Need advice from ex smokers

jennifermcornett

I've stopped for 13 days while using an e-cig. While someone mentioned don't use 1. Why not? It contains nicotine like all the other nicotine replacement program's . It's helping take the edge off, as well as keeping me sane but the wife might beg to differ....lol
Does anyone think reading the Alan Carr book would help me out even tho I'm using my e-cig.
As long as you want to give up 100%, then now is the time. Just take it day by day and treat yourself after certain milestones. I use an app on my iPhone called idontsmoke and you can add extra milestones to the ones that are already there, be it by time,cigs not smoked or by money. Good luck and I hope it all works out well.

YES, read the Alan Carr book even though you're using an e-cig. The book addresses it. Anyone who wants to quit should read the book first before making any other move!

iampam4399

Congratulations on deciding to quit!!!!! I quit about 14 months ago. I was not planning on quitting, but I got