The first day without a cigarette

  • Thread starter radou
  • Start date
In summary: They may not have the added chemicals like cigarettes, but they still have tobacco which is harmful to your health. It's best to avoid all forms of tobacco if possible. In summary, the conversation revolves around quitting smoking and the challenges and progress associated with it. The individuals discuss their personal experiences and provide tips and support for quitting. They also mention the potential harm of smoking cigars and pipes, and the importance of finding alternative activities to keep the mind occupied. Overall, the conversation highlights the difficulties and rewards of quitting smoking and encourages others to do the same.
  • #1
radou
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As the thread title says, I managed to get through a day without smoking cigarettes. This is nothing special, since I caught a cold and I'm coughing, so I shouldn't be smoking. But there were times when I was dumb enough to smoke while coughing, which is probably the most devastating thing you can do to your respiratory system. :uhh: So, I'm showing progress. o:) Anyway, I'm very interested in how long I'll last without cigarettes. Tomorrow is the test day number 2 - wish me luck! :tongue2:
 
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  • #2
If you plan to quit smoking, I wish you all the best.

Just remember: It's only difficult if you think it is. Be very active and do a lot of things to get your mind focused on other things.
 
  • #3
Galileo said:
If you plan to quit smoking, I wish you all the best.

Just remember: It's only difficult if you think it is. Be very active and do a lot of things to get your mind focused on other things.

Galileo, thanks for the tip, I'm aware of that fact. Btw, I've learned one thing from all my previous attempts: if you really want to quit smoking, never shout out loud about it. So I didn't. At least not yet. :smile:
 
  • #4
"never shout out loud about it" as in don't have a temper tantrum about quitting or don't tell the whole world about quitting?
 
  • #5
Cigarettes are bad and you should STOP smoking them.
 
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  • #6
mbrmbrg said:
"never shout out loud about it" as in don't have a temper tantrum about quitting or don't tell the whole world about quitting?

Don't tell the whole world about quitting, since there's a high probability you won't manage to quit, and turn you'll out to be an idiot again. :biggrin:
 
  • #7
Evo said:
Cigarettes are bad and you should STOP smoking them.

Arent pipes the worst for Phlegm?
 
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  • #8
cyrusabdollahi said:
Arent pipes the worst for Phlegm?
You don't inhale pipes or cigars. It only goes into your mouth, the only smoke in the lungs is from smoke in the room, which is not good, but not as bad as inhaling cigarettes.
 
  • #9
There is a new cigar store down the road, I might stop buy and get a few.

Pipe smells good, but its for old fogies.
 
  • #10
Evo said:
You don't inhale pipes or cigars. It only goes into your mouth, the only smoke in the lungs is from smoke in the room, which is not good, but not as bad as inhaling cigarettes.

That's true, but I'm sure you're aware that lungs aren't the only organs getting damaged while smoking.

Anyway, pipes smell good. That's the only reason they're better than cigarettes. Further on, if one smokes a pipe, he should pretty much make sure that the pipe 'fits' well on him/her, since, as cyrusabdollahi pointed out, you may look pretty idiotic with a pipe if it doesn't suit you. :smile:
 
  • #11
cyrusabdollahi said:
There is a new cigar store down the road, I might stop buy and get a few.
I used to smoke macanudos at the local cigar bar, buy those.

Well, actually, guys would buy me those and I could make awesome smoke rings.
 
  • #12
Evo said:
I used to smoke macanudos at the local cigar bar, buy those.

Well, actually, guys would buy me those and I could make awesome smoke rings.


:rofl: You're awesome! Cigars ant that bad, right? They are just tobacco, not filled with trash like cigs.
 
  • #13
cyrusabdollahi said:
Cigars ant that bad, right? They are just tobacco, not filled with trash like cigs.

Yeah, right. :tongue2:
 
  • #14
radou said:
As the thread title says, I managed to get through a day without smoking cigarettes. This is nothing special, since I caught a cold and I'm coughing, so I shouldn't be smoking. But there were times when I was dumb enough to smoke while coughing, which is probably the most devastating thing you can do to your respiratory system. :uhh: So, I'm showing progress. o:) Anyway, I'm very interested in how long I'll last without cigarettes. Tomorrow is the test day number 2 - wish me luck! :tongue2:

Good luck! Expect to have some difficulty concentrating while going through the withdrawal period. Then again, if you're already sick, you might not notice what's due to the withdrawal and what's due to the illness. :wink:
 
  • #15
Moonbear said:
Good luck! Expect to have some difficulty concentrating while going through the withdrawal period. Then again, if you're already sick, you might not notice what's due to the withdrawal and what's due to the illness. :wink:

Actually, I don't believe withdrawal periods are tough, except you're a smoker for over 20 years or so. In the end, it's all an individual matter, I guess.
 
