trying to quit smoking, all and any advice welcome

[Eishuu]

I quit cold turkey 16 years ago. But before that I had been trying to stop for about 5 years, and had lost track of the number of packets of tobacco I had thrown away only to go out and buy some more a few hours later.

What really helped me in the end was a change in lifestyle - it coincided with changing jobs so I wasn't around other smokers, also moved into a non-smoking Buddhist community and stopped drinking alcohol and didn't go to pubs. Maybe a bit extreme, but I would say anything you can change in your lifestyle that supports you giving up smoking will help. Not being around other smokers for a bit really helped me - anything that is likely to trigger the habit. Also at the time I started practising the Mindfulness of Breathing, and being more aware of my breath made me not want to pollute it. Yoga is good for that too. I'm sure Zazen will be really supportive as will the running that you want to do. Getting out of your normal routine even temporarily can help to form new habits and change old ones, so a retreat sounds like a great idea.

Good luck - you can do this!

Gassho
Lucy
Sat today

[Fredrik]

You've got plenty of good advice but ultimately, it's all about making your choice, to smoke or not to smoke. There are no exercises or retreats in the world that will help you if you haven't made up your mind. We both know that there is always an excuse to take a smoke if you really want one.

For me it was not that tough to overcome my addiction to nicotine, rather it was the habit, the ritual that presented the biggest obstacle. In the beginning I did not think on anything other than smoking. But it gets better and better. So my advice is to occupy yourself with something, especially now at the beginning of your journey. Idle hands are Maras workshop...

Sat today

[Onkai]

When the desire for smoking is intense, some deep breathing can help. Counting to ten for the in breath, holding the breath, counting to ten on the out breath. The cravings will gradually space out. Good luck.

Gassho,
Onkai
SatToday

[Seido]

When the desire for smoking is intense, some deep breathing can help. Counting to ten for the in breath, holding the breath, counting to ten on the out breath. The cravings will gradually space out. Good luck.

Gassho,
Onkai
SatToday

Maybe the TreeLeaf phone app could help? Its full of wisdom and breathing. You could turn to it instead of a smoke.

Gassho,
Seido
SatToday

[Myosha]

I want to beat this addiction!!!

y

Hello,

Try non-commercial, i.e. roll your own. You'll not be able to inhale *cough*, satisfies the oral fix.

Gets tiresome REAL quick = no fix.

Commercial cigarette manufacturers admitted, to the U.S. Congress their tobacco mixture is adulterated (hastening addiction).

Bon chance mon amí.


Gassho
Myosha
sat today

[Jundo]

Hello,

Try non-commercial, i.e. roll your own. You'll not be able to inhale *cough*, satisfies the oral fix.

Gets tiresome REAL quick = no fix.

Yes. Just leave out the tobacco. And the paper. Matches too.

In fact, just suck on a pencil.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Rae7Mac]

I found quitting to be extremely difficult. In addition to using it to cope with stress, I became very addicted to the nicotine. I started by reducing the places I would smoke, first stopped smoking in my home or inside other people's homes, and then my car. Then I reduced the amount of cigs, getting down to half of one a day prior to stopping. I used Nicotine gum when I quit for about 6 months, then kept it on hand for emergencies for another 3 months in case I felt tempted. I also abstained from alcohol for a year and cut my caffeine down to 2 cups of tea a day. I've been a non-smoker for 8 years now, and I'll never go back. Good luck!

Gassho,
Rae

[Makkusu]

Hello,

it's so great that you want to stop this addiction. I am lucky that I never smoked a cigarette in my life, but I would like to help you, too. Smoking is what you could call a "bad habit" and nowadays it's all about habits. If you have the habit to smoke when you are stressed, maybe just go for a walk instead or just stand outside. If you want to look further on forming habits for a better health I highly recommend you "Master the day" by Alexander Heyne. This book helped me change my perspective on stuff like eating sweets.

Gassho, Max
#s@today

[Kaishin]

the title says it all....i am trying to quit cold turkey, but ive tried a million times before...the thing is, besides getting winded walking up the stairs to my apt., i want to start running soon....i tried last night, or early this morning to be precise, and let myself down again this afternoon, after waking up at 1, basically a 12 hour nap, and called and bummed a fiver for a cheap pack of cigarettes...

I want to beat this addiction!!!

Gassho,

Richard

s@ 2day

Enlist the help of a substance abuse counselor. I used one for beating coffee addiction. No addiction is trivial.

[Cooperix]

39 years tobacco free... The experience of quitting was so difficult that occasionally I still dream I've started smoking and panic because it just means I'll have to go through withdrawal again. Cold turkey for me, and it was a good year before the craving left. My boyfriend (who smoked too) at the time bet me $5 that I couldn't last until Christmas. That got me through the first 2 months. No way was he going to win that bet. Once I had 2 months under my belt I just could not go back.
Its different for us all though. My sister in law quit a 40 year 3 pack a day habit once and said it was no problem. She did begin again after 3 years tobacco free but sadly is now dying of lung cancer. Cigarettes do that.

They say nicotine is one of the most powerful addictive substances we can consume. I believe it.
good luck !

Anne
~st~

[Kyosei]

Hi Richard!

