need help from FORMER SMOKERS!

breakingthecycle722

So I am trying to quit smoking, I have cut down drastically from over a pack a day to about 6 or 7. I have tried numerous times, Ive done the patch, chantix, gum etc. I recently tried the ecig and that left me with the worst chest pains so I just went back to smoking. I want to quit, I hate smoking, I want to be able to work out HARD!
I go crazy when I dont smoke, everything makes me cry. Things get broken. I turn into such a B****, the people who are in my corner, who want me to quit, actually TELL me to go smoke.
Those who have actually quit, how did you do it!?!?

just_Jennie1

Cold turkey.

I was a smoker for about 10 years or so. I was dating my now husband at the time and tried to hide it from him with no success. He told me he didn't date smokers. I tossed out my cigarettes and quit the next day.

However I think that I was ready to quit. If you're ready than it is that much easier.

eric_sg61

Cold turkey.

This.
I smoked since the age of 13 to 30. I quit 8 years ago. The thing is that I set a date to have my last pack. After that day I was going to quit and I did. The first few days are hell, you'll need tremendous willpower and fortitude. I was not fun to be around and felt like my world was crashing down around me, then I nutted up and got over it.

PBsMommy

Cold Turkey worked for me.

It seems every time I tried to do the cutback method, I always found a justification with having "just one more".

Was a smoker for about 6 or 7 years.

I also agree with just_Jennie, I had to be ready to quit before I did.

terem00

I smoked for 20 years and I knew I wanted to make changes with my life and quitting smoking was the first.
I quite cold turkey Aug 2010 and have never looked back.

For me I was never ready to quit just like I was never ready to lose weight.

Here I am 3.5 years later still smoke free and 70lbs lighter !

hbrittingham

Don't use people telling you go smoke as an excuse to start back up. Take responsibility for your behavior while quitting and don't use quitting as an excuse to be a *****.

Of course, if you really, really want to quit, you will.


*I smoked for over 20 years and have been quit for 7 years*

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QuietBloom

Cold turkey. When I was ready.

asimmons221

I did it with an ecigg, eciggs can be a little stronger then real ciggs at first. If you ever go down that road again I can point you to the good ones.

AyeCorona

I quit December 24th- I was really sick at the time so I didn't want one at all. Once I got to feeling better, the cravings were still strong (mentally) during things that I've always had a cigarette in hand during like coffee, driving, drinking, etc. I got some of those mini-lozenges- they taste disgusting so I think twice before I pop one in my mouth. The cravings are getting less and less each day.

Also, I really want to start a family so the desire to quit is strong.

Feel free to add me for support. Good luck!

wnt2bhlthy2

I smoked a pack a day from age 13-28. I quit cold turkey. I had a good reason though. The day I found out I was pregnant, I quit just like that without another thought. My son is two and I'm still smoke free! You can do it!

KombuchaCat

As with most of the other responders I did it cold turkey. Now towards the end I was only smoking about 5 cigarettes/day at the most so it wasn't as drastic of a stoppage. The cigarettes had started making me feel sick if I smoked too much the last few years I smoked. That being said I did feel some side effects when I stopped. You just have to sort of bare that for a while but your body will adjust. Just get rid of everything and tell your loved ones you are serious about stopping and you need thier support no matter how crazy you get. If it is really that horrible you may want to seek some professional help becuase there could be underlying mental health issues driving some of this.

oldantired

I ended a 48 year habit on April 2012 and used a combination of the patch and Wellbutrin. (Zyban) It is an antidepressant that helps control cravings and anxiety. My behavior was much easier to control than when I tried cold turkey or with the patch alone.

grantwashere

I smoked at least a pack a day until I was 30. My grandma was on oxygen (from smoking) and went in to the hospital on July 2, 1998. When I got to the hospital, she was fighting for air. I threw my cigarettes in the trash there at the hospital. She passed the next day. I haven't smoked since. It was tough but I did it. This losing weight thing has been tougher though. It's still kicking my @$$.

ElliottTN

9 days smoke free today. I can't really give advice bc I'm not out of the woods just yet but I listened to what the above people are saying and its got me this far which is longer than I've ever been before. I've used all te replacement things as well without success.

As everyone suggested I had to go completely nic free and hit the withdrawal head on to make it this far. I have everyone around me a heads up that I was going to be a conplete **** for a few days (and I was). When cravings got really bad I would go to why quit.org and read some information material about how I was killing myself its worked so far though.

