How to quit smoking??
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sflano1783 wrote: »Iv tried everything patches,gums sprays and therapy its ahabit I got into and no way out plus its bordom aswell that drives me to smoke I have to be doing something.
I quit smoking when I did yoga teacher training and learned to breathe. The breath work gave me a powerful way to calm my nervous system and reduce the tension that led me to want to smoke, and gave me a much deeper connection to my lungs, making me appreciate them a lot more.
Try to find a yoga teacher who will teach you good breathing techniques, it really is a life changing thing to do4 -
It's tough, but like anything else, you have to want to do it. I was told by my doctor when he put in a stent that the next time I might not get off the table alive if I kept smoking. That gave me incentive. I quit cold turkey because I had the drive to quit...That was 9 years ago. Now I don't even think about it. I did try a cigarette about 5 years ago and just about coughed up a lung. That cemented my resolve. I keep telling people, you only have to give up 1 cigarette....the next one. I wish it was that simple and easy but it's not....5
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I have been entirely smoke-free since October 13, 2016.
I smoked regularly from 1973 until 2000. My doctor(s) used to ask me how much I smoked; I would reply, "I dunno, I don't count them, I just smoke." In 2000 my 5 y/o daughter said, "Daddy, if you don't stop smoking, you're gonna die!" Within a month I had quit! (BTW, I NEVER smoked around her, or her mom when she was pregnant).
In 2012, at a backyard BBQ, some friends broke out cigars and scotch. I had one of each and liked it. Next time I saw them, same thing. Next thing you know, I was buying a cigar on a Wednesday afternoon. Not long after it became a daily thing, then up to 3 or 4 cigars a day. In 2014 I met the love of my life who told me after our second date that the cigars made her nauseated, so "me or the cigars...?". Using pretzel logic of an addictive personality, I decided to switch to cigarettes to wean myself off.
Over the next two years I tried a lot of strategies, including "vaping" (damn I hate that word!) with no success. Finally, after a regular checkup, my doctor convinced me to try Chantix. I had heard a lot of stuff about nightmares and suicide, but Doc assured me that those were not as common as I'd heard. I will report to you that the drug did in fact take the craving away...entirely after about a month.
I was not 100% successful on Chantix alone. The thing about Chantix is that you CAN smoke while taking it, so you have to work on the psychological aspects, too, otherwise you end up triggering on all your usual *kitten* - meals, sex, driving, etc.
The final solution for me was to use the Chantix in conjunction with a device called QuitKey.
https://lifesign.com/pages/quitkey-home-page
This thing tracks every cigarette for a week (you have to tell it every time you light up). After that, it calculates a plan to wean you off over 15 to 45 days.
So for a week, I ramped up my Chantix dose as prescribed and tracked my normal smoking. Beginning in week two, on a full daily dose of Chantix, the QuitKey began telling ME when to smoke. In about 33 days, my cigarettes were almost 8 hours apart, and the device said, "Congratulations! You've had your last cigarette!" Or something like that! I stayed on Chantix for a couple of more weeks, then ramped down off it.
I've never looked back.
You can do this.
Ask me anything.
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I quit 6 years ago when my husband was diagnosed with throat cancer. He loved his beer and cigarettes and drew the short straw. Naturally he was advised to give up smoking immediately and make a big effort to cut down or stop the booze.
It was horrible watching him go through chemo and radiotherapy and I gave up smoking too.......to support him. I used to smoke roll-ups because it was much cheaper in the long run than "tailor mades". I just said to myself that when I finished the pouch of tobacco that would be it. I threw out the ashtrays in the house, lighters and rolling papers. Have to say that the first week was a little tough but I wasn't going to fail AGAIN and be so lacking in willpower when he was going through such a tough time.
I tried the nicotine patches but to be honest after three days or so it seemed pointless as the nicotine is rapidly leaving your body and why give it another crutch because that is what it is.
I also downloaded the NHS (I'm in the UK) Smokefree app. I guess it will work for non-UK people too as it's available from iTunes and Google Play? https://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/smokefree.aspx
This I found quite a help and it was fun to see how much money I was saving too and all the little tips it gives.
Two weeks passed ....hurrah! A slight longing for a smoke after a nice meal lingered but by distracting myself it passes. I think that's a big thing about giving up, distraction strategies. Even if it's drinking a glass of water. Apparently if you can ride out the crave which lasts a minute or so .....just keep repeating it!
Two months passed and I started realising how much cigarettes stink, even passing people smoking in the street or the reek on clothing in shops and bars. Agggh! I was turning into one of those whiney non-smokers!
