Time to QUIT SMOKING, any tips?
BonnieandClyde29
Posts: 1,026 Member
Even though I am only 22 I have been smoking since I was 12, yes i know horrifying! I need to quit, and I mostly want to quit I know will power is one thing, but MAN I have more of a problem with smoking then I do stuffing my face, I am scared I will want to snack more, any tips or advice? Another thing is I get so bored working over nights I finish my work usually by 230am and still have four hours to go so usually once an hour or 2 I would go and smoke just to go outside!
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Replies
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Keep a quick diary for a few days.
1. Time 2. What you are doing 3. How much did you enjoy the cigarette
It really helps you work out your smoking patterns and you'll be surprised at how few of them you really enjoy, rather than just smoke to pass time.
If you identify, say, 4 cigarettes you really enjoy then you can see that you really only need to quit those 4 - the others you can just distract yourself from.
Distractions should include water - your brain's signal for food and drink is fairly primeval, anything put in the mouth will satisfy it - that's why many smoker's lose weight - they smoke instead of eating. It is also why many gain when they quit - they eat rather than smoke!
One great tip is to wet your hands when distracting yourself - you can't smoke with wet hands - so wash the dishes, take up felting as a hobby - anything!
That and find something you can mimic hand to mouth actions, that's why the pretend cigarettes help. Chew a straw, a pen, anything. Or chewing gum, or learn to play the harmonica
Most of all keep in your head that you are only quitting one cigarette at a time. So if you smoke one all is not lost, you just need to work harder on quitting that one - writing down what you were doing, and how much you did / did not enjoy it will help.
Good luck.0 -
Have a partner that will stand by you at all times and break your cigarettes in half when you feel the urge!
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Did you try the tablets?
Worked for my girl0 -
go to a radiotherapy ward in a hospital and sit in the waiting room for an hour or 2, the palour of the faces, the horrible sounding hacking coughs, the sound of the mucus, mostly not going anywhere and so making the coughing stronger & louder.
that's where smokers are headed, & it's grim enough to put most people off,
good luck.0 -
go to a radiotherapy ward in a hospital and sit in the waiting room for an hour or 2, the palour of the faces, the horrible sounding hacking coughs, the sound of the mucus, mostly not going anywhere and so making the coughing stronger & louder.
that's where smokers are headed, & it's grim enough to put most people off,
good luck.
I've already been around that before and it didn't bother me to be honest, I know it's unhealthy, and what it does, that usually just irritates me.0 -
Have a partner that will stand by you at all times and break your cigarettes in half when you feel the urge!
My husband is also trying to quit! Hopefully we arent trying to kill each other!! lol0 -
When you get a craving go up to the mirror and pucker up....
Then ask yourself:
"Do I want to have cat's bum lips when I'm thirty?"0 -
When you get a craving go up to the mirror and pucker up....
Then ask yourself:
"Do I want to have cat's bum lips when I'm thirty?"
lmao!!! that's a good one!!! Never heard of that0 -
My uncle quit smoking years ago by first switching to nicotine gum, and then gradually switching to regular gum. I think it took him two years - first the nicotine gum to quit smoking, and then to the regular gum, and then quit chewing the regular gum. I'm really glad he quit, and the phase where he'd crave regular gum 3 times during a family dinner was quite entertaining for us kids.0
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Even though I am only 22 I have been smoking since I was 12, yes i know horrifying! I need to quit, and I mostly want to quit I know will power is one thing, but MAN I have more of a problem with smoking then I do stuffing my face, I am scared I will want to snack more, any tips or advice? Another thing is I get so bored working over nights I finish my work usually by 230am and still have four hours to go so usually once an hour or 2 I would go and smoke just to go outside!
I was successful with nicotine patches with the following 12 week program.
Week 1 - 4: 21mg nicotine patches (24hour)
Week 5 - 9: 14mg nicotine patches (24 hour)
Week 9 - 12: 7mg nicotine patches (24 hour).
I gave up over 10 years ago and haven't had a cigarette (nor felt like one) since.
wishing you all the best,
Ben0 -
Sadly, I doubt that.go to a radiotherapy ward in a hospital and sit in the waiting room for an hour or 2, the palour of the faces, the horrible sounding hacking coughs, the sound of the mucus, mostly not going anywhere and so making the coughing stronger & louder.
that's where smokers are headed, & it's grim enough to put most people off,
good luck.
