Ex-smokers! I need some advice to help me quit

SRH7

Three years ago, I finally broke free and got my life back from nasty nicotine. No longer do I have to constantly worry about smelling horrible, spending money I don't have, waking up panicking at 2am because I smoked the last cigarette in the pack the evening before, getting irritable with everyone at work/at parties/at family visits because all I want to be doing is standing outside in the cold and rain having a cigarette. No longer do I feel like something else is in control of my life, making me feel utterly weak and miserable.

I tried nicotine replacement therapy years ago but still woke up craving every day as the drug was still in my body thanks to the chewing gum and inhalator. Needless to say, I ended up back on cigarettes.

This time round I went down the cold turkey route as I didn't want to remain addicted to nicotine. By stopping dead, the nicotine was out of my body in three days and every day after that got easier.

Do come on the MFP forum when you need some support, but also consider forums for former smokers. I managed to stop smoking using the national No Smoking Day forum (UK but open to all countries): http://forum.nosmokingday.org.uk/index.php

Also get a Quit Counter on your computer - every day it will pop up with how much money, days of your life etc you have saved. Google it or have a look on the No Smoking Day forum for details. It really reminds you of what you are gaining when you are having a bad day.

I also found the Allen Carr 'Easy Way' book invaluable for when I was having a bad day - it really makes sense. In particular, it hammers home that you are not 'quitting' or 'giving up', you are gaining something and getting your life back.

I stopped smoking three years ago and in that time I have:
* not smoked 21,598 cigarettes;
* saved £5,744;
* saved 76 days of my life (the best reason of all!)

Do feel free to add me as a friend if you need a cheerleader to get through this! I quit at everything and never thought I would manage to stop smoking, but I did!

Acheronus

I have been smoke free for just over a year, and it wasn't easy.... I gave up for my GF on NYE 2010/2011 after smoking a pack a day for about 17 years.

I found that doing other things to pass the time, and Trident sugarfree gum, helped loads.. and the support of my GF was invaluable.

You CAN DO IT!

MissBettyClaire

Hey Girl,
I am from Alabama and we like to tell you a story.
I was 46 years old. I had been smoking all my life if you count second hand smoke from my parents. AND I worked on an airplane filled with smokers for 25 years. ( Our company was the first one to ban it) AND, Even if I did quit, as soon as I got in the car on the way home from a flight I was 'jonesing to Target for *kitten*.' My car drove its own-self there.

I prayed to quit smoking and I did stop. ALLLLL the time. I have a wall of shame of dates that I quit.
Then one day it occurred to me I been asking for the wrong thing.
I changed my prayer to be released from the addiction. WOW. It took a year of praying! I prayed and I put a pray request in to the church anonymously every week. One day I woke up lite a ciggie , took a drag, looked at it , and said: this is the day.
That was years ago! (15) NEVER had a nother. NOT ONE.
OK. So then git yourself to the YMCA and jump into a Sauna 3 x a week or more and drink loads of purified water and juices.
YOU CAN DO THIS.
I will pray a pray for you right now.
all the best .
MBC

jodren11

The day I quit smoking, I started Running twice a day because I didn't want to gain weight. (I also had a good 20 lbs to lose). I was a heavy smoker for 10 year. At first I had a little cheat here and there, but the running helped a lot for cravings, and not wanting my lungs to hurt when I ran. About 3 weeks after I quit, I went camping and had planned on enjoying that weekend, allowing myself to SMOKE!!! I couldn't wait!! However, I tried my first one when we got there, and it didn't taste very good, so I didn't smoke it, I thought I'd wait til I had a couple of beers, because cigs are always better with a beer! So in the evening, the mood was right, playing guitar and drinking beer and I lit up that smoke......dissapointement, I couldn't even enjoy it. It was as if I had never smoked before. My lungs just couldnt' take it. I had cleared my lungs so much from all that running that I was now a NON-SMOKER!!!! And have been ever since!!!!! Good luck to u. And don't give up...It's sooooo worth it!!!!
Smoke Free for 7 yrs!

