quit smoking-advice needed

[memyselfandcoffee]

I have finally quit smoking. I  am off them about 3 weeks now . Finally I feel I have turned a corner and that I can imagine myself forgetting about them.

However, last week I was working on a funding app. It was difficult as I have given up cigs during xmas break, so getting into work was really difficult, as I used to chain smoke while working. In the end I just forced myself to write, even though I wasn't really able to focus and give it my all. I knew it was sub par. My supervisor confirmed this today ( he wasn't annoyed or anything and I explained why)

So basically my fear now is that i need cigarettes, that little nicotine/dopamine hit, to let me break through mental blocks and to give that boost of creativity and inspiration. I am telling myself this is nonsense, but I just really would love to hear from people who  quit  and if you felt it affected you academically?

 

Thanks

 

Elise

[Jungshin]

see it worse for people who's studied neuroscience caused we know how it works. Used to tell myself that nicotine just makes me smarter when I'm studying due to it being a more potent activator of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors comparatively to natural neurotransmitters. And then I'd smoke like a chimney before exams to practice state-dependent learning. Funny enough, my GPA sky-rocketed when I picked up smoking leaving trail of lowly non-smokers behind.

 

But I quit in grad school after looking at my career direction and my dream of becoming a professor. In the end, I determined that it would help to live longer in academia. 

[NatureGurl]

I've never smoked (anything), but I know some grad students and professors who smoke. A friend of mine joked that she's a "good" smoker, just one or two cigarettes a day. She kind of hides it, though, because of the public discourse about "smoking is bad, causes lung cancer, etc." I used to think so, too, but now I'm not so sure. Not that I would try it, but I don't know if one or two is so bad.

[dat_nerd]

I have finally quit smoking. I  am off them about 3 weeks now . Finally I feel I have turned a corner and that I can imagine myself forgetting about them.

I don't have any advice to give about quitting smoking, but I wanted to chip in and say that I'm proud of you. I've had several family members who couldn't pull this off (or only quit for a short amount of time), and are now having to deal with the heath consequences. It takes a lot of persistence to quit like you have. Keep it up! 

 

 

 

So basically my fear now is that i need cigarettes, that little nicotine/dopamine hit, to let me break through mental blocks and to give that boost of creativity and inspiration. I am telling myself this is nonsense, but I just really would love to hear from people who  quit  and if you felt it affected you academically?

When I'm dealing with a mental block, I like to buy a latte from the coffee stand downstairs and walk outside for a bit. It's nice to think about simple things like the weather and what coffee I should buy. When I get back to work 5-10 minutes later, I feel refreshed and ready to tackle whatever research problem I was dealing with.

[OCD or Perfection?]

I quit one year ago from smoking a pack a day for 12 years. It was excruciating but I started smoking e-cigarettes. Before that, I had quit once for 6 months. That was cold turkey and I exercised like mad-40 minutes elliptical come rain or shine.

 

I don't advise you to go the e-cig route cus they're not great for you either and I haven't been able to quit them thus far-I'm scared I'll go back to smoking. However, chewing a very strong mint gum every time there's an urge can help.

 

P.s. I've tried nicorette, patches, e-cigarettes, exercise and everything else I can think of. Exercise was the best-there was no craving. 

[DropTheBase]

+1 for the exercise advice above. Don't forget to have a healthy diet.

 

If you can, try to avoid scenarios where you used to smoke. For example, if you would typically take 5 minute smoke breaks with friends/colleagues, it's a bad idea to just "tag along." It's better to replace that habit with what dat_nerd suggests. Also think about where you buy cigarettes. If it's from a convenience/liquor store, there's a huge visual trigger behind the counter. Again, if you can, avoid it by shopping at big supermarkets where the cigarettes are normally hidden behind customer service. 

 

Staying positive is critical, and it's what will get you through the mental blocks. Sometimes it helps to remember that choosing to not smoke even one cigarette in a situation where you typically would have, is a success. The most dangerous mentality is the one where you start thinking and accepting that you can't quit. When you start thinking like that, it becomes really easy to say "fuck it" and start again. You need to convince yourself that you don't need cigarettes and not be hard on yourself if you relapse. 

 

Good luck!

DTB

[Jungshin]

Agreed with dropthebase.

 

Stay positive. Don't think of it like you're quitting or giving up smoking, but instead think in terms of starting a new life and finally becoming free from the choke-hold nicotine had on you. You're capable of doing all those things without a cigarette, don't let it control your day and life. It does not help you concentrate. Cigarettes do nothing but distract you because you're always thinking about when you can have the next one. 

 

This may sound like jibberish, but you have to change your state of mind to give up an addiction. 

Edited January 19, 2014 by Jungshin

[spectastic]

when my old PI got back from rehab, he had a rubber band thing that tied his fingers together. I'm assuming those two fingers tied together were fingers he used to smoke.

 

I've never smoked in my life, but I hate it very much, so I hope you can cope and overcome.

[Queen of Kale]

I quit smoking since I began grad school.  I felt like I was in a fog for the first month or so. Now it's been about 6 months & I've replaced smoking with going to the gym more regularly.  The fog has lifted & I am more focused than before.  

 

You do need to find rewards for meeting small milestones that are not taking smoke breaks though. Otherwise you will find yourself on pinterest or Facebook or shopping online or eating constantly or anything else to bribe yourself.