Well lets say I am nicotine free. I am 52 years old, have been smoking
nearly my entire life and never gone this long without a nicotine fix.

 I have tried gum, patches, anti-depressent drugs and group therapy. I
had been able to quit as long as I took the patches or drugs and then
went right back to smoking. Then I saw an ad for some stop smoking
drug, Chantix I think, where it showed the nicotine receptors as
little gremlin type creatures who act up when they don't get their
nicotine.

 I did some further research into nicotine cessation programs and
found out they were little better than placebo. I devised a program
that I thought would work for me. My intentions were not to quit but
to cut down the number of cigarettes I smoked. I believed that the
cigarettes were finally taking their toll and if I cut down, at least
I would be delaying my demise.

 So, my plan worked this way: First I applied the step one nicotine
patch. I did not smoke with the patch on because previous attempts had
met with some heart palpitations. I left the step one patch on for as
long as I could while remaining smoke free. After a couple of days,
when the urge to smoke got to be to much I applied a step two patch. I
figured that I was battleing the receptor gremlins and maybe I could
kill one or two at a time. After the step two patch stoped working and
the urge to smoke became just too much, I bought a pack of cigaretts.
When I smoked I tried to make them last as long as possible by
increasing the time between smokes and smoking just part of the
cigarette. I smoked just enough to quite the gremlins but not enough
to create new ones or revive the ones I had knocked out. After the
pack was gone and the nicotine withdraw became unbearable, I went to
step one and repeated the cycle.

 I went through the cycle six times in ten weeks. The cycles grew
longer and I could feel the gremlins getting weaker. Then one day the
step two patch fell off and I decided I had the upper hand and could
now go cold turkey. I drank alot of water and sucked on lots of hard
candy, but today I have gone longer than I ever have without nicotine
or without drugs. I am still batteling the gremlins, but I am slowly
winning. The battle is not easy and I am not getting any younger, so I
figure this is the last time I want to do this and that is plenty of
motivation.

 I know that I am nicotine free for a realitively short time, but it
is the longest for me and for the first time I really think I can do
it. So fuck the tobacco companies, you get no more of my money.

I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 6 Days, 6 hours, 13 minutes and 54
seconds (27 days). I have saved $92.67 by not smoking 545 cigarettes.
I have saved 1 Day, 21 hours and 25 minutes of my life. My Quit Date:
4/11/2008 7:32 AM

BF, congratulations on three SOLID weeks of smoberity.  At first I thought this was
spam but I was wrong.  Sorry, anc CONGRATULATIONS

BeaFor...@msn.com penned.wrote.stated:
: Well lets say I am nicotine free. I am 52 years old, have been smoking
: nearly my entire life and never gone this long without a nicotine fix.

:  I have tried gum, patches, anti-depressent drugs and group therapy. I
: had been able to quit as long as I took the patches or drugs and then
: went right back to smoking. Then I saw an ad for some stop smoking
: drug, Chantix I think, where it showed the nicotine receptors as
: little gremlin type creatures who act up when they don't get their
: nicotine.

:  I did some further research into nicotine cessation programs and
: found out they were little better than placebo. I devised a program
: that I thought would work for me. My intentions were not to quit but
: to cut down the number of cigarettes I smoked. I believed that the
: cigarettes were finally taking their toll and if I cut down, at least
: I would be delaying my demise.

:  So, my plan worked this way: First I applied the step one nicotine
: patch. I did not smoke with the patch on because previous attempts had
: met with some heart palpitations. I left the step one patch on for as
: long as I could while remaining smoke free. After a couple of days,
: when the urge to smoke got to be to much I applied a step two patch. I
: figured that I was battleing the receptor gremlins and maybe I could
: kill one or two at a time. After the step two patch stoped working and
: the urge to smoke became just too much, I bought a pack of cigaretts.
: When I smoked I tried to make them last as long as possible by
: increasing the time between smokes and smoking just part of the
: cigarette. I smoked just enough to quite the gremlins but not enough
: to create new ones or revive the ones I had knocked out. After the
: pack was gone and the nicotine withdraw became unbearable, I went to
: step one and repeated the cycle.

:  I went through the cycle six times in ten weeks. The cycles grew
: longer and I could feel the gremlins getting weaker. Then one day the
: step two patch fell off and I decided I had the upper hand and could
: now go cold turkey. I drank alot of water and sucked on lots of hard
: candy, but today I have gone longer than I ever have without nicotine
: or without drugs. I am still batteling the gremlins, but I am slowly
: winning. The battle is not easy and I am not getting any younger, so I
: figure this is the last time I want to do this and that is plenty of
: motivation.

