I NEED TO QUIT SMOKING

altarimage

I tried multiple times and ways to quit smoking before I was actually able to. I had done cold turkey, gum, Chantix, and even hypnosis.

I read the book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr and also started on Wellbutrin. It's almost been and year and I don't even think about smoking, or miss it. The Wellbutrin is what really helped. Good luck!

motherof3brats

I quit 3 months ago cold turkey and haven't touch one since. Try reading the book Easyway to Stop Smoking for women by allen carr. It will really help you and also you can smoke while you are reading the book but by the end I dont think you will ever need or want another one. Please feel free to add me as a friend for support. Good Luck.

Lesa_Sass

I smoked for 25 years. I tried it all as well, nothing worked until I got the electronic cigarette. That thing ROCKS!

Try this: http://www.smokesation.com/electronic-cigarette-kit-v-go/ (disclaimer, I am not affiliated with this product)

This thing is also cheaper than traditional cigs in the long run. I quit smoking after a few months on that thing. Now keep in mind that the only thing you are going to get with the ecig is nicotine, and cigs have extra addictive chemicals added to keep you addicted to one certain brand , this is why the patch and lozenges do not give the same satisfaction. It took 3 days for me to get used to smoking it, then after that, I could not imagine smoking again. And let me tell ya, I LOVED SMOKING!

Give it a try, it is worth a shot.............

SkinnyKittyKatt

I also had my last cig during the count down into the new year (25 days in; ) and had e-cigs from when i tried to quite before. Just think of all the benefits you get back when you quit (no more smelly clothes, no more ashes, no more being short winded, you can save your teeth) just everything. I will admit at times its hard whenever i had my ocassional cocktail or when i got upset but its mind over matter. Dont let a cig control you. Be strong you can do it

LA723

I quit smoking in March 2010. At that point I had smoked for 17 years. I had tried about 3-5 times before then to stop but I always gave in to the cravings. I felt like crap a lot of the time when I smoked. It finally dawned on me that I'd rather feel the cravings for the rest of my life than feel like I did when I was smoking. I'd rather feel the cravings for the rest of my life and know I did something to help myself rather than keep puffing my way to health problems. Once I had those thoughts, quitting became much more manageable. Quitting smoking is probably the hardest thing I've ever done. It takes a lot of willpower and positive thinking. But it can be done.

I used http://www.quitnet.com/qnhomepage.aspx and called the American Cancer Society for support. They are great resources!

About Chantix and the patch: I used both. I used Chantix for my first long term quit (3 months). It does work and I did not suffer any nightmares or other side effects. But I didn't use it the way I was supposed to AFTER I stopped, so I think that's why I fell off the wagon. The patch. Oh, the patch. The patch is what I used for my quit in 2010. I smoked right before I went to bed and right when I woke up in the morning. Trying to stave off those powerful cravings, I slept with the patch on. BIG MISTAKE. I had absolutely horrifying nightmares. I remember every detail of each of them to this day. Other than that, I'd recommend either the patch or Chantix to help you.

Good luck!!!

Annadrews

I am on day #17 of quitting smoking, I put a lot of planning into it because I am already over weight and did not want to gain any more weight quitting. So, I weaned my self down to about 5 cigs. a day, smoking 1/2 cig at a time and then less. When I got down to about 5 cigs. a day I put on the patch and have not smoked since then. In the process of cutting down, I planned activities that to replace the smoking and now I just work out for atleast 30 min. a day to 100 min. a day. If I get the craving, I will do sit ups or something. It's important to research and make a plan that will work for you!!! Only you know your body.


I have smoked for over 30 yrs. and right now I feel great. Instead winded most of the time, I can breathe. I can smell things like I haven't smelled before and the same with taste. It really is up to you but the rewards so far are beneficial. And, along with weight loss there is a great support system here on MFP.

colochel

I have been smoke free for over a year... when I quit, I told myself I would take one day at a time and if I wanted to smoke once in a while, I would let myself. This was a far different approach than I took all the previous times. Prior to quitting this last and final time, I was dead set on never caving (but I would, anyway).

I think giving myself permission to mess up is what helped me. I knew if all else failed, I would be okay in letting myself smoke one cigarette. I got a little rush from tacking on day after day of not smoking, and luckily for me the urge dissipated over the course of time.