Like I said, I'm not out of the woods yet so probably not the best to take advice from but im somewherenin between i guess. The thought of smoking still crosses my mind a couple times a day now but after 3-4 days of cold turkey I no longer NEED to smoke or else I will punch somebody or something. Cold turkey is working. Getting nicotine completely out of my system sucked but it was the right choice for me. Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend if you want someone who is a few weeks ahead of you to talk to.

DeputySox

The night I quit I bought a fresh pack of Marlboro Lights. I smoked one after another until I thought I was going to puke. Threw the remaining pack and lighters away. Went cold turkey. I was ready to quit. I was an *kitten* for a couple weeks after but it all leveled out. That was 123109. Good luck! It's a wicked habit to break.

cwolfman13

what kind of ecig were you using and what was the juice?

I quit smoking using the ecig. I was a 2-3 PAD smoker and took my last puff on September 25, 2012. I used a joytech ego twist with a Vivi Nova tank and never had any issues. I basically laid out a harm reduction plan for myself which included switching over the e-cig and slowly weening myself down on the nicotine with that. I was down to zero nicotine in about 6 months. Once I was down to zero nicotine it was all about the actual habit of sticking something in my mouth and puffing on it. I basically took another three months and was done with the e-cig altogether...so in nine months time I went from being a 2-3 PAD smoker to an e-cig vapor user to being totally normal and not needing any of it.

The most important thing here is to know thyself. Some people can do cold turkey and that's great...I couldn't and it was all about harm reduction first and then breaking the addiction and then breaking the habit. For me, it had to be a process...I tried a million different ways in the past and they didn't work...but I'm very proud to say now that I'm smoke free, nicotine free, and vapor free all with little under a year's time.

zanne54

This is what worked for me.

You know the cigarette that just tastes "bad" and makes you feel icky? (It usually happens in the middle of the pack). The one where your lungs feel heavy, and dirty, and your stomach lurches? And you think to yourself "ew, this is gross". When you have THAT SMOKE, dunk the rest of the pack in water to completely destroy them, and then throw them away. Count this as day zero on your calendar.

When you get your next urge for a cigarette - break your usual habit pattern and do something completely new and different. Get out of your old routine into a new routine. Isolate yourself from other smokers / your smoking buddies for the first little while to reduce the temptation.

Every day that you're smoke-free, count off the day on your calendar. Expect to have a few relapses and don't beat yourself up when they happen. Just restart the next day as day zero again. You could also set yourself a reward for XX days without a cigarette. Eventually, your day count will get big enough that your desire to keep your streak going is worth more to you than having a cigarette.

This method will also translate well to starting on MFP and logging daily calories. I was up to 300 consecutive days until an international trip kept me offline. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when my week's overview of calorie consumption is all "green". And the positive reinforcement from the scale certainly doesn't hurt!

Mia_RagazzaTosta

Cold turkey for me. I was sick of how it made me feel (tired, yet wired, always coughing) and the week after I quit I got the most horrible bronchitis I had ever had in my life. I was sick for almost 2 months. Also, my son is a pretty severe asthmatic. He struggles to breathe during an attack and there I was destroying my own lungs for no good reason. (I never smoked in my house or around my kids) That was enough for me.

Iron_Lotus

The first time I quit was with an e-cIG, I would have been smoke free for 3 years this January but I got stressed and made a stupid mistake and started again. I am 3 days smoke free today using an e-cig is the only thing that gives me that oral fixation satisfaction.

Maybe you just need to try a different e-cig, do some research see which ones are safe and FDA approved. They work and I would recommend them to anyone trying to quit. Oh and the ones I use contain 0 nicotine.

LassoOfTruth

Cold turkey. Granted, I just "quit" with the new year... 10 days down.

BUT, let that out... cry, scream, be a b*tch like I am... and then, it'll pass. It's just like going through withdrawals of a true addict... you need to let that stuff out and then it'll be just fine. If the people are telling you to go smoke bc they can't deal with you, then eff them! Seriously. You are trying, you are doing something good for your health, and they are not being supportive.

ksaltkill

Sorry to hear the e-cig didn't work. That's how I quit, even though it says right on there "this is not designed to help you quit smoking." Isolation also helped me. I work with another guy who was (is) smoking. I couldn't quit knowing he was right there in the truck, 4 ft. away, smoking it up. I was only able to quit when he went on vacation. Best of luck, and stay strong. I feel so much better for having quit. Smoke free since 9/13.

cj0725

Smoked for 25 years, quit with the patch. Key was that I was really ready. Good luck!

Dorothy4208

I went cold turkey about 16 months ago, after smoking for 25 years. My thought (and many disagree with me but so what?) is that if you're going to use an e-cigarette why bother quitting at all? But I digress...

