# Anyone else an ex smoker?



## cfoster1 (Apr 6, 2020)

Hey fellas. I've been riding a mountain bike for quite some time as well as smoking. I love both of those activities, I won't BS you. But for a handful of reasons, I have finally decided to quit smoking. I'm not badass enough to go cold turkey, though I am weening down significantly. A month into this journey and I'm almost there. I reckon another month and I'm done done. At this point I am smoking maybe one smoke a day and dwindling. 

So my question is, anyone else here in a similar situation as mine? You used to be both a mountain biker and a smoker? 

Did it help your lungs a lot on your ride? I am between bikes right now (long story) and my last ride was as a smoker. Within the next week or two , I will have my bike built up and ready to rip and rally and I've been fantasizing about having superhero like abilities, which I somehow don't think will happen.


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## rtonthat (11 mo ago)

Im 46 and quit after 32 years of smoking. I only started riding a few years ago but there was about a year timeframe where I rode quite a bit while smoking almost a pack a day. It sucked, it really sucked. Never thought I would be able to ride more than 10 miles or 1000 ft of elevation. I regularly ride 3x that in terms of distance and climbing. That might not be much to most on here, but for me thats a damn win. Sure, a lot of the improvement can be credited to time on the saddle, but Im 100% confident I would be not riding as much as I am now had I continued smoking.

It will take some time after that last cig, but the benefits should be felt in a huge way. It did for me at least. YMMV


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## Brad Pitted (Oct 7, 2018)

Smoked for 20 years, quit in 2014 and got serious about mtb. I still miss it hugely and don’t expect that to change but this is a better life and the money saved is real. 

I also went with the weening method and believe me, that is the hardest part. Once you quit for real, the physical withdrawal only lasts a couple of days.

A successful quit takes a lifetime to achieve and requires maintenance. As soon as you think it would be ok to have one, you could be right back smoking more than ever. Whenever stress gets me coveting the second hand smoke of a co worker, I just think about how hard quitting was and how I’d really hate to have to do it again.


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## driver bob (Oct 12, 2005)

Yep, back in the early 2000's after smoking a pack a day for about 15 years. I had a really bad crash, shattered my collarbone and was in hospital on a load of morphine for 4 days after surgery.

When I got released I was still on a load of pain meds and had no use of my right arm (it was in a sling for about 6 months) so I couldn't roll cigarettes anymore and my wife was also no good at it.

I figured "I've got over the physical addiction, I've only got to beat the mental addiction and I've got some really good drugs to help.... lets see how many days I can go".

Here we are 20+ years later and I still haven't had a cigarette (though I do like a good cigar every now and again). In my mind I never decided to quit, I just stopped and haven't yet wanted to start again.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Yep, I used to get done with a ride and go sit in my bibs and have a smoke on the porch. Well, I'd also do the same thing after a run. 

One day I just tired of it and threw out most of a carton. I figured I could go all day riding and not really want a smoke, I could just go cold turkey. At that point, I'd smoked for about 15 years. After the physical stuff was over, that was pretty much right. I found that I really just needed to redirect myself when I wanted to have a cigarette. 

After a few months the difference between rides/runs when smoking and not was seriously noticeable. It wasn't necessarily easier, but everything was faster at a the same effort. It's been just about 20 years for me as well. I agree with bob's comment about thinking about it as a stop that you control.


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## willowbeast (Jul 10, 2017)

Smoked for about 15 yrs and one night while having a glass of wine, I said to my wife this taste disgusting. She agreed, we tossed the pack and have not touched it since. This was about 21 yrs ago. If you are down to 1 a day you can probably just go cold turkey.


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## cfoster1 (Apr 6, 2020)

Thanks for the replies everyone. Right now I think I'm at a little over 24 hours since my last smoke. The hardest time for me is when I'm going to bed at night and waking up in the morning , so my last smoke was yesterday morning. Meaning I am overcoming my biggest hurdles. 

I'm getting close!

For what it's worth, I'm not strong enough to just slow down on my own. I am doing nicotine replacement therapy, if you want to call it that. 

