im a smoker and also a very keen cyclist i enjoy both but the smoking is really not doing me any favors on the inclines while out riding, ive tried giving up numerous times and failed after about 4 weeks or so, it makes it twice as hard because my girlfriend who i live with also smokes. i was wondering if there is anyone else who loves there bike and also smokes, if you have managed to quit while your partner still smokes?
the few times i did quit everything tasted, smelt and seemed more pleasant, i just cant seem to kick the habit, also with my brother in law (who i work for) he smokes and i am surrounded by smokers on building sites and houses we do work at. am i classed as a bit of an outcast because i smoke? i NEVER smoke when im on my bike with the people i ride with as it would just feel wrong, but i light up as soon as i get to the car again and everytime i do i feel like a bad schoolboy. anyone else feel the same? 
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Posted 4 months ago #
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the few times i did quit everything tasted, smelt and seemed more pleasant, i just cant seem to kick the habit, also with my brother in law (who i work for) he smokes and i am surrounded by smokers on building sites and houses we do work at. am i classed as a bit of an outcast because i smoke? i NEVER smoke when im on my bike with the people i ride with as it would just feel wrong, but i light up as soon as i get to the car again and everytime i do i feel like a bad schoolboy. anyone else feel the same?
Felt the same as you for a long time.
I'm afraid it's time for a large tablespoon of MTFU matey and the realisation that most smokers who see you giving up are massively envious of you when you succeed. And (secretly) relieved when you fall off the wagon.
Don't give up trying. One time, it'll work.
Posted 4 months ago # -
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/stopping-smoking
You are not alone...Posted 4 months ago # -
im fine for a few days then my temper gets the better of me and i start to get really angry at everything and everyone (especially my brother in law who is also my boss.lol ) i dont know whether or not to give it another go, i dont think im fully committed to make it work yet.
Posted 4 months ago # -
i dont think im fully committed to make it work yet.
Well, until you are.
Have you considered using sweets or gum (for a few weeks) to curb the irritability of withdrawing from nicotine? You can get them cheaply from Boots or other chemists (well, for the price of a subscription anyway).
Posted 4 months ago # -
Ex smoker here, 40-60 a day on any given day (A really bad day I could smoke 100 cigarettes a day). It was important for me to realise the following things:
- Smokers are drug addicts. I was a drug addict. You are a drug addict.
- Smoking doesn't make you feel better, it just numbs the cravings for nicotine. Each cigarette numbs the cravings created by the last one, and sets up the cravings for the next one. It's a subtle trap.
- You aren't "giving up" anything. You're gaining your life back. Imagine how good it feels not to have to constantly think about your next fix; offending others, being a social leper, stinking. I now enjoy dining out with friends, going to the cinema, things that when I was a smoker I never enjoyed because all I could think about was my next hit. I'm now much healthier and wealthier too.
I would suggest reading the Carr book which is available as a free PDF download now Google Docs Allen Carr - his style is a little blunt and repetitive but his message is spot on.
Posted 4 months ago # -
my fiance recently quit (she is now 4 months clean of the evil sticks) she tried all of the replacement techniques such as patches etc and failed on each, eventualy she found this why quit watched one or two of his videos a day and read the articles, it helps you understand the power of nicotine and the mental changes your brain has to undergo during the quit process and will help you through it,
good luck
Posted 4 months ago # -
I don't think you'll be able to stop as long as you are 'trying' to stop. It never worked for me. One day i just said '**** it, I don't smoke anymore'. No problem. If a wee craving came on you just have to MTFU and do something to take your mind off it. They only last a few minutes anyway. Not smoking is easy once you decide you've had enough. No need to avoid smokers or drinking etc.
Just do it you blouse.
Posted 4 months ago # -
It's so hard to quit - been there, done that, but smoking again. You have to really be in the right frame of mind to stop - and I'm not there at the moment. The thought is always at the back of my mind, and I know one day I will quit again, so I don't beat myself up about it.
Posted 4 months ago # -
I'm a day and a half into being fag free now - its got to stick this time as I'm feeling very unfit at the moment compared to how I felt before giving up on giving up last time.
