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Eggs, Dairy and Cigarettes

2K views 34 replies 19 participants last post by  AeryFairy 
#1 ·
So, I've been a vegetarian for the past 8 years, and I meant to go vegan when I turned 18... which was two years ago.

So, now that I'm jobless, not in school, and basically a bum, I'm feeling like I should do SOMETHING in a positive direction.
Or, rather, two things.

When I was 18, rather than dropping dairy, I picked up smoking. At this point, I'm not addicted, and I'm not a heavy smoker - I have maybe two or three cigs a day. Any attempts I've made to quit have really been halfhearted. The momentum of change just... wasn't there, ya know?

So, now, I'm thinking maybe if I group tobacco in with animal products when I go cold tofurky (I'm definitely not a person to do things gradually) then that will make dropping both easier. Especially because one of my favorite small pleasures is a cappuccino and a cigarette...

What do you guys think? Anyone tried a double-stop like that?

(also, if anyone has a good guide to making the switch from vegetarian to vegan, it would be appreciated!)
 
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#2 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by imdead-goaway View Post

So, I've been a vegetarian for the past 8 years, and I meant to go vegan when I turned 18... which was two years ago.

So, now that I'm jobless, not in school, and basically a bum, I'm feeling like I should do SOMETHING in a positive direction.
Or, rather, two things.

When I was 18, rather than dropping dairy, I picked up smoking. At this point, I'm not addicted, and I'm not a heavy smoker - I have maybe two or three cigs a day. Any attempts I've made to quit have really been halfhearted. The momentum of change just... wasn't there, ya know?

So, now, I'm thinking maybe if I group tobacco in with animal products when I go cold tofurky (I'm definitely not a person to do things gradually) then that will make dropping both easier. Especially because one of my favorite small pleasures is a cappuccino and a cigarette...

What do you guys think? Anyone tried a double-stop like that?

(also, if anyone has a good guide to making the switch from vegetarian to vegan, it would be appreciated!)
I've never smoked. Never smoked cigarettes...
So I'm not sure how difficult quiting would be
Although I am vegan. If you became a vegetarian for ethical reasons, just go looking for video footage from farms. 15 seconds of video and you'll never touch eggs or dairy again.

http://govegannow.com/cows.html
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh James xVx View Post

I never had to quit smoking thankfully. Never did it.

Quitting caffeine on the other hand is really easy. I've done it dozens of times :p
I know what you mean about caffeine. It has a great immediate effect on me but if I have it multiple days in a row, I feel bad. I've quit many, many times too.
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by imdead-goaway View Post

When I was 18, rather than dropping dairy, I picked up smoking. At this point, I'm not addicted, and I'm not a heavy smoker - I have maybe two or three cigs a day. Any attempts I've made to quit have really been halfhearted. The momentum of change just... wasn't there, ya know?
If you're really not addicted yet, then just get rid of the crap. You don't need any help to guit smoking when you're not addicted, so just do it
 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thorham View Post

If you're really not addicted yet, then just get rid of the crap. You don't need any help to guit smoking when you're not addicted, so just do it
agree. i used to smoke the same amount about two cigarettes a day, wasn't addicted. decided to quit one day, just threw them all away and stopped. haven't smoked in a year and don't even have the slightest desire to. everyone is different though. good luck
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thorham View Post

If you're really not addicted yet, then just get rid of the crap. You don't need any help to guit smoking when you're not addicted, so just do it
You obviously don't smoke...
Just because I don't have a nicotine dependency, it doesn't mean I don't have very strong ties to cigarettes.
After two years, I associate smoking with certain situations and certain feelings - I smoke when I drive, when I drink coffee, when I'm being social, when I want to be antisocial, when I need a ten minute break, when I feel alone in the middle of the night, when I had a great day... Cigarettes enhance these things.
I might not have nicotine fits when I quit, but I will have yearnings just for the process of smoking.
 
#11 ·
Well, emotional addiction can be harmful too. And trust me: it can be as easy as "just quit". Toss the things out and don't touch them again. That's what my dad did after 20 years of smoking - one day he suddenly said, "this is bad for me and my wallet, I'll stop" and he's never touched a cigarette since. I know it's not this easy for everyone, but from everything I've learnt so far, smoking is best quit cold turkey, at least the pamphlets and books I've read so far say so. (Have never smoked myself, so I can't offer personal experiences.)

