quitting smoking and pool

highkarate

highkarate

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
im only 25 but have been smoking heavily since i was about 17. i've been playing pool seriously since i was about 19 and play at a pretty good speed. i've tried to quit smoking several times and each time, either my pool game has suffered or i've tried to stay away from pool and have slowly fallen back into smoking. any tipis and/or experiences from good players that have quit and maintained their speed/pool lifestyle?
 
Smoking and pool

Highkarate I feel your pain. I am 39 and have recently quit as well. I have been a non smoker for only a few months. My favorite places to play around here are smoking venues. My advice is to go ahead and keep playing. Try to find a pool hall that is non smoking if that will help, but don't give up the game. Heck, Efren Reyes quit and his game didn't suffer!
 
We are all prone to deluding ourselves. Often, smokers will cite the reason they smoke is to reduce their stress, when, in fact, inhaling smoke into our lungs is one of the more stressful things we can do to our bodies. I'm not being judgemental here - I'm an ex-smoker, having begun at age 14 and was a 1.5 pk/day smoker when I finally chose to become a non-smoker.

You can do this, and you'll be healthier and, in fact, better prepared to cope with tension and stress. Good luck to you!
 
I quit smoking many years ago when I went into the hospital to have my first open heart bypass, leaving a pack of Lucky Strikes sitting on the bathroom shelf in my room. I quit then and there, and never looked back.
Smoking is the absolute worst thing you can do to yourself, next to a drug, or alcohol addiction. You must quit.
I know this sounds like an ad by the American Heart Association, but I can't emphasize enough the importance that your stopping smoking has regarding your health, and the health of those near you.
So far I have had two open heart surguries, and four stents. I even have a stent inside of another stent. Other than that I feel f**kin' peachy.
Quit today. You can do it. :smile:
 
I smoked from the age of 15 to about 25, then quit... sort of. Eventually I replaced the Marlboro lights with Skoal, which, I am convinced, made me even more addicted to nicotine. Since then I have alternated between periods of chewing and quitting cold turkey - high stress times usually get me to chewing again. Recently, my brother bought an electronic cigarette as a means to stop smoking. I thought he would find it an unacceptable replacement, but after a month or so he was sticking with it and loving it. I got one myself yesterday morning, and it has kicked every nicotine craving I've had so far. There are a bunch of brands out there, some as cheap as $29 for a starter kit. Can't say it will work for everyone, but I think it's going to work for me, and I am excited as hell at the thought of kicking Skoal and eventually working myself down to the low nicotine or even no nicotine e-cigarette filters. Might be a viable alternative for you as well.

Aaron
 
I can't really help with the OP's question because when I quit smoking I was not playing pool. However...

When I quit (pack-a-day for 10 years), it took 4 serious attempts that year before it finally held. Do NOT get down on yourself if you light-up. Just get set and try again. If people give you shit for lighting-up when you're trying to quit, tell 'em to f*** off. I'm serious. I got a lot of flack from my non-smoking friends because they simply didn't understand how addictive that shit is.

When I quit, I replaced smoking with water. Whenever I wanted a smoke, I drank a cold glass of water. For whatever reason, it worked for me.

Also, I would expect your game to suffer temporarily. You're body's going to freak out for a bit without the nicotine and the precision required for pool will most likely suffer. I'm not a doctor but it sounds plausible. :)

Good Luck!
 
Mental Strength!

It can be applied to both your habbit and your game. Pool is a game played 90% between your ears. If you can find the mental strength to quit smoking, it should only improve your game.

If you can go three days with out it, at that point you should start to feel a physical difference in your body. Make your mind focus on how much better you feel. That's what did it for me. I don't even have a "occasional" cigar anymore!

I've found that accomplishing ANYTHING can be summed up with an old quote that goes something like this, "When teaching a man to sail, do not teach him to hoist the sails, keep them trim, etc. Instead, teach him to yearn for the open sea." Any body who wants something, will try to get it. You have to really WANT to quit smoking. When you REALLY WANT to do something you will. When you think you should probably get around to this or that, you generally don't.

Good luck,

Justin
 
Know that by eliminating smoke from your daily intake, you will increase your ability to focus on your game.

You might be a little jittery at first without the hourly injection of nicotine into your blood stream but eventually, you will be able to concentrate for longer periods of time and actually play pool longer. (That's been my experience)

Smoking constricts blood vessels.

Each day that you abstain from smoking, you will find that the "urges to smoke" become more infrequent. Maybe not as infrequent as you would like but the physical urges to smoke (addiction to nicotine) will eventually subside completely; then all you have to do is eliminate the mental urges.

You have to decide if it is worth it to you.
 
The only thing that ever worked for me was Nicorette gum. When I wanted a cigarette real bad, I would put a piece in my mouth, chew it a little and then hold it like you would Skoal. Of course, you are still getting the nicotine (and it is about as addicting as smoking) but you are not taking in the smoke. It is pretty expensive. I chewed it for about 3 years before I quit. Been smoke free for about 11-12 years now. Before Nicorette, I would be quit for a year or so, and then something bad would happen (a funeral, etc), and I would start to smoke again. Good luck.
 
Good luck! I was smoking two packs a day when I stopped {notice I did not say quit, I quit 500 f--king times} I still went to the pool room every day and some other places where heavy smoking was going on. I just took it one day at a time and told myself I'd smoke tomorrow. It's been almost 34 years, now. Second best thing I ever did. Forget about will power, doesn't work. Having the right attitude and wanting to stop helps.
 
wellbutrin also helps with quitting, but the electronic cigarette gives you taste and nicotine without the rest.