sjm62

Well, here's my 2 cents worth! I quit in November 1993. Like everyone else has posted, I tried to quit more times than I can count. I happened to work for the company that originally manufactured Nicorette gum, then the Nicorette patch and was involved in the in-house trial for the patch -- this was when companies were still allowing you to smoke at your desk, so I applied the patch and I smoked while wearing the patch, sometimes becoming very dizzy. I would wake up in the morning and my chest felt like a 1000 lb.weight was on me, but I continued to smoke. I went to the doctor for my annual checkup and just as he was giving me a fairly clean bill of health, he asked me if I was still smoking (I was very susceptible to bronchitis) and I had to admit that I was. I told him everything I had tried, but failed and I still wanted to quit, so I asked him how. Here is his advice he gave me: 1. You quit with your mind; 2. Pick the date, whether it is that day or the next day, a week from that day, 1 month, or 1 year or whatever date you choose, you start conditioning your mind to the day you choose that it will be the last cigarette you smoke; 3. When my date arrived, I had already reduced the number of cigarettes I smoked in one day to 3 - 4 a day, and with that, I learned how to deal with what to do with my empty hand. I had quit experiencing the 1000 lb weight on my chest, I could breathe better, I didn't wet my pants when I was coughing so hard from bronchitis, and I could actually walk up a flight of stairs without becoming red faced-- that's what I focused on. On my quit day, I quit for good -- 18 years now -- I have been smoke free for more years now than when I smoked. It's a shame smoker's can't smell the foul odor that smoking creates while they are still smoking--I bet there would be alot of non-smokers! Anyway, however you choose to quit, I wish you great success. BTW - no more bronchitis.

Seventyvoltz

http://quitober.com/pdf/AllenCarrEasyWayToStopSmoking.pdf

read.the.book.

SRH7

http://quitober.com/pdf/AllenCarrEasyWayToStopSmoking.pdf

read.the.book.

i.love.you

This book dispels all the myths and really rewires your brain psychologically to make you a non-smoker. I love it and recommend it to all smokers I know who want to stop.

Ralthor125

I've not had a cigarette in 4 months, but still smoke an E-cig. They work. I have more energy and don't reek. I liked smoking and only wanted to quit because of the smell. The E-cigs work great. Don't get just any type if you decide to go this route. The one's at the malls and most of the ones online are too expensive and really just don't seem to work. Take the advice that the other poster placed and look for a tank system. You can google: Electronic Cigarettes of Houston to find a really good place to get everything for a lot less.

mlightvt

I'm a smoker and in the, "thinking about quitting" stage. I did quit before for ~9months using Chantix a few years ago.

One caution with the Chantix is the suicidal tendancies and thoughts. I did not suffer this side effect but my brother and sister definately did. It was a family event, we were all on it at the same time My sister's best friend, also on it with us, suffered such terrible depression she had to go off of it. The son of a close friend of my Dad's killed himself last week after taking Chantix for a month. I do not believe Chantix was the only cause but it's thought to be a factor in his death.

Chantix is a great drug to help people quit but please be aware of this potential side effect. I believe it is still safe to take and may take it again but will be very aware of this possible side effect and will not hesitate to take action if I am having very bad feelings.

I tried Chantix a few years ago for a week or two... when I wasn't mentally ready, but just giving a halfhearted try to pacify my husband, mother, etc. It didn't make me suicidal but homicidal! I turned into such a raging psycho while on that stuff! YES it decreased my desire to smoke but the rage I felt while on that medication was just unreal. I was having what I felt were hallucinations of killing people. I was scared, I have never felt that before in my life and haven't since and hope never to again!! I honestly think it caused me to lose my mind. Also gave me some stomach flip flops and crazy dreams - I always have odd dreams anyway but those were over the top.

The moral of the story is, Chantix's side effects, for me, were not worth it at all. I stopped taking that medication and went right back to smoking as I did before and was left feeling like a failure, because everyone else on God's green earth touted this as a Miracle Drug yet it was horrible, terrible, awful for me. I'd rather smoke cigarettes than be worried if I was going to snap and stab someone to death. YES it was that horrid for me, I am not exaggerating at all, sadly.

I'm glad it works for some but it definitely was not for me.

kyotokarma

You're hardcore with the photos of the dirty lungs and quitting WITH cigs in the house! Nice job!

msjack32

I used the nicotine patch and gum to wean off. They really helped with cravings and taking the edge off. I knew for myself, I would never be able to do it cold turkey. It was still hard while driving or after meals, when you really want that cigarette, but I will say that you really have to want to quit and put effort into it. It's been a little over a year and I still get cravings occasionally, but they pass quickly.

