i hate them, especially compared to the complex tastes of cigars that are acctually good. but i cant for the life of me seem to quit and stay quit... any suggestons perhaps from and ex-smoker who still smokes cigars...

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Poor college student with a love for expensive sticks... :(

I'm an ex-cigarette smoker. A heavy one at that 2 packs a day at one point. Unfortunately IMO your best bet is probably going to be to quit everything for a while. Cigars contain nicotine too, so you'll need to completely clean your system of nicotine I went a year without touching any kind of tobacco. You might not need as long as I did but unfortunately that's probably your best bet.

Agreed...it's mostly mental so if you REALLY want to quit then quit but avoid situations that would make you want to smoke. Drinking, bars, cigars, even large meals can all make you think 'just one won't hurt' but it will. Try to get into some kind of exercise too, you will notice a differance especially if you try to start back. Good luck!

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Andy

A little rebellion now and then...is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison, 1787
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)

There's two options that can really help you kick the habit...

First, before we get to them, as pointed out above, you're gonna have to kick both at first... Why? Because the moment you light up a cigar and start to get those tastes you're immediately going to crave a cigarette...

For what it's worth, I personally don't believe nicotine itself is the addictive agent in cigarettes... Why? Simple... First off, I was addicted to cigarettes for a long time... I quit for about 8 years and then started smoking cigars... With cigarettes I couldn't go more than 2 hours without going nuts wanting another... With cigars I can go weeks without one and have no side effects at all... Why do you suppose that is if nicotine is the wicked drug that it's put off to be? Even if I'm getting lower amounts of nicotine, that should just intensify my need for smoking more... Yet I don't... Likewise, if nicotine was the addictive agent in cigarettes, why wouldn't nicotine patches or gum have MUCH higher success rates? I think the actual rate is like 8% or something? I'm not saying nicotine isn't addictive to some extent, perhaps it is, but I don't think it's even close to the primary...

My belief is it's all the horrible additives they dump in the tobacco that are the addictive substances... This explains several things... A) Why cigar smokers don't get "addicted" like cigarette smokers do... B) Why nicotine patches and gum don't work... and C) (and perhaps most importantly for you) Why a cigarette smoker can't "switch" to cigars and give up cigarettes...

So with all of that, here's my opinion of the only two options that you have that "really" work...

A) Chantix... The recent drug that was created to help smokers kick the habit... I don't remember exactly how this works, but it appears that it works basically by blocking the craving at the brain... I believe this works on the other highly addictive substances in cigarettes... The reason I know this works is that I have several friends that quit this way, and it was only after they weened off the Chantix that they had any real cravings, but by that point they were able to resist and did end up quitting... The longest one has now been smoke free for almost two years now... It's success rate isn't 100%, but it's VERY high... On the down side, unless you have state assisted programs, I believe it can be very expensive, and from what I hear, some insurance companies don't cover it...

B) I'll perhaps take a bit of a bruising for saying this, but I'll explain where some of the skeptisim might come from and hopefully that will help... Seek the help of a hypnotherapist... Yeah, I know, they're all just quaks and hypnosis is just something that exists in the movies right? Well... Let me explain something...

The reason hypnosis and hypnotherapists often get such a bad wrap is because there are a lot of people out there operating using EXTREMELY old school techniques... Many of which have extremely low success rates... These "traditionally" trained hypnotherapists are the ones who typically use progressive relaxation inductions... They do no testing for your depth of hypnosis... They use ONLY direct suggestion... Then they send you on your merry way... There's so many problems with this it's just ridiculous...

First off, you can't hypnotize someone without removing all their fears and misconceptions first... That's where the "Talk" comes in to explain everything about how the mind works, why hypnosis works, why hollywood is insane, etc...

Second off, progressive relaxation MIGHT work about 25% of the time... In fact, "traditionally" trained hypnotherapists are generally taught that only about 25% of the people out there can be hypnotized... That's bung... 100% of people can be hypnotized... Progressive relaxation is the whole, "Focus on your feet, relax your feet, release everything there... now focus on your calves... relax everything away there..." etc... The problem is, by the time they finish reading there 20-30 minute long script, there's a 25% chance you're in SOME level of hypnosis, a 25% chance nothing was accomplished other than relaxing you, and a 50% you're snoring cause you've fallen asleep... Putting someone into the proper level of hypnosis takes about 5 minutes tops!

