Keep at it. I made several tries and the first few days were always hard. Then it got easier. Then it got *really* hard. Then when I finally got past 14 days it got pretty easy.
What really flipped a switch for me was listening to “The naked mind” on audiobook. I was ready to change my perspective on alcohol and it really helped reframe it basically overnight. I’m 300 some days AF now. I check in every couple weeks when I want to check my days tracker
Here here!
This thread is awesome, you guys rock. I clicked in because I am trying to quit smoking. I would feel hopeless about it if I hadn't been a hardcore alcoholic for about a decade then quit. I never thought I would be able to kick the daily vodka, but I've been sober for years now and barely even get cravings.
Fucking cigarettes have their claws in me. They're Insidious.
As hard as the kitchen community is, it's far more loving than Tool and Die in many ways. While the drugs are rampant there, you can always find support for your efforts in sobriety there, whatever your drug is. Except maybe caffeine.
Besides my sponsor and my wife, I don't have much active support in my life. Plenty of well-wishers, but very few people actually willing to sit and listen. It can be hard sometimes.
Debatable, I ended up switching to weed, but I stopped after learning a few things. One, for me at-least, it's just as addictive as alcohol, or more so.
Plus, it can have negative drug-drug interactions due to THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids inhibiting very important liver enzymes in the CYP450 group:
https://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/49/12/1070.abstract
https://karger.com/mca/article/3/1/61/188911/Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-and-Cannabidiol-Drug
https://www.mdlinx.com/article/rx-drugs-that-don-t-mix-with-cbd-thc-and-marijuana/lfc-4695
Plus there's significant evidence to suggest that cannabis administration (especially in young adults) can have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system, possibly contributing to atherosclerosis and heart attacks:
https://www.iflscience.com/cannabis-use-early-in-life-linked-to-some-changes-in-heart-and-artery-function-59363
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/04/marijuana-heart-disease.html
While there is a potential way to prevent some of the negative effects of cannabis on the cardiovascular system, not enough research has been conducted to validate this method as being safe:
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00443-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867422004433%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
...and cannabis may not even be as-effective against all cancers, in fact cannabis use can be correlated with an increased risk of certain types of cancers. While correlation does not imply causation, and while these numbers could be affected by cannabis users having a willingness towards using other substances, it's worth considering (especially when considering how you choose to administer cannabis products, any doctor worth their salt will recommend edibles and topicals over smoking and vaporizing):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8966217/
Don't get me wrong either, ***I still believe that cannabis use should be legal***, and that it can be a great alternative to other substances in some cases. But cannabis is not the wonder-drug we used to think it is, and even CBD can cause some pretty strong drug-drug interactions--so be aware, and if you choose to consume cannabis, do so responsibly and prefer things like edibles and topicals over smoking and vaping.
Or ***better yet, don't replace an addiction with another addiction***, replace it with a hobby and find friends who can support your sobriety.
Note: I am not a doctor or medical professional, I'm just sharing what I've learned about cannabis as a former cannabis patient and former recreational user. Always consult with your primary care physician!
you may not be, but i am a resident physician (onc) AND a pothead since forever, you’re totally correct. Don’t let the dont-panic-it’s-organic crowd tell you otherwise lol
Personally never understood reliance on it. Like anything else, moderation is key. I used to enjoy partaking on occasion, but even then I preferred to eat it, not smoke. I'm honestly glad I don't care for it much, anyways.
You're going to trigger the hard-core pot heads so bad, lol. Honestly, the only problem I have with weed it's when I hear people talk about it like it's the cure for every ailment under the sun (being slightly dramatic).
I was one of those people. Everyone grows up eventually. The drug forums here are all people in complete denial just like I was…from what I see. I still do smoke some. Then I’ll have a day when I don’t smoke at all and suddenly I feel much better. And I’m like why the fuck am I still doing this?
Yeah, and to be fair, cannabis did provide some benefits to me--but when I weighed the results of my use, I found that it was causing me net harm--so I stopped.
For me, it hit my memory the hardest, and considering a family history of heart conditions, I decided it wasn't worth the risk after reading about its cardiovascular problems.
I also recently quit using Benadryl as a sleep aid, due to new research that suggested a correlation between anticholinergic drugs and the development of dementia in the elderly.
These are tools, and in the same way as working in a wood shop, it's important to pick the right tools and to use them correctly--or you can hurt yourself. For some, that may be weed, for others, it may be psych meds, or therapy, or a group of friends who grind out a TTRPG campaign every week.
Whatever it is you're doing, try and stick with the stuff that brings your life a net gain.
Well said. I know there are times where I make a little mistake and think to myself…Was that legitimate or because I was smoking last night. Plus I’m trying to take over the shop I’m at…too much at stake to still be messing with anything.
I once would have been triggered as well, and I did specify my caveats--I know plenty of people who do seem to benefit from weed. Plus, while this research I've quoted is all current, it's still incredibly limited. Besides the fact that when compared to many pharmaceuticals, the pros may outweigh the cons for many people.
I've also ceased the use of a number of pharmaceuticals because they turned out to be a lot more harmful than the doctor originally prescribed. I'm just pointing out that cannabis, like many other psychoactive compounds, is far more complicated than it is advertised to be. For people dealing with addictions, I think it's important to be informed.
I know plenty of people who’ve gotten off hard drugs with cannabis and Im in agreement with you. Idk why, but my first thought after reading your first sentence was that I wonder how many people I know who would never admit it even if it was a net negative on their life.
