Danny,

It certainly is a major hurdle, 

I have to admire your unswerving courage, endurance and incredible bravery to kick such a nasty habit in the butt. It be like 120 rounds in a fighting match with Goliath all whilst performing impeccable lead guitar solos live-streaming on YouTube. If David can do it, so can you. ;-) 

Good luck Bro! 

Smokin' dude!!!
s
You can do it. If I can do it anyone can. You wi be amazed at how your sense of smell and taste improve and how awful it is when you are in a room and a group of smokers walk in.
 
I used psychology against my weakness... factoid: the physical addiction only lasts three days. So... make it three days and then tell yourself it is ALL mental and dismiss it. Also, this may not make sense, it is subtle, BUT... there is a HUGE difference between quitting and "trying to quit", if you try to quit, you are about to smoke an extra carton. If you quit, you are done.
 
You can do it Danny.
 
Julien

Another good reason for quitting: smoking has been found to cause hearing loss, even in the young. In fact passive smoking has been found to affect hearing. The smoke not only restricts blood flow to the ears, but it also interferes with the antioxidant activity which protects hearing. So you might just find that your golden ears get a little goldener!

David: Nah, no dreams will get me. I'm serious man, I'm done with it and have never felt better. Then again, I've done some cool, sick things in my dreams, so if I can smoke and it doesn't affect me, woo hoo! Hahaha!

SongCraft: Yeah so true. I feel like I'm missing a friend. Isn't that sick? Like someone that used to be here all the time is no longer there and I'm really getting a dose of what it's like to be an only child. Uggh..what a weird addiction. No cravings tonight at all. My hand has stopped reaching for my pack. Stressful work day and not once did I wish I had one. This is officially day 3, so I'm feeling fantastic now. I'm ready for Goliath. He may knock me down, but I'm getting back up. LOL :)

Rimshot: That's one of my hugest fears. Actually 2 things right now. I'm hoping my tests from the Dr come back ok and losing my dad or someone close to me....you know, something traumatic...that's what usually makes someone go back. I think I can beat it though if God forbid that were to happen, I really do. Honest when I tell you, I've not gotten one craving for the tast of smoke or the smell. I went to buy coffee tonight when we took a break at the studio. A few guys were smoking outside. I walked through the smoke and thought to myself...that sure doesn't smell good. When you're a smoker, you can't even really smell it. I know things can change in a heart-beat, but all I can say right now is, I have no desire. When I say I'm done with something, I can count the times I've changed my mind and given someone or some thing, another chance. So I got this, I know it. :)

Julien: Day three here...no craving other than man...I'm freakin' hungry! I will not replace with food. LOL! But it sucks how hungry I am right now. And I ate a great dinner. I don't eat after 7 most times. Drinking water fills me up..stick of sugarless gum once in a while, no more than one cup of coffee per day.

My psychology is this....God has given me a wonderful little body that's perfect other than man, I wish I was a little taller. LOL! Everything works, I can walk, run, see, sit, stand, hear, smell, taste, feel....and my poor lungs and insides have been so neglected...and for what? This body has never let me down other than when my appendix went. I owe it to my body to have a pleasant ride out the rest of the way.
 
Thankfully I've always worked out a little, take really good suppliments and watch my diet. So I'm not a mess or anything. My one vice was smoking cigs. No drinking, no weed, no drugs, no eating other than every once in a while I may go a little nuts. But I'm 5'6, 142 lbs...I can cheat a little once in a while. LOL! So that 1 vice is now a thing of the past. I never want to go back to this again. Seriously. I've also decided to put $100.00 away every 2 weeks into it's own savings account. I created the account already and the money MUST go in as it's on a schedule per the bank, so this helps me stick to my guns. $100 is already in and will be taken out of my checking account every 2 weeks. :)

Tim: last Wednesday at rehearsal, my bassist came in with one of those. It actually tasted pretty good. I read a few things about those E-cigs that were sort of scary. Doctors report one thing, the E-cig companies counter with something else. To me, when you quit smoking, you quit anything that goes into your lungs other than air. So though I thank you for the alternative, I'd feel like I was cheating. :)

Thanks again everyone...this is the only place I have shared this with. Not that it's a big deal or anything and I'm sorry if some of it seems dramatic....I just never thought I'd deal with this, am happy I've quit and I'm happy to have you guys here. Thank you for being here for me.