OP, I'm not a smoker, but fwiw I know three different people who read Alan Clark's book "Easy Way to Stop Smoking". Two of them stopped smoking after reading that, just stopped altogether cold turkey, and are still not smoking over a year later. Didn't work for the other one. Might be worth a try.0 -
Actually, I read a research showing that this way of quitting is ineffective. I can't find the article right now, but it went along these lines: researchers divided two groups of smokers and played videos about dangers of smoking to one group, and about benefits of quitting to the other. In the first group most went to have a cigarette after watching the movie, whereas in the other most did not.go to a radiotherapy ward in a hospital and sit in the waiting room for an hour or 2, the palour of the faces, the horrible sounding hacking coughs, the sound of the mucus, mostly not going anywhere and so making the coughing stronger & louder.
that's where smokers are headed, & it's grim enough to put most people off,
good luck.
I think it's based on our own reasoning. When watching people suffering we think "Poor folks... but that's not gonna happen to me", but when watching healthy pretty people we kinda want to be like them. It's more motivational.0 -
Everyone here may not agree with this, but it worked for me.
I went to e-digs - more specifically a shisha tank kit. You can buy them anywhere now.
I originally used the nicotine e-liquid, then scaled the strength down. I use 0% nicotine fruit flavours.
That way the quitting is gradual and you will not go crazy with cravings. Nicotine is a very difficult drug to quit - some peoppe manage cold turkey, but a lot fail that way. Giving your hands a job with the shisha is a way of doing it gradually and you will find that you dont feel so deprived.
In addition, there is no tobacco in a shisha - no cancer causing chemicals, tar or nasty stuff.
I'd give it a go - at least there is no harm in trying.
Good luck - and I applaud you for wanting to quit the tobacco.0 -
Even though I am only 22 I have been smoking since I was 12, yes i know horrifying! I need to quit, and I mostly want to quit I know will power is one thing, but MAN I have more of a problem with smoking then I do stuffing my face, I am scared I will want to snack more, any tips or advice? Another thing is I get so bored working over nights I finish my work usually by 230am and still have four hours to go so usually once an hour or 2 I would go and smoke just to go outside!
I was successful with nicotine patches with the following 12 week program.
Week 1 - 4: 21mg nicotine patches (24hour)
Week 5 - 9: 14mg nicotine patches (24 hour)
Week 9 - 12: 7mg nicotine patches (24 hour).
I gave up over 10 years ago and haven't had a cigarette (nor felt like one) since.
wishing you all the best,
Ben
Thanks! I'm actually scared to use the patches because last time I tried my skin broke out bad, and my arm just felt hot and swollen
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Everyone here may not agree with this, but it worked for me.
I went to e-digs - more specifically a shisha tank kit. You can buy them anywhere now.
I originally used the nicotine e-liquid, then scaled the strength down. I use 0% nicotine fruit flavours.
That way the quitting is gradual and you will not go crazy with cravings. Nicotine is a very difficult drug to quit - some peoppe manage cold turkey, but a lot fail that way. Giving your hands a job with the shisha is a way of doing it gradually and you will find that you dont feel so deprived.
In addition, there is no tobacco in a shisha - no cancer causing chemicals, tar or nasty stuff.
I'd give it a go - at least there is no harm in trying.
Good luck - and I applaud you for wanting to quit the tobacco.
Thank you! I just recently heard something similar! I may have to check into it0 -
Im a non smoker now, but had 2 previous attempts at stopping smoking which were both sucessful. I agree with Ben in that patches are great. You can go to your GP and take part in a stop smoking program which means all patches and inhalers are covered by the cost of a monthly prescription if in the UK and you will get everything you need to support you for the first 3 months. I was such a heavy smoker that I smoked while wearing the first patch until it kicked in an hour later. By the end of the 3 month program I was done, never smoked again for 5 or 6 years. After a small relapse I tried method 2 which has worked for me for the last 10 years. I went cold turkey, I found a great website called quit stop or something like that which wont even let you join weirdly enough until youve stopped for the first 72 hours. But the basic principles are for the first 3 days you only actually get a maximum of 6 cravings a day which last 1 and a half minutes each, you basically count them out next to a clock and realise each of those 18 cravings over 3 days are one step closer to being free of cigarettes. You have to visualise cigarettes as a monster/demon pitted against you and decide you are going to be the winner here, you arent denying yourself anything, you need to swivel your attitude around to the fact you are ESCAPING you are going to be liberated from your addiction and set free.Yes you may well think about them all day long for the first few weeks but that isnt an actual craving, I think about being married to Johnny Depp all day long too but that isnt going to happen either lol. So......if you can get through the nicotine withdrawal stage, then chewing gum is the way to go, you may want to eat round the clock as a replacement but that is a huge mistake, chew gum, chew the ends of pencils, just dont chew food.0
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I am also gearing up for the leap to non-smoker. And shoot me now but I enjoy smoking, and that makes it really tough to give up. Honestly if the price didn't keep rising I seriously doubt I would even think about quitting but I'm going to go on champix or some such drug. Good luck!0
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I'm a non-smoker. Quite a few people around reported quitting smoking with a help of Herbal Beverage (Herbalife), and I understand why, drinking about 2 litres a day of it I rarely have coffee these days, it's a perfect substitute for chocolate or coffee cravings and alike, and it also provides great hydration and antioxidants that are found in green tea that it's based on0
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I quit back in 1998. I went to the dr with bronchitis and he put me on inhalers. I finally said this is stupid wanted to quit and he put me on Welbutrin. I also had to change my habits. I used to have one with my coffee in the morning. I changed the place where I had my coffee. I had one at lunch, I would eat somewhere else. I didn't go outside after supper. I would do something else. I also had sugar free hard candies on hand. A lot of them!!
