78th smoke-free day! (the great Tiki central mass stop-smoking thread)

A little shameless self-promotion/bragging/crowing.....

Today is exactly 75 days since I had my last tobacco. It's been hard, but it is getting better and easier every day. In fact, I did not even realize 75 days had passed since I stopped counting the minutes and seconds about a month ago.

So, for anyone who thinks it can't be done, or it's too hard....I am here to tell you, it's NOT!

I was/am the type of smoker that lit one up apon waking, had one more while waiting for the coffee to brew. Had another when I got out of the shower, another while warming the car up, another while driving to work, another in the parking lot prior to entering the building.

This was the pattern of my life being a total slave to nicotine. Every moment measured and defined by when the next cigarette was coming.

Anyone trying this, let me tell you: Cold Turkey.

It's like ripping off a bandaid, you don't want to do it slow. That means no substitutes (patches, gum, etc) no cuting down or rationing. It only delays the inevitable.

Cold Turkey is the quick hit. You only suffer once, and for a comparitively short time.
For example, the real discomfort and insanity only really lasted about 7 days. After that it was already getting easy.

I am not out of the woods yet, and any time I get drunk there is the severe temptation, but I am doing it!

Now, if anyone else needs advice, or just a stop-smoking buddy, feel free to post here or PM me!!

Or,if you just want to post thier experiences, (when you quit, how you felt, or how your life has improved since)....go for it!!

I feel great. Like a huge load has been lifted. I encourage others to join me in this victory!!

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2009-06-11 11:21 ]

Spermy, you reading this?

besides that its just a damn nasty thing to do.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

p.s. Congrats Lucas.

Jeff(btd)

Congratulations!

Looking forward to seeing you update this post in another smoke free 75 days.

Congrats Lucas!

I am the last person to judge someone regarding what they do with themselves...if you smoke, drink too much, eat too much then its your choice to change and I have little respect for those that have their own problems but yet do all they can to pass judgement on others.

Instead I am all about JUST offering Congrats on the 75 days Lucas and I hope the next 75 are easier for you.

It WILL get easier, LV.

The best bit of advice I got when I finally put the nasty things down (early 90's) was, "Just forget what that habit was. When you see it going on, just tell yourself you don't understand what you're looking at, don't recognize what that person's doing." I know it sounds a bit corny, but it helped me with the psychological aspect of getting free, a battle that went on a while longer than the physiological jones did.

Best thing you could ever do for yourself. Just remember, and I speak for experience, because I had to go cold-turkey twice to make it stick: Those poisonous little cylinders are like snakes -- you can't "flirt" with them after you're free, bum a loose one, that sort of thing, 'cause if they get that venom back into you, you'll have to start all over. "What is that thing? I don't know, and don't want to." Not trying to preach here, just trying to help.

You've already done the hardest part, and every day will get easier.

Long Aloha,
SOK

The ironic, horrible thing about this is that it is the second time I am doing this.

In 2000, I quit after many, many years of chain smoking. I went all the way from 2000 to 2007 just fine, no cheating, no back sliding.

Then in 2007 (don't laugh!) I went to Vegas for the first time! Well, walking the strip one night, and drinking in every casino I could find, I passed by a cigar stand and I don't know what possessed me, but I bought an expensive cigar and smoked it.

What a disaster! The very NEXT day I went and bought a pack of cigs, and it was like I had never quit. I was totally and immediately hooked again.

Imagine that! I went through all the mental changes during those 7 years, to the point where I actually could not remember smoking anymore, what it felt like, the desire, the allure....I had gotten to the point where I was cured 100% and then totally blew it!

I learned an important point: You can't go back. Once you are done, you are done and cannot cheat, or dabble, or anything. Once an addict, always an addict, and once you quit it has to be forever.

So, exactly 75 days ago I came to the conclusion that I was a smoker again, no and if's or butts (Pardon the pun!) about it, and decided to try and quit again.

This time I am learning from past experience. There is no "safe" time. You can't have a puff 4 years from now and think it won't be any big thing. It will, and you will be hooked again.

I don't want to go through this again. Quitting is hard and unpleasant. It's like you have the hayfever and anxiety at the same time, x100. It's like having an arm chopped off, a crutch taken way...never to be replaced.