  • #16
When I was quitting, the hardest part was always standing at the bus stop without a smoke or being somewhere where I always used to light up. After about 3 months of not smoking I didn't even think about it anymore though, I still have a pack of smokes sitting right next to me (in my desk) and haven't even been tempted to have one for a year or so. (lol, I bet they wouldn't be of the highest quality anymore anyway.)

My Stats:
Your Quit Date is: 5/16/2004

Time Smoke-Free: 924 days, 18 hours, 22 minutes and 54 seconds

Cigarettes NOT smoked: 23119

Lifetime Saved: 5 months, 26 days, 14 hours

Money Saved: $9,702.00


lol :smile:
 
  • #17
..I wonder what money I saved in these 24 hours. :biggrin:
 
  • #18
Lol I hadn't checked my stats at www.quitnet.com for like a year and was shocked at the number of cig's I didn't smoke. After some calculation assuming a cigg is 7.5cm, the cigs I didn't smoke if lied down end to end would stretch 1.73KM = 1.08mi down the road. lol
 
  • #19
radou said:
Actually, I don't believe withdrawal periods are tough, except you're a smoker for over 20 years or so. In the end, it's all an individual matter, I guess.

I guess you can tell us if you have the same opinion after a few days. :wink:
 
  • #20
cyrusabdollahi said:
:rofl: You're awesome! Cigars ant that bad, right? They are just tobacco, not filled with trash like cigs.
Yes, they are not as bad as cigarettes.

Ooh, look, you can buy a box of Macanudos for $245, a fraction of the $29 per cigar they cost at the bar.
 
  • #21
Evo said:
Yes, they are not as bad as cigarettes.

Ooh, look, you can buy a box of Macanudos for $245, a fraction of the $29 per cigar they cost at the bar.

What makes a good cigar good? Obviously the taste, but what is better about the taste as opposed to a 'cheap' cigar?
 
  • #22
cyrusabdollahi said:
What makes a good cigar good? Obviously the taste, but what is better about the taste as opposed to a 'cheap' cigar?
I could not tell you the difference between a cheap cigarette and an expensive one, although I've dated men that smoked both.

I can tell you the difference between good pipe tabacco and cigars and cheap stuff. The smell is completely different. Good tobacco has a rich, sweet smell, no mustiness or mold. It's just something you get to know from being around it.

I confess to having a thing for cherry tobacco.
 
  • #23
radou said:
As the thread title says, I managed to get through a day without smoking cigarettes. This is nothing special, since I caught a cold and I'm coughing, so I shouldn't be smoking. But there were times when I was dumb enough to smoke while coughing, which is probably the most devastating thing you can do to your respiratory system. :uhh: So, I'm showing progress. o:) Anyway, I'm very interested in how long I'll last without cigarettes. Tomorrow is the test day number 2 - wish me luck! :tongue2:

Man I remember having strep throat and I still smoked. I stopped smoking (a smoker can never quit) about a year ago. The secret is just not wanting to do it. When you can convince yourself you don't want to do it anymore you win. It's F-N hard to do that however.
 
  • #24
radou said:
As the thread title says, I managed to get through a day without smoking cigarettes. This is nothing special, since I caught a cold and I'm coughing, so I shouldn't be smoking. But there were times when I was dumb enough to smoke while coughing, which is probably the most devastating thing you can do to your respiratory system. :uhh: So, I'm showing progress. o:) Anyway, I'm very interested in how long I'll last without cigarettes. Tomorrow is the test day number 2 - wish me luck! :tongue2:
I wish you good luck, radou! I hope you succeed.

My wife smoked for ~15 years (up to a pack a day) and quit just after we got married. She used the nicotine gum to take the edge off the cravings. She hasn't smoked in 20+ years. The first few months were somewhat difficult and there were times when she got cranky.

As for whether or not pipes and cigars are not as bad as cigarettes, there is a risk of mouth and throat cancer from chronic exposure to pipe and cigar smoke, as opposed to lung cancer from inhaled tobacco smoke. Of course, there are some folks who smoke into the old age.