-Danny

Danny Danzi


We, unfortunately, do not have an undo button or a "reboot" button. The time is now Jon...you are loved. :)
 
-Danny

Here ya go Danny, I took you on your word there.
 
The time is now! Since I read that message last I had one smoke as if to make a ceremonial full-stop and haven't had one since.  That time span covers my favourite late-nite cig time and the early morning cravings, that's probably around 10 that I avoided already.
 
I've attempted this several times but I am completely done with it.
 
Today I've made the pledge, "I don't need to do that sh&* today!" all the tools I need are written on this thread already.
 
My mantra today is "No thanks, I don't smoke."

Jonbouy

Danny Danzi


We, unfortunately, do not have an undo button or a "reboot" button. The time is now Jon...you are loved. :)
 
-Danny

Here ya go Danny, I took you on your word there.
 
The time is now! Since I read that message last I had one smoke as if to make a ceremonial full-stop and haven't had one since.  That time span covers my favourite late-nite cig time and the early morning cravings, that's probably around 10 that I avoided already.
 
I've attempted this several times but I am completely done with it.
 
Today I've made the pledge, "I don't need to do that sh&* today!" all the tools I need are written on this thread already.
 
My mantra today is "No thanks, I don't smoke."

I am so glad for you Jonbouy!  Stay strong.  I was thinking about you last night and really hoping that you would decide to quit.  Way to go! I remember the "waves" of desire that kept knocking me around so I learned to be ready for them when they came.  They become less powerful and will fade away completely in time.

Rimshot

Song Craft: Yeah, I know that was a weird post by me..missing a friend meaning, missing my good old cig buddy to hang out with. So far, I'm still going strong. :)

Jon: YES!!!!!!! I had a feeling you might at least think about it once you read that one section. Dude, I'm soo proud of you and happy too! I know you know how to deal with this stuff, but if you don't mind me sharing what's worked for me?

1. You know me, I never sleep. I think what helped me to get a jump start was, the day I decided enough was enough, I slept for nearly 9 hours. So that was 9 hours without a smoke already in motion. Sleep whenever you can right now and for as long as you can. It helps time pass and the cravings fade even more.

2. If you get the craving, stop what you're doing and do something else. Sitting at the computer is a bad thing for me. My right hand automatically reaches for my cigs because my body as associated smoking with sitting at the computer. So when you feel that urge, get up and take a walk, do a few crunches, call a friend, drink some water, have a tic tac or a piece of gum...just something to get your mind off of it for that second. The craving will pass.

3. Wash out astrays....put smokes in a place where you can't see them. This really works. Out of sight out of mind. Of course if you can crush them up and throw them away, even better. But I'm sadistic. I want mine here to tempt me. LOL!

4. Just remember that we sincerely do not need any of this at all. I read one time....that if you get the urge, take a deep breath bigger than the breath you'd take to inhale smoke. I've been doing that and honest when I tell you, the craving goes away. I'm not getting bad cravings though. The only thing I get is the right hand moving towards my pack of smokes by itself...which hasn't happened today. Over 3 days now and I feel great mate! Did ya try the hold your breath trick? If you did and failed with a cough like I did..wait till tomorrow.

I'm doing it right now to see if my time has increased. I've noticed that if you take in too much air, you can't hold it as long. I keep hitting around 1 minute to 1 minute 10/15 depending on how much air I take in. But...here's the good thing man. Though holding my breath for 1 minute is probably nothing special, I'm doing it without coughing up a lung....and was able to do that in one day after I stopped.

Here's some good stuff for you Jon:

3:35 PM (in 20 minutes): Your heart rate drops.

3:15 AM (in 12 hours): The carbon monoxide (a gas that can be toxic) in your blood drops to normal.