But if you go long enough, the cravings come slower and are quicker to pass. At first, it's like every 5 minutes. But they start coming slower and slower, and as long as you can make it through each craving without caving in, then you are good to go!

One thing that helped the first week was that I drank up to a gallon of water a day, and tried to go to bed and sleep as much as possible. Less time awake = less time you are awake and craving (or actually smoking).

The first 24 hours are actually not too bad! There is a pleasant, light headed feeling (That's your circulation improving and the carbon monoxide leaving your system) but the 3rd day until about the end of the first month is the hardest part. Steel yourself for that: You will be in for a rough ride, but it does get better!!

..congrats!!

i myself have been smoke free as of august 2006....last one i burned was at the hot rod hula hop #3.......cold turkey, only way to go.....it's weird...i don't really miss it, yet there are times quite often i would like to fire one up....but it's been so long that i don't want to screw up my record and have to quit all over again... :)

anyway, hang in there lucas....it gets easier with time. good for you!

On 2009-06-08 14:12, Son-of-Kelbo wrote:
It WILL get easier, LV.

The best bit of advice I got when I finally put the nasty things down (early 90's) was, "Just forget what that habit was. When you see it going on, just tell yourself you don't understand what you're looking at, don't recognize what that person's doing." I know it sounds a bit corny, but it helped me with the psychological aspect of getting free, a battle that went on a while longer than the physiological jones did.

Best thing you could ever do for yourself. Just remember, and I speak for experience, because I had to go cold-turkey twice to make it stick: Those poisonous little cylinders are like snakes -- you can't "flirt" with them after you're free, bum a loose one, that sort of thing, 'cause if they get that venom back into you, you'll have to start all over. "What is that thing? I don't know, and don't want to." Not trying to preach here, just trying to help.

You've already done the hardest part, and every day will get easier.

Long Aloha,
SOK

That's totally good advice. There is no logical reason to smoke cigs, and that is the way you have to look at it. It's not like you are missing out on something.

I look at kids (young kids) and they don't smoke, and seem perfectly happy. A bit fidgety, yes, but not all jonesing for cigarettes!
I want to be like them. A non-smoker.

I have to mentally bring myself to a place where I don't even know what a cigarette is, just like SOK said.

On 2009-06-08 14:26, Tipsy McStagger wrote:

..congrats!!

i myself have been smoke free as of august 2006....last one i burned was at the hot rod hula hop #3.......cold turkey, only way to go.....it's weird...i don't really miss it, yet there are times quite often i would like to fire one up....but it's been so long that i don't want to screw up my record and have to quit all over again... :)

anyway, hang in there lucas....it gets easier with time. good for you!

Three years...that's pretty good!!

As a Respiratory Therapist, I daily see the results of a lifetime of smoking - I'm so glad you stopped, quitting can really make a difference in your health. Congrats Lucas and keep up the good work! Thanks for the offer for support, I hope you get some takers.

:music: * "Sweet Virginia cigarette burning in my hand
Well you used to be a friend of mine now I understand
You've been eating up inside me for some time.
Well I know that there'll be hell to pay
Somewhere along the line" * :music:

Thanks everyone!

Not to be too grim on such a nice day, but I lost my dad to lung cancer last year....so, it was weighing heavily on my mind. I wish I could have quit a bit earlier. I just did not have the balls to do it at the time.

Im glad to hear you quit. and I encourage everyone else who smokes do the same..I quit for the second time about a year and a half ago( late 2007).. I had a hard time with it and had been off and on with the gum,and shit with no real luck for years. But when my father in law, who I was very close with was diagnosed with lung cancer, I quit cold turkey that day. I helped take care of him for the next 3 months and It was not fun watching him cough up black bloody charcoaly cancer nuggets, and labor threw every breath. He died a very scary and agonizing death that was caused by a stupid habit.
Fuck cigarettes...

Great!
Now we're gonna have to deal with Mr. Vigor for longer than hoped....

Henceforth, I will increase my tobacco intake
so i won't be around for that....
:)

Congrats man
but i think the booze and pot probably do just as much damage....

