Quote: (10-17-2018 11:42 AM)PakMan Wrote:
I agree with most posters that I definitely hamstering to some extent, but I disagree that the only reason I smoke is an addiction to nicotine. Out of all the cigs I smoke daily, I think probably only a few are due to an actual craving for nicotine. Most are just routine and killing time when there's nothing else to do. There is no doubt completely quitting is the best scenario and of course game doesn't require smoking.
I don't mind the harshness either. It's probably warranted at this point since I'm getting winded after just an hour of working out, which is unacceptable at 29.
The reason I'm opposed to having an all or nothing mentality is because I think everyone should strive towards establishing strong self-discipline and be able to control their intake of any substance even if they had a previous addiction to it. A cig here and there isn't particularly harmful to your health.
I'll definitely check out that Allen Carr book and keep my objective at quitting completely.
You are still hamstering. If only a few of the cigarettes you smoke are because of nicotine cravings, why do you smoke the others? Because girls like the taste of ashtray when you kiss them?
I repeat, the only reason you smoke is because of nicotine addiction. I was in denial of this myself for years and years, so believe me, I know exactly what thought patterns lead to these statements you're making.
Only when I finally accepted my nicotine addiction as fact was I able to finally get rid of them.
Quote: (10-17-2018 12:29 PM)Proud_Nimby Wrote:
I used to smoke heavily ~20 years ago (I also loved it) and quit (health, stink, etc - same reasons others quit) for many years, then got into premium cigars. One $16 premium mild cigar per week or every other week with some shots of Crown gets it out of my system. I hate cigarettes and cheap cigars now & don't want to vape to be a nicotine addict. But there is something magical, mysterious and therapeutic about chilling for an hour or two with a fine Diamond Crown Natural or Maduro Churchill, away from large groups of people on a patio or quiet cigar bar.
I smoke shisha every now and then. Once every blue moon I'll smoke a good cigar. But I would not recommend this to anyone who has recently quit, as the associations with cigarettes will be too strong and the chance of relapse too great.
Quote: (10-17-2018 01:49 PM)Lampwick Wrote:
I see where OP is coming from. The problem is that the vast, vast majority of smokers are unable to moderate how much they smoke. Quitting is an all or nothing proposition for them. I'm able to smoke a cigarette or two every several months without starting up a regular habit. I think this is a genetic thing. If you're a pack-a-day person, then you will most likely have to quit altogether. The sooner you banish the "cigarette once in a while, or only when I drink" idea from your head, the better.
This has nothing to do with genetics, you were probably never addicted (pack a day) in the first place. Keeping it light is one thing, but "cutting down" from a full blown addiction is almost impossible.
Agreed on having to banish the "cigarette once in a while" mentality. There is no such thing, it's the hamsters way of rationalizing your quitting attempt into a "quitting, but not really" attempt.
To quote Allen Carr, smokers who have "cut down" and now only smoke once in a while are even more miserable than full blown smokers, because they willingly deprive themselves of their nicotine addiction for prolonged periods and suffer because of it, only to finally give themselves release and start the process all over again.
And before you know it, they've had a big night out and are now back on a pack a day. Hamstering complete.
Quote: (10-17-2018 02:32 PM)PakMan Wrote:
Book's really that good, huh? I'll be sure to give it a read.
Start today. The book will give you a paradigm shift about the whole idea and nature of smoking. I had to read it 3 times over the span of 4 years (during 3 different quitting attempts). Even though rationally I knew what the book was saying was truth, 2 out of these 3 quitting attempts I still eventually relapsed. During the 3rd read I finally opened myself up and fully internalized the book's contents.
Quote: (10-17-2018 06:07 PM)NoMoreTO Wrote:
"Advantages":
There are some small advantages to smoking, being able to acknowledge them in my mind and then to point to the better reasons why works better for me. Generally smokers who quit end up hating smoking more than non smokers, but to me this is just intellectual honesty:
- date on my balcony: lighting up with a girl that can create a bond, when you have a girl who smokes, she likes to loosen up and have a smoke with a man, there is a sexual tension or something that happens.
- outside work : again people who smoke can be in a special club (of outcasts granted) but there is a level of bonding
- outside a bar / street game: yes you can open girls with a light or a smoke very easily. I've had attractive women come to me because they wanted a smoke, cheaper than a drink.
- fuck you attitude: probably the hardest part of quitting smoking is the fuck you attitude about life. Yes, its rebellious in its way, and by definition you are not thinking about your future. But that's the beauty of a fuck you attitude. But really you're fucking yourself
All of these "Advantages" are the hamster at work. There are no advantages, unless dieing of cancer at age 59 is considered an advantage.