| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4] > | How to Quit Smoking Without Going Bankrupt? I Need Hints Thread poster: Haluk Levent Aka (X)
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Haluk Levent Aka (X)
Local time: 21:14
Japanese to Turkish
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Hello Everyone,
Did any of fellow translators tried (and succeeded) quitting cigarettes without losing their concentration? I’ve been struggling with the beast for many years now. I attempted to quit many times (sometimes up to 3 months) but every time, I started to smoke again because
1) I turn to a condescending jerk when I quit and
2) I cannot concentrate / focus like EVER!!!
Now, minimizing contact with other people for a few weeks works well ... See more Hello Everyone,
Did any of fellow translators tried (and succeeded) quitting cigarettes without losing their concentration? I’ve been struggling with the beast for many years now. I attempted to quit many times (sometimes up to 3 months) but every time, I started to smoke again because
1) I turn to a condescending jerk when I quit and
2) I cannot concentrate / focus like EVER!!!
Now, minimizing contact with other people for a few weeks works well for the first problem; but the concentration issue is a huge problem. I can’t focus. I can’t translate at all… Any success stories? Or hints etc? ▲ Collapse
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If you are a smoking aficionado and as long as you can afford to buy cigarettes and not lose concentration, I don't see the point of quitting.
Many people, including doctors say smoking is bad for you, and yes, they may be right, but some doctors tell you that if you cannot concentrate, become frustrated, it's better to continue smoking than piling up all the stress into your body.
| | | | | Why not reduce | Oct 17, 2012 |
your cigarette consumption step by step?
Years ago I used to smoke more than two packs a day, now I smoke less than a pack (of 19).
Good luck!
| | | | ATIL KAYHAN 
Türkiye
Local time: 21:14
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
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| To quit or not | Oct 17, 2012 |
Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
If you are a smoking aficionado and as long as you can afford to buy cigarettes and not lose concentration, I don't see the point of quitting.
Many people, including doctors say smoking is bad for you, and yes, they may be right, but some doctors tell you that if you cannot concentrate, become frustrated, it's better to continue smoking than piling up all the stress into your body.
Just watch the antismoking commercials on (Turkish) TV. They are telling you the truth. Cigarettes are (extremely) harmful for your body. And yes, this is enough reason to quit. Also, warning messages on cigarette packs are the truth as well. I believe the question is not whether the cigarettes are harmful or not. It is how you can successfully quit.
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XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:14
Portuguese to English
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| Theo Bernards (X)
France
Local time: 20:14
English to Dutch
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| The non-smoking debate has gone on long enough, don't we think? | Oct 17, 2012 |
Personally, I am baffled the hypocrisy of it all from national governments: if all smokers stop overnight, every government would have a serious income problem. Many years ago the taxes raised on tobacco in The Netherlands equalled the budget for the Dutch police services.
I quit smoking at one point (back on it now) and what I did first was analyse when I lit up. It turned out that after a meal, with a coffee/tea, when drinking a beer with my mates, the urge to smoke became bigger.... See more Personally, I am baffled the hypocrisy of it all from national governments: if all smokers stop overnight, every government would have a serious income problem. Many years ago the taxes raised on tobacco in The Netherlands equalled the budget for the Dutch police services.
I quit smoking at one point (back on it now) and what I did first was analyse when I lit up. It turned out that after a meal, with a coffee/tea, when drinking a beer with my mates, the urge to smoke became bigger. For a period of three weeks I then did not eat solid foods and lived of fruit juices, abstained from coffee/tea (water instead) and did indeed not go out for a drink with my mates while I didn't smoke. I was doubtful at the time, but it worked, I was a non-smoker for almost 2 years. And the three weeks of fruit juices and water prevented me from ballooning (which inevitably happens when you stop) too much.
About cutting down slowly: if you smoke in your home office, try instigating a rule that you only smoke outdoors. You'd be amazed how much you cut back when you don't smoke in the house anymore. I have gone back from 30+ cigarettes to less than 15 in the past 5 years. Made my urge to quit a lot less urgent  .
[Edited at 2012-10-17 10:12 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I see the point | Oct 17, 2012 |
ATIL KAYHAN wrote: Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
If you are a smoking aficionado and as long as you can afford to buy cigarettes and not lose concentration, I don't see the point of quitting.
Many people, including doctors say smoking is bad for you, and yes, they may be right, but some doctors tell you that if you cannot concentrate, become frustrated, it's better to continue smoking than piling up all the stress into your body.
