Re: Gotta quit smoking, dammit

February 9, 2001

> Gotta quit smoking, dammit

>

>I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

>told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp object

>in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear better

>now.

lol Did he get all that waxy yellow buildup?

>Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then Marlboro

>Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " )

I'm going to lie to you now. It's very very easy to quit smoking dude it

doesn't hurt at all in fact it's a walk in the park.

Here's the truth. If you go cold turkey you'll be irritable a pain in the

ass to be around you'll neck will hurt you'll feel like you're not getting

enough wind not to mention you'll feel restless in any situation in which

you're accustomed to smoking.

Now that I've said that it really isn't that bad except for the first week.

Some people only experience it for the first 3 or 4 days.

> It's like smoking paper.

that's the experience I'm talking about when I say " you're not getting

enough wind " above only it's worse but it only lasts for a little while.

>I'm almost looking forward to finishing the carton and

>starting on the patch. I'm a little afraid that I'll immediately

>start some other unsavory habit, like biting my nails or picking my

>nose in public, but what the hell.

> In a few years, cigarette smoking

>will be a felony in this country, so I might as well get started.

>With all the taxes on the damn things, they're almost as expensive

>on the street as they would be in prison.

>

>Oh yeah, I'm taking generic Wellbutrin, the same as Zyban, and it

>makes me hyper, which I think makes me smoke more, not less. But

>maybe it'll start working right in a few days.

My girlfriend told me it took 7 days for it to kick in for her. She dropped

off the zyban and started smoking again. She's been making noises about

stopping again and I'm just ornery enough to egg that on by poking fun at

her wheezing.

Great Part about it J is the money you save over time.

I quit a 2 pack a day habit back in September and I just did the rough

estimate at $1007.50 (minus some I took out to buy a cdwriter) and I'm using

that to buy a Sony Wega KV-36XBR400 HDTV ready TV in a few days.

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-tpdmEna8If9/ProdView.asp?I=15836XBR40

Best part is I've got the wind to move that 200+ lbs monster around when I

get it.

I'm rooting for you over here.

February 9, 2001

> Gotta quit smoking, dammit

>

>I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

>told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp object

>in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear better

>now.

lol Did he get all that waxy yellow buildup?

>Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then Marlboro

>Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " )

I'm going to lie to you now. It's very very easy to quit smoking dude it

doesn't hurt at all in fact it's a walk in the park.

Here's the truth. If you go cold turkey you'll be irritable a pain in the

ass to be around you'll neck will hurt you'll feel like you're not getting

enough wind not to mention you'll feel restless in any situation in which

you're accustomed to smoking.

Now that I've said that it really isn't that bad except for the first week.

Some people only experience it for the first 3 or 4 days.

> It's like smoking paper.

that's the experience I'm talking about when I say " you're not getting

enough wind " above only it's worse but it only lasts for a little while.

>I'm almost looking forward to finishing the carton and

>starting on the patch. I'm a little afraid that I'll immediately

>start some other unsavory habit, like biting my nails or picking my

>nose in public, but what the hell.

> In a few years, cigarette smoking

>will be a felony in this country, so I might as well get started.

>With all the taxes on the damn things, they're almost as expensive

>on the street as they would be in prison.

>

>Oh yeah, I'm taking generic Wellbutrin, the same as Zyban, and it

>makes me hyper, which I think makes me smoke more, not less. But

>maybe it'll start working right in a few days.

My girlfriend told me it took 7 days for it to kick in for her. She dropped

off the zyban and started smoking again. She's been making noises about

stopping again and I'm just ornery enough to egg that on by poking fun at

her wheezing.

Great Part about it J is the money you save over time.

I quit a 2 pack a day habit back in September and I just did the rough

estimate at $1007.50 (minus some I took out to buy a cdwriter) and I'm using

that to buy a Sony Wega KV-36XBR400 HDTV ready TV in a few days.

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-tpdmEna8If9/ProdView.asp?I=15836XBR40

Best part is I've got the wind to move that 200+ lbs monster around when I

get it.

I'm rooting for you over here.

February 9, 2001

> Gotta quit smoking, dammit

>

>I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

>told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp object

>in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear better

>now.

lol Did he get all that waxy yellow buildup?

>Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then Marlboro

>Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " )

I'm going to lie to you now. It's very very easy to quit smoking dude it

doesn't hurt at all in fact it's a walk in the park.

Here's the truth. If you go cold turkey you'll be irritable a pain in the

ass to be around you'll neck will hurt you'll feel like you're not getting

enough wind not to mention you'll feel restless in any situation in which

you're accustomed to smoking.

