QUIT SMOKING ATTEMPT #3,465,828

OliveBranch

Hello, friends!
So I'm getting to that point again...SO tired of smoking!!!!!
I am a very healthy person aside from this very detrimental habit I picked up about 2 years ago. I work out almost daily and eat very well...It's a terrible thing when you get done with an awesome workout and negate all your effort by going outside and having a cig!
I have tried the patch, made me sick...I have Nicorette gum waiting for me on the nightstand (it has been waiting for months...) Herbal supplements, cold turkey, etc.
This is something I WANT so bad, that I HAVE to do, yet I'm terrified!
For every 19 cigarettes that tastes horrible, that I don't really want or crave there is only 1 that actually tastes good...
I'm tired of it, the way it tastes, how it makes my body feel, $$$$$, how I smell...my boyfriend hates it, but I have become hopelessly attached to the habit, and I don't even know where to start because the fear of withdrawal symptoms is so great and the anxiety about how I will fill all that time spent smoking is overwhelming!!! Any suggestions from former smokers?! Did I mention we are in a recession and I'm broke and can't afford this?
The cons are endless, yet I'm still smoking.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
I want to hear from people who have overcome this awful habit!
Thank you so much!!!
Hope everyone is doing well!!!
Happy spring,
Olive Branch

OliveBranch

Hello, friends!
So I'm getting to that point again...SO tired of smoking!!!!!
I am a very healthy person aside from this very detrimental habit I picked up about 2 years ago. I work out almost daily and eat very well...It's a terrible thing when you get done with an awesome workout and negate all your effort by going outside and having a cig!
I have tried the patch, made me sick...I have Nicorette gum waiting for me on the nightstand (it has been waiting for months...) Herbal supplements, cold turkey, etc.
This is something I WANT so bad, that I HAVE to do, yet I'm terrified!
For every 19 cigarettes that tastes horrible, that I don't really want or crave there is only 1 that actually tastes good...
I'm tired of it, the way it tastes, how it makes my body feel, $$$$$, how I smell...my boyfriend hates it, but I have become hopelessly attached to the habit, and I don't even know where to start because the fear of withdrawal symptoms is so great and the anxiety about how I will fill all that time spent smoking is overwhelming!!! Any suggestions from former smokers?! Did I mention we are in a recession and I'm broke and can't afford this?
The cons are endless, yet I'm still smoking.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
I want to hear from people who have overcome this awful habit!
Thank you so much!!!
Hope everyone is doing well!!!
Happy spring,
Olive Branch

Kanderson46

I've quit smoking over 2 years now..and I feel soo much better......Just keep on trying...I know its very very hard..BUT YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!! YOU CAN!

Dave198lbs

#1 you CAN do it

get some regular listerine..gargle often ...a clean mouth wants to stay clean

do not consider the craving for a smoke as depriving yourself..you will go insane

consider the craving as a sign from your body that it is letting go of the poison

avoid sugar at all cost

dont replace the smoke with gum or something....your mind gets fooled and will trick you

kick its *kitten*

you can do it

sassiebritches

Girl I was with you not more then 26 days ago......so was my fiance not more then 3 weeks ago. I know this is going to sound really really weird but. I got hypnotised.....yes hypnotised. I went in there a 22 year smoker who smoked a pack a day faithfully. I had my last cigarette 10 mins before I went in for my 75 min appointment and came out smoke free. Within 1 week I had an appointment scheduled for my fiancee' same with him. Last cig 10 mins before and after his appointment, we literally had to go buy him new clothes cause he could not stand the smell of the ones he was wearing (smelled like cigs). It worked for both of us, we both were heavy longtime smokers. So I gave the name of my hypnotist to my friends and loved ones. And 2 more have quit smoking with him......they are at the tail end of 1 week. We are all now using him to help with weight loss/workout motivation. I have lost 4 pounds since my visit with him on Friday and I no longer feel hunger pangs.

