Stopping Smoking

Pokermom10

Does anyone have any tips for quitting smoking? I'm trying to do it cold turkey. Withdrawals suck.

CJK1959

It does suck, but it does get better! I quit cold turkey last January and you can do it...just keep your eye on the prize!

hbrittingham

I used Chantix and have been quit for almost 5 years now. It does give you very vivid dreams and you have to take it with food or you will get sick to your stomach.

lgwmab

I'm going thru the same thing right now. i tried cold turkey about a week ago, failed, but did not give up, I cut the amount I smoked in half in 5 days, and pushed. I also have an ecig for when the cravings get very bad. I have been keeping busy, and trying to not think about a cig, mind over matter. You can do this. I will send youa friend request. i have a lot of great friends on hear supporting me as well, it makes a huge difference. you can do this, we can do this!

FaugHorn

Try the lozanges, they work really well at giving you a little more control. It provides some nicotine so you can concentrate on the mental addiction first.

Pokermom10

Thanks for the tips everyone! I made it 48 hours, then ended up smoking two yesterday and one this morning.

craft338

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230732-quitting-smoking-and-dieting-support

try this thread. it's not super active, but there's some good info on there

good luck!!

meg7399

sounds weird, but my BF is doing the same and he chews pencaps. I personally thought gum would be better for his teeth but he chews on a pen cap. it helps with the oral fixation he says. But I am a non smoker so who knows how helpful this is!! :P

hypergrl

Congratulations! I used/using Chantix and it helps greatly.

You will have to try and re-train your brain and trick it. I do suggest that you DO NOT DRINK (alcohol, of course) until you have fully kicked it. Otherwise, you will start up again. That's what got me smoking again and don't think that you can just smoke when you drink it, you won't, it'll bleed over into the non-drinking part of life too.

Friend me if you would like more support! and be proud of yourself for taking this first step. It can be scary.

kelpaint

I quit smoking on January 12th - 303 days! I had attempted to quit many times previously with the same result; sitting in a parking lot after buying a pack of cigarettes, smoking one and crying. I was able to sucessfully quit using Chantix. I only took it for 5 weeks, but I know it was the difference this time around. I did have VERY vivid dreams and would wake up most mornings exhausted, but it was worth it.

I also joined my gym a few weeks after quitting and truly dedicated myself to working out. I know you can do this. I smoked a pack or more a day for over 15 years. Please send me a friend request I would be happy support you in your challenge.

_Peacebone_

Cold turkey is the best way to quit in my opinion! Get the chemical withdrawls over with in the begining and then just deal with the emotional/habitual part of it! Go you!

Tips:
THROW OUT ALL ASH TRAYS, LIGHTERS, CIGARETTES!!

Drink water when you have a craving. Stock up on crunchy vegetables (carrot sticks, celery, bell peppers) and munch on them whenever you get a craving. Get some sugar free lollipops and gum. Coffee stirers, toothpicks, coctail straws help if you feel the urge to chew!

Best of luck! Add me if you want some extra support!

Beckym1205

Thanks for the tips everyone! I made it 48 hours, then ended up smoking two yesterday and one this morning.

Don't stress about that. Remember that even by smoking those, you still went 48 hours with none. Try not to focus on how many you just had and think about how many you didn't have in the last 48 hours. I quit a few months ago so I do understand how hard this is. It got easier after about a month (not super easy, but I had broken my habits of lighting up when I got in the car to go to work or to go home). It'll get easier

kmbrooks15

I'm not a smoker, but I applaud all of you who are quitting or have quit! I've known a few people who quit, and I know how tough it was for them. Just know I'm rooting for you! That's one thing you can be PROUD that you quit!