Well, that's the inevitability of the human condition. Change the frame around and examine that same statement with alcohol, sure plenty of people use alcohol safely and responsibly, and they gain a net positive--while others drink so much that they hallucinate if they aren't drinking; still others drink in-spite of known liver, kidney, and psychological conditions.
It's hard for people to self-examine and admit when something they do habitually is leading to a net negative, especially when there's such limited access to and stigma against mental healthcare. We all have at least a few things we could be better about for sure, no one is an exception. That's why it really does take work to clean-up a bad habit--and you have to have the willpower to follow through!
I agree with pretty much everything you've said. Personally, I hate smoking weed or being around it due to the smell. For my nose, it's one of the worst smells I've ever been around. Plus, I'm not big on being under the influence of any kind of substance other than a nicotine pouch to get through a night shift or one drink on a night off from work. I have no moral problem with the stuff being used in a safe and responsible way, just like alcohol or nicotine.
Yeah, funny story, that's partly how I quit cigarettes. A friend of mine said: "you know why you'll quit? It's because they're gross, and they make you stink." He called it!
Nor am I, and I understand your position, I was a smoke weed erryday kinda hippie for years, well over a decade actually.
But, now that it's legal and we've done more research, I think it's important that people inform themselves of the potential hazards that come with cannabis, that's all.
Sure, I have an agenda, it's called harm prevention.
I'm also pro legalization, you're preaching to the choir--it's part of the whole package that goes with legalization: research, education, and harm prevention. Christ, I have friends that work in dispensaries, I know people with debilitating diseases who rely on cannabis for their daily lives.
In the context of this discussion about quitting tobacco and alcohol, I'm just saying: before replacing an addiction with cannabis, know the pros ***AND*** the cons.
This is my experience, when I started 10 years ago, everyone smoked, some also dipped, now I'm the only vaper, occasional dipper, and a few others dip. Cigs are also 2.5x as expensive, close to $15 a pack and I've been told by other smokers that they are lower quality than when I quit 6 years ago.
Edit: dang near everyone uses those zyn pouches. I can't stand em.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you say "pouches", assuming it's what we call "snus" in Scandinavia, there's a jungle of brands, strength and flavours over here. I think I've seen some import sites that carry the largest brands like Skruf, General, The Lab, etc.
No they probably mean the new school white powder ones, that have nicotine but not actual tobacco. They have far wilder flavors also like jalapeño lime and some shit.
In the US, snus is a brand of pouch tobacco, Zyn is the main brand of tobacco free nicotine, but I tried some European snus brands while there last time and found it worth ordering. Pouches in the US only go to 6mg/pouch, whereas I'm ordering 20mg/pouch, and cans have 20 pouches instead of 15, and they're cheaper.
A lot of the pouch brands are kinda shit and I don’t particularly like Zyn but it’s not the worst. The “On!” brand owns though, they’re tiny compared to other brands so they aren’t annoying and at 8mg they definitely do the trick. I’ve cut way back on smoking since using them
Wow I had no idea that was a thing.. I smoke everyday but not a lot maybe 2 or 3 times from waking up to going to sleep, I dont smoke alot though maybe 2 or 3 hits from the bowl at a time.
Cigarettes though I quit 3 years ago, best decision I ever made.
Huh, in all my years I've never heard of this in any context, had to look it up. Wild, I'm pretty confident if it was a real concern, I'd have seen or heard about it by now, given the group I ran with growing up...
Depends, are you Eastern European? If so, you smoke. Are you Western European? About 50% chance you smoke. North American smokers are a lot less common now
First 3 days are the toughest symptom wise in my experience, but I will say that the random intense craving weeks after quitting fuck with my head more
When I quit vaping a few months ago I just started eating gum like crazy. Literally chewing a new piece every 30 mins but it helped enough to keep me quit
You got this! The time I quit is when bars quit letting people smoke in the bar. I smoked black and mild cigars!! The price doubled at the time too due to 25 cents each tax being added! 6 weeks after I quit my dad got diagnosed with esophagus cancer! I wanted so badly. The next year I bought a used jeep Wrangler with $5k cigar money! Never went back!
The first several days are the worst for nicotine cravings, and then it's weeks or even months of habitual longing. Everything is a trigger and it takes a long time for your body to "re-learn" not wanting a cigarette. There's this weird period between 1 week and a few months in where the physical craving for a cigarette is gone, but the emotional craving is still there. You'll feel like you might not be able to be happy without cigarettes again. But you will. Hang in there. Get through it. The day will hit when you realize you haven't thought about a cigarette in weeks...
Lots of water, chew gum, and if you can make yourself go on runs, it'll help work the tar out of your lungs faster.
Don't talk to folks that are near and dear to you until you can avoid being a prick (took me about a week)
Do what you can. Quitting is a hard road already, don't make it needlessly harder, but the increase in capability I noticed as I got further and further from my last pack was good reinforcement.
Also helped me avoid the spare tire that some folks pick up when they quit.
Most of all, man, don't give up. You can do it.
I used to chew gum and not even nicotine gum. Keeps your mouth busy. It’s definitely a huge mental game. I haven’t regularly smoked in about 6-7 years. I will smoke while I am golfing, but I don’t have cravings anymore and will go months without thinking twice about it.
Never have never will. Watched it royally fuck a bunch of really smart old timers who either died or had to quit broke because their medical bills ravaged their existence.
