I cant quit smoking!!! Help!!!!

TrolleyRide

My sister bit her fingernails for years and my mom finally started putting hot sauce on them to keep her from doing that.

Maybe have someone dip your cigarettes in hot sauce.

dianaeatworld

I smoked for 17 years, woke up one day just completely disgusted with smoking and how bad it was making me feel and quit cold turkey that day. That was March 11th, 2013. I visited quitnet.com whenever I got urges and doubts. It was reassuring to read that other were going through similar things as I was.

The first three days are physical, after that it's all mental. Instead of thinking about not smoking ever again (which I got stuck on for a long time) and start focusing on the freedom obtained thanks to quiting. Once you get that mindset going, it is smoothe sailing

Best of luck with quitting! You CAN do this!

iamaviking007

Hi..... I want to send you my best wishes in your effort to quit smoking, it's the hardest battle you will ever "win". I quit 6 years ago this August after being a smoker since well, i tried it in 7th grade and didn't inhale until probably 9th and I quit when I was 45 years old so you do that math lol............... here's some tips for you that worked for me................. having reasons to quit first off and write them down so you can read them when your having a hard time. A couple of my reasons were of course to live a longer healthier life and I didn't want to be hooked up to an iron lung to breathe or have that old lady, raspy voice from smoking my whole life, didn't sound very sexy to me. I also looked at it like being sick, when you're sick with the flu can you do anything about it?, no not really, you have to just "wait it out", go through it and "wait" to feel better. The same thing goes for when you are quitting smoking and there is no magic way to quit, its like that old Nike commercial "JUST DO IT". You have to hang on tight and your gonna feel really bad but if you hold on like when you have the flu, YOU WILL FEEL BETTER. During those hard times I would breathe in through my nose really deeply and hold it in like when I inhaled smoke and then I would blow the air out of my mouth and I would do that maybe 10 times in a row. Sometimes I would walk away from a situation just like going to have a smoke and I would breathe like that, I also did it alot while I was driving, it really helped. Part of the reason that helps is because the way you breathe when you smoke actually relaxes you and in reality the cigarette does not relax you, it stimulates your body. I also exercised ALOT!!! I needed to burn off the stress and sometimes downright "anger" I felt from not smoking. I learned that the number "3" is important in quitting smoking........ after your 3rd day of not smoking it gets somewhat easier, after 3 weeks your feeling better and after 3 months you've got it for sure but it wasn't until 6 months that I felt absolutely FANTASTIC!! I had quit before and I would go back to it if something stressful came up, like a funeral or something. It was like I didn't know what do with myself in situations like that and then I figured out that I had to learn to DO NOTHING. I actually needed to teach myself to sit and DO NOTHING, I know it sounds odd but sometimes I was smoking just for something to do because I was nervous or worried or upset........ LEARN TO SIT AND DO NOTHING, RELAX!!! It takes practice!! but you can do it!! ........ I also drank alot of water and I chewed alot of gum and I also apologized to everyone I loved and the people I worked with before I quit. I told them I am sorry because I know that sometimes I am going to be nasty but if you hang in there with me I will get better so please be patient with me........... I also did not go out to have drinks with anyone who smoked for a LONG TIME. I also did not go outside for breaks with them until much later and I was feeling stronger. You have to "practice" things like that, don't leave yourself in that situation for very long at first so you can train yourself. Oh and one last thing that is VERY IMPORTANT...... you need to stop drinking any caffeine, trust me, it just makes you more nervous and needing to smoke. Drink decaffe if you need coffee. You can switch back to regular later on when you are stronger........... that's it, that's all I got for ya, I hope it helps you and you come back on here and tell us your success story!! You CAN do it!!! :drinker: .......... I also forgot to add, so I'm editing this for you........ it's not wise to drink alcohol for awhile, it will just weaken your resolve so wait until your stronger and then don't do that with ANYONE who smokes at first...... Good Luck!!

mrodriguez1082

Again I would like to thank everyone for your stories and advice. Since my quit date of yesterday, I actually smoked 3 cigs rather than the 20 I usually smoke (like i did the day before) I am wearing the patch and I tried the gum but the gum made me a little sick to my stomach. I guess I must have not been chewing it right. In any case I feel some progress I know it wont be until Im smoke free for at least 3 months but I gotta start somewhere. I actually got a vapor cig not an e-cig. Its ok but more than anything I think the hand to mouth habit is by far the hardest thing.. I feel anxious, angry, sad, upset, agitated... all at the same time its exhausting! I even have body aches I guess from being so tense. This is harder than I thought, but I really want to do it. I have to find something that works to help me pass the cravings... Lets see Ill keep updating my progress. Thanks again to you all for the help.

thanson563

Bump for later.

0somuchbetter0

Again I would like to thank everyone for your stories and advice. Since my quit date of yesterday, I actually smoked 3 cigs rather than the 20 I usually smoke (like i did the day before) I am wearing the patch and I tried the gum but the gum made me a little sick to my stomach. I guess I must have not been chewing it right. In any case I feel some progress I know it wont be until Im smoke free for at least 3 months but I gotta start somewhere. I actually got a vapor cig not an e-cig. Its ok but more than anything I think the hand to mouth habit is by far the hardest thing.. I feel anxious, angry, sad, upset, agitated... all at the same time its exhausting! I even have body aches I guess from being so tense. This is harder than I thought, but I really want to do it. I have to find something that works to help me pass the cravings... Lets see Ill keep updating my progress. Thanks again to you all for the help.