Third off, various levels of hypnosis exhibit various qualities... Depending on what you're attempting to accomplish, you must know what level of hypnosis the client is in... That's where covert testing comes in... If you don't test, you have no clue where the client is at, and therefore you're just shooting in the dark...

And last but not least, direct suggestion DOES work.... but only temporarly... It won't modify a behavior for any period of time so it will NOT make a change in someones life...

So anyway... back on track... YES hypnosis does work... IF you find someone who is modernly trained... That's the other problem with hypnosis... There's no real regulation... Anyone can download an e-book of the internet and open up a shop and claim themselves a hypnotherapist...

So before consulting one, make sure you get everything up front... Find out WHAT training the person has and from where... Find out what guilds they are a member of, and then do your research... Also ask what types of inductions they do, rather they do direct suggestion only or any other methods... Don't be afraid to ask LOTS and LOTS of questions... If you've found a good hypnotherapist they'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have and encourage you to think of more... Why? Because they know until ALL your questions are answered they'll NOT be able to get you into any level of hypnosis... If you catch any avoidance or irritation at your questions then get outta there...

As for how I know all this, I'm actually a certified hypnotherapist myself, and a good standing member of the NGH (National Guild of Hypnotists). My training is in 5-PATH... (5 Phase Abreactive Theraputical Hypnosis)... I was trained by Cal Banyan at the Banyan School of Hypnosis... Cal is one of the most respected hypnotists of our time... In fact, if you do choose to seek help using this method, I would strongly urge you to seek out someone certified in 5-PATH in your own area... 5-PATH uses advanced techniques including age regression to eliminate the CAUSE of the behavior, not just modify the behavior itself... Really great stuff...

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Luko:

Just keep in mind if you do, you're pissing off a dude who shaves with a sword.

Good info Sirius. Good old fashioned cold turkey worked for me. I tried to have a piece of cold turkey about every hour .... LOL, I'm kidding. I just decided one day I was going to quit and I did.

madurofan:

Good info Sirius. Good old fashioned cold turkey worked for me. I tried to have a piece of cold turkey about every hour .... LOL, I'm kidding. I just decided one day I was going to quit and I did.

It's funny you mention that... In the hypnotherapy business we come across two types of smokers... There's the 2 session smoker and the 4-6 session smoker... The 2-session guy is a perfect example of someone like yourself... They basically deal only with the physical addiction... The two sessions basically consist of a direct suggestion / convincer session followed by tying up some loose ends... (i.e. in particular addressing any secondary gain issues... (e.g. all your friends smoke and now that you quit and don't hang around them as much you get lonely, etc...)

Then there's the "full sessions" guy... This is the one who not only has the physical addiction to deal with, but also has an underlying behavior to modify... These are the "too much" people... Feelings are like the idiot lights on the dashboard of the car... When you have a feeling and don't give it a satisfying result, the cause of the feeling never goes away and it just comes back again later... This is what introduces the "too much" behavior... It can be summed up in an analogy like this...

Joe is driving down the road and the oil light comes on in his car... He pulls over to a gas station, runs inside and grabs an ice cream cone... He takes off driving down the road again really enjoying his ice cream cone... In fact, he enjoys it so much he doesn't even notice the light anymore... he eats the entire thing and finally finishes... a few minutes after he finishes he happens to glance back down and notices the oil light still on... He pulls over to another gas station and buys another ice cream cone... Once again he pays no attention to the light... at least while he's eating his ice cream cone... So buying an ice cream cone isn't a satisfying response to an oil light, but it does take Joe's mind off it for a while... The problem is, eventually it leads to more problems (let's say engine overheating) and eventually to the engine quitting alltogether...

People are the same way... In the case of a smoker, an underlying feeling comes up, but instead of doing a satisfying response, they smoke a cigarette... While they catch their little buzz and the nicotine takes effect, it completely takes their mind off the initial feeling... The problem is, it wasn't satisfying, so the feeling still exists and comes back shortly after... Eventually that leads to the secondary feeling of frustration... and eventually the tirciary feeling of depression, where the engine just quits...