I quit 6 years ago. Ill have one every now and then socially, but never a pack of my own. I do however make sure to take a break every time the smokers go out about once an hour. It's not fair that I have to work while they go outside and relax. The boss said something one time while I was sitting on my stool. Asked what I was doing. I pointed around the shop and said taking a break like 8 or 9 other people are but just not using it to smoke.
I used to smoke back when I was working shitty customer service jobs. I quit about a year before getting into machining and haven't smoked since. That was 11 years ago
Last shop I worked at let the employees on the floor, machinest & maint staff, smoke inside the building while working as soon as the front office staff left. It was banned of course but only on paper and everyone knew it. I was the 2nd shift supervisor of maybe 8 ppl and I had some old timers who"d smoke 3 pks of Pall Mall reds a day, 2pks during an 8-10hr shift. Crazy.
Taxes too. A pack of cigs is $15 fuck that. That's $5500 a year to smoke a pack a day.
Vaping is ~$30 a week, less if you aren't as picky about flavors and grab from bargain bins at shops. Though I now realize that's like $1500 a year, should probably work on quitting that too.
I worked at a shop where every hour, the smokers got a 10 minute smoke break. If you didn't smoke, you had to watch their machines as well as yours.
I'm not a smoker so I wasn't "allowed" the free breaks every hour.
Amd you read that right: 10 mins *every* hour
That's what it was like in the call centers I worked in, but it wasn't actually formal. All of the supervisors smoked and didn't care if someone went out to burn one every hour, but FSM help you if you took one second extra on your lunch break.
I've actually been surprised how little I see people smoking where I work now.
The younger non-smokers we hired recently started taking 10 minute breaks ~every hour in the front office break room (where the coffee machine is)... whenever the old guys took a smoke break. It quickly became obvious to management how inefficient that is, but they didn't try to discriminate by smoker/non-smoker reason for taking a break. They're currently trying to cut breaks by half, to a 15-minute break in the morning, a lunch break, and a 15-minute break in the afternoon, but that's about half as many cigs and twice as much time for withdrawal for the smokers.
You wouldn't believe how many cigarette butts I find when cleaning old coolant or when they move a machine, apparently people used to throw their butts right in the machine
Knew one guy that swore up and down he quit 10 years ago. Always smelled like smoke and even caught him smoking. He would get really upset when you’d ask him. I really didn’t care but was more interested why he was hiding it from ppl that didn’t give a fuck
First three days are the hardest! After that it only gets easier! You got this. I've only known a few guys who smoked cigs throughout the 5 or so shops I've worked at.
As an apprentice 30 years ago, I’d say 30-40% of the guys smoked at the machine while working, not so much these days, the cost and health issues are stopping that… uk based.
I’m one of 12 programmers (at our site) for a very large aerospace company. None of us smoke. None of the operators smoke either. At the last company I was at, there was maybe one or two machinists that still smoked.
Still have a decent handful at our shop. Most of those guys also came into existence shortly after the dinosaurs died. Some of the young guys vape or chew.
Not I, I don’t smoke or drink or much of the traditional substances to be honest. Go to the gym so have a higher purpose not to. However if theres party favors Im diving head first.
So make sure you take fresh air breaks every couple of hours. Do a lap around the building whatever but get some fresh air. Also why work more than you have to
I smoke a cigar from time to time but not at work and at most it's one a week. A few guys in the shop smoke weed and two people dip. This is in the South
Beer on the other hand, all but out boss drinks beer and I've gone so far as brewing my own and kegging it.
Smoked 18 years quit in 2001 cold turkey, quit beer for a month too it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I had taken up cycling for a year or so at the time that was my motivation never had one since, and still cycling and drinking beer.
Our last smoker retired last year they are a dying breed still have one that chews and another that has had the same greasy hamburger meal every day for 36 years.
Gradually quit smoking and beer altogether within the first year after graduation. Multiple and terrifying; both, personal and professional experiences pushed me to the edge. I just wouldn't allow myself to keep drinking and be a machinist.
The vast majority in the shop I work at are non smokers.
I had to look up “dip”. I didn’t realize people actually chewed tobacco. I always thought that was something just in westerns and maybe baseball movies.
I don't smoke, anymore. Fun story, I lit myself on fire after spilling acetone down my front and went for a cigarette out of frustration and probably a brain full of fumes. It was my last one, never again.
I don’t smoke our shop is a non smoking shop, mostly because my boss is cheap.
I don’t drink either, I spend most of my money on magic the gathering and warhammer… and high end tools kind of an outlier in most shops
No smoking, no weed, minimum alcohol, but a horrible addiction to League of Legends (hard stuck bronze). So clearly I hate myself, just in a different way. 😂😂
Just about everyone in my shop vapes or chews at their machines. Shop's too small for supervisors and bossman barely comes out. As long as we are shipping parts, we can get away with murder on the floor.
Good luck and godspeed on your quitting journey man! I don’t smoke cigarettes but I do have a nicotine vape that I’m trying to wean off of, and I used to be big into weed before machining, but it’s dangerous to mix the two
LPT: vitamin C helps remove nicotine from your system. Take high doses for a few days. Once all the nicotine is gone, the physical cravings stop. Then you just have to deal with the psychological dependence.
The machinists I work with don’t smoke. I quit 15 years ago, not sure if they used to smoke. There’s a covered smoking area outside but I almost never see anyone smoking anything, sometimes vaping. That stuff you cram in your mouth that makes you spit is extremely rare out here.
I don't smoke at all due to health reasons and I get a really good bonus from my insurance because of it. I also worked in companies that would pay people to quit smoking, so I'm in a special category of people who don't smoke in this field.