I went "cold turkey" on tobacco, too. I was heavily dependant on cigarettes for 17 years. At that time, I was on a religion which used Ayahuasca as a substance to promote inner knowledge. This religion is called UDV ("União do Vegetal") here in Brasil.

I've tried to stop many times before... but I don't guess I really wanted to quit.

Well, there comes a day when I had a dream with the UDV founder, mestre Gabriel (he were deceased since 1975). We were on a white room and he just shake hands and staring firmly into my eyes he asked if I really wanted to quit smoking. I replied that yes, and he said he would help me.

I don't know if it was all a kind of "personalization" of thoughts, fantasy or not, my anxiety reduced a lot and I just stopped.

Hope you can free yourself, too. It may sound cliché but sometimes I think that we have to learn to want. When we really want something... (some say) universe conspires in our favour.

Don't be clinged or addicted to nothing.

Gassho

Marcos

#SatToday

[JimH]

Greetings!

I wasn’t a smoker for very long (about a year), but I was a smoker during my "formative" college days, and for a little while after (during a first and very troublesome marriage). I also quit cold turkey, and I found that quitting wasn't the hard part.....I quit MANY times.... ....it was "staying quit" that was the problem! Some people can just walk away from things like that, and some can't. There's no real "one size fits all" response, but I agree with a couple of the posts above: shikantaza, taking a walk/doing another behavior, and betting someone you can't go a week or so all would work pretty well. The real key is to see if you can figure out the root of your smoking behavior/pattern and eliminating that.

I recently found that I have been addicted to work for the last 5+ years. I've done a lot of talking with therapists about breaking addiction and have read a number of books on the subject. In looking at my patterns and behaviors, I found it quite easy to move away from my addictive behavior (i.e., change up work location, break old patterns such as getting a cup of coffee before working late, etc.). Take a look at when you find yourself smoking and what your patterns are. Then look at those from the Zen angle: why do you do those actions (mindfulness!!)? Once you know what the patterns and behaviors are, you can control them much better, because you see them for what they are. When you find yourself wanting to smoke, ask yourself, "Do I really want to smoke, or am I just blindly following a pattern?" If your answer is that you are just reacting to a pattern, then you can more easily recognize the behavior and substitute something else.

For example, suppose that you find that you smoke most when you are nervous. The next time you are nervous, recognize your nervousness, and ask yourself if your craving is a reaction to the nervousness. If it is, then smile at yourself for noticing both your nervousness and your craving. Acknowledge your craving (I like to think of doing this literally....say to yourself, "I see you, craving, my friend. I'm just not going to interact with you"), and move on.

This helps with a couple of things: mindfulness, beating your cravings/addiction, and even helping with the ultimate causes of other potentially harmful things in your life (such as the nervousness or stress that may be causing your cravings).

It also helps if you don't have cigarettes on hand with you or easily accessible. Can't smoke what you don't have!

If all else fails, just keep telling yourself, "I won't smoke today, but I'll let myself smoke tomorrow." Say this every day....tomorrow is always tomorrow.

One last thing. If are trying to quit and just can't, *don't* get down on yourself or beat yourself up. Quitting smoking or any other addictive behavior is very difficult, and may require other means (patches, gum, etc.). It is not weakness to use those, if they can help!

Gassho and good luck --

--JimH (SatToday!)

[odiedoodie]

Hi
I just quit smoking in October of 2016. I have been smoking cigarettes, pipes (including herbs other than tobacco), and cigars since I was 17 years old. I am now 63. There was a 10 year period when I did quit smoking about 20 years ago, but because I met some old buddies and we went to the pub and had a few.....and back to the old nicotine I went. So, once you do succeed in quitting, do not touch tobacco ever again-it's so easy to become addicted again!
I have heard it said that nicotine is as addictive as opium, heroine, morphine. I believe it.
I was unable to quit smoking the first time I attempted to do so. But the desire to quit was still in my mind, and my lungs were very unhappy. So I tried to quit again. Still the desire to smoke was too strong, and again I lit up a cigar. Several months passed, and I again attempted, and again failed. I kept trying to quit, and finally I did stop smoking. I wanted a smoke very much, but I resisted.
Most of the people that I know who have successfully stopped smoking had the same problem. But we all kept trying to stop. That was the key for us. Do not give up! And do not put yourself down for being unable to stop. Just keep trying.
Occasionally I still want a smoke, but I have determined to keep away from nicotine. Also, the desire to smoke continually decreases the longer you are away from it.
Tobacco is very unhealthy. Keep that in mind. Do not feel guilty either.
Good luck to you! I shall be sending positive vibes your way.
Also, lungs and heart and the rest the ol' bod begin recovering immediately. To what degree no one can say.
What to do with all that extra money we will save?
Gassho
Jon T
sat2day and didn't smoke

[Jundo]

Most of the people that I know who have successfully stopped smoking had the same problem. But we all kept trying to stop. That was the key for us. Do not give up! And do not put yourself down for being unable to stop. Just keep trying.

Yes. What is the old joke?

Quitting smoking is easy! I have done it 1000 times!

Like all the precepts. Fall down (hopefully not to bad!), get up, dust off, walk on, do one's best not to fall down again ...

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Shokai]

Fall down seven; get up eight !!

gassho,

sat today