I have been using zyn nicotine pouches, which I absolutely hate, whereas I've always loved smoking. So hopefully with that being the case I'll be able to quit these nicotine pouches a lot easier than smoking


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## flgfish (11 mo ago)

Quitting is worth it, but you’re always going to miss it. Riding will be easier, your resting heart rate will come down, food will taste better, and you'll be able to smell a smoker at 50 paces because your sense of smell will return with a vengeance. If you’re ever tempted, just remember how much it sucked lying in bed craving a smoke in the early days. That was the worst for me - I quit cold turkey, but sounds like your experience is similar. Heck, years later I still wake up in the morning and my body goes “hey wouldn’t a smoke be the ticket”… it’s a hell of a thing. 

Good luck man! Mind over matter.


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## yzedf (Apr 22, 2014)

I was a carton a week for ~20 years. Quitting was easy, staying off them long term was harder. My biking experience improved dramatically and that was the final shove into never having another smoke.


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

Ex 27 year smoker here. Some friendly advice.

Going cold turkey is actually the easiest way to quit smoking. it's as simple as "Just don't smoke". On or off. When trying to cut down, everytime you smoke another cigarette, you're restarting the process from scratch. It's gonna take you much longer to kick the nicotine, and cause much more mental anguish than just going cold turkey. Replacing your nicotine delivery device is not quitting either. 😉

I quit in 2016. Some people say you never get over it. But I am totally over it! I couldn't ever imaging smoking another cigarette again. It's purely disgusting to me now, and I wonder how I ever started. It does take a while, but one day you'll realize that you went a week, month, or year without even thinking about a cigarette. It's an amazing feeling to know that nicotine is no longer in control of your life.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

cfoster1 said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone. Right now I think I'm at a little over 24 hours since my last smoke. The hardest time for me is when I'm going to bed at night and waking up in the morning , so my last smoke was yesterday morning. Meaning I am overcoming my biggest hurdles.
> 
> I'm getting close!
> 
> ...





Beware of nicotine patches, etc. They kept my brother strung out for years and he never really has quit. Nicotine is the drug you need to kick and cigs are just a vessel to get it into your system.

It's a scary thing to overcome mentally but I think cold turkey is best. I was as hardcore as they come (pack a day for 30 yrs) and after about one week completely clean I forgot all about them and haven't missed them in the slightest for over 10 years.


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## rtonthat (11 mo ago)

cfoster1 said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone. Right now I think I'm at a little over 24 hours since my last smoke. The hardest time for me is when I'm going to bed at night and waking up in the morning , so my last smoke was yesterday morning. Meaning I am overcoming my biggest hurdles.
> 
> I'm getting close!
> 
> ...


Whatever works for you. I also couldnt just quit cold turkery. I turned to e-sigs for a bit, which isnt the greatest but certainly better than the real thing.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

I prescribe Chantix, it works most of the time, only had a couple folks report a depressed mood after starting it; stopping Chantix and their mood returned to normal.

I’d agree on the cold Turkey thing BUT, any reduction in smoking is an improvement.

Smoking is the single worst drug you can put in your body, if you can stop, you’ll thank yourself when your older.

It’s never too late to stop.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

I don't smoke... tobacco.
=sParty


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## d365 (Jun 13, 2006)

This might not be a popular idea here, but I know quite a few longtime smokers who quit by vaping. Steadily lowering the nicotine levels in the vape liquid they bought, until they were vaping no nicotine, and then they just quit the vaping all together. They all said it was a fairly painless way to quit, and many had tried numerous other methods before, but failed. I'm sure vaping probably has its own health issues, but if it works in the long run....


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## flgfish (11 mo ago)

J.B. Weld said:


> It's a scary thing to overcome mentally but I think cold turkey is best. I was as hardcore as they come (pack a day for 30 yrs) and after about one week completely clean I forgot all about them and haven't missed them in the slightest for over 10 years.


My sister used Chantix and says it was a miracle for her. Might be an option.


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## flgfish (11 mo ago)

d365 said:


> This might not be a popular idea here, but I know quite a few longtime smokers who quit by vaping. Steadily lowering the nicotine levels in the vape liquid they bought, until they were vaping no nicotine, and then they just quit the vaping all together. They all said it was a fairly painless way to quit, and many had tried numerous other methods before, but failed. I'm sure vaping probably has its own health issues, but if it works in the long run....


I think for every person this works for, there's another who just picks up a new habit. 
Similar things happened to me with dip. I can just do smaller dips! Pretty soon I was smoking & dipping...


