How did you quit smoking!?!?!

77Rumours77 · #1 03-09-2006, 01:55 AM

I am so upset with myself for ever starting this bad habbit up! I want to quit but I can't. How did you, if you smoked, quit. I need help!

Thanks
Jacob

gold_dustgypsy · #2 03-09-2006, 04:51 AM

Well, I've never smoked in my life... so I am almost definatly the wrong person to be giving you advice

But, have you tried the niccorette patches?

I hope someone here is of more help to you!

& props to you for giving it up!

elie · #3 03-09-2006, 05:26 AM

I am probably not the right person to answer that, because I started smoking again after having successfully quit for 3-4 months. But when I did quit, I did it by just literally stopping smoking. And I mean, I just suddenly didn't smoke anymore. I know it is not the easiest way, but it certainly is the best one. It doesn't help if you say "I will just smoke less and less till I come down to none", because if you smoke, let's say just 5 per day, you can easily go back to 6, 10 or a pack. You have to stop it completely.
Anyway, it also helps to think that the "physical" addiction to nicotine (as proved scientifically), goes away completely after a couple of months. I know lots of people who have quit and don't miss it anymore, because they really wanted to quit. The addiction is only in your head, if you really want to quit, then it's easy.
I say that from personal experience, because when I quit, I felt very happy and proud of myself and didn't miss it.(I started again because I was studying hard and I got anxious and I got stupid...

)
I 'd say that nicotine patches are not the best way, because they offer you, well, nicotine again, so that doesn't help so much with the physical thing. But they work when you just want to get used to not lighting up a cigarette.
GOOD LUCK! This post makes me want to quit myself!!

PS (sorry for the long post)
Some other tips that help
-Don't eat very spicy food (it makes you feel more like smoking after the meal)
-Whenever you feel like lighting a cigarette, wait for like 3 minutes before you do it. The urge to smoke goes away easily after a while. Do that every time, every day and it will eventually go away..

GypsySorcerer · #4 03-09-2006, 07:20 AM

I have never been a smoker, but I know several people who have stopped. I'm sure you can do it! Good luck!

jannieC · #5 03-09-2006, 07:45 AM

I quit almost 11 weeks ago after smoking for 20+ years. This wasn't my first attempt, but I think it's my final one! I was never able to quit for more than one week until now. Anyway, I did the patch for the first 2 weeks. I had planned to go the whole way with the patch (I think they suggest several months) but I really just wanted to get the nicotine out of my body. Jacob, I have no idea how old you are or how long you've smoked, but I can't encourage you enough to quit. I actually have about 20 nicotine patches that I would be happy to send to you if you felt like that was something you wanted to try. They're the strongest level though, (21mg) and you'd have to be a heavy smoker to start off with those.

Anyway, good luck to you and please feel free to PM me if you need some support or encouragement.

Patti · #6 03-09-2006, 08:19 AM

I quit a month (and three days) ago, after having smoked for around 30 years. I just stopped. No patches, no gum, no pills. It's my 4,504,564th attempt at quitting. I have tried everything, but the truth of the matter is you have to WANT to quit and you have to WANT to stay quit. It's the only thing that works.

One thing that did help me in the first week is the week before I quit, I smoked twice as much as I normally would have. I felt so rotten. My throat and lungs hurt and I STUNK badly of smoke. That first week I didn't really want to smoke. I get some pretty strong cravings still, but they are emotional cravings, not physical ones. The nicotine is out of my system and now it's all behavior modification.

I'd be happy to chat with you about this anytime. Good luck to you! And be strong!

TwistedGypsy · #7 03-09-2006, 08:36 AM

I got pregnant. So I don't think that method will work for you. I haven't had one except in my dreams since the night before the last Stevie show in August. I still want one but I know its not worth it especially now. I want to be here for my child for a very long time. Also another reason that keeps me from going back is watching my grandmother trying to catch her breath in between coughs. I've also had two uncles die from smoking. One thing I've realized is I don't want to be the cause of my death but man a Camel Light would be soooooooo good right now.

Good Luck! You can do it.
Brit

gldstwmn · #8 03-09-2006, 01:25 PM

I never started.

DavidMn · #9 03-09-2006, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 77Rumours77

I am so upset with myself for ever starting this bad habbit up! I want to quit but I can't. How did you, if you smoked, quit. I need help!

Thanks
Jacob

Jacob, I'll share this story with you. Maybe it will help. My mother smoked for almost 40 years until 2 years ago when doctors discovered a blood clot near her heart and lung and she almost died. They caught it just in time. SHe quit cold turkey right there and has never smoked since. Good luck to you.

