Quitting Smoking

cushygal

This morning I decided to quit. I just threw away my pack. I'm very nervous about being a non smoker, I have identied with it for so long! Any tips, success, support would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance I do not think this is going to be an easy journey for me.

First off, I want to say congrats on taking the first step - that one is the hardest.

I have been smoke free for 6 years and haven't looked back. I smoked for 25 years and dearly loved it, but I always said I would quit at 35(cut off when on the pill) but 35 came and went, and so did 36 - but 3 months before my 37 b'day I had my last smoke - so it took me 2 years to commit, but I did it cold turkey. I was also doing the weight loss journey and had lost 40 pounds when I quit - I kept that off for 6 months and really thought I had it under control, but then I gained back that 40 - but it was truly from over-eating and not exercising.

Today I have that 40 plus 6 more off thru eating right and running.

You just need to find what works for you and stick with it. I wish you all the best in your new smoke free/healthy life :happy:

Feel free to add me as a friend.

sillygoose1977

I quit cold turkey after 15 years. Just remember that every day you stick with it, it gets easier and easier. Chug some water and chew some gum, but don't give in! You can do this and you will change your life. Good for you! I wish you all the best. :drinker:

karisamh

I QUIT 6 YEARS AGO!! I had smoked 1 -2 packs a day for 16 years!!! I went and had the cold laser therapy, it cost about $170. I had no headaches, no cranky, no stomach achs nothing. The next day I even stood around people who were smoking and was fine. Haven't picked one up since! You can do it!!!!! You will need to find something to do though, whenever you think you want one do something else

OliveJuice1984

I had smoked for 11 years. I quit on 1/17 of this year. I quit cold turkey. I will say thought that I started quitting on New Years Day. I was doing well then slipped up and had one. Then that one turned into two packs. On 1/17 I started quitting again and I haven't stopped since!

What worked for me is to not beat yourself if you laps on one smoke but don't make an excuse and say "oh well I had one I might as well finish the pack." It's a minute by minute battle the first few weeks but I PROMISE it gets better. I used flavored gum (regular gum not nicorete) to substitute for a smoke. I became a gum chewing freak. I thought I would become this person that always chewed gum but I bairly chew it now.

Another thing that helped me was to keep reminding myself that a craving will take place every 20 minutes and last for 5 minutes. If you can make it through that 5 minutes you can do it! Just focus on the 5 minutes not the whole day or the rest of your life. About three weeks into quitting I noticed that I really wasn't thinking about it as much as I used to. Now 8 weeks into it I might have a split second of thinking about it if I see someone light up but I just look away and toss the thought out of my mind.

It also helped that I have stayed away from smoking friends. And it was a very nice surprise to find out that my husband decided to quit smoking too! I wish you the very very best of luck and you are not alone! If you'd like to add me as a friend I'd love to support you on your journey. Take care!

nettg40

Good luck on your journey. I am also a recent non-smoker also however I couldn't do it without support and used Chantix.

Sqeekyjojo

I stopped smoking about [thinks about it] 7 years ago. I had been prescribed NRT patches, but after the second day, couldn't be bothered with them.

Drink lots of iced water. Much better than gum or cookies.


It's not so bad as they make out. The hardest part is having to deal with the uncomfortable feelings you used to distract from by going outside and lighting up.

Stormyyy

www.nosmokingforum.co.uk. Was a lifesaver when i quit 9 and a half months ago. The support there is amazing, you log in each day, each hour or even minute and log ur feelings and have like minded people there who understand every up and down u r going through. Best advice i can give you....Good luck, i hope u stay quit but remember if u have a few mishaps along the way it's the trying that counts cause one of them tries and you will succeed!!!

