ex-smokers: any advice to stop smoking???

[PremiumG]

I can't seem to quit.. Its just so easy to pick one up when I'm at work and stressed out, or when I'm in a social situation. The patches are like $40-$50 at Walgreens!! Do they really work?

 

[RelaxTheMind]

buy the patches on like ebay or somehting. much cheaper.

stop cold turkey and about a week later start using the patches.

just did this... my last cig was christmas day 2004. i went through hell (shakes, mood swings, insomnia, flu like withdrawal symptoms...etc)

i feel like a new person. on occasion i smoke a cigar. NEVER smoke another cigarette.

 

[SagaLore]

Just stop.

Thinking about it, and waiting "for the right time" just makes it harder.

 

[n7]

Good luck stopping.

I never smoked; & don't plan to.

 

[shilala]

It was easy to quit smoking because I always chewed snuff. I could apply patches to every square inch of my body and not be able to quit chewing snuff.
Good Luck man, it's a bitch.

 

[Ausm]

I flushed my Last pack of cigs down the toilet April 3,2004 and I am still smoke free. For years I kept telling myself to quit finally I got the balls to do it. I used the Smoke-a-way plan and it worked for me. Patches seem to defeat the purpose of quitting smoking. I mean if you are trying to kick a nicotene addiction why the hell do you keep putting it in your body.

The hardest part for me is I enjoyed smoking but I had to face the facts that it was slowly killing me too.

Everyday it gets easier but I still think about it sometimes. I vowed to myself to never smoke a cig again because I know I would fall off the wagon if I did.

Good Luck,

Ausm

 

[rayray2]

I was a smoker for 15 years and finally made up my mind to quit about 3 years ago. Haven't smoked a cigarette since 01/17/02.

What really helped me a lot was reading this page and this page whenever I'd get an urge to smoke. Good luck!

EDIT: Looks like you have to register to view the Wall of Remembrance now. I highly recommend doing it though! It will definitely help you get through the cravings..

 

[psiu]

Originally posted by: Ausm
I flushed my Last pack of cigs down the toilet April 3,2004 and I am still smoke free. For years I kept telling myself to quit finally I got the balls to do it. I used the Smoke-a-way plan and it worked for me. Patches seem to defeat the purpose of quitting smoking. I mean if you are trying to kick a nicotene addiction why the hell do you keep putting it in your body.

The hardest part for me is I enjoyed smoking but I had to face the facts that it was slowly killing me too.

Everyday it gets easier but I still think about it sometimes. I vowed to myself to never smoke a cig again because I know I would fall off the wagon if I did.

Good Luck,

Ausm

Hey you quit 2 days before me!

To the OP, what he says is true. Basically, you have to make that decision to quit and you have to really mean it too, not just be doing it "because you should" or because other people want you to.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

Different people might use different methods, the ones mentioned so far in this thread sound pretty good. I ended up "quitting" a few times before it was final. Once was during/right after having a bad cold, because it was horrible to smoke then anyway. Another time I used the nicorette gum, that went pretty well. The last time it was just cold turkey. But, I did something a little different. Instead of focusing on my long-term deprivation, I would just set short goals like 5 minutes, the rest of the day, the rest of the week, whatever. It definitely gets easier with the passage of time.

You can also do some physical things to help, like some aerobic type exericse, drink a lot of fluids, etc.

 

[ScrewFace]

This is the thread I've been looking for. I smoke 2 packs a day at $9.60 a pack! I'm on a piddly disability pension and cannot afford to smoke anymore. I've failed the last 3 days but I'm going to go even longer without a smoke staring tomorrow. You can count on it.🙂

 

[Nohr]

I've heard from a couple friends that have stopped smoking that sucking on candy helps keep your mind off it. Things like Starbursts, peppermints, Lifesavers, etc.

 

[NorthRiver]

Cinnamon gum works great. Quit 1 1/2 years ago after 14 years of smoking.

