kick nicotine's BUTT

Sam_Africa

I smoke coz I am bored.
I joined the gym thinking that working out would help me quit but it has not.
I reduced the nicotine content to the LOWEST available in the market 0.1 assuming I am doing less damage-but who am I kidding its still harmful.

For those who have kicked the habit and wanted to change their lifestyle please give me tips.
I want to change…I want to quit…I want to know how.

wideeyedla

Quitting is my last goal for the summer. Tomorrow, I start Cub Scout day camp with my son for a week. It is in a high fire risk park, so no smoking. I bought an electronic cigarette to try. If it works, I'm not going to buy any more regular cigarettes. Then I will wean off the electronic one.

By far it is my biggest challenge, but I have to do it.

Three days. That is all it takes to break the physical part of it. It's the mental stuff.

Maybe I'll make myself do squats or lunges every time I want to light up :sad:

HausfrauB

I smoked for about 12 years off and on (mostly on except for pregnancy and a few months of quit).

Watching my husband (then boyfriend) cry when he told me his biggest fear was losing his mother to smoking-related cancer was my moment of revelation. I realized that my son must feel the same way about me as my husband does about his mother. I didn't want that.

Also, I was really disgusted with the fact that nicotine had such power over me. That anger coupled with the realization of how my smoking affected others is what motivated me. I took Chantix for about a month and that was just the right amount of help for me--like training wheels. I think the most important thing is getting angry at your addiction--I hated the idea that I had no control over my craving.

It will be 3 years smoke-free in two months. Quitting is the best thing I ever did! You can do it too!

Sam_Africa

it am not sure...why i even smoke. does that make sense?
Congrats on being smoke free...thats a true battle you have fought.

Sam_Africa

how long have u smoked for?

GJRicketts

I went cold turkey after having smoked intermittently since I was 14. Takes about 14 days to break the nicotine craving and even then it still comes back, but you've already done half the work by wanting to quit! Be strong, dont eat too much chocolate to curb the craving. You'll notice you can taste your food again and you'll be able to breathe properly when you walk or run.

I did notice a bit of a cough for about a month, a short while after I quit, but I think that was my lungs realising they were allowed to do their job again and expelling all the crap I'd carefully filled them with over the years. It's gone now and so has most of my asthma!

WELL DONE ON QUITTING! It's a bloody hard thing to do! :happy: :happy: :happy:

sueclare38

3 weeks 2 days no smoking here and so proud of myself. I feel healthier and I only noticed yesterday that my morning smokers cough has gone. I switched to the socialites zero e-cig and I haven't felt the need for a real smoke since.

TheVimFuego

This is my obligatory recommendation for the Allan Carr Easy Way book/DVD thing ... It works for some, some on MFP too.

It worked for me cold turkey after 20 years of smoking EVERYTHING

Just chucking it out there ... You can't crave what you don't want, no willpower required ...

wideeyedla

how long have u smoked for?

If that was for me, longer tan you have been alive. Started when I was 12, and I am 48. I have quit before, but it never stuck.

JoeDeBartolo

I switched to e cigs. My morning cough went away as well. There are several great brands, I use White Cloud.

HausfrauB

Seriously, half the battle is deciding that the costs of smoking (smell, effect on lungs, monetary cost, etc.) outweigh whatever benefits you perceive.

Is that cigarette you just smoked REALLY making your life better because it's a "stress reliever"? Or is it a pleasant lie we tell ourselves because quitting is hard.

Maybe it boils down to understanding the truth behind why you are smoking. The truth for me was that I was smoking because the nicotine addiction drove me to it.

In all honesty, I was very afraid that I would never have the strength to quit. And here I am three years later--I'm positive you can do it too!

Congratulations also to my fellow quitters.

KANGOOJUMPS

I quit and am now a runner.
BUT,, I love the smell
and want one.

russharris23

I'm in the same position I have started exercising to lose wait and get in shape I have set a goal for August to quit I have used Chantix before and it worked pretty good I'm going to get another prescription again to help kick this bad habit thinking about joining a support group that is similar to this to help, if you find a better way let me know I need all the help I can get with this

So_Much_Fab

Today is my 7,532nd "day 1" of not smoking.