An occasional smoke is perhaps not so bad.

Best to quit if one can.
 
  • #25
I was doing temp work in a hardware store today and, though it is illegal, endless amounts of people walk around with lit cigarettes. So yeah. says to me these laws arnt working.
 
  • #26
whitay said:
I was doing temp work in a hardware store today and, though it is illegal, endless amounts of people walk around with lit cigarettes. So yeah. says to me these laws arnt working.

Yeah, that sucks. Smoking really should be banned at any public places, specially at stores and malls. That works pretty well in my country, except, of course, for bars and restaurants. Every one of them should have (around 40 % really do practice that) a separated part for smokers. But, that's problematic, since in some of them this requires major disarangement, which costs the owners money. Further on, there are some places where the non smoker's and smoker's areas are separated, well, with air. That solution was best accepted, since the only cost for the owners was to put up 'smoking allowed' and 'smoking not allowed' signs. :tongue2:
 
  • #27
radou said:
Further on, there are some places where the non smoker's and smoker's areas are separated, well, with air. That solution was best accepted, since the only cost for the owners was to put up 'smoking allowed' and 'smoking not allowed' signs. :tongue2:

Reminds me of a dairy queen I used to go to, the non smoking section was right next to the smoking section, you could literally be sitting in the non-smoking section and the person directly behind you would be smoking. :rolleyes:
 
  • #28
I tried to post in an old "quit-smoking-thread", but it was locked. So I'll continue in this one.

Well, the attempt to quit smoking which made me start this thread a few months ago didn't result in quitting, of course (lasted 3-4 days, if I recall correctly).

So, today it's been two weeks that I didn't smoke, and it's actually my first "serious" attempt to quit smoking. I'm not ill (which used to be the only time I didn't smoke during the past 7 years), so that's why I call it " "serious" ". The best thing of all is that I don't miss cigarettes so much as I thought I would. At least not for now, though. :smile:

Anyway, any of you going through something similar?
 
  • #29
One objection here: Some studies have shown nicotine to be more addictive than cocaine or heroin. Addiction is not a small deal that one only need not think about, and it is much harder for some people to quit than it is for others.

I wish you the best in your effort to quit, but don't expect it to be easy.
 
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  • #30
I wish you the best of luck with your attempt to quit radou. The cravings really started to go away for me after a month or so. Battle it out that long and I bet you will be ok.

I found that it helped to pick up a new 'temporary' addiction to replace smoking. I bought a bunch of mints and every time I felt the need for a ciggarette I would suck on a mint, try it! Assuming you like mint, heh.
 
  • #31
Ivan Seeking said:
Some studies have shown nicotine to be more addictive than cocaine or heroin.

Such studies may be good in order to discourage people to start smoking, but they may as well be bad for people trying to quit smoking, and the reason is more than obvious.
 
  • #32
radou said:
I tried to post in an old "quit-smoking-thread", but it was locked. So I'll continue in this one.

Well, the attempt to quit smoking which made me start this thread a few months ago didn't result in quitting, of course (lasted 3-4 days, if I recall correctly).

So, today it's been two weeks that I didn't smoke, and it's actually my first "serious" attempt to quit smoking. I'm not ill (which used to be the only time I didn't smoke during the past 7 years), so that's why I call it " "serious" ". The best thing of all is that I don't miss cigarettes so much as I thought I would. At least not for now, though. :smile:

Anyway, any of you going through something similar?
One of my students has been quitting (he's been smoke free most of the current semester). He swears by sunflower seeds to get him through the cravings (the ones with shells on so it takes time to eat each one, which prevents you from gaining a ton of weight while trying to keep your mouth busy). He jokes that his wife sometimes says she'd prefer him still smoking over listening to the cracking of sunflower shells all day, and I tease him he's just traded in his nicotine addiction for a sunflower addiction. It might be something to try if you find yourself needing something to do with your hands or mouth while fighting cravings.

Good luck. It's common for people to have to try a few times before finally quitting, so maybe this time will be the charm.
 
  • #33
cyrusabdollahi said:
What makes a good cigar good? Obviously the taste, but what is better about the taste as opposed to a 'cheap' cigar?

Good cigars are handmade, and use much higher quality tobacco leaf...as opposed to tasting smoke, you will usually taste different flavors throughout the entire smoke, depending on what kind of cigar you get. They will also burn more slowly and evenly than cheaper cigars, and typically contain higher amounts of nicotine.