Just watch the antismoking commercials on (Turkish) TV. They are telling you the truth. Cigarettes are (extremely) harmful for your body. And yes, this is enough reason to quit. Also, warning messages on cigarette packs are the truth as well. I believe the question is not whether the cigarettes are harmful or not. It is how you can successfully quit.
Hello Atril,
I see you point, but as Haluk wrote above, he tried quitting a few times, and everytime, he loses concentration. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that there is no need for him to quit (BTW, I'm not associated with any kind of tobacco manufacturer) if he cannot function like he wants to.
Maybe I was prejudiced that Turkey and many countries in the Middle East are not serious about smoking/anti-smoking. At least in my country Japan, we do not have any anti-smoking commcercials, and the only messages on the cigarette packages tell you that there are x.x times higher rate of dying from lung cancer, myocardial infarction, stroke or complicate emphysema compared to non-smokers. Isn't that beautiful? No fancy photos of lungs or the mouth infected with nicotine and tar.
| | | | Haluk Levent Aka (X)
Local time: 21:14
Japanese to Turkish
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TOPIC STARTER | No Doubt At All that Smoking is Evil! | Oct 17, 2012 |
ATIL KAYHAN wrote: Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
If you are a smoking aficionado and as long as you can afford to buy cigarettes and not lose concentration, I don't see the point of quitting.
Many people, including doctors say smoking is bad for you, and yes, they may be right, but some doctors tell you that if you cannot concentrate, become frustrated, it's better to continue smoking than piling up all the stress into your body.
Just watch the antismoking commercials on (Turkish) TV. They are telling you the truth. Cigarettes are (extremely) harmful for your body. And yes, this is enough reason to quit. Also, warning messages on cigarette packs are the truth as well. I believe the question is not whether the cigarettes are harmful or not. It is how you can successfully quit.
Yes, I agree with you totally and I respectfully disagree with Kanazawasan. I am not an aficionado or anything. In fact, I hate every single smoke I have, and I continue to smoke just because of the two reasons I explained earlier. If I can overcome this concentration issue, I will quit.
For the record, I have been trying and failing for the last 4-5 years. Longest time I was able to stay away from the beast was 3 months! During that time I was amazed with my performance at the GYM... So I know, from my first hand experience, that smoking is a terribly unhealthy addiction...
@Gudrun, reducing isn't working in my case. Very soon I find myself smoking at least a pack a day... I can't control it and therefore it is much better to quit for good.
@Lisa, I tried Alan Carr before. It worked (well, almost worked) and I stopped smoking for 3 months. But, book says it won't work the second time (although, regardless, I am rereading the book at the moment). But still, I have to find a way to overcome this concentration problem.
Thank you all for your time and replies.
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Haluk Levent Aka (X)
Local time: 21:14
Japanese to Turkish
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TOPIC STARTER | I understand your point... | Oct 17, 2012 |
Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
Hello Atril,
I see you point, but as Haluk wrote above, he tried quitting a few times, and everytime, he loses concentration. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that there is no need for him to quit (BTW, I'm not associated with any kind of tobacco manufacturer) if he cannot function like he wants to.
Maybe I was prejudiced that Turkey and many countries in the Middle East are not serious about smoking/anti-smoking. At least in my country Japan, we do not have any anti-smoking commcercials, and the only messages on the cigarette packages tell you that there are x.x times higher rate of dying from lung cancer, myocardial infarction, stroke or complicate emphysema compared to non-smokers. Isn't that beautiful? No fancy photos of lungs or the mouth infected with nicotine and tar.
Kanazawasan Hi,
I lived in Japan for 4 years. I know that Japanese people, especially the men, smoke a lot and SURPRISINGLY, you have somewhat low cancer rates in Japan (it must be genetics or diet or something...). But in my country, my people suffer from cancer and lung diseases a lot (highest death cause are cancer and lung diseases such as emphysema)... Plus, I have been a smoker for the last 22 years. I already start to feel consequences (the way I breath, when I'm on treadmill at the GYM, or while swimming etc...). So at this stage, it is critical for me to quit -I can feel that.
Maybe, if a person is very well disciplined and can keep his smoking at acceptable levels (say maximum 3 or 5 cigs a day), in that case I would agree with you. In fact many doctors smoke themselves (it's a simple trade-off; cost calculation thing for them). But in my case, I must definitely quit.
| | | | Faustine.Rou (X)
Local time: 19:14
English to French
Hi,
I managed to quit smoking for 6 months last year with the help of my boyfriend.
My experience might help you, hopefully.