Posted 4 months ago # -
http://www.totallywicked-eliquid.co.uk/
I bought an electronic cigarette on December 20th 2009 and haven't had a single cigarette since the day it arrived.
I regulated the nicotine level over the first few months to almost nothing, and now I use nicotine free juice in a variety of flavours (never cigarette flavours after the first month as I hated the taste).
I never have the urge to smoke, and havent right from the start. It worked for me, and a lot of my friends too, may be worth a try ??
Posted 4 months ago # -
Does your OH want to quit? I imagine it'd be considerably easier if you both did it together.
Posted 4 months ago # -
I went cold turkey and kicked the habit about nine years ago now, but I had reached the end of my tether with it.
Friends who have had more difficulty quitting do seem to be doing well with those electric cigarettes.
(OK, I know it might not technically be quitting but it's better than staying on the gaspers, eh?)
Posted 4 months ago # -
You are heaping alot of pressure on yourself trying to stop at this time of year. If you have announced that it is your intention to family and friends then even more-so.
I dont think its the right time to stop, at new year. There are perhaps financial worries, January is a long month and of course the resolution side of things, its doomed.
Stop when you feel like you've had enough and not before as it wont work.
It must be difficult to be surrounded by smokers but that's just another excuse not to stop. Build up to it, if you are thinking along the lines of being a social pariah then your on the right track, pick a time in the not too distant future and don't announce it. Just pack, use whatever aid you require just don't substitute with alcohol or exotic tobacco.
Good luck to you.
Posted 4 months ago # -
January 15th is my first year anniversary of quitting (the wife is more than happy for me to buy a Fargo as a reward!!)
Stopping is sodding hard. BUT IT IS WORTH IT.
I did the NHS sessions with free patches.
Yes some smokers will not help, but ****'em. Just piss them off by becoming a non-smoker.
Stop smoking using a supported method nicotine replacement therapy or Champix.
Do NOT think about smoking.
It is worth it. Good luck.Posted 4 months ago # -
I quit ages ago. People told me scare stories e.g 'my dad quit 35 years ago and he says he still craves one every day even now'...well I can tell you that's bullshit because after I quit I haven't even thought about it and don't miss it at all.
With the ban, and the fact it's winter it seems like a fine time to give up.
Posted 4 months ago # -
My girlfriend smokes, I gave up pretty easily, just depends how much you want to.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Ex smoker here (but might have the occasional one when very drunk)
I identified what made me want to smoke then avoided those situations.
instant coffee - so I had tea or proper coffee
lager - so I drank red wine or bitter
a set of traffic lights on the way to work - I drove a different way
driving boredom - very very hard to avoid with my job but I did itwhen I realised a set of traffic lights could make me want to light up, realised how ridiculous the habit actually is.
Good luck. Recognise the triggers and avoid for about 3 months if not more.
Posted 4 months ago # -
And as regards your other half smoking, just think of the satisfaction you'll get from permanently occupying the moral high ground!
Posted 4 months ago # -
Gave up a while back, and without wanting to make people feel bad, when you 'actually want' to stop, it's really easy. It's very very hard if you don't really want to
Posted 4 months ago # -
Find yourself a family member dying of lung cancer - my father's situation seems to have had a hell of an effect on my brother in law! If being around just one does not do it for you I suggest a visit to a ward full of late middle aged blokes on their last legs surrounded by ashen looking relatives will make you look at them in a very different way. Proper horrible way to finish your days.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Gave up on 5th Nov 2006. Still fancy a fag now. Haven't cracked though. It's a strong addiction.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Forget all the stuff about things tasting and smelling better.
Once you give up properly you become a climbing GOD! Seriously, I was quite quick when I was smoking but about a month after I gave up I noticed I could climb for a lot longer and still feel great. 6 months later I felt like someone had fitted an engine to me while I slept.
It is very hard giving up, but one day, a few months after doing it you will suddenly realise it was the best thing you ever did.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Allen Carr, I can't recommend it enough, you just keep reading it until something clicks and you're suddenly a non-smoker.
