To my surprise, I didn’t find a smoking thread.
My background.. As a younger person, an active/competitive athlete, healthy lifestyle for the first good 40 years. Training + competitions about 10 times a week (kept me busy). A close family member’s serious illness created immense stress, and I couldn’t cope with it enough.
The constant uncertainty about another person’s survival (doctors gave a year to live) made me feel bad and affected me in many ways. A few hours of sleep, stress, fatigue, constant search for information on the topic, and emotional pain led me to seek relief from intoxicants. Alcohol didn’t really appeal, and it only worsened my condition, especially the next day.
From that, I drifted into smoking cigars/cigarettes. At first, only with some brandy. From there, things escalated to the point that smoking became daily, and nowadays, a pack a day goes, and 500€ a month to this unpleasant “hobby”.
Now it’s time to put a stop to this pleasure. The reasons are both health and financial. A win-win situation in quitting. An absurd hobby at the expense of health.
I would gladly hear experiences from those who have quit, how they managed it.. Cold turkey, or have people gotten help from replacement products? Acetium, nicotine products, medical help?
There are a good 10 years until retirement, so I would rather use this money to pursue things important to myself and my family than burn it into thin air.. I would also gladly minimize the risk of cancers and other diseases.
Dreaming of buying, for example, a motorhome, an apartment in a warm country, etc. Quitting smoking also brings this goal a step closer.
The goal is also to start some level of exercise. Weight is not a problem for me, nor is body composition. I have competed actively in several sports, including powerlifting, basketball, karate, and swimming. The foundations are strong, but due to numerous injuries, I haven’t engaged in sports for the last 10 years. Back problems, shoulder problems, golf/tennis elbows, constant inflammatory conditions in the forearms.. Etc.
If people have successful experiences with quitting smoking, then tips are welcome. Thanks in advance for the peer support🙂
I have such an absurd idea that I will withdraw the money concretely from the ATM, and every day I don’t smoke, I’ll put that good 15€ into a box so I can concretely see how much money per month/day goes up in smoke.
An athlete never sees a healthy day, but hopefully with these changes, fewer sick days🙂