Oh not to mention sucking on straws, keeping raw carrots and cucumber in sticks in the fridge to crunch and nibble on and i always had a packet of chocolate limes around me in the first 3 months which of course, led me to here :laugh:

LoraF83

Great job taking the first step! I quit cold turkey about 4 years ago. If I wanted a cigarette, I just thought to myself "this tiny little thing is not going to control my life anymore". I had to realize that as a smoker, I spent my whole day thinking about smoking - when to have one, when not to have one, do I smell like smoke?, do I have enough packs or should I stop at the store?, do I have enough money for another pack?, will there be smoking at this place or that? It just finally got to be too much. Life is so much better now - I can breathe, I'm healthy, and I never want to go back

You CAN do this!!!!

sandradaisy

Good for you I am in the middleof it myself, my husband quit Jan 1st and I quit Jan 9th. So today its been 2 months for me. I cheated one time, felt like ****. This is not our first attempt so we are trying really hard, we both used the patch for a while it takes the edge off. Stay strong and remember a craving only lasts a few minutes.

iwold

Congrats to all who managed to quit! I just joined today..and my next step is to quit smoking also. I have smoked for 30 years, and I know it will be hard, I have tried many times before. I am hoping I have the will power to follow thru this time!! Hoping tomorrow will be Day 1 for me....maybe we can do it together!! Good luck!!

DayAtATime

Congratulations! Just remember that you can do it and that you will have your moments. It took me a full year to get through all sorts of things...first summer day, first July 4th, Christmas, etc. Anway, I smoked for years and thought I would never quit. It was my last vice and I wasn't going to give it up. I am now a non-smoker for almost 6 years and do not think of smoking unless I see someone else smoking. So my advice...if you see someone smoking...look away and get back to what you were doing...do not let your mind wander to that place of "I want a cigarette." I can't believe it..I now really don't like the smell of smoke.

I also used an online support group for quitting smoking and it was very helpful for the first 3 or 4 months. It was nice to be in contact with others that were either going through or had gone through the same thing.

Remember...a little more weight is a lot better than continuing smoking.

Best of luck on your journey.

2fit4fat

Bump

carolemack

Allan Carr's book "Easyway to Quit Smoking" and the quitnow.com website are the only tools you need to quit smoking. I was a very heavy smoker (two packs a day) for 50 years...I quit cold turkey on October 26, 2009 and have not had so much as a puff since. It was the best decision of my life.

If smokers only knew just how terrible they smell they would give it up in a heartbeat. I had no idea that I smelled that bad. When someone that smoke walks by me now I just about gag.

Take it one day at a time, you can do it...and you will be so glad that you did! :drinker: :flowerforyou:

Miss_Hiker_Pants

This coming May it will be 2 years since I quit. I smoked for 30 yrs or more. You can do it. Hang out in places that mentally you know you can't smoke, like a library or a mall. Bottled water, I carred a container of water where ever I went. It helps that hand to mouth habit. Stay active and busy with projects.
You can do it.

pholbert

bump

KellyKAG

Also - I read this on Quit.com. It made a huge impact on me and I thought about it a lot when i quite smoking. Hope it helps you too.

"My cigarette, My Friend.
How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you? Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him. He has a peculiar odor that sticks to you wherever you go. Others think both of you stink.

He controls you totally. When he says jump, you jump. Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick him up. You would give your spouse hell if he or she did that to you all the time, but you can't argue with your friend. Sometimes, when you are out at a movie or play he says he wants you to go stand in the lobby with him and miss important scenes. Since he calls all the shots in your life, you go. Your friend doesn't like your choice of clothing either. Instead of politely telling you that you have lousy taste, he burns little holes in these items so you will want to throw them out. Sometimes, he tires of the furniture and gets rid of it too. Occasionally, he gets really nasty and decides the whole house must go.

He gets pretty expensive to support. Not only is his knack of property destruction costly, but you must pay to keep him with you. In fact, he will cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. And you can count on one thing, he will never pay you a penny in return.

Often at picnics you watch others playing vigorous activities and having lots of fun doing them. But your friend won't let you. He doesn't believe in physical activity. In his opinion, you are too old to have that kind of fun. So he kind of sits on your chest and makes it difficult for you to breathe. Now you don't want to go off and play with other people when you can't breathe, do you?