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## Slowanimalswin (Apr 25, 2021)

Used to smoke and chew tobacco. Last cigarette was in 2018 and last copenhagen was in 2020. I switched to zyn, first the 6mg and now the 3mg. I'm 100% still hooked on nicotine but the fitness shot way up after laying down cigarettes and the mouth health/gross-factor dramatically improved after kicking chew. Someday I'll have to deal with the nicotine habit, but the acute health benefits are worth it in my opinion even if (like me) all you can manage is to switch to a less dangerous delivery.


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## rowyourown (11 mo ago)

I smoked on and off for about 15 years from late teens to early 30s. I went from being a social smoker (bars, parties) to smoking a pack a day for several years. It's been about a decade since and I no longer crave a cigarette. Just the smell of second-hand smoke is nauseating to me. 

After several half-hearted attempts to quit around 30 years old which never lasted long, I finally just went cold turkey and it worked. There was probably a relapse or three in the process where I'd bum a cigarette at a bar or what have you once every so often, but each time the cigarette tasted horrible and I usually couldn't even finish it. Finally realized I was completely over it when I was in Las Vegas as a 32-year-old and could barely stand to be in the casinos because of cigarette smoke.


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## NC_Foothills_Rider (11 mo ago)

Fitness definitely improves, less coughing, more money in your pocket. What finally worked for me was to set a date on a calendar and say "that's the last day". Cold turkey is superior in my opinion. Any nicotine I get makes me want more nicotine, regardless of the delivery method. So patches, gum, and vapes never worked for me.

Chantix can F with your head. Use with caution.

Like sugar, total abstinence is the way.

Sounds like you're on the right track.

Keep it up!


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## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)

man up and take that cancer stick out of your mouth. Who owns who, do you own yourself or does the cigarettes and phycological physical need to smoke own you? Oh, and you eff'ing stink like cigarette smoke. that smell is disgusting.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

shwinn8 said:


> man up and take that cancer stick out of your mouth. Who owns who, do you own yourself or does the cigarettes and phycological physical need to smoke own you? Oh, and you eff'ing stink like cigarette smoke. that smell is disgusting.


Well, this is always helpful


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## eshew (Jan 30, 2004)

What are we smoking? 

I can't ride with nicotine, it's like an immediate 25% cut in strength & endurance. Slug city. 

No more cigarettes, but if it's a long ride, sometimes a little wacky tabacky is ok, in moderation & on moderate trails. Once things get serious it's nice to have a clear head.


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## driver bob (Oct 12, 2005)

I still miss the process of having a cigarette almost every day, I loved it... but I also remember the early months of not having one (post morphine) and I'd rather not fire one up than go through the mental with-drawl again.
I know it'll only take one and I'll fall off the wagon, nicotine is the most addictive drug I've ever used.


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## Neuner (Feb 14, 2005)

Just wait until your smell / nose and taste return to normal. Everything will be so much better. Fresh air, food, beer, whiskey, etc. Will take a long while but it's worth it.

Then you'll hang out with your buddies who still smoke and realize how much them, their home and cars stink.


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

Neuner said:


> Just wait until your smell / nose and taste return to normal. Everything will be so much better. Fresh air, food, beer, whiskey, etc. Will take a long while but it's worth it.
> 
> Then you'll hang out with your buddies who still smoke and realize how much them, their home and cars stink.


I remember one night when I thought Slim Jim must have changed their recipe. It was just my taste buds being set free!


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## Hang 21 (Dec 23, 2007)

I quit 30 years ago and my last pack is still in the desk drawer. Guess I need to give it a proper send-off one of these days. Had bought many 'last packs' and would be driving down the road and throw them out the window after only smoking one. So essentially had to quit with cigs still easily available to me. Got a jump start by having a respiratory illness that kept me from smoking for a week, then determined to lock it down and do it.

Part of my quitting success involved becoming completely disgusted with cigarettes. I still can't stand to be around them.

I started riding shortly after I quit, and look back on quitting smoking and starting riding as major milestones.

I never desire to have a cigarette or miss them one bit. I do occasionally have a dream where I find myself smoking and get kind of disappointed, but then wake up and realize everything's cool.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

My neighbor quit last year. He said the hardest part was quitting the physical act of hand to mouth repetition.


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## cfoster1 (Apr 6, 2020)

Yeah for me keeping my hands and mouth busy is the big thing. I've always chewed my nails, chewed pencils, zip ties, pens... Whatever can go into my mouth. No, I'm never going to stop biting my nails either lol. Smoking satisfies that need, as well as creates a chemical addiction. It's like a double whammy. 