I also took up knitting and crocheting so, I would have something to do with my hands in the down times. Like watching tv or whatever. My husband quit the same time as I did. THAT was NOT easy but, we got through it.
Best of luck to you! If you are serious about quitting, you will do it!0 -
I quit back in 1998. I went to the dr with bronchitis and he put me on inhalers. I finally said this is stupid wanted to quit and he put me on Welbutrin. I also had to change my habits. I used to have one with my coffee in the morning. I changed the place where I had my coffee. I had one at lunch, I would eat somewhere else. I didn't go outside after supper. I would do something else. I also had sugar free hard candies on hand. A lot of them!!
I also took up knitting and crocheting so, I would have something to do with my hands in the down times. Like watching tv or whatever. My husband quit the same time as I did. THAT was NOT easy but, we got through it.
Best of luck to you! If you are serious about quitting, you will do it!
That identification of why/where/when you smoke and changing the habit is a really powerful tool when you are quitting - it is why most people are advised to keep a cigarette diary for a few days, so you can see the patterns.
Good luck 0 -
I tried to quit smoking for about 13 years of the 20 years that I smoked, so it is safe to say that I tried almost everything. What finally worked for me was taking Zyban/Wellbutrin- I really didn't want to do it (why not? I can't remember now) but what it did was make me feel totally sick when I had a cigarette, which cut the pleasure connection that had established in my brain. There is no way out of the misery of withdrawal than through it. I have been off cigarettes for almost 10 years now, and my life has improved in so many ways. When I smoked, all I wanted was that cigarette and no incentive was going to keep me from it. I know how hard it is to quit, which is why I intend never to pick up another cigarette again- I know for sure I will be right back into it. I never ever wanted just one cigarette, but I told myself that thousands of times. Here is my list of good things about not smoking anymore:
1. Don't have to go outside to smoke in all kinds of weather.
2. Don't have to hide my cigarette breath from people who think I have stopped smoking.
3. Don't have to drive to the next town and hide behind a warehouse hoping that no one I know will see me smoking since I was supposed to have quit.
4. No more broken promises to my husband or family about quitting.
5. More cash in my pocket- don't cigarettes cost $8 a pack these days? That is totally insane!
6. I can happily sit through a dinner party at a friends house without thinking of ways to get out of the house to sneak a cigarette
7. I don't have to start a giant fight with my husband so I can storm out of the house and smoke cigarettes for an hour by myself. Behind a warehouse in the next town, see above
Of course all the heath benefits are great, but that wasn't what was motivating to me at the time because I was young and didn't feel the health problems then. Most of all my advice to you would be- once you decide to quit smoking you won't enjoy it anymore so just stick with it and get the quit overwith! Let me be a lesson to you. Quitting is miserable and there is no reason to stretch it out for 13 years, just one cigarette at a time. Just stop.
Good luck to you, add me as a friend if you like
Kat0 -
hi I quit in January I cut riggt back initially then when I stopped I used an electronic cigarette for 6 weeks. I did put on weight but am now working on that. I found going for a run or walking the dog a good way to beat cravings (my poor dogs legs nearly wore away they were walked so much lol) good luck and just keep going if you cave in just keep quitting!0
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I had the tablets to help me quit it I haven't had a smoke for nearly 6 weeks now you can also get the patches from the doctor or you can buy these electronic cigarettes those didn't work for me but they worked for my 17 year old well he was 16 at the time he gave up smoking within a week that was 18 months ago. But what works for one person may not work for someone else there are all different types of things to use I think its just a case of trying things and see how you go of course it may take a couple of weeks for you to stop smoking but good luck in whatever path you choose. I started walking when I wanted to quit smoking so that way I was keeping myself busy but as you do night shift try some hard candy each time you feel like a smoke. 0
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I smoked for 30 years, about 4 packs a week. One day (June 27th, 2013) I decided I needed to get healthy. I smoked the first 1/2 of my cig., threw it over the balcony, crumbled my last 3 in the pack and flush them down the toilet. Then I said, "Now what?"
