Trying to quit smoking!

ericaswith88
ericaswith88 Posts: 6 Member
in Motivation and Support
I started smoking about 4.5 months ago. I had a drinking habit. Smoking has replaced that. I just picked up another vice/substitute. I feel the effects already! I get winded easy, I don't have the physical endurance I once had. About 6 months ago I was running about 20 miles per week consistently. Now I think about running and get overwhelmed. I want to quit but it has become so habitual and unfortunately I'm a strong creature of habit. If anyone has any tips/advice that would be appreciated! Thanks!

Replies

  • PaigeInTechnicolor
    PaigeInTechnicolor Posts: 164 Member
    I have quit successfully (smoked for 20 years or so) by using an ecig. I found I needed to use the bigger kind with replaceable rechargeable batteries, and also stay away from sweeter juices, as they made me crave sugar (which might just be me, I haven't heard anyone else say that.) It helped the physical addiction for the most part.

    I had to learn to take "breaks" like I did when I smoked, as that also seemed to be about half of what my own addiction was about.

    I definitely noticed that I breathe easier and can smell again (such a mixed blessing, that)

    Good luck! Differant things work for different people.
  • MarcA1218
    MarcA1218 Posts: 570 Member
    I have some friends that tried to quit smoking and some were successful and some are still trying. One of my friends switch to Vaping and love it- one went cold turkey and never looked back- one replaced the cigarettes with gum (some smokers just need the oral fixation so gums a good substitute) maybe reward yourself when you beat a craving with something motivational- or have a cigarette jar that when you smoke you have to put money in it- or try going to places that don't allow smoking (there's more of those around now a days) and get used to not smoking certain times if the day and then add to that.
  • ericaswith88
    ericaswith88 Posts: 6 Member
    Yeah, I thought about that. I don't know much about them. I will check into them though. Thanks!
  • KaroshiQueen
    KaroshiQueen Posts: 213 Member
    Switch to vaping (e-cigs). I did and it's so much better than smoking cigarettes.
  • ericaswith88
    ericaswith88 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks ladies for the suggestion of a better alternative.
  • Lone_wolf46
    Lone_wolf46 Posts: 2,709 Member
    No....!!! E cigs are just as bad. Whenever you get the urge, occupy your mind by doing something else. It's hard at first but it gets easier. No matter what anybody says, you still need will power! If I can do it, so can you. Best of luck to you.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,905 Member
    The best alternative......................just quit. But YOU have to make the decision entirely on your own and really WANT to do it.
    I smoked for 20 years. I made the promise to my DW that once she was pregnant, I'd quit and wouldn't renig. When I found out, she gave me 2 weeks to sort it out and I quit cold turkey and never went back because I really didn't want to smoke around my daughter at all.

    Trust when I tell you that if there was one regret I truly have, it's that I ever smoked in the first place. I could be in so much better physical conditioning if I didn't.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    Im also going to say not to switch to Ecigs, I did and now im addicted to that, I've finally this year started slowly bringing down the nicotine level, so im almost down to 0 and then I plan on just replacing the oral habit with something, smoking an ecig was literally me just trading one addiction for another.
  • WatchJoshLift
    WatchJoshLift Posts: 520 Member
    Just quit. Lay them down, and don't buy anymore. I'm surprised you picked up smoking while you were already running 20 miles per week. That blows my mind.
  • jayemes
    jayemes Posts: 865 Member
    Don't replace one bad habit with another bad habit. Find a way to put the cigarettes down and just go for a run.
    I smoked 2 packs a day for 20 years. Quit cold turkey 11 years ago and never looked back. Best thing I ever did for myself until MFP
  • Wiggymommy
    Wiggymommy Posts: 106 Member
    I quit smoking a little over two months ago. At first you'll get these strong urges. They are so strong that it is nearly unbearable. However, they are fleeting. So if you can fight through them for about 5 minutes, they go away. After the first month I didn't have them anymore but I smoked much much longer than you so those cravings may fade even sooner. I absolutely don't crave them anymore. Cold turkey is what I did. I tried other methods over the years but they didn't work. Cold turkey is like a band-aid- just rip it off and don't look back!
  • RedSierra
    RedSierra Posts: 253 Member
    Many hospitals have free stop smoking classes. I took one and it helped me to stop many years ago. I was mad at myself for smoking and stopped cold one day, but I didn't trust myself and took the stop smoking class for support. It was well worth going.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    ericaswith88 wrote: »
    Yeah, I thought about that. I don't know much about them. I will check into them though. Thanks!

    Try one thing, if that doesn't work try the next. Just like anything else in life: if the plan isn't working, change the plan never the goal.
  • daneejela
    daneejela Posts: 461 Member
    I was a smoker for few years, smoking on average pack - pack and half a day which was pretty heavy for a women's anatomy.

    I've quit it 2 and a half years ago. If I knew it was that easy I would quit before.

    Few advices from my experience:

    - Read "Easy way to stop smoking" by Allen Carr - it's probably the most useful self help book ever written. Yes, he's repeating himself, yes, it's a self - help writing style, it's not Kafka-deep, but it's really very valuable book for anyone trying to quit.

    - Invest some time in prep work - analyze what triggers your desire to light a cigarette, write it down, then write down all the things you can do at those moments that can help you to resist the urge

    - If you hear the voice in your head saying that if you quit smoking that life will loose it's joy and that you'd never really be fully happy again - we all heard it, it's just a mental junk.

    - When you feel ready - just do it :) At the moment it will feel hard, but it will pass, and with every day you'll be one step closer to freedom.
  • Piqueaboo
    Piqueaboo Posts: 1,193 Member
    I'm planning to quit by the end of the year. I've just lost the "taste" for it, and it's getting really expensive. I bought the book "Easy way to stop smoking" by Allen Carr - four of my friends quit after reading it, so I'm giving it a go. I will not be taking up vaping as it still is smoking, and it's money, and it smells awful and it's not been around long enough to ensure that there are no long-term side effects. I simply don't trust it, and at work three people who were avid vapers just picked up smoking cigarettes again because they were constantly out of battery.
  • ericaswith88
    ericaswith88 Posts: 6 Member
    I thought about that myself, picking up one habit for another will probably lead me back to the cigarettes. I need to completely cut them out. I will quit for a couple days but my boyfriend smokes so it makes it almost impossible! Ive only been a smoker for about 4-5 months. To be honest I have always been super active (running). I began smoking during a stay at rehab, I was drinking to excess. So I basically replaced that with smoking. Now I'm ready to kick this habit, but it is definitely harder than I anticipated!!! Especially with it around me daily. Thanks everyone for your understanding and supportive words/information! It's gonna be a battle but I've gotta go for it!

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