I also cleaned or replaced soft furnishings in the house (with the money saved!) and got down to giving just about the whole house a fresh lick of paint and politely requested friends to smoke in our garden rather than the fug that used to be our living room.
Last year husband was given his 5 years clear which was fantastic. I was really shocked at how easy I found it to give up smoking as I had tried and failed before. There is a definite hump that you have to clear but it happens really early on....just kick that little devil whispering sweet nothings off your shoulder!
If you find yourself comfort eating, try and make it something like vege batons and houmous rather than mountains of starchy bread and sticky jam and cakes!
Good luck. I swear it's so worth it!
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Chantix. Been 9 years.
In the first 3 months I also took up running and liked breathing. And avoided my friends and social situations. One night 3 months in I drank beers while all of my friends smoked and I was totally fine.
Also need to have the mindset. I can never have 'just one'. Ever again. And I'm cool with it.
Good luck!2 -
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sflano1783 wrote: »Iv tried everything patches,gums sprays and therapy its ahabit I got into and no way out plus its bordom aswell that drives me to smoke I have to be doing something.
Have you tried talking to your doctor about a cessation pill? Or talking to your doctor about how hard it's been in general? I'm positive your doctor will want to help however they can. Also I found it a lot easier once I found a quitting buddy i could vent frustration to.0 -
craziedani wrote: »just stop ..... easy as that
You know I told my husband that all the time when I was a non smoker. Now I’m a smoker and I’m like this *kitten* is harder than I thought.
I have no answers. I wish I did for you. I did go two weeks forced quitting because of vanity when I had stitches and a broken bone in my face. I like my face. They said it would affect healing...I wasn’t about to look crazy. So I quit for two weeks and shouldn’t have started again. So I’m going to start again within the next two days. I have to. Plus I just started running again. It’s amazing how much it affects your lung capacity. I find it insane that I go to the gym and smoke right after. Who does that?
With all that being said. Good luck.
Hey ya'll should friend one another. A buddy who's going through the same thing as you can be an invaluable asset0 -
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I can't use champix cause the doctors won't prescribe me them cause im on other meds at the moment.0
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Congratz. But you're very wrong. People want to stop but when the craving increase they no longer do. That's called addiction. The normal rational thought pattern is broken by the nicotine binding to your dopamine receptors (and the lack of it).
DO NOT understate people's struggles. It is rude. For the majority of people it is extremely difficult to stop smoking (as I'm sure you must know as you live on Earth) regardless of how much they want to stop.4 -
r0ck3rgirl wrote: »
That doesn't apply to those who don't want to stop.2 -
Im using the nicorette mist spray atm so wish me luck I just have to find stuff to do to keep me busy and mind and hands occupied1
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Best wishes!1
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My husband took up vaping and is free of traditional smoking but he still vapes. It's 95% safer they say but we won't really know until it has been around longer. It's worth a try.0
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Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit was a game changer for me. It helped me to undo all the lies I have told myself over the years in order to maintain my addiction. Hint...you dont enjoy it, it's disgusting and it's not that you cant smoke anymore, it's a relief that you dont have to 1❤2
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Go read Allen Carr's book 'How to Quit Smoking the Easy Way'. It comes in audio books too, if you are not the type to read. It is hands down the best book I have ever purchased, because it worked. I smoked my very last cigarette while reading the book over 3 years ago, and have never once had a craving or desire to smoke since. The very next day after my last smoke I had to take a 4 hour car ride, and had no desire to crack a window and light one up.
I went out with friends the next weekend and indulged in alcoholic beverages and never asked to bum a smoke off anyone or felt awkward standing in a fog of second hand smoke with my buddies. I never was envious of them smoking away, I actually pitied them a bit as I was free to move about the bar and get more drinks while they had to stay outside and finish their smoke. I even kept half a pack of cigarettes in my desk, because in the past I had failed to quit and was too cheap to throw away half a pack (which I eventually did a few months later). This seems crazy to most people who quit... the thought of having the temptation within a few feet of yourself throughout the day. I say all this to reinforce what someone else previously said... it's actually very easy to quit. This book helps you understand why it is so easy.
The thing is that once you understand why it is you smoke, it becomes very manageable to stop. Do yourself a favor and spend the few bucks on the book, and it will help you with this.2 -
staleysj487 wrote: »Go read Allen Carr's book 'How to Quit Smoking the Easy Way'. It comes in audio books too, if you are not the type to read. It is hands down the best book I have ever purchased, because it worked. I smoked my very last cigarette while reading the book over 3 years ago, and have never once had a craving or desire to smoke since. The very next day after my last smoke I had to take a 4 hour car ride, and had no desire to crack a window and light one up.