These "too much" folks are the ones that require more work... That's where the age regression comes in though... regress them back to find the ISE (initial sensitizing event) which usually takes place between 3 and 5 years old, do informed child technique (the "adult" self tells the "child" self exactly what they need to hear BEFORE the event takes place...) Who better to know exactly what knowledge the child needs than the adult that child becomes? By doing this you build a "bridge" in a sense... Think of it like rings of a tree... You're connecting an outside ring to a very deep inside ring... The result is a complete reorganization over the sub-conscious... Each subsequent event is desensitized afterwards... A persons personality can litterally COMPLETELY change in the matter of a few minutes... Really powerful stuff!

After the cause of "too much" is wrapped up, then it's just the physical addiction that's left... and usually the client feels so fantastic about themselves by this point that it doesn't take anything else to get through it, just their decision not to...

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Luko:

Just keep in mind if you do, you're pissing off a dude who shaves with a sword.

when i quit smoking cigarettes i changed my life.

re-read that.

quitting didnt change my life. I changed my life. everything that I did had the stigma of smoking.
what did i do when i first got up? smoke a cigarette.
what did I do while driving to work? smoke a cigarette
what did I do after eating? smoke a cigarette
what did I do while doing just about everything? smoke a cigarette

this is why i changed my life. I stopped going to bars for months because drinking and smoking go hand in hand. I stopped eating dinner out because that promoted smoking when finished. I got a new car that didnt smell like smoke so i didnt crave one when i got in it. I got a new job and made it known that i was a non-smoker. I stopped carrying a lighter. I didnt hang out with all my "smoker friends." I took myself out of the situation.
and the biggest help? I quit with my girlfriend (now wife).

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Powerful stuff sirius!

Kuz, I've heard a lot of people talk about those kind of drastic changes. My wife still smokes cigarettes so does my Dad and most of my friends. I just didn't hang around anyone for a weekend, holed up in my house and quit. Came out on Monday an ex-smoker. I've lapsed a few times and smoked a cigarette(mostly when drinking) but have not picked them up again and very, very rarely do I feel the need to smoke anymore.

madurofan:

Good info Sirius. Good old fashioned cold turkey worked for me. I tried to have a piece of cold turkey about every hour .... LOL, I'm kidding. I just decided one day I was going to quit and I did.

[That is hilarious] [When I quit smoking, I actually took the last three cigs in my pack and put some tape (the clear tape) on the outsides so I couldn't smoke them. Then every time I had a craving, I would puff on those taped cigs. It helped me. I won't lie, the first couple days are terrible. And after that I slowly got to a point where I am now. I rarely think about smoking cigs. If I do ever think about smoking cigs, like you said, I think about how they don't taste even close to as good as cigars. I smoke about 1-3 cigars a week and I am very content with that. Just always remember It can be done. I haven't had a cig in about 15 months.]

oops. I thought the brackets spaced it out. I guess not.

Congrats on 15 months Dean. That sounds like a pretty good idea, the puffing on unsmokable cigs.

The two big things that worked for me to quit smoking cigs:

•Set a quit date. Plan ahead, taper down until that final day. Make it a month or more out so you can acknowledge giving yourself some time to smoke guilt-free. Have a quit party even or smoke that final cig with a buddy just before midnight.
•Get (re)involved in a fun sport or exercise regimen such that you start to reengage your lungs. If you really get into the activity and want to improve, be it running, swimming or a team sport, you'll spurn the effects smoking has on your body. The extra endorphins from exercise and a new commitment can help with the confidence to stick to your goal as well.

Good luck! Be strong.

Great post earth! I'm definetly in agreeance on the set a quit date. I did that. of course it was the following friday but I did it nonetheless.

i used to smoke marlboro lights i just quit cold turkey and switched to cigars i dont know what made it easy knowing i still had cigars or the fact that i said i quit i wasent quiting i quit for good also exercise helps just be strong! you control your life not cigarettes!

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If you are going through hell, keep going.
Winston Churchill

EarthDragon, Nice first post... And Welcome, too..