٩(●̮̃•)۶

sigsby

I quit in April. I thought it about it for about six weeks before I actually quit. I read how to quit smoking for dummies. I read Allen Carr's how to quit smoking the easy way. I thought about it and planned for it. When the day came to quit I did it without breaking a sweat. Just saying you want to quit isn't enought. You have to really want to quit and you have to do it. Anything short of that is hot air.

RockClimber69

Quit on December 25, 2012 after smoking for 30 years (on & off). Traded smoking for the treadmill and so far am down 23 lbs as well. It can be as hard or as easy as you choose. I focus on my mantra: Cravings are hard, chemo is harder. I quit cold turkey but everyone's quit is different, so you need to find what works for you.

Good luck!!

darkestdayz

I have 3 packs left. Been on Bupropion(Wellbutrin) for a bit now, it helped the last time. I've been vaping some, 18 mg nicotine in the juice. When the packs are gone, I'm done.

GhostinthePC

Here's my philosophy: I don't believe in using a nicotine product to get rid of a nicotine addiction. That's like trying to curb your eating at a all you can eat buffet. Sure, your willpower will win at first, but you'll truly never get rid "of the nicotine". Nicotine is a natural substance found in many vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, etc. The reason you crave cigs is two-fold:

1) Habit association. When you drive, you smoke; after you eat you smoke; when you drink and are around your buddies you smoke; etc, etc, etc. The first thing you should do is change your habits now (If you smoke in the car, don't. Make a conscious decision. The following week change something else).. Inform your friends of your decision and have them encourage you, not discourage you.

2) Your not necessarily addicted to the nicotine so much as the other 4499 chemicals found in burning tobacco. This is where the brain chemistry gets changed. This is where your brain will always tell you it's ok to smoke, even many years after. Just know, when an alcoholic quits drinking they go through withdrawals, so do smokers.

I quit today myself. This is the 41st attempt. I started 27 years ago at the age of 12. I won't tell you it's easy, because it isn't. But like many others, make the commitment. Temptation is a b***h, but you can beat it. This is my last attempt. I know it because I'm tired of it controlling me and I am a slave to it. I don't want to be a slave anymore. Find what works for you.

Good luck. I know the science behind the quit now, which was what I was lacking in previous attempts. I now know how to combat the temptation and chemical withdrawal.

Find what works for you.

michelefrench

I was too scared to even try till i'd lost most of the weight I wanted to....my last cigarette was on May 1st - yeah me!! I use an e-cig w/0% nicotine...and only used the nicotine for maybe the first 2 weeks...pretty much I just stopped buying cigarettes and that was that....did gain 5 pounds...have lost 3 of those so i'm ok with that....nite time cough went away after the first couple weeks...for me, even after smoking for better than 20 years...it was way easier than I thought it was gonna be....

jenniepartlow

I smoked for about fifteen years and I quit five months ago using Chantix. We have a smoking cessation program where I work and my health insurance paid for one month of the prescription. Here's a little about my experience.

I joined my employer's smoking cessation program and was required to have a health coach. Before I started the prescription, I had to do a bunch of worksheets that helped me identify why I started, why I keep doing it, what my triggers are, and what I can do to replace the bad habit with a good one. In the beginning, I thought it was pretty hokey but I find that this really helped me put my habit into perspective. I also had to check in with my coach every week for three months. Accountability!

Then I started the pills. This is how Chantix works: it blocks the receptors in your brain from picking up nicotine, so you smoke all you want in the first week and get none of the effects. This means you detox without even knowing it during the first week. Then after a week, you stop smoking completely. It turns out that I only needed one month of the pills and the rest I did on my own.

I also told all my friends and coworkers that I was quitting and asked my boyfriend to help hold me accountable to my commitment. And I learned that one the physical addiction was gone, it was all mind games. The thoughts are still there sometimes, but I don't feel that awful need. It's more like, "Hey, I would probably be smoking a cigarette right now in the car. But I'm not and that's one more win for me."

In retrospect, the last five months have not been as hard as I thought they would be. This was not the hardest decision I've ever made, but it's the hardest thing to get started with, mainly because I did not want to try and fail after having failed two times before.

Just know that the resources and support are out there for you, all you have to do is find it. Maybe your employer will help, maybe your state has a smoking cessation trust program that will pay for for your aides.

