anyone wanting to quit smoking?

2»

Replies

  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    I smoked socially (when I was drinking) for 15 years. I started in high school. Ugh. I'm so mad at myself for it.

    When I started CrossFit, I cut back significantly. Now that there is no one in my life who smokes at all, I haven't had one in many months. When I do have one, my performance at the gym sucks so bad I regret it immediately.

    So, now I'd say I'm like 99% of the way there. Sometimes a rough day or a bad date will bring it out in me but, for the most part, I don't even think about it anymore. It's really helpful that no one around me smokes. If your friends smoke, it might be nice to make some new ones that don't so that you have some time with people who are nonsmokers.
  • futuresize8
    futuresize8 Posts: 476 Member
    I quit smoking in October of 2013 and have not smoked since. I am really excited that this time, it stuck.

    I read Alan Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking and I was very much in the mindset to quit. Halfway through the book, I was no longer a smoker.

    I actually thought about it this morning...how glad I was to not be a slave to cigarettes any longer! Life is much easier!
  • sunshinelively
    sunshinelively Posts: 249 Member
    i smoked from the age of around 15 to age 30. quit at 30, no smoking in 20 years. best decision of my life. at the time i gained about 15lb from quitting, weight i never really ever ended up taking back off, because after that came 2 pregnancies and my 40's.

    i can't encourage folks enough - get that monkey off your back. i wanna say it was very tough for at least 3 months, constant cravings and filling the need with cookie dough. hence the 15 lb.

    would say i had cravings of some kind for ten years, although they lessened in intensity after the first year.

    every once in a while i'll get a random craving, - like every couple of years now.

    my point is that it is totally hard, smoking really trains your body and reward system to crave it, but it can be done. you just have to want it bad enough.

    helpful to set up a reward system, like what are you going to do with all the money you're saving. removing yourself from immediate triggers is key, as in don't hang out with people who smoke. don't put yourself in drinking situations where it is likely you'll relapse on smoking. don't go outside with the people who smoke.

    best of luck and hope you make it!
  • _Resolve_
    _Resolve_ Posts: 735 Member
    I quit a little over 2 years ago cold turkey after smoking for 20 years a pack of reds a day. It was by far the hardest addiction I have ever had to break but the worst part of kicking it only lasted 3 weeks, after that it was all mental. Just stay busy, drink lots of water and take deep breathes when things get bad. That pounding in your head will go away.. I promise.

    You can do this, its going to suck and like I said probably be the hardest thing you will ever do but it is worth it. I watched a parent die from Stage 4 COPD, that's what made me quit, he died at his home from respiratory arrest.. I didn't want that for myself, and I would guess no one does, so quit while you can.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    2 years, 6 months and 3 days ago, I quit smoking. I still have moments when I think, I'm going to have one. But is passes. I did it at the same time I started losing weight. It was hard. But, I was adding exercising to the mix and my lungs could not take it anymore.

    Keep at it. Sometimes, it takes more than once trying. Every day that you get through with less or none - is a victory. :drinker:
  • Kimmer03
    Kimmer03 Posts: 48 Member
    I am a nonsmoker living with a smoker (rarity, I know!) In Montana we have the Montana Quit Line and it is free. You can access patches, lozenges, gum for free and Chantix for a reduced rate after talking to a support person on the phone. The people they have as support personnel are former smokers themselves.

    here is the information: http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/mtupp/quitlinefactsheet.shtml

    and Good luck! :)

    There are two ways to use the
    Quit Line: Call or visit www.QuitNowMontana.com

    Montana Tobacco Quit Line Services
    •A FREE personalized quit plan
    •5 FREE pro-active cessation coaching sessions
    •8 weeks of FREE nicotine replacement therapy (gum, patches or lozenges). Callers who enroll in Quit Line services may be eligible for up to 8 weeks of free NRT. The Quit Line will explain to the caller how and when these medications will be mailed out.
    •Chantix at a reduced cost ($50 co-pay per month for three months)
    •Bupropion at reduced cost ($5 co-pay per month for three months)
    •FREE educational materials for health care providers as well as friends and families of tobacco users
    •A fax referral system for health care providers who have patients that want to quit using tobacco (see provider link)
    •Trained staff that offers culturally appropriate services for American Indians
    •Pregnancy and Postpartum Program offers special services to women who enroll while they are pregnant.

    Montana Quit Line Hours

    We're here 7 days a week: 6:00 AM to 11 PM, MST.
    We have 24 hour voicemail, so please leave us a message.
    We will call you back!

