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I quit!

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by blackjacknut, Mar 14, 2014.

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  1. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    I didn't want to highjack the other thread so I'm posting a new one. I quit smoking 3 months ago, cold turkey. Now I'm going back to Vegas next week and it will be a test for me not to light up. Drinking and smoking has always gone hand in hand for me. For those of you in the same boat what tricks do you use when in Vegas not to smoke? I have strong will power but this is going to be a test for me!
     
  2. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

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    Congrats!! Good for you & your lungs....!!!! I gave up tobacco last April....we go to our local riverboat regularly and everyone around me is smoking and my vapor e-cig is all I need. I truly don't even think about cigarettes. I am taking 2 batteries & chargers but still worry about how I would handle it if I am unable to keep them charged since they no longer seem to last as long as they did when new. I will manage it though.

    If you do not want any nicotine....I think there are some e-cigs available with zero nicotine....maybe having those to fall back on may help if the need hits you. Good luck!!
     
  3. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    I'm two months without a cig and spent last weekend in Vegas. And to be perfectly honest, it was much easier than I expected. Not easy...but easier. Most of the time, the smell of all that smoke actually repulsed me. I had no desire to smoke at all.

    I did have a few moments of weakness and asked my sister for a smoke. She didn't refuse, but gave me a hard time. This was all it took to snap me out of it. If you'll be traveling with a smoker, I'd advise you to let him/her know that you don't want him to give you one, or at least want him to try to talk you out if it.

    Other than that, though, I think you'll be okay. I've had plenty of difficult moments in the past two months. But the ones I had in Vegas don't even come close to ones I had during the first three or four weeks. And you're further along than I am.

    Best of luck!
     
  4. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    Good for you! I don't get vaping, to me it is the same as smoking (i know it is different, but really you are still putting nicotine in your body so........) so i give even more props to those who go completely smoke free.

    Throw some hard candies in your pocket, not sugar ones though, something like peppermints or something that you can toss in if you really feel the need to divert your attention.

    I actually found it the easiest to not want to smoke when drinking. I thought that was when i would be worse but it wasn't.

    I think it mainly depends how you react around cigarettes now. i can't stand the smell on people, their breath or on their clothes. It stinks and the smell makes me feel ill but 3 years later i still want a cigarette sometimes and have to fight through the craving.
     
  5. LolaDoggie

    LolaDoggie VIP Whale

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    I never smoked but I watched my mother's smoking addiction slowly kill her of COPD (emphysema).

    I suggest playing little mental games to try to slightly disrupt your habits while in Vegas if you notice you're having urges. If you zig when you would normally zag you won't be fighting all those little connections in the brain of when you would normally light up. I'm not talking big changes, just enough to dodge those little connections. Example; if you normally sit in a certain posture, change that posture.

    You're over the worst of it and you're probably not going to have nearly the hard time you think you might.
     
  6. HAWJOHN

    HAWJOHN Tourist

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    Here's wishing you the best and hope you can accomplish not smoking in one visit to Vegas. As mentioned, you may need the e-cigarrette. I had a difficult time sitting at a VP machine with a beer on one side without a cigarrette. It took two visits before I completely gave it up on my third visit.
     
  7. UTE

    UTE Plastics

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    Congratulations. Here's to your health (literally).

    I quit after meeting the woman who would become my wife. She said she could not be with a smoker - and it was just the incentive I needed. I switched over to toothpicks instead.

    So, 29 years later I still keep toothpicks on me and in the ashtrays of my vehicles. And, I still "light one up" (grab a toothpick) as soon as I start the car. Old habits die hard - but they can take different (more healthy) forms.

    Bill
     
  8. mdee

    mdee VIP Whale

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    My Grandfather (whom I never met) died age 44 - Heart Attack from Smoking
    My Father died age 61 - Heart Attack from Smoking
    My Brother died age 55 - Heart Attack from Smoking

    This is all you need to know! SO... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

    For you smokers out there that want to quit just remember that from the time you lay your
    head on your pillow at night until the time you wake up you have effectively quit smoking!
     
  9. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    I quit cold turkey 36 days ago so had a little under a month under my belt when we went to Vegas but got through it (we just got back earlier this week). I DO NOT recommend you go to an e cig because the ones in the States contain nicotine. You don't want to reintroduce the drug you just detoxed from into your system or you will be back at square one and have to go through the initial withdrawal all over again.

    The reality is whenever you get the urge, remind yourself that you choose not to smoke, that urge will pass quickly. In reality, when we were smokers we were in a constant state of withdrawal between cigarettes so these momentary urges once we quit are tolerable. A plus through the travel process is you will notice how much more comfortable you are during your wait in the airport, flight and especially arrival where you don't have to rush out for a smoke to feed your vitamin N addiction.

