I'm Quitting Smoking on January 1 - Anybody Wanna Join Me?

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
The app I'm using to motivate me is called Get Rich Or Die Smoking.

One thing it does is tell me how much I've saved by not smoking, and what items I could buy with that money.

It's all rocket stuff, guys.

Two days ago, I earned enough to replace my lost AeroTech 24/40 reloadable motor casing ($38.24). I am a mere 10 hours away from earning a North Coast Rocketry SA-14 Archer rocket kit ($59.99). Some time after midnight tomorrow I'll have earned an Estes Mega Der Red Max kit ($69.99).

On Monday, I'll have earned a LOC Precision Iris sounding rocket scale model kit ($80.74).

But it will take nearly two weeks for me to replace my must-have Jolly Logic Chute Release ($129.99).

tl;dr: Rocketry is expensive but smoking costs even more.
 
The app I'm using to motivate me is called Get Rich Or Die Smoking.

One thing it does is tell me how much I've saved by not smoking, and what items I could buy with that money.

It's all rocket stuff, guys.

Two days ago, I earned enough to replace my lost AeroTech 24/40 reloadable motor casing ($38.24). I am a mere 10 hours away from earning a North Coast Rocketry SA-14 Archer rocket kit ($59.99). Some time after midnight tomorrow I'll have earned an Estes Mega Der Red Max kit ($69.99).

On Monday, I'll have earned a LOC Precision Iris sounding rocket scale model kit ($80.74).

But it will take nearly two weeks for me to replace my must-have Jolly Logic Chute Release ($129.99).

tl;dr: Rocketry is expensive but smoking costs even more.

Using the same app... Saving towards an M2000... And I'm only going with my average of 6 cigarettes per day, so I should have earned enough by next Black Saturday...
 
I haven't been doing as well. But definitely better than I was. I was at a pack a day, but for the last 5 days I've been around 5-6 per day. Today I had three. I don't have any at the moment and I even stopped at the store on my way to work tonight. I have a touch of a cold, so my cough has been ten times worse as it normally is. I'm not even crazing one, so hopefully that continues.
 
You guy's are doing great...
Just remember,, don't let your guard down...
Your in this for the long run...
Stay strong,, you got this...

Teddy
 
I've had one cigarette in the last 24 hours. What makes this harder is when you receive a discount in the mail to continue smoking. One of these coupons combined with a $1.50 off mobile coupon means I could get two packs of cigarettes for about $5. I still haven't bought any, but my girlfriend decided she's not ready to quit. I'd be good to go, but when she gets home later, I know the urge to smoke will go up for me. ImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1483821179.708731.jpg
 
So far, so good, but I still keep thinking about smoking. I feel a little sluggish. Technically, I think I'm pretty much nicotine free at this point, as my last one was last Saturday night a little after midnight.

I had a thought.

This wanting a cigarette thing kind of feels like when you haven't had your coffee, and you really need a cup.

I know it's a bad idea to give up too much at once. But I thought, maybe if I can hold off having coffee for half a day - or even a whole day - until my brain is screaming for it, then finally have a cup, and feel a ton better... maybe my brain will feel satisfied and happy about the coffee and forget about the cigarettes.

Any ex-smokers ever try this?
 
So far, so good, but I still keep thinking about smoking. I feel a little sluggish. Technically, I think I'm pretty much nicotine free at this point, as my last one was last Saturday night a little after midnight.

I had a thought.

This wanting a cigarette thing kind of feels like when you haven't had your coffee, and you really need a cup.

I know it's a bad idea to give up too much at once. But I thought, maybe if I can hold off having coffee for half a day - or even a whole day - until my brain is screaming for it, then finally have a cup, and feel a ton better... maybe my brain will feel satisfied and happy about the coffee and forget about the cigarettes.

Any ex-smokers ever try this?

I wouldn't. Nicotine cranky + caffeine headache could be quite the hurdle.

Just stay the course!
 
My mother smoked for over 50 years. One day the Doctor told her to make a choice.
Quit smoking, or die. She quit cold turkey and has been smoke free for more than 25 years.
She is now 90.
But growing up in a house filled with smoke, I suffered with Bronchitis most of my youth.
While she smoked during her pregnancy with me, I suffer a life long list of aliments.
I also suffer from addiction, that's why I chew. While I am trying to quit, it is not easy.
I have nerve damage from back injuries, which cause the occasional case of the shakes.
These are now intensified by the lack of Nicotine.
It takes a strong will to live to quit smoking, and I praise those that can succeed at quitting.
 