    Provider Resources

    Refer a Patient: To refer a patient to the Montana Tobacco Quiline please print out the referral form fill it out and
    fax it to: 1-800-261-6259
  • lisaanne1369
    lisaanne1369 Posts: 377 Member
    About 5 years ago I joined a gym and then 3 weeks later quit smoking.
    5 years later I have lost 25 pounds and can do a 5-K in less the 30 min.
    I feel great!
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    Think of not smoking as a learned skill, like learning to walk. So many people try to quit and if they fail, they just give up. If babies treated learning to walk like that no one would ever learn how. I quit smoking a dozen times or more, and after starting to smoke again, I would feel guilty for a while but I refused to feel beaten. I told myself that I was practicing how to not smoke and was getting better at it every time. Finally, one day I quit and it stuck.

    P.S. Nicotine gum helped, but you have make that a very temporary crutch.
  • jackiemonx
    jackiemonx Posts: 343 Member
    guys ur support is amazing!

    i lasted until 6pm.....new plan make this my last pack, reduce to 5 at most the next couple days then absolutely stop! im determined to be stopped completely by end of the month....definately!
  • tuffytuffy1
    tuffytuffy1 Posts: 920 Member
    I quit for about the 10th time two days ago. Been smoking since I was 12, so for 33 years. But I've had several years in the middle of no smoking.

    For me, the best method of quitting without the crazy withdrawals is using the patch. Without the patch, I would barely make it through the first few days. With the patch, I don't have the withdrawal so it is easier to handle. I usually do the patch for about a month. Hopefully, I won't fall off the wagon again this time :/
  • megmarie81
    megmarie81 Posts: 17 Member
    I quit smoking in October of 2013 and have not smoked since. I am really excited that this time, it stuck.

    I read Alan Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking and I was very much in the mindset to quit. Halfway through the book, I was no longer a smoker.

    I actually thought about it this morning...how glad I was to not be a slave to cigarettes any longer! Life is much easier!

    Agree with you on Alan Carr. I decided to quit randomly one weekend after smoking for 14 years. I was actually scared to get the book because I had heard about how well it worked and I wasn't 100% sure that I wanted to quit. I would have said that I loved smoking. But it worked and I haven't smoked since finishing the book in May 13.
  • MisterZ33
    MisterZ33 Posts: 567 Member
    there are days i want to quit. and there are days where im like 'it feels so good!'

    my biggest problem is that i love smoking while i drink (which is not very often). but i know i cannot just be a social smoker - im not disciplined enough. i would have to give it up for good. and that scares the crap out of me...
  • SuperSarg
    SuperSarg Posts: 5
    Today is day 6 of quitting. Thus far, it hasn't been half bad. Smoked on and off for 8 years. I'm done though. I need to lose weight, and smoking just kills my ability to do so. I can hardly exercise without getting winded. Only 6 days done, but done nonetheless and feel better than I have in a long while. Here's to quitting. Best of luck to everyone. :drinker:


    Very Respectfully,

    Sarg
  • jackiemonx
    jackiemonx Posts: 343 Member
    well done u guys thats stopped, ive still not got the courage yet!
  • tuffytuffy1
    tuffytuffy1 Posts: 920 Member
    I was 2 days in I believe when this was posted. Today, I am on day 15 or 16, I think, and doing pretty well! I hope you guys thinking about it just do it! Use a nicotine replacement therapy so you don't get unbearable cravings.
  • I bought a vaporizer.....it is nothing like an ecig.....on May 27th. I did not go for the cig flavors and chose to go with a semi sweet mix. I have not smoked a cigarette since that day. I have lowered my nicotine intake from 24 to 6 and soon to be 0. I cannot decide if I will continue to vape for the flavor because I have found some delicious ones that are great to vape after meals. I just ordered more strawberry dreamcake and am trying chocolate donut. My breathing has drastically improved as I am not inhaling smoke. The best thing I have ever done is but that mod to quit smoking. I am saving so much money as well.



    Edit: If you choose this method PLZ make sure to research that you are buying organic flavors and not chemical. Nicotine is the addictive part...I started on the highest which is 24 and I am down to 6 in a short time. Once you get rid of the nicotine withdrawls you get rid of the habit. Even if you are smoking because you are used to puffing after meals or what not...cvaping is still the best way to go you can get zero nicotine and yummy flavors.
  • sisterlilbunny
    sisterlilbunny Posts: 686 Member
    I'm a vaper and am currently at about 6-8mg and love it. I can run again, I can wake up with out the "crud" and even my snoring has almost gone away. And as you can see, I've dropped weight. ;) I love love love the flavors out there, you're guaranteed to find something you like and will want to stick with.
  • jackiemonx
    jackiemonx Posts: 343 Member
    i gonna do patches when i stop, im finishing this packet n thats me, gonny stop drinkin for a month too to stop the temptation there
  • msjersey73
    msjersey73 Posts: 182 Member
    If and when yous (any of yous) quit smoking, and you feel dizzy, or lightheaded, just suck air through a straw.
    you are getting too much oxygen, and need to slow down your breathing. It really helped me, tons.
    Good Luck. i stopped, cold turkey. Done. never looked back. you got to want to do it.
  • jackiemonx
    jackiemonx Posts: 343 Member
    yeah im goin on patches. im ready to stop, feelin it in my chest now n dont like it!
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    If Im honest, I just dont think I have the willpower to do it at the same time as being on my weightloss journey- I smoke between 5 and 10 a day, so not a huge amount, but since I started dieting in January I have attempted using an e-cig a few times. It was ok for a day or two but I have gone back to the cigs. My justification is losing weight is hard, and quitting smoking is hard, and I just dont think I have the ability to do both. I'll quit when I hit goal. How long have you estimated till you reach target? Might be better to wait, however THIS IS JUST MY OPINION, lol. Some people (much stronger than me) CAN do both at once. Good luck! :)

