I didn't think I could go "potty" without one.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Just don't decide to quit when you go on vacation... I tried that once and it was almost the end of a relationship!

Jay

Wait. Are you saying that cars start and meals can be digested without cigarettes? I'm confused. That doesn't make any sense.

Next you'll be telling me that it's possible to absorb caffeine without a cigarette. Ridiculous!

Did you know that you can go out dancing and even have a couple of drinks....and not have even one cigarette!!! Amazing, huh?

I like to smoke...

...but I don't smoke cigarettes. I think cigarettes smell and taste nasty. Instead, I'm a big fan of little cigars. Black & Mild, to be specific. All the flavors are amazing, but the wines are the absolute best. I don't chain smoke - one pack of 5 will usually last around a week for me. For me, it's a recreational thing that I'll do if I'm A) hungry and don't feel like eating, B) needing some energy, C) needing some calming down, or D) bored. I usually smoke half of one initially, then save the other half for later.

I have no intention of quitting them at the moment. I don't think I smoke enough to cause harm to my body, and it helps curb cravings. Now, I know the non-smoking brigade is going to lecture me... *braces self*

As for smokers quitting cigarettes, yeah - they gain weight because they like to have something in their mouth. I suggest chewing lots of gum. Chewing gum also helps with overeating because everything tastes bad after you've just been chewing on some strong, freshly flavored mint gum!

Rhonda, this is EXACTLY what I say about quitting, too! You have to let go, you can't dwell on the craving because that only makes it worse.

I quit six years ago. What made it successful this time around, mostly, is that I seldom find myself in an environment with other smokers. I no longer have friends who smoke, and the few relatives who smoked freely in their home have moved several hours away. I allowed myself to do nothing but focusing on quitting smoking, however long that took. I didn't find it that difficult to quit (I'd been an off-and-on smoker for 15 years), but I did gain about 40 pounds.

My doctor said that quitting smoking was more beneficial to health than weight loss, at least for me, and I was a good 100 pounds overweight.

Good one, Gary! Your original post in this thread was the sweetest, most poignant "lecture" I've ever read. I'm glad you quit. I'm so sorry to hear about your mother.

I used to like small cigars before they were "acceptable." Tiparillos, Swisher Sweets... :p I wouldn't go within fifty feet of a cigar now. :barf:

Jay

Hehe Jay, I like Swisher Sweets, too... but Black & Mild are my absolute favorite.

And while little cigars may be "acceptable" I still occasionally get funny looks for being a white female smoking a Black & Mild - everything seems to revolve around race and gender in this town! (Which, BTW, I no longer hate Florida :lol: - just Gainesville - I'm planning to move to Sarasota this summer :D)

So, Jay, what made you start hating cigars?

baffled
I don't think they are saying one thing won't happen without the other lol.

There are triggers that set off wanting a cig. As soon as I sit down at the computer I want a cig. Now I don't smoke while at the computer. Has help me cut down a great deal. I go out on the patio. Thank heavens I have a door to it from the den lol.

Hey Shane,

Move to Tampa Bay! Better here! But more citified than Sarasota, so it all depends on what you want. I lived south of Sarasota for six years, and I wanted more going on.

But back to the topic of smoking--once you quit smoking, you really really don't like being around it in any form. And cigars are just disgusting! I won't put up with it.

Shy Moment, I think baffled was being ironic... ;)

Jay

Jay
You know, it must depend on the person. My mom quit and it never bothered her to be around smokers. The ex quit and he said as long as they weren't in a closed vehicle with him it was fine. I have known many people that quit that just couldn't stand to be around cig smoke. And yes they probably were lol.

Interesting. Because I've never known any ex-smoker who felt neutral about it. I've known some who wouldn't say anything because they had friends or family who smoked, and they didn't want to make them feel bad. But hey, no one smokes in my house, and I won't stay in a house where people are smoking. Yuck. Like living in an ashtray.

When I smoked, I had no idea it was like this for nonsmokers.

Jay

I figure all the stuff we take in our lungs from cars and factories and such is killing us too.

Jay - I've been to Sarasota and I think it's just... gorgeous, and for me it has more going on than Gainesville. And it's near the beach. I really want to be near the beach. If I don't move to Sarasota, then I'm planning on Space Coast (the girlfriend and I have already been hunting down places and viewing our options). Her brother lives in Cocoa Beach and I love that area just as much. I've fallen in love with certain parts of Florida... so basically I just can't wait to get the **** out of this town full of frat rats! :)

I had no idea that nonsmokers thought living with a smoker was like living in an ashtray. As I mentioned, I don't smoke cigarettes. However, most of my exes did, and I didn't mind making out with them OR their smoker's breath; I just had no desire to smoke those nasty cigarettes myself. Perhaps your immense disgust towards smoking just stems from the fact that you quit and therefore no longer want to be associated with it? Out of curiousity, which are MORE disgusting - cigarettes or cigars?