A friend of mine quit a few years ago. He was so into quitting and so confident that he would... he wanted to reward himself after a year of being smoke free. So for the entire year, he would put money in a jar... the same amount and same pace that he would normally have bought packs of cigs.

At the end of the year, he thru the biggest party (smoke free, of course)... it was a blast. Thankfully he didn't try to quit drinking. The party wouldn't have been as festive.

Well, put it this way...booze is bad, but in moderation, it is not so bad....same with herbal "supplements"...again, not so bad...because you generally are not doing it every day or all day..not perfect, but we have to have some fun in life, of course!

At my peak, I was probably at about 2 packs worth of tobacco a day. That's a lot. That's 40 cigarettes a day!!!!

But to not smell like smoke all the time...wow! What a difference!!

I replaced it with going to the gym and working out (now that I can breath better). I have actually been to the gym every single day for two months now!!

And the saving money part is awesome.

2 packs a day is 10 bucks a day, that's 300 a month on cigarettes alone!!

Even if you do one pack a day, that's about 150 a month. That's 1800 a year. That's a Hawaiian vacation, basically.

So, if you smoke a pack a day, and quit for 10 years, you just saved 18,000 dollars!!!

And that is at today's 5 buck a pack prices. I expect they will go up even more in the future.

Another great thing about going public with this, is that I am putting a lot of pressure on myself to stick with it!

How stoooopid am I gonna feel if someone catches me smoking on one of my breaks at the catalina kitchen, for example!!

The nicotine withdrawls have probably made you a little crazy. But luckily you are a musician and you can channel that insanity into the music.

The bottom of the Hula Girls songs are probably going to get real intense.

Seriously though, good for you. Hang in there.

Lucas,
if I see you smoking can I smack you up side the head?
:wink:

Jeff(bigtikidude)

HUGE Congrats Lucas...This is a momentous achievement!

(I'm next up to take on the challenge)

On 2009-06-09 10:06, bigtikidude wrote:
Lucas,
if I see you smoking can I smack you up side the head?
:wink:

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I tell you what, I love you so much Jeff that you can give me a smack EVEN if I Don't smoke!!

On 2009-06-09 10:26, Babalu wrote:
HUGE Congrats Lucas...This is a momentous achievement!

(I'm next up to take on the challenge)

Document it HERE! (It's fun, and embarrassing at the same time!)

Really, it's not so bad once you make up your mind...the mind is a powerful thing! Only the first 7 days or so are really the worst. Stock up on your favorite comfort foods, drink tons of water and get some sleeping pills so you can retire by about 7:30 each night...!!

(sleeping as much as possible is really a good idea!!)

For my first day, I just did not have a smoke when I woke up. (I normally would) but you see, I already had 8 hours under my belt as a non-smoker..then I just added to it, and added to it. Like I said, the first day was actually kind of cool. There is a pleasant, euphoric, light headed feeling all the first day!

You can do it, Babalu, and I am here to help you if you need it!

my mom and dad quit smoking about 20 years ago,
one of the things that they did to help with the cravings was.
take 10 long slow very deep breaths.

the theory behind this is, people say that smoking relaxes them.
but actually the Nicotine is a stimulant,
but the long drags off the cig are what actually relaxes people.
they say that when a person smokes their Blood pressure drops right then,
but after shoots real high, hence the want/need for another smoke.

can you say vicious circle?

keep up the good Work Lucas, and others.
Jeff(bigtikidude)

Well done, Lucas! I've never even met you, but am very proud of you right now! And kudos on going public with it, because you know the TC crew will now hold you accountable! Best wishes for continued success and a long healthy life!

Hey Lucas! Congrats on kicking the habit! One day at a time, just like the 12 steppers. Lots of good advice here for others who want to get off the sticks. Stay with it! Replacing the bad habit with good ones (drinking water and going to the gym) is a great way to go. You won't be sitting around stuffing your face with food to fill the need to put something in your mouth.