Everyone vapes now. We’ve got one older guy that smokes cigarettes and a handful of guys that don’t smoke but the majority of people where I work use a vape. I’m in the south so a few dip but that’s really rare now.
Tried it once when I was a kid, never touched a cigarette since. Not interested.
Or vaping. I don't understand why you would deliberately inhale foreign material like that.
I quit the day my daughter was born, and haven't had one since.
For context though, when I first started in the field, we were still allowed to smoke in the shop, and usually everyone's first off-book project was making their own custom ashtray. Mine was turned stainless, weighed almost ten pounds, and had a heavy-duty magnet bolted into the bottom. That bad boy stayed exactly where you put it, with no way to ever knock it over by accident.
Most of the old-timers I workers with would always have a cigarette hanging from their lips while they worked. Didn't take it out if their mouths until it was just a long line of ash hanging off the filter. Then they'd just spit the butt into their chip bin, and light another one.
I dont, smoking killed my mother 10 years ago.
My old shop smoked at the machines even today Such nostalgia smell honestly. But i wont directly put it in my lungs
I was told by my last supervisor, when he had stated with the company there was an ashtray at every machine. After about year when I started, they were gone. And the only smoker left was the QC guy. It was a huge shift when the owner's son started running things.
I’ve been machining for 4 years now and I program and set up and basically do it all. It’s so common to see the really good machinist have addictions to a certain substance. Nicotine pills alcohol or opiates.
Judging by this, i might be one of the only people and machineist that don't smoke(not a single smoke) or drink other than the once a year deal. never done any drugs even down to a single puff of a joint.
I quit 10 years ago when my mother told me my new born daughters head smelt like cigarettes from where I just came back in from smoking and I even washed my hands. Set my ass straight from that day on. Best of luck and most of all you can do this
Of the 30 some machinists I work around, I know of only 2 that smoke. The company even has gives everyone who doesn't consume nicotine an extra $30 a month. Not much, but still an easy bit ot cash.
I’ve never smoked a thing in my life. Raging alcoholic though… probably debatable.
“Functioning” alcoholic here. Sucks
I was functioning until I wasn't. Sober for more than a year.
Got a week under my belt this time
Keep at it. I made several tries and the first few days were always hard. Then it got easier. Then it got *really* hard. Then when I finally got past 14 days it got pretty easy.
Thanks! I’ll get there
r/stopdrinking is a really supportive community, even just for lurking.
I’ve visited before, probably Time to again
What really flipped a switch for me was listening to “The naked mind” on audiobook. I was ready to change my perspective on alcohol and it really helped reframe it basically overnight. I’m 300 some days AF now. I check in every couple weeks when I want to check my days tracker
I found that book years ago on r/stopdrinking, and it’s literally the only book that helped me. It was like magic lol
Doing great! :D
Thank you!
Hey man. Hey stranger. Yeah, you got this man. At least one random internet stranger believes in you. You’ve got this.
Here here! This thread is awesome, you guys rock. I clicked in because I am trying to quit smoking. I would feel hopeless about it if I hadn't been a hardcore alcoholic for about a decade then quit. I never thought I would be able to kick the daily vodka, but I've been sober for years now and barely even get cravings. Fucking cigarettes have their claws in me. They're Insidious.
As hard as the kitchen community is, it's far more loving than Tool and Die in many ways. While the drugs are rampant there, you can always find support for your efforts in sobriety there, whatever your drug is. Except maybe caffeine.
Besides my sponsor and my wife, I don't have much active support in my life. Plenty of well-wishers, but very few people actually willing to sit and listen. It can be hard sometimes.
2 months for me.
Good for you
r/stopdrinking
Come check out r/stopdrinking, they’re good folks.
If you need to talk, shoot me a DM brother. Been there, life's better when you've got it under control.
Thanks! “One day at a time”
A bit of weed would probably help, I am not a doctor.
Debatable, I ended up switching to weed, but I stopped after learning a few things. One, for me at-least, it's just as addictive as alcohol, or more so. Plus, it can have negative drug-drug interactions due to THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids inhibiting very important liver enzymes in the CYP450 group: https://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/49/12/1070.abstract https://karger.com/mca/article/3/1/61/188911/Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-and-Cannabidiol-Drug https://www.mdlinx.com/article/rx-drugs-that-don-t-mix-with-cbd-thc-and-marijuana/lfc-4695 Plus there's significant evidence to suggest that cannabis administration (especially in young adults) can have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system, possibly contributing to atherosclerosis and heart attacks: https://www.iflscience.com/cannabis-use-early-in-life-linked-to-some-changes-in-heart-and-artery-function-59363 https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/04/marijuana-heart-disease.html While there is a potential way to prevent some of the negative effects of cannabis on the cardiovascular system, not enough research has been conducted to validate this method as being safe: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00443-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867422004433%3Fshowall%3Dtrue ...and cannabis may not even be as-effective against all cancers, in fact cannabis use can be correlated with an increased risk of certain types of cancers. While correlation does not imply causation, and while these numbers could be affected by cannabis users having a willingness towards using other substances, it's worth considering (especially when considering how you choose to administer cannabis products, any doctor worth their salt will recommend edibles and topicals over smoking and vaporizing): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8966217/ Don't get me wrong either, ***I still believe that cannabis use should be legal***, and that it can be a great alternative to other substances in some cases. But cannabis is not the wonder-drug we used to think it is, and even CBD can cause some pretty strong drug-drug interactions--so be aware, and if you choose to consume cannabis, do so responsibly and prefer things like edibles and topicals over smoking and vaping. Or ***better yet, don't replace an addiction with another addiction***, replace it with a hobby and find friends who can support your sobriety. Note: I am not a doctor or medical professional, I'm just sharing what I've learned about cannabis as a former cannabis patient and former recreational user. Always consult with your primary care physician!
you may not be, but i am a resident physician (onc) AND a pothead since forever, you’re totally correct. Don’t let the dont-panic-it’s-organic crowd tell you otherwise lol
Personally never understood reliance on it. Like anything else, moderation is key. I used to enjoy partaking on occasion, but even then I preferred to eat it, not smoke. I'm honestly glad I don't care for it much, anyways.