Your friend does not believe in being healthy. He is really repulsed by the thought of you living a long and productive life. So every chance he gets he makes you sick. He helps you catch colds and flu. Not just by running out in the middle of the lousy weather to pick him up at the store. He is more creative than that. He carries thousands of poisons with him which he constantly blows in your face. When you inhale some of them, they wipe out cilia in your lungs which would have helped you prevent these diseases.

But colds and flu are just his form of child's play. He especially likes diseases that slowly cripple you—like emphysema. He considers this disease great. Once he gets you to have this, you will give up all your other friends, family, career goals, activities—everything. You will just sit home and caress him, telling him what a great friend he is while you desperately gasp for air.

But eventually your friend tires of you. He decides he no longer wishes to have your company. Instead of letting you go your separate ways, he decides to kill you. He has a wonderful arsenal of weapons behind him. In fact, he has been plotting your death since the day you met him. He picked all the top killers in society and did everything in his power to ensure you would get one of them. He overworked your heart and lungs. He clogged up the arteries to your heart, brain, and every other part of your body. In case you were too strong to succumb to this, he constantly exposed you to cancer causing agents. He knew he would get you sooner or later.

Well, this is the story of your "friend," your cigarette. No real friend would do all this to you. Cigarettes are the worst possible enemies you ever had. They are expensive, addictive, socially unacceptable, and deadly. Consider all this and NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!"

BLSBoyer

YAY! I quit after 12 years of smoking over a pack a day almost a year ago. I used Chantix, but I quit taking it after about 2 weeks after my quit date. It worked great for me. I never cheated at all. The best thing to do is once you decide to quit to never take another puff again, because before you know it, you will be smoking again. Stay strong! There are so many positives about quitting! Not everyone has cravings every day - I never have cravings any more! Just stay positive and don't give yourself any excuses to cheat!

deeva2266

Thank you for posting this. Really says it all. This is my 2nd attempt at quitting and I am much more focused and determined this time to stay quit free.

Also - I read this on Quit.com. It made a huge impact on me and I thought about it a lot when i quite smoking. Hope it helps you too.

"My cigarette, My Friend.
How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you? Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him. He has a peculiar odor that sticks to you wherever you go. Others think both of you stink.

He controls you totally. When he says jump, you jump. Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick him up. You would give your spouse hell if he or she did that to you all the time, but you can't argue with your friend. Sometimes, when you are out at a movie or play he says he wants you to go stand in the lobby with him and miss important scenes. Since he calls all the shots in your life, you go. Your friend doesn't like your choice of clothing either. Instead of politely telling you that you have lousy taste, he burns little holes in these items so you will want to throw them out. Sometimes, he tires of the furniture and gets rid of it too. Occasionally, he gets really nasty and decides the whole house must go.

He gets pretty expensive to support. Not only is his knack of property destruction costly, but you must pay to keep him with you. In fact, he will cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. And you can count on one thing, he will never pay you a penny in return.

Often at picnics you watch others playing vigorous activities and having lots of fun doing them. But your friend won't let you. He doesn't believe in physical activity. In his opinion, you are too old to have that kind of fun. So he kind of sits on your chest and makes it difficult for you to breathe. Now you don't want to go off and play with other people when you can't breathe, do you?

Your friend does not believe in being healthy. He is really repulsed by the thought of you living a long and productive life. So every chance he gets he makes you sick. He helps you catch colds and flu. Not just by running out in the middle of the lousy weather to pick him up at the store. He is more creative than that. He carries thousands of poisons with him which he constantly blows in your face. When you inhale some of them, they wipe out cilia in your lungs which would have helped you prevent these diseases.

But colds and flu are just his form of child's play. He especially likes diseases that slowly cripple you—like emphysema. He considers this disease great. Once he gets you to have this, you will give up all your other friends, family, career goals, activities—everything. You will just sit home and caress him, telling him what a great friend he is while you desperately gasp for air.

