Buddhism and smoking, what's your thoughts?

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
SarathW
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Re: Tobacco: first cutting back, then abandoning completely

Post by SarathW »

I know you are trying hard some time for quit smoking. I really appreciate your effort.
I used to smoke and stopped about 25years ago.
It is not gradual. One day I decided not to smoke as it affected my health. So I just stopped.

The same way I stopped drinking 10 months ago. I just stopped.
I know everybody can’t do what I did.
I think the best thing is to cut the puppies tail at once rather than bit at a time.
it is less painful.
:)
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Toyah
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just wanted to share my story

Post by Toyah »

Hi Manas,

I quit smoking 4 moths ago. I've been smoking since I was 14.
I had tried to quit many times before, until I started doing meditation, Anapansati, 4 months ago.
My intention during that time was just to understand the path of Buddha. I didn't try to quit smoking at that time.
I tried to notice my breath during the day and tried to get rid of the thoughts that came into my mind. I meditated about 20 minutes a day
before I went to bed for 5 days, without smoking during the day.
On the 6th day, I tried to smoke but my body just refused to take it. I tried so many times cause I wanted to smoke but I ended up coughing.
So I decided to quit after that, and do anapanasati everyday until now.

p.s. good lucks with your mindfulness of breathing :twothumbsup:
ANAPANASATI
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mirco
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Re: Tobacco: first cutting back, then abandoning completely

Post by mirco »

Miracles happpen !

:clap:
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manas
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Re: Tobacco: first cutting back, then abandoning completely

Post by manas »

Thanks everyone, sorry if I've not replied to all. I'm busy, cleaning, packing. Starting a new chapter in my life. I've decided to try living with a friend I made recently, we will share a much bigger house than either of us can currently afford, by pooling our resources.

Once I decide to do something, and it is really in my heart to achieve it, I will do it. I just smoked the last of my packet of smokes. I did not follow the one a day thing very well, I just decided instead to just finish off the packet over the course of the week, then go cold turkey. It's all or nothing, moderation with this thing was not working. I'm already feeling a bit emotional but I'm not turning back now.

I might need some encouragement if things get tough. But if human life is so precious as the Teacher tells us, then it's worth seeing this through. I guess that's it then. I almost feel like crying, cos I have not had the usual amount I would have had so far today, there wasn't a whole one even left. It's all gone now.

Joyfully I start the process of detoxification. Luckily for me, I have lots of herbal teas, I can juice barley grass, etc. I will help my body through this process. I know what detoxing from things feels like. It is not easy, but there is also something liberating about catharsis, cleansing out crap is a good thing. The bad feelings that will come, won't last forever, they will be temporary.

A whole lot of things are happening all at once for me. Much change. It feels right to give up totally right now.

kind regards
manas.
:anjali:
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
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manas
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Re: Tobacco: first cutting back, then abandoning completely

Post by manas »

Is this normal? I am feeling so very sad...it's DAY ONE of my total abandonment of tobacco, and normally by this time of the day, I would have had about half of a cig. I'm not turning back, but I want to know if this awful sense of sadness and loss is normal.

manas
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
daverupa
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Re: Tobacco: first cutting back, then abandoning completely

Post by daverupa »

For about three days after quitting, ones physiological states are going to be a little wild, and mileage varies.

You may be sad, of course, for valid reasons or for the reason of quitting, but I think at least some of the intensity is likely a simple and brutish consequence of withdrawal. Endure that physical asava and strive to not get struck by the second dart!

:heart:
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
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manas
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Re: Tobacco: first cutting back, then abandoning completely

Post by manas »

daverupa wrote:For about three days after quitting, ones physiological states are going to be a little wild, and mileage varies.

You may be sad, of course, for valid reasons or for the reason of quitting, but I think at least some of the intensity is likely a simple and brutish consequence of withdrawal. Endure that physical asava and strive to not get struck by the second dart!

:heart:
I feel great sadness, but I don't want that poison back in my body. I'm going to see this through. Tears or not.

thanks dave
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
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Kim OHara
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Re: Tobacco: first cutting back, then abandoning completely

Post by Kim OHara »

manas wrote:
daverupa wrote:For about three days after quitting, ones physiological states are going to be a little wild, and mileage varies.

You may be sad, of course, for valid reasons or for the reason of quitting, but I think at least some of the intensity is likely a simple and brutish consequence of withdrawal. Endure that physical asava and strive to not get struck by the second dart!

:heart:
I feel great sadness, but I don't want that poison back in my body. I'm going to see this through. Tears or not.

thanks dave
When I did finally quit after cutting down (as I described before), there was no real physical withdrawal. You shouldn't be experiencing one, either.
And there wasn't much of a habit to break, either, and shouldn't be for you.
However, I did experience a surprisingly strong psychological reaction which I eventually pinned down as being (don't laugh - I am totally serious) a loss of identity. Yep. For ten or fifteen years my identity, my self-description, had included the term "smoker". Now it didn't. I wasn't the same person any more!
Simple, isn't it - but, as I said, surprisingly strong. Maybe it's your problem, too?

:meditate:
Kim
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manas
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I've given up tobacco, permanently.

Post by manas »

DAY 4

When the previous owners of my flat decided to sell it and move on, the bloke came in and fixed a few things (they allowed me to stay here despite having to do all these repairs, for which I'm grateful). Some of his 'repairs' were a bit dodgy though, and seemed more like a quick patch-up so the place could get sold. For example, there's a stubborn leak in the roof over where the toilet is, and despite trying to fix it time and again, the owner had never quite been able to isolate the problem. So when it came time to sell, he simply went into the bathroom, sanded down and plastered over the decaying, mouldy section of ceiling (due to damp from regular leakings), and gave it a fresh coat of paint. So, not fixed at all, rather just plastered over, and made so that it could not be noticed. But over time, the decay became visible again, and it looks even worse now than before.

Why I started smoking regularly, why I even allowed this to kick in as a habit, I suspect was a bit like that. I suspect I was doing it to distract myself from certain powerful, uncomfortable, and sometimes painful emotions. And so long as I kept drip drip dripping a little bit of the nicotine in, the emotions were kept at bay. Now that I've stopped totally, they are back with a vengeance. I've felt more in the last three days, than I would normally feel in a month.

Taking any drug, even an 'allowable' one like nicotine, is like plastering over our feelings / emotions, imo. I notice such a difference in how I feel, now I'm getting free of it. Emotions are deeper, I can feel them more in my body again, I can feel the connection with my surroundings more fully, it's a subtle thing but life is just that bit more real, vibrant, alive. But the cost is, emotional honesty. I can't hide so well, whatever comes up is 'right here' and wants to be dealt with right now. So when emotional pain comes up, it can cut like a knife. But that is the price we pay, for being truly alive, to truly live.

I admit that, last night I was in such despair, that I didn't care about anything anymore. I searched around just for one more half-finished smoke from the past, surely I dropped one somewhere? Finally I found a bit, about six puffs worth left on it. I smoked it, savouring the mild rush...for a few minutes the emotions subsided...but soon, I just felt bad. Kind of a sick, dull feeling. The vibrancy of life had been tarnished again, just that little. And I thought, no, I won't go back...keep on with this course. You are making progress. You are halfway through the worst of it. Stay the course. You can do this.

I've decided that, I would rather feel life fully, deeply and truly, even if the price of that is, sometimes it will really hurt. But I still prefer that, to just trying to plaster over things, distract myself from them, by using a substance. I want to be fully present with Life.

:anjali:
Last edited by manas on Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
dagon
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Re: I'm giving up tobacco, permanently

Post by dagon »

I was working with a kid who had a crack addiction - during a conversation he said that he had quit cigarettes but he could not quit crack. i asked him if he could dump cigarettes why couldn't he quit crack.

He asked me why I was still smoking - i said because if i did not smoke i get very stressed. What he asked me to do was to write down each time that i was distressed because i could not have a cigarette, each time i stressed cause i need to go to the shops to buy smokes, each time i could not find cigarettes or lighter ....... and then add the stress at work from the time i was working to pay for cigarettes. :cry:

If you do that and quit - never get rid of that list, love that list.

metta
paul
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mirco
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Re: I'm giving up tobacco, permanently

Post by mirco »

dagon wrote:I was working with a kid who had a crack addiction - during a conversation he said that he had quit cigarettes but he could not quit crack. i asked him if he could dump cigarettes why couldn't he quit crack. He asked me why I was still smoking - i said because if i did not smoke i get very stressed. What he asked me to do was to write down each time that i was distressed because i could not have a cigarette, each time i stressed cause i need to go to the shops to buy smokes, each time i could not find cigarettes or lighter ....... and then add the stress at work from the time i was working to pay for cigarettes. If you do that and quit - never get rid of that list that list. metta, paul
Nice trick.