Now that I've said that it really isn't that bad except for the first week.

Some people only experience it for the first 3 or 4 days.

> It's like smoking paper.

that's the experience I'm talking about when I say " you're not getting

enough wind " above only it's worse but it only lasts for a little while.

>I'm almost looking forward to finishing the carton and

>starting on the patch. I'm a little afraid that I'll immediately

>start some other unsavory habit, like biting my nails or picking my

>nose in public, but what the hell.

> In a few years, cigarette smoking

>will be a felony in this country, so I might as well get started.

>With all the taxes on the damn things, they're almost as expensive

>on the street as they would be in prison.

>

>Oh yeah, I'm taking generic Wellbutrin, the same as Zyban, and it

>makes me hyper, which I think makes me smoke more, not less. But

>maybe it'll start working right in a few days.

My girlfriend told me it took 7 days for it to kick in for her. She dropped

off the zyban and started smoking again. She's been making noises about

stopping again and I'm just ornery enough to egg that on by poking fun at

her wheezing.

Great Part about it J is the money you save over time.

I quit a 2 pack a day habit back in September and I just did the rough

estimate at $1007.50 (minus some I took out to buy a cdwriter) and I'm using

that to buy a Sony Wega KV-36XBR400 HDTV ready TV in a few days.

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-tpdmEna8If9/ProdView.asp?I=15836XBR40

Best part is I've got the wind to move that 200+ lbs monster around when I

get it.

I'm rooting for you over here.

February 9, 2001

In a message dated 2/9/01 10:43:17 AM Pacific Standard Time,

watts_pete@... writes:

<< No Simon, that was me, was sitting behind me.

Believe it or not, those from the North of England (and otherwise

challenged!) can often write very well. I am one of them.

from Manchester

(But in London, so watch it!)

>>

you could work on your personal warmth, but who is counting.

February 9, 2001

> What can I say? It worked for me, and, as the counsellor warned, it

was far,

> far easier than learning to smoke ever was. It really is easy. The

only

> slight " drawback " is the anticlimax of the whole thing!

This reminds me of what it was like to quit drinking & smoking pot

when I went into treatment in 1984. The quitting part was easy. I

consider the additional exposure to 12 step ideology very damaging. I

struggled to understand and accept 12 step ideology and it f*cked me

up.

> Well, you must be completely suspicious of who I am and who this

Carr

> is by now and I will leave you to make up your own mind. I am not an

agent or

> representative of Carr in any way (I wish I could get paid for

this! If

> I had five dollars for everyone I've told about the course, I'd,

well, I'd

> have 255 dollars I guess!)

I have to say, you come across as very genuine and straightforward. I

am not even a little suspicious of you, Simon of London!

judith of Minneapolis

February 9, 2001

> What can I say? It worked for me, and, as the counsellor warned, it

was far,

> far easier than learning to smoke ever was. It really is easy. The

only

> slight " drawback " is the anticlimax of the whole thing!

This reminds me of what it was like to quit drinking & smoking pot

when I went into treatment in 1984. The quitting part was easy. I

consider the additional exposure to 12 step ideology very damaging. I

struggled to understand and accept 12 step ideology and it f*cked me

up.

> Well, you must be completely suspicious of who I am and who this

Carr

> is by now and I will leave you to make up your own mind. I am not an

agent or

> representative of Carr in any way (I wish I could get paid for

this! If

> I had five dollars for everyone I've told about the course, I'd,

well, I'd

> have 255 dollars I guess!)

I have to say, you come across as very genuine and straightforward. I

am not even a little suspicious of you, Simon of London!

judith of Minneapolis

February 9, 2001

> What can I say? It worked for me, and, as the counsellor warned, it

was far,

> far easier than learning to smoke ever was. It really is easy. The

only

> slight " drawback " is the anticlimax of the whole thing!

This reminds me of what it was like to quit drinking & smoking pot

when I went into treatment in 1984. The quitting part was easy. I

consider the additional exposure to 12 step ideology very damaging. I

struggled to understand and accept 12 step ideology and it f*cked me

up.

> Well, you must be completely suspicious of who I am and who this

Carr

> is by now and I will leave you to make up your own mind. I am not an

agent or

> representative of Carr in any way (I wish I could get paid for

this! If

> I had five dollars for everyone I've told about the course, I'd,

well, I'd

> have 255 dollars I guess!)

I have to say, you come across as very genuine and straightforward. I

am not even a little suspicious of you, Simon of London!

judith of Minneapolis

February 9, 2001

> >-----Original Message-----

> >From: mrreindeer2000@y... [mailto:mrreindeer2000@y...]