Basically, after being told bad news about my health, my boyfriend made me quit smoking. It was over christmas, we went to his family's house, a house completely isolated, in the middle of nowhere. My boyfriend threw my tobacco away and I had no possibility to buy any cigarettes for 5 days. And no-one smoked there. It was hell. A gin... See more Hi,
I managed to quit smoking for 6 months last year with the help of my boyfriend.
My experience might help you, hopefully.
Basically, after being told bad news about my health, my boyfriend made me quit smoking. It was over christmas, we went to his family's house, a house completely isolated, in the middle of nowhere. My boyfriend threw my tobacco away and I had no possibility to buy any cigarettes for 5 days. And no-one smoked there. It was hell. A gin and tonic with no cigarette... It was hard.
When we came back, I ordered myself an electronic cigarette. By the time it arrived (a week), I didn't want it. While at the beginning I was constantly craving a cigarette, by the end of the week, I forgot about it. But I kept the e-cig, which really helped in social situations (pub, meal with friends...). I sometimes could spend days without touching it as my brain completely forgot I used to like smoking. And I use to smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day.
I do not advocate to use e-cigarette as a replacement of real cigarettes straight away, because these e-cig don't "end" (you can't stub it out), so you might end up smoking the equivalent of 3 cigarettes in one go, and get more addicted to nicotine. So be careful with it if you want to try that (it's also much cheaper than real cigarettes).
Now, I started again, because my parents kept giving me cigarettes when at home, so I smoked for a month and didn't manage to stop again (even though I know I can...) But I only smoke five a day;
Anyway, I hope that helps and good luck with it ▲ Collapse
| | | | RobinB
United States
Local time: 13:14
German to English
I quit on January 1 this year after about 35 years as a smoker. Just did it.
Yes, I was quite impossible at times for two or three months after that, but then the crazy cravings died down. What really helped (and still helps) is chewing gum - regular gum, not nicotine gum. Don't switch to nicotine-containing substitutes like gum, patches, or tablets. You'll end up smoking *and* using the substitutes, and if you forget that you're chewing nicotine gum and have a smoke at the same tim... See more I quit on January 1 this year after about 35 years as a smoker. Just did it.
Yes, I was quite impossible at times for two or three months after that, but then the crazy cravings died down. What really helped (and still helps) is chewing gum - regular gum, not nicotine gum. Don't switch to nicotine-containing substitutes like gum, patches, or tablets. You'll end up smoking *and* using the substitutes, and if you forget that you're chewing nicotine gum and have a smoke at the same time, you risk OD'ing (really!).
The only way that really works is cold turkey. Forget the financial arguments: what you save on smoking you'll spend on e.g. chocolates and other nice things to stuff into your mouth. So be prepared to gain weight, and not just because nicotine acts as an appetite suppressant. But you will sleep better, no doubt about it. And no problems with long flights (like Frankfurt-San Diego next week).
BTW, chewing (regular) gum also helps you concentrate, just pick a brand with a nice strong flavour.
Good luck - you'll need it!
Robin ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Ever tried nicotine patches? | Oct 17, 2012 |
I am not sure whether they really help.
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Haluk Levent Aka (X)
Local time: 21:14
Japanese to Turkish
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TOPIC STARTER | Anti-Tobacco isn't really anti-tobacco | Oct 17, 2012 |
Theo Bernards wrote:
Personally, I am baffled the hypocrisy of it all from national governments: if all smokers stop overnight, every government would have a serious income problem. Many years ago the taxes raised on tobacco in The Netherlands equalled the budget for the Dutch police services.
[Edited at 2012-10-17 10:12 GMT]
I agree with you totally. In fact, I believe the whole thing is a conspiracy (although, some might believe this is too paranoid). In Turkey, they are running a huge anti-tabacco campaign. At the same time, they increased the taxes applicable to tobacco greatly (ten years ago a pack of popular import cigarettes was 1 dollar, now it is 5 dollars -and 80% is tax). It is known that anti-tobacco warnings on cigarettes and anti-tobacco campaigns cause smokers to smoke more. (everyone, except nonsmokers, know that first thing a smoker does when he/she sees one of those ads is to light a cigarette). So I belive, the government is doing those anti*tobacco campaigns on purpose (to increase the cigarette consumption - not to reduce) so they will have greater tax revenues and smaller deficits. Evil!
| | | | Haluk Levent Aka (X)
Local time: 21:14
Japanese to Turkish
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TOPIC STARTER | Tried and Failed | Oct 17, 2012 |
Gudrun Wolfrath wrote:
I am not sure whether they really help.
Tries them; they didn't work much (I continued to smoke...) but maybe I can combine them with hypnosis or Alan Carr.
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