I started smoking because I love the process of smoking. I kept smoking to the degree that I did because it's a chemical addiction as well. 

And the shitty thing is, I have always loved the smell of smoke. I think because my mom used to smoke when I was really young. Whenever I smell cigarette smoke, it takes me back to the good, worry free days of childhood. 

Call me stupid if you want, but this will be my 2nd time quitting smoking. The first time (years ago) I switched from smoking to vaping. And then I got more addicted to vaping than I ever was with smoking. I kind of became a vape hobbyist for awhile (cringe) but finally realized how freaking lame vaping is. That was my motivation to quit. I just gradually dialed down the nicotine level and it didn't take long before I was free.

That lasted a year or two and then I started hitting the bars with a friend of mine who was a smoker. I told myself "only when I'm drinking". Then I told myself "9nly when I'm at home relaxing". And that pattern went on until I was full blown addicted again. Which I didn't really mind because I've always loved smoking. 

I'm not quitting for health reasons. I'm not quitting because I smell. I'm not quitting because of money. Although, those are all still really good reasons to quit. 

I just don't want to be addicted anymore. Spending time with loved ones is great, but then I have to leave to go smoke. I can't fly on an airplane. I can't be inside for hours at a time. My dad and I did the Durango Silverton narrow gauge railroad, and sitting on that train for 4 hours not able to smoke was incredibly difficult. 

I love smoking and never decided to quit. I just decided to quit being addicted to it. But in order to not be addicted, I have to quit smoking entirely.

I'm really excited to get back on a bike and see how much I improve in the cardiovascular department. Im officially off smokes now. I haven't smoked since when I woke up yesterday morning. My cravings are much smaller. Beatable. I anticipate being off of nicotine entirely within a month. I'd like to say a week or two, but I'm in no rush .


And btw, I ain't stopping smoking weed either.


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

cfoster1 said:


> And btw, I ain't stopping smoking weed either.


Nothing wrong with this. Having weed to fill the action of smoking made the process so much easier for me. I also made sure not to drink for atleast the first month of not smoking. It's too easy to mess everything up when drinking.


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## cfoster1 (Apr 6, 2020)

Neuner said:


> Just wait until your smell / nose and taste return to normal. Everything will be so much better. Fresh air, food, beer, whiskey, etc. Will take a long while but it's worth it.
> 
> Then you'll hang out with your buddies who still smoke and realize how much them, their home and cars stink.


Bold of you to assume I have buddies I hang out with. Much less buddies who smoke.

If you read my previous comment (after you posted) you'll see that I mentioned a buddy I used to go to bars with 

I don't hang out with him anymore 

I do have a few other buddies. I don't really hang out with them either. 

I do also still have a pack of smokes I bought last Tuesday. I still have half of that pack and haven't smoked since yesterday morning, night when I woke up. And it was only like a 3rd of a cigarette.


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## Keiz (Aug 5, 2019)

cfoster1 said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone. Right now I think I'm at a little over 24 hours since my last smoke. The hardest time for me is when I'm going to bed at night and waking up in the morning , so my last smoke was yesterday morning. Meaning I am overcoming my biggest hurdles.
> 
> I'm getting close!
> 
> ...


I was a marathoner, started smoking in college and didn't stop for over 30 years. Best thing I ever did for myself, hands down. I still can't believe that it's legal. Your health won't come back quickly, but it will come back. I ran a half marathon two years ago, and regularly do 40 mile road bike trips. I'm a weak mountain biker, but have been working on my skills to get better. I love being healthy. The sooner you bite the bullet and quit completely, the sooner you will get over the hump and put it in your rear-view mirror. It will take weeks of complete cold turkey before the cravings will reduce to a manageable level, and months before they will go away 99%. I still have an urge every once in a while (once or twice per year), but use a trick I taught myself when in the middle of that first month. Everytime I get that urge, I make myself smile by saying, wow, I'm an ex-smoker and then I enjoy that fact for a couple of minutes. Tricking myself work and I'm smiling now. Good luck!