    this is exactly what i keep telling myself almost every cigarette i light up. when i am out walking or swimming i think about qutting but just end up lighting up. i need smokers rehab. lol...
  • redromad275
    redromad275 Posts: 884 Member
    Started when I was 16. Quit 7 years ago with Chantix after multiple attempts with other aids (gum, patches etc) Don't miss it. Can't stand to be around it. Everyone should quit but I completely understand the difficulty of quitting smoking and losing weight. They tend to counteract each other. Try quitting smoking and start working out to maintain your current weight. Once you have fully established your non-smoking, THEN try and start losing weight. GO for it. It's the best thing you can do for yourself.

    Rick
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    I use Nicorette gum. It is expensive but since I've used it I don't even want to smoke anymore, and if I do it makes me feel like crap.
  • ajo1998
    ajo1998 Posts: 1 Member
    I quit smoking a year and a half ago, and gained a lot of weight. (still gaining) It's inspirational to see others quit and still lose weight - gotta increase my exercise!
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    I use Nicorette gum. It is expensive but since I've used it I don't even want to smoke anymore, and if I do it makes me feel like crap.

    now that is great idea. if it makes me sick I wont want to do it
  • FitOldMomma
    FitOldMomma Posts: 790 Member
    I quit two months ago. Many people told me I was crazy to try while at the same time as losing weight. But actually, it has turned out to be the best time. I'm so very committed to my healthy lifestyle and dedicated to logging all my food, it makes me hyper-aware of calories eaten. And, having my mind so much on losing weight and fitness I don't seem to think about cigs as much as I think I would have.

    I was a 3 packs a day smoker for the last 4 years, and prior to that, 2 packs a day for 38 years. I was scared to death of not being able to quit. It wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. I used the 21 mg nicotine patch for 3 weeks and 14 mg patch for 2 more. Also, I chew about 6 pieces of the 2 mg nicotine gum. Mostly after eating or when I get a craving for a smoke.

    For some great support and ideas of coping, check out the Quit for Life program. It is awesome.

    Good luck.
  • kotomli0530
    kotomli0530 Posts: 10 Member
    wow all of your stories are so inspirational! I hope to quit soon because I would like to start running. I think I am going to try the vapor that some of you have been suggesting :)
  • jackiemonx
    jackiemonx Posts: 343 Member
    officially day 1 (again!) on the patches
  • eurochick64
    eurochick64 Posts: 60 Member
    I smoked for 30 plus years, Tried to quit so many times!

    Smoking is a 2 part thing when you are trying to quit, I.E , Addiction & Habit....

    Itried to quit with patches, I have to say they are GREAT, for the addiction part....eventually i always went back to smoking in that one minute moment of weakness !!

    Then some smart person invented the E cig!!, This is a great quitting aid, NOT too great like for like swap for cigs!:noway:

    So April, 2013 I decided I was going to give quitting another try, I had a plan.....

    I used the patches, worked great, but i also used the Ecig, I only chugged it when i felt i "NEEDED" to smoke. I.E ..on the phone etc, but only a couple of drags, It worked a treat!!
    I have been smoke free since then, i found it easy being able to use the 2 things together...
    I kept the E cig, for a few months after the patch part was done, I had it in my kitchen, when i felt i "NEEDED" to smoke, i just hit that a couple of times, till i noticed, i just wasn't touching it at all..... I FEEL GREAT !!!:drinker:

    EDITED to say, The E cigs i used were the cheap throw away things from the gas station $3 !!
  • Jeep_This
    Jeep_This Posts: 819 Member
    I started smoking when I was 12 years old. I used to think I wouldn't have the willpower to quit. Then it became the, "Well, I'm just not ready right now" excuse/game.

    I wrote something way back that might help you or might inspire you just to do it. I know that one day, I realized that I was just making excuses and just like weight loss, if I wanted to succeed and change then I needed to commit to it and "just do it." And I did..and I did it cold turkey too. Coming this August 13th, I'll have been smoke-free for 2 years after about 16-17 years of smoking.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/PikaKnight/view/are-you-ever-really-ready-to-quit-smoking-454253

    Best of luck and just know you can quit smoking. It's not easy, but if I can do it, so can you.

    Pika, it says "This blog is private"

    :smokin: