Quit Smoking, Still Shooting...need some help coping.

Thanks Guys

Thank you for all the encouradgement and advice. What made me "off rythum" was a habit I had of walking to my table and drawing on a cig to make myself think and slow down, between shots or when my opponent was shooting.

I tried the gum, but had a reaction to it, it made my mouth raw. Right now, i'm using an E-Cig to deal with the cravings and to form the habit of not buying cigs...I will be turning the nicotine down on it to wean myself off the nicotine soon.

Once again, thanks. I hope this helps other dealing with the same thing.
 
never give up: like chef jeff I quit 37 years ago. saved over $50,000.00 at 2 packs/day. 2.50/pack. don't miss them at all.
 
You've got to deal with the urges, like all addictions. They last from a couple minutes up to around 10 minutes. A couple folks have said take it 5 minutes at a time...they're right, you have to get through that period of time while you're having urges to smoke. You have to focus on something else, do something else...you are in the process of changing your brain and it takes a while. Keep reminding your self that you are now a non-smoker, and this is what you want to do. Good luck!
 
Made it through leauge tonight for the first time in 6 years without a cig...the smokey pool room didn't even bother me. I had cravings, but dealt with them and drank Monster Energy for the "kick".

One thing that irritated me was the amount of "hate" I got, with comments like "quitting is for quitters" and "way to be a chroirboy"....among some others I won't repeat.

Quiting is my choice...just as smoking is another persons...I could care less if somebody else smokes or if the room is smoking or not. Just leave me to my choices, which is how I felt when I smoked.
 
woodyosborne said:
never give up: like chef jeff I quit 37 years ago. saved over $50,000.00 at 2 packs/day. 2.50/pack. don't miss them at all.
Click to expand...

One of the reasons for me was the price had just jumped to 50 cents a pack!

I sometimes tell it as a joke:

I quit 37 years, 11 months, 20 days, 6hours and 16 minutes ago....


....AND I DON'T MISS IT A BIT!​


That line works better in person.

Jeff Livingston
 
Missing Link said:
Made it through leauge tonight for the first time in 6 years without a cig...the smokey pool room didn't even bother me. I had cravings, but dealt with them and drank Monster Energy for the "kick".

One thing that irritated me was the amount of "hate" I got, with comments like "quitting is for quitters" and "way to be a chroirboy"....among some others I won't repeat.

Quiting is my choice...just as smoking is another persons...I could care less if somebody else smokes or if the room is smoking or not. Just leave me to my choices, which is how I felt when I smoked.
Click to expand...

I always wondered if simply hanging in smokey places (after I quit) was just a subconscious way to get some nicotine.

Is that possible?

Jeff Livingston
 
Link: good job. League night is a tough one. A buddy of mine made it through his first league night too, just last thursday. Been smoking for 16 years. So far he seems to be hanging on and I'm hoping both of you make it.

That sucks that people will give you shit about it. I always try to be encouraging to my buddies that try to quit. I used to get quite preachy and found it doesn't work. I hope those guys who are giving you shit also find their comments won't work either. I bet they're just resentful. They know you're working to improve yourself while they're still stuck with their habit, unable to work up the will to do something about it.

Jeff: I know you can get secondhand smoke, but can you really get secondhand nicotine? I don't think so, as far as I know being around other smokers doesn't give satisfaction, only makes the craving worse. If you're saying he should try to get away from smoke, I agree, but it would be wrong to quit league at this point.
 
Missing Link said:
I quit smoking this week during a battle with pneumonia...smoking and pool have been really tied together for a long time in my life and I'm fiding it hard to get my rythum without cigerrettes. In addition to that, I have ADHD so the nicotine helped me focus.

Has anybody been through this? What helped you "come back?"
Click to expand...

Each time when you are playing and you think about succumbing to the urge to smoke, remember that bout with pneumonia.
Years ago, when I stopped smoking my pool game suffered for a while but everything syncs back up eventually and your pool game will too. My pool game improved a while after I stopped smoking but it took some time. Now I can pay attention to the playing of pool rather than the lighting and puffing on a cigarette.

LIFE & POOL gets better without cigarettes, just not right away or so you think. :p
 
Bona said:
I chose to keep the nicotine and get rid of the tobacco, tar, and smoke. It is pretty clear to me that nicotine alone is far less dangerous to my health than cigarettes with all their carcinogens. I use this and a couple other versions of e-cigs. Among the advantages are cost savings, flexibility, and a higher degree of acceptability in public. YMMV

It delivers nicotine in a vapor form and the nicotine level is very adjustable by choosing the "juice" strength and the settings on the device.

DSC00659.jpg
Click to expand...

Is that a Provari? You high roller..... Same here just sstarted smoking a e-cig two days ago.... Went from a pack a day to 3 cigs in 2 days.... Trying...
 