 

[myusername]

For me, very little of the smoking habit is about the nicotine - it's more to do with instant escapism (taking a cigarette break is less about feeding a nicotine craving than about taking a break) or giving me something to do with my hands - If I'm not smoking and have a glass in my hand, I will be constantly taking drinks from it because it gives my hands something to do - which is probably an anxiety issue. The nicotine hit is stress-relieving (the harder stressed you are, the harder you suck on the cig), so I don't see how a controlled-release method such as a patch would do much except curb nausea in anyone who is prone to withdrawal symptoms. While I have had a couple irritable days right after quitting, I've never had any withdrawal symptoms on any of the occasions I've quit.

I would personally recommend trying Zyban, as it makes the actual final decision "this is my last cigarette" easier to make.
For example, when I quit smoking a year ago, I took the zyban for a week, decided "tomorrow I quit", and I did, even with an open pack of cigarettes within reach of my computer for 6 months. It worked similarly the 3 other times I quit using it ...

This most recent time (last cigarette on 03-04-05) I did not use zyban ...
It took me about 4 months of "I quit now .. no wait .. I'll quit tomorrow .. no - this weekend ...) to finally force myself to quit this time, and I had to make sure I did not have any cigarettes in the house.

Just writing this makes me want a cigarette. I think this is the 6th time I've quit*

Anyway, a couple things that you might find helpful
- stay very hydrated with water (not soda or alc), peeing every 20 minutes if you have to. thirst causes cig craving.
- quit overnight. have your last cig before you go to bed and then do not smoke any on the actual quitting day. Also, personally, I find that sleeping as long and fully as possible will reduce cravings on awakening (so you don't feel like you need one to "wake up")
- avoid greasy/salty/sweet foods and keep your teeth brushed.

*Edit: and be aware that you will never ever be able to "just have one, this one time" 😀

 

[Kibbo]

Where do you work? Are you allowed to smoke there? If so, stay out of the smoking areas. If not, don't go outside with the rest of 'em. If you work in a restaurant or a bar where people can smoke, well, I've been there, and I wasn't able to do it then.

Go out less. Especially for the first three or four weeks. Untill those base cravings go away, you will not be able to control yourself when out. If you can't not go out for a month, you are not ready to quit. I've been there, and I wasn't able to quit.

When you get through the first month, watch for the next waves of addiction. I went through hell 4 months later, seemingly for no reason. About 14 months after quitting, I went through some personal stuff, and bought a pack while drunk. I was hooked again after that. Be watchful even after you feel you've "quit."

Good luck.

And remember, it only hurts for awhile.

Edit: My withdrawl symptoms included a lot of irritibility, fatigue (slept for 16 hours a day), constant stupidity (lack of ability to concentrate, even to pronounce simple words in conversation) a lot of nervous eating and drinking pop (I gained 10 pounds, don't use Cram Soda as a replacement), and periodic cravings that almost hurt. Those come in waves though.

In short, you will go through hell for 3 weeks. But it goes away, and afterwards it doesn't seem too bad.

Good luck.

 

[myusername]

Originally posted by: Kibbo
About 14 months after quitting, I went through some personal stuff, and bought a pack while drunk. I was hooked after that.

so did you quit again or you still smoke?

 

[Kibbo]

Originally posted by: myusername

Originally posted by: Kibbo
About 14 months after quitting, I went through some personal stuff, and bought a pack while drunk. I was hooked after that.

so did you quit again or you still smoke?

I've been on and off now for a month. For some reason it's easier to go without them now, no real withdrawl apart from cravings and irritibility. But that almost makes it so that I have less motivation to keep away from them socially.

I'm currently one of those people who gets fed smokes when he's out. It's better than being full-scale addicted, I guess, but I'd rather not do it at all.

 

[RelaxTheMind]

the habit itself was the other obstacle.... I would always chew the crap out of straws or toothpics. helped me though. I do agree.... waiting for the right time was a waste of time. the right time is ASAP.

nice to know i wasnt the only one that had REAL withdrawal symptoms... as for me im still losing my withdrawal weight. last november i weighed about ~175... i quit in last december and as of today im up to ~193lbs...

yay!

 

[loic2003]

I set a date (New Year's eve) and then I stopped.

Taking up exercise relieves the tension built up from the cravings. Going out and having a few drinks is the hardest time to be giving up. I find after a few more drinks the temptation goes.

Remember, all you have to do is do nothing in order to give up smoking. Once you've given up for a couple of weeks you won't want to smoke as you'll have gotten so far!