I quit cigarettes today.......
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I quit cold turkey 3.5 years ago after smoking for 14 years. It wasn't horrible. I still get occasional cravings, but it's mostly when I drink and someone near me happens to light up a cigarette. You can do it! Good luck!0
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I quit cold turkey 7 years ago. I haven't touched a cigarette since. My advice to you is: You have to really want it. If there is any part of you, any tiny little part that wants to smoke, you will. You have to have will power. You can do it.0
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I smoked for 18 years...never drove a car or had a beer with a cig in hand! I finally quit in 2005 cold turkey.....the physical effects leave your body in 72 hours....it just a mental challenge after that! I used a lot of on line support...there are sites that add up the amount of $$ you save based upon what you use to smoke and also tell you how many days you have added onto your life after so many smoke free days.....I loved it...so happy I quit.....Good luck!!0
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Congratulations! I quit smoking on 1st October 2012. I used an E-cig for the first two months before giving it up completely.
For me, the difficulty was changing my routine. I am a creature of habit, it was less about craving cigarettes and more about it being 'time' for a cigarette because that's what I always did at 11am etc. Now at times I would have smoked I get up, walk to a different room and then walk back. That way I don't stress about the routine being different,
For me, the first three/four weeks were easy, it seemed like it was no effort at all. Week 5 was when it hit me and the mood swings / chocolate button binge-eating began.
It's great you've got a method in place to stop from stress-eating, just don't be too hard on yourself.
One suggestion - download a free app to keep track of days/weeks stopped, money saved by not smoking etc - this kept me going because I didn't want to reset the app back to zero!
Knowing you've so far saved over £1500 is a great incentive to not start up again - that's gonna pay for me to do a trek somewhere when I'm fit enough to do one!
Keep up the great work!0 -
Have any of you quit when your SO smokes? My BF and I quit at the same time and almost killed each other (lol). I'm not sure if one of us can quit without the other tho. We don't smoke in the house, but we are together 24/7. Any experience or advice with this?
edited to add that we are both smoking again - only made it about 2-3 weeks.0 -
I quit on 24 Jul...... on my 8th day of being a non smoker.
Cold Turkey...... no gum, no drugs.... not even the e-cigarette (which I bought one last year with the intentions of using it to quit but I never did).
Had to quit coffee as well for the first couple of days as it was the biggest Trigger for me to smoke. I drank coffee and smoked... take away one, then I didnt have the other. Going thru caffiene and nicotine withdrawal was sooooo fun. But I did it... and so can you. Smoked for 30 years.
My husband is still Smoking and it is a constant reminder for me on how it smells horrible...
Good luck..........0 -
I quit a long time ago, more than 10 years, when I had pneumonia. It was easy.
My husband quit this past May 18. I'm so proud of him because he's had a very hard time, but he said when he started wheezing every time he had to walk up the stairs or ladder at work (plumber), he realized that smoking was killing him and that he had to stop. He's had a couple of cigarettes since then but hated the way they made his chest feel.
Best wishes to you!0 -
I used to smoke when I was drinking, then it upped to about 5 a day, it gave me something to do when I was feeling awkward in social situations. That's all I miss. I used an E cig, which I still have for when I'm drinking but usually don't use it because I forget where I've left it or it's charger. My desire to smoke is less than my desire to organise my use of an electronic devise :laugh:0
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Great job! I also quit cigarettes today.
Twice, in the last year, I have gone a full week without smoking because I was on vacation with my family that doesn't smoke. Once I got back to my 'normal' life, I started smoking again.
There are so many triggers that you can ignore when you are out of your usual routine. Some of my biggest ones are: Driving!! when I get into my car, I automatically crack my window. Drinking.... probably woudn't hurt to cut that out for awhile either. Eating... I smoke after meals. And the vast majority of my friends are smokers. So I might have to be a walking loner for awhile!!
Anyway, I am stocked up on gum, looking into making some cinnamon flavored toothpicks to chew on, and ready to quit once and for all!
WE CAN DO IT!0 -
I smoke. I cut down when I started working out. I won't smoke the day I exercise, or ideally the night before either, which, is most days. My partner smokes, quite a bit sometimes, so I only ever smoke with her. I currently have a very sore throat from too many cigarettes a couple of nights ago and I realise it wasn't a very clever thing to do. But, when you're up late with your SO, listening to music and drinking rum, then cigarettes will inevitably be a part of that too.
I think I could quit. I don't miss it on my gym days. I just don't particularly want to. Everyone has a vice.
PS: WELL DONE
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This is The Best Thing you could do for your health. Well done on stopping, don't go back - please!!
I quit cold turkey 37 years ago - thank goodness I did, don't reckon I'd still be here if I hadn't. And we're SO much better off - all that cash NOT going up in smoke.0 -
I quit about 2 months ago cold turkey. Definitely one of the hardest and most rewarding things i've even done. Good luck! :drinker:0
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Smoked 25 years, gave up cold turkey a year and a half ago! Nothing worst than a reformed smoker, it's hard to be around it, smell it, look at it, hear it lol~ Good luck to you~ When I drink I have an E cig that I drag off of with a liquid that has low nicotine, those actually work really well if you need something to replace! HIghly recommend the joytech brand and the halo liquid0
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I smoked and chewed for over 24 years. Tired numerous time to put it all down cold turkey but was never successful. I figured I had a double whammy against me since I did both. 3 years ago I decided to take the plunge and got a prescription for Chantix. (e-cigs were not even really an option when I quit.) The Chantix program was a 1 month program in which I was able to put down the "nicotine" in about 2 weeks of taking the medication. I have not looked back since and glad I made the decision to quit. Things are much better on me AND my checkbook.0
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Good for You!!!
The extra cash you keep by not smoking will help you get by on the extra years you will get to live.