Still going. Feeling better about it. Didn't think about smoking for at least a couple hours today.
 
Made it seven days. Tomorrow's my birthday. It gets easier.

I think the most of it is mental. The actual physical withdrawal only lasts a couple days. After that, it's the constant nagging of "this is when I'd normally have a cigarette - what do I do with myself now?" Breaks at work are a big one there.

Going to bed early (which also helps). Good night, and good luck.
 
Article on cigarette chemicals :

https://healthliteracy.worlded.org/docs/tobacco/Unit4/1whats_in.html


Chemicals in cigarettes and cigarette smoke are known to cause not only cancer but also other serious health problems. Many of the chemicals are poisonous. If a person ate one pack of cigarettes, he/she would die.

Familiar Chemicals in Cigarettes

Chemical

Found in:

carbon monoxide-car exhaust

nicotine-bug sprays

tar-material to make roads

arsenic-rat poison

ammonia-cleaning products

hydrogen cyanide-gas chamber poison

cyanide-deadly poison

acetone-nail polish remover

butane-cigarette lighter fluid

DDT-insecticides

formaldehyde-to preserve dead bodies

sulfuric acid-car batteries

cadmium-used to recharge batteries

freon-damages earth's ozone layer

geranic acid-a fragrance

methoprene-a pesticide

maltitol-a sweetener not permitted to be used in foods in the U.S.

Sources: Dr. Joel Dunnington, Tobacco Almanac, Revised, May
 
So far, so good, but I still keep thinking about smoking. I feel a little sluggish. Technically, I think I'm pretty much nicotine free at this point, as my last one was last Saturday night a little after midnight.

I had a thought.

This wanting a cigarette thing kind of feels like when you haven't had your coffee, and you really need a cup.

I know it's a bad idea to give up too much at once. But I thought, maybe if I can hold off having coffee for half a day - or even a whole day - until my brain is screaming for it, then finally have a cup, and feel a ton better... maybe my brain will feel satisfied and happy about the coffee and forget about the cigarettes.

Any ex-smokers ever try this?

I wouldn't. Nicotine cranky + caffeine headache could be quite the hurdle.

Just stay the course!

I agree, don't overcomplicate things. Too much at once, weren't you also addicted to Pepsi/sugar, and you gave that up simultaneously.

Plus, there actually are a lot of findings that coffee is beneficial (not sure why people thought it was bad for you).

Disclaimer -- coffee is pretty much my only vice.
 
I've had one cigarette in the last 24 hours. What makes this harder is when you receive a discount in the mail to continue smoking. One of these coupons combined with a $1.50 off mobile coupon means I could get two packs of cigarettes for about $5. I still haven't bought any, but my girlfriend decided she's not ready to quit. I'd be good to go, but when she gets home later, I know the urge to smoke will go up for me. View attachment 308777

These companies are interested in keeping you hooked. Don't fall for it!

When I was in college, somehow I got mailed a coupon for a free carton of cigarettes. Either Marlboro or Camel, I don't remember. I had smoked occasional cigarettes, but wasn't a regular smoker. I still decided to cash in the coupon and got the carton, and just gave most of the packs to friends and roommates who already smoked. Those coupons had been mailed directly to me and were imprinted with either my name or a number to identify which individuals in the campaign cashed them in. A couple weeks after using the first coupons, I got another set of coupons in the mail. Some were for free packs, and others were for buy-one-get-two deals. I gave them away. Then I started getting buy-one-get-one coupons. Then buy two-get-one. Then a dollar off a pack. It went on for a couple of months, with progressively less valuable offers. I consider that a pretty cold-hearted effort to get me addicted to smoking. They invested some cash over those months trying to get me hooked. I consider myself lucky never to have developed a smoking habit, especially considering the amount of exposure I had to smoking in those years.
 
These companies are interested in keeping you hooked. Don't fall for it!