:  I know that I am nicotine free for a realitively short time, but it
: is the longest for me and for the first time I really think I can do
: it. So fuck the tobacco companies, you get no more of my money.

: I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 6 Days, 6 hours, 13 minutes and 54
: seconds (27 days). I have saved $92.67 by not smoking 545 cigarettes.
: I have saved 1 Day, 21 hours and 25 minutes of my life. My Quit Date:
: 4/11/2008 7:32 AM

snippies by snow

i liked the little gremlins from the chanitx commercial too!
visualization is a great tool in many situations. i am so pleased that
you kept at it until you finally quit - even if your original intent
was to just taper down! you are obviously a very methodical person and
that was definitely the right way for you!

if you can stay quit for even one minute you can stay quit forever.
all you have to never smoke again. so easy, sometimes so hard to do.

congratulations!!!! :-)

snow

Congratulations...just keep on doing what you are doing. Tobacco companies
aren't getting anymore of my money either!
Anita in Oz.
Six days, 5 hours, 42 minutes and 47 seconds. 249 cigarettes not smoked,
saving $104.79. Life saved: 20 hours, 45 minutes.

news:2995376e-5b16-4f74-80cd-afc4f2a089cc@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com...

Jsteam said...

Jsteam,

I gave up smoking purely for financial reasons. I refused to pay $4.00 a
pack, $8.00 a day/$240 a month. I purchased Serius satellite radio, after
equipment, at only $12.00/month it was a bargain. And lots of money left over
to pay bills without being strapped for cash.

You've taken the right approach! Why pay the tobacco company that kind of
money to kill you?

Before long you'll learn to hate the noxious stink of cigarettes. I can smell
it 50' away, upwind.

I met my old boss for lunch and he asked if I'd quit smoking, I said yes, why
did you ask? He replied I can't smell it. I didn't know I was a walking
chimney. Nobody told me.

I just stopped when cigs cost $4.00/pack. I didn't go to any support group,
didn't discuss it with others, just didn't talk about it, period.

Best,

Andy

After 35 years, I gave up smoking 3 Years, 8 Months, 1 Week, 17 hours, 28
minutes and 5 seconds ago. I've saved $10,765.81 by not smoking 53,829
cigarettes. I've saved 6 Months, 5 Days, 21 hours and 45 minutes of my life.
I gave up smoking on 9/1/2004 10:00 AM, cold turkey.

Thanks Andy, congrats on your three years that is a ways off for me but I'll make it
there.  

Andy <q> penned.wrote.stated:
: Jsteam said...

:>:  I know that I am nicotine free for a realitively short time, but it
:>: is the longest for me and for the first time I really think I can do
:>: it. So fuck the tobacco companies, you get no more of my money.
:>
:>: I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 6 Days, 6 hours, 13 minutes and 54
:>: seconds (27 days). I have saved $92.67 by not smoking 545 cigarettes.
:>: I have saved 1 Day, 21 hours and 25 minutes of my life. My Quit Date:
:>: 4/11/2008 7:32 AM

: Jsteam,

: I gave up smoking purely for financial reasons. I refused to pay $4.00 a
: pack, $8.00 a day/$240 a month. I purchased Serius satellite radio, after
: equipment, at only $12.00/month it was a bargain. And lots of money left over
: to pay bills without being strapped for cash.

: You've taken the right approach! Why pay the tobacco company that kind of
: money to kill you?

: Before long you'll learn to hate the noxious stink of cigarettes. I can smell
: it 50' away, upwind.

: I met my old boss for lunch and he asked if I'd quit smoking, I said yes, why
: did you ask? He replied I can't smell it. I didn't know I was a walking
: chimney. Nobody told me.

: I just stopped when cigs cost $4.00/pack. I didn't go to any support group,
: didn't discuss it with others, just didn't talk about it, period.

: Best,

: Andy

: After 35 years, I gave up smoking 3 Years, 8 Months, 1 Week, 17 hours, 28
: minutes and 5 seconds ago. I've saved $10,765.81 by not smoking 53,829
: cigarettes. I've saved 6 Months, 5 Days, 21 hours and 45 minutes of my life.
: I gave up smoking on 9/1/2004 10:00 AM, cold turkey.

news:2995376e-5b16-4f74-80cd-afc4f2a089cc@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com...

Good for you! Now promise yourself never, ever to buy another pack of
smokes. Those things will kill ya. Seriously, I'm glad your method worked
for you, but to remain quit, don't light up again, or you'll see all your
hard work go down the tubes. Ask anybody here, they'll tell you.
Terry