Once I drank a glass of water every time I was about to eat something. That did not prevented me from compulsive eating, but added a conciouss break between the craving and the acting out. After ten days or so I was not overeating that much anymore.

:clap:
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manas
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Re: I'm giving up tobacco, permanently

Post by manas »

Thanks everyone for the support, encouragement, and helpful stories of recovery. :anjali:

DAY 6


I am pleased to say, that even by yesterday, the emotional distress, turbulence and sometimes desperation I had been experiencing, that was so difficult and tricky to handle, had subsided. :woohoo: Today, I feel even better. From now, it is purely a mental challenge, I think. My body does not seem to be craving to smoke, it's only if I think about it, well then I get this little feeling of temptation, and so I am literally taking the Blessed One's advice and NOT THINKING ABOUT IT haha! And if the thought arises, knocking it out like a bad peg straight away, with a positive thought / emotion. The trick is not to even let the thought see the light of day, I'm finding. What is helping me to achieve this, is keeping busy doing productive and / or fun things. Must admit, don't think I could have done this as easily, without the warmth and companionship I now feel, from a good friend I recently made. Alone, hmm I'm not sure I would have been so inspired to stick this out. (Of course my dear friends here on DW are very, very helpful, but there's something powerful about spending time with a friend in the physical, 3D world, you know?)

I'm well on the way to recovery, and although I am not willing to declare complete victory as yet, I'm very pleased that the emotional pain and turbulence only lasted 4 days, and that now on day 6, I am feeling fairly calm.

with metta
'manas
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
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Mkoll
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Re: I'm giving up tobacco, permanently

Post by Mkoll »

I can't speak for tobacco but I can for marijuana. Though not as addictive, I allowed it to have a hold on me for 5 years. Towards the end, the negative aspects of the practice became more and more apparent: the burning sensation of the smoke going down into the lungs, the dirty taste of the smoke and tar, the disgusting smell of the smoke, the gigantic tolerance to the drug my body had built, the sight of this little flower having such a coercive effect on my mind, the thought of desiring to smoke some more even while I was smoking, the feelings of guilt at doing something I knew was harmful, the feelings of shame over what I was doing...

Metaphorically, I see a connection between quitting drugs (or any addiction: food, sex, etc.) and quitting Samsara. Both are addictions fueled by craving. Dropping the grossest one, I'm proceeding to drop the more subtle ones.

Good luck, manas. You will do it if you want to.

:namaste:

James
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
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manas
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Post by manas »

Thanks James, and to everyone who has replied and offered support. I am still going! I'm not sure how many days it's been, but it seems like quite a while has passed...maybe every other day, I get this recollection and desire to smoke, but I quickly squash it, and redirect my mind to more wholesome things. Damn it it is persistent, it is not? But let's be logical, sucking into my precious lungs a cocktail of toxic chemicals in smoke, why would I want to do that? I'm NOT going back, I already decided that. So if the odd wish for it still pops up now and then, well I will just endure the momentary discomfort of saying NO to the unwholesome, and redirect my mind to what is wholesome. But even though there is this flicker of pain in saying no to desire, there is also a gradually increasing feeling of strength in me, that I admire, and this makes up for the pain. I like being able to decide what I do with my life, to have the strength to see something through that is difficult, but is for my own good, in the long run. One more thing: I must admit that, I made a dear friend a few weeks ago who is a non-smoker (in fact she is very clean-living in general) and this has spurred me on a bit, too...good association has it's influence.

By the way, my mind and emotions are clearer, and my lungs feel kind of softer, more relaxed...

manas
:anjali:
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
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Ajisai
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Re: I'm giving up tobacco, permanently

Post by Ajisai »

Manas,

I wish you good luck even though it seems you are doing very well ! :smile:
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