Any tobacco is bad for you if used frequently, but I figure a nice cigar every month or two can't hurt me...
 
  • #34
dontdisturbmycircles said:
I found that it helped to pick up a new 'temporary' addiction to replace smoking. I bought a bunch of mints and every time I felt the need for a ciggarette I would suck on a mint, try it! Assuming you like mint, heh.

Moonbear said:
One of my students has been quitting (he's been smoke free most of the current semester). He swears by sunflower seeds to get him through the cravings (the ones with shells on so it takes time to eat each one, which prevents you from gaining a ton of weight while trying to keep your mouth busy). He jokes that his wife sometimes says she'd prefer him still smoking over listening to the cracking of sunflower shells all day, and I tease him he's just traded in his nicotine addiction for a sunflower addiction. It might be something to try if you find yourself needing something to do with your hands or mouth while fighting cravings.

Sunflower shell cracking! :bugeye: Well, I can't say I don't understand his wife. :biggrin:

Anyway, I use to chew gum, which seems like a good solution, since I always hated the combination of mint/cigarette smoke when smoking after chewing a gum.

usahockey said:
Any tobacco is bad for you if used frequently, but I figure a nice cigar every month or two can't hurt me...

Of course it won't, if you know how to control yourself.

I used to cmoke cigarillos for a while.
 
  • #35
i know i shouldn't but i was thinking of picking up one of those shelock homes type pipes, not to smoke all the time but every once in a while. it does relax and pipe tobacco smells good plus your not really inhaling. :rolleyes:
 
<h2>1. What are the physical symptoms I can expect on the first day without a cigarette?</h2><p>On the first day without a cigarette, you may experience physical symptoms such as cravings, irritability, difficulty concentrating, headache, and increased appetite. These symptoms are normal and will subside as your body adjusts to being nicotine-free.</p><h2>2. How can I cope with the cravings on the first day without a cigarette?</h2><p>To cope with cravings on the first day without a cigarette, try deep breathing exercises, distract yourself with a hobby or activity, drink plenty of water, and remind yourself of the reasons why you quit smoking. You can also seek support from friends, family, or a support group.</p><h2>3. Will I gain weight on the first day without a cigarette?</h2><p>It is common to experience weight gain on the first day without a cigarette due to increased appetite and changes in metabolism. However, this weight gain is usually temporary and can be managed by maintaining a healthy diet and staying active.</p><h2>4. What are the benefits of quitting smoking on the first day?</h2><p>The benefits of quitting smoking on the first day include improved lung function, reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, better sense of taste and smell, and improved overall health. You will also save money and no longer be controlled by nicotine cravings.</p><h2>5. How can I stay motivated on the first day without a cigarette?</h2><p>To stay motivated on the first day without a cigarette, remind yourself of the reasons why you quit smoking, set small achievable goals, reward yourself for reaching milestones, and seek support from loved ones or a support group. It may also be helpful to keep a journal to track your progress and reflect on your journey.</p>

1. What are the physical symptoms I can expect on the first day without a cigarette?

On the first day without a cigarette, you may experience physical symptoms such as cravings, irritability, difficulty concentrating, headache, and increased appetite. These symptoms are normal and will subside as your body adjusts to being nicotine-free.

2. How can I cope with the cravings on the first day without a cigarette?

To cope with cravings on the first day without a cigarette, try deep breathing exercises, distract yourself with a hobby or activity, drink plenty of water, and remind yourself of the reasons why you quit smoking. You can also seek support from friends, family, or a support group.

3. Will I gain weight on the first day without a cigarette?

It is common to experience weight gain on the first day without a cigarette due to increased appetite and changes in metabolism. However, this weight gain is usually temporary and can be managed by maintaining a healthy diet and staying active.

4. What are the benefits of quitting smoking on the first day?

The benefits of quitting smoking on the first day include improved lung function, reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, better sense of taste and smell, and improved overall health. You will also save money and no longer be controlled by nicotine cravings.

5. How can I stay motivated on the first day without a cigarette?

To stay motivated on the first day without a cigarette, remind yourself of the reasons why you quit smoking, set small achievable goals, reward yourself for reaching milestones, and seek support from loved ones or a support group. It may also be helpful to keep a journal to track your progress and reflect on your journey.

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