I think I'm smoking counterfeit cigarettes - Page 5

kerosene · 05-25-2005, 08:56 AM

Thats a pretty neat idea, Stace, but the nicotine addiction is never much of an issue for me. I can try like hell to quit, and do it for a couple of months, then all of a sudden, I want a cigarette...and then I still want a cigarette, until it is nagging me night and day....eventually, due to weak will, stress or whatever excuse I want to use, I give in. As soon as I do, I am done for. It's a good thing I never tried heroin. I was hooked on smoking after my first cigarette. I can't count how many times I have quit.

staceyv · 05-25-2005, 09:06 AM

oh. Yeah, I guess everyone's addiction is different and different people need different methods of quitting...

For me, it's the drug. I crave it. My mouth starts feeling funny, my stomach feels like it has ants in it, I feel agitated and anxious, I feel stressed out- like something terrible just happened to me- but the only thing that happened is I went too long without a cigarette.
Within 1 minute of lighting up, I feel calmer, relaxed and less stressed out. My blood pressure seems to drop and I feel like I just had a massage.

For me, it's purely physical. I'm not sure how I'd go about it was very psychological...Maybe you'd be a great candidate for hypnotherapy!!

mrnoodle · 05-25-2005, 09:26 AM

our sometimes-bassist is an ex-three pack a day smoker having been on the road with one band or another since the age of 14. He said something kind of illuminating the other day. When someone comes up to you and asks for a cigarette, observe their reaction. They're obviously jonesing, but as soon as you say "yah, I have one" their eyes light up and they are immediately calmer. Just knowing they were going to have one answered their fix, not the actual smoking itself. It might not be totally accurate, but I see his point.

staceyv · 05-25-2005, 10:23 AM

If someone chopped your arm off with an axe, you went to the hospital and the doctor showed you a syringe with morphine, wouldn't you feel calmer?
Would your arm still hurt before he injected you?

mrnoodle · 05-25-2005, 10:36 AM

no, i wouldn't feel calmer. I just had my arm chopped off with an axe. a cigarette might help though.

Brett's Honey · 05-31-2005, 04:35 PM

Stacyv, I don’t know how you’re paying for your online cigarettes, but I just read this – “A coalition of credit card companies, along with state attorney generals, and the ATF are working together to eliminate the illegal sale of tobacco products online. Virtually all credit card companies will stop participating with websites that sell cigarettes and tobacco products.” It goes on to say that besides cutting trade for traditional business operators, the website tobacco sales also avoids sales tax for states and localities and provides a way for underage consumers to obtain the products. So there may not be a decision whether or not to buy cigarettes online soon….

LCanal · 05-31-2005, 07:30 PM

That won't happen unless the credit companies (big business) want's to lose money. But you see the thin end of the wedge here. If there is no cash and everthing is done with "credits" some of us will increasingly be drones. I love cash, do everything with it or bank transfer. About the only thing one can't do with it is rent a car.
Big Brother may not be watching but he is increasingly sneeking a peek.

Dagney · 05-31-2005, 08:36 PM

I heard on the radio a few weeks back that here in PA, people are getting bills for the taxes they SHOULD have paid for the ciggies they bought online. It is legal for the gub'mint to request records of who bought what, extrapolate out the tax bill, and then send you a request for funds that may just make you mess yourself. (The bill I heard about was 32K....that's a LOT of smokes!)

So, companies may want to make money, but the gub'mint is going to get what they 'think' is theirs.

wolf · 06-01-2005, 12:32 AM

I heard that NY started that ... because of the amount of tax revenues they're losing over selling smokes at $7 a pack or something like that.

Troubleshooter · 06-01-2005, 08:36 AM

What about out of country purchases? Think They will get you for those as well?

staceyv · 06-01-2005, 08:40 AM

The website I bought them from claims to not keep any records at all of my purchases, and complete privacy.

I'm planning on switching to a website that sells cigarettes made in the U.S. (for about double the price), but I want to quit in about 6 months....
Even if they find records of those purchases, I'd be able to afford the taxes...

mrnoodle · 06-27-2005, 09:53 AM

So, I've been thinking about walking away from cigarettes for some time now. As with all my other addictions, it started out as an occasional thing and quickly became a necessary part of my everyday life. Anyhoo, I'm tired of them (and a little masochistic), so I smoked my last one yesterday at about noon.

Current mood: okay, except for the nervous tic in my right leg, the pounding behind my eyeballs, the stuffy head (I thought that was supposed to go away), the getting up every half hour to go buy a pack (thank God I'm broke till Friday), and the weird light sensitivity.