I say all this as an oncology nurse who was taking care of patients dying from lung cancer and I would go out on my break and smoke. I know crazy. But I finally came to the point of wanting it bad enough and had had enough of my husband nagging me to quit .

niciivey

I'm in the same boat. I had quit cold turkey for 15 years and started again about 6 years ago. Worse this time around and it just makes me feel horrible. I just ordered and received an e-cigarette starter kit. I have 4 friends who used this tool to quit smoking and it worked! One was a 3 pack a day smoker and hasn't touched one in months. Just a thought.

I love the e-cig! My husband and I both quit very easily with the e-cig.

zlem

e-cigs changed my life

really are worth a shot if you haven't tried them, I used to snort at people who suggested them til I actually tried them.
Not a single cigarette since October, I smoked since I was 12 (26 now)

hannahhaupt

Chantix helped me quit! They say to take it with a meal, and I always did., but it still made me feel so nauseous. I took it for two weeks and I was so tired of feeling sick that I decided to just quit smoking at quit taking chantix. I know it is important and strong recommended to finish out the chantix, I just couldn't do it. Its absolutely worth a try though, because atleast I am still smoke free!:)

deegarcia19

I quit on December 2nd, 2011 after smoking 2 packs a week for about 5 years.

I realized my lungs were starting to really hate me

I realized my teeth were gonna decay and turn yellow

I realized I smelled

Basically I felt so unhealthy smoking after losing weight and becoming more healthy. I decided to make a REALLY healthy change and quit for good.

I feel so much better.

mish_76

ur the only one who can do it, smoking aids can only do so much but at the end of the day its all down to will power. its not easy. but if u want too, you can. stay away from regular smoking hang outs, unfortunity smoking friends (they dont want you to quit) u lose alot socially. (i work in a shoppin centre, so we all used to go out at certain times, when we were bored etc) but once you get it together, you will feel so much better. also triggers like booze. beware of ur emotions on why do you one. YOU can do it, if YOU want too. all the best to you all out there

Helice

I didnt want to quit smoking..
Tbh i loved it.

But it made my fiance sad, so i quit for him..
I mean i was pissy for months, i gained LOADS of weight, i just replaced the habit with drinking cups of tea constantly..
And i still crave them now and its been 2 years...

But i did it for love.. And thats what made me quit.
You have to really dig within yourself for the reason you want to quit... Not just it would be nice..
You'l find yourself giving up that way because; giving up smoking is nice, but having a *kitten* after you'v needed one for hours is heavenly and you'l find yourself just giving into the cravings..

srp2011

http://quitober.com/pdf/AllenCarrEasyWayToStopSmoking.pdf

read.the.book.

i.love.you

This book dispels all the myths and really rewires your brain psychologically to make you a non-smoker. I love it and recommend it to all smokers I know who want to stop.

Absolutely.True.It.Works.

I read this book and quit 2 days after I finished it, cold turkey, after smoking for 30+ years. It definitely changes your thinking to make you realize you are not giving anything up, you are escaping a really nasty, stinky addiction, and believe it or not, after reading the book, quitting can be relatively easy (mind you, the first 3-4 days of nicotine withdrawal were kind of miserable physically, but mentally it wasn't bad). And you don't have to gain weight. I'm on day 30, and I weigh the exact same today as I did the day I quit, and I think my metabolism is getting back to normal and the scale is going to start going down again.

Substitute healthy behaviors for smoking. Drink lots of ice water. Exercise when you get a craving. Munch on healthy snacks (carrots, apples, berries, oranges, etc...).

Switty_Kitty

I've been off the smelly little *kitten* for 5 years now. I used Champix or whatever it is, and it worked brilliantly!!! I think the major factor in being successful though, is that YOU HAVE TO WANT IT!! If you're only half-assed into the idea of quitting, you'll find every reason for just one puff, then just one smoke, then just one more pack and then you're right back to it. You have to be ready. There are great online sites. I know the Canadian one i used was www.smokershelpline.ca It gives you a running total of how many you have NOT smoked, how much money you havent spent on cigarettes, how many minutes of life you gain back, how long til your lungs are back to being healthy!

If you truly want it.....go for it and don't look back!! And remember....it only takes about 5 minutes to pass. 5 little minutes. Thats nothing! Good luck! And heres to your health!! :drinker: Cheers!

