Quitting a habit

[Steppenwolfe]

Anyone here have a similar story? Mine was quitting chewing tobacco about 10 years ago. I chewed Beechnut from HS till after 50. Kids and wifey were always on me to quit, but chewing was my thing, I loved it. Then one day I just up and quit, cold turkey, right out of the blue. I haven't had a chew in 10 plus years. But... I still have days I would crawl across broken glass for a chew. I dream about having a chew. Not too long ago I was cleaning out some old tool boxes looking for something and I came across an old pack of Beechnut, half full. I opened that up and stuck my whole face in it and took a long, deep breath; my God that smelled good. I seriously thought about putting some in my mouth, but didn't, after several moments though of considering it. I am determined not to backslide, but boy are there days...

 

[Doofy]

I started out with Redman and Beechnut in 1972. Graduated to Skoal with occasional Copenhagen in '73. I spit for the next 30 years and finally quit spitting when the price went up to $6 per can (to expensive to spit).
Up to 2 cans a week for the next 10 years and then I just quit. The Wife was switching from cigs to vaping and after a year of slowly decreasing her amount of nicotine...she finally quit for good.

I miss the chew every single day and still find myself reaching for a "Pinch". Been over 6 years since quitting. Maybe on my deathbed I will have a taste just to get me to the pearly gates.

 

[Bird]

From the time I was 10 until I was 14 years old, a friend and I rode the old dirt roads out of Healdton, OK, picked up pop bottles and at 2 cents each, could buy a pack of Bull Durham tobacco for 6 cents and try to learn to roll cigarettes on horseback like those movie cowboys. But my buddy, TJ, liked to get a plug of chewing tobacco that cost 11 cents. Now I figured if he was that extravagant, it must be good. So I finally bit off a piece once, promptly spit it out, thought I'd never get rid of that terrible taste, and I haven't tried any such tobacco since.

However, I did take up smoking a pipe when I was 18, changed to cigarettes when I was 24 and just quit cold turkey 13 years ago (7/11/2006). I never had any of the so called withdrawal symptoms I'd heard of, but for some time I'd catch myself reaching for my shirt pocket where the cigarettes used to be only to find nothing there.:laughing:

 

[bunyip]

never seen chewing tobacco or anyone use it but gave up cigarettes in 1990.

 

[turnkey4099]

I chain smoked 3-4 packs/day from 19 to about 70. I was on my monthly run to Fairchild wih a couple hundred bucks to estock (50 mile run). Got about 20 miles into it, decided I had a lot better use for that money elsewhere. Price had gone up to IIRC about $!!-12 carton. Did a U-turn in the middle of the highway, came home, smoked up what I had and quit cold turkey. Wasn't too bad. That was some 20 years ago and If I'm working hard and take a break my fingers still stray to the cig pocket.

 

[Thomas]

Mine was coffee of all it was nothing to drink 12+ cups a day easy none since 21/10/2010,I sure do get a strong strong urge most often.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Started smoking at age 15, quit at 20 while in the Army. Cigs were 19 cents a pack and well, "smoke if you got em", I was going through four packs a day. A bad cold had me gagging so I made up my mind to quit. I tapered down over a month's time to nothing. When I got the urge, I would stick a piece of gum in my mouth. That was 1970, it took many years for that impulse to go away.

I have had my share of alcohol as well but I do not imbibe anymore. I do let loose a barrage of cuss words on occasion and buy a lottery ticket now and then.

Had my share of coffee over the years especially when I was truck driving. I still drink two cups every morning. But last weeks study said it will not hurt you. Next week who knows?

 

[Bird]

Price had gone up to IIRC about $!!-12 carton.

I looked at my old records and found that the last time I bought cigarettes in 2006, it was $397.85 for 20 cartons from a New York Indian Reservation. We had bought that way for quite a few years, and no tax, but they had recently gone way up because the New York attorney general had sued saying the Indians had to pay the taxes. So the jump to $19.89 a carton had something to do with my decision to quit smoking.

 

[Doofy]

When the Wife quit, a carton was $75. A pack a day amounted to $225 a month. Imagine those poor suckers that smoke 3 or 4 packs a day! Addictions will not only kill you, they cost big bucks.

 

[Bird]

When the Wife quit, a carton was $75. A pack a day amounted to $225 a month. Imagine those poor suckers that smoke 3 or 4 packs a day! Addictions will not only kill you, they cost big bucks.

Yep, and since my wife smoked, too, it was getting both too expensive and too dirty a habit. The house and car stay much cleaner since we quit. My wife finally quit just about a year after I did. But when I quit, she quit smoking in the house and car, and a year later finally was able to quit completely.

