Smoking?

ahendrix12

I don't know where to post this, so this seemed the best place since smoking hinders my working out.

I'm a smoker and I have been for four years. I want to quit so I can be in better health and what not. So my question is, if you were a smoker, what helped you to quit? If you're still smoking, do you want to quit? Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks!

blarics11

I have been a smoker since i was 15 (11 years now)
recently i decided to quit, and have been failing miserably!! :sad:
I too would like to know how ppl have managed to quit

kristilovescake

Not me, but my dad quit I think around 7 years ago after smoking for 20+ years? He used the nicotine patch and motivation from his girlfriend at the time who said she didn't want to date a smoker

PrettyLittleLiar79

I just actually quit this weekend. I slipped on Saturday and Sunday a little, but had my last cigarette on Sunday night about 8pm. I find it is better to quit during the weekdays. With me at work, I don't have the free time to crave like I did on the weekend.

It is not easy tho...But doing better than I was...I still am annoyed and want to punch someone in the throat. But it gets better as the days pass. I actually quit last year and was good for 4 months, then 1 afternoon of drinking got me started again.

I am chewing gum like crazy, but sucks cuz my jaw is killing me...But least it keeps me occupied.

If you really want to quit and you are ready, you will succeed. If you need help or motivation, feel free to add me as a friend.

Jemmuno

my grandparents were long time smokers and they have quit. What helps them is keeping sugar free candies around the house, in their car, in my grandmothers case in her purse. Because sometimes its the habit of having your mouth needing something to do. You've gotten in the habit of sucking on a cigarette basically. which is why for some people the gum works yes it has the nicotine in it, but it also keeps the mouth busy this is how my aunt stopped.

vim_n_vigor

I used to smoke. When the price went up too high, I was too cheap to keep smoking. Maybe realistically looking at how much it costs can help you too.

inspiration345

I quit in just one day with help of Paul McKenna's Quit smoking hypnosis cd. The first three days were very hard, the first three months were also very hard but now I am comfortable being a non smoker. I quit just 5 months ago.The cd works. It's so nasty that you would not smoke again, just so that you don't have to hear that cd again. Hehe. I also have his weight loss cds, but they don't work so well on me. Seriously give it a try

malaika1981

I used Champix to quit smoking and it has been ALMOST 3 years since i have a puff of a cigarette
Champix is a pill that you take and it does not contain nicotine but blocks the nicotine receptor in the brain
so you dont have to fight with nasty withdrawal only deal with the habit
i have never felt better since i quit and i did not gain weight while i was on champix (i actually lost a couple pounds - yay)
ha ha

Cakepiebeer

I've been smoke free since Dec 24th 2010

I was smoking on and off for 23 years.

I had tried numerous times before, the longest being maybe 2 months. The biggest demise was drinking and being around smoker friends.

What it came down to for me was the fact I felt unheathy. I was really fed up. It's unexplainable how it happens, but its something that just happens when your truely ready to quit.

1. I forcably kept tewlling myself I did not enjoy smoking
2. I stopped hanging out with my smoker friends
3. This one may not be applicable to you, but every time I had the urge... I would take a toke off my bowl (marijauna)
The sensation of inhaling smoke was what I really craved, not the nicotine. After one or two hits, I no longer wanted a cigarette.
4. I got myself a phone app called Quitnow! It tracks how many days gone witout smoking, cigarettes not smoked, money and days saved
5. I kept reminding myself that smoking does absolutley no good for me. It offers nothiing at all. It makes a person smell disgusting
6. Most of all, I told myself I was contributing to the wealth of corrupt tabacco executives who prophit on the weakness of the individuals who are addicted to smoking. Once I looked at myself in that perspective, I really really wanted to quit.

The real miracle for me now is that I can have a beer (or 12) and not even think about wanting a smoke. It truley disgusts me now.

And I did it all cold turkey. And thats the only way that its possible to quit

debswebby

I quit for about a year and then took it up again. I didn't think I felt any better not smoking until I started again. It definately does impede the workouts. I'm in the process of quitting again. I use Champix. It works like a charm. This time next week I will be a non smoker again.

bankstisha

I quit nearly 2 years ago after smoking for 12 years. I quit because the new stuff they were putting in cigarettes was causing me to have migraines. I used the patch and blow pops. Went through an entire bag of blow pops in one week. When I wanted a cigarette, I stuffed a blow pop in my mouth. It worked for me, but that first week was so so hard! I will be cigarette free for 2 years on November 15th. Good luck to you! It's hard, but it can be done if you are serious about quitting.

JodiS75

You are only 21... quit while you've only smoked for 4 years. It will be SO much easier! I started smoking when I was 15. I quit at 35, when I realized that I had been a smoker for 20 years, and more than 1/2 my life. I didn't feel old enough to have done anything for 20 years! Also, my kids...my husband...my smell. I hated smelling like cigarettes. Then my sense of smell and taste started going, and that freaked me out. I'd always had an excellent nose, and now suddenly I couldn't smell all kinds of things.