    I kept some straws cut to cigarette length in my purse and held and fiddled with them, sometimes even taking a few deep breaths through them when I got a stronger urge especially when I'd been drinking. No one even fave me a second glance when I did that.

    I'm heading back in April feeling very confident with one trip under my belt. You can do it!!!
     
  10. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    Chew on straws, kinda like a toothpick. It worked for me. Good luck and congrats!!!

    :peace: :beer:
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
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  11. hornhiyo

    hornhiyo Low-Roller

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    Nobody likes a quitter.

    I'll be at the MC at the same time as you, look me up and it'll be our little secret. :D
     
  12. Lolli

    Lolli Tourist

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    I quit smoking July 1st of last year, exactly 2 weeks before my trip to Vegas. I thought for sure, if I was going to cave, it would be while gambling and drinking In Vegas. I surprised even myself when I made it the entire 7 day trip without giving in and lighting up. There were a few times when I really had the urge and had to talk myself out of buying a cigarette off of the chain smoker next to me, but instead I got up, took a walk and found a different machine to play.

    My down fall happened on day 87 of being smoke free. My sister came over for a poker party with her ecig and I decided to give it a try. (I should state that the hardest part of quitting smoking for me was the habit of what to do with my hands, especially during times when I was prone to smoke (drinking, on the phone, driving etc...) Anyway, that one time trying her ecig led me to buying my own and eventually to start smoking again.

    I just quit again roughly 2 weeks ago, and it seems harder this time than last summer (I've cheated more than once whereas last summer I stayed completely smoke free), but I am bound and determined to rid myself of the 20+ year habit before my Vegas trip this summer. Good luck to you, and when you feel the urge to smoke, get up and take a walk. And like others have said, keep some hard candies with you.
     
  13. lucky13

    lucky13 Low-Roller

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    play 2 slot machines at a time , one with the left hand and one with the right
    and get a can of copehagen , get the urge ? do a little dip
     
  14. RDO248

    RDO248 Low-Roller

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    Toothpicks helped me too plus the fact that each day I felt better, breathed better and everything began to smell and taste better. Just trust you are not smoking for the right reasons and pat yourself on the back and you will get through each craving one at a time. Enjoy Vegas!!!
     
  15. VPDana

    VPDana High-Roller

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    I quit smoking a little over three years ago, with an exception. The exception being when we are gambling in Las Vegas (we go twice a year). We are there for seven days and I smoke about 1.5 packs of cigarettes total, compared to the 1+ pack a day when I was an everyday smoker. I light up a cigarette when I sit at the first vp machine. I smoke the last one when we stop gambling and leave for the airport. So I guess I really haven't quit smoking. I really enjoy the video poker/cigarette routine. It doesn't make me want to go back to smoking all the time. This works for me, good or bad.
     
  16. wizard950

    wizard950 High-Roller

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    Congrats on your quitting! You will truly be surprised how much better you feel plus the extra money you will have for Vegas.

    This July will be 10 years not smoking after 42 years of smoking for me. I was up to almost 4 packs a day, not good! The only advice I can give you is to try and stay in the non-smoking areas. That's what I did early on and I guess it helped. Now I can't stand the smell of those things at all.

    Good luck in your quitting and winning in Vegas!
     
  17. Busyman

    Busyman VIP Whale

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    Smoke cigars. They taste better, you don't inhale, and go much better with drinks (scotch, rum , mojito, and some cognacs are what I like).
     
  18. weluvvegas

    weluvvegas Casino Countess

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    Congrats! Being in Vegas and not smoking is hard, I'm not gonna lie. It was about 6 months after I quit when I went to Vegas for the first time since quitting - with my mom. I bummed two while I was there.

    But you can do it. I quit cold turkey almost 2 years ago and picked up vaping about 10 months into being cig free - becuase I was gaining weight. The nicotine keeps the eating at bay for me and satisfies the habit without all the nasty stuff. Now being around people smoking makes me physically ill. I'll never smoke a real cig again.
     
  19. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    Thanks everyone for all the encouragement and ideas. I think I'm going to try the straw or toothpick thing. When I was looking a the e-cigs I did notice they had one without nicotine just water i'm assuming...but I'm just going to try toothpicks and or straws.

    I do already feel much better, I can taste food better. I also now have a hard time being around smoke, it seems to irritate my nose for some reason now that I have quit. I will let everyone know how it goes in my trip report when I return.
     
  20. weluvvegas

    weluvvegas Casino Countess

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    The e-cig juice is made of propolyene glycol (not sure I spelled that right), vegetable glycerine, nicotine and flavoring. You can get it with no nicotine just to satisfy the hand to mouth habit.
     
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