I attribute quitting and losing weight here on MFP with getting pregnant last year, and already having been smoke free for a few months helped tremendously. I can't imagine going an entire pregnancy wanting to smoke.

I realize this might sound bogus and irritating to those who are trying relentlessly to quit. My story probably isn't the typical way most people quit. But it worked for me, maybe it will work for someone else.

Best of luck and congratulations for taking that first step

inetgirl

Quitting smoking is HARD..I have been smoke free for 6 years. But, there are times when I still want one. I did not use anything to quit, I just did it. I don't think any medicine, patch, gum, etc will help if you don't really want to do it.

Here are the things I did, but they may not work for you. Just find the routine that works for you.

1. Worse time: morning while drinking coffee- cure I stopped drinking coffee in the am and drank water.
2. After meals- cure I would chew regular gum and eat licorice
3. Going out with friends- cure, I didn't go out with friends that smoked for quite some time and I stayed out of places that allowed smoking.. (a little extreme but I had to do what I had to do) I still have the same friends, they understood.
4. Normal smoke breaks at work- I just didn't go outside, I walked around the building, surfed the internet, talked to the non-smokers.. (made some new friends)
5. I cleaned like crazy, after a week I could smell that "smoke smell" and eventually got rid of it.

Good luck and I wish you well!!

MsVirgo007

I have been smoking off and on for 23 years, in the past I have quit cold turkey very easily, the longest time being close to 2 years. This time I found it impossible to quit cold turkey so i enlisted the help of my dr who prescribed chantrix ( and I have also been utilizing the chantrix GETQUIT website daily) I have been on it for 5 days which allows me to still smoke and so far i haven't had any side effects, however it hasn't reached it's theraputic level in my body yet. I will say this I already don't smoke as much, & the cigaretts have started to taste funny, like you the side effects scare me as well, but I have told my family & friends all about them and they have agreed to point out any irratic or out of the ordinary behaviors to me (if I don't realize them myself). My official quit date is this Friday, so i'll post again in about a week.

coe28

I have tried several times to quit smoking with no luck. I've tried cold turkey, patch, gum and just cant stay quit!!!! I've heard chantix works but im afraid it will make me crazy, I've heard horror stories too. What has worked for you?

Chantix is the only thing that has worked for me and I will be smoke-free for 12 weeks tomorrow. It's not as horrible as everyone makes it sound. The ONLY side effect I really had was crazy dreams. They weren't nightmares or bad dreams, they were just weird, random vivid dreams and I actually liked that part of it. Chantix helps keep you from getting cravings altogether. I was done smoking after the first 5 days and haven't touched one since. I tried everything too and this was the only thing that worked for me. I would recommend it 100%.

blooomers

I had tried quitting several times as well using the methods that you listed.
What finally worked for me, and I believe the only thing that will ever truly work.... decide that you WANT to quit, and then just DO IT!

To me, trying to quit smoking using patches, gum, etc. is like trying to lose weight using pills, 48 hour drinks etc.

i agree 100%!!!

SwankyTomato

I am in the process of quitting, 2 1/2 weeks in, and I am using the patch. It is the only thing that has worked for me. This is the fourth time I have quit smoking in 24 years of the nasty habit. I have used Chantix, it made me crazy, but my husband used it and it worked amazingly for him. The trick is to just try it. It will either work or it won't. Then move on to another product. That is what I have done in the past. Like the campaign says, "Don't quit quitting!" If you need a quit buddy, and need to rant, please feel free to friend me. I know how difficult the process can be. I wish you the best of luck, and you will feel better in the end :O)

Hi there, I am on my 4th time too. This time around I have been quit for 15 months.

OP,
I call myself a cig-a-holic. I always want a cig. If you are like me, figuring that out is a important step. I have smokers around me so the constant reminders stink. But I am committed to staying cig free and it is a choice I make daily.

I will say that I cut back first. I was a "closet smoker" meaning I ONLY smoked at home, never in public or in the car. Then I would go down to 3 a day then one a day then go cold turkey when I was ready.

Hang in there!

My dh has quit before on Wellbutrin but he is back smoking.

Kelly50054

First of all, you should research it before taking it. That is just taking control of yourself and knowing if there is something in it that could do more harm than good. Dr's do not know everything either. It is our responsibility to find the real truth.
I used Chantix and honestly I would not recommend it to anyone. It tore my stomach up and made my tounge feel very thick. I only stayed on it for a very short time, for these reasons.
A couple weeks after going off of it, I just one morning woke up and had no desire for any more cigarettes.

