Hills and fags (and other blindingly obvious facts)

[fossyant]

Well done.

PS If you were a 'real' MTB'er you'd be lighting a fag at the top of the hill !

 

[Theseus]

Well done.

I stopped smoking [1] over 6 years ago.

A couple of things helped me, acupuncture & joining a support group (in my case alt.support.stop-smoking). I didn't use nicotine replacement. But each person is different, whatever works for you is the correct way.

The acupuncture helped me lose the taste/desire and the group helped me over the cold turkey aspects. The wierdest moment for me was waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, frightened I had undone all the good work because I had a very realistic dream about smoking. Posting about it on the group revealed that I was not alone.

As another incentive I have a meter on my home PC (and I created a spreadsheet at work) that tells me how long I have been free, how many I have not smoked, how much I have saved and how much time I have not wasted. At weak moments a glance at this reminds me of what I have to lose.


[1] I don't use the word "quit", too nagative for what is a positive result.

 

[adds21]

joining a support group (in my case alt.support.stop-smoking).

I hung out there for a while! Very helpful.

 

[chillyuk]

The biggest difference I found after quitting was in much reduced recovery time following a climb. I still struggle up the hills but almost immediately at the top can resume normal breathing and quickly get back into a rhythm.

 

[Theseus]

I hung out there for a while! Very helpful.

I try to drop by around anniversary time to catch up with old buddies to see how they are getting on, although I was late to the 5th and completely forgot the 6th. Must try harder next year.

 

[adds21]

I try to drop by around anniversary time to catch up with old buddies to see how they are getting on, although I was late to the 5th and completely forgot the 6th. Must try harder next year.

Yup, I popped in for my first couple of anniversaries (I'm a triple Old Fogey now ).

Lots of them have switched over to Facebook recently, which I'm not such a a fan of, and I use usenet so infrequently I don't tend to pop into AS3 as much as I should.

Still, I found it very useful to rant about various things over the first few days, weeks and months.

 

[julesdavis1965]

congratulations , keep it up its worth it , gave up myself in march.

Despite being a smoker of over twenty years, I consider myself to be a pretty good climber as I get a lot of practice living at the top of a hill, but there is one local 16% signed hill that I find myself walking up regularly on my road bike, despite managing fine on the mtb due to the much lower gearing. I think I had managed the climb twice out of a good 30 attempts and I have a well used longer but shallower alternative route.

I swapped the fags for niquitin lozenges a few weeks ago and found myself at the top of said hill yesterday afternoon while still on the bike. No dizzyness, no desperate urge to collapse on the kerb, nothing except a smile....so I did a 3 mile loop around and did it again with the same result!

If anything is going to keep my willpower strong, it is that. Just wanted to share

 

[MacB]

As another incentive I have a meter on my home PC (and I created a spreadsheet at work) that tells me how long I have been free, how many I have not smoked, how much I have saved and how much time I have not wasted. At weak moments a glance at this reminds me of what I have to lose.

interesting, I see the overall timescales and cost bits but how did you apply the time saved, what basic unit were you ascribing?

 

[Theseus]

interesting, I see the overall timescales and cost bits but how did you apply the time saved, what basic unit were you ascribing?

Allow 5 minutes per smoke.

This is either time not spent doing the activity, or, some sources suggest, how much time is not taken off your life by smoking. I prefer the former.

Currently sitting at:

Smoke free 6Y 5M 4D 17h 41m 31s (2348 Days) (335 Weeks)
Not Smoked 23,487
Saved £5,860.10
Not Wasted 2M 2W 5D 13h 16m 51s

 

[MacB]

Allow 5 minutes per smoke.

This is either time not spent doing the activity, or, some sources suggest, how much time is not taken off your life by smoking. I prefer the former.

Currently sitting at:

Smoke free 6Y 5M 4D 17h 41m 31s (2348 Days) (335 Weeks)
Not Smoked 23,487
Saved £5,860.10
Not Wasted 2M 2W 5D 13h 16m 51s

Excellent I see another spreadsheet in my future, can go alongside the bike ones and the weightloss ones

 

[Theseus]

Excellent I see another spreadsheet in my future, can go alongside the bike ones and the weightloss ones

Happy to share the one I put together

 

[MacB]

Happy to share the one I put together

Thanks, but tis a matter of moments to whack in the necessary formula, it was just the time value attributed per smoke I was curious on

 

[2Loose]

I now want an application to sit in the system tray to show exactly this when the mouse hovers over it. (How weird are some cyclists...)

Give me the formulae and I'll write one.

 

[MickL]

If its any help my father gave up smoking 6 years ago, he was 59 been smoking since he was 14. Just keep telling yourself your a non smoker rather than some one trying to give up.

 

[Theseus]

I now want an application to sit in the system tray to show exactly this when the mouse hovers over it. (How weird are some cyclists...)

Give me the formulae and I'll write one.

Already available from SilkQuit.