I had a similar experience to Kirby. My Grandad was dying of cancer (lymphoma - bad bad bad) and he sat up in his hospital bed, pointed at me and said "See what smoking does to you?" Well, I told him "I quit, Grandad!" and I did that very minute. Whenever I wanted one, I just thought about him in that bed. It wasn't easy but I had a boyfriend who hated it so he was very "helpful" in reminding me (I call it "nagging"), but I did it for myself and for my Grandad. For years the smell of smoke was annoying and I would crave them when I was drinking. And sometimes newly minted non-smokers tend to get preachy, that's not usually very appreciated. Now I can be around it and it doesn't really bother me. Now my other habits. . . . :wink:

Good job Lucas.

I quit cold turkey in summer 2001. Haven't touched one since. I too realized that if I even so much as took a puff, I would be hooked again. Before that time I had quit for 9 months and fell off the wagon at my sister's wedding where someone was handing out cigars. I didn't think a cigar would do it, but I went back to it full hog.

BTW: Cigarettes are more than (or close to) $10 a pack up here in Canada, so I'm super happy about the savings aspect.

On 2009-06-09 12:48, Kiki von Tiki wrote:
Hey Lucas! Congrats on kicking the habit! One day at a time, just like the 12 steppers. Lots of good advice here for others who want to get off the sticks. Stay with it! Replacing the bad habit with good ones (drinking water and going to the gym) is a great way to go. You won't be sitting around stuffing your face with food to fill the need to put something in your mouth.

I had a similar experience to Kirby. My Grandad was dying of cancer (lymphoma - bad bad bad) and he sat up in his hospital bed, pointed at me and said "See what smoking does to you?" Well, I told him "I quit, Grandad!" and I did that very minute. Whenever I wanted one, I just thought about him in that bed. It wasn't easy but I had a boyfriend who hated it so he was very "helpful" in reminding me (I call it "nagging"), but I did it for myself and for my Grandad. For years the smell of smoke was annoying and I would crave them when I was drinking. And sometimes newly minted non-smokers tend to get preachy, that's not usually very appreciated. Now I can be around it and it doesn't really bother me. Now my other habits. . . . :wink:

How long has it been?

Also, I am trying not to be preachy....after a while, I will probably stop talking about it (and even stop thinking about it hopefully!)

On 2009-06-09 12:50, Slacks Ferret wrote:
Good job Lucas.

I quit cold turkey in summer 2001. Haven't touched one since. I too realized that if I even so much as took a puff, I would be hooked again. Before that time I had quit for 9 months and fell off the wagon at my sister's wedding where someone was handing out cigars. I didn't think a cigar would do it, but I went back to it full hog.

BTW: Cigarettes are more than (or close to) $10 a pack up here in Canada, so I'm super happy about the savings aspect.

That's 9 years! Excellent!

Yes, cigars are very good at getting you hooked again!

PS, I have always liked your username! Makes me think of a private eye!!

Not only that,
but I heard that Cigarettes have something like 250 chemicals that the FDA won't allow in food, but its ok to smoke.
:o
go figure.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Congrats Lucas!!!

I would love to be YOU!!!

Soon.........

How long has it been?

25 years!

Also, I am trying not to be preachy....after a while, I will probably stop talking about it (and even stop thinking about it hopefully!)

I didn't mean to imply you were being preachy. You're just happy and proud, and you should be! I'm talking about the new non-smokers that think just cause they did it, now everyone needs to.

Congrats, Lucas! I can't imagine how hard that was.

Cigarettes almost got my father. Over FIFTY operations*. They took out most of one lung and part of another. and his esophagus. He can't go to end end of the driveway w/o oxygen. Please don't end up like him, everybody. Be like Lucas and quit!

*He's the Most-operated-on person in the history of Brigham and Women's

Mine came a few years ago at 3am sitting at the computer , on line casino,chain smoking, up $1000.00(no shit) lungs filled with fluid and could not breathe.
long story,won't bore you with details,I survived.am doing very well ,Thank You.
So I come to this from the dues paying side of the isle.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO QUIT?

Have a friend stand behind you and put a plastic bag over your head,and give you a bear hug.Just before you pass out and 'DIE' have them remove it. catch your breath.Remember that feeling of impending doom and death.
Now KNOW this,if you continue to smoke there is no doubt that someday you will feel that same way again ,but this time there will be NO friend to remove the bag.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I quit smoking in 1983. Yikes that was hard. I cold turkeyd it. Smartest thing I ever did when I was 21 ( I wasnt very smart back then).