MaximalLife

And here's the miserable part.
Your hunger will BURN for a month after that first week. Just BURN!

I must respectfully disagree with this statement, and it's statements like this that can set up a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm on day 15, and I was somewhat hungrier for the first few days (hungry may not even be the right word - during the nicotine withdrawal stage it may be more of a nervous need to fill the void), but my appetite went back to normal soon after. I made a serious commitment to regular exercise, which may help, but again, everyone is different, and what was true for you may not be true for another, so why set up negative expectations for them?

It's different for all, but he wanted actual experience - not opinions.
I believe in prepping for the worse, and if the worse doesn't come, all the better.

And congratulations to you for quitting!
No matter what, it's never easy; if it was nobody would still smoke after the teenage "coolness" wears off.

Lesa_Sass

And here's the miserable part.
Your hunger will BURN for a month after that first week. Just BURN!

I must respectfully disagree with this statement, and it's statements like this that can set up a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm on day 15, and I was somewhat hungrier for the first few days (hungry may not even be the right word - during the nicotine withdrawal stage it may be more of a nervous need to fill the void), but my appetite went back to normal soon after. I made a serious commitment to regular exercise, which may help, but again, everyone is different, and what was true for you may not be true for another, so why set up negative expectations for them?

It's different for all, but he wanted actual experience - not opinions.
I believe in prepping for the worse, and if the worse doesn't come, all the better.

And congratulations to you for quitting!
No matter what, it's never easy; if it was nobody would still smoke after the teenage "coolness" wears off.

WOW, LMAO, ask my dr, most epople gain 20 lbs when they stop smoking! My appetite was insane, I could not stop eating. All I wanted to do was get through not smoking and knew that I could lose the weight later.

I discovered that if I took 2 bee pollen in the morning before breakfast and 2 before lunch, I would not be so hungry that I would want to chew my arm off.

So as I agree that all people are different, MOST people expereince weight gain(and the reason some people give for not wanting to quit just yet) and if someone is not ready for that, it can be very frustrating, so kudos for bring it up.

joakool

My two cents on the weight gain subject: I DID gain about 10 pounds (thus the reason I found MFP). However, the fact is QUITTING SMOKING DOES NOT CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN -- OVEREATING DOES. I am guilty of bad choices, too. Now I am doing something good for myself by being here. And, honestly, I'll struggle to lose the 10 pounds -- it's still a lot better than than nasty habit I kicked and even with 10 extra pounds, I am alot healthier since I quit. So, don't let the "threat of weight gain" keep you from quitting smoking.

srp2011

I agree that many people DO gain weight when they quit, but that doesn't mean that they have to... You have a choice as to how difficult or easy you make quitting smoking, just like anything else in life. If you expect to want to pig out for months, you probably will. If you expect it to be hard and miserable, it will be. If you expect that it's going to be a very positive experience, you take steps to keep your blood sugar stable, and deal with the psychological cravings by developing new healthy habits like hitting the gym to deal with stress, taking walks on your breaks, drinking tons of water, snacking on fresh fruits and veggies, you'll feel really good really quickly (note that this applies after the first few days of nicotine withdrawal, which only lasts 72 hours if you go cold turkey but it is pretty miserable). But I agree with joakool - smoking is much more damaging to your health than gaining a few pounds, and you can deal with that later, so don't let the fear of that stop you. If you need to give yourself permission to go crazy for weeks or months, by all means do that and get off the cigarettes :-)

BTW, I did read somewhere that smoking actually burns about 250 calories a day (increased heart rate), so quitting by itself does mess with your metabolism - but a good brisk walk will burn that off for most people :-)

TammyLML

I agree that many people DO gain weight when they quit, but that doesn't mean that they have to... You have a choice as to how difficult or easy you make quitting smoking, just like anything else in life. If you expect to want to pig out for months, you probably will. If you expect it to be hard and miserable, it will be. If you expect that it's going to be a very positive experience, you take steps to keep your blood sugar stable, and deal with the psychological cravings by developing new healthy habits like hitting the gym to deal with stress, taking walks on your breaks, drinking tons of water, snacking on fresh fruits and veggies, you'll feel really good really quickly (note that this applies after the first few days of nicotine withdrawal, which only lasts 72 hours if you go cold turkey but it is pretty miserable). But I agree with joakool - smoking is much more damaging to your health than gaining a few pounds, and you can deal with that later, so don't let the fear of that stop you. If you need to give yourself permission to go crazy for weeks or months, by all means do that and get off the cigarettes :-)

BTW, I did read somewhere that smoking actually burns about 250 calories a day (increased heart rate), so quitting by itself does mess with your metabolism - but a good brisk walk will burn that off for most people :-)

Well said! Attitude can make a huge difference, with giving up smoking, dieting, whatever.