But eventually your friend tires of you. He decides he no longer wishes to have your company. Instead of letting you go your separate ways, he decides to kill you. He has a wonderful arsenal of weapons behind him. In fact, he has been plotting your death since the day you met him. He picked all the top killers in society and did everything in his power to ensure you would get one of them. He overworked your heart and lungs. He clogged up the arteries to your heart, brain, and every other part of your body. In case you were too strong to succumb to this, he constantly exposed you to cancer causing agents. He knew he would get you sooner or later.

Well, this is the story of your "friend," your cigarette. No real friend would do all this to you. Cigarettes are the worst possible enemies you ever had. They are expensive, addictive, socially unacceptable, and deadly. Consider all this and NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!"

mjn18

bump

maybethistime70

when i quit i slept alot for the first week or two. in the car was hardest for me. i also went cold turkey, it's been since October 5th for me. i slept a lot, then cleaned a lot. i painted my living room. keep busy, and try not to dwell on it. you'll do fine! good luck

Pizzagirl50

I have no tips for you but wanted to encourage you, really really encourage you. My mom just died the day after Christmas from lung cancer. She was 56.

One of the biggest reasons she never quit? Worried about gaining weight. The 10lbs she could have possibly gained wouldn't have killed her- the smoking did.

Do whatever you have to do- STOP SMOKING! Don't try changing everything at once and realize that habits CAN change and willpower can be depleted through out the day so try making contigency plans, the more specific the better for when the urge strikes! Try www.beeminder.com to help keep you accountable day to day.

If you fail at cold turkey, cut back instead and work your way down to zero. Here are two science-y books I recently read about habit formation and willpower which could help you:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055PGUYU/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title\

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052REQCY/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Good luck! Truly.

Not only did this bring a tear to my eye but it also opened my eyes. You're completely right, the 10 pounds won't kill me. I'm feeling really selfish right now about smoking and not caring what the outcome may be. How could I think that possibly leaving my child would be worth a cigarette? Disgusting!

Mira710

I smoked for 5 years and quit 3 years ago. I had chronic bronchitis, so I really needed to quit. I started out with a rule that I could not smoke in the car. After a week or so I wouldn't allow myself to smoke around other people. Finally, I made a rule that I could only smoke sitting in my room in a corner in the dark. Needless to say, that is not very appealing and I quit pretty quick. You can set limitations and make them more and more restrictive until it's too much of a hassle to smoke.

SusanaLdn

Stay busy and change everything up. Drive a different route, get gas somewhere else, hang out with nonsmokers and focus on something else entirely even if it's cooking or a hobby. The first time I quit, I went Vegan and that kept me completely occupied, I did well for 2 years until my SO brought cigars in then I was addicted to those until a year and a half ago. I started this lifestyle change and focussed on getting healthy. I quit 2 weeks before we took a 7 day cruise, by the time we got back, I was ready to be done forever.

I'd say this is the most important thing. I quit 6th Feb 2011 and never really thought about it again. Saying that, I had to stop having the morning coffee (because I associated it with a cigarette) so I started having tea, etc etc. Change your habits which you associate with cigarettes. And please please please...

REMEMBER THIS!!!

It's not quitting that makes you gain weight, it's what you replace the cigarettes with! First time I quit I put on a stone, this time I lost 2kg! When you want a cigarette, have a list of things you can have instead:

- water
- sugar free gum
- dried fruit
- ... etc :flowerforyou:

Choose healthy things that remind you why you want to quit smoking.

As a woman, I like my skin better, I know I smell great anytime, my teeth are much whiter, and I don't feel like a druggie anymore, 'going outside for a *kitten*'. Yuckkkk :noway:

Well done, keep going, and make sure you have another list at hand when you think of smoking:

- may well die because of it
- will look 80 by 50
- will always smell funny
- my teeth will be yellow
- blalalala :sick:

You can do it :drinker:

Careolyn

Thanks for all this encouragement and support! Had a minor set back this weekend. Had a few smokes, but on the positive side have not bought a pack. I am trying to bike/run/weights when I get a craving, only for 5-10 minutes.
It's hard to break the routines that I had set up... My life runs around when I smoke. lol.. How silly is that?
But again I really appreciate all these posts. Helping me out alot!
Good Luck to all those who are also quitting