Need Advice!!!! People who quit something and succeeded

kristenm214

I quit smoking in March 2015.

I had been trying to quit for a while, but always failed. In March of 2015 I lived across from a 7-11 and saw the same guy at the counter everyday. One day he asked who the cigarettes were for. When I said me, he told me I smoked too much. It took a stranger to point it out. And he didn't say it in a shaming manor, but I definitely felt shame.

What helped me to stay quit was also quitting coffee. For me cigarettes and coffee went hand in hand and I couldn't have one without the other. So I gave up both. I also would brush my teeth as soon as I woke up. I needed something to replace what I did as soon as I got up.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

JodiSW

I quit smoking almost two years ago after smoking a pack a day for about 20 years. I'd tried to quit cold turkey a few times and it didn't work. This time I used a multifaceted approach and it was much easier.

• Medication: Varenicline. Health insurance covered it completely, so free.
• iCanQuit app. Free app from University of Washington, research based.
• becomeanex.org. Forum of people in various quit stages.

I also changed my thinking. I can never smoke again, even a drag of someone else, unless I want to end up back where I started. When I think, "I want a cigarette" I follow that up with "No, what you want is to never smoke again. What's happening is that you're craving a cigarette - and having a cigarette isn't the solution to that problem. It's actually the CAUSE of the problem."

That's how I stopped and have stayed stopped - so far, so good! Good luck. You can do it. Lots of people have.

tandycorbin

I quit smoking in 2013. I started at 15 in 1982. I can't say I really planned on quitting. I ran out of cigarettes one day and wasn't able to get more until over 24 hours. I kept having the mindset that I already had one day under my belt and if I really wanted one I could have one tomorrow. I found an app for my phone called Quit Now! It kept track of how many days it had been, how much money I was saving and what health benefits I was getting as the days ticked up. I'll tell you I looked at that app 50 times a day and asked myself if it was worth going back to zero. I found that using a cinnamon stick was useful in over coming the hand to mouth habit. The first 6 months was really the hardest. I had terrible nightmares for a couple months (but maybe that was just me, because I never heard anyone else have that issue). I really felt like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs for quite a while, but I kept checking that app. I'm a fairly competitive person and I just could not tolerate the idea of going back to zero.
I also needed something for my hands to do when the urge came up, so I checked out a knitting video on youtube and made the world's worst scarf. I would just knit a couple rows until the urge passed. I think they call that urge surfing. It might not be knitting for you, think about origami, a hand puzzle- like a Rubik's cube or a brain teaser puzzle, get some rope and learn some knots, if you like fabric you can learn to make yoyo's, or heck, get a real yoyo and learn a few tricks. Just find something that you can keep with you so that when the urge happens you can refocus your brain on this other activity.
It's been 3670 days since I ran out of cigarettes. I've save over $14k. I would have to say it was one of the hardest things I ever did and without a doubt one of the best things I ever did too!
Good luck!

Jthanmyfitnesspal

@springlering62 has great advice above. Start thinking about your habit. Write in a journal: why do you smoke? How does it feel?

Let me add that a common method for changing habits is to create a contract with yourself: Start as above by coming up with the reasons you like the habit. When and why do you smoke and what does it do for you? How does it make you feel good?

Now, what are the reasons you want to stop? Be as specific as possible. What things about smoking do you not like?

Write up a document with your reasons for quitting. Pick a date. Sign the contract. When you feel weak, go back to your journal. Review your reasons for quitting. How are you feeling about them now? Has anything changed? (Usually not.)

BTW: If it isn't obvious, this works even better in conjunction with 1-1 weekly therapy, if you can swing it financially.

Astropia

Two packs a day for 20 years. Tried quitting hundreds of times with about 10 quits of a month or longer.

Finally realized I was really good at quitting and decided to put my efforts there. Every night, no matter what, I put my "last" packet of cigarettes under a faucet, scrunched them up and dropped them in the trash.

For a while, the next day I would panic and buy another pack. But over time the panics started to diminish. Then I was able to explore what being smoke free really felt like and — in the absence of the little panic attacks — realized it didn't feel too bad.

Ultimately the day came when I stopped completely. That was June 6, 2004.

Mouse_Potato

I was a pack a day smoker for 17-18 years. I quit using Chantix, but I also took a few steps before I started it.

First, I started breaking my triggers. Like, I stopped smoking in my car. I was allowed to have a cigarette when I got to work, but not until then. So, my car quit being a trigger. I quit smoking after meals. Made myself wait half an hour. Same goal.

I read up on the benefits timeline for quitting smoking. "After x number of days/weeks this happens." That helped keep me motivated. I tried reading up on all the bad stuff smoking does to the body, but that just stressed me out and made me want to smoke more. Scared straight doesn't work for all of us.

Finally, I reminded myself that smoking actually does nothing for me. It just scratches an itch that was artificially created in the first place. It took about 6-8 months for the last cravings to go away.

It will be fifteen years in May since I had my last cigarette.