You don't have anything to lose by trying, except a bad habit.

bellabug84

I smoked for 10 years. About 4 months ago I purchased a Vapology e-cig. Started with 18 mg liquid and have worked my way down to 0 as well as only using it when I drink. Yesterday at the car wash the guy sitting next to me lit up and I thought I was going to be sick. The smell totally bothers me now, being able to use the e-cig when the craving struck is what helped me. I'm doing a boot camp with one of my friends who also quit and we've looked at each other several times to say how we're not sure we could have made it through if we still smoked.

wideeyedla

I smoked for 10 years. About 4 months ago I purchased a Vapology e-cig. Started with 18 mg liquid and have worked my way down to 0 as well as only using it when I drink. Yesterday at the car wash the guy sitting next to me lit up and I thought I was going to be sick. The smell totally bothers me now, being able to use the e-cig when the craving struck is what helped me. I'm doing a boot camp with one of my friends who also quit and we've looked at each other several times to say how we're not sure we could have made it through if we still smoked.

Used one for the first time today. It actually made me cough, so perhaps a little too strong, but it kept me sane because I could not smoke a real cigarette all day due to fire hazard conditions at Cub Scout camp. This is probably how I am going to quit. I have two packs left, and then e cigs only.

Sam_Africa

WOW there are sooo many who ahve this hurdle to jump and have done it. its supporting to know that it can be done.
i think i smoke out of habit, as odd as this may sound. i smoke to relax and sleep. i feel i need my ciggi's to unwind and then i will have a good nights rest...
i go ona 20 day vacation with my children. I do not smoke around them. 20 days should be good enough to kick in a routine...
its when i am back home, when the "STRESS" gets to me and i feel i need to light up.
ugh.
but from what i ahve read below it can be done and i will give it my BEST shot.

Sam_Africa

Quit on December 25, 2012 after smoking for 30 years (on & off). Traded smoking for the treadmill and so far am down 23 lbs as well. It can be as hard or as easy as you choose. I focus on my mantra: Cravings are hard, chemo is harder. I quit cold turkey but everyone's quit is different, so you need to find what works for you.

this is very profound: . I focus on my mantra: Cravings are hard, chemo is harder.
its true. i will chant this.
i ahve given myself a Deadline too....

Sam_Africa

do you think smoking helps in weight loss? i mean its curbs the appetite but i do think its myth...that smoking helps in weight loss.

GhostinthePC

Yes and no. Smoking actually speeds up your metabolism, heart rate, breathing rate, increased sputum production, and overall speeds things up. Yes it does deaden the desire to eat or snack some, but not completely. Smoking dehydrates you and overall it's just plain not good, specific to bodily functions and bodily resources. So there is the yes and no of it.

Now there are 2 reasons people gain weight when they quit smoking., One is the obvious hand to mouth action, and the body is repairing itself so the brain is tricking you to ingest items the body might need (salt, sugar, etc). The second reason is because everything slows back down again. The body doesn't have to work as hard when you stop smoking (heart rate falls, breathing rate normalizes, etc).

I am on Day 2. Honestly, I'm doing everything I can to not think about it and think about healthier items such as carrots, peppers, hard candy, etc to satisfy the hand to mouth think. Chewing on coffee stirrers, toothpicks, & cinnamon sticks helps tremendously. Also taking Turmeric in capsule form is helping stave off the cravings, and it has been proven to help repair the damage as well.

Hope this helps

bellabug84

I smoked for 10 years. About 4 months ago I purchased a Vapology e-cig. Started with 18 mg liquid and have worked my way down to 0 as well as only using it when I drink. Yesterday at the car wash the guy sitting next to me lit up and I thought I was going to be sick. The smell totally bothers me now, being able to use the e-cig when the craving struck is what helped me. I'm doing a boot camp with one of my friends who also quit and we've looked at each other several times to say how we're not sure we could have made it through if we still smoked.

Used one for the first time today. It actually made me cough, so perhaps a little too strong, but it kept me sane because I could not smoke a real cigarette all day due to fire hazard conditions at Cub Scout camp. This is probably how I am going to quit. I have two packs left, and then e cigs only.

It might be that the liquid you have is too highly concentrated with nicotine- switch to a lower level

Also- I tried other e-cigs and vapology was the only one that actually worked for me

jenniepartlow

[Used one for the first time today. It actually made me cough, so perhaps a little too strong, but it kept me sane because I could not smoke a real cigarette all day due to fire hazard conditions at Cub Scout camp. This is probably how I am going to quit. I have two packs left, and then e cigs only.

You may have coughed because the vapor can actually burn your throat.