I went out with friends the next weekend and indulged in alcoholic beverages and never asked to bum a smoke off anyone or felt awkward standing in a fog of second hand smoke with my buddies. I never was envious of them smoking away, I actually pitied them a bit as I was free to move about the bar and get more drinks while they had to stay outside and finish their smoke. I even kept half a pack of cigarettes in my desk, because in the past I had failed to quit and was too cheap to throw away half a pack (which I eventually did a few months later). This seems crazy to most people who quit... the thought of having the temptation within a few feet of yourself throughout the day. I say all this to reinforce what someone else previously said... it's actually very easy to quit. This book helps you understand why it is so easy.
The thing is that once you understand why it is you smoke, it becomes very manageable to stop. Do yourself a favor and spend the few bucks on the book, and it will help you with this.
I have read the book two times still ended up smoking1 -
cheryldumais wrote: »My husband took up vaping and is free of traditional smoking but he still vapes. It's 95% safer they say but we won't really know until it has been around longer. It's worth a try.
I want to get away from smoking all together it's costing me a fortune.1 -
Love hearing the success stories!
Bottom line is, everyone is different. What may be simple for some is obviously not for others, which shouldn't have to be said here, since eating too much food is a problem for many. As straightforward and obvious it is, it's unsupportive to tell someone who struggles with food, "just stop eating". Same goes for, "just stop smoking". Addiction is real.
Don't give up though!
Keep trying no matter what
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I quit. I smoked for 20 years and decided I really wanted to quit so I saw my doc. He put me on Wellbutrin...and it worked! The meds had some side effects for me so I wasn't on them long, but it took away the worst of the cravings so the patches etc would work. Good luck! You just have to decide if you want to smoke or want to live...long term you can't have both2
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I quit cold turkey. It was dang hard but haven't had one in 25 yrs and I am an old bird. As much as I enjoyed the act of smoking I would not want to start again and have to quit all over again. And did I mention the money? When I smoked it was $1.85 a pack and I see now it is $8.00 a pack where I live, NO thanks!1
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I had "wanted" to stop smoking for a while. Waking up every morning thinking 'I gotta give these things up' but never really wanting to stop enough to do much more than complain about it.
Then one day I was on my lunch break at work. I'd just finished eating and had a smoke and went to have one more before I went back up to the office.
The pack was empty.
So I got up and started walking towards the store to buy another packet when I came to a flight of stairs. I knew there was a chemist (pharmacy) up there and I stopped. I looked towards the store, up the stairs, back towards the store and back up the stairs. In a split second decision I turned to go up the stairs into the chemist and buy a packet of nicotine lozenges and that was it. I was done. That was 12 years ago and I haven't had so much as a puff since. It was a snap decision in that moment.
Here are some things that helped me quit for good:
1. From the moment I took my first step up the stairs towards the chemist I was a 'Non-smoker'. I wasn't quitting as that meant that I was still a 'Smoker' who was giving up. I made that shift in my head to being a 'Non-smoker' and it was probably the most powerful thing I did. In the past if someone had offered me a cigarette I'd say 'No thanks. I'm quitting', this time it was 'No thanks. I'm not a smoker'. I made being a 'Non-smoker' a part of my identity and Non-smokers just don't smoke.
2. Resigned myself to the fact that it was gonna suck for a while. Getting over the nicotine addiction sucks HARD and I had to mentally prepare myself for this fact. The lozenges helped take the edge off when they physical cravings got really bad but there's only so much they can do. Just be prepared to be miserable and pretty cranky for a while.
3. I understood that cravings do pass and will diminish with time. The worst thing about the nicotine cravings was that they were urgent and honestly felt like they would last forever, or at least until I had a cigarette. But in truth, they don't, they WILL pass within a few minutes. And the good thing is that each subsequent time the craving hits it will be just a little less intense then last time, last a little bit less time and come a little less frequently. To this day I still on a very rare occasion get a craving for a cigarette. Chances are they'll probably never go away completely. But they're super mild, never last more than a few seconds to a minute at most and only happen perhaps once or twice a year so they're a snap to endure. Little more than an afterthought really.