If you need some motivation to quit google search "end stage emphysema" if that doesnt get you cancer will. The plastic bag bear hug scenario descibed above is what emphysema is like. Also add uncontrollable exhausting coughing fits, clinging for life to an inhaler, Oxygen bottles, and wheelchairs etc.

Johnny Carson ended his life this way.

Hope this helps
Gonzo

Document it HERE! (It's fun, and embarrassing at the same time!)

You can do it, Babalu, and I am here to help you if you need it!

Why thank you Lucas... I might just take you up on that.

I've been smoking now for 33 years - cough, cough...hack...

I have quit twice - both time for almost exactly a year - both times, right at that 1 year clean mark, I thought to myself...Awww, I can have one while I'm tossing this beer down...

BAM - hooked again :(

Here is some food for though, Babalu:

"What happens inside our bodies when we quit using tobacco? Have all of the years of smoking or chewing caused too much damage for quitting to be of any benefit? Not at all. The human body is amazingly resilient.

Within the first 20 minutes of quitting, the healing process begins. The benefits will continue
to improve your health and quality of life for years.

At 20 minutes after quitting:
• Blood pressure decreases
• Pulse rate drops
• Body temperature of hands and feet increases.

At 8 hours:
• Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
• Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

At 24 hours:
• Chance of a heart attack decreases

At 48 hours:
• nerve endings begin regrowth
• ability to smell and taste improves

At One Year Smoke-Free:
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker after one year.

At 5 years smoke-free:
• from 5 to 15 years after quitting tobacco, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.

At 10 years smoke-free:
• risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
• risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
• risk of ulcers decreases

At 15 years smoke-free:
• risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
• risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked"

To add to that, within 6 weeks -

The cilia, tiny "sweepers" inside your airways that are killed by smoke, regenerate and start cleaning crap from your lungs

Your red blood cells that are bound up with carbon monoxide are replaced with fresh blood cells that can carry a full load of O2

I add my congratulations, Lucas - Bravo!

After reading over all the posts, I notice a number by people who have quit, then started back, or who constantly struggle against the "pull", and fear giving in. I thought I'd add this (long, sorry) post, about how my wife, Monica, did it - unsuccessfully, then successfully:

My wife quit smoking twice. She quit at 22, on sheer willpower. She still really missed cigarettes, years later, though. Then she started smoking again in her early thirties because she was miserable in her first marriage, anyway - sort of a my-life-sucks-so-who-cares-if-they kill-me attitude.
She got divorced, life was better, but she kept the habit. Then, she bought a book about quitting, from a book store clearance bin, read a little, then stuck it on the shelf. She kept flirting with it, but she was afraid to really read it. She thought she should quit, but didn't really want to - she LOVED smoking, and she didn't want the book to spoil something she enjoyed so much. Or, so she told herself.
Finally, she buckled down to finish it. The author advises you to keep smoking, while reading his book, and she did. Don't try to quit with willpower, or because you "know you should", he says. It usually doesn't work, and even if it does, you'll resent quitting, and always be a weak moment away from starting back. Well, by the time Monica was nearly finished with the book, she just up and quit. Bang. Didn't want to smoke anymore. Wanted to "divorce" smoking and send it packing, the filthy, lying, thieving bastard.
The book changes the way you look at smoking, by examining the psychology, the "lies" you tell yourself, the way nicotine deceives you. It deals with all the things you think you'll miss out on, your "pleasurable" daily rituals, if you stopped. Smoking a cigarette relaxes you, sure, but it's largely the nicotine withdrawal that creates the sense of anxiety in the first place! The author, Allen Carr, was a 4 pack/day smoker, himself.
Monica said reading the book was like having someone read her mind, and then lay out her thoughts about smoking in a way that made it impossible to ignore the absurdity, the contradictions, the self-deception. The author "personifies" the habit of smoking, and you end up seeing it differently - as a tricky two-faced deceiver, playing you for a chump, acting friendly and supportive to your face, then laughing behind your back.
Anyway, she quit in September, 2001 (2 months before we married), and she says this time, she never craves cigarettes, never misses them, even when drinking and socializing with a bunch of smokers. In fact, she has shared a cigar with me (I smoke

Alrighty then, thanks Lucas & all....I'm going to pick an internal quit date today. I will give it a another go...day number "one" soon... I'm going to try to see if these pills my doctor gave me are going to help this time around. I started them, and stopped them a while ago...time to pull them back out of the cabinet.

