Give up smoking

[buscon]

Hi,

 

I'd like to give up smoking and I'd like to take advantage of my qigong knowledge.

 

I'm doing qigong since one year now, with quite good results. I've used for healing myself, sex, meditation and kung fu.

I smoke from 10 to 20 self rolled cigarettes and/or joints.

 

Do you know about some special qigong exercise and/or acupressure methods that help me stop smoking ?

Would be great

 

Thx

[Aetherous]

Special qigong exercise:

 

When you feel the urge to smoke, notice how it feels in your body. That feeling is the energy of addiction. Transmute the energy by dan tien breathing. Or you can also transmute it by simply focusing on it.

[33865_1494798762]

Edited September 24, 2009 by Guest

[Encephalon]

Special qigong exercise:

 

When you feel the urge to smoke, notice how it feels in your body. That feeling is the energy of addiction. Transmute the energy by dan tien breathing. Or you can also transmute it by simply focusing on it.

 

 

Take of population of 100 non-drinking, non-smoking people and give them both products.

1 will become an alcoholic, 10 will become nicotine addicts. Nicotine is fiercely addictive, and because smoking is actually a habit on top of the addiction, it is notoriously difficult to stop.

 

You may need bigger guns than chi kung. Or maybe not. But don't kid yourself over how easy it could be to quit. Running, or better yet, ferocious, consistent mountain biking will gradually train your bodymind to become disgusted with smoking. And then you can graduate into the "Sanctimonious Ex-smokers Club!"

 

Good luck. Be sure you quit before you turn 30.

[hyok]

I have heard that raising Kundalini will cause the adept to quit smoking immediately.

[trailmaker]

I have heard that raising Kundalini will cause the adept to quit smoking immediately.

 

 

i went for acupuncture - worked overnight - haven't had a cig since 1988.

 

my wife went at the same time, and no luck (but she really didn't want it to work.).

 

his technique for me made smoking tobacco taste unpleasantly galvanic, like chewing on tinfoil. no fun=quit.

 

best of luck.

[Aetherous]

You may need bigger guns than chi kung.

 

Well, who said it'd be easy? What I suggested involves directly facing the addiction...probably the hardest thing in the world to do.

[SeriesOfTubes]

I've treated people for smoking with hypnosis. the vast majority of smokers use smoking as a distraction from a feeling imo.

 

I failed at quitting myself many times over many years until i understood this. deal directly with your feelings.. feeling bored, stressed, angry or frustrated allow your self to feel these things and take back your energy instead of recoiling for a smoke (emotions are pure motivational energy). Smoking is very effective at temporarily numbing certain feelings.

 

after you detox your system these inner feelings will try to trick you into thinking they themselves are an urge for tobacco but in reality they are feelings you don't like and are unrelated to smoking. getting irritable while driving was a big one for me.

 

get into a physical activity that doesn't go well with smoking and don't look back. running is pretty awesome for that, it has many benefits to focus and cognition which some people depend on tobacco for.

[buscon]

Thank you people for your advices, I'll try to do my best with them.

 

I'm doing hung gar kung fu three times a week , and it helps.

 

@Blasto: I'm 30 since yesterday, maybe it's the exact time to give up

 

 

I'll tell you how's going.

Cheers

[Ya Mu]

A program I have used is to first get a hand of natural tobacco without the additive chemicals. Don't pre-roll. The experience is better than the floor sweepings they call tobacco so one does not want as many cigs in a day. Having to roll at the time of smoking gives a break; no grabbing one just to nervously smoke it, have to prepare, so smoke less. Next wake up one morning soon and try to breathe without coughing - can't can you? Now run 3 miles. Hurts, doesn't it? So give yourself a swift kick in the ass and don't smoke anymore. The physical addiction only lasts 24 hrs. Continue running every morning - you won't want another.

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Edited November 8, 2009 by Guest

[Mal]

Natural tobacco gets a good wrap so could be well worth looking at, link Personally I don't seem to enjoy tobacco although I have not tried organic because except for American Spirit it's pretty much impossible to get here in Aus due to tax laws.

 

A nice img thanks to GIH

 

This book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr's got recomended here, although I can't find the thread.

 

You could always get a Volcano. Stopped me coughing

 

JNjunlWUJJI

[Gerard]

Best method by far is hypnotherapy. Seek someone in your area who's good at it. I have met two people who rave about this system and it works. They have quit completely and every time they smell the smoke of cigarettes burning they feel nausea.

 

My Bagua teacher's daily job is acupuncture and also uses hypnotherapy to treat his clients, I will ask him if you like about the success rate.

 

 

Some background info here:

 

http://www.quitsmoking.com/hypnosis/index.htm

[froggie]

i've heard that Iboga can treat any addiction.

and it can also be 'loaded' (small amounts every day, so that it doesn't get trippy but does have the anti-addictie properties)

is supposed to work with nicotine as well

[lino]

Natural tobacco gets a good wrap so could be well worth looking at, link Personally I don't seem to enjoy tobacco although I have not tried organic because except for American Spirit it's pretty much impossible to get here in Aus due to tax laws.

 

A nice img thanks to GIH

This book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr's got recomended here, although I can't find the thread.

 

You could always get a Volcano. Stopped me coughing

 

JNjunlWUJJI

 

 

Ok, I see all of that. My main question is how many years down the line does the urge to smoke complete subside?

 

My dad stopped smoking and even 23 years after his last cigarette he still had the urge.

[Birch]

This is what worked for me.:

 

- Quit doing the action (smoking)

 

- Allow yourself to desire it (feeling)

 

The latter fades over time and with acceptance (or through transmuting it - I guess if you already do qigong you're set;-))

 

I figure that what many people want to do when they say they want to quit smoking is actually to quit the desire to do so. Heh, funny they want rid of this desire and not some others...I'll have to consider that.

 

Anyway I reckon that what happens next is you have to deal with what that desire ACTUALLY is.

And it may be hiding lots of things, like other desires, stuff like anger underneath. But, because one spent so long misinterpreting the desire(s) as the desire to smoke - and then "fulfilling" the "one" desire by smoking, when you quit it can feel as if the sky fell upon your head. There's certainly a golden opportunity in there for some people who are in a position to cultivate.

 

From a KAP perspective it would be a lung/heart issue so if you quit, maybe be prepared to open your heart?

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Edited September 26, 2009 by Guest

[buscon]

Hi all,

 

after one month without smoking (cigarettes and joints at the same time) I can really say that I succeed - and it was easier than I thought, my addiction now it's just qigong

 

The advice that really worked with me, was the easiest, scottys:

 

Special qigong exercise:

 

When you feel the urge to smoke, notice how it feels in your body. That feeling is the energy of addiction. Transmute the energy by dan tien breathing. Or you can also transmute it by simply focusing on it.

 

Smt very simple, but I've never thought about it.... It was also a step forward for my qigong meditation and the starting point to work with my feelings!

Thank you Scotty!

 

But also thank you everybody: every person is different and has different experiences, what works for someone, doesn't for someone else.

 

Breath&peace

[Aetherous]

Wow, I'm glad it worked.

[Encephalon]

Congratulations, man! Tobacco is a ferocious weed. It doesn't even have any medicinal qualities. Giving up addictions is right up there with the noblest of achievements.

 

So, what's the story with marijuana? Are you still imbibing? The ancient Chinese used it but it ultimately fell out of favor with the Taoists because it introduces so much distortion. There's no denying that it can relax you, and "Relax! Relax! Relax!" is the advice we get for getting in touch with our chi, but there is ultimately a point where you can't go without it (and this is profoundly disappointing, given that MJ is so frigging fun!!)

[buscon]

Congratulations, man! Tobacco is a ferocious weed. It doesn't even have any medicinal qualities. Giving up addictions is right up there with the noblest of achievements.

 

thanks, I was surprised too.

When you learn to "redirect" your energy it's really great

 

So, what's the story with marijuana? Are you still imbibing? The ancient Chinese used it but it ultimately fell out of favor with the Taoists because it introduces so much distortion. There's no denying that it can relax you, and "Relax! Relax! Relax!" is the advice we get for getting in touch with our chi, but there is ultimately a point where you can't go without it (and this is profoundly disappointing, given that MJ is so frigging fun!!)