4. Find your triggers so your prepared. I would go for hours without a cigarette while I was at work but if I sat down in front of my computer at home I'd practically chain-smoke. I'd rarely have a cigarette while watching TV but would smoke far more while I was driving my car. Once I identified my smoking triggers I was able to handle them far better as I was fully prepared. Knowing that the minute my backside hit the computer chair I'd be wanting a smoke made it easier to ignore. Knowing is half the battle
5. Become a 'Non-smoker'. I know this was point one but I can't emphasise this point enough. A smoker who is quitting can just stop quitting and start smoking, but a Non-smoker just doesn't smoke. Become a 'Non-smoker' make it a part of who you are.
g'luck2 -
Oh! and get ready for the gunk cough!!
This is something that I REALLY wasn't prepared for. But when you stop smoking, I'd say around the 3rd or 4th day onward you're likely going to get a SUPER bad cough. I'm talking 100x worse than you've ever coughed while you were smoking and to make it worse you'll be coughing up the most vile gunk.
It's just plain AWFUL! but, is in fact really good sign. It's the cilia in your lungs recovering and finally being able to moving all that mucus and rubbish that has been trapped in your lungs upwards for you to expel. It's totally gross, and can last anywhere from a few days to a month but totally part of the process of your lungs returning to a healthy function.0 -
I quit by switching to vaping and cutting down on the nicotine gradually. Gave up the vape completely when a doctor told me to completely quit nicotine if I wanted to heal properly after a horrible skin affliction.1
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For me it was not smoking it was chewing tobacco. I chewed for 30 years. Tomorrow marks my 5 year anniversary of quitting.
Quite simply the single hardest thing I have ever done. The first three days were pure torture. But every day after that it got better. I still have cravings every once in a while, but I just laugh them off now.
I used nicotine gum for the first weekend but after that it was just me and the cravings. Stupidly I used food as my main craving blocker and packed on 75 pounds in the first 6 months. Strongly urge you to not follow that plan!
Good luck!0 -
cold turkey is the only way to go. I tried everything too, patches, gum but nothing worked until I was actually ready. One day (just over 6 years ago now) I smoked my last one and never looked back. And the amount of money I've saved, OMG!!!!1
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sflano1783 wrote: »staleysj487 wrote: »Go read Allen Carr's book 'How to Quit Smoking the Easy Way'. It comes in audio books too, if you are not the type to read. It is hands down the best book I have ever purchased, because it worked. I smoked my very last cigarette while reading the book over 3 years ago, and have never once had a craving or desire to smoke since. The very next day after my last smoke I had to take a 4 hour car ride, and had no desire to crack a window and light one up.
I went out with friends the next weekend and indulged in alcoholic beverages and never asked to bum a smoke off anyone or felt awkward standing in a fog of second hand smoke with my buddies. I never was envious of them smoking away, I actually pitied them a bit as I was free to move about the bar and get more drinks while they had to stay outside and finish their smoke. I even kept half a pack of cigarettes in my desk, because in the past I had failed to quit and was too cheap to throw away half a pack (which I eventually did a few months later). This seems crazy to most people who quit... the thought of having the temptation within a few feet of yourself throughout the day. I say all this to reinforce what someone else previously said... it's actually very easy to quit. This book helps you understand why it is so easy.
The thing is that once you understand why it is you smoke, it becomes very manageable to stop. Do yourself a favor and spend the few bucks on the book, and it will help you with this.
I have read the book two times still ended up smoking
Yeah, someone gave me this book and it did absolutely nothing for me. I heard all about it “omg this book is great! You’ll be smoke free because of it!” Then I read it. I was like, “That’s it?” It didn’t help at all, and while I’m sure it does help some people, I hate that it’s recommended so frequently because it was completely useless for me.0 -
I stopped cold turkey after 20 years of heavy smoking. I used the videos of a guy on Youtube to help me. If it wasn't for these videos I'd never stopped because I had countless fail attempts including patches, vaping, gums, inhalators etc. I used to smoke 2 packs a day.
His name is Joel Spitzer, look his channel up on Youtube.
I've been nicotine free for more than 3 years and I don't crave it any more.
This guy has videos for every day during your first week which is when you get detoxed from the nicotine and is hardest. I owe him my life.
This is how I quit too. Spitzer has a website (not sure if I can link it, but it's whyquit.com). There's a ton of information that I'd never heard before & helped a lot. I think there's a facebook group too.The main things that helped me were knowing that the physical withdrawal would be pretty bad for 3 days or so and then would ease up. I'd always thought it'd last forever so I'd give in after half a day and start smoking again. And learning that after about 2-3 weeks, you are really dealing with psychological cues/learning to cope without smoking. I quit 'cold turkey' 3.5 years ago and haven't had a puff since. I was one of those "I love smoking too much to give it up" people so I'm very proud to have never started again. Good luck!0
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