Oh - ironically, non smokers usually don't mind me smoking my Black & Milds around them because the smoke smells soooo GOOD! I was outside with some of my co-workers on break time, and one of them - a non smoker :lol: - actually wanted me to blow smoke in his face because he said it was so sweet.

Hey! I don't want us to get too off topic here... but about smoking. Both of my parents smoked when I was little (a preschooler). I had to ride in the middle, between them, on the front seat. I don't even want to tell you how long ago this was, except that there were no seat belts then. :eek: Anyway, I used to cry and cry because they were smoking and I hated it so much.

As an adult, I lived with a nonsmoker for 10 years. She had grown up with smoke all around her, so it seemed normal to her.

I think once you quit, and your sense of smell and taste buds come back, it is just more unbearable, I guess. On the rare occasions when I go somewhere that smoking is still allowed, I have to come home and take a shower and wash my hair and leave the clothes I wore out in the shed!

Cigars are more disgusting than cigarettes.

Pipe tobacco, which I think some of those small cigars use, smells mostly good to me, though. But not if I'm in a closed space for long with one.

Jay

Pipe tobacco is the only kind I smoke ;)

Smoking is only allowed outdoors and in bars down here, no? It was actually quite strange, because in DC and VA, you can still smoke in public places - or at least you could when I lived there. You just had to say whether you wanted to sit in the smoking vs. non smoking section. Now, why anyone woulD WANT to smoke AND EAT at the same time is beyond me... EUGH!!! :barf:

I hate to admit it, but the smell of a freshly lit cigarette still smells really good to me. But, stale cigarette smoke that lingers in a room, or on someone, really stinks.....just like an ashtray!

Well silly, you don't necessarily do it at the same time. But I definitely want a cigarette while I'm waiting for my food and enjoying a drink, and I want a cigarette in between courses and after I've eaten and I especially want a cigarette with my coffee. I wish there would be special restaurants for smokers, so that we can enjoy our meals like civilized people. :devil: I dislike having to get up to go outside to smoke--probably not as much as non-smokers dislike smoking people in the vicinity while they're eating, but still. :)

Jay, one of my co-workers is a former smoker who LOVES the smell of cigarettes. Sometimes he comes outside with us and inhales deeply while the smokers are smoking. It's funny.

LOL baffled! He must not have really quit in his heart...

Jay

baffled
They do, it is called your own kitchen. Great meals prepared just the way you want them. Less chance of getting sick because of what you eat, have someone spit in your food or prepared it without washing their hands first, no roaches and best of all. You get to smoke lol.

I have never smoked. Both my parents did - always have. I have always hated the smell of it. It gags me. Literally. I cannot stand to be around it. Cannot stand to be in a room where others are smoking.

My 70-yr-old mother recently had surgery to clean all the arteries from the chest down. She now has a scar from the middle of her chest to her groin. She HAD to quit while she was in the hospital (2 weeks) and she remained "a quitter" until last weekend. :( I hate it that she has started back, but she did constantly complain of the craving, and that the doctor wouldn't prescribe her anything to help with the cravings.

At any rate, I do believe that smoking and weight gain are bad for one's health. I do believe that losing weight is hard, and I've seen too many people quit (or try to quit) smoking - so I'd have to say that's hard too.

BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. I'm coming into the belief that anything really is possible if you really want it; if you put your mind to it. I may be a yo-yo dieter - and what's good about that? WELL.... I have proven to myself at least SIX TIMES that I CAN LOSE WEIGHT. Yes I can! And I know I will do it again. I must find my own way of maintaining the weight loss.

The same could be said for smokers. You all who do it - you KNOW it's bad for you. You know it can be lethal to your health. You know it's nasty, and you know it costs you a lot of money - not just the habit itself, but think about the health costs (my mother's surgery & hospital stay was over $70,000).

Whether it's losing weight, exercising, stop smoking, or any other thing that is important to you ....The real question is: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

You are very very right. There is no reason for anyone to start smoking. We all have the information how bad it is for us. There is no reason for anyone to keep smoking, we know it isn't good for us. Just like losing weight, we can do it. It is harder for some than others, I am sure stopping smoking is the same.

My daughter is always on me about my smoking. Finaly she said ok this is it. Pick a weight any weight lol. I said whattttttt. She said when you get to that weight you have to quit smoking. I thought about this for awhile and said ok, you are right. I get to 120 I will quit.