Corina1143

A friend, so I don't know the whole story, and his wife both smoked. They both tried and failed several times to quit. Then one day they decided to quit together. They took Chantix. They both succeeded. He said the Chantix helped a whole lot, but the wholehearted support helped more. Is there a smokers anonymous?

cmurphy0805

I quit a pack a day habit twelve years ago. I had an upper respiratory infection and when the doctor gave me a breathing test, she told me I was only a couple of points away from emphysema. I lost my job and took a lower paying job, then didn't feel like I could justify the expense. I asked my dr for a prescription for Chantix. On Chantix, you're supposed to quit after a week. I quit except for two at night which I continued for a couple more weeks. Then I wanted to quit taking Chantix but I knew if I didn't give up those last two, all the time and effort was wasted. The poster who said you can't ever have another cigarette is right. Unfortunately, addicts can't use their substance in moderation and ALL smokers eventually become addicts. For probably a year after I quit, I would still want one at odd moments (usually when I saw someone else smoking) and had to tell myself, "No. That monkey is off your back and you're never letting him back on!"

xbowhunter

I quit my daily alcohol habit cold turkey.

I had enough of feeling lousy every day and that motivated me big time.

I will still have a drink if it's a special occasion but am noticing I don't enjoy drinking at all anymore.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

I forgot to mention that I did quit smoking at one time. I should say that I started smoking at about 16y and quit at about 19y. This was all decades ago in the 70s, when a lot of 16ys smoked. I recall that it was hard! It helped that I moved from a group of friends that smoked to a group that didn't, so I stuck out as a smoker. I decided to quit at the beginning of the summer and I remember struggling with it for some time. Again, I thought it over, made a plan, picked a date, and then did it! I recall that I did a lot of cycling that summer, and got into much better shape. So quitting smoking had an immediate payoff. And I have never regretted that choice!

I've also been doing months-long alcohol-free periods regularly in the past many years. Getting psyched up to do one is similar: You think it over, write your reasons down (if it helps), pick a date, and go!

Sparkuvu

Quit smoking several times---never think you can have just one. Just this time. NOPE. My final time, decades ago now, best tip was to deep breathe through the craving, with a promise it does go away in 1-3 minutes, also told it might be gone for just seconds before it starts again, but knowing how it does stop, you just breathe through it again. Amazed when I realized absolutely true. This was the really changing tip for me. Another thing for me, was that I was washing light color walls. My bucket was getting absolutely brown water every few feet and I would have to change it. And it absolutely was coming off those walls. I could see the difference in the unwashed section next to the washed. I realized it was NICOTINE. I started picturing that brown film coating my lungs every time I smoked just as it coated my walls.

laz5276

Congratulations for thinking about quitting. I quit 45 years ago. My Grandfather died many years ago with lung cancer ( heavy smoker), my Mother died of lung cancer ( heavy smoker), then they found a non-cancerous tumor in my lung. My 6 year old had allergies. It finally hit me-QUIT SMOKING! As soon as I really made up my mind and committed to it, it was easier. Think of why you want to quit and what it means to the people around you. Good Luck.

scavonedan

Cant_think_of_a_username wrote: »

I quit drinking alcohol after eating and drinking myself into a gout attack. It wasn't easy, as home brewing craft beer was my main hobby at that time and I had to get rid of all my gear and have a rethink. For a couple of years I'd get the occasional craving where I really fancied and ice cold brew on a hot day etc but over time that faded to the point I never give it a second thought now.

It was a bit difficult for a while when others around were doing the old "just have one, it won't do any harm" routine - but I had the memory of the pain of a gout flare up in my mind as a deterrent.

Same here! Gout hurts worse than anything I have ever experienced. Dr said watch the alcohol and all the "purines" I consumed. Keeping a log I found what did or did not cause a flare up. Two years now no alcohol and almost 100% plant based diet.

Good news is all the sugar in alcohol is now avoided! Stop drinking and you lose weight fast.

KristenLeigh941

I quit smoking 11 years ago after being a chain smoker for 14 years. You CAN do it, but it will require a multifaceted approach that involves looking inward at the reasons you desire smoking and the role/function it is playing in your life. I know it sounds ridiculous, but what honestly turned it around for me was Allen Carr's classic book "Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking." I tried to quit in 2008 through willpower and it went very badly. I don't remember how I came across this book but it was probably one of the most important things I've ever read. I STOPPED trying to quit through willpower and started genuinely doing the kind of inner work he was talking about, to observe myself, my desires, and the need that smoking was filling in my life. It took 4 years of this, but when I was ready, I was ready. It was still hard, and I used nicotine patches and had to really sit with a lot of feelings. If you have been using smoking as an emotional crutch (as so many of us did/do) then you will need to learn how to sit with hard feelings. I also did not announce "I'm quitting smoking on such and such day!" but I just took it one day at a time, similar to the AA approach. When I quit this way, I did not feel deprived of anything. I felt increasingly more free every day. It took about two years for the cravings to really stop and for me to stop smoking in my dreams and that sort of thing. But honestly now... I never think about it. Ever. I forget sometimes that I used to be a smoker. I love my life now and think it's so weird that I used to feel like I needed that in order to be okay.