Mar. 29, 2013 - Jun. 15, 2013 (in 2 weeks to 3 months): Your heart attack risk begins to drop and your lungs are working better.

Apr. 15, 2013 - Dec. 15, 2013 (in 1 to 9 months): Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease and your lungs start to function better, lowering your risk of lung infection.

Mar. 15, 2014 (in 1 year): Your risk for heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

Mar. 15, 2018 (in five years): Your risk of having a stroke is the same as someone who doesn't smoke.

Mar. 15, 2023 (in 10 years): Your risk of dying from lung cancer is half that of a smoker's. Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas also decreases.

Mar. 15, 2028 (in 15 years): Your risk of heart disease is now the same as someone who doesn't smoke. Again, I'm soo proud of you, hope you can beat this, am here if you need to talk or vent, and you are loved....if not by anyone else but me, you are loved. :) LOL!

-Danny

Danny Danzi



Here's some good stuff for you Jon:

3:35 PM (in 20 minutes): Your heart rate drops.

3:15 AM (in 12 hours): The carbon monoxide (a gas that can be toxic) in your blood drops to normal.

Mar. 29, 2013 - Jun. 15, 2013 (in 2 weeks to 3 months): Your heart attack risk begins to drop and your lungs are working better.

Apr. 15, 2013 - Dec. 15, 2013 (in 1 to 9 months): Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease and your lungs start to function better, lowering your risk of lung infection.

Mar. 15, 2014 (in 1 year): Your risk for heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

Mar. 15, 2018 (in five years): Your risk of having a stroke is the same as someone who doesn't smoke.

Mar. 15, 2023 (in 10 years): Your risk of dying from lung cancer is half that of a smoker's. Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas also decreases.

Mar. 15, 2028 (in 15 years): Your risk of heart disease is now the same as someone who doesn't smoke. Again, I'm soo proud of you, hope you can beat this, am here if you need to talk or vent, and you are loved....if not by anyone else but me, you are loved. :) LOL!

-Danny

I'll add to this...


After over 1 year off, when I met my wife and started again, I noticed plenty of little bugs climbing back in, some of them which I had never realized weren't there anymore after I quit. 


Some things are almost random in nature - like, an unexplainable sharp pain here or there, that lasts a couple of seconds or minutes, and comes back in a different spot x days or week after. And when you've smoked for years, those familiar pains are just part of your life


I remember after I started again I suddenly fell a sudden pain just above my knee, a bit like a needle poking from the inside, and I realized on the spot - that's the kind of bug I hadn't suffered from since... Well, since I had quit!


One of the big immediate benefits for me is that, as a smoker, after a while I started to notice that my blood pressure rises after a meal. I noticed that in Russia, last winter. At first I thought it was a simple lactose intolerance, because I've had those symptoms frequently but on and off, after eating cheese or cereals or drinking milk...


But the problem started showing up more and more regularly, no matter what I ate, until I pretty much felt uncomfortable after every meal. I'd be sitting there working after a meal, and suddenly notice that, man, my system was really struggling w/ the meal and my heart was pounding much harder than it should have been.


Those symptoms systematically vanish w/in a day or two whenever I quit smoking. And that's something I can focus one, a tangible reward I can enjoy every day, a couple of times a day.


All in all, we really put up w/ a lot of crap to keep on smoking, endure a lot of nasty little bugs. On top of the obvious stuff I mean.

Yep hangovers are definitely worse when you're a smoker. 

Well, why pay for factory cigarettes, when there is roll-your-own cigarette tobacco, even other types of tobacco like pipe tobacco that does not contain the crap that is in factory cigarettes, and cost way less?? But, addiction is addiction in anything, and moderation is moderation with anything, and sayings are sayings with anything. What was the point? Ah................??