Missing Link said:
Made it through leauge tonight for the first time in 6 years without a cig...the smokey pool room didn't even bother me. I had cravings, but dealt with them and drank Monster Energy for the "kick".

One thing that irritated me was the amount of "hate" I got, with comments like "quitting is for quitters" and "way to be a chroirboy"....among some others I won't repeat.

Quiting is my choice...just as smoking is another persons...I could care less if somebody else smokes or if the room is smoking or not. Just leave me to my choices, which is how I felt when I smoked.
Click to expand...

Let 'em say what they will. You are doing the right thing. Smoking is bad, mmmk? ;)

Ignore the suggestion of using chewing tobacco or snuff as a replacement. I chewed Skoal from age 13-38. My son asked me to quit ten years ago. I quit cold turkey, May 7, 2002. Ten years later, I cannot go fishing, golfing, or any other outdoor activity without getting the urge. But the urge pales in light of the impact I had on my children by them seeing me kick it.

You got this! Well done on going all night without lighting up!

Ken
 
I just happened to run into a very relevant article that might be able to help the OP
and others here...

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/11/20/power-of-habits/

It's from one of my favorite websites, the art of manliness.

This article goes into some nice detail about how certain parts
of the brain are used for habit actions and how those parts can
be consciously controlled by anyone with some easy techniques.

Some of those have been posted here, but without the scientific
backing that the article gives.

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/11/20/power-of-habits/

Jeff Livingston
 
Missing Link said:
I quit smoking this week during a battle with pneumonia...smoking and pool have been really tied together for a long time in my life and I'm fiding it hard to get my rythum without cigerrettes. In addition to that, I have ADHD so the nicotine helped me focus.

Has anybody been through this? What helped you "come back?"
Click to expand...

I smoked for 40 years and quit 23 days ago. I am using electronic cigarettes called V2 Electronic Cigartettes. I am calmer now than when I smoked. They completely take the edge off and it hasn't effected my game except for the better"-). My nerves are better so it has helped me. I thought I would be a nervous wreck and I wouldn't be able to play. I took my blood pressure at the pharmacy for the heck of it and it was 115 over 73...That is sick!! I was always a high strung person and my blood pressure always high....Go figure, I would get calmer from quitting. Without the electronic cigs though, it might be too tough. Good Luck, I hope you find an answer, but just wanted to share with you what is working for me......
 
Missing Link said:
I quit smoking this week during a battle with pneumonia...smoking and pool have been really tied together for a long time in my life and I'm fiding it hard to get my rythum without cigerrettes. In addition to that, I have ADHD so the nicotine helped me focus.

Has anybody been through this? What helped you "come back?"
Click to expand...

I have struggled with ADD all my life, concentration is tough so when i quit smoking 6 weeks ago (almost 7 now) trust me when I tell you i can relate.

I quit cold turkey and it was tough. I have been chewing gum, hard candy, or cough drops occasionally when i play to help take my mind off of the smoke. Also I read somewhere that doubling my dose of multi-vitamins would help with concentration. It does help IMO. Give this a try for a week and let me know what you think
 
Thank you everybody for the kind words and the help...I am at 15 days with no cig, using and E-Cig, and playing some good pool.

I broke down and got a new prescription for my ADHD meds, which really helped with the cravings.
 
Cigs, Cigars, Addiction and other helpful rants

Being that I am from the Great State of North Caroling the love of smoking is in my blood. I have been a non smoker for well over 20 yrs now and the last days of my smoking had me up to well over two packs of marlboro reds a day .I smoked from the time I was 10 till age 22, at that point I had surrendered to the fact that I was completely hooked.If it had not of been for a girl REALLY ,I mean REALLY pissing me off about it and what I had already learned at that age about addiction I would of never been able to let em go .To this day I never say "I quit" I say I let em go ,I'm a non smoker, Sorry I just don't smoke.Day 3 of being without em was probably one of the toughest days I have ever walked through , I hung the phone up on my own mother and was pretty much a basket case.After that I got a real good taste of just how much control that monster had over me and I kept moving forward.Over the years I have had to be a a**hole several times about it , when a good looking girl at the pool room says "hold my cig......just for a sec ..please" I give them a look from hell and say no , I really just can't .I get the strong urge even today to just smoke a cigar ,you know when you smell one and it smells like a little bit of heaven .Well, if I smoke one cigar I may as well just buy a carton of marlboros and be done with it . If I don't put one in my hands I can't smoke it ......it's that simple.
Good luck in your journey , I know a few that had some luck with the ecigs but most tell me it is too much of a reminder.I think it's too close to the real thing to find any real freedom or success .I am lucky ,it never bothers me to go to the pool room around smoke others become complete nits about being around smoke. From day one I have looked at it like my life is at stake and keeping that in mind has helped alot .I'm not sure of your beliefs but if you pray , that helps. I know for me I could not believe anything had that much of a grip on me ....but it did .
 
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