As soon as the physical symptoms go away, I'll start microanalyzing the psychological impact. I know you can't wait.

wolf · 06-27-2005, 10:39 AM

I'm toying with the idea of doing this, and the fact that Plastic Forks XXIV is now behind me makes this more doable.

Hell, I actually even smoked only one pack at forks this year, which is UNBELIEVABLE.

Forks, being a two day event, with day one comprised mainly of alcohol consumption typically means 2-4 packs are about right for getting me through. I was prepared for a lot more than that, but brought 'em all home.

Because there is such a close tie between smoking and stress relief at work, I have to come up with some strategy that will make up for not going out on the porch to smoke ... what some of you might not be familiar with is that going onto the porch to smoke is the only break that I get in my dept ... no lunch, no coffee breaks, no nuthin'. There is probably something in labor law that says my employer can't do this, but this is just the way things are.

I've been thinking about doing something like taking my flute with me, and going out on the porch to play for the five mintes I would otherwise have been spending smoking ... and as a bonus, it's an activity that would still feed my oral fixation, right?

And no ... I am NOT going to do that for any of my coworkers rather than smoking. Shut down that thought process right there.

dar512 · 06-27-2005, 11:01 AM

You can always try the Kojak tootsie-roll pop thing. Might take the same amount of time too.

wolf · 06-27-2005, 11:06 AM

Yeah, but that doesn't get me the all important out of the office time ...

Last time I quit (for about two years) I used chewing gum, just plain old Wrigleys, but in all the flavors, so the chewing gum wrapper chain I made looked really cool.

05-25-2005, 09:26 AM	#63
mrnoodle bent Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: under the weather Posts: 2,656	our sometimes-bassist is an ex-three pack a day smoker having been on the road with one band or another since the age of 14. He said something kind of illuminating the other day. When someone comes up to you and asks for a cigarette, observe their reaction. They're obviously jonesing, but as soon as you say "yah, I have one" their eyes light up and they are immediately calmer. Just knowing they were going to have one answered their fix, not the actual smoking itself. It might not be totally accurate, but I see his point. __________________ Sìn a nall na cuaranan sin. -- Cha mhór is fheairrde thu iad, tha iad coltach ri cat air a dhathadh

05-25-2005, 10:36 AM	#65
mrnoodle bent Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: under the weather Posts: 2,656	no, i wouldn't feel calmer. I just had my arm chopped off with an axe. a cigarette might help though. __________________ Sìn a nall na cuaranan sin. -- Cha mhór is fheairrde thu iad, tha iad coltach ri cat air a dhathadh

05-31-2005, 07:30 PM	#67
LCanal I hope to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sumatra Posts: 257	That won't happen unless the credit companies (big business) want's to lose money. But you see the thin end of the wedge here. If there is no cash and everthing is done with "credits" some of us will increasingly be drones. I love cash, do everything with it or bank transfer. About the only thing one can't do with it is rent a car. Big Brother may not be watching but he is increasingly sneeking a peek. __________________ "Happiness is like sex. In order to get any good out of it, you have to give it to someone else."

05-31-2005, 08:36 PM	#68
Dagney The Prodigal Brat Returneth Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: North Cackalacky Posts: 1,107	I heard on the radio a few weeks back that here in PA, people are getting bills for the taxes they SHOULD have paid for the ciggies they bought online. It is legal for the gub'mint to request records of who bought what, extrapolate out the tax bill, and then send you a request for funds that may just make you mess yourself. (The bill I heard about was 32K....that's a LOT of smokes!) So, companies may want to make money, but the gub'mint is going to get what they 'think' is theirs. __________________ The Constitution gives every American the right to make a total fool out of himself. But that doesn't mean you need to.

06-01-2005, 12:32 AM	#69
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I heard that NY started that ... because of the amount of tax revenues they're losing over selling smokes at $7 a pack or something like that. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

05-25-2005, 08:56 AM	#61
kerosene Touring the facilities Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The plains of Colorado Posts: 3,476	Thats a pretty neat idea, Stace, but the nicotine addiction is never much of an issue for me. I can try like hell to quit, and do it for a couple of months, then all of a sudden, I want a cigarette...and then I still want a cigarette, until it is nagging me night and day....eventually, due to weak will, stress or whatever excuse I want to use, I give in. As soon as I do, I am done for. It's a good thing I never tried heroin. I was hooked on smoking after my first cigarette. I can't count how many times I have quit.