If you are in California I would be happy to refer you, or do some research and see if you can find one in your area. It was worth every single penny (although I bartered, but still worth it)

Good luck and you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:smokin: == :sick: :frown: :sad:

Cindysunshine

I was a 2 pack a day smoker 8 years ago. I quit cold turkey. I replaced smoking with walking. Every time I wanted to smoke I walked around the block. You can do it! In the beginning do whatever it takes to get through it. I think a week of chewing gum won't hurt a thing. I can't imagine how you can exercise while being a smoker. I would keel over dead right now if I still smoked and tried to workout. Just make up your mind to do it and do it. Once you get through the first week it gets so much easier. Good luck, Cindy

OliveBranch

Hypnotized? I've heard of people trying that, but the fact that you BOTH had such success with it is amazing!!!
Congrats, everyone, on quitting.
I am not far behind, and I SO appreciate the responses.
Everyone needs encouragement.
HERE GOES NOTHING!!!
Thank you kindly,
-Olive Branch

desirea2006

And I was with you only 35 days ago. Something my mom told me (she quit only 1 month before me)

"The urge to smoke is going to go away whether you smoke or not"

Let it pass you by and entertain your brain with a new thought. I read these forums everytime my brain was taken over by urges. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

CrystalOKeefe

YOU CAN DO IT !!!
You have to believe in your self !!!!
I have been smoke free now since October 2006 !!! You can do it !!! It is the best thing you can do for your lungs it makes things so much easier! Best wish and sending strength your way!

foxfire9372

I quit 5 1/2 weeks ago. Got a bad cold which turned into pneumonia. When I went to the doc's I hadn't smoked in 4 days and told her I didn't want to start again. Can't smoke anyways for 6 weeks, so I haven't. Now, I can't stand the smell of cigarettes at all. Love how I am feeling. Remember, after 3 days, the nicotine is out of your system. The rest is habit. Coming from a person who had every lame *kitten* excuse not to quit, it has been so much easier than I thought. No patch, no gum, no nothing. Cold turkey. I invested in jelly beans and extra gum and I am not a gum chewer, but it is/has worked. Two things that really have helped:

I have my calendar set to how much I have saved each day so that is the first and last thing I see on the computer (I check in the am/pm or when I have the urge). Second, everytime I get an urge, I keep reminding myself that I don't "need" one, I "want" one.

So far, so good and I am not regretting quitting at all.

OliveBranch

P.S. Where did you get the ticker with the # of days you've be smoke free? I wanna join the club and see how much money I am saving:bigsmile:

Dave198lbs

I quit 5 1/2 weeks ago. Got a bad cold which turned into pneumonia. When I went to the doc's I hadn't smoked in 4 days and told her I didn't want to start again. Can't smoke anyways for 6 weeks, so I haven't. Now, I can't stand the smell of cigarettes at all. Love how I am feeling. Remember, after 3 days, the nicotine is out of your system. The rest is habit. Coming from a person who had every lame *kitten* excuse not to quit, it has been so much easier than I thought. No patch, no gum, no nothing. Cold turkey. I invested in jelly beans and extra gum and I am not a gum chewer, but it is/has worked. Two things that really have helped:

I have my calendar set to how much I have saved each day so that is the first and last thing I see on the computer (I check in the am/pm or when I have the urge). Second, everytime I get an urge, I keep reminding myself that I don't "need" one, I "want" one.

So far, so good and I am not regretting quitting at all.

GOOD FOR YOU!!:flowerforyou:

Roxy34

Hahahaa, Im sorry, but that title is HILARIOUS!! I can TOTALLY relate!! Isn't it annoying?! I smoke because of habit and its starting to just taste like crap! The more I exercise and the more water I drink, seems to make it taste even worse, but still not enough for that lightbulb to go off and quit! The longest I ever went was 10 days!

Best of luck to you and fellow smokers who are trying to quit! I'll be joining that crazy train SOON, I hope! :drinker:

Frost

Dave198 has some really good points. Sugar is one of the woerst things you can do when trying to quit smoking. Somethings that you can do to help your body and curve cravings are:

Eat bananas. You need the potassium.
Turkey on white sandwiches triggers chemicals in your brain that help out by keeping cravings at bay. It's good to have this for breakfast.
Broccoli is another food that curves cravings.
Drink a lot of water and real cranberry juice. Not the cranberry juice with sugar but the super tart concentrate. It is one of the only real body detoxers.

heather93277

I quit smoking on 3/1/09 :bigsmile:

I had some help If you can get to a doctor, see if you can get a prescription to Chantix. It's around $100 a month, but it WORKS. You still have to want to quit, which you do, and you still have to have a bit of will power, which we all do, but it does help and does work. I have known 4 other people, besides myself, that have taken it and successfully quit smoking. I only needed to take it for 2 weeks before feeling confident that I was done, an ex-chain-smoker I know had to do the full 3 months before feeling confident. That's up to you and how you feel.

