doing schnoos? Hope so.

MontanaHawk05 wrote:

sutz wrote:Plus, just the thought of paying more than $5-8 for a pack of smokes makes my head spin.

This right there is the only thing I'll really ever lecture smokers about. Your body is your body, but think of your wallet.

At the very least, using cheap smokes all the time, a pack a day is $2,000 per year. Add that up and, if you start smoking in college or earlier like many folks do, you're out by something in the $40,000 range by the time you're in your mid-thirties. Just think what better things you could accomplish with your money!

At the local shop (slightly more expensive than a supermarket) a pack of 20 JPS (John Player Special; one of the "cheapest"/crappiest brands) cigarettes is now about A$25 (~US$18) and a SMALL (25 grams; less than 1 oz) pouch of rolling tobacco of the same brand is A$44 (~US$32). Tobacco products here in Oz are the most expensive in the world.

Maybe this will help ........................ An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of treatment.


Benzene is among the 20 most widely used chemicals in the United States. It is used mainly as a starting material in making other chemicals, including plastics, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. In the past it was also commonly used as an industrial solvent (a substance that can dissolve or extract other substances) and as a gasoline additive, but these uses have been greatly reduced in recent decades.

Benzene is also a natural part of crude oil and gasoline (and therefore motor vehicle exhaust), as well as cigarette smoke.

Cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke are important sources of exposure to benzene. Cigarette smoke accounts for about half of the exposure to benzene in the United States. Benzene levels in rooms containing tobacco smoke can be many times higher than normal.




............................ so although most of us are conditioned to associate smoking primarily with lung cancer, the benzene ring is a poison that has been linked to blood cancers.

Long-term (a year or more) exposure to benzene can produce changes in the blood. It decreases red blood cells and damages bone marrow. This puts people at risk for aplastic anemia and excessive bleeding.

Benzene is associated with an increased risk of leukemia, specifically, acute myeloid leukemia. There is concern that benzene may also contribute to acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Benzene exposure can weaken the immune system because it also damages white blood cells. This puts people at risk for more infections.