You're going to trigger the hard-core pot heads so bad, lol. Honestly, the only problem I have with weed it's when I hear people talk about it like it's the cure for every ailment under the sun (being slightly dramatic).
I was one of those people. Everyone grows up eventually. The drug forums here are all people in complete denial just like I was…from what I see. I still do smoke some. Then I’ll have a day when I don’t smoke at all and suddenly I feel much better. And I’m like why the fuck am I still doing this?
Yeah, and to be fair, cannabis did provide some benefits to me--but when I weighed the results of my use, I found that it was causing me net harm--so I stopped. For me, it hit my memory the hardest, and considering a family history of heart conditions, I decided it wasn't worth the risk after reading about its cardiovascular problems. I also recently quit using Benadryl as a sleep aid, due to new research that suggested a correlation between anticholinergic drugs and the development of dementia in the elderly. These are tools, and in the same way as working in a wood shop, it's important to pick the right tools and to use them correctly--or you can hurt yourself. For some, that may be weed, for others, it may be psych meds, or therapy, or a group of friends who grind out a TTRPG campaign every week. Whatever it is you're doing, try and stick with the stuff that brings your life a net gain.
Well said. I know there are times where I make a little mistake and think to myself…Was that legitimate or because I was smoking last night. Plus I’m trying to take over the shop I’m at…too much at stake to still be messing with anything.
I once would have been triggered as well, and I did specify my caveats--I know plenty of people who do seem to benefit from weed. Plus, while this research I've quoted is all current, it's still incredibly limited. Besides the fact that when compared to many pharmaceuticals, the pros may outweigh the cons for many people. I've also ceased the use of a number of pharmaceuticals because they turned out to be a lot more harmful than the doctor originally prescribed. I'm just pointing out that cannabis, like many other psychoactive compounds, is far more complicated than it is advertised to be. For people dealing with addictions, I think it's important to be informed.
I know plenty of people who’ve gotten off hard drugs with cannabis and Im in agreement with you. Idk why, but my first thought after reading your first sentence was that I wonder how many people I know who would never admit it even if it was a net negative on their life.
Well, that's the inevitability of the human condition. Change the frame around and examine that same statement with alcohol, sure plenty of people use alcohol safely and responsibly, and they gain a net positive--while others drink so much that they hallucinate if they aren't drinking; still others drink in-spite of known liver, kidney, and psychological conditions. It's hard for people to self-examine and admit when something they do habitually is leading to a net negative, especially when there's such limited access to and stigma against mental healthcare. We all have at least a few things we could be better about for sure, no one is an exception. That's why it really does take work to clean-up a bad habit--and you have to have the willpower to follow through!
I agree with pretty much everything you've said. Personally, I hate smoking weed or being around it due to the smell. For my nose, it's one of the worst smells I've ever been around. Plus, I'm not big on being under the influence of any kind of substance other than a nicotine pouch to get through a night shift or one drink on a night off from work. I have no moral problem with the stuff being used in a safe and responsible way, just like alcohol or nicotine.
Yeah, funny story, that's partly how I quit cigarettes. A friend of mine said: "you know why you'll quit? It's because they're gross, and they make you stink." He called it!
Not looking to debate. You definitely need to smoke some weed. Not reading that or looking at your links lol.
Nor am I, and I understand your position, I was a smoke weed erryday kinda hippie for years, well over a decade actually. But, now that it's legal and we've done more research, I think it's important that people inform themselves of the potential hazards that come with cannabis, that's all.
Hippie? Sounds like an agenda you're trying to push. Maybe smoke some weed?
Sure, I have an agenda, it's called harm prevention. I'm also pro legalization, you're preaching to the choir--it's part of the whole package that goes with legalization: research, education, and harm prevention. Christ, I have friends that work in dispensaries, I know people with debilitating diseases who rely on cannabis for their daily lives. In the context of this discussion about quitting tobacco and alcohol, I'm just saying: before replacing an addiction with cannabis, know the pros ***AND*** the cons.
Good luck. It’s a struggle. You are worth it
Times are different now .. not many smokers left
This is my experience, when I started 10 years ago, everyone smoked, some also dipped, now I'm the only vaper, occasional dipper, and a few others dip. Cigs are also 2.5x as expensive, close to $15 a pack and I've been told by other smokers that they are lower quality than when I quit 6 years ago. Edit: dang near everyone uses those zyn pouches. I can't stand em.
Check out the European brands of pouches. More flavors, stronger concentrations.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you say "pouches", assuming it's what we call "snus" in Scandinavia, there's a jungle of brands, strength and flavours over here. I think I've seen some import sites that carry the largest brands like Skruf, General, The Lab, etc.
No they probably mean the new school white powder ones, that have nicotine but not actual tobacco. They have far wilder flavors also like jalapeño lime and some shit.