lisalawclark

I quit by reading a great book called "Allan Carr's Easyway to Quit Smoking". Honestly, I know you can't just read a book and miraculously you're a non-smoker; however, if you really do want to quit, but are struggling with the mental aspect and the cravings, this book can really really help. You mentioned you stopped for 48 hours and then had a couple of cigarettes. This book will really help you next time to avoid falling back into your old patterns. It's recommended that you actually continue to smoke while reading the book, and I found that by the time I was drawing near the end of the book, I was getting excited to quit. Smoking while reading it gave me a few days to mentally prepare and become excited to start my "new life". Whatever method you choose, I applaud you, because it is a very tough thing to do. However, when you look at the costs of patches, gums, pills or even those electronic cigarettes, you really have nothing to lose by reading a $20 book. Good luck!

gavini

i quit cold turkey and have been nicotine free for one month

I have been a smoker most of the time for about 24 yrs. at times one or two a day, at times a pack a day. most of the last 2 years, about half a pack a day

i really love smoking, everything about it, and i have never really wanted to quit until very recently

I quit over the summer for 6 weeks (I bought 3 packs during that time, would have 3 or 4 over the course of an hour or two and then tossed the pack same day). I lost 8 pounds over those 6 weeks

then my dog died and I used it as an excuse. 3-4 weeks later I quit for 5 days, was a smoker for 4 days and that was a month ago, no nicotine since.

don’t give yourself an out or an excuse to start again, don’t say “I want to” or “I am trying to” quit, it is mental, you have to convince yourself and your mind that you really really really dont want to smoke anymore. the rest is handling the side affects

break it down in to smaller parts - forever seems like a big deal (go figure) but think about making it to the end of the day, eventually your goals will be longer and then you wont need to think about it that way at all, not smoking will be the new normal

i dont tell people good luck since luck has nothing to do with it (and if you think you need luck then dont try to stop), it is all about deciding for yourself, deep down, without reservation, that this is something you want to do, then thinking about what that means and what it will be like to not have a break at 10a to go outside work or to not sit on your front steps after a meal or whatever your rituals are

like most everything else in life, it is mostly if not all mental. the mind can tell or teach the body to do anything but the mind can work against you if you arent completely committed.

toughest smoke for me to give up is easily the after workout smoke, oranges have helped me when i have craved one and are a good post workout treat. water too, also take a deep long breath and exhale like you just took a cigarette drag, your lungs have some risidual nicotine in them that you will likley taste if you take a really deep breath

you can do anything you set your mind to.

noexcuses1218

I had to quit about 8 million times before it finally took. I used patches, and I used them religiously, by the book. You use them for quite a while (I think the whole regimen is three months, and it ain't cheap) but the idea is to get you through the nicotine withdrawals so you can establish new habits that take the place of smoking. By the time you finish with the patches, you've stopped planning your life around smoking and acknowledged that no, your car's ignition is not triggered by your Bic lighter. That was a shocker to me for a while.

Whether or not you're going cold turkey (and I've done that before too and can't honestly recommend it), it would be a good idea to stay out of situations and substances that trigger cravings. Bars, alcohol, morning coffee, etc. I had to give up coffee for a couple of weeks just to get myself out of that habit and it totally sucked.

The nicotine gum can be very useful, although don't use it with the patches. You don't chew the gum constantly - you chew it for long enough to get a tingle or a bite in your mouth, then park it along the gumline until you need another fix.

Whole cloves are good to have around. Sucking on one - don't eat them, for goodness sake - can help numb out your mouth to get you past one of those nasty mouth-cravings.

Sugarfree gum is always useful.

One thing to remember is to be aware of when the cravings are going to hit, and as an ex-smoker, you're surely familiar with them; you can probably set your watch by them. Plan something else to do before the craving is "scheduled" to hit. You may have to change habits pretty drastically for a while, but eventually you can get back to some of the things you used to do as a smoker. For a while I couldn't be around smokers, but now it doesn't bother me, except I really wish they'd stop for their own sakes. I mean, I can always walk away from the smoke, but their lungs can't. I made paper cutout snowflakes on my breaks just to keep my hands busy. I stayed at the dinner table and talked to my family until the craving passed.

And they do pass.

Good luck, and of course, you're doing an awesome thing.