Sirius

Was doing some light reading over here Medical Study Basically the study interviews a bunch of ex-smokers and asked them how long ago they'd quit. Two years later they re-interviewed them to see if they had stayed smoke-free. The study showed failure rates at various lengths of time from the point they quit. Less then one month into a quit.............88% failure rate. one to three months...............................75% failure rate. three to six months.................................48% failure rate. six months to 12 months........................40% failure rate. 1 to 2 years............................................24% failure rate. 3 to 4 years............................................10% failure rate. 5 to 9 years.............................................4.4% 10 or more..............................................2.2% So if you'd quit smoking for over ten years odds were pretty good you still be a non-smoker two years later whereas somebody who was initially interviewed having quit less then six months ago would only have a 50/50 chance of having stayed smoke-free two years later. <===and that, folks, is a run on sentence! Fewer than one in eight former smokers who had abstained for a month or less at baseline were continuously abstinent over the next 2 years. What does all of this mean? As an individual trying to quit it doesn't mean a damn thing. You are responsible for your success or failure regardless of what any study or survey reports. Okay that was my drill sergeant sounding off again. Perhaps a cautious optimism that the longer your journey the easier it gets. At the same time, a note of caution that even people who haven't smoked in ages can still fail.

Its a Tribble!

I agree. I would have thought the prison admins would want prisoners to smoke so they could use it as a form of control to bring about desired behavior. "Do what we tell you or we cut off your smoking privileges..." Maybe there are associated costs with allowing smoking in these facilities?

Thanks for the reality check. I'm probably over-thinking the whole thing but I'll stick with the brownie. mmmm...brownies...warm from the oven.

I showed up for the comradrie. I stayed for the crazy so...put another pot on.

It's a fact that I've not touched cigarettes for quite a spell but I happen to live in Oregon and it's people have up and legalized marijuana. Hmmm... I've not smoked the wacky weed in over thirty years but toyed with the idea that it might be fun on a lark. Ultimately, I declined the recreation as I haven't sorted out my feeling regarding the whole inhaling smoke thing so I passed. Bah, maybe I'll just have a brownie instead.

Congrats on your victory. :D

There is a wide selection of dairy free ice cream available using coconut as a substitute. It's actually quite good.

Thanks. Good info.

Always thought this quote put it perspective. "Cigarettes are a lot like squirrels. Perfectly harmless until you put one in your mouth and light it on fire." -unknown :P

My mother once told me of a friend she had who used to smoke. This friend joined a convent. Apparently they don't allow smoking in convents. Something about a vow of poverty or such-like. Cold turkey a la complete environmental/social change. Painful, but relatively brief as nobody smokes. For that matter basic training in the military is supposed to be "smoke free." Cold turkey a la complete environmental/social change with an extra double ration of stress. Probably the most drastic approach would be to become a inmate within the U.S. prison system. Over the last few years all Federal and most state prisons are now smoke-free. I'm not certain if complete loss of freedom is better then freedom from cigarettes, nor am I in a hurry to make a first-hand comparison.

Does make sense. If you don't take aim then your...aimless.

It's simple. But simple is not the same thing as easy.

It's called leading by example and your doing it right.

I've only heard of one guaranteed way to quit smoking. The company that offer's the program has 100% success rate. http://mrfitton.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/5/8/17583739/quitters_inc._text.pdf It was something Stephen King thought up during his lighter moments...

I am sometimes tempted but then I saw this...

Nope, I'd rather: juggle running chainsaws, blind-folded.

Nope. I'd rather: Eat my weight in refried beans then ride a roller coaster.

The other night I smoked a hand-rolled fat blunt of tobacco. It was a little dry but very smooth. After I awoke, I knew immediately I'd dreamed the entire thing as I never hand rolled ciggs. Sooooo...I really can't say I've quit smoking. Upper management has issued the company wide non-smoking policy but the boys in the basement lack proper supervision.

The freedom loving libertarian in me says that smoking is a personal choice; as would be the selling of same. That being said I believe that there is a special place in hell reserved for tobacco executives whose philosophy could best be summed up as... All men have the right to dig their own graves, and I have the right to sell them the shovels. There are much better ways to contribute to society then by selling addictive poison...such as being a lawyer, or politician, or marketing porn.

I'm partial to Stephen Schwartz's "Bullet Train" when I'm in a dub-step mood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ige-atxPKI

Some additional links to the more controversial quit smoking articles that have "alternative" insights. http://digg.com/video/quit-smoking-dank-memes http://www.xojane.com/healthy/im-not-supposed-be-revealing-heres-how-i-finally-quit-smoking http://jezebel.com/so-you-re-that-one-friend-still-trying-to-quit-smoking-512053885 http://beforeitsnews.com/prophecy/2013/06/weird-things-that-happen-to-your-body-when-you-quit-smoking-2449124.html http://www.cracked.com/article_19030_quitting-smoking-6-things-you-notice-about-stupid-world.html

Our vulnerability is sometimes attributable to the fact the decision to quit smoking is merely a conscious decision. I know for a fact the rest of me resents the hell out of my superego rendering a decision to forgo nicotine. Proof being how often I light up in my dreams. Sometimes I wonder if I ever quit. My subconscious can be a real snot. We like to think that we operate at a 100% level of consciousness throughout our day. Guess what? We don't. Sometimes we are on autopilot. Sometimes we listen to our subconscious and sometimes the subconscious may try and hop into the driver's seat. The conscious must remain in control and vigilant. This is why drinking or anything intoxicating can be dangerous for us. We are addicts and this means our minds are divided. We can never be completely condemned or totally redeemed. We will always be confronted with the choice.

Quitting is difficult because there is nothing to do. I just stand around and...wait, but the waiting never ends because I don't ever stop being an addict. So while I was waiting I purchased a pedometer and now ensure I'm logging a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. Beats standing around waiting.