farm hunter

I' m sure MOST on the board don' t smoke. I smoked almost 20 years and quit back in January this year. It was very hard - and had taken several serious tries to actually do it. Well I actually did quit and have not cheated one time.

Bow season opens here on Wed this week. I' m very ready for it - but am a little nervous about how I' ll deal with NOT smoking on stand. I hope to be very pleasntly suprised by the numbers of deer I see compared to before - but realistically, I doubt that will happen - Worse - if you smoke or did smoke, you probably understand the craving to smoke While on stand.

I' ve done well with most other situations in the 9 months since I quit - but I' m a little worried on how to handle the cravings I KNOW I' ll still have when on stand while bowhunting - I think I could maybe use a little advice on passing time - or encouragement going into the season.

**** One quick note - and I will not preach: If you ar a new smoker - or non-smoker considering starting - QUIT WHILE YOU CAN - or - DO NOT START. Nothing compares to the utter cravings that will not let you stop the utter madness of smoking. ********** If you smoke - I' m sorry to knock it (god knows I LOVED it) - and please consider quitting.

Thanks......

Dacotah

Good for you! My wife is an ICU nurse and takes a very harsh view on smoking, as she' s seen many people slowly suffocate themselves to death as lung functions deteriorate. She says it' s a very bad way to go.

That said, I used to smoke, quit almost ten years ago, and still miss it at times.

I don' t know what to tell you, because I didn' t find any good alternatives. Maybe read a book to help keep your mind off it. Sunflower seeds might help, but I don' t know if spitting them on the ground is a good idea or not. Tough it out a few times and it will get easier.

Cougar Mag

Congratulations Farm Hunter!!! I myself smoke and really need to make an effort to stop....I see what its done to people.

Ken/WV

That' s good for you Farm Hunter...I personally have never smoked, and never will. So goodluck this season, and if you really need something to pass the time, read a magazine. That' s what a lot of people do to pass time. I usually just sit there watching around me. But it' s great that you quit, and I' m sure you' ll see more deer. Maybe not a million more, but atleast a few.

RacHunter

Congratulations on quitting.
I' m a smoker and sure hope I can find the will power that you have.

Hey if nothing else while your sitting in that treestand just think about how many more days like that you may be able to have since you quit smoking...

TWC

I smoke but not nearly as much as I did before March of this year. Back in March the Kansas Dept. of Corrections went to a No Tobacco Policy (I' m a corrections officer). It took awhile but I had to teach myself to go 8 hours with out any nicotine. Just like you it took practice, didn' t it? Did you have something to take your mind off of the withdrawls? I chewed gum till my jaws just about locked up. Now when I' m on the stand, not lighting just seems second nature too me. HTH

xibowhunter

it will be one year for me in november , my wife still smokes and i' m trying to get her to quit ! when i first quit i was hitting the skoal then i gave that up too , thats when the eating started, now i' m on a diet , a day doesn' t go by where i don' t want to light up ,most of the times it' s easy not to , but when you got a nice cold beer in your hand and you smell that smoke thats when the urge really gets you ! but you just gotta say no ,it' s not worth it! GOOD LUCK!

Stickemup

Just keep thinking about the fact that you will get about 20 more years of hunting out of your life. I' ve watched quite a few older people in my neighborhood die from difficulties caused by smoking, so I' ve never smoked a cigarette in my life and won' t. Slowly suffocating is just not the way I want to go out.

What' s is absolutely maddening is the amount of young people that smoke these days. It' s like they just will not believe that cigarettes will kill you. They are in for a rude awakening. It breaks my heart to see 15 yo kids jonesing for a cigarette. They will now fight that battle for the rest of their lives and for what. So they can LOOK cool. What they don' t think about is walking around with an oxygen tank in their later years. That ain' t so cool.

benhuntin

I used beef jerky as an alternative supplimented by nicotine gum. Its a hard habit
to break. STay stong bud.

tazimna

OUTSTANDING! Folks don' t realize the physical addiction nicotine has on the body. I kicked the snuff habit myself 15 weeks ago. Had been chewing 2 cans of copenhagen per day. Not only poisoning my body, but the $$$$ saved is amazing when you look at what you spent on it. Congrats again. Steve