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Occasional Smoking or chewing .. Does it harm ??

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 87

Hi my 4th nicotine free day keep it up try not to give in

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2778

Hey Bakamath!!!

You are doing great on our quit so far! You are battling your nico-demon and you have been the winner of each battle... so far! As I read your post, I believe that your demon IS sitting on your shoulder speaking in your ear and you ARE listening! The evil demon is trying to negotiate with you for a fix! The object here is to Q-U-I-T smoking and or chewing tobacco, correct? By quitting, you are freeing yourself of the addiction. Quitting means NEVER smoking or chewing again, period.

Will your lungs, mouth, tongue, esophagus, or larynx be able to continuously heal itself if you lower your frequency of smoking or chewing? I don't know the statistics. Should you gamble with your health or your life? A question for you to think about and answer. I gambled for years, as did others in my family. Three in my family have already died from lung cancer!

I decided that the gamble was not worth it!

You have a great start on your quit! Don't listen to the demon! Choose freedom and health instead! Read through the Program to learn more about nicotine addiction, it's health effects and how to successfully gain your freedom. It is totally worth it!

Jim

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10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11213

Hi Bkamath,

Some people do decide to cut down before they quit completely. This involves systemtically cutting back until completely quit. Only you can decide what is right for you.

But I caution you on having cigarettes once every 15 days as this will prolong the physical addiction and possibly reinforce the mind set that nicotine is a reward. ANY amount of smoking is dangerous. The addicition will try to convince you otherwise. This is why many quitters return to smoking occasionally and then usually back to full time smoking. One puff can and usually does lead to relapse.

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1140

Hello Bkamath,

I agree with the other posters here that dabbling in nicotine is a very bad idea. It will restart the whole addiction/ craving cycle. Do you really want to go through Days 1-3 again?

Like you, I have had those little arguments in my head about just doing it once in a while, just doing it when drinking, just doing it one time to see what it would feel like, etc. By the way, thanks for this post, because I have been getting quite a few of those internal arguments lately, right after I passed the one year mark. All that I can say is that I do know the truth--that I can not have another cigarette without experiencing the very real consequences of going through withdrawal all over again or, even worse, resuming my old habit so that I can avoid withdrawal.

At this stage of the game, your quit is very, very new. I think it might be helpful for you to focus on the here and now, as opposed to some fictional time in the future where you might feel that you can smoke again without consequence.The fact that you are thinking about it and craving today is sufficient evidence that you are still psychologically addicted, and another cigarette now would be a relapse for you. Rather than thinking about going your whole life without a cigarette (which is a completely overwhelming and anxiety-proviking thought), maybe just focus ont he fact that you do not want to smoke today. 'Cause I know that you really don't want to smoke today.

As silly as it sounds, going to the "what if" thread and pledging that you will not smoke today--just today--can be very grounding and stabilizing. You don't have to worry about what happens tomorrow, next week, next year, or even (my fantasy mental hedge) 15 years from now. You just have to worry about today.

I'm going to make my pledge now. Hope to see you there.

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$22,515.80

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Minutes: 44 Seconds: 6

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10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3307

Where do I start? I have been at this quitting for 10 years. You ask "After all come on people what will go wrong if I smoke once in 15 days or so .. "

If you don't mind resetting your quit date each time you smoke, if you don't mind going though day one all over again, if you don't mind getting angry with yourself and you will find yourself hiding it more. One puff leads to one cigarette and that leads to one or two a day and then you lie to yourself and others and then you are a smoker again. Remember ONE PUFF IS SMOKING!!

Read Allen Carr's book, read & posts here, start working the program they have here. Prepare, prepare and prepare.

When I first came here I smoke 1 1/2 packs a day sometimes more. I used Zyban, patches, chantix, cold turkey and other methods. Then I would smoke and rationalize "I am only smoking 6-8 a day. That isn't too bad, right?" I have volumes of reasons to smoke and all they do is get me sicker. With this quit I had a sinus infection and a horrible cough; went to the doctor and got better only to have it return. I said to myself "you know how to stop this; just quit smoking. I recorded my cough and I quit. The cough is gone and I feel so much better.

I have changed and I know I just know this is my final quit. Why? Because I gave up trying to quit and have become a NON-SMOKER.

Hang in there and keep posting and reading and stand on you head if that helps

Keep the Quit

Sparky

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 618

Dear Bkamath,

I was about to write you a post on another thread to congratulate you on your 3 days and on your decision to quit...then I saw this post!!! Well done for your 3 days... I am known for speaking my mind too! -

Machiavelli is right, this is your addiction talking. Do read the book, but also read posts from way back on this site...there are hundreds and they can help. Most of us have had the "If I just have one now and again it'll be OK" Believe me it won't be OK...you will end up at square one feeling down and lacking self-esteem, and you will remain an addict.

I quit having smoked very heavily for 40 years, but my husband, like yourself, did not smoke much at all, (2 cigs a day) but he found the craves were there just bad for him as they had been for me.

You are NOT being stupid posting this. It's good to ask questions that may help you. If you keep feeding your addiction, you will never lose the craves even if you are strong enough to keep your cigarettes to one a week. When we put the nicotine into our bodies, the brain receives a 'rush' and this is why the centres in our brain keep asking us to repeat the process. That is an addiction!

It's not a question of our lungs being strong enough to deal with one a week...it's the addiction process. 'Boring' is not how I would describe the craves...horrendous more like! You have managed without nicotine for 3 days so far, so, if you are not using any nicotine patches or any other aid, most of the nicotine should be gone from your system, and you now have to deal with the habit you had.

Fight each crave as it comes on...they really do not last long, and stop listening to the addiction whispering in your ear!

"After all come on people what will go wrong if I smoke once in 15 days or so?" My Nicodemon used to talk in my ear all the time just like that! I just remembered the following Mantra -

Whatever it takes, just don't smoke (or chew)!

Take one day at a time and you will succeed.

Love Lolly.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 361

This is the addiction talk'n ,please read (Allen Carr's book Easyway to Stop Smoking) .

Download it's free and you gonna find some answers .Good luck to you .

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 10

Hi All ,,

This is my 4th day with no smokes or no chewing tobacco..

I know what I am speaking is a non sense, but I am just speaking up my mind here ..

I smoke 3 to 5 cigarettes a day .. and around 4 times in a week i chewed tobacco only once at night ..

Now this is my 4th day with no nicotine in me in any form ..

Till yesterday I had horrible craves but now it has reduced a lot ..

But today i really feel bored fighting with the craves ..

So is it OK if say suppose I smoke one cigarette once in 15 days or chewing once in a week ..

After all come on people what will go wrong if I smoke once in 15 days or so .. Atleast our lungs are that strong to take 1 smoke per week ..

Hey pals don't kill me for being so stupid and posting this .. I am just speaking my mind ...

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Occasional Smoking or chewing .. Does it harm ??