I knew I needed to replace them with something healthy or I'd be irritable and blow up like an elephant. I found beachbody.com, chose the most difficult program, Insanity, and haven't looked back. I don't miss cigarettes at all!
One thing I've learned though... it's got to be the right time to quit. A time in your life that is not stressful is the best. Just a few nights ago, I went to a bar with a friend of mine. He drank beer, while I drank water. He smoked like everyone else there, I made sure we sat in front of the air conditioner so it would blow the smoke away from me. I was a happy camper.
Great luck, and congratulations on our choice to quit!!!0 -
My mom and dad have been smokers since they were teens (now in their late 50s). They quit over a month ago when a lifelong family friend died from smoking. My parents decided to get those e-cigarette things. Apparently, those things have enough nicotine to satisfy the cravings and my parents try all the different flavored oil things to see what they like. My mom's slowly weaning off the nicotine in the oils as well. It doesn't work for everyone though-my brother still smokes while using the e-cigarette but he definitely cut down a lot.
Just a suggestion! Good for you for trying to make such a HUGELY positive life change! :flowerforyou:0 -
I stopped a year and 2 months ago after smoking for 20 years - started at 10 finished @ 30!!!
I found diabetic boiled sweets helped (less sugar), when I would normally have a cigarette I had a boiled sweet, I also "pretended" I was smoking. So if I really wanted one then I breathed in the same way as I would if I was smoking - sharp intake of breath, exhale through mouth.
I had electronic cigarettes (and still do) for the rare occasion I have a drink as for me the only time I'm ever tempted now is if I drink (I probably use it once in 6 months).
I also carried a pen and held it like a cigarette when I was driving or was tempted.
Mostly it was about having sheer will power, it being the right time and really wanting to make the change, it also helps to have people around you who'll support you and stop you when all else fails.
Good luck xx0 -
GOod for you for making this decision! I quit 7 years ago & haven't looked back. I quit cold turkey when I was mentally ready. I think that is key. I had quit a few times prior to this using the patch or the gum but it didn't stick because my head wasn't there yet.
When I was ready one of the things I found really helped me was using a site called Quitnet.com. you put in how much you smoke & the cost of smokes and it tells you how much money you're saving as well as how many days you've added to your life and some other neat stats. Its pretty eye opening. Plus there is a lot of helpful info on their site as well.
Best of luck to you!!0 -
One thing I've learned though... it's got to be the right time to quit.
^ ^ True that. I tried to quit smoking for years but would start back after 3 months. I can't explain what happened, but one day, I'd just had enough. My dad has emphysema, my aunt is in her final stages of lung cancer. The cost of cigarettes sky rocketed. I left my now ex-husband, a heavy smoker, and that helped a bunch. (we didn't divorce because of the smoking). I met this awesome guy (the love of my life - my husband now) and he told me he didn't like smoking and wouldn't seriously date a smoker. One day, I was driving my car and had just lit a cigarette. I put the tip out the window to ash and the wind caught it, blowing it onto the windshield of the cop car next to me. That was a $196 littering ticket. It was the last cigarette I ever smoked. Done. Cold turkey. That was 4 years ago this August.
As for not quitting during stressful times, I actually found that it helped me. I quit right after I moved out of my home and initiated divorce proceedings. Not smoking gave me something to think about other than all of that.
A few weeks after I quit, I walked into my closet and was overwhelmed by the smell. All of my clothes REEKED of smoke. NASTY. I stayed up way late that night washing absolutely everything. Funny, but after almost 20 years of smoking, I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke. I find it vile and disgusting.
Chew gum and take up a hobby that uses your hands, as others suggested. If you want it bad enough, it'll be easy. Good luck. 0 -
I smoked one or two packs a day before quitting four years ago using an e-cig. The first few days were a little shaky but it didn't take long and wasn't as painful as cold-turkey or nicotine patches/gum.
My doctor had never seen one before. Now he is 100% pro e-cig. My lungs sound like I've never smoked. There are a lot of ways to quit, the only one that concerns me is Chantix. It works for some people but the side effects can be scary.
Good luck with whatever you do.0 -
Talk to your doctor about Chantix.0
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