But that's just me... everyone's different! Quit now, while it's easier :flowerforyou:

Edited to add: I used professional hypnosis once, which worked great except that I wasn't really ready to quit. There was NO suck factor with that - it was just gone. This last time (and final time) I quit with Wellbutrin. My insurance wouldn't cover the pills so my doctor worked with my pharmacist and they came up with a different combination - using the "slow-release" version, but taking twice as much. Worked like a charm and only cost me $7! I've been a non-smoker since April 12, 2010.

gg24

I smoked for close to 30 years and finally quit last January. It was time....past time. I was 50 and I have youngish children. The youngest being 8. While I ate healthy and exercised somewhat, I still smoked. I loved smoking. What also helped change my ways was the price. Over $9 a pack which I smoked everyday. That came to over $3000 a year! O.O For that I could pay off bills, or update a room in my house, or take my kids on vacation.

It turned out not to be as hard as I thought it would be.

I used the graduated patch system and the gum (2 grams). The patch gives you a steady dose of nicotine throughout the day and the gum was great when a big urge came on. You have to learn to use the gum properly. You chew for about 10 times and then rest it on the side of your mouth for a few minutes and then repeat until you feel better. And remember the patch (strongest ones) will probably give you very vivid bizarre dreams. LOL

Good Luck!!! Do it!!!!

And oh my does it help those workouts!!!!!!

FrozenTundra511

I took Chantix for 2 1/2 weeks and have now been smoke-free for 4 1/2 years.
I smoked for 24 years and it took me 2 years of failing (with gum, patch, Welbutrin) after my doc told me I had the beginning stages of emphysema before I tried Chantix. Best move I ever made.

DO I miss it? Sometimes. I imagine if the doc said I had only 1 week left, I'd go buy a pack... but the urges haven't been too bad or frequent since I quit.

Good luck.

sandy2006

20 yr smoker here! I quit 4 yrs ago. Best thing I ever did. I chewed nicorrette gum. Also everytime I had a really bad craving I went for a walk. Sometimes in the beginning I was going on 4-6 walks a day. Eventually the cravings stopped. It takes a while. I think its like weight loss. You have to want it bad enough and you just do it! good luck

azQmaster

You dont need to stop, just smoke while youre on the treadmill.........your lungs will get use to it!

mssgirl11

I am not a smoker but know several people who are/have been. I am not sure where you are from but they have what is called auriculotherapy. basically the dr puts some shock waves onto your ear which signals to the brain to not crave the nicotine any longer. i know at least 5 people who have ahd this done and have not smoked a cigarette since. the procedure is painless. and withdrawl symptoms are minimal too! here in missouri, it costs $90 to have done initially and then if you have a craving, you can go back and have it done again for free as long as you do not smoke. if you smoke, they charge $50 for the "boost" hope you can find something like this in your area. worth the cost for sure.

lawtechie

I was a smoker and tried to quit many times. My first few times were cold turkey, and the longest any one of those quits lasted were 3 months. I had cut out the first of the morning, the mid-morning, then the lunch, then the ...<insert time> until I was basically chain smoking at night in front of my computer.

Then I did a round of Chantix (~2 weeks) and that quit lasted a few months. I had a bad reaction to the high dose of medication. Then another round of Chantix where I cut the dosage in 1/4. That helped for about 6 months quit, but stress made me start again.

FINALLY, I was fed up and ran of a cigs on a Sunday night. Didn't buy them again and have been quit since early August 2009.

If you don't have the willpower for cold turkey. I would recommend Chantix, just watch how your body reacts to it and adjust dosage accordingly. Half milligram once/day worked good for me when I was taking it.

Change your habits. Determine when you most smoke and see if you can cut back on the smoking, then finally quit.

GFreg

My mom was a smoker for a long time...20+ years or so. Nicorette gum really helped her to quit.

sexforjaffacakes

you can get these things that are like vaporisers, they dont have tobacco just liquid nicotine and its steam you inhale rather than smoke, so it doesnt hrm you but you get the fix and feeling of a cigarette. you should look into them!

GeenaS

I've used a combination of Zyban (anti-depressant), nicorette and the nicotine inhaler. I've also ordered an e-cigarette (nicotine free) for those difficult social occaisions. I've got an app on my phone (Quit Now! for Android) which tracks my progress, money I've saved, health improvements and gives me awards - I find this motivating. My endurance for running has improved a lot and I know this is due to not smoking and this helps me refrain from lighting up.

That being said, I've quit smoking numerous times. You just have to keep trying and not get discouraged if you slip up. Every little bit of effort countrs.