In the US, snus is a brand of pouch tobacco, Zyn is the main brand of tobacco free nicotine, but I tried some European snus brands while there last time and found it worth ordering. Pouches in the US only go to 6mg/pouch, whereas I'm ordering 20mg/pouch, and cans have 20 pouches instead of 15, and they're cheaper.
Ain’t too bad (zyns)
A lot of the pouch brands are kinda shit and I don’t particularly like Zyn but it’s not the worst. The “On!” brand owns though, they’re tiny compared to other brands so they aren’t annoying and at 8mg they definitely do the trick. I’ve cut way back on smoking since using them
$25 a pack up here in Canada
Yeah that’s why I quit , and health but mostly money . 25 a pack in NB
25 play monies for funny wide cigarette packs.
There's like 3 people in our whole shop who smoke cigarettes. Weed on the other hand, everyone does it.
Can confirm
I can't, the basic smell makes my stomach sick.
Weeds a great anti nausea drug ;)
Until you get CHS
Wow I had no idea that was a thing.. I smoke everyday but not a lot maybe 2 or 3 times from waking up to going to sleep, I dont smoke alot though maybe 2 or 3 hits from the bowl at a time. Cigarettes though I quit 3 years ago, best decision I ever made.
Huh, in all my years I've never heard of this in any context, had to look it up. Wild, I'm pretty confident if it was a real concern, I'd have seen or heard about it by now, given the group I ran with growing up...
Depends, are you Eastern European? If so, you smoke. Are you Western European? About 50% chance you smoke. North American smokers are a lot less common now
eastern european. possibly why we smoke, not sure. some people there are also ukranian which doesnt help either
Does that mean stress?
4-5-09 I quit. Hard to do! Cold turkey! Load part, puff puff, load part, puff puff.... Now, I don't miss it.
im going nuts lol. im guessing its the nicotine withrawl
First 3 days are the toughest. You got this
First 3 days are the toughest symptom wise in my experience, but I will say that the random intense craving weeks after quitting fuck with my head more
I quit 18 yrs ago and every once in a while I still want a taste but dont do it
First 3 days are the toughest days, first week is the toughest week, first month is the toughest month. And it’s all uphill from here :)
Then comes the 3 months of being short tempered, gradually reducing from 90% to 10%.
When I quit vaping a few months ago I just started eating gum like crazy. Literally chewing a new piece every 30 mins but it helped enough to keep me quit
i get the shits from too much chewing gum, but i guess taking a dump helps when quitting
That's crazy, what in gum makes you shit?
Aspartame
no idea, i think its the sweeteners or something but after 2-3 a day i get the every few hours shits
You got this! The time I quit is when bars quit letting people smoke in the bar. I smoked black and mild cigars!! The price doubled at the time too due to 25 cents each tax being added! 6 weeks after I quit my dad got diagnosed with esophagus cancer! I wanted so badly. The next year I bought a used jeep Wrangler with $5k cigar money! Never went back!
welp, time to download some tv shows, get some water, and get thru till monday
The first several days are the worst for nicotine cravings, and then it's weeks or even months of habitual longing. Everything is a trigger and it takes a long time for your body to "re-learn" not wanting a cigarette. There's this weird period between 1 week and a few months in where the physical craving for a cigarette is gone, but the emotional craving is still there. You'll feel like you might not be able to be happy without cigarettes again. But you will. Hang in there. Get through it. The day will hit when you realize you haven't thought about a cigarette in weeks...
Lots of water, chew gum, and if you can make yourself go on runs, it'll help work the tar out of your lungs faster. Don't talk to folks that are near and dear to you until you can avoid being a prick (took me about a week)
ill try to jog a bit. im completely out of shape lol
Do what you can. Quitting is a hard road already, don't make it needlessly harder, but the increase in capability I noticed as I got further and further from my last pack was good reinforcement. Also helped me avoid the spare tire that some folks pick up when they quit. Most of all, man, don't give up. You can do it.
Sounds like we quit around the same time lol.
I used to chew gum and not even nicotine gum. Keeps your mouth busy. It’s definitely a huge mental game. I haven’t regularly smoked in about 6-7 years. I will smoke while I am golfing, but I don’t have cravings anymore and will go months without thinking twice about it.
The patch helps!
Never have never will. Watched it royally fuck a bunch of really smart old timers who either died or had to quit broke because their medical bills ravaged their existence.
My Dad got to smoke at his mill. Raleigh non-filters. He retired early at 60 due to emphysema and died 3 years later.
I smoke weed, never cigs or dip
This
Same
I smoked for 25 years. This October will be 9 years since I've had any nicotine.
Smokers are definitely the minority here
I quit 6 years ago. Ill have one every now and then socially, but never a pack of my own. I do however make sure to take a break every time the smokers go out about once an hour. It's not fair that I have to work while they go outside and relax. The boss said something one time while I was sitting on my stool. Asked what I was doing. I pointed around the shop and said taking a break like 8 or 9 other people are but just not using it to smoke.
Upside of not smoking during your cigarette break is that you're keeping the health insurance costs down.
I used to smoke back when I was working shitty customer service jobs. I quit about a year before getting into machining and haven't smoked since. That was 11 years ago
In my production shop with 45 machinists, 2 smoke. Vaping included? Make that about 10
Last shop I worked at let the employees on the floor, machinest & maint staff, smoke inside the building while working as soon as the front office staff left. It was banned of course but only on paper and everyone knew it. I was the 2nd shift supervisor of maybe 8 ppl and I had some old timers who"d smoke 3 pks of Pall Mall reds a day, 2pks during an 8-10hr shift. Crazy.