AngelsDream4Peace

I did cold turkey, I tried patches and just didn't keep them on long enough, I would take them off, wait a few hours and smoke like a chimney. I tried Chantix twice! There are certain illnesses you should not take that if you have them. I will openly say that I am bi polar and say that I manage my bi polar with a schedule, my schedule is my fix all for just about everything. My bi polar is combined with some other behaviors that have not surfaced for many many years, and Chantix brought them all back within a couple of days. Not only brought them back but intensified them to an extremely dangerous point. Tell your doctor of ANY problems you may have, don't hold back the doctors office is not the place to be deceptive! They need to know or they can not help you.

My post was simply to ask you to be careful with what I know, Chantix has excellent success for the RIGHT kind of individual.

Good luck and Great job on the weight loss, you will kick the cigarettes too!

danielnoble

being 34years old and smoking a pack a day for 15 years of them I know what your going through. I have tried just about every thing in the book to give up.Here's what I've tried and how it went:
-Patches gave me severe rashes and heart beat irregularities. So they didn't last long, couple of days at most.
-Nicotine gum. I found that these worked ok in resisting the urge, however had a horrible taste, that is until they brought out the fruit flavour. Overall, I found that they didnt alleviate the cravings enough so would light up again.
-Nicotine Inhalers. I found these great, was just like having a smoke except with out the smoke. I still found myself lighting up 1st thing in the morning as inhaler just wasnt enough.
-The pills. They worked great however didnt do so well with my current state of mind. I became aggresive and generally not nice to be around so started smoking again.
-Cold Turkey. after maybe 20 odd attempts of varying success, but ultimate failure, I know call myself a non-smoker. It has only been 6 weeks, I'm not even sure of the date of my last smoke, think it was between christmas and new year. With the aid of the inhaler for approximately 2months I had managed to cut down to about 2 packets a week. One morning I bought a pack on the way to work. I've lite up and thought to myself this doesn't taste right. thinking that maybe it was just a dud smoke I continued puffing away. An hour or so later I light up again and think to myself this is horrible. I end up throwing it away after only a few inhales. I then proceed to place the packet minus the 2 I had smoked into my work collegues pocket. Stating have these i dont want them anymore.

I havent looked back since. And I have never felt better.

Kasya007

This is going to sound very self-absorbed, but you have to hear our stories, to help you start yours. Here goes:

I thought quitting was hard until I read Alan Carr's, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. (It really is easy.) You have no idea how much that awful addiction holds you back, until you throw it away and start believing in yourself. Really! I will never stop praising that book for helping me to save my own life.

I had the typical smoking story. I started smoking at 13, when I was young & impressionable. I dabbled for the next few years until finally working up to a pack a day at the end of high school. Sure, I "wanted" to quit over the years & poured thousands down the drain in stop smoking aids. I bet I tried every product & pill there was with no success, maybe a few weeks here, or a couple of months there. Finally at 28, I'd had enough, I actually hated myself for being a smoker & being ruled by those stupid sticks. I was negative, cynical & critical all of the time, I felt terrible & depressed, I was sick often (I'm NEVER sick now) & I wheezed...yet I still smoked.

...Then I read that ONE short book and stopped smoking without ANY aid. I was so sick of smoking before I even finished reading, that I just stopped and never picked one back up. It was the best choice I ever made & I haven't touched one in 2 years as of this May. I have no desire to smoke, I dislike being around them, and I wish that I had never started because I can only imagine how much different & how much more successful my life would've been without them. But you can't live with regret, all I can do is know that I beat them & and I am way better for it. I can only go up from here! (Heck, I'm now a very serious runner who will be competing in my first half marathon this fall & my first full marathon next year. I couldn't ever have accomplished that as a smoker.)

To be honest, I've become that preachy ex-smoking, health-nut friend who will actually get up and leave if someone lights up around me. The smell is physically repulsive (practically asphyxiating) & I don't want that second-hand garbage in my body. I deserve better. I've actually ditched almost all of my smoking friends because, I'm better off moving forward alone, than staying back in a stagnant h*ll with them.

You've got to kick the habit, you will be happier than you've ever been in your life, as a non smoker. The minute you realize that you're not depriving yourself & that you're actually freeing yourself...well, it only gets better from there. If you're worried about weight gain, there's nothing to fear, you won't gain a pound if you don't replace the cigarettes with food. And seeing as you've lost 40 already & are tracking your food, you are less likely to replace one habit with another. (I personally gained nothing, but confidence.)

Good luck, you can do it. Give yourself a chance.