There is no way of going back on this. The child could be used by the toucher unit. She won't let up. I made a promise and she knows I will stick with it. Might have gone back on it if the promise was to myself not to her.

Heck maybe it will be easier than I thought.

When my son was about ten years old, I realized he was going to come up on some "experimental" times as a teenager. I decided that yes, he may experiment with smoking, but I was going to do everything I can to prevent him from smoking. This meant quitting smoking myself, because I'd be danged if I was going to make it as easy as opening up the freezer to grab a pack of Mom's smokes, if he and his friends wanted to try it. I also knew that if I quit smoking, I'd be able to smell it on him and his clothes, if he were smoking or hanging out with others who smoke.

Not to sound unsupportive, but assuming you're not looking forward to quitting smoking, could this plan act as a disincentive to reach your goal weight? It seems like a good way to postpone quitting. What if you reach 130 and you're happy at that weight?

I say this as a former pack-a-day smoker myself. Just like with weight loss, that magical 'right time' never comes -- you just have to make the commitment and do it!

For those worried about gaining weight when they quit smoking, here's a more positive story. I lost weight when I quit! For me, quitting smoking was part of an overall change in attitude about my body. Once I took that step I wanted to do more and more to take better care of myself. I joined a gym a month after I quit and I've never stopped working out and challenging myself.

I think some people use quitting as a rationale for eating anything they want and forgive themselves because it's for a greater good. But alternatively, quitting can spur you to make other healthy changes. Here I am four and half years later, and I've never gained back a pound of the weight I lost after I quit smoking! So don't let that stop you.

Last thing: I didn't use gums or patches or anything, but I did frequent a website called quitnet. Since you're already here, you're probably into the idea of using online support. So if you're considering quitting, go take a look! Lots of helpful tips and active forums, and e-cards for your quit anniversaries!

3beans
Thanks for the info will check out the site. I am ready to quit. Am looking forward to it. May do it before that 120 dead line. More worried about doing to many changes at once and not sticking with them. On the other hand am tired of spending the money. Tired of losing weight and still having those cigs mess up my heath.

NAH! I'm not crazy ;)

FIBBER!

Thank-you.

I don't mind the smell of some cigars...cracks me up! I used to get these as a minor years ago. You could send in a "coupon" from a Sports Illustrated ad and get a free sample pack....such a cool thing at 14!

Rennie, that is one trick I learned in Smoke-enders years ago ~ When trying to quit...NEVER...smoke in "your" spot!

I never really like the smoke "in my face"...but NEW smoke doesn't bother me too much...doesn't make me want one.

Amazing isn't it JAY...how when you quit you can appreciate what "non-smokers" were going through. Angie refuses to allow anyone smoking in her house...one reason why the first 2 years we were married I had to rent an apartment for me while she lived in the house...and it was MY HOUSE!!

WHAT! Why would anyone NOT want to smoke during there meal? ;)

WORD!...as the kids say...

I am so glad I quit over 10 years ago. I sure wish I would have done it sooner. We all make mistakes in life. I know for a fact my mom was sorry she smoked. She was sorry she ever started...but that's what THEY did back then. She had many chances to quit. I tried many-many times to help her, she just was never ready. She was a smart lady, she knew what it was doing to her....it was just too hard for her to try and quit I guess. As I look back I remember my dad trying several times to quit, my mom never did. ADDICTION? Sure....could she have stopped? Sure....she just never wanted to bad enough.....until it was TOO LATE :(....and that was WAY before she died......

I used to just get them from the drawer when I was 14...mom smoked Pall Mall, dad smoked Camel Filters....OR...us guys would just walk into 7-11 with the "I forgot my note, but my mom wants a pack of Marlboro...or as in my case Winstons...OR...walk over to the bowling alley and put $.35 in the freakin' machine! EASY!!

You and I both know where that POWER comes from dear.....He will be there...it won't be easy...but...it will be DO-ABLE!

Dear....forget the MONEY....forget the WEIGHT....just try to hold your breath for AS LONG as you can....then put your face in a sink full of water.....and OPEN YOUR MOUTH....leave it there for a few seconds and....welll that is what I think it was like for my mom to breath the LAST YEAR OF YEAR LIFE.....

You can do this! I got your back...you know that!!!

35 cents a pack. Dear, dear EZ. :no: You're revealing too much about archeological origins... ;)

Jay

At least WE had seat belts.........wink

Actually we didn't! We (me and my 2 brothers/1 sister) used to drive down the freeway, to my uncles house, 50 miles +, in the back of dad's pick-up truck!

We didn't have seat belts because horse drawn wagons only have a top speed of about 30 mph. At least it was faster than the ox cart.

Jay

Oh, I didn't know you were AMISH....