When I quit, I totally went crazy. I couldn't sleep because my body was vibrating from all the energy I had. I cried for weeks. The only thing that saved me was working out hard. I didn't know where else to put that energy. Also "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr helped me and about ten of my friends. Amazing book, available online everywhere.

You can do this. If I can do it, so can you. Be prepared to take your first real down-to-the-bottom-of-your-lungs deep breath since you started. Smokers can't do that. It's a life change but it sounds like you're ready.

sillygoosie

Cold Turkey, but I keep an ecig around for the "I'm ready to say fck it and buy a pack" cravings. I also have to stay away from my friends that smoke. It's too easy to take the drag that leads to buying a pack. Get rid of all ashtrays, lighters and any other crap you carry around that relates to smoking. Remind yourself of all the reasons you can't smoke anymore. Your health, children, smell, teeth, mouth wrinkles, skin, aging, money... Keep telling yourself that tomorrow will be easier, because it's true. All you really need is a solid 3 weeks with no cigarettes and you're golden.

If you need support, I just jumped back on the wagon and would be happy to help.

mmm_drop

I smoked for over 15 years, over a pack a day. I would cut down, only smoke when I drank, then start back up full time again.

When I finally quit, it was cold turkey. I read the book, "Easy Way" by Allen Carr and it just hit home. When you are finally ready to quit, you will.

I was a crazy person for about 2 weeks and eventually I got back to normal, well, my normal. I still crave them from time to time, but always come back to the fact that if I have just one, I'll end up a full time smoker once again.

Good luck to you!

cici1028

Hi, Breaking.

I quit 75 days ago. I had smoked a pack a day for 17 years and couldn't imagine not smoking. I read "The Easy Way to Quit" by Alan Carr. I haven't looked back and it wasn't that bad. I also haven't gained a POUND from not smoking. I put on three over the holidays but I had quit for over two months before they hit and did fine.

I had tried it all... Chantix, eCigarettes, the patch, the gum, you name it. Cold turkey is the only way to go... try the book. It doesn't have to be painful. Good luck!!! GET THE BOOK. It's cheap, it's short, and it works.

futuresize8

E-Cigs didn't help me. In fact, they made me long for the regular cigarettes.

Reading Alan Carr's book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" was the magic bullet for me.

Until then, I would feel like I was depriving myself of something every time I tried to quit or temporarily quit in the past. Ultimately, I'd allow myself to smoke again.

This time, after reading his book, (which is a super fast, easy, inexpensive read) I feel like I've gained everything by quitting and I have not had any moments of panic, wishing I could have a cigarette.

When my friends at our local go outside for one, I am 100% not tempted at all.

It could be worth trying if you're really committed to quit. It's helped millions of people.

p.s. I tried ecigs, nic gum, cold turkey, etc. and failed every single time.

**after I submitted, saw the poster right above me and what a similar story! I quit October 18, just about the same time as she did...coincidence!

latewinterwolf

I did it with an ecigg, eciggs can be a little stronger then real ciggs at first. If you ever go down that road again I can point you to the good ones.

This is what my bf does he uses de-bang brand (ikrlol.only on available around here and its at the petrol stationlol)

Lesa_Sass

I smoked for 25 years and can not count the number of times I quit, and started again. I tried everything on the market to, but nothing worked....until the Ecig. I was not planning on stopping smoking, just moving my habit to the ecig but one day after 6 months of having the thing, I realized I had not smoked in 2 months.

You may have had a higher dosage of nicotine than you needed, that is why you were having chest pains. One thing to keep in mind is that traditional cigarettes are filled with addictive additives other than nicotine, that is why we like are certain brands. So we withdraw not only from nicotine, but all the other crap they put in there as well.

I tried cold turkey, every week for the last 10 years, it just did not work for me.

I also recommend bee pollen when you do finally become cig free as it helped me with my insatiable appetite when I quit. I could not stop eating. I gained 8 lbs then when I discovered bee pollen, it changed my world in ways I can not explain. It is not a diet pill, so I ate, just reasonably. I also did not have allergies when spring rolled around. You can get it at GNC if interested.

wndrwmn86

I smoked a pack a day from 17-23 quit cold turkey on June 8, 2010. Threw the rest of the pack I had left in the garbage can and walked away. I was a terrible ***** for 2 weeks but after that I was able to control my emotions better even though I was still craving. After a month it was all good. I did fall off the wagon once while drinking and tried one of my friends cigs (Marlboro Red) lol after not smoking for over a year I promptly vomited and the smell has made me sick ever since.