Good luck.Posted 4 months ago # -
Been clean for 4 years today, smoke your last fag today, do it, dont feed yourself with bullshxt, crappy excuses just do it.
Goodluck think of the saving
Posted 4 months ago # -
cold turkey....I stopped about 7 years ago whilst trying for first child, didn't tell anyone I was doing it - it was only after a couple of weeks that my wife noticed the change(never smoked at home). Worked for me - although the odd 'good' cigar at new year doesn't go amiss!!
Posted 4 months ago # -
Ive just got back from riding the wall at afon. Leaned the bike against the van and light up a fag.
Struggled all the way up & got passed by 3 riders.
Been a smoker for 17 years & realised today it's time to give up. Probably would have tried years ago but because other people want you to. Tomorrow is my first day as an adult nonsmoker.Posted 4 months ago # -
Nice one therag - that's the attitude.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Friends who have had more difficulty quitting do seem to be doing well with those electric cigarettes.
(OK, I know it might not technically be quitting but it's better than staying on the gaspers, eh?)
I "kind of" know what you mean, but even if it looks like you are smoking, you're definitely not ?
It's essentially water vapour you are breathing out, not smoke.
And once you knock the nicotine out of the mix, it's Glycerine and flavour only.
Nothing compared to the 4000 odd different chemicals and poisons that a cigarette feeds into you
Posted 4 months ago # -
I have looked at those a few times. Might buy 1 tomorrow to lend a helping hand
Posted 4 months ago # -
im a smoker and also a very keen cyclist i enjoy both but the smoking is really not doing me any favors
Without trying to sound negative, the tone of your posts sounds like you've failed before you have even started. There seems to be a lot of excuses. GF smokes, works colleagues etc. I would suggest only trying to stop when you're absolutely sure you want too. You should then find it easier.I've lost count of the times I tried to quit. Eventually something clicked and I had this stubborn determination to succeed. The first week is always the hardest as that's when you get the Nicotine withdrawal. After that it's will power. Ex smoker of two and a half years btw.
Really hope you succeed as it's a nasty habit.
Posted 4 months ago # -
ive had the e-cigs before and had a bad time using them they started to make me wheeze and i got sore throats from using it and it also cost me more to smoke them than it did to smoke roll ups. so i just kept on smoking me rollies.lol
it is nice to know that im not the only one who rides and smokes and is not happy about it. i WILL quit but i dont think its the time at the moment as my other half aint keen about quitting just yet so i think we'll have to try and set a date between us so we can give it a go again.Posted 4 months ago # -
Its your lungs, not your girlfriends or workmates. If your not happy smoking MTFU and stop.
Posted 4 months ago # -
It's my first attempt, might last an hour, a day or who knows but it's the first step.
I can't wait to walk down the street as a non smoker in a few years and do the sarky cough when I see a smoker lolYeah they are expensive those joking fags
It's got to be when you want to give up. Hopefully ur mrs will want to soonPosted 4 months ago # -
don't want to put you down, but either you're a non-smoker now TR, or you're not. if you've stopped, you don't smoke, right? which makes you a non-smoker, correct?
it sounds silly - just language, but it's this sort of thinking that gets you through the difficult bits. i'm another 'easy way' quitter. another little trick that helped me when i got a craving was 'if i still smoked, i would have had one now, but i don't do that any more'. it's enough to get you to move on - in that same way that when you used to smoke you'd get through a film at the cinema, or a flight, because you knew you weren't allowed to smoke in those situations.
oh, and you're either 'on the wagon', or you're not. for the majority of us, there's no such thing as 'just one'.i'd really recommend the easyway book as above. you don't have to stop as soon as you open the cover. just read it all the way through. if you want to stop smoking you have nothing to loose aside from a few hours of your time.
you don't need luck, it's just a choice, but i understand how a smoker looks at it. a smoker has to understand that it's the drug's effect on them that shapes their thinking.
read the book, loose the fear.
all the best.
Posted 4 months ago #
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