 

[Oldoak]

I quit chewing tobacco when I was about 12 or 13 years old. My best friend and I stole a nickle cigar, hid down by the river bank, broke it in half and began chewing. Turned green to the gills, puked our guts up. :confused2: Never ever chewed again!

 

[Deere Dude]

Started secretly smoking at 15+yo and smoking until I was 28yo. I went to a barber and saw pictures of a healthy lung next to a charcoal looking lung. The next day during a break at work I told my friend about the picture and I bet my buddy $5 I could quit longer than he could. The bet was on. By the end of the 15 minute break both if us were craving a cig. but he caved in and I lasted for half an hour. Then I tried again and made it until noon. Then again I made it until the ride home from work at 4 O'clock. Not to give up I made it until 10PM before bed.

The next morning I got up and threw my 2 cartons of smokes in the burning barrel and lit them up. Never smoked since that event. The big problem for me was I was getting free cigarettes in the mail for the next month or two from empty packs I sent in previously. Smoke two packs and they send you a pack free. I would get the mail and crush them as soon as I got them in my hand and threw them in the burn barrel as I walked past to the house. It was very difficult to stay quit. It was very generous and thoughtful of the cig. company to help me out with free cigs.

I quit just before cigs went to 50 cents a pack and I went out and bought a table saw with my one year savings as kind of an incentive to stay off the habit.

 

[Doofy]

KENT cigarettes were the big moneymaker while stationed in Okinawa in the mid 70s. Buy at the PX for $2 a carton and sell out in town for $10. No interest in Marlboro or Winston.

 

[Sigarms]

Gave up Kodiak and Skoal about a year ago. That after about a good 14 years that I picked up after I gave up drinking.

Had to quit and set an example for the boys and not be a hypocrite.

 

[Alien]

Its hard when others smoke around you. I quit over 3 years ago but my wife liked a social smoke. Also both our families have smokers so when we get together and have a few bourbons then it got harder for me. I was tough for 3 years and then weakened and have been having a few lately and cursing myself for it. I guess I have an addiction to it but my wife can go without with no problems. (Until the family visits again)
About $29 bucks for a small pack of 20s here.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I never smoked but chewed Levi Garrett for about 10 years, quit cold turkey over 20 years ago. It started just a chew while cutting grass then more until I was hooked. It was fantastic! Then I realized I couldn't do anything without a chew first. Quitting was awful for the first few days.
My friend, neighbor has been chewing 50 years. Hanging around him increased my chewing back then!
It was amazing as I remember. Any task, a chew and it made the work go better!
Around here no problem, in public first thing I was looking for was a trash can.
I'm so glad I quit. We don't even drink. Life is the best without any addictions.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Gave up Kodiak and Skoal about a year ago. That after about a good 14 years that I picked up after I gave up drinking.

Had to quit and set an example for the boys and not be a hypocrite.

To make a long story short, same thing here. I felt like telling my girls never to smoke was a bit disingenuous when I had a cigarette in my hand...and I really couldn't be the man, the father and husband and Christian I wanted to be and still smoke. We had a prayer session, claimed victory and I haven't had a cigarette or any form of tobacco since 1982. I swore they would take me to the emergency room before I would ever smoke another cigarette, and it was the toughest three months of my life, but here we are today!

 

[Doofy]

I'm so glad alcohol never took hold. I made up my mind in the early 70s that booze was something I really enjoyed and that I could easily become an alcoholic. Whiskey and Gin Sours were my forte and I absolutely loved the taste. Now maybe one or two beers a year and a splash of Carolines in my coffee after dinner.

 

[Sigarms]

To make a long story short

I was laying in bed watching the news when I saw my one boy coming out of his room into the hallway "snapping" his hand like he was practicing packing a tin (he had been doing this for some time from time and time and I never addressed it). I hollared out to him asking him what he was doing. He got kind of defensive and said nothing. I asked him again what he was doing, again, he said "nothing". I looked right at him and said "Buddy, I'm not as dumb as you think I am and I KNOW EXACTLY what you were doing!". He looks at me, seems to get really embaressed and excited at the same time and says "dad, I swear to you I wasn't masturbating!"

Honestly had no clue what to say, wasn't expecting that...

 

[Molalla1]

To make a long story short, same thing here. I felt like telling my girls never to smoke was a bit disingenuous when I had a cigarette in my hand...and I really couldn't be the man, the father and husband and Christian I wanted to be and still smoke. We had a prayer session, claimed victory and I haven't had a cigarette or any form of tobacco since 1982. I swore they would take me to the emergency room before I would ever smoke another cigarette, and it was the toughest three months of my life, but here we are today!

2Lane, it sure would be being a bit of a hypocrite wouldn't it . . . :thumbsup: I quit smoking cigarettes about the same time (camel straights) I believe me and my older brother (by 1 year) started smoking around 11-12 years old . . .