When I was in college, somehow I got mailed a coupon for a free carton of cigarettes. Either Marlboro or Camel, I don't remember. I had smoked occasional cigarettes, but wasn't a regular smoker. I still decided to cash in the coupon and got the carton, and just gave most of the packs to friends and roommates who already smoked. Those coupons had been mailed directly to me and were imprinted with either my name or a number to identify which individuals in the campaign cashed them in. A couple weeks after using the first coupons, I got another set of coupons in the mail. Some were for free packs, and others were for buy-one-get-two deals. I gave them away. Then I started getting buy-one-get-one coupons. Then buy two-get-one. Then a dollar off a pack. It went on for a couple of months, with progressively less valuable offers. I consider that a pretty cold-hearted effort to get me addicted to smoking. They invested some cash over those months trying to get me hooked. I consider myself lucky never to have developed a smoking habit, especially considering the amount of exposure I had to smoking in those years.

Yeah, it is pretty sad. They used to hit colleges, and they also hit the military bases when I was in. Sad to say, most smokers I knew started when they were between 12 & 15, so I guess going after people in college or military age was just kind of a mop-up operation.

Sad to say, but the tobacco companies are a lot like drug dealers who would give you your first hit of cocaine or heroin for free, and then suck the money (& life) from you when you were addicted.
 
Yeah, it is pretty sad. They used to hit colleges, and they also hit the military bases when I was in. Sad to say, most smokers I knew started when they were between 12 & 15, so I guess going after people in college or military age was just kind of a mop-up operation.

Sad to say, but the tobacco companies are a lot like drug dealers who would give you your first hit of cocaine or heroin for free, and then suck the money (& life) from you when you were addicted.

The mine here gave smoke breaks to smokers, but not to non-smokers. Result? People started smoking in order to get breaks. It doesn't take much to affect human behaviors.


Steve Shannon
 
Don't you guy's remember the Camel Smokin Joe ads..
I think in the 90's..
Weren't they sued for intentionally making Smokin Joe the Camel look like a cartoon character for just these reasons..
So the cigarettes were more appealing to kids...

Teddy
 
The mine here gave smoke breaks to smokers, but not to non-smokers. Result? People started smoking in order to get breaks. It doesn't take much to affect human behaviors.


Steve Shannon

That's exactly what a lot of the enlisted told me when I was in the Marines...if you were a smoker, you got a smoke break, if you didn't smoke, you had to keep on working. Guess what? People started smoking.

You are correct, it doesn't take much to affect behavior, especially when there are issues of "fairness" (for lack of a better term). Why one group of people would get something that wasn't available for everyone just doesn't seem right.
 
I worked at a place where smokers would take a smoke break, and there was one guy who would never actually smoke. He would grab a pack of smokes and a lighter and head outside with the smokers, hold a cigarette in his hand or put it in his mouth but never actually light it.
 
I worked at a place where smokers would take a smoke break, and there was one guy who would never actually smoke. He would grab a pack of smokes and a lighter and head outside with the smokers, hold a cigarette in his hand or put it in his mouth but never actually light it.

Have you read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green?
 
I have not. Is there something similar, with a person taking a smoke break but not smoking?
There's a character who holds an unlit cigarette in their mouth as a metaphor, no spoilers, but it's "putting the killing thing in your mouth and not letting it do the killing."

Probably phrased differently though.
 
WOW! I missed this thread. I am so glad for all of you !!!!
BE TOUGHER than the cigs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Made it seven days. Tomorrow's my birthday. It gets easier.

I think the most of it is mental. "this is when I'd normally have a cigarette - what do I do with myself now?" Breaks at work are a big one there.
OH YAAAAAAAAAA!!! I have to say, it took me a year to get all the triggers out of the way.I think part it took a year because we have 4 seasons in NH
I rode the motorcycle first time in the spring..usually had a smoke when I got off.
Ridding up the ski lift..usually had a smoke.
Mowing the lawn..
I didn't have an issue with smoking while drinking.cuz I don't drink.
That did make it easier for me, not drinking.
Anywhoo--time does heal and the grip will get lighter everyday.
I'll be hitting 4 years here..but most important..I haven't smoked TODAY!!!!!
 
Today's my 11th day cold turkey. I've saved just over $100, and the worst of it was the first three days, particularly days 2 and 3.