Nice work!
-Bob0 -
Hey, everyone thanks for the responses!
As for the girl who said that she's afraid of stress eating, I was too.
However, I decided to not let stress cause me to eat.
Whenever I have a craving for a cigarette I just go skateboarding, or do something else active. It's a pretty good way of keeping your mind off of it.
I have probably worked out 20 times today lol
This
I quit the same day and every time I feel the need I go for a quick walk or run. If that doesn't work I have a song that I use for both the smoking and exercising/diet - the fighter by gym class heros - I crank that up and sing it very loudly. (Much to my husbands dismay - never was a very good singer) Anyway I wish you the best of luck!0 -
Have any of you quit when your SO smokes? My BF and I quit at the same time and almost killed each other (lol). I'm not sure if one of us can quit without the other tho. We don't smoke in the house, but we are together 24/7. Any experience or advice with this?
edited to add that we are both smoking again - only made it about 2-3 weeks.
Yeah, my girlfriend smokes, too. It's going to be tough to hang out with her. Hahaha.0 -
This December will be 5 years since I quit. I tapered off from 33 to 13 cigarettes day one. Then smoked one less cigarette every day for the following 13 days. Once the cigarettes were gone I ate/shelled sunflower seeds throughout the day. It gave me something to do with my hands. Then I tapered off that and replaced it with sugar-free gum.0
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Awesome ,I am an ex smoker and do not know why I ever started to smoke.I am not hard on smokers but really do not like being around anyone that smokes.The cost of cigarettes now a days is awful and for that reason alone am happy that I have quit 20 years ago.It is certainly not as easy to smoke as it was when I did and I sympathize with smokers as there are less and less places to smoke as I do remember what a habit it was .Best of Luck quitting it can be done
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Give it a few days...... then when your gf smokes, you will be able to actually smell how disgusting it really is. When you are a smoker, you don't smell it. It actually helps me to want to stay not smoking.
I find the only time I want a smoke is when the times I always had a smoke.... ie. with coffee..... after a run...... So I just find something to do during that time to get my mind off it.
We went out for dinner tonight and it was strange to see all these ppl outside smoking. I actually had no problems with it.... made me think that I was glad I wasn't one of them any more.
You can do this..... and within a week you will notice a difference. And if you gain a pound or two, don't stress and light up. You will be able to work that off in no time. And that will be easier than having to try to quit again.0 -
Way to go! I quit on Jan 7 and I am so happy. I really wish I had quit earlier but what's done is done. I would say the first week is the worst and I was irritable and crying for no reason but it gets better! I used an e-cig for a few weeks then stopped and was cold turkey. I love how I can workout so much longer and harder now. I was afraid to quit because I thought I would gain weight but instead of smoking with neighbors on the porch I work out every day when I come home and I'm the most fit I've ever been.
You are doing such a great thing for your body.
ps the Livestrong quit smoking app is a great supportive community, that app helped me a lot. Also there's a free app called Since I quit and it shows how much money you've saved and how long you've been quit for. I liked to look at it if I had a craving because it wasn't worth doing it over for. Stay strong, you can do this!!!0 -
Wow - so many familiar responses here. I smoked around a pack a day for 15 years. "Quit" six times until finally succeeding on my seventh try. The difference? I changed my life significantly. I decided I needed to embrace a different way of living, a different way of looking at physical activity and a different way of looking at food and what I put into my body. I went from a 40 inch waist to a 28 inch waist, went from being winded walking up a flight of stairs to being able to jump on a road bike and cycle >100kms, went from 210 pounds of flab to 155 lean muscle. But none of that compares with the challenge of quitting smoking. Without question, quitting the comfort of the cig was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but five years later, it finally is starting to seem foreign to me now. I was lucky in that my spouse didn't smoke, but I can say that it can be done and that yes, it does get easier.0
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Yes! I smoked for... 14 years. From the time I was 13 to 27. I quit December 14, 2010. It was the first time I ever quit. I was always too afraid to try before, afraid I would fail at it. I still get cravings and it sucks, but I missed the habit mostly of going outside,rolling the car window down a bit. Sounds crazy but true. I quit cold turkey as well. Good Luck!!0
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congrats! I am on my 5th time trying to quit...third time with Chantix. The longest I've gone is 7 months. Today is day 7. It's really tough, but I've found that joining quitnet or downloading an app that tracks your progress (I use the Livestrong smoking cessation app) is really helpful. I also have a fitness goal (running a 5k in Sept) that helps me stay on track. Good luck to you. And remember, if you cave and have a cigarette, it's not the end of the world. You can always start over. Keep up the good work
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Good luck with everything!! Congrats on making the decision!0
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I'm an ex-. Never thought I would be. But glad I am.
Good luck.0 -
Quitting smoking is one of the best things I've ever done for myself. And I never miss it! Best wishes for your success.0
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I did not smoke cigarettes even once,, im a non-smoker,, and congrats and goodluck to your new healthy lifestyle
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I'm of them just over 3 months, cold turkey. I find it hardest when I have a drink but It gets easier. I gave up for a year in 2011 and just happened to start for 6 months. Worst mistake I ever made was starting again. The first couple of weeks can be he'll with a cough and phlegm and feeling like you have the flu but boy is it worth it at the end! Congrats to everyone who quit or trying to. I find it hard and think its as bad as an addiction as alcohol for some people, of course the consequences aren't as harsh.0
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"I only smoke when I drink." This is what I told my husband when I met him 7 years ago. Unfortunately, I now will have a drink or several a few times a week just for a pack of smokes in an evening. Ugh. I need to just quit it! The alcohol always adds to my calorie count and the cigarettes make my workouts difficult. I think I'll just workout next time I want a night of smoke and drinks.0
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