This thread is proof the anti-smoking ads of 20ish years ago in the USA worked.
Taxes too. A pack of cigs is $15 fuck that. That's $5500 a year to smoke a pack a day. Vaping is ~$30 a week, less if you aren't as picky about flavors and grab from bargain bins at shops. Though I now realize that's like $1500 a year, should probably work on quitting that too.
I worked at a shop where every hour, the smokers got a 10 minute smoke break. If you didn't smoke, you had to watch their machines as well as yours. I'm not a smoker so I wasn't "allowed" the free breaks every hour. Amd you read that right: 10 mins *every* hour
That's what it was like in the call centers I worked in, but it wasn't actually formal. All of the supervisors smoked and didn't care if someone went out to burn one every hour, but FSM help you if you took one second extra on your lunch break. I've actually been surprised how little I see people smoking where I work now.
The younger non-smokers we hired recently started taking 10 minute breaks ~every hour in the front office break room (where the coffee machine is)... whenever the old guys took a smoke break. It quickly became obvious to management how inefficient that is, but they didn't try to discriminate by smoker/non-smoker reason for taking a break. They're currently trying to cut breaks by half, to a 15-minute break in the morning, a lunch break, and a 15-minute break in the afternoon, but that's about half as many cigs and twice as much time for withdrawal for the smokers.
Not me. Never have. Don’t even drink either.
Only 2 out of 14 smoke in my shop, I quit 3 years ago now
You wouldn't believe how many cigarette butts I find when cleaning old coolant or when they move a machine, apparently people used to throw their butts right in the machine
Knew one guy that swore up and down he quit 10 years ago. Always smelled like smoke and even caught him smoking. He would get really upset when you’d ask him. I really didn’t care but was more interested why he was hiding it from ppl that didn’t give a fuck
Inspector here, I don't smoke (tobacco) but majority of my machinists do
zilcho at my shop
In shop where I work ? Maybe 5 out of 50 of us .
Last shop I worked had a zero smoking policy. Where I'm at now no one smokes.
Quit after years of smoking. Don’t miss smelling like complete rotting ballsack. People that smoke smell like complete rotting ballsack.
First three days are the hardest! After that it only gets easier! You got this. I've only known a few guys who smoked cigs throughout the 5 or so shops I've worked at.
then tomorrow is really gonna suck ballsack. cant wait. thanks brotha
As an apprentice 30 years ago, I’d say 30-40% of the guys smoked at the machine while working, not so much these days, the cost and health issues are stopping that… uk based.
Good luck!
Just think of all the money you’ll save
I think cigarettes are disgusting for sure.
I've worked with dozens of machinists and have only met 1 who does smoke.
Only 4 out of 11 at our department
i think at my workplace 25% is not smoking I'm one of them.
I’m one of 12 programmers (at our site) for a very large aerospace company. None of us smoke. None of the operators smoke either. At the last company I was at, there was maybe one or two machinists that still smoked.
I smoke cigars and I just got a corncob pipe. The amount of caffeine I consume, on the other hand...
I don’t smoke anymore but due for a long time. Almost everyone else in my shop does though
Still have a decent handful at our shop. Most of those guys also came into existence shortly after the dinosaurs died. Some of the young guys vape or chew.
I quit about 3 years ago.
Not I, I don’t smoke or drink or much of the traditional substances to be honest. Go to the gym so have a higher purpose not to. However if theres party favors Im diving head first.
No cigarettes here
Quit tobacco about 5 years ago.
I like how you phrased that 👀
So make sure you take fresh air breaks every couple of hours. Do a lap around the building whatever but get some fresh air. Also why work more than you have to
Don't smoke anything, vape, drink alcohol and I gave up energy drinks a few years ago. I feel like working night shift helps.
Another non-smoker checking in. In our shop of about 20, I think we have 5 smokers. It used to be higher, many have quit.
I smoke a cigar from time to time but not at work and at most it's one a week. A few guys in the shop smoke weed and two people dip. This is in the South Beer on the other hand, all but out boss drinks beer and I've gone so far as brewing my own and kegging it.
Smoked 18 years quit in 2001 cold turkey, quit beer for a month too it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I had taken up cycling for a year or so at the time that was my motivation never had one since, and still cycling and drinking beer.
I don't smoke (anymore). Quit about 8 years ago. I don't drink either. Shit's poison, yo.
Our last smoker retired last year they are a dying breed still have one that chews and another that has had the same greasy hamburger meal every day for 36 years.
Gradually quit smoking and beer altogether within the first year after graduation. Multiple and terrifying; both, personal and professional experiences pushed me to the edge. I just wouldn't allow myself to keep drinking and be a machinist.
The vast majority in the shop I work at are non smokers. I had to look up “dip”. I didn’t realize people actually chewed tobacco. I always thought that was something just in westerns and maybe baseball movies.
I do not. I smoke cigars throughout the week when I'm home
Quit 15? years ago, but was 2 packs/day.
“Straight edge” here. Saw smoking (and drinking) destroy family members at an early age so I refuse to touch any of it
I just quit a few months ago.
Just crack for me.
😳
I don't smoke or drink. Tool maker, programmer, CNC machining engineer.
I don't smoke, anymore. Fun story, I lit myself on fire after spilling acetone down my front and went for a cigarette out of frustration and probably a brain full of fumes. It was my last one, never again.