But I still feel a little cloudy in the brain - a little bit foggy or groggy - and can't help feeling like "this feeling would go away with a cigarette."

Everything I read says the worst of it is that first few days. I think part of what makes it hard is the habits we form when smoking, and suddenly times when we would smoke, we're not, so what do we do with each other. And unlike some other - illegal - drugs, lapsing with smoking is so easy because cigarettes are everywhere. All you have to do is pop into a corner shop and grab a pack.

This foggy feeling I'm feeling, it may or may not be due to something else. Concurrent with this quitting, I'm having a skin allergy thing, and am taking a medication for it. It may be that, but I don't think so. Still, it might be.

I've been sleeping a ton. I'm on day 1 of a 5 day vacation (staycation), and I slept about 13 hours or more last night.

I keep telling myself that the brain and body adapt. That before I was a smoker, it's not like I was always cloudy in the brain, that cigarettes didn't cure that. That, in fact, cigarettes caused a dependency in me that most people don't have.

But I'm having trouble thinking straight, or writing. And I haven't touched a rocket in a while, because I just feel so out of it.

So, for those of you who've quit, I'd like to know kind of what I might expect. How long does this foggy feeling last? I'm not having withdrawals like I was the first few days, but I'd like to feel awake when I'm awake. And maybe have the energy to build some rockets and work on my rocket blog. This foggy feeling has to fade eventually. I just don't know how long it usually takes.
 
Found this on some quit-smoking community. (If a sport rocketry forum exists, I really shouldn't be surprised that a quit-smoking community exists either)

[h=2]The Long Haul: Weeks 2-4[/h]The first week usually brings the majority of withdrawal symptoms. Moving into the following weeks, they gradually begin to fade away.
Insomnia: Usually resolves by the end of week one.
Fatigue: Energy levels may be low for 2-4 weeks.
Mental fatigue/feeling foggy: Mental clarity should begin to pick up in about 2 weeks.
Hunger: Appetite should return to normal in 2-4 weeks.
Stomach upset: Heartburn, nausea and stomach pain taper around 2 weeks, constipation may last for up to 4 weeks.
Cough/Mucus production: These may persist past 4 weeks, although they often begin to get better in about 2-3 weeks.


Throughout the entire withdrawal process, from day one on, the biggest challenge will be the nicotine cravings and the stress that is associated with them. These cravings cause extreme anxiety and agitation. A hallmark of quitting cigarettes is the bad mood, high temper, and frustration that a smoker experiences. This desire for another cigarette can seem nearly constant throughout the first week. Over the next weeks, however, cravings begin to taper off. Less cravings are experienced and they do not last as long as before.
Without smoking, there is time during the day that needs to be occupied, and it is difficult to find ways to divert attention or to find new ways to spend that time.
As these cravings begin to go away, the associated mood disturbances also fade. Without constantly battling the desire to smoke again, stress levels go down.Edginess and shortness of temper can ease after week one, and then gradually smooth out over the next month, although some occasional outbursts may persist. Restlessness and boredom are often the last side effects to cease. Smoking cigarettes fills time and has become a habit that is very hard to break. This sense of restlessness does gradually improve, but is still something many quitters feel even past the 4 week mark.

Although insomnia should peak during weak one and only come sporadically through the next three weeks, fatigue and loss of concentration or mental ability may continue to be bothersome in weeks 2-4. Since nicotine is a stimulant, the body has learned to function with increased levels of chemicals like acetylcholine and vasopressin in the brain, which work to improve memory and enhance cognitive function.

Generally, the first two weeks of this side effect are the worst, and then it also begins to normalize as more time passes. Associated weight gain is also considered a side effect, although the gain is usually very small, only 5-10 pounds. This weight gain may begin in the first week, and slowly increase through weeks 2-4.
There is no real timeline for withdrawal symptoms, because each quitting experience is unique. However, as a general rule of thumb, many of the physical symptoms like dizziness or headache fade quickly, and are not very severe. The emotional, mental, and behavioral symptoms tend to persist much longer and produce many more problems, but can be managed and overcome.
 
Found this on some quit-smoking community. (If a sport rocketry forum exists, I really shouldn't be surprised that a quit-smoking community exists either)

Thanks for posting that. I guess I don't even have the energy or clarity of mind to Google stuff for myself. :)
 
Back
Top