> >I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

> >told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp

object

> >in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear

better

> >now.

>

> lol Did he get all that waxy yellow buildup?

>

> >Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then

Marlboro

> >Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " )

>

> I'm going to lie to you now. It's very very easy to quit smoking

dude it

> doesn't hurt at all in fact it's a walk in the park.

>

LOL...

I am following this thread with great interest.

Jim

(Who is chewing on a huge wad of Lancaster chewing tobacco as he

speaks)

February 9, 2001

> >-----Original Message-----

> >From: mrreindeer2000@y... [mailto:mrreindeer2000@y...]

> >I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

> >told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp

object

> >in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear

better

> >now.

>

> lol Did he get all that waxy yellow buildup?

>

> >Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then

Marlboro

> >Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " )

>

> I'm going to lie to you now. It's very very easy to quit smoking

dude it

> doesn't hurt at all in fact it's a walk in the park.

>

LOL...

I am following this thread with great interest.

Jim

(Who is chewing on a huge wad of Lancaster chewing tobacco as he

speaks)

February 9, 2001

> >-----Original Message-----

> >From: mrreindeer2000@y... [mailto:mrreindeer2000@y...]

> >I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

> >told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp

object

> >in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear

better

> >now.

>

> lol Did he get all that waxy yellow buildup?

>

> >Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then

Marlboro

> >Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " )

>

> I'm going to lie to you now. It's very very easy to quit smoking

dude it

> doesn't hurt at all in fact it's a walk in the park.

>

LOL...

I am following this thread with great interest.

Jim

(Who is chewing on a huge wad of Lancaster chewing tobacco as he

speaks)

February 9, 2001

i chewed gum and tooth oiucks when i quit. it helped me get thru

habit of handeling something and oral fix. also used patch, it

helped with cravings. been smoke free for almsot 4 years now.

one of bets things i ever did for myself

.. I'm a little afraid that I'll immediately

> start some other unsavory habit, like biting my nails or picking

my

> nose in public

February 9, 2001

i chewed gum and tooth oiucks when i quit. it helped me get thru

habit of handeling something and oral fix. also used patch, it

helped with cravings. been smoke free for almsot 4 years now.

one of bets things i ever did for myself

.. I'm a little afraid that I'll immediately

> start some other unsavory habit, like biting my nails or picking

my

> nose in public

February 9, 2001

Friday, February 09, 2001, 8:24:12 PM, you wrote:

> LOL...

> I am following this thread with great interest.

> Jim

> (Who is chewing on a huge wad of Lancaster chewing tobacco as he

> speaks)

FWIW I gave up smoking for good 14 years ago. I realised spontaneously

that it was all in the mind, that was where the battle would be won or

lost. And I was amazed to find a year or so later that the method I

had devised was explained in the book " Carr's Easy Way to Quit

Smoking " ! Basically I just revised all my beliefs about smoking and

once I got it clear in my mind that it wasn't a real loss and

therefore there was no reason to think of it that way after stopping,

and once I gave myself the new identity of a non-smoker (rather than

an ex-smoker, who by definition is looking back to what he once did)

it all fell into place. Even the withdrawal symptoms could be seen in

a positive light, since they were marking my passage from the state of

smoker into that of a non-smoker, and so were welcome. My attitude to

the withdrawal symptoms was " Do your worst, you can't make me smoke

again " . And I didn't. And I very rarely even think about it now. Smug

but true. ;-) Carr's book is a good one.

Joe B.

February 9, 2001

I started Wellbutrin Wednesday, with the aim of quitting. I would be

interested in comparing experiences. In any case, good luck.

Kate

> I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

> told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp

object

> in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear

better

> now.

>

> Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then

Marlboro

> Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " ) It's like

> smoking paper. I'm almost looking forward to finishing the carton

and

> starting on the patch. I'm a little afraid that I'll immediately

> start some other unsavory habit, like biting my nails or picking my

> nose in public, but what the hell. In a few years, cigarette

smoking

> will be a felony in this country, so I might as well get started.

> With all the taxes on the damn things, they're almost as expensive

> on the street as they would be in prison.

>

> Oh yeah, I'm taking generic Wellbutrin, the same as Zyban, and it

> makes me hyper, which I think makes me smoke more, not less. But

> maybe it'll start working right in a few days. And it doesn't

> interfere with orgasms like Prozac or Zoloft, nor does it cause

> permanent erections like trazodone.

