need help from FORMER SMOKERS!

TMO1981

Going on Day 2 smokefree for me. I am also doing cold turkey. I smoked the last cig out of my pack and that was it for me. Sometimes I feel like I am losing my mind because I have a strong oral/tangible fixation to be holding a smoke. So now when I want a cig, I reach for a few Jolly Rancher hard candies( you can pick what you like), cinnamon fire works for me. I will calculate the entire bag into my "diet" if I need less I can remove some. At least I can hit a treadmill to burn that off and help restore my body to a health state then, better than the damage you would do with cigs.

Just my 2cents, try using a hard candy to curb your cravings.

CrusherKun

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

I saw my son pick up a cig. butt and imitate daddy (he was only 3) and That was it. bought a cheap ecig - it helped with the cravings and the habit of bringing it to your mouth or smoking while driving. That was back in march 2013 - with the exception of a night of fishing (helped keep mosquitos away) and the passing of my grandfather...been cig free ever since. I do have a cigar every now and again, but I never ever inhale!

mwbulechek

I quit in 1999 after 2 to 3 packs a day. I went to a hypnotist that only did solo sessions. I walked out of his office a non smoker, so I know it worked for me. I was a jerk to everyone for about 2 weeks afterwards and I did gain weight. All things that can be fixed easily!

I wish you the best of luck on quitting!

424a57

I took a day off, making a three day weekend. Threw my cigarettes away and walked for three days -- all day. While walking I thought about what I would do with the extra years in my life. After three days, my legs were sore, but I was a non-smoker.

wayback63

I was a two to three pack a day smoker. I quit with the patch and considered myself a non smoker from day one rather than a person who was quitting. It always felt better to be definitive and over it instead of being in the process of quitting.

deedee85

THIS IS WHAT WORKED FOR ME!!!

Smoked for 8 years I didn't like hair, house,clothes etc smelling like smoke. Also I could tell it was effecting me physically.
I simply prayed asked for strength to fight the craving went cold turkey 2 year later still smoke free. And loving it also saved lots of money. Good luck to you and anyone else struggling to quit.

SomeNights246

Two words: Cold turkey.

It is literally the only thing that worked for me. The ecigs just made me feel really sick. They hurt my stomach more than actual cigarettes ever did. The patch didn't work, the gum gave me terrible side effects (heart palpitations, sweating, stomach pains, etc), and all those 'quit quick' tricks were about as effective as those 'lose weight fast!' scams. I always ended up cranky and after a month would start smoking again. I was a pack a day smoker, too. At one point, i was a two pack a day smoker. The first time we went to Michigan in the winter, it was 0 degrees outside and I STILL went outside to smoke. That's how bad I was addicted.

I finally realized that I couldn't do it anymore. Part of why I got so inactive was because I was so out of breath most days that I didn't want to do anything except sit on the couch smoking. This time, though, I just quit cold turkey. I ate a lot of mints during this time. Often, it helps to keep your mouth occupied (that was the idea behind the gum in the first place, I'm sure). So, chewing on mints or something like Big Red gum helps a lot for the first few weeks. I, also, gnawed on a few straws. You will get cranky. That's normal. This part really helps if you have supportive friends. I'm sorry that it sounds like you don't. The best thing I can tell you is that if you feel yourself getting cranky, just take a breath and walk away.

Best of luck in however you decide to do it.

alc212

Cold Turkey.

(what a strange phrase by the way )

I got sick for a week and couldn't smoke (food poisoning, bad enough to land me in hospital).

Once I was well again, all the cravings were gone. I tried to have a smoke (because hey, my mind said thats what you do, its who you are) and found that I hated the taste, smell and feel. So I just didn't do it any more.

Goes to show the physical cravings don't last long - a week tops. I think still getting angry after that is just an excuse to play up (sorry, honesty), and if your loved ones can't go a few days with you having a short temper while you do something that saves your life, then there might be other underlying issues there.

Best thing I ever did. Changed so much of my life that I never imagined it would.

Looks like majority of people that have had success went cold turkey! I think if you're "cutting down" but still smoking, you're just continuing the pain and cravings... your body will still crave what you're giving it, even if you're not giving it very often.

Yep occasionally I still get that "I think I'd like a smoke" feeling, but it passes quickly if I don't dwell on it. A glass of water, strange as it may sound, helps (smokes and water don't go well together, I never felt like water after a smoke and never felt like a smoke after water) .

Headingforhealthier

Quitting smoking is much easier than losing weight. Not smoking gets easier with time, losing gets harder. You need to find a reason you want to quit that is important to you. Even if it is as simple as not dying young or saving money. Then truly believe in that reason every time you want to smoke. Also pick up a good habit to replace the bad. When you want to smoke do as many push ups as you can, take your mind off of it. If you make it a month or two cigs will start tasteing nasty again and you are good to go. I smoked 3 years, clean almost 3 now it isn't complicated, just do it.

You're absolutely right. I am having SO much more trouble quitting bad food, than I did quitting smoking. I guess because you don't need to smoke to live, so you can just give it up. Eating, you have to eat and always make good choices. I have no willpower yet

FindMyInnerAthlete

I quit in August of 2009 and I went cold turkey. I was actually deployed (which can be stressful and make you want to smoke) but it was so dag on hot that I said I was done smoking. I just got my husband to quit smoking a little over a year ago. You can do it. You just have to WANT to do it!

tomlockhart

I tried cold turkey probably 15 times over the last 10 years with no success.