Going into it with the attitude of "oh woe is me, this is going to be so difficult, how DARE you people tell me I should just do it, you don't know anything, it's not that easy" is just going to make things harder. Smoking sucks. You're not dependent on a poison to enjoy driving, coffee, a break, loneliness, etc. You're an individual that's just as capable of being awesome without smoke as everyone else, don't fix this picture of yourself as a smoker in your head. Smoking is not a part of you. You won't be any worse off once you've quit than before. Don't tell yourself you will be. It'll be tough, but I'm one-hundred percent positive that you won't be lying on your deathbed in sixty years saying, "if only I hadn't stopped smoking, my life would have been so much better..."
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by imdead-goaway View Post

I smoke when I drive, when I drink coffee, when I'm being social, when I want to be antisocial, when I need a ten minute break, when I feel alone in the middle of the night, when I had a great day... Cigarettes enhance these things.
OMFG I want one so bad now lol. It might take more than one attempt to quit. Try not hanging out with smoker friends for at least a week. To me its the social aspect that makes it hard to quit.
I tried cold turkey two times before this attempt (obviously they didn't work) yesterday I only had four smokes and I was reducing the amount I smoked all week. My cravings aren't as bad this time. I don't know if its because I've stopped for three days twice within the past two months or if its cause I tried reducing what I smoked over the past week. Everyone I know who has been successful cut down the amount they were smoking for a week or two before they quit. But the amount you're smoking is what we all cut down to.
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kjesta View Post

Well, emotional addiction can be harmful too. And trust me: it can be as easy as "just quit". Toss the things out and don't touch them again. That's what my dad did after 20 years of smoking - one day he suddenly said, "this is bad for me and my wallet, I'll stop" and he's never touched a cigarette since. I know it's not this easy for everyone, but from everything I've learnt so far, smoking is best quit cold turkey, at least the pamphlets and books I've read so far say so. (Have never smoked myself, so I can't offer personal experiences.)
I highlighted the contradiction of your statement so it might be more obvious to you.

I didn't ask the initial question for people to say "just quit, lol!", or offer positivity - I was actually looking to see if anyone had experience with quitting two things simultaneously, and seeing if that made the process easier/harder, of if they had an advice to offer specific to that scenario. If I wanted to get lectured, I would go ahead and find myself a non-smoker off the street, because - and this is a fact - just about everyone in the world who doesn't smoke thinks they know what they're talking about, because they went through a DARE program in elementary school, and Health class in high school.
 
#14 ·
I quit cigs about 6 or 7 years ago.... Never looked back. I found myself pretty much laying on a sidewalk outside my work, feeling like I was dieing due to having pneumonia and a huge sinius infection felt like I was breathing with half a lung. Yet I was still trying to smoke a cig.... with all that happening. I realized then I have never felt that way before I smoked, and cigs had just made the problem worse on me and I was just 19 years old and felt like I was dieing. So I quit right there.... I gave my pack away.

After a couple weeks I started to feel better and everything smelt and tasted better.... I wont even hold a cig for someone who says they gotta go to the bathroom hold this for me. I still crave them, so many years I still feel the need to smoke but I just easily tell myself no, they dont do anything for me besides the negative.

As for quiting two things at once... I quit sodas, and become a vegertarian pretty much at the same time. I quit sodas for 2 days really, then started in headaches and thought I needed to do something to take my mind off wanting a soda, I had already been thinking of going veggie so I looked more into it and talked myself into giving up my ways. Truthfully I think it helped... My mind quickly went off from thinking about sodas to pretty much only thinking about finding food with no geltin, lard, meat and etc.

So basicly In my opinon quiting 2 things at once is a good thing... It splits your cravings and giving up something like dairy and eggs will keep your mind on trying to work around that rather then thinking about cigerettes. As for something to kill your cravings for cigs... just everytime you think about wanting one, think about whatever stands out in your mind in your reasoning to quit. I also chew about a pack a day in sugarless gum.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cadrian View Post

I quit cigs about 6 or 7 years ago.... Never looked back. I found myself pretty much laying on a sidewalk outside my work, feeling like I was dieing due to having pneumonia and a huge sinius infection felt like I was breathing with half a lung. Yet I was still trying to smoke a cig.... with all that happening. I realized then I have never felt that way before I smoked, and cigs had just made the problem worse on me and I was just 19 years old and felt like I was dieing. So I quit right there.... I gave my pack away.

After a couple weeks I started to feel better and everything smelt and tasted better.... I wont even hold a cig for someone who says they gotta go to the bathroom hold this for me. I still crave them, so many years I still feel the need to smoke but I just easily tell myself no, they dont do anything for me besides the negative.

As for quiting two things at once... I quit sodas, and become a vegertarian pretty much at the same time. I quit sodas for 2 days really, then started in headaches and thought I needed to do something to take my mind off wanting a soda, I had already been thinking of going veggie so I looked more into it and talked myself into giving up my ways. Truthfully I think it helped... My mind quickly went off from thinking about sodas to pretty much only thinking about finding food with no geltin, lard, meat and etc.