I do know there are some side effects, but none were troublesome enough to make me quit taking the pills. My biggest one was the crazy dreams. It was like the pregnancy dreams I had with my babies I do remember I was quite thirsty a lot too, which just helped with replacing smoking with drinking water anyway, so I was ok with that. I've heard some people become depressed on it because it turns off the pleasure center in your brain, but if you experience depression, just see your doctor.

Some other things that have helped me continue not smoking:

crosswords, circle-a-words, sudoku (keeps my hands and mind busy when sitting around)

pogo.com (games to, again, keep hands and mind busy)

drinking lots and lots of water... I found one of my "triggers" was thirst and hunger!

stay away from other smokers!!!

stay away from places you usually smoke (like back patio, or wherever you smoke at home)... if you smoke in your home, get rid of all ash trays, get carpets/drapes cleaned to remove the smell from your home, wash the walls... if in your car, same thing

keep a journal of what makes you want to smoke.. note how you are feeling or what happened to make you want a smoke.. this is useful in being able to see your triggers and avoid them or handle them in another way in the future.

put post-its up with all the reasons you want to quit in random places around your home, car, work place. move them around and change them up so you don't start to ignore them

get rid of every last cigarette... you're far more likely to smoke if you have them on hand. if you have to run to the store, you will have time to think about what you are doing and are more likely to turn back around and lose the craving. they say if you can hold on for just 5 more minutes after you get a craving, a lot of times, it will pass.

get support from your friends and family. they will keep you accountable AND encourage you. they will dust you off and help you back up if you slip. the more support the better!!

best of luck to you ... you can do it!!!! :bigsmile:

sassiebritches

And I was with you only 35 days ago. Something my mom told me (she quit only 1 month before me)

"The urge to smoke is going to go away whether you smoke or not"

Let it pass you by and entertain your brain with a new thought. I read these forums everytime my brain was taken over by urges. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

YAY BABY I am glad to see you are still doing it~!~!~! Congrats~~~~~~~~~~~~so much easier now ha?

sassiebritches

Hypnosis...................no physical cravings, the occasional habit issue, the smell of smoke gags you at first, the thought of smoking grosses you out, no mood swings and no binge eating. I love being a non smoker with hypnosis.

:flowerforyou:

Jackie_W

Hey I was a smoker and know exactly where you're coming from.
I gave up nearly 12 years ago, I feel so much healthier these days.
You can do it, you just gotta be strong :flowerforyou:
Find something (non food) instead, maybe a hobby to take your mind off things or a walk in the fresh air.

My husband & I helped each other through this, we both gave up at the same time and whenever we fancied lighting up, we'd tell the other one, and remind the other why we gave up.

Good luck, we're here for you :flowerforyou:
Jackie

sherris

i quit smoking on my thrid SERIOUS try.....now i've been smoke free for 8 MONTHS on the 19th of April!!!!

i found a support website that was fabulous!!!!...... www.quitnet.com

their messges boreds are great and the people are VERY VERY supportive and they have great advice and it gives u a great place to rant where EVERYBODY there understands.

if ur dying to have one they have a rule....post it and wait at least for 3 responses...they will help talk u out of it, remind you why you are quiting in the first place.....quitnet reminds me of this site when it come to support...give it a try!

Phoenix_Rising

I quit years ago when I found out I was pregnant. Refused to smoke while growing a baby in there. The one thing I did that I feel helped me the most was verbalizing every time I wanted a cigarette. At first, I was saying it constantly, once an hour at least, sometimes more. Eventually, I wasn't saying I wanted a cigarette as often, and then suddenly a day had passed without me uttering those words.

I don't know why it helped for me to say it aloud, but it did.

Find what works for you. Stick with it. Let us hold you accountable. We will all be checking back in on you. Don't disappoint us, do this!!!

IF YOU ARE MENTALLY READY TO QUIT, YOU CAN PHYSICALLY QUIT.
Wanting to mentally is the hardest challenge. You have leapt that hurdle.

ttoombs

I have been smoke-free now for 10 years (everyone in my family are now smoke-free). When I go shopping or spend extra money, I just think about it as spending my beer and cigarette money. I have a lot of things to show for it now instead of bad health, etc. You can do it, you just have to really want to. Good luck. :flowerforyou: