Just a-wondering…how many of you smoke/used to smoke? Er..because I used too, and when I decided to get serious about the whistle thing, it got into my head that I needed my lungs back. So, quit one addiction to take up another.
I smoke. Have tried to quit several times, using a variety of “stop smoking” aids (including Zyban) with no luck, so more power to you for being able to kick the habit.
Redwolf
I smoked for 22 years – finally quit with hypnotherapy and a great deal of will power.
I’ve heard acupuncture is also helpful, but I think the important thing is the will.
[ This Message was edited by: douga on 2002-07-28 10:30 ]
I quit 23 years ago! While “massively” pregnant with my #2 child I got bronchitis and coughed so hard that I threw up
and I never touched another one. I started smoking in 8th grade and smoked for about 10 years. My father passed away from lung cancer 5 years ago and now I have this ominous feeling that down the road I may have that happen to me. Maybe with all this whistle blowing I can reverse some of the damage that cigarettes did to me. A friend of mine who smoked heavy just had 1/3 of her lung removed last week so take heed and QUIT while you still have lungs to breath with! You can do it!
My family doesn’t smoke but my mom had to have part of her lungs removed owing to a different medical problem, and trust me, it is NOT something you want to have happen to you!
Unfortunately, my future brother-in-law picked up smoking this year, and isn’t really listening to us… 
I just wonder how anyone can afford to buy them anymore! Just think of all the high end whistles you could buy with that money!
The only way that ever worked for me was willpower (perhaps aka stubbornness?). Someone mentioned acupuncture – I tried it. Didn’t help me quit smoking but I did find it relaxing. Last time I quit was over 20 years ago. I decided to make it the final time (it must have been at least my 3rd) bc quitting was a pain in the butt and I didn’t want to have to do it again 
.
I watched my brother die from lung cancer, which cured me of any desire to ever consider smoking again. He couldn’t quit for his entire life – until the day he was diagnosed. He quit cold that day, but it was too late. He died within a year.
If you smoke, quit. I think I can guarantee that whatever hell you go through in the process won’t touch the hell of lung cancer.
(Sorry for the soapbox – I just don’t want to see anyone else ever go through what my brother and my family did.)
Tery
Thanks for bringing up this topic!
I smoked in my wild youth enough to understand the habit. Fortunately I quit before my thirties. All smokeable substances!
My mate quit when we were first dating because I have severe sensitivity to tobacco smoke. I get a headache even from the smell on someone’s clothes. I think this happens to lots of people once they quit smoking themselves. He wasn’t successful without help. He was able to quit right away with the nicorette gum, and then he was able to quit the gum within six months. He still has a candy and soda habit, though.
Last week my music group played for open mic in a very smokey bar. They’ve since booked us for their next St. Paddy’s Day party. The stage was well enough ventilated, but I stupidly hung out before and after we played and was treated to a delicious double migraine attack on the way home. (Fortunately campfire smoke doesn’t do this to me.)
Anyway, those Chiffers who smoke, please look for help on the net. If you really want to quit you will find a way.
Lisa
Never smoked, but I have used my whistle to help deep breathe to treat anxiety/panic and other nervous conditions related to being a high-stress sort of person.
On 2002-07-28 12:20, chattiekathy wrote:
I just wonder how anyone can afford to buy them anymore! Just think of all the high end whistles you could buy with that money!
I think you said this humorously, but…
When I quit smoking, my wife told me that I should take the money I normally spent on cigarettes during the week and buy records with it.
I used to be a three-pack-a-day smoker; I now have a huge record collection. Think about it.
Quitting is easy. I have a friend who has quit more than a fifty times, so it MUST be easy.
That was Mark Twain: ‘Quitting smoking
is easy. I’ve done it a hundred times.’
One thing that might help one quit is
becoming a serious runner or a swimmer–someone
who does a whole lot of aerobic activity.
One tends to want to smoke less.
OK,
I’ll Take the bait,
Smoking, My two cents worth,I believe that if you want to pack up smoking, you just do it yourself without any fancy pills or patches, only you can do it,
I kicked the Habit twenty years ago, and boy was I hooked, if I had no money to buy them
I picked up the buts in the street,broke them up and re rolled them, so kick the habit along with all the excuses.
Barry, D Squeaker
I used to smoke until it was interfering with whislte playing, and I can’t do both so I quit, but I don’t dare go out where anybody is smoking!
I don’t, but a great deal of my friends smoke, and yuck chew tobacco (I live in the southeast, you know).
I honestly don’t know how anybody can afford the junk, it’s so expensive now. Good grief. If you want to quit, just add up how much money you spend in a year on the crap, I guarantee you you’ll faint…
Will power is good. More power to will power. However, sometimes it seems to need to be backed up by a great deal of fear. I quit over 30 years ago.
Steve
On 2002-07-28 10:20, Redwolf wrote:
I smoke. Have tried to quit several times…
Please don’t anybody ever give up on quitting! It took me many many “practice” attempts before I kicked a 10+ year habit (that was about 18 years ago). I used to joke, “Quitting is easy. I’ve done it lots of times!” Keep up on the effort to stop and don’t feel beaten down if you fail. Psych yourself up to try again!
-David
As a side issue on the smoking thing, and as Lisa has touched on, I don’t smoke, but playing whistle or flute in a smoky pub is nearly as bad. Roy Castle died from lung cancer a few years back, having never smoked in his life. But he used to play the trumpet is smoky jazz bars.
Has anyone who plays in sessions ever had to quit playing or move to a different venue because of the smoke, or any singers ditto? I am a bit of a bugbear about “social” smokers, as they ruin the air for everyone, and not just their own lungs.
I used to smoke. Started when I was about 15 and smoked for about 14 years. Someone mentioned the cost factor to me once, and I joked that when cigarettes doubled in price (from about $1.50/pack to $3.00/pack) I’d quit.
They did that about 4 years ago..and I remembered my joking promise. I quit…I’ve never bought a $3.00 pack of cigs. It wasn’t the first time I’d tried, but it was the first time I made it past 2 months. I used the patch, which took a small bit of the edge off. I smoked a pipe four or five times after quitting, but I’ve been totally smoke free for 3.5 years now. I smoked between 1.5-2 packs a day.
Quitting has made a big difference in my playing. It didn’t take very long (a few months) for the wheezing and morning coughing spells to go away. I certainly don’t miss it.
Has anyone who plays in sessions ever had to quit playing or move to a different venue because of the smoke, or any singers ditto?
No one has smoked in the sessions I’ve been to but if they did, I would have to leave. I can’t breathe around it and get a terrible headache.