05-25-2005, 09:06 AM	#62
staceyv Lecturer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 927	oh. Yeah, I guess everyone's addiction is different and different people need different methods of quitting... For me, it's the drug. I crave it. My mouth starts feeling funny, my stomach feels like it has ants in it, I feel agitated and anxious, I feel stressed out- like something terrible just happened to me- but the only thing that happened is I went too long without a cigarette. Within 1 minute of lighting up, I feel calmer, relaxed and less stressed out. My blood pressure seems to drop and I feel like I just had a massage. For me, it's purely physical. I'm not sure how I'd go about it was very psychological...Maybe you'd be a great candidate for hypnotherapy!!

05-25-2005, 10:23 AM	#64
staceyv Lecturer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 927	If someone chopped your arm off with an axe, you went to the hospital and the doctor showed you a syringe with morphine, wouldn't you feel calmer? Would your arm still hurt before he injected you?

05-31-2005, 04:35 PM	#66
Brett's Honey whatever Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 308	Stacyv, I don’t know how you’re paying for your online cigarettes, but I just read this – “A coalition of credit card companies, along with state attorney generals, and the ATF are working together to eliminate the illegal sale of tobacco products online. Virtually all credit card companies will stop participating with websites that sell cigarettes and tobacco products.” It goes on to say that besides cutting trade for traditional business operators, the website tobacco sales also avoids sales tax for states and localities and provides a way for underage consumers to obtain the products. So there may not be a decision whether or not to buy cigarettes online soon….

06-01-2005, 08:36 AM	#70
Troubleshooter The urban Jane Goodall Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 3,012	What about out of country purchases? Think They will get you for those as well? __________________ I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle

06-01-2005, 08:40 AM	#71
staceyv Lecturer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 927	The website I bought them from claims to not keep any records at all of my purchases, and complete privacy. I'm planning on switching to a website that sells cigarettes made in the U.S. (for about double the price), but I want to quit in about 6 months.... Even if they find records of those purchases, I'd be able to afford the taxes...

06-27-2005, 09:53 AM	#72
mrnoodle bent Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: under the weather Posts: 2,656	Cold Turkey, Day 1 So, I've been thinking about walking away from cigarettes for some time now. As with all my other addictions, it started out as an occasional thing and quickly became a necessary part of my everyday life. Anyhoo, I'm tired of them (and a little masochistic), so I smoked my last one yesterday at about noon. Current mood: okay, except for the nervous tic in my right leg, the pounding behind my eyeballs, the stuffy head (I thought that was supposed to go away), the getting up every half hour to go buy a pack (thank God I'm broke till Friday), and the weird light sensitivity. As soon as the physical symptoms go away, I'll start microanalyzing the psychological impact. I know you can't wait. __________________ Sìn a nall na cuaranan sin. -- Cha mhór is fheairrde thu iad, tha iad coltach ri cat air a dhathadh

06-27-2005, 10:39 AM	#73
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I'm toying with the idea of doing this, and the fact that Plastic Forks XXIV is now behind me makes this more doable. Hell, I actually even smoked only one pack at forks this year, which is UNBELIEVABLE. Forks, being a two day event, with day one comprised mainly of alcohol consumption typically means 2-4 packs are about right for getting me through. I was prepared for a lot more than that, but brought 'em all home. Because there is such a close tie between smoking and stress relief at work, I have to come up with some strategy that will make up for not going out on the porch to smoke ... what some of you might not be familiar with is that going onto the porch to smoke is the only break that I get in my dept ... no lunch, no coffee breaks, no nuthin'. There is probably something in labor law that says my employer can't do this, but this is just the way things are. I've been thinking about doing something like taking my flute with me, and going out on the porch to play for the five mintes I would otherwise have been spending smoking ... and as a bonus, it's an activity that would still feed my oral fixation, right? And no ... I am NOT going to do that for any of my coworkers rather than smoking. Shut down that thought process right there. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

06-27-2005, 11:01 AM	#74
dar512 dar512 is now Pete Zicato Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago suburb Posts: 4,968	You can always try the Kojak tootsie-roll pop thing. Might take the same amount of time too. __________________ "Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." -- Friedrich Schiller

06-27-2005, 11:06 AM	#75
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Yeah, but that doesn't get me the all important out of the office time ... Last time I quit (for about two years) I used chewing gum, just plain old Wrigleys, but in all the flavors, so the chewing gum wrapper chain I made looked really cool. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

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