I quit smoking when I got COVID because it was the first time I was too sick to smoke. I’ve tried to smoke since and it just tastes awful. I know this might be crude to say but I’m thankful for having had the virus
On Smoking
31–40 of 403 posts
Re: On Smoking
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
I sort of agree with this, but I do know lots of people – myself to a certain extent – that have had success with mild re-programming, via Allen Carr's Easy Way method[0]. I'm not the type to buy in to this kind of thing, but it did help me quit when nothing else did, and I never felt this sense of longing for something. Nobody else I've known that has had success with that method did either. I also think it's really…
>... and I never felt this sense of longing for something. Nobody else I've known that has had success with that method did either. Isn't that tautological?
Maybe? I'm not sure? It's a fairly throw away comment, I didn't send it to my editor to check for logical consistency or style advice.
Re: On Smoking
#33Has anyone else tried writing under some arbitrary restrictions? In case you did not notice, the blog subtitle is 11 sentence essays. The post as well, unsurprisingly, is 11 sentences (... I guess, but it has a number of complicated ones).
A month ago I wrote what I would call a professional post on a social media / networking site. I had drafted it in a text editor first, and when I pasted it to post, I found there was a character limit I'd run afoul of and was forced to edit. It was actually very helpful to be forced to clarify and shorten what I'd written. I'd like to find a way to recreate the forced restriction (especially when discovered only aft…
Agreed! As much as nuance can get lost in short posts, these limits have saved me from putting many an overly convoluted, rambling mess out there.
Re: On Smoking
#34The thing about smoking is that when you quit smoking you quit it every day. Imagine a light switch on the wall. You turn it off by quitting smoking and you can always go back at a desperate time for instance and turn it on. And some time later off again. Smoking your first cigarette implants that light switch on your mind and you can't make it go away. Since you know how it makes you feel good when the switch is on,…
I smoked for many years, then one day just quit smoking, without any reason.
Did not smoke for more than 10 years, until a major disaster hit my life and I started to heavily smoke again.
So yes, it seems that there is a switch.
Re: On Smoking
#35The thing about smoking is that when you quit smoking you quit it every day. Imagine a light switch on the wall. You turn it off by quitting smoking and you can always go back at a desperate time for instance and turn it on. And some time later off again. Smoking your first cigarette implants that light switch on your mind and you can't make it go away. Since you know how it makes you feel good when the switch is on,…
I smoked for 10 years and quitting was difficult (but not THAT difficult - don't even get me started on the "it's harder than quitting heroin" nonsense). But now, 9 years since quitting, I don't even think about it anymore. It doesn't follow me around, I don't constantly fight the urge to smoke. I'm not "always" an addict. It's gone. It's in my past.
Re: On Smoking
#36Has anyone else tried writing under some arbitrary restrictions? In case you did not notice, the blog subtitle is 11 sentence essays. The post as well, unsurprisingly, is 11 sentences (... I guess, but it has a number of complicated ones).
I used to write short stories that didn't contain the letter 'e', inspired by George Perec's book La Disparition (cracking novel, highly recommended -- all the translations from French keep it up as well).
It's challenging, obviously, but also forces you to employ very unusual and unique language.
Re: On Smoking
#37The thing about smoking is that when you quit smoking you quit it every day. Imagine a light switch on the wall. You turn it off by quitting smoking and you can always go back at a desperate time for instance and turn it on. And some time later off again. Smoking your first cigarette implants that light switch on your mind and you can't make it go away. Since you know how it makes you feel good when the switch is on,…
I smoked for many years, then one day just quit smoking, without any reason. Did not smoke for more than 10 years, until a major disaster hit my life and I started to heavily smoke again. So yes, it seems that there is a switch.
Oof. I’m in the same boat as your younger self, but two years in. I simply slept bad one night, thinking to myself that I love life way too much to actively work on a sooner death than necessary. Next day I quit, never looking back. I can drink without even thinking about it.
I just hope disaster won’t strike me, or hit me as heavy, as it did you.
I hope things have turned to the better for you!
Re: On Smoking
#38The thing about smoking is that when you quit smoking you quit it every day. Imagine a light switch on the wall. You turn it off by quitting smoking and you can always go back at a desperate time for instance and turn it on. And some time later off again. Smoking your first cigarette implants that light switch on your mind and you can't make it go away. Since you know how it makes you feel good when the switch is on,…
I once had a very bad night and chain smoked 3-4 cigarettes. Since then I've never experienced the "light switch" you describe. The experience of smoking was not unpleasant, but not something I crave either. My sister seems to be the same way and smokes a few cigarettes once every few years when things are particularly stressful but never habitually. I wonder if there are physiological differences that account for th…
There does seem to be some kind of difference in people, which isn’t surprising. Things like alcoholism also seem to have a genetic component.
Anecdotally, my wife and I both quit smoking. Many years later she still has the desire every day whereas I go months without thinking about it (and if cigarettes weren’t common in society I’d probably never think about them again, let alone have a desire to smoke one)
Re: On Smoking
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think that she means chewing gum to mask off the breath. I'm a smoker and do that very often, it's kinda rude to speak to other people while having a breath of thousand cigarrettes
That hardly masks anything TBH. You smell the same with some hint of mint on top. Most of the smell comes from your lungs, your clothing and your hair. You need to stay outside for a good 10 minutes to make a significant difference in perceived smell. Anything else is mostly wishful thinking...
It does make a difference, even so slightly. Trust me in that one, I have been called off more than one time by not using mints. But yeah, I agree that it doesn't remove the stench completely
Re: On Smoking
#40I quit smoking when I got COVID because it was the first time I was too sick to smoke. I’ve tried to smoke since and it just tastes awful. I know this might be crude to say but I’m thankful for having had the virus
I knew a bunch of people who started smoking menthol because of sickness.