February 9, 2001

I started Wellbutrin Wednesday, with the aim of quitting. I would be

interested in comparing experiences. In any case, good luck.

Kate

> I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

> told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp

object

> in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear

better

> now.

>

> Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then

Marlboro

> Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " ) It's like

> smoking paper. I'm almost looking forward to finishing the carton

and

> starting on the patch. I'm a little afraid that I'll immediately

> start some other unsavory habit, like biting my nails or picking my

> nose in public, but what the hell. In a few years, cigarette

smoking

> will be a felony in this country, so I might as well get started.

> With all the taxes on the damn things, they're almost as expensive

> on the street as they would be in prison.

>

> Oh yeah, I'm taking generic Wellbutrin, the same as Zyban, and it

> makes me hyper, which I think makes me smoke more, not less. But

> maybe it'll start working right in a few days. And it doesn't

> interfere with orgasms like Prozac or Zoloft, nor does it cause

> permanent erections like trazodone.

February 9, 2001

I started Wellbutrin Wednesday, with the aim of quitting. I would be

interested in comparing experiences. In any case, good luck.

Kate

> I went to see my ENT doc, referred by my primary care physician. He

> told me to quit smoking, then proceeded to stick a very sharp

object

> in my ear and pull out part of my brain. He says I should hear

better

> now.

>

> Anyway, I switched from regular Camels to Camel Lights, then

Marlboro

> Ultra Lights (Slogan: " All the cancer, none of the fun. " ) It's like

> smoking paper. I'm almost looking forward to finishing the carton

and

> starting on the patch. I'm a little afraid that I'll immediately

> start some other unsavory habit, like biting my nails or picking my

> nose in public, but what the hell. In a few years, cigarette

smoking

> will be a felony in this country, so I might as well get started.

> With all the taxes on the damn things, they're almost as expensive

> on the street as they would be in prison.

>

> Oh yeah, I'm taking generic Wellbutrin, the same as Zyban, and it

> makes me hyper, which I think makes me smoke more, not less. But

> maybe it'll start working right in a few days. And it doesn't

> interfere with orgasms like Prozac or Zoloft, nor does it cause

> permanent erections like trazodone.

February 9, 2001

> FWIW I gave up smoking for good 14 years ago. I realised

spontaneously

> that it was all in the mind, that was where the battle would be won

or

> lost. And I was amazed to find a year or so later that the method I

> had devised was explained in the book " Carr's Easy Way to Quit

> Smoking " ! Basically I just revised all my beliefs about smoking and

> once I got it clear in my mind that it wasn't a real loss and

> therefore there was no reason to think of it that way after

stopping,

> and once I gave myself the new identity of a non-smoker (rather than

> an ex-smoker, who by definition is looking back to what he once did)

> it all fell into place. Even the withdrawal symptoms could be seen

in

> a positive light, since they were marking my passage from the state

of

> smoker into that of a non-smoker, and so were welcome. My attitude

to

> the withdrawal symptoms was " Do your worst, you can't make me smoke

> again " . And I didn't. And I very rarely even think about it now.

Smug

> but true. ;-) Carr's book is a good one.

I wonder how much of the self-help programs and therapies that are out

there represent the kind of resilience that is a normal part of life.

I believe resilience is instinctive, and I think forgetfulness is

part of resilience. You forget what you used to be and slowly evolve

into something different.

I think we are very suggestible, we see reality as it is presented to

us. What I'm saying is, if you are aware that smoking or drinking

causes physical discomfort, your brain will naturally start moving in

the direction of rationalizing abstinence from smoking or drinking.

That is, your brain will display this resilience in the absence of

marketing and research that drives home the idea that smoking is (a)

pleasurable, cool, etc., ( the hardest of all addictions to

overcome, (c, d...) that there is a cunning, baffling disease called

alcoholism which only 12 step meeting attendance can cure...

So, if one were to devise a self-help program to recover from AA, it

might consist largely of learning to talk about alcohol abuse, and

other activities, as learned behavior, which can be replaced by other

learned behavior. If the behavior that makes up alcoholism is replaced

voluntarily, in a highly individualized way, without a lot of

propaganda about how awful it's going to be to stop, the change in

behavior is going to be pretty smooth, even unnoticeable.

I really think the existence of rabid steppers serves to discourage

people from giving much credence to 12 step programs. So, even though

internally I question my credibility (just for a second) when I am

attacked by steppers, the kind of flaming we get from them makes us

appear more credible to others. That would be another component of my

self-help treatment program to recover from AA: exposure to rabid

steppers who attack anyone who questions the 12 steps.

judith

February 9, 2001