I don't think it's safe for you to be smoking *with* the patch -- check with your doctor!

You're going to feel a lot better soon. Way sooner than 3 months, don't worry! The hardest part is the first 3 days! Hang in there!

8lackie

I'm fighting this as we speak too. I use chupa chups and gum and work out. I still smoke tho, just less and less all the time. Some days only 1 or 2 , other days none. I try not to beat myself up over this as that makes it all the more discouraging. Perhaps it's not kosher or what have you, but I'm not chosey about what works.

8lackie

Terrific sketch on the coolness of smoking
Oddly, even that may not be enough.
Penny Marshall (Laverne&Shirley) smokes still, and she only has one lung left.

KrisJ125

Put pictures of people that have lung cancer/COPD/emphysema in several locations around your home/apartment. I watched my mom wheel around an oxygen tank and gasp from walking 1 block with COPD. She was a 50 year smoker. I vowed 'not me.' The sight of some one you know or even strangers being debilitated by smoking will be a reminder of what you are saving yourself from.

jim180155

I smoked over a pack of cigarettes a day for over 45 years, then one day I decided I'd quit cold turkey. It wasn't that hard to do. I liked chicken better than turkey anyway, and when I did have turkey, I liked it hot or at least warm.

But I still smoked cigarettes up until April last year when I finally got a decent e-cigarette. I haven't had a cigarette since.

airdale8263

how much do you want to quit? If you really wanted to quit, you would.

The only success stories ive heard of people quitting are the ones that really really want to quit

i appreciate what you're saying to the OP, but man, smoking is an addiction, both mentally and physically. i know people that haven't smoked in forty years that still jones for one on occasion.

I quit over 16 years ago. I smoked for over 30 years, sometimes as much as 3 packs a day. Was it easy to quit - hell no, it was difficult. Do I still have the urge to have one after 16 years, I will not lie -yes, Will I -no!!

Nicotine is an addiction, it is a drug that is not easily taken away. The first thing is YOU have to do is come to the fact that YOU want to quit, not I would like to quit but I WANT TO QUIT. It is not as easyas some might say it is but it can be done. There are support groups, just like the support groups here for weight loss, there are little "tricks" to teach your body to break that craving. (I used cinnamon flavored gum...went through lots of packs of gum--cheaper than cigarettes).

I noticed after quitting how much better I got. Fewer colds, fewer breaks to catch my breath while working.....of course there was one drawback to it --food tasted so much better. That is why I joined MFP and now I can say, I have broken two habits as I have lost weight and do not smoke but still enjoy the aspects of eating--just eating the right way.

I wish you the best of luck on quitting. Be strong and you can do it

Teenie71

Nope, no struggles here. I smoked for about 25 years and i quit about 2 years ago now - cold turkey. No struggles because i was READY to quit. I mean soooooo ready. Once you get to that point, it's easy.

kbmnurse

Lose the word can't. That might help.

Youredoingagoodjob

I read a book about quitting that said, " everyday you wake up a non-smoker. The nicotine has left your system through the night. You choose to be a smoker each day." That resonated with me. Smoke the last cigarette in your pack, and be done. Tell yourself to enjoy it, because you will never buy a pack again. DONE. E-cigarettes help a ton. Allow yourself to use them until you feel okay not smoking. Good luck.

dunlol

I started smoking weed instead, and have been off of tobacco for a while now. Granted, I only smoked regularly (~1/2 pack a day) for 6-7 months and I am still smoking something, I no longer feel the need to smoke or fill my time with anything besides whatever I need to do that day. Weed smoking is more of a recreational activity than something that I need to get through the day. My thinking is, if I am going to smoke something, might as well be something that has anti-cancerous biochemicals (Yes, I know inhalation of any chemical automatically increases your chances for cancer). That being said, I am currently in college so I don't know if this will work in any 'normal' or 'professional' lifestyle as opposed to a student with a part time job.

dopeysmelly

I am really struggling with quitting smoking! I try time and time again but its so hard for me! Im so weak when it comes to this. Has anyone overcome this? If so, do u have any good tips for me?

Yes. You can. Took DH about 10 years to quit. He did it cold-turkey (and lots of gum). 11 years cigarette-free.

QAPmom

Both my husband and I quit using the Nicitrol inhaler (awesome!) We smoked a pack to a pack and a 1/2 a day of Marb reds. Basically it looks like a tampon that you stick a cartridge in and "smoke" it when you need it. We loved it because you still hold it like a cigarette and you still get the burn in your throat-you don't feel like you are quitting cold turkey-you still have the habit of holding a smoke and it lets you cut back when you are ready ....our insurance covered the pack we shared. I quit in about 2 weeks using the inhaler and my husband was about 3 months....we are now 7 years smoke free! Pills so didn't work, I was taking the generic for Zyban and it basically gave me what mimicked a stroke. Patches and gums were a no too! Good luck to you!