Quitting smoking is a lot harder than I thought

2Xtreme21

Diamond Member
Jun 13, 2004
7,045
0
0
So I haven't been smoking too long. I picked it up when I was in France over the summer due to major issues going on with a girlfriend back home and simply because whenever I'd go out I'd bum cigs from friends. It then turned into me just buying a pack to go out with, but I don't know, I just got the urge to smoke them when I wasn't out... living with a French family that smoked like chimneys didn't help things either.

Bottom line is, I was retarded, and I've realized that it's incredibly stupid to smoke, as I've always thought. My chest is starting to hurt and I've noticed a lot of constant mucus build up in my throat, so I'm committing myself to stop. So far today I've went without one, but I don't know if I'll be able to make it the whole day. Tips for coping? :(
 

krunchykrome

Lifer
Dec 28, 2003
13,413
1
0
I smoked for 2.5 years and I quit cold tukey. The hardest part about quitting for me was that whenever I had a few drinks, I wanted a cigarette.
 

PepePeru

Diamond Member
Jul 21, 2005
3,846
0
0
if you want to quit, you will.
its only temporary.
it just takes some willpower.
i quit cold turkey after smoking for 8 years.
 

Kyle

Diamond Member
Oct 14, 1999
4,145
11
91
keep yourself busy - come up with things that you've wanted to get done for a while and do them...most urges will last 5 mins or less, so when you get one, immediatly go do something else to distract yourself. Substitutions also usually work - gum/straw/hard candies/sunflower seeds etc.
 

ThePresence

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
27,730
16
81
I stopped cold turkey after 10 years of a pack a day.
You need something to motivate you other than just thinking you want to stop.
It's gotta come from deep inside you, you need a real commitment.

When I stopped I made it a point to go to all my smoking buddies and tell them I stopped.
I told everyone I knew that I stopped.
This way if they saw me smoking I'd feel like a loser.
It really helped.

Some people will tell you to avoid the friends and places you used to smoke at.
I disagree strongly.
My first stop when I stopped was to the bar I used to hang at.
I didn't smoke. It was hard. But once I got over that I never had to avoid it anymore, because I was there already without smoking.
 

Auggie

Golden Member
Jul 18, 2003
1,379
0
0
I'm also trying to quit. Grrr... such a hard habit, but it is just a mind-game. If you REALLY want to stop, you will. All of my friends as well as my family who have smoked say the same thing.
 

Joemonkey

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2001
8,862
2
0
I recently quit, my reasoning was my daughter having issues coughing a lot. Wife and I thought smoke on our clothes and/or in our car (never smoked in the house) surely didn't help, so didn't take much effort when you have a reason like that.
 

WaTaGuMp

Lifer
May 10, 2001
21,207
2,506
126
Originally posted by: G Wizard
if you want to quit, you will.
its only temporary.
it just takes some willpower.
i quit cold turkey after smoking for 8 years.

Same here, but I smoked longer then 8 years, after a while you realise that not smelling and tasting like an ash tray is a really good thing.
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,989
10
81
Every time you crave a cigarette, punch a wall really hard. If you can't do it, then you don't really want to stop.
 
Oct 25, 2006
11,036
11
91
Originally posted by: Howard
Every time you crave a cigarette, punch a wall really hard. If you can't do it, then you don't really want to stop.

I call for this, Associative Learning.

Everytime you think of a smoke, do something painful
 

ManyBeers

Platinum Member
Aug 30, 2004
2,519
1
81
Originally posted by: Kyle
keep yourself busy - come up with things that you've wanted to get done for a while and do them...most urges will last 5 mins or less, so when you get one, immediatly go do something else to distract yourself. Substitutions also usually work - gum/straw/hard candies/sunflower seeds etc.

In my experience and many other smokers i personally have known and discussed this very topic with there is no effective substitute for a cigarette. That is one of the reasons they are exceedingly difficult to quit for most people.
 

xanis

Lifer
Sep 11, 2005
17,571
8
0
Find something else to chew/suck on to keep your mind off of the cigarettes. When my grandpa quit he started eating tons of Tic-Tacs. He eats A LOT of them, but it's sure as hell healthier (and cheaper) than smoking.
 

ManyBeers

Platinum Member
Aug 30, 2004
2,519
1
81
Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
So I haven't been smoking too long. I picked it up when I was in France over the summer due to major issues going on with a girlfriend back home and simply because whenever I'd go out I'd bum cigs from friends. It then turned into me just buying a pack to go out with, but I don't know, I just got the urge to smoke them when I wasn't out... living with a French family that smoked like chimneys didn't help things either.

Bottom line is, I was retarded, and I've realized that it's incredibly stupid to smoke, as I've always thought. My chest is starting to hurt and I've noticed a lot of constant mucus build up in my throat, so I'm committing myself to stop. So far today I've went without one, but I don't know if I'll be able to make it the whole day. Tips for coping? :(

It's a fight,you will either win or you will lose. It's your choice. There is no "easy" way.
 

PliotronX

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 1999
8,883
107
106
You first have to truly want to quit. It seems easy enough on the surface but you have to realize there is a mental and physical component to the addiction. The patch program works great for focusing on the mental part while the physical is taken care of by a constant and consistently smaller supply of nicotine. I could not do it cold turkey, but the patch worked great seven years ago. Weight lifting, calisthetics, and aerobics helped with keeping the extra weight off :D Also solved some insomnia.
 

Kyle

Diamond Member
Oct 14, 1999
4,145
11
91
Originally posted by: ManyBeers
Originally posted by: Kyle
keep yourself busy - come up with things that you've wanted to get done for a while and do them...most urges will last 5 mins or less, so when you get one, immediatly go do something else to distract yourself. Substitutions also usually work - gum/straw/hard candies/sunflower seeds etc.

In my experience and many other smokers i personally have known and discussed this very topic with there is no effective substitute for a cigarette. That is one of the reasons they are exceedingly difficult to quit for most people.

Obviously it's not going to be as good as a cig.
Sub's will just take your mind off the fact that there is nothing in your mouth/hand.
Also - EVERYBODY's quitting process is different...That is the most important thing to realize - some people can just quit CT - some struggle for months. Some have more of an emotional attachment to the cigs, some it's just habit. I've talked to people who want nothing more than to Q but it throws them in to a deep depression to be without a cig. For some people it's like their best friend. Some people smoked all day most of their life - that's like telling someone to Q somehting that is really a part of their every day activities.
Bottom line - there is no secrect- it's just a matter of finding what works for you, keeping your motivation high, and fighting through it. Support helps, medication helps (nicotine replacement; Chantix, Bupropion etc), subs/coping skills MAY help - but really nothing is going to "take the place" or be a 100% effective sub for a cig.
BTW- I am an ex-smoker, and work for a Tobacco Cessation company - have helped thousands of people Q and everybodies quit is different - it effects everybody differently.