Sorcerer386 · #10 03-09-2006, 02:32 PM

I'm in the same boat Jake, I really do need to quit. Just last Saturday I had way too many cigarettes, and by night I felt this heaviness in the left side of my chest which has yet to go away completely. Now I'm limiting (or at least TRYING to limit) my smoking to one every two hours. That way, I keep it around 7 or 8 a day (although I occasionally break and have one before two hours, so it's around 9-10 a day). But, my first real scare came when I tried to sing This Love by Maroon 5 at karaoke, and I couldn't make it through the whole song because I ran out of breath (plus, that Adam Levine sings WAY too high). Still, I have no idea how to just wake up and say, "I'm not smoking anymore." I mean, I know how to SAY it, as I do every morning, but I'm going nuts about an hour after I'm awake and smoke one.

If anyone has any good tips on "problem areas" for smoking, I'd appreciate them. I'm sure you know what I mean...those certain places where you are just doomed to light up. Mine are when I'm on the computer here, when I'm at the bar, or when I'm driving (and it's OVER if I get stuck in traffic!). AND, I'll be starting school again soon, which is a death wish for me because I like to smoke in between classes.

Anyway, good luck to you Jake. I'm there with ya.

Patti · #11 03-09-2006, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sorcerer386

If anyone has any good tips on "problem areas" for smoking, I'd appreciate them. I'm sure you know what I mean...those certain places where you are just doomed to light up. Mine are when I'm on the computer here, when I'm at the bar, or when I'm driving (and it's OVER if I get stuck in traffic!). AND, I'll be starting school again soon, which is a death wish for me because I like to smoke in between classes.

What has worked for me is I don't spend as much time in front of the computer as I used to. Bars I have given up for a while, that's too much temptation. As for driving, I've done two things. If it's a short trip I call someone and talk to them on my cell phone, which I know isn't exactly safe, but I can't smoke while holding the phone. On a longer trip, I take CD's that I can sing along to and just belt out songs at the top of my lungs the whole way. It's hard, but it's doable. And after a while you retrain yourself so those triggers don't effect as much. Unfortunately, I'm not there yet.

SteveMacD · #12 03-09-2006, 03:04 PM

I did that thing with the needles...

Oh, what's it called????

Heroine. Yeah, I just can't get enough of it.

JazmenFlowers · #13 03-09-2006, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Heroine. Yeah, I just can't get enough of it.

really? I tried that once, but just couldn't get into it.

amber · #14 03-09-2006, 03:14 PM

I stopped December 6th, 2005. I agree with no nicotine substitutes (cold turkey) and I also smoked way, way a lot of cigarettes (and drank) the night before. I'm not sure I had totally planned to quit right then, but anyway - if you smoke tons and drink the night before you probably won't feel like having a cig the next day. And it goes from there. Figure by the time you wake up after that night, nicotine has already been out of your system for 9 hours or so. That makes it easier - I swear to god my challenge used to be four hours. Around the four hour mark I would be fiending my ass off. So it's best to have your last one at night.
Oh, also - Wellbutrin helped me immensely, I think. Your doctor would probably prescribe it to you if you told them you wanted it to quit smoking. Mine did.

Seriously, it made it so much easier.
If you drink, you should stop, at least for a few weeks.
Good luck.

SuzeQuze · #15 03-09-2006, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jannieC

I quit almost 11 weeks ago after smoking for 20+ years. This wasn't my first attempt, but I think it's my final one! I was never able to quit for more than one week until now. Anyway, I did the patch for the first 2 weeks. I had planned to go the whole way with the patch (I think they suggest several months) but I really just wanted to get the nicotine out of my body. Jacob, I have no idea how old you are or how long you've smoked, but I can't encourage you enough to quit. I actually have about 20 nicotine patches that I would be happy to send to you if you felt like that was something you wanted to try. They're the strongest level though, (21mg) and you'd have to be a heavy smoker to start off with those.

Anyway, good luck to you and please feel free to PM me if you need some support or encouragement.

I used the patch for about a week at first myself. I swear those patch companies tell you to use them for 6-8 weeks to sell more patches! But I digress. The patch immediately gives you nicotine but it is less than what you would get by smoking so you are weaning yourself. It helped keep me from constantly thinking about smoking. Then when the habit of feeling like grabbing a cigarette was gone I stopped the patches. That was 3+ years ago. I've also quit many many many times. This is one of the longest times I've gone without smoking (I've cheated occasionally). I also wish I never started, just like my Mother told me.

If you get the patch it comes with a CD with quitting tips - listen to it.

Change your routine. If you smoke while driving, clean your car out and make it smell really good so you don't want to put stank on it. Get some gum or candy. Maybe even a worry stone or something to hold in your hand. Whatever you associate with smoking - do less of that. Start exercising, that helps alot. Tell yourself you rock every day. Get yourself some rewards. Save the money and buy a house.

Good luck with quitting!