Are you ready for stop smoking October ? Apparently evidence shows that if smokers can stay smoke free for 28 days they are five times more likely to stop for good. (http://www.nhsemployers.org/HealthyWorkplaces/LatestNews/Pages/StopSmokingThisOctober.aspx) The longest I have gone without smoking is about two weeks. I usually cave in after a drink or two. But for some reason this year I am going to take this challenge seriously. Let’s see how long I can last. What’s your record ?

Three and a half years!

Hats off to you. I don’t know how people manage. Some are more vulnerable than other I guess.

1 year and still smoke free

I stopped cigarettes in March of 2009. Good for you! There are much, much more pleasant ways to enjoy tobacco! There was a point where I never thought I’d live a day without missing cigarettes. Today, with snuff, I can honestly say that I don’t miss them at all.

Three and a half years!

Same here, I love smoking so I put down the sticks and picked up the pipe, like Clinton I don’t inhale. I have a stick now and then but with snuff use I am no longer a slave to those cancer sticks. Just everything else tobacco related

I’m starting to use whole leaf tobacco to roll blunts. I don’t inhale much but smoke them as I would a pipe. The next one I do will use a dark air cured Burley binder and a flue cured bright Virginia wrapper. Count me out for not smoking in October. I have never smoked cigarettes though and consider myself fortunate in that respect. Good luck to all who are giving them up. I can only imagine how difficult it must be due to their convenience and relative social acceptance. Congratulations on finding snuff.

I had vicious flu back in December 2006 and for two weeks could not face - or even desire – a cigarette. Having gone two weeks I decided to quit. I managed three months before the desire for nicotine came back and I started smoking the occasional cigar to keep me away from cigs. December 2007 I got back into pipe smoking and then just recently back into snuff. If I smoked a cig now I imagine it would taste quite disgusting compared to pipe tobacco so I don’t think I will ever go back to those.

I quit cigs back in 2009 (switched to snus, which I’ve since quit - started to notice some gum recession, tried E-cigs - didn’t quite work for me, now very happy with snuff). When a friend visited the past weekend we tried a cigarette for kicks - and man it knocked me on backside (and tasted pretty terrible, to boot). What I’ve really liked about snuff vs snus or cigs is that I can walk away for a weekend, several weeks, etc and not think about it or really crave it even. I’m so much happier without Cigs in my life!

never smoked thankfully, quit drinking soda last december after going to the dentist and receiving a walletectomy through my mouth. I still get cravings, cant imagine what cigs would be like!

Stopped in 2007 when they banned smoking in pubs etc in the U.K. Good luck!

I was completely tobacco/nic free for 1 1/2 years. I had a really bad PTSD flareup (I was going totally apeshit), so my wife showed up with a pack of smokes and said, “These will get rid of that for now.” She was correct. She never even tried a cig before, so I was amazed by her support and insight. She never smoked a day in her life, so I was beyond shocked. Heck, we were still early enough in our relationship that she had never even seen me smoke, but damn those did work.

I haven’t had a cigarette in almost 30 days now thanks to snuff. I do have one can of dip a week though. Sometimes stress gets to me and I need that good nic buzz so dip handles that. I really need to get some of these strong snuffs you guys are talking about but I’m having a hard time bringing myself to pay 20-30 dollars for shipping. Thirty bucks goes a long way in my world.

I quit for a little over four months, worst experience of my life, i lost all motivation. I’m back up to half a pack a day, but, before you scream posion, i’am smoking MYO whole leaf. It is worlds away from pre-packaged-posion, and tastes amazing. Sometimes i just have a cigarette, pipe style(not inhaling and running the smoke out my nose), and it taste very close to a full virgina flake pipe tobacco. I get none of that filthy feeling i experience w/manufactured brands.

I really don’t mind if people smoke. It’s all about freedom of choice and I surely can’t judge people for what they choose to do with their body. I quit smoking because I am starting to have heart problems and frankly, it was scaring the shit out of me. I love the smell of cigarettes and often find myself standing nearby when people are smoking so I get a little of that second hand goodness. People should do what they like, whether it be drugs, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, sex. It’s your body and your life to with what you will. I do my thing, you do your thing, we all get along nicely.

Smoking ruined my health, took 3 1/2 years to get better.

I too gave up the cigs after I found snuff and a few pipes. I still buy a pack occasionally but for the most part I’m happy without. I never thought I would be without them though.