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## polarflux (Jul 21, 2007)

I also smoked. Started smoking as a teen and struggled with the addiction going between smoking and dip until about 30 when I was able to quit. I was always active, but tobacco is a fucking evil monkey, at least the way it is used by big tobacco. I have some advice for you. First, a high school English teacher said the single most important thing I’ve ever heard about quitting. What he said is that the addiction is connected to situations where you are used to smoking. For him it was the beach on vacation. He reframed that situation cutting off the addiction. Second, big tobacco has weaponized the cigarette by methylating the nicotine which makes nicotine water soluable, and crack like, so it goes directly to your brain and basically turning cigarettes into precise nicotine dosing devices. Cigarettes are quite evil in this regard, so remember this the next time you feel like smoking. Also, reframing tobacco as a useful herb for ritual use under ritual condition will allow you to reclaim your own soul and that of the nicotine which will create the conditions for mutual gratitude and respect between you and the plant. It’s good medicine to reframe your enemy since the relationship is mutual. The last thing is don’t transfer the addiction to something else. Learn to be present and mindful of addictive impulses so you can choose them before they choose you. Like don’t start drinking 300 gallons of coffee a day.


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## ToddWadd (Dec 11, 2020)

Quit at 53 after something like almost 40 years of it, glad to hear from all the quitters here. Heart attack not a bad one, did cold turkey in Jan of 2019 tried one in June then made it thru the month, again in July, 2 on my birthday in August that was the hardest getting thru the month after that, so haven’t done it again. When wanting one I noticed it took about 2 minutes to redirect my mind and start do something to lose the urge. I made it a game, so down to a minute then under it. Knowing I don’t ever want to do it again. I still feel strong urges every once in awhile but seriously hadn’t had that urge in months. The lapsing was harder than just quitting for me. Started Mtb a year later so guess I feel better because of both, but damnit shouldn’t I be built like and as strong as Superman. Oh yeah **** forgot I’m old !! Haha Use thoughts or memories to rechannel yourself when you get urges and see if it takes less and less! To all the quitters here Hot Damn Good F*cking Job!


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## cfoster1 (Apr 6, 2020)

Hey all. Just a little update. Tomorrow morning will mark 4 whole days without smoking. It's wild to be on the tail end of my smoking addiction.

As far as the nicotine pouches, they are proving very easy to ween off of. Like I said, I absolutely hate these things. Ever since I actually stopped smoking, I've been using these less and less. Without even trying really. I hate these things so much so it's a lot easier to resist the urge, and getting easier as each day goes by. 

I'm a wuss and straight up cannot do cold turkey. I'd end up in an asylum. But I am motivated and this 2 months taper off I'm doing is proving to be highly effective. 

Another thing that is making these things easier to quit is there's no rush like with a cigarette. Obviously everyone's chemistry is different, but the way I've found my body works is that the withdrawal matches the high. With a cigarette, that first puff hits hard, and consequently the withdrawal/craving comes on really hard. But the nicotine pouches take a minute to get going and it's a prolonged less intense dose. Consequently the cravings are less intense. And did I mention I hate these things? 100% off of nicotine soon


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## rtonthat (11 mo ago)

shwinn8 said:


> man up and take that cancer stick out of your mouth. Who owns who, do you own yourself or does the cigarettes and phycological physical need to smoke own you? Oh, and you eff'ing stink like cigarette smoke. that smell is disgusting.


 Lol. Easier said than done my friend. Im assuming you are fortunate and have never been addicted to anything? Some folks can easily kick an addiction, others not so much. So unless you’ve walked a mile in someone else’s shoes, “man up” doesnt mean a damn thing.


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## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)

rtonthat said:


> Lol. Easier said than done my friend. Im assuming you are fortunate and have never been addicted to anything? Some folks can easily kick an addiction, others not so much. So unless you’ve walked a mile in someone else’s shoes, “man up” doesnt mean a damn thing.