I'm back in the saddle again...

Good Luck Babalu

Jeff(bigtikidude)

The deceptive lie of nicotine: Yes, that's a huge understatement! It creates the false sense that you are doing something you enjoy. But the funny thing is, you eventually don't miss it at all, and start wondering what you even saw in it the first time!
But for most tobacco addicts, I would say you are playing with fire if you smoke an occasional cigar. It's too easy to get hooked all over again!

Pills supposedly work (Like buspar, zyban, etc) but so many side effects is a deterent.

My advice for anyone is again, take the quick hit. The pain of withdrawal is pretty bad, but really does not last as long as you think. Within 3 days, you are already feeling better and it is easier (though you are at huge risk of backsliding!)

There is strenght in numbers, shared suffering, etc..now is a good time to attempt this!

Babalu and Ben, you should try this: Have this be your last weekend. Smoke yourself silly. Chain smoke, even. Come monday, just don't do it anymore. Take the day off if needed and just sleep it off. Come monday morning you already techincally have 8 smoke free hours under your belt, and now you are just gonna add to that. By Tuesday, that will be what, 32 hours already without a cigarette?

This won't work for most people, but during my first few days I drank like a FISH, and just passed out and went to sleep early. I don't reccoment it, because drinking and cigs seem to go together so well...but this is what I did.

This is day 78!

How do I feel? Oh, I would sure LIKE a cigarette, but I no longer NEED a cigarette and go for hours and hours not thinking about it. The cravings have actually already stopped.

They come like waves. At first, every few minutes. Then slower, more time in between cravings. If you keep "riding" them through, you will be ok. The amazing thing is there are NO negative repercussions from not giving into the craving! None! You don't die, pass out, or even really go crazy! That's the lie that nicotine creates, that you NEED it. You don't.

There are some cool substitute items out there. Like oregon mint. It looks like snuff, but is actually just mint. They even make it in little bags, if that's your thing. Like skoal bandits but without the nicotine.

For those into dipping, this stuff is a lifesaver! it has the exact same consistency as snuff.

(By the way, I was heavily into both snuff AND cigs.)

http://www.quittobacco.com/

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2009-06-11 11:20 ]

On 2009-06-11 11:15, lucas vigor wrote:
"But for most tobacco addicts, I would say you are playing with fire if you smoke an occasional cigar. It's too easy to get hooked all over again!"

Yes, quite literally "playing with fire". I don't recommend it as an OK idea, for a former smoking addict, and it made me uneasy, the first couple of times. But, now, after years of her NOT starting back, I don't worry that she will. She doesn't have fond memories of smoking cigarettes - in retrospect, the "relationship" was all lies. Just like, I don't worry that she'll suddenly leave me and go back to her ex. I know she's utterly done with him, doesn't miss him, long for him, etc. (Hmmm,... not comfortable with how "an occasional cigar" plays out, in that analogy). If they made a pill that would alleviate the negative health consequences of cigarettes, she STILL wouldn't start back smoking.

"My advice for anyone is again, take the quick hit. The pain of withdrawal is pretty bad, but really does not last as long as you think. Within 3 days, you are already feeling better and it is easier..."

Monica feared quitting, again, because she had such vivid and horrible memories of how traumatic it had been, the first time. She'd struggled for weeks, having several "last" cigarettes, and never really lost the mental craving, the sense of deprivation. But, the second time, she had physical symptoms for 2 days, but no psychological symptoms, no "second guessing".
She had a skull-splitting headache, the 2nd day off, and started looking everywhere for a forgotten cig (she'd thrown out her last pack), to get some relief. She finally found one bent cigarette, with the filter broken off, in the bottom of a jewelry box. It reeked of perfume, but she was desperate. She carefully brushed off the lint, lit it, and took a deep drag. And barely staggered to the toilet in time to throw up. So, she suffered through the headache, and the next day, felt better. Some suffer no physical symptoms, but she did for a short time, like you. But it's the mental stuff that'll do you in. You've got to get over believing you're "depriving" yourself of pleasure, that you're losing out on some "good times" that others are enjoying.