You can do it. Get the stupid self-help book. It's a life saver.

bcasallas

I quit smoking on April 18, 2022. I have been a smoker since I was 12 years old, and the longest I could ever quit was about 6 months. How did I quit? I finally had enough. I had enough of being winded just walking up the stairs. I climbed to the peak of Mount Rose Summit, and was so out of breath the entire hike, that it kind of ruined the moment for me. I finally chose for myself. I wanted to be healthier for me. So many people say that they quit for others, or their "Why" is for their children. My why, I realized, had to be for me. I need to be healthy and happy in my life, for me, and that is what my focus has become. I tried using the patch, and the gum but had adverse reactions to both. So, I threw it all out and decided to just stop with all of it. I do crave a cigarette every day because I smoked for over 30 years. It gets easier as the time passes.

hicksang121

I smoked cigarettes for 15 years (age 25 to age 40ish). It took me three good 8-12 week "I'm quitting" efforts, but eventually I pulled through. I used a nicotine nasal spray prescription that wasn't covered by my health insurance, but I figured it was still cheaper than a heart attack. I used the nasal spray to replace my smoke breaks and weaned myself off a bit each week -- I created a plan for myself like I'll take away my lunch time smoke and have spray instead, etc. It took about 3 - 8 to 12 week efforts to actually quit. Once transitioned from cigs to the spray, I started weaning off the spray and stepped down my nicotine intake to the gum, then weaned off of that. All in all, it took me 4-5 months to completely get off of nicotine. After that I accepted that I'd want to smoke, but I couldn't. Eventually, I stopped thinking about it - which I guess means my addiction had been broken. Best of luck!

history_grrrl

I quit smoking on July 3, 1998, at 1 a.m. after smoking about 1 1/4 packs a day for 19 years. I had tried the year before but only made it to 5 months. I quit cold turkey, but what really helped was an internet discussion board. Those were just starting to appear, so after dialing up my internet connection (yep, it was.a long time ago!), I found a group and posted a message because I was one week in and thinking of going to the local bodega for a pack of cigs. Almost immediately, a bunch of complete strangers from who knows where posted helpful suggestions for things I could do instead: go for a walk, go swimming, etc. I didn’t do any of those things, but just knowing there were people out there in the ether who understood and wanted to help kept me going. Kinda like here.

Back then, a lot of people on the board were using the patch or gum. Some were taking Wellbutrin, an antidepressant that was found to induce quitting in smokers during clinical trials. Many reported eating ice-cream flavoured lollipops, I think, called Chupa Chups. (I never quite figured out what those were). My trick? I ate three pints of blueberries a day. Everyone was worried about gaining weight.

Another thing that helped was a little piece of software called SilkQuit. You’d put it on your computer and fill in when you quit, how much you smoked, and the cost. Then it would do a running calculation of how long you’d been ”smober,” how much money you’d saved, and (questionable value) how much time you’d added to your life. That was a huge motivator. Oh, and the admin people had a setup where you’d get an emailed certificate marking your quit date anniversary each year.

I don’t remember what that group was called - something like better4u? best4u? - but I’ll always be grateful to them. I still maintain that if I, someone with very addictive qualities, could quit smoking, anyone can. I stopped getting bronchitis. I felt tired naturally at normal times. My hair and bras didn’t reek anymore. My face stopped looking yellowish (I didn’t know about this but found out when a guy who worked the deli counter at my local grocery and saw me regularly commented on it!).

A year after quitting smoking, I quit coffee - I’d been drinking 5-6 cups a day with half-and-half - because a cup of coffee without a cigarette just wasn’t the same.

But I still haven’t kicked the nail biting habit. I think it’s probably time.

ETA: one other thing. I was shocked, when I quit, to discover how easily enraged I was. I wanted to rip people’s faces off for the littlest things. And what I realized, in part due to insights from people on that board, was that I used cigarettes as a coping mechanism - or more like a substitute for actual coping mechanisms - to deal with stress, anger, etc. I started at 19, so I hadn’t had a chance to develop healthy techniques for managing challenges. And, I suddenly realized I had been addicted ti a drug. I hadn’t understood that at all; I just thought I smoked because I liked it. These were definite eye-openers. As some others have pointed out, there’s more to it than just quitting. It’s life changing. Hard, but totally worth it.

brennaneagle4690

Immediately actionable: when you crave nicotine, start something new. Stand up, go for a walk, exercise, clean part of your house, organize, run errands, etc. You will crave most when you are idle, so stay busy.

Longer term: replace the unhealthy habit with something healthier. Drink water when your cravings reoccur. Make a healthy snack. Start a new hobby. Find something to fill the void that provides both comfort and structure to your life.