False. I've been biting my nails since I was 8'ish (40now). I grew up in what my sister says the equivalent of a 1970's bar with how much my mom chain smoked. When I started smoking at 20 when I joined the USAF and stationed in Minot ND.(because in Minot ND there are only 3 things to do.. Drink, smoke and phuk). The 1st drag I ever really took was as if I had been smoking my whole life. I though I was going to be stuck in Minot for A LONG TIME, so long that I even sold (regretfully but another story about that) my 1st Schwinn Straight 8 and 1st 4Banger. Well after a short 3 years in ND the USAF moved me to Utah in 2005 where I ended up buying another Schwinn Straight 8 (which I still ride today). I tried to bet back into DH/Park but I choose the cigarette(and alcohol) and biking suffered. After Utah I was sent to Coastal California. I got in with some good LT's who got me to kick the cancer stick and get back behind the bars. I second hand smoked for 18years and smoked even harder for a good 7years. I'll tell ya what, I still get cravings, but quitting smoking was far easier than trying to quit the subconscious psychological action that is biting the finger nails. 1/2 the time I don't realize I'm doing it until my fingers are bleeding. So yes, I have been addicted to cigarettes. Having good friends, a passion that required physical endurance and the drive to be stronger than the sweet taste of a menthol has gotten me to quit. I'm not saying it was easy! It took and still takes hard work and dedication. Even in my times of weakness when asking my neighbor for a smoke It's his power to tell me No that keeps me from going backwards. On And I really don't like smelling like an asstray


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## cfoster1 (Apr 6, 2020)

shwinn8 said:


> False. I've been biting my nails since I was 8'ish (40now). I grew up in what my sister says the equivalent of a 1970's bar with how much my mom chain smoked. When I started smoking at 20 when I joined the USAF and stationed in Minot ND.(because in Minot ND there are only 3 things to do.. Drink, smoke and phuk). The 1st drag I ever really took was as if I had been smoking my whole life. I though I was going to be stuck in Minot for A LONG TIME, so long that I even sold (regretfully but another story about that) my 1st Schwinn Straight 8 and 1st 4Banger. Well after a short 3 years in ND the USAF moved me to Utah in 2005 where I ended up buying another Schwinn Straight 8 (which I still ride today). I tried to bet back into DH/Park but I choose the cigarette(and alcohol) and biking suffered. After Utah I was sent to Coastal California. I got in with some good LT's who got me to kick the cancer stick and get back behind the bars. I second hand smoked for 18years and smoked even harder for a good 7years. I'll tell ya what, I still get cravings, but quitting smoking was far easier than trying to quit the subconscious psychological action that is biting the finger nails. 1/2 the time I don't realize I'm doing it until my fingers are bleeding. So yes, I have been addicted to cigarettes. Having good friends, a passion that required physical endurance and the drive to be stronger than the sweet taste of a menthol has gotten me to quit. I'm not saying it was easy! It took and still takes hard work and dedication. Even in my times of weakness when asking my neighbor for a smoke It's his power to tell me No that keeps me from going backwards. On And I really don't like smelling like an asstray


So then man up and quit biting your fingernails?


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

I'm really not sure calling anyone a pussy has ever been a valid motivational tool. 

I mean, I guess masochists might like it?


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## rtonthat (11 mo ago)

shwinn8 said:


> False. I've been biting my nails since I was 8'ish (40now). I grew up in what my sister says the equivalent of a 1970's bar with how much my mom chain smoked. When I started smoking at 20 when I joined the USAF and stationed in Minot ND.(because in Minot ND there are only 3 things to do.. Drink, smoke and phuk). The 1st drag I ever really took was as if I had been smoking my whole life. I though I was going to be stuck in Minot for A LONG TIME, so long that I even sold (regretfully but another story about that) my 1st Schwinn Straight 8 and 1st 4Banger. Well after a short 3 years in ND the USAF moved me to Utah in 2005 where I ended up buying another Schwinn Straight 8 (which I still ride today). I tried to bet back into DH/Park but I choose the cigarette(and alcohol) and biking suffered. After Utah I was sent to Coastal California. I got in with some good LT's who got me to kick the cancer stick and get back behind the bars. I second hand smoked for 18years and smoked even harder for a good 7years. I'll tell ya what, I still get cravings, but quitting smoking was far easier than trying to quit the subconscious psychological action that is biting the finger nails. 1/2 the time I don't realize I'm doing it until my fingers are bleeding. So yes, I have been addicted to cigarettes. Having good friends, a passion that required physical endurance and the drive to be stronger than the sweet taste of a menthol has gotten me to quit. I'm not saying it was easy! It took and still takes hard work and dedication. Even in my times of weakness when asking my neighbor for a smoke It's his power to tell me No that keeps me from going backwards. On And I really don't like smelling like an asstray


Congratulations for quitting, I too have quit a number of addictions and will be a friend of Bill’s forever. But, everyone quits in their own way on their own time. Just because I did it or you did it, does not mean everyone can, at least through the same methods. Its this whole “we’re individuals” thing….


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