Been off cigs for 6 years now.

Gave up cigs 4 years ago. Snus helped, actually was pretty easy to quit once my body got used to the new method of nic delivery. Now its primarily nasal snuff I use to help drop my nic intake but I do enjoy snus everyday. I use it at work as using snuff is not an option.

I also found snus was the ticket for stopping smoking but haven’t used snus at all for the past couple of years. I

another vote for snus as the easiest method to give up the smokes … i am now trying to use more snuff than snus … but that isn’t going as smoothly as it was from cigs to snus.

I did try snus. It wasn’t for me really, I can’t deny how good it was at killing my craving for a cigarette, it worked better at that than a cigarette itself. I want to try these super strong snuffs, would be good to have just a little snuff to kill a craving instead of lots and lots in quick succession.

@londonsnuffs studies have shown that regular users of snuff get more nicotine from it than casual users can.

Haven’t had a cigarette since January 2003. Still dream about unwrapping a fresh pack of Disque Bleu, tapping out the first cigarette and lighting up… Only got back into snuff in the last year or so - doesn’t seem to have had any effect on the cigarette cravings!

@Juxtaposer i read that study the NZ one. It’s a great study, it’s the only one like that, has so much info in it.

well i failed, depends how you look at it. i have gone to smoking every day or other day to just on weekends sort of. anyway i have reduced a lot. but i am a yoyo smoker i guess. i go through a lot of phases. good luck to everyone else

@londonsuffs said that some people are more susceptible to it. I agree. I’ve smoked on and off since I was 18. I’ve quit several times and start back up slowly. Then before I know it, I’m back up to a pack a day of the strong ones. I’m 40 and have periodontal issues now so I’m quitting cigarettes for good. I wish I had re-discovered snuff 10 years ago, between patches and snuff I’ve been off them for a little over a month. Hanging around my smoking friends doesn’t even bother me.

Haven’t had a cigarette since January 2003. Still dream about unwrapping a fresh pack of Disque Bleu, tapping out the first cigarette and lighting up… Only got back into snuff in the last year or so - doesn’t seem to have had any effect on the cigarette cravings!

I stopped smoking cigarettes eleven years ago now. Cravings have got less and less over the years, helped by pipes and snuff. I know what you mean though - brand names do it for me too. I was in India a couple of years ago and ‘fell off the wagon’ because there were so many cigarette brands on sale I remember from my youth - Woodbine, Wills Gold Flake etc. But after a couple of days on those I got fed up with the feeling of always wanting more and never being satisfied. So in the bin they went and I got back on the pipe. You may find smoking small cigars (not inhaling, obviously) helps with that desire to open a box, tap something and light up. Be careful though as some of them are artificially nic-saturated like cigs I think.

Way back when I quit for 3 or 4 years, they didn’t taste as good anymore(can’t tell you why), got the shakes for a couple of days then all was good. Started up again when I was 19 or so because of bad, shaky nerves. In the last 5 years or so my record has been about 2 weeks. I’m gonna try to quit, just smoke occasionally or allow myself 1 or 2 natural cigs a day. Good luck too all who are trying!

I smoked and snuffed for years and years and then ditched cigarettes after the smoking bans came in. I had this agreement with myself that if I was going out of my head for a smoke I would have one - basically I was at my wits end after failing so many times before. Some kind of twisted psychology in there I suppose, because it helped. My snuffing had been quite light prior to that, more appreciation than addiction but when I really started taking snuff regularly throughout the day I was surprised to find how good it was at killing the cravings. I got a bunch of Toque snuffs ( and I will always have a soft spot for Toque) and just went at it, and this time I actually did it, without ever saying ‘this is my last cigarette’. It took some time but I have now completely lost interest in cigarettes without ever making any kind of big deal about them. I don’t know if this makes sense but it is possible to quit by degrees.

@Abraxas Makes perfect sense.

Today was my last cigarette. I smoked just one a day since I started snuffing, and now I’m going to try and stick to just the wonderful world of snuff.

thanks BigDaddySnuff and good luck TopographicTales - just don’t get bent out of shape if you fall off the wagon; stopping is no one’s business but yours and like death and taxes, will always be there - in the sense that you can always try again.