 

I give up at the same time with marijuana too, I was addicted as with tobacco - every day, many joints.

 

The first two weeks I slept very little, but I went ahead doing a lot of qigong and kung fu for burning the surplus energy and balance this unbalanced desire.

Actually I just practiced actionless-action, watching my feelings and my desire everytime I wanted to smoke a sigarette or a joint - I've just noticed that I didn't really want to do that; on the contrary I noticed it was just a way to hide what I really wanted, to destroy some energy because you don't know (stress, socially relationship) or don't want to deal (bad feelings) with it.

 

I'm actually far way more relaxed and my mind is clearer since I don't smoke.

I hope this post can be helpful for anybody that wants to give up smoking.

 

The most important thing is to do it consciounsly: if you wanna smoke it, do it, but do it with awarness.

[funkytortoise]

marijuana isn't NEARLY as addicting as tobacco or even caffeine. it's not even physically addictive. for instance, i love smoking weed, and did so about once or twice a day for three years. i only did it with my friends or because i was bored. but i quit like presto because i want to get a job. with weed, it really is completely in your head.

 

nicotine- i've been smoking cigs for over a year. i've quit several times. i'm quitting again today because i'm all out and going broke. things that help get over it are establishing distractions and drinking tea. i'm definitely going to try that energy transformation trick. but with any method of quitting, it comes down to whether or not you actually want to quit. i don't. i enjoy the taste of my all natural cigarettes and i'll probably buy a pack eventually.

[buscon]

marijuana isn't NEARLY as addicting as tobacco or even caffeine. it's not even physically addictive. for instance, i love smoking weed, and did so about once or twice a day for three years. i only did it with my friends or because i was bored. but i quit like presto because i want to get a job. with weed, it really is completely in your head.

 

for me was quite the same as tobacco:

- actually I use to smoke hashish mixed with tobacco

- I smoked with friends and alone, both were important to me

 

nicotine- i've been smoking cigs for over a year. i've quit several times. i'm quitting again today because i'm all out and going broke. things that help get over it are establishing distractions and drinking tea. i'm definitely going to try that energy transformation trick. but with any method of quitting, it comes down to whether or not you actually want to quit. i don't. i enjoy the taste of my all natural cigarettes and i'll probably buy a pack eventually.

 

I don't know how much are you into qigong, but if you learn a little about using you energy in a different way should not be that difficult.

Anyway, the first step is being conscious about smoking:

- every time that you want to smoke, just do it, don't feel guilty or stuff like that, it's your own choice, do it and enjoy

- at the same time stay aware of what are you doing, the effects of the tobacco, the feelings that you have with other people

- sometimes try not to smoke, and go deep into your addiction-desire

- when you feel ready, just stop it: do more physical activity and regulary some meditation for balancing your tobacco desire

 

That's it, hope it helps!

[Encephalon]

marijuana isn't NEARLY as addicting as tobacco or even caffeine. it's not even physically addictive. for instance, i love smoking weed, and did so about once or twice a day for three years. i only did it with my friends or because i was bored. but i quit like presto because i want to get a job. with weed, it really is completely in your head.

 

Within the substance abuse and recovery community, this is one of the scariest lines ever expressed. Boredom can be positively deadly to someone struggling with addiction, but it is rarely given the attention it deserves.

 

"Why did you start drinking again? What went wrong?"

 

"Nothing. I was just bored."

 

Confronting the enormity of being alive, with all its pain, suffering, discouragement, setbacks, etc., is a tall order in the beginning, but people often rationalize their backsliding due to boredom, as if it is a state of mind that should not be confronted with the same existential gusto that we bring to all other states of mind. Boredom is slippery, but it can also be licked with a contemplative life.

 

That being said, I still love MJ, and wish to hell that I could smoke it with impunity, but I can't. Although, when I'm 70 (in 20 years) and The System has crashed, I'll be using it, along with my rocking chair, probably daily if my osteoarthritis becomes too much to handle.