On 2009-06-11 11:15, lucas vigor wrote:
"There are some cool substitute items out there. Like oregon mint. It looks like snuff, but is actually just mint."

"Ah jus' takes me a pinch of garnish between my cheek and gum."

At the end of the cocktail, I often eat the cherries and orange slices. Never knew what to do with the mint, though... till now.

When people quit smoking cigarettes, I am always willing to offer my kudos.

However, I am a life-long pipe and cigar smoker. I smoke a few times a month and enjoy the hell out of it. My problem is that society looks at the cigar and pipe the same way they do cigarettes - like shooting up H.

LIke Bill Clinton, as a general rule, pipe and cigar smokers don't inhale. Unlike cigarettes, walking away from pipes and cigars is easy. No shakes, no mental agony. Nada.

With all of the celebration about quitting smoking, please be mindful that the Tiki Ti is a smokers only choice for drinking and smoking a cigar in a public bar.

Here's my request. When I am at the Ti, enjoying my Ray's Mistake, coddling my cigar, please don't approach me and ask me to take it somewhere else.

On 2009-06-14 08:27, telescopes wrote:
When people quit smoking cigarettes, I am always willing to offer my kudos.

However, I am a life-long pipe and cigar smoker. I smoke a few times a month and enjoy the hell out of it. My problem is that society looks at the cigar and pipe the same way they do cigarettes - like shooting up H.

LIke Bill Clinton, as a general rule, pipe and cigar smokers don't inhale. Unlike cigarettes, walking away from pipes and cigars is easy. No shakes, no mental agony. Nada.

With all of the celebration about quitting smoking, please be mindful that the Tiki Ti is a smokers only choice for drinking and smoking a cigar in a public bar.

Here's my request. When I am at the Ti, enjoying my Ray's Mistake, coddling my cigar, please don't approach me and ask me to take it somewhere else.

I love the smell of pipes and cigars. But for an ex-smoker, they are dangerous, because they are the gateway to starting cigarettes again. For someone like you, you ARE at risk for oral cancer, however...the risk might be pretty small.

If nicotine was the type of drug that most people could control, it would not be as much a problem. Speaking for myself, I can't do the occasional cigarette, or the "only on the weekend" smoking, though I know some people can. For me, one would lead to another, and another, and another.

I don't want to be a nag, but the simple truth is, if you can taste it or smell it, it's getting in your system! And that would include second hand smoke as well.

For someone like me, I would rather avoid a place that allows indoor smoking, unless there is really good ventilation or fans (like at the morongo casino) and I don't want to restrict your right to slowly kill yourself, just as long as you are being reasoneable about it and not planning on taking me out as well. Smoking laws are a good thing in my opinion, but I don't want this thread to veer off into politics.

On 2009-06-14 08:27, telescopes wrote:
When people quit smoking cigarettes, I am always willing to offer my kudos.

However, I am a life-long pipe and cigar smoker. I smoke a few times a month and enjoy the hell out of it. My problem is that society looks at the cigar and pipe the same way they do cigarettes - like shooting up H.

LIke Bill Clinton, as a general rule, pipe and cigar smokers don't inhale. Unlike cigarettes, walking away from pipes and cigars is easy. No shakes, no mental agony. Nada.

But pipes and cigars will give you lung cancer, just like cigarettes do. My father was a pipe and cigar smoker into his mid-40s, but never once picked up a cigarette. He died at an early 67 from esophageal cancer that spread to his lungs, 20 years after he quit! Tobacco is tobacco and and it doesn't have to get deep into the recesses of your lungs to kill you. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy to go through what my father went through in the last two months of his life! It's not a pretty way to die and I guess I'll never understand why people are willing to continue smoking knowing what they're going to go through, and what they're going to put their loved ones through.

Exactly.