Danny - SO glad to hear this. You obviously have lots of support here.
Also a very wise idea to post this. You reached out for support, whether you did it consciously or not. Beating this is not something you need to do
On your own. 
Like tbosco, I have never smoked so I cannot even begin too relate to what
You are going thru and what you will go thru, but I have much respect for
Anyone that can do this.
Question, why did you just box up and put away your smokes instead of throwing them away?
Rain made an excellent point about using the act of smoking as a crutch, as a way to relieve tension, frustration, anxiety etc.
Now with that not an option, perhaps it would be good to enlist the help
Of your 'little girlfriends' when that relief is needed!  LOL!!!

The mind is crazy powerful. We create all sorts of strategies to get us
Thru life. Many of these strategies are destructive. However it is really
Quite amazing how quickly you can build new strategies that are positive
And support your goals.
Pay attention to these. What a great time to look inside and learn something new about yourself. I think maybe you already have.

As to the lump you found, well bro, I will speak to the Universe on your behalf after meditation this morning.
I have not achieved my guitar sound yet and I still need your guidance...
Ha. 

You have many friends here man. We are all just a shout out away during 
Those times you might need an ear, or a kick in the ass.

Say strong Danny.
Very proud of you man.

Dave

Great news Danny - keep on stopping man!!

I remember a lovely story from Frank Zappa who was a habitual smoker (and it probably killed him)

He once gave up smoking and after a couple of weeks realised he could smell things again - "unfortunately, I didn't like the way things smelled so I started smoking again"

Thanks Jonesey! It's funny....I can relate to Frank's comment but in a different way. I stopped smoking one other time because I was really sick. When I was well again, I went to sing and this beautiful thing came out that no longer fit my music. I had always carried my cigs with me in case I wanted one. Mind you, I didn't quit or try to quit at that time. I was too sick to smoke and just had lost the desire completely by the time I was well again.

But man, I tried everything while singing to try and rough things up. It just wasn't working. Too clean, too polished, too....I don't know, pop sounding for a rock/metal piece? I told the guys the only thing I could think of was I hadn't smoked. So I went outside, had a smoke, it made me all light-headed, I came in and sang, and that fast, Danny vocal was back. I smoked ever since and always pretty much blamed it on that encounter. I had it beat...no desire to smoke at all. Go figure.

I sang Saturday night and wasn't crazy about how I sounded. How on earth could I sound so decent as a smoker yet a few days away, and I struggeled a bit? Probably due to my lungs cleaning themselves out. Not coughing or anything though....just not feeling my pitches like I once did. This better change or.....I'm not going to sing anymore. :)

Bubba: Thanks man! I always appreciate the prayers and good thoughts. I'm sure Jon does too. I had my Dr. check up today. All was well. Lump I found is a small fat cell that's harmless. Heart and lungs were great the doc said. He said he didn't even hear anything that resembled the lungs of a smoker which blew me away. Waiting on blood work now...so hopefully that's good too and I'll be on my way to better health going into my later middle ages. :)

-Danny

Hi Danny,

A bit late but wanted to congratulate you on your journey.  

I haven't bought a pack of smokes since 2007 after smoking off and on for about 30 years.  During that 30 year period, I attempted to "quit" many times but always ended going back.  What seemed to work for me was that I changed how I viewed smoking in the same way as an alcoholic views drinking.  I will always be a smoker ... I just choose to not to.   

I don't denied my cravings (usually triggered by life's ups and downs) and if I slip, I'm back on the horse the next day.  Enjoy the good days but don't fear the bad as they will pass.

Cheers,

jayson

Hey Danny, have you tried something like gargling with a shot of whisky or scotch before singing?
That always seems to do something to my throat and makes a big difference
when singing.
Notice I say gargling and not drinking.... 
(Hey Danny's voice sounds better but he sure is wasted. He missed the intro again!)

I'm sure there are other tricks people use for this same result.
Actually would be interesting to hear them.

What about eating peanuts? Those always rasp up my voice for a while too.

Good luck on figuring this one out. Really hope you can get to a workable solution short of having to smoke to make it happen.
This is a rock and a hard place man when it's your career in the balance.

Even if you have to smoke to get your vocal tracks down, your head seems to be screwed on correctly now so my bet would be you can resume the quitting
when vocals are complete.
Again, good luck man.

Dave