How did you quit smoking?

Tiamo719

I'm trying to help my boyfriend and my brother.

Is it like losing weight where as it has to be something you really want?

ItsMeGee3

Chantix!!!! Of course, you have to really want to quit!

EddieHaskell97

Cold turkey. Day one is uncomfortable, day two is agitation and headache. Day three of raging *kitten*/insanity and on day four I was free and life has been awesome ever since! If I were to do it again, I'd NyQuil myself twice on day three and sleep through it.

*Edited to correct typos*

JenAndSome

It absolutely has to be something you want and are motivated to do. Mine started with a small promise to my son. I smoked in my car but not with my kids in the car, because that made it so much better. One cold winter day my kid was in the front seat when I kicked on the heat and I asked him if that was better. He said, "kind of but it smells like you are blowing smoke right into my face." It was a kick in the gut and I promised him that I would no longer smoke in the car. From there I decided if I could do that I could quit completely and set a date and stuck with it. This was right about the same time I decided to get into shape so the two just kind of went hand in hand. I still occasionally have a small craving but I know my kids and I deserve better than to even have one cigarette ever again. It's been since January 17, 2013 that I smoked.

klkarlen

Get checked into the hospital for three days of unnecessary heart tests. Decide to quit by day 3, just because you have survived 3 days without one.

Resist the constant barrage of questions from the nurses "are you sure you don't need a nicotine patch?" Probably because I was the worst patient on the planet.

gzus7freek

I got pregnant........

Joannah700

I simply quit.

Found a lump (turned out to be nothing) but it was the same day my Mom told me an aunt who smoked for decades was going to the doctor for a biopsy. Seemed like maybe the universe was trying to tell me something....and I quit. Smoked 3 times since then, and it's been years since my last one.

Granted, I only smoked for about a year or two.

It also helped that I only liked blue dunhills - which were hard to find when I quit.

111YoYo111

OMG don't get me going. I waged this war for 5 years and tried every single method on the market at the time. (Won my battle 21 years ago, there were no pills then.) I did support groups, substitutes, weaker brands, longer filters, got hypnotized twice, acupuncture... I won't go on.

First of all have them keep a diary for a week of every cigarette they smoke. I was up to 3 packs a day so my diary was thick!

1) In the diary you indicate WHERE you were when you smoked it. "At home" doesn't cut it. "Sitting at the kitchen table" does.

2) Try to say WHY you smoked it. Habit? Stress? Boredom?

3) On a scale of 10, how much did you ENJOY it? You'd be amazed at how few you actually enjoy a lot.

This diary helps you to build a battle plan. Focus on those butts that are high on the scale of enjoyment.

First I rearranged my furniture. That may sound silly but you'd be amazed at how it helps to break a bad habit to make a little change like that.

I smoked almost solely at home so I quit in spring and stayed outside till bedtime for months. Perfected picnic suppers!

Remember that you only have to fight the craving for about a minute and a half and it actually goes away!!

My worst was first thing in the morning as my nicotine levels were so low after sleeping at night. I used to chain smoke when I first woke to get those levels endurable. ( Actually I chain smoked all day but I really sucked hard on those first few! LOL) I tackled this by jumping into the shower as soon as I woke. Who smokes in the shower?

Having said all this, I never would have succeeded without the patch to remove the pain of withdrawl. But the patch alone never would have done it either. The habit was far too ingrained.

It took 6 months before I could relax and know that I had finally conquered it. No matter what I have struggled with in the years since I have always said "this is nothing! I QUIT SMOKING!!!"

All the best to your loved ones and if you need more info hit up the Canadian Cancer Society website.

Misshodge64

PRAYER, worked for me :-)

belgarath64

Zyban did the trick for me

gvhunterollie

Chantix for me, but as others have said, you have to be ready and want to.

Fit_Happens_2021

Doc prescribed Wellbutrin when I said I wanted to stop, took that for 3 months, but still had to really want to. It helped a lot though, been stopped for 7 years now.

TheBeerRunner

I quit cold-turkey. It was pretty bad. I've replaced my smoking habit with chewing gum. It's a lot cheaper and it's not so bad for you. Kind of unattractive, but w/e.

Rixx31

Cold turkey here too.
I smoked about a pack a day for years from back when I was a teenager.
When I decided to quit, I tried the patch first time. Ended up falling off and smoking MORE.
Finally decided to go Cold Turkey. It was hell for the first couple of weeks. I was irritable, ate more, and had the constant craving for a smoke.