And definitely look for non-smoking pool halls, around here we're down to about half and half.
 
I quit smoking after a very successful 25 plus year smoking career :), and I did it at the same time that I restarted playing pool after an almost as long (20 year) detour. I found myself playing in some very smokey weekly nine ball tournaments in NY without my usual eleventh finger burning away.

What I did was immediately begin a new career, a Tic-Tac career. Every time I'd begin or finish my turn shooting, I'd shake loose and pop a Tic-Tac. Worked great. In fact, it even had an extra benefit which I wasn't even aware of until, after about three weeks, an opponent, who had just missed a pretty easy shot, gave me a pretty cold stare and said "will you stop rattling the damn Tic-Tacs already, it's driving me crazy". :smile:

Still don't smoke, but love dem Tic-Tacs.

J
 
It doesn't take that long to get over the physical addiction, 1-2 weeks, after that it's all mental. Just deal with the "urges" as they come up...they never last longer than 5-10 minutes and it's mental craving, not physical, so just get past the short time of craving it...distract yourself, do something different for a few minutes, there's lots of things. I quit 05/09, but I have COPD and will surely die from it.
 
If interested, I have an article on my website (noted in my signature line): "Steps To Becoming a Non-Smoker." Motivation is the key! Again, good luck to you. You can do this!
 
I used the nicotine patch and just dealt with the psychological urges one minute at a time. I also began martial arts training with my wife and kids. That helps a lot. I can't imagine smoking again. I'm 52 and am healthier than ever. I'm pretty sure I could kick two of my 25-year-old butts. Maybe that's just the the old Paul Newman theory though, "Age and treachery will defeat youth and skill every time.":grin: Quit. You'll thank yourself.
 
smoking

krupa said:
I can't really help with the OP's question because when I quit smoking I was not playing pool. However...

When I quit (pack-a-day for 10 years), it took 4 serious attempts that year before it finally held. Do NOT get down on yourself if you light-up. Just get set and try again. If people give you shit for lighting-up when you're trying to quit, tell 'em to f*** off. I'm serious. I got a lot of flack from my non-smoking friends because they simply didn't understand how addictive that shit is.

When I quit, I replaced smoking with water. Whenever I wanted a smoke, I drank a cold glass of water. For whatever reason, it worked for me.

Also, I would expect your game to suffer temporarily. You're body's going to freak out for a bit without the nicotine and the precision required for pool will most likely suffer. I'm not a doctor but it sounds plausible. :)

Good Luck!
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mind was chewing on straws.for quiting smoking.it help a lot.star a bogg on how you quit smoking.
 
highkarate said:
im only 25 but have been smoking heavily since i was about 17. i've been playing pool seriously since i was about 19 and play at a pretty good speed. i've tried to quit smoking several times and each time, either my pool game has suffered or i've tried to stay away from pool and have slowly fallen back into smoking. any tipis and/or experiences from good players that have quit and maintained their speed/pool lifestyle?
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Quitting smoking is f'ing hard at 25 but it's damn near impossible at 50 and by then the permanent, irreversible damage is done. Playing bad pool is just a rationalization to keep smoking, as is weight gain and traffic jams and whatever else our brain conjures up to defeat our intelligence.

Once you de-tox then you will always feel like you just had a smoke. It's not the drug that makes you feel good - it's the lack of the drug that makes you feel bad. This eventually goes away.

The trick is to not smoke and be determined to never fool with it again. I hate to use trite phrases but when you smoke you are playing with fire and when you're addicted there are very primitive instincts and urges that come into mind that defeat our intellectual capacity.

Fast forward 25 years and find yourself not being able to walk up 2 flights of stairs, carrying an oxygen tank, white as a ghost. Explain to your future self that you had to smoke because it was hurting your pool game. Just quit man - odds are you've done no real damage at this stage. Just quit and focus your energy on the many positive things in life that can be yours for the taking.
 
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thanks for all the suggestions and support. i'm definitely going for it, might try the e-cigarette ive heard good things.
 
highkarate said:
thanks for all the suggestions and support. i'm definitely going for it, might try the e-cigarette ive heard good things.
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I quit a pack and a half a day habit after 30 years of smoking. I would wake up every few hours all night long just to smoke. It's a lot more difficult to quit after so many years and by then the damage is done.

My good friend who smoked Marlboro's with me in high school died of lung cancer at 43.

The first couple of weeks of quitting are the hardest, then the first couple of months - but there is always the danger of a re-lapse. The mentality that finally worked for me is to cultivate fear. I actually fear every having a cigarette again. I fear what it can do to me. I fear the addiciton. I fear ever having to quit again. I fear facing my wife and daughters who would be sick if I ever smoked again.

It's difficult to do but definitely worth the effort. Fear is a good thing to have. Good luck - you can pull it off if you really want to.
 
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This worked for me. I was smoking 3-4 packs a day
Get the book Self Talk by Dr Helmsetter
It has a chapter on stop smoking.

Basically, Take a 3x5 card and write down all the reason why not to smoke. For example:
Expensive,
High risk of Bad health
High rise of cancer
holes burnt in car seat and clothes
Car and clothes always stink
Second hand smoke for my family and others is almost as bad as smoking. . Do you have children?

Keep the card in your pocket and read them 3x a day and every time you want to light up.
This is a mental exercise that really works. You have to reprogram the mind from the enjoyment of smoking to the I don't want anything to do with the nasty stuff. After continuing to do for 4 weeks, you will find it will become much easier to quit. Don't throw the card away because the desire will be there for years. It took 10 years before I lost all desire to smoke.
 
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