I've heard it said: "You can lose the weight you might gain. You can't regrow a lung."

502 days, 10 hours, 35 minutes and 44 seconds smoke free.
20098 cigarettes not smoked.
$4,849.32 and 5 months, 3 days, 12 hours of your life saved.
My quit date: 9/11/2010 1:30:00 AM

MaximalLife

And here's the miserable part.
Your hunger will BURN for a month after that first week. Just BURN!

I must respectfully disagree with this statement, and it's statements like this that can set up a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm on day 15, and I was somewhat hungrier for the first few days (hungry may not even be the right word - during the nicotine withdrawal stage it may be more of a nervous need to fill the void), but my appetite went back to normal soon after. I made a serious commitment to regular exercise, which may help, but again, everyone is different, and what was true for you may not be true for another, so why set up negative expectations for them?

It's different for all, but he wanted actual experience - not opinions.
I believe in prepping for the worse, and if the worse doesn't come, all the better.

And congratulations to you for quitting!
No matter what, it's never easy; if it was nobody would still smoke after the teenage "coolness" wears off.

WOW, LMAO, ask my dr, most epople gain 20 lbs when they stop smoking! My appetite was insane, I could not stop eating. All I wanted to do was get through not smoking and knew that I could lose the weight later.

I discovered that if I took 2 bee pollen in the morning before breakfast and 2 before lunch, I would not be so hungry that I would want to chew my arm off.

So as I agree that all people are different, MOST people expereince weight gain(and the reason some people give for not wanting to quit just yet) and if someone is not ready for that, it can be very frustrating, so kudos for bring it up.

I've never heard of anybody who didn't until the above person chimed in.

W.E.
Again, prepare for the worse and be battle ready.

srp2011

I've never heard of anybody who didn't until the above person chimed in.

W.E.
Again, prepare for the worse and be battle ready.

It's funny, the mind has a way of noticing only those things that support our preconceived notions and ignoring data to the contrary. I was inspired by a fellow MFPer who quit smoking last spring and has continued a pretty dramatic weight loss journey (she also started the very helpful quit smoking group). Then I read Allen Carr's book, and really became convinced that it was possible to quit without it being a miserable experience focused on deprivation. After I quit, I searched out different quit smoking forums and focused on those people who had positive experiences (and who maintained their weight and lost - they are out there - they may not be a majority, but there are enough of them) as my role models and inspirations, and followed the advice they gave, and ignored the advice coming from people who had a really tough time. Preparation is critical, but it's a matter of whether you prepare for and expect a negative outcome, or prepare to avoid it and have a positive outcome instead :-)

mxmama112

UPDATE::::I did give Chantix a go. I took it for 2 weeks and then stopped taking it. That was December 26th, 2012 and I haven't smoked since. It took me a while to get to this point but I have absolutely no desire to smoke. At all. None. And when I'm around people who smoke, I can't believe how terrible they smell and that I used to smell that way. I just quit taking the Chantix because, honestly, I would forget to take it and be ok. So I just made the concious decision not to smoke. It's been 2 months and I feel amazing. I exercise more now and haven't gained any weight. I love not smoking!!!

gls1548

I quit smoking 6 months ago... and it feels great once you do. I used the patch for two weeks. I bought the nicotine gum to help when i had some extreme cravings. Also what worked for me to was the disposable blue ecigs. They were a great help. whenever i had a urge and nothing else worked I used that it got me through, eventually i slowly stopped needing it and now i'm just a little over 6 months smoke free.

As long as you want to quit you'll be able to, just a matter of finding what works best for you

gls1548

Well nevermnd my last post! Congrats on being able to quit... I felt the same way with smell.... i couldnt believe how awful people who just smoked smelled and that i use to smell that way. Even worse i felt bad for all the non smokers who told me i smelled bad back when i smoked and i thought they were just being negative pushing their views on me.... turns out they were right i did smell bad