For me, after about 8 weeks the major cravings eventually started to subside.
After that, the worst part was going out to the pub with my friends because it was almost second nature to light up a cig, especially after a meal out. This was the part where the craving would come back out of the blue for probably around 6 months to a year after I quit. And if someone offered me one, there would be a really long pause before saying `No`...
One thing I never did was smoke in the car or in the house, I would always smoke outside or hang out of my bedroom window. Couldn't and still can't stand the stink of a smoked-up room or car.

I ended up quitting once, then starting up again for a couple of years after I moved to the States. Haven't smoked another since.
I gave up finally in the middle of a very stressful situation, which may have been the wrong time to quit. I figured if I can quit during this time, I could do it at any other. Never looked back. WIllpower was the key.

One incentive would be to look at how much you would save if you smoked a pack a day.
$8 or $9 per day? Soon adds up over a year. Not to mention your health, and how much you could potentially save on medical bills in years to come.

Tiamo719

Thank you everyone for your responses!! I will pass this on to my loved ones

hbrittingham

Chantix and I quit when I was ready. Quitting smoking is a lot scarier than a non smoker can ever imagine. Well, thinking about quitting was scary, once I quit, I couldn't figure out why I had waited so long.

Swaggs51

Switch to cigars and join me

Spnneil06

just stopped! Didn't want to do it anymore.

mochahontas228

I never started

Guns_N_Buns

EddieHaskell97 wrote: »

Cold turkey. Day one is uncomfortable, day two is agitation and headache. Day three of raging *kitten*/insanity and on day four I was free and life has been awesome ever since! If I were to do it again, I'd NyQuil myself twice on day three and sleep through it.

*Edited to correct typos*

+1.

I bought those e-cigs, but didn't like "pretending". Cold turkey was the best for me. Also, I'd advise to start by breaking the habits (i.e. after eating, lighting up first thing once you start driving) etc...it HELPS A LOT.

kkramey1970

Hypnotist. And a good friend. But I really think I was just ready to finally quit.

countryboy1975

Ecig

Miss_1999

mochahontas228 wrote: »

I never started

I smoked for 23 years. I LOVED cigarettes. LOVED them. I would've rather had a pack of Marlboro Lights Menthol than my next breath of air. My mother in law passing away last year after having battled lung cancer and living with COPD wasn't enough to get me to quit. I'd been under a lot of stress this summer, and had gotten up to about a pack and a half a day. I *knew* I needed to quit because I was having trouble breathing, and I just didn't feel good. I'm in my mid 30's, so, it wasn't going to be long before it started to catch up with me. Ironically enough, I'd had a change in medication and it didn't take long before it started affecting the way things taste. I went out for my nightly cigarette, something I used to love, and savor, and I remember thinking to myself, I don't even want this. I took I think three draws off of it. It didn't even taste good. I threw it out.

Until last night, I hadn't had a cigarette since. I *thought* I wanted one. Nope. I took two draws off it, and it tasted absolutely horrible. Put it out. Just wasn't the same. I didn't get the enjoyment that I once loved from smoking, nor did it taste the same that it once did. I honestly don't believe I'll ever go back. I have used the e-cigs in the past, but right now, I'm thankful that I've given up the habit. Best of luck to your boyfriend and brother. I know it's not easy. I'd tried several times before, and with the exception of when I was pregnant/nursing, I've never been able to put them down.

MyChocolateDiet

By never starting.

SuninVirgo

Smoke a pack a day for 25 years. Quit cold Turkey using whyquit.com. It's easier than losing weight because you can almost avoid smokes- you can't with food.

MyChocolateDiet

Srsly, my grandma was a chain smoker and even before she died of lung cancer from it, I decided long before that it appeared to be a very hard thing to quit so I'd be better off never starting it. Unfortunately I did not apply the same logic to chocolate. *eats another halloween oreo*

Kalici

To the ones saying they never started, would you go to an A.A. meeting and tell them you never started?

ETA: I used Nicotrol inhalers. They worked awesome for me, but not every method works for every person.

jt_alucard

working on it now...using a e cig for bad days...havne't bought a pack in over a week.

Tiamo719

Congrats to all of you quitters!!!! (we really need better smilies on here!!)

pinkiezoom

I stopped with an ecig back in Feb, and the help and support of a group on line called healthunlocked. Amazing folk on there

WVprankster

I slowed and down and used some lubricant.