Giving up smoking.

Anonymous

Well, I've decided to give up smoking. Blood pressure was scary high again the other day.
So far it's been a whole, smokeless day.
Feeling kind of odd though, not tense, just at a loss as to what to do.

Anybody else been through it? what would you recommend to take your mind of smoking?

miggillicuddy

wank? cycle? Chew gun?

Anonymous

I've been chewing gum so much my face hurts! Still chewing. Should have the jaw muscles of a bodybuilder within a week!

I'm pretty sure I'd be sacked if I started wanking at work.

One of the other reasons I'm giving up is becasue I'm getting back into riding again, and I think I'm going out again tomorow, saturday and sunday.

It's just this weird feeling, when I would have been hafing a fag, that there's something I should do in that 5 minutes. I need something (apart from powerball or weights - my arms feel like lead already!) to keep me distracted basically.

nicklouse

having been smoke free for just over a year and nicotine free for a few months.

this is what i did. i decided that it would be easier to do it in steps. first not to try stopping the nicoyine but say right no more cigarettes.

as there are to things that you have to over come. the first is the nicotine and the second is the habit and routine. ie when you have a smoke and what you do with your hands.

i would look at an alternative nicotine use to help you get off the cigerettes.

Steve Austin

look in training in the ROAD section. 4 pages on this

Mike Skinner

I'm happy smoknig for now.
Nice to be content

Anonymous

cheers for the advice, Nick. I'm using nicotine gum at the moment.But I want to try and do without it. I don't really want to be addicted to that either!

I gave up for a few months at the end of last year, with the help of my girlfriend. Unfortunately we put each other through hell as well, and when the shit hit the fan, I turned back to smoking. I just couldn't cope at the time.
This time around though, there's no big issues, so I hope it will stick.

Anonymous

Oh, and Steve Austin, cheers for the info, I wasn't aware of that.

Looking forward to riding smoke free again this weekend. When I've been out without smoking before, it's been as though I've had a turbo-charger installed!

DomA

3 months for me

I decided to go cold turkey after 20years of smoking and have not looked back.

Up until quite recently, whenever I smelled a cigarette I would fancy one, but even that has gone now.

I can sympathise with the "not knowing what to do with your hands". I don't have an answer for it either.

Just keep telling yourself that you'll have more money, more energy, better lungs, you won't stink of smoke and feel like an outcast

Well done by the way!

Dom

ratty2k

£ and a bit months for me..... Actually found it pretty easy :?
But I worked it as looking forward to better health, easier climbing as I would be able to breathe properly :shock: rather than "oh god I cant have a ciggie!"

One thing I did buy and found it very usefull at the beggining re what to do with your hands- A powerball- giro thingie.... you know one of these
http://www.powerball-gyros.com/powerballs.htm

Gets you overthe fidgit phase and works your arms out as well!

SJ

I gave up at the beginning of the year and althoug it was rocky at first I've been doing really well!

I had 2 cigarettes in a pub last Friday night (the first ones in about 4-5 months) because I wanted to before they brought in the ban! I haven'tr craved them at all and really couldn't say how I've managed to do it without and help. I guess it was just something I wanted!

Good luck!

Anonymous

Haha, I've been doing the powerball thing. Also press-ups and dumbell curls. My arms are totally knackered now though!

truespin

I found that eating fruit when I got cravings and doing lots of exercise helped loads.

Also, don't try to change your lifestyle to make quitting easier (well after the first couple of weeks anyway...) - continue going to the pub with your smoking friends or you will resent giving up because of your lacking social life...

I just cold turkey'd after cutting down for the month beforehand and I lasted 16 months (am back smoking now so my advice might not be the best )

Steve Austin

I stopped after 20 years. Just stopped. Told everyone i didn't smoke, never hade etc.
its a mind trick you need to play on yourself

but remember
http://www.politick.info/cigaretteshavevitamins.gif

fumps

I am stopping at the end of the month, the advice i got was to set a date.

So the end of the month it is, there is not point trying before as i'm off to a festival & i know i would lapse there so there is'nt any point in going through the feeling of faliure.

RobA

If you are caught smoking get a person to hit one of your fingers with a hammer, and so on and so on, until you have no more finger to break.

fumps

cool thats 10 sigs before they can dissuade me......what if i wear cricket gloves?

RobA

The hit you in the balls with a cricket bat, Another thing is to get a pac of cigs and take them all out, stick one of the cigs filter end up, up your arse, mix them up then put them back in the box, you won't want to smoke incase you get the one thats been up your arse.

fumps

THen you'll just think someone sliped a camel cig in there when you ratted

RobA

I'm trying to halp here and you keep putting barriers up, lol.

Big_Ads

I used one of those stupid inhilater things but did feel like a bit of a fool at points. However it does get round three things - you can break the habit things eg having a cig just before you go into work by not and sticking the inhilater thing in your mouth at work, gets rid of the, what am I going to do with my hands and also gives you just enough nicotine to take away the craving until eventually you just stop using it. - workd for me and I've now stopped for almost a year (Plus getting out on the bike feels great!) One thing that put me right off was having a cigar when my neice was born went out for a run on the bike the next day and had to get off the bike on a climb because I thought I was gonna fall off / faint due to lack of oxygen!!! :oops:

formerlyknownasbonj

Recognise the science of why smoking is addictive, and the difference between psychological and physical addicion. Physical addiction means you get withdrawal symptoms if you don't have something, and psychological addiction is you remembering that something is really nice, and this subconscious memory indicating to your conscious mind that you want that experience again.
Some things are physically addictive, e.g. heroin, cigarettes - they are also psychologically addictive ASWELL, but most things are purely psychologically addictive, the obvious example being gambling, but also things that are psychologically addictive include cannabis, and I think even fairly serious chemical addictions such as alcohol and crack / cocaine are only psychologically addictive aswell.
While nicotine is physically addictive (i.e. it causes you to feel irritable if you don't have it) it only remains in the blood stream for 48 hours.
So thereafter, if you still want a fag, it is purely a psychological addiction - i.e. your mind is reminding you how nice having a fag is, and want that feeling again. It isn't your body actually craving it. I think it possibly helps to realise that once you've gone 48 hours, your addiction is only pyschological. So in other words, you might aswell get your 48 hours over with and then it's just a case of getting used to and embracing life as a non-smoker because the more you do that, the more you'll forget about when you used to smoke.

Good ways to do this - make lifestyle changes. They don't have to be things to replace your activity for things to do when you would have smoked, just things that stop you remembering when you used to smoke - e.g. if you always had a fag on the way to work, take a different route to work. If you always had a fag outside a particular door at work, make a point of using a different door. Switch from drinking coffee to tea, anything just to stop you thinking there's something missing from your life.

Anonymous

I can assure you there's plenty of things missing in my life already!

Anyway. It's going well so far. I went to llandegla on saturday, and rode as a non-smoker for the first time in 10 years.
It felt like I'd had a turbo installed!

this was after only a couple of days, but it's dramatic enough an improvement to strengthen my determination, if you see what I mean.

At the moment, I'm having one ciggy before bed each night, and they're tasting worse and worse each day. My plan is that by the time the pack is finished (or preferably before), I will have stopped entirely.

jjojjas

I just stopped when child number 3 was born. It wasn't too hard to be honest, but I'd decided i wanted to quit and was a bit peeved I actually smoked.
First few month I stopped going to the pub as that just made it worse. I also stopped playing my bass as that triggered the urge to smoke...probably because I used to smoke when I played it
Been off them for 3 year now. Would never go back, feel fitter, don't smell (well, of smoke anyway....) and have seriously reduced my changes of a heart attack. Not sure if I could afford to start again to be honest. What is it now? £5 a pack?
Good luck mate.
Jas

fumps

24th July is my stopping date.......and i will nail it !!!!

I'm so determined this time ( i have lapsed before) but i'm sick of failing i just hate the fact that i am an adict....it really annoys me.

formerlyknownasbonj

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Anyway. It's going well so far. I went to llandegla on saturday, and rode as a non-smoker for the first time in 10 years.
It felt like I'd had a turbo installed!

good on ya ... that's the only reason that keeps me off cigs, i'd be smoking all the time it wasn't for the fact i could ride faster and get up hills better. It's like they both prop each other up - I don't smoke so I can ride better, and I keep riding lots so I'll stay off cigs.

Peyote

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Anyway. It's going well so far. I went to llandegla on saturday, and rode as a non-smoker for the first time in 10 years.
It felt like I'd had a turbo installed!

good on ya ... that's the only reason that keeps me off cigs, i'd be smoking all the time it wasn't for the fact i could ride faster and get up hills better. It's like they both prop each other up - I don't smoke so I can ride better, and I keep riding lots so I'll stay off cigs.

Can't quite believe the wisdom that Bonj is coming out with on this thread! Can't fault any of the comments others have made, I reckon the "turbo" feeling after giving up the smokes is partly to do with the extra Oxygen that your blood stream can hold. When you're smoking a lot of your bloods capacity is taken up with Carbon Monoxide, 24 hours after your last fag, this has been displaced and you've got a much bigger capacity to distribute oxygen to your muscles.

Of course the capacity will continue to increase, and as your lungs recover then your ability to take in more oxygen will also improve. All good news for getting up hills!

gotta_hurt

Haveing a fag whilest i read this makes me feel naughty!!

:twisted:

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1380892/

:roll:

ratty2k

This was posted somewhere..... MTB Britain IIRC?!
http://www.silkquit.org/sqmmiv/meter.aspx Scroll to the bottom and you'll see a donate link for a download, and a smaller free download under it! I use it, and so far have been off the fags for 3m 2w 4d and hrs/mins/sec! Saving over £700 and gainin an extra week of life in the process! and to everyone thats managed to give up!

Anonymous

Peyote wrote:

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Anyway. It's going well so far. I went to llandegla on saturday, and rode as a non-smoker for the first time in 10 years.
It felt like I'd had a turbo installed!

good on ya ... that's the only reason that keeps me off cigs, i'd be smoking all the time it wasn't for the fact i could ride faster and get up hills better. It's like they both prop each other up - I don't smoke so I can ride better, and I keep riding lots so I'll stay off cigs.

Can't quite believe the wisdom that Bonj is coming out with on this thread! Can't fault any of the comments others have made, I reckon the "turbo" feeling after giving up the smokes is partly to do with the extra Oxygen that your blood stream can hold. When you're smoking a lot of your bloods capacity is taken up with Carbon Monoxide, 24 hours after your last fag, this has been displaced and you've got a much bigger capacity to distribute oxygen to your muscles.

Of course the capacity will continue to increase, and as your lungs recover then your ability to take in more oxygen will also improve. All good news for getting up hills!

I know about the science of oxygen intake and so on. That's why I said turbo, not nitrous!
Another plus I've noticed is my blod pressure returning to almost normal, and my resting pulse rate is down to 47bpm. (I used to be really really fit in my teens :roll: )

BUT, here's the downsides, I find myself becoming VERY short tempered, and generally angry all the time. I've given some people hell, for no real reason.

So does anyone have any ideas on how to combat the anger/stress?

formerlyknownasbonj

yeehaamcgee wrote:

BUT, here's the downsides, I find myself becoming VERY short tempered, and generally angry all the time. I've given some people hell, for no real reason.

So does anyone have any ideas on how to combat the anger/stress?

is it more than 48 hours since you last had a fag?
If not, then you will probably notice this decrease as the nicotine goes out of your bloodstream.
If so, then you are probably doing more/better exercise since you gave up, even if it's only subconsciously - i.e. your cardiovascular system is probably running at a higher rate, just simply because it can. Consequently you're probably more highly strung than you were before. Change your routine, possibly including something extra to do like take up swimming for instance. Swimming is much more upper-body and lung-intensive than cycling. Get some hard toffee and chew one when you feel angry, they are really hard to get through until you have sucked them for a bit so might help ease stress.