I agree with @Abraxas Before I finally gave the cigs up for good - 6 years now - I had tried a number of times. If I then had one single cig I thought to myself that giving up was not working and just went straight back into it full time. If you have the occasional cig it is not the end of the world or of you giving up - don’t beat yourself up but just carry on again with no cigs the following day. I’m not preaching here - just been through it myself,

Yes - the ‘last cigarette’ mentality doesn’t always help. Partly it’s a result of the all-or-nothing approach of the health industry to smoking which says you either stop completely or you might as well just smoke as much as you want - nonsense! Don’t feel guilty about falling off the wagon. Just get back on again and keep going.

Death is a sure cure for smoking. You can quit for today if you want to quit tomorrow that is a choice for another day. If you want to taper off; Smoke mullein herb with colfsfoot herb and lobelia equal parts, then reduce the lobelia by 1/4 till your adding no lobelia. These herb will help repair your lungs after 90 days your lungs should be cleared of tobacco residue. This will satisfy the phyical & habitual addiction, As for sticking stuff in your mouth I suggest carrot sticks or celery stick rather then a cancer stick.

Yeah I know not to beat myself, I’ve been through it quite a few times myself. The longest was around 2-3 months, but then getting out on the course during golf season got me again, it’s hard not to smoke on the course. Since then, I’ve been thinking about it again but the gum didn’t work the second time around. But, snuff is doing a great job of making me not crave them, almost at all. Do a pinch or two and I’m good to go. Thanks for the support guys.

An herbalist said they often suggest getting some whole liquorice root to chew on as a pacifier when you’re trying to quit. Maybe a cinnamon stick even…

Well, it’s been a few weeks without cigs and I’m doing just fine. Here and there I may want one, but a nice pinch and it’s gone. Most of the time I don’t even think about it anymore. Love this stuff man, it’s made me appreciate and enjoy tobacco so much again.

It has been close to 6 months since I smoked a cigarette but a last night I had one but I don’t consider it the same as before because I rolled it myself out of some Pirate Kake and I did not inhale. I smoked it just as I would my pipe and it was actually pretty good. It was something I did on a whim but it turned out pretty good, slightly different on taste cause of the paper but very convenient. Want to try this out with some other blends and see how they are. Outside in the cold and wind the pipe can be real fickle and this could be an alternate way of enjoying some fine tobacco.

@willc, just be careful as the tndency and desire to actually take a drag are pretty strong. That said it is nice to have options.

@Stogie when I first picked up the pipe I would actually inhale sometimes cause that was what I was used to. Now it is to the point if I inhale accidentally I know it cause I am coughing my head off. For me I can taste and enjoy the smoke better without inhaling and seem to get more than sufficient effect of the nic. I want to roll up some FVF and see how that burns. If that or 1792 can work as a ryo then just about any premium pipe tobacco should work. Another thing I noticed in the months I have been without pre packed cigs is that if I go a few hours with no tobacco I am not going nuts without it like before. Just some observations.

@Stogie when I first picked up the pipe I would actually inhale sometimes cause that was what I was used to. Now it is to the point if I inhale accidentally I know it cause I am coughing my head off. For me I can taste and enjoy the smoke better without inhaling and seem to get more than sufficient effect of the nic. I want to roll up some FVF and see how that burns. If that or 1792 can work as a ryo then just about any premium pipe tobacco should work. Another thing I noticed in the months I have been without pre packed cigs is that if I go a few hours with no tobacco I am not going nuts without it like before. Just some observations.

@willc that’s because they put lots of other very nasy extremely addictive substances in “tailor made” cigarettes that are much harder to give up than nicotine and have a shorter half life. Thus the reason you can chain smoke and still feel your not getting enough. I did some reasearch on it when i quit 18 months ago and there is info on the net about this but the tobacco companies dont want you to know what addative they use. They use it to keep you buying a particular brand of smoke. They put some BAD shit in cigarettes these days. Love the pipes and snuff though and i do inhale occasionally.

@BigNose Jeffrey Wigand came out and let this be known to the public back in the 90’s, but of course, nothing was actually done about it because big tobacco just has too much damn money. The film ‘The Insider’ is about Wigand being a whistleblower and doing an interview on 60 Minutes. Anyway, it’s pretty much revolves around the information that you just pointed out, so I thought I’d mention it. Great film too.

@TopographicTales I’ve been meaning to watch that movies as it was mentioned in some of the stuff i read. Thanks for reminding me. Either i’ve grown older and wiser/cynical, or the world is going to crap, or more likely both, but i’m pretty sure governments are about looking after the vested interests these days and not the people anymore.

what’s these days gotta do with it?