So basicly In my opinon quiting 2 things at once is a good thing... It splits your cravings and giving up something like dairy and eggs will keep your mind on trying to work around that rather then thinking about cigerettes. As for something to kill your cravings for cigs... just everytime you think about wanting one, think about whatever stands out in your mind in your reasoning to quit. I also chew about a pack a day in sugarless gum.
Thanks for posting!

That sounds like a pretty awful experience... the only really terrible experiences I've had are when I drink a lot, and a cigarette puts me over the edge. I don't really have any sort of memories or events in my life to act as a catalyst to quit, and that might be why I don't have the motivation to quit.
I think it's just the spirit of change that will bring it about. It seemed like the distraction helped you out - and that's how I was thinking it would probably play out.

For a short while, I tried combating my cravings by sitting down to tea for at least 45 minutes(something I used to be really into), and it worked for a few days. I actually started drinking less tea (used to do it daily, now I don't do it at all) when I started smoking... probably something to do with the loss of taste. Maybe if I get through a few weeks without, I can completely replace tobacco with tea leaves.
 
#16 ·
I quit drinking pop a couple months ago with no problems. But I find the fizz really helps the oral fixation for a smoke craving. And the sugar/caffeine help replace the tobacco in your system. So I'm back to drinking pop until I kick the smoking thing.
 
#17 ·
The emotional addiction of smoking is the hardest part. I am 2 weeks smoke free and while the actual physical addiction isnt quite there anymore, but I still keep thinking about them everytime I perform certain tasks. I just finally made up my mind after a few half-hearted attempts, that besides from being disgusting, it doesnt fit into my lifestyle anymore as I am trying to clean up my vegan diet to a more healthful one. It's great that you want to go vegan, and quiting smoking at the same time gives you the opportunity to make a complete lifestyle change for the best.

When I started smoking 12 yrs ago, I was a social, casual smoker like you (3-5 a day)for a few years and I was most definately physically addicted. After some time and a few hard bumps in the road I started smoking heavier and then it became an even worse addiction.
Be careful and best wishes!
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by vegansarawr View Post

I quit drinking pop a couple months ago with no problems. But I find the fizz really helps the oral fixation for a smoke craving. And the sugar/caffeine help replace the tobacco in your system. So I'm back to drinking pop until I kick the smoking thing.
Caffeine aggravates the nicotine cravings for most everyone, I have found it better to give it up altogether.
 
#20 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by vegansarawr View Post

I quit drinking pop a couple months ago with no problems. But I find the fizz really helps the oral fixation for a smoke craving. And the sugar/caffeine help replace the tobacco in your system. So I'm back to drinking pop until I kick the smoking thing.
This is something like what my mom did to help her quit. She used hard candies (like jolly ranchers) to serve the same purpose at the cigarettes. Perhaps something like that could help you ease into quitting? I know you mentioned tea which is great, but in case you're on a break at work or someplace where you can't have tea - having something to keep your mouth occupied might help.
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by imdead-goaway View Post

You obviously don't smoke...
I actually do smoke. Been smoking since early teens.

Quote:
Originally Posted by imdead-goaway View Post

Just because I don't have a nicotine dependency, it doesn't mean I don't have very strong ties to cigarettes.
After two years, I associate smoking with certain situations and certain feelings - I smoke when I drive, when I drink coffee, when I'm being social, when I want to be antisocial, when I need a ten minute break, when I feel alone in the middle of the night, when I had a great day... Cigarettes enhance these things.
I might not have nicotine fits when I quit, but I will have yearnings just for the process of smoking.
That's called addiction. The fact that it's not physical doesn't matter, you're still mentally addicted.

That said, I wish you good luck (and a lot of discipline).
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by imdead-goaway View Post

I highlighted the contradiction of your statement so it might be more obvious to you.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. NOT. What I said is that it was that easy for my father and that obviously, some people can do it "just like that". I did not state any more than that. You read what you want to read.
 
#24 ·
Let's not get into a catfight here! ^^

I think quitting both at once is a great idea! Both are unhealthy, so the motivation to be healthy could be useful for both. Also, it would mean spending less time in the "quitting phase" where you are thinking about what you can't have, maybe even supplementing with the other. Like if you were craving cheese, and decided to have a smoke instead.

I don't know if that actually makes any sense. Oh well, good on you! I wish you the best of luck! Tea is delicious and you should quit smoking just so you can enjoy the taste again!
 
#25 ·
I think quitting both makes sense. I've been an irregular smoker for about 6 years now, I've never tried quitting, but I've noticed that whenever I am busy or preoccupied with something else, I tend to smoke less. So, maybe if you busy yourself learning new vegan recipes then it will be easier to forget about smoking. Anyways, good luck and welcome to the vegan side!
 
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