Quitting Smoking Cold Turkey

jodynolte

I have never smoked before but can understand wanting to quit something unhealthy... I think that's why we are on MFP. Good luck to you!

organic0gf

Congrats on a wise decision. I had been smoking for almost 50 years. From the time I was 30, I have tried just about every method to quit. My best results have been with quitting cold turkey. In 2011 I quit for 9 months, then my ex-husband who I had been taking care of 24/7 for nearly 8 years died. I started smoking again and thought I could just quit after the one pack. NOT! It took me 7 months to quit again after beating myself up.. every... single... day... and now it's been nearly 6 months since quitting.

If you get an urge: Make a list of like.. 10 minute things you can do. Play a computer game, walk around the block, go try on your skinny clothes... anything. The urges will pass and I promise you; the longer you are quit, the shorter, and farther between, the urges get. Just make sure you have your list printed out and keep it with you so you can look at it immediately when you get the urge. Anyway, it's worked for me.

Best of luck

running_free_1984

Cold turkey is the only way to do it! WILL POWER!!!!

Espressocycle

Don't you people realize social security is going to be insolvent if you don't go back to those cigarettes? People are living too long already!

KatWood

Congrats and best of luck. You can do it! I quit cold turkey 4 years ago. I was training for a half marathon and realized there was no way I could do it as a smoker and that it was foolish to work out and then go home and smoke. Also, for me smoking and drinking went hand in hand so I found myself drinking more to smoke more. I had to quit drinking for the first month or two of not smoking. But I did it and I am so glad I did! I won't lie, there are days when I miss it but then I think about all the consequences of smoking (the cost, not being able to breath, stinking like cigarettes) and the temptation goes away. Luckily I am still able to indulge the occasional glass of wine .... or will be able to again once my baby is born

Colleen118

I too am a quitter

I did quit using a recipe that I heard on the Oprah show. Crazy as it seems, it did work for me ( you continue to smoke while doing this)

1. 6-8 oz glass of juice (preferrably cranberry or orange juice)
2. 1 tsp of creme of tartar (you can purchase in the spice isle -at the grocery store)

Just before bed, empty your bladder. Stir up the ingredients and gulp down as fast as you can. DO NOT go to the restroom again until this has been in your system overnight. If you get up in the "wee" hours (excuse my pun), thats ok, but try to keep in your system. The first time you will actually smell the nicotine flushing from your system, in your morning urine. I know gross but you can only imagine... I was about 1 1/2 packs a day when I quit. You do this method for 7-10 days, still smoking your normal. You will notice that you will begin to only smoke half of a ciggy or have less of a desire to smoke as much as the nicotine is flushing from your body. As the ten day mark approached, I didn't even want one. When I picked up a smoke (as my usual habit with coffee), the taste of the cig was nasty. It made it easier and it only cost me about $4.00 You can do it but the recipe only works if your desire to quit as well

GIVE IT A TRY -- going on 6 1/2 years or more

I am going to try this.... Thank you!

MelsAuntie

That's probably the best thing you will ever do for yourself. I wish my father had, as it was I had to watch him die.

_FATNSASSY

I did it last month... here is how I did it... after I threw away my cigs... I quit talking about it, I DIDNT go on "I Quit" sites, I didnt read a book on it, I didn't remind myself of cigs in any manner! When I felt like I needed a cig, I breathed (if that's a word) through it... I would say the word "CALM" really low and really slow till I had no breath left to blow out... then I did it again till the urge for a cig passed, it takes about 3 to 5 minutes! Good luck to you!!!!

mariapg25

May 17th 2012 was my first smoke free day and I too did it cold turkey. I woke up that morning thinking if I keep smoking, my son will eventually not have a mommy anymore. That was enough for me to stop after 15 years. Wishing you luck.

themanda04

i quit cold turkey thirteen years ago, coming off a nearly two pack a day habit. i had bronchitis, and was outside in the freezing cold trying to smoke but could only take tiny little drags off my cig without coughing. i looked down at the cig in my hand and had the blinding realization that if i didn't quit, that was how i was going to die. in a bed, drowning in my own lungs, and my whole family sitting around watching it happen. i threw away a nearly full carton of cigs and became a non-smoker. i wasn't 'trying' to quit...i just became a person that didn't smoke anymore. the first few days were bad, but it really wasn't any worse than being really, really sick. and, like being sick, i knew it was something that was going to go away and eventually i'd feel fine. for the first few years i couldn't be around anyone that was smoking, but it doesn't bother me at all now.

Rarity2013

I tried using an electronic cigarette to help quit smoking and I don't feel like it's a good idea, as I feel I may get addicted to using that instead of a cigarette. I had to work at the restaurant this weekend in the 98 degree kitchen and wound up smoking a couple of cigarettes after two weeks of being good.

Tossing the rest of the pack I bought in the trash and going cold turkey. Wish me luck, and let me know any good pointers for keeping the cravings away.

Goodbye NAS

I really wanted to wish you the best of luck. So many people will say the cold turkey doesn't work for any kind of addiction etc. etc, but for some people, it just works- a nice, clean cut decision and stopping point.

I was very fortunate that, like my mother, I didn't have a real addiction to cigarettes, even though I smoked regularly. I gave up cold turkey 9 years ago and aside from sometimes inhaling a bit vigorously at other people's passive smoke, I have never looked back. My husband also had a lot of joy kicking cigars cold turkey too.

CookNLift

So just an update to everyone. I wound up having maybe three cigarettes this past friday or saturday and my e-cig was broken. I have since not craved any sort of nicotine at all, and haven't purchased an e-cig replacement yet.

I feel great, and although the urge comes when I'm driving, I am feeling it start to pass.

I'm so excited! 7 days down!