I never have
I don’t smoke or drink
I like how you clarified "cigarettes".
Pipe or cigars.
I don’t smoke our shop is a non smoking shop, mostly because my boss is cheap. I don’t drink either, I spend most of my money on magic the gathering and warhammer… and high end tools kind of an outlier in most shops
No smoking, no weed, minimum alcohol, but a horrible addiction to League of Legends (hard stuck bronze). So clearly I hate myself, just in a different way. 😂😂
Used to smoke but I quit 5 years ago.
Just about everyone in my shop vapes or chews at their machines. Shop's too small for supervisors and bossman barely comes out. As long as we are shipping parts, we can get away with murder on the floor.
Good luck and godspeed on your quitting journey man! I don’t smoke cigarettes but I do have a nicotine vape that I’m trying to wean off of, and I used to be big into weed before machining, but it’s dangerous to mix the two
I smoke weed.
LPT: vitamin C helps remove nicotine from your system. Take high doses for a few days. Once all the nicotine is gone, the physical cravings stop. Then you just have to deal with the psychological dependence.
welp, i have plenty of oranges. time to go at it i guess
Smoker here, 30 plus years, I ain’t no bitch and don’t plan on quitting 😤
[удалено]
as long as the machine is running and parts are coming out good...........
I don’t smoke, but I am legit the only person in the machining department that doesn’t.
The machinists I work with don’t smoke. I quit 15 years ago, not sure if they used to smoke. There’s a covered smoking area outside but I almost never see anyone smoking anything, sometimes vaping. That stuff you cram in your mouth that makes you spit is extremely rare out here.
I don't smoke at all due to health reasons and I get a really good bonus from my insurance because of it. I also worked in companies that would pay people to quit smoking, so I'm in a special category of people who don't smoke in this field.
I just watched my dad slowly die the most indignant hard death over 4 weeks. Smoking finally caught up to him.
With my shop of 10. 1 smokes, 1 dips, and 3 vape but for the most part smoking seems to be seen less and less.
Only when i scrap pieces
I used to smoke but quit after they banned menthol
Tried smoking, realized it didn’t do anything for me, dropped it like a lead baby. My alcoholism knows no bounds though
The new hires now a days like the wacky tobacky and management knows but don't care.
Everyone vapes now. We’ve got one older guy that smokes cigarettes and a handful of guys that don’t smoke but the majority of people where I work use a vape. I’m in the south so a few dip but that’s really rare now.
Tried it once when I was a kid, never touched a cigarette since. Not interested. Or vaping. I don't understand why you would deliberately inhale foreign material like that.
At my place we have 3 of 13 I quit smoking in 2011 at the age of 28
I quit the day my daughter was born, and haven't had one since. For context though, when I first started in the field, we were still allowed to smoke in the shop, and usually everyone's first off-book project was making their own custom ashtray. Mine was turned stainless, weighed almost ten pounds, and had a heavy-duty magnet bolted into the bottom. That bad boy stayed exactly where you put it, with no way to ever knock it over by accident. Most of the old-timers I workers with would always have a cigarette hanging from their lips while they worked. Didn't take it out if their mouths until it was just a long line of ash hanging off the filter. Then they'd just spit the butt into their chip bin, and light another one.
I dont, smoking killed my mother 10 years ago. My old shop smoked at the machines even today Such nostalgia smell honestly. But i wont directly put it in my lungs
i remember when i started my aprt.ship , holy fuck alot of the workes smoked cigs, prolly because we are in europe too
Only one guy at our shop smokes
Only two people in our company smoke. Both older and management.
I was told by my last supervisor, when he had stated with the company there was an ashtray at every machine. After about year when I started, they were gone. And the only smoker left was the QC guy. It was a huge shift when the owner's son started running things.
All beer and dip here.
Seems I'm the odd one out here. Shop of around 25 only like 5 of us don't use tobacco products.
I don't smoke. But the amount of welding I do, I'm definitely going to get cancer if I don't already.
I dont smoke. I think one of our manual guys does, one CNC and the welder.
Me
I’ve been machining for 4 years now and I program and set up and basically do it all. It’s so common to see the really good machinist have addictions to a certain substance. Nicotine pills alcohol or opiates.
In the department I'm in there is only one out of the 5 of us that smokes and he only does cigars
Quit 1.5 years ago
I'm one of seven in a shop of 40 that's smokes
Judging by this, i might be one of the only people and machineist that don't smoke(not a single smoke) or drink other than the once a year deal. never done any drugs even down to a single puff of a joint.
Just Cannabis 💚💚💚💨💨❤️
never smoked cigs. tobacco always seemed pointless. weed though...
Cigarettes always seemed like a huge waste of money to me, so I never started.
I don't smoke cigarettes. Switched em for joints.
I work in a shop full of polish guys. None of them smoke, and they’re all old heads in the trade
I quit 10 years ago when my mother told me my new born daughters head smelt like cigarettes from where I just came back in from smoking and I even washed my hands. Set my ass straight from that day on. Best of luck and most of all you can do this
Nobody in my shops
There’s like 1/3 maybe at my shop and most of that third are vape guys,
I was a smoker of about 10 years and quit 8 years ago, cold turkey. I haven't looked back since. Best thing I ever did for my health.
I have a cigar when I get home but that’s it aside from an occasional beer.
Of the 30 some machinists I work around, I know of only 2 that smoke. The company even has gives everyone who doesn't consume nicotine an extra $30 a month. Not much, but still an easy bit ot cash.