I'm now officially 90 days smoke free, thanks to patches.

Each person is different, but the patches really worked, just had to fight through the first 1-4 days of light nausea, some diarrhea, and other odd side effects. The dreams you have at night will be CRAZY, kind of fun in a way!

daniicaliforniaa93

It's all in your head. One day I just decided that after this pack of cigarettes I was done. When my pack ran out I quit smoking. The reason you may be irritable is because you think that is what happens when you quit smoking, but it's all a mental thing. Sugar free gum will help you to have something to do with your mouth, since smoking is a form of oral fixation. Just decide to do it and then do it. Good luck to you :happy:

htimpaired

I quit cold turkey four years ago. Best thing I ever did for myself.

Now if only my husband would follow suite. He quit once with the patch, but started again in September and has been "kinda" quit since the new year. Good luck! It's hard but definetely worth it!

htimpaired

Cold Turkey.

(what a strange phrase by the way )

When he was a kid, my brother in law used to believe that people quit smoking by eating cold turkey.

sunnyjunny

i smoked for 9 years (since i was 15) and i knew I wanted to quit but it was so difficult. One day I drank too much with friends and ended up with the worst hangover of my life. I couldnt bare the thought of smoking a cigg. the thought made me sick. After that day I didnt touch a cigg for 2 months. One day I was tipsy with my boyfriend after seeing a broadway show and I took a pull of his cigg. I ended up getting so light headed that I fainted! Every since then I knew smoking was bad for me and I have never touched one since, its been over a year!

The truth is smoking is ALL mental. Just be strong you can do it! When you have a craving have something good for you like baby carrots or some green tea.

AddieOverhaul

I haven't read all the responses but here is how I did it:

I smoked from 13 to 24 (I'm now 33, so smoke free for 9 years).

At first I cut back by giving myself "rules". No smoking during work hours, no smoking in the car...I already couldn't smoke at home because I lived with my mom at the time. So, following these rules I got down to just a couple a day.

Then I got really sick with a flu and didn't smoke at all for two weeks. After that I was like "I'm not going to pick it back up now." It was hardest when I drank alcohol.

I have quit other things in the past too, and those I did cold turkey and just used willpower and determination.

EddieHaskell97

Cold turkey.

Day #1 --> Not too bad, a bit anxious, minor nic-fits.
Day #2 --> Monster headache, "deafening silence", nauseous, sore, sensitive to light.
Day #3 --> I should have been exiled to an abandoned island, alone. I was "very unpleasant" (read:an insane psychotic.)
Day #4 --> Physical addiction over. Still wanted a cigarette, but it was manageable.

After that, it wasn't bad at all. I had a craving here or there every few days, then every few weeks, and by three months after, I couldn't stand the smell of them any more.

Worther's(sp?) candies and straws really helped me during the first week of the quit.

Hatred for big tobacco was the biggest factor in not giving up. It helped me to think of what Phillip Morris/Altria wanted. They wanted all my money, and they wanted me dead. They wanted my little boys crying over a grave, instead of having their dad to coach their little league team, or take them fishing. They wanted my wife to be a widow.

Likewise, they still want to do that to you. They want you to be their addicted slave until they finally, painfully kill you.

Quitting is no fun; if flat-out sucks! But after doing so, you'll realize that you can do anything to which you apply yourself. You'll feel infinitely better, and you'll be amazed at how well your sense of smell works even a few weeks afterward. You'll get over colds five times faster than when you smoked, and you won't have to go outside in the bad weather every thirty minutes. You won't stink like singed *kitten*, and your teeth won't be yellow!

Be well, be safe, get off the nicotine and tell Altria to go to hell. Your life will be infinitely better about four days after you do so.

jayche

Run. A lot.
You'll realize how **** your lungs are and it'll help motivate you to quit.

EDIT: Well at least that's how I quit (1-2 packs a day for around 5 years?)

marnijojo

I am a 'smoker' that has not smoked since mid-2010. I can't really remember the date, because at that time, I could not psychologically (spelling?) bear the thought of NEVER having another cigarette...so, I told myself that I just was not going to have the NEXT one. I managed to get through one craving to the next by actually NOT thinking long term - it was too overwhelming to think that way. I know this is probably not the conventional way to stop smoking, but I had tried lots of other ways and this is what worked for me.

Well, it has been over 3 years now and I am finally ready to say I will NEVER have another cigarette. The smell disgusts me and I never knew how bad I felt until I quit.

Good luck to you - as you can see, you have a lot of support here!

Tomahawk3Niner

Cold turkey.

I tried many times before it stuck. When it did stick, the difference was that, that time I really wanted to stop.

Quitting because "I should stop..." didn't work.

Quitting because, "I want to stop, I don't need these things" is how it happened.

Think about the reasons you like to smoke. Think about the things it helps you get through. Then work to find substitutes.
Every time I had a craving, I pounded a glass of water down.
Every time my friends at work would go on a smoke break, I'd chew on a straw or tooth pick. Not joining them at first, but then later continuing to hang out with them when I had enough power to resist.

Mood swings are just something you are going to have to accept while you basically are detoxing from the nic.

I'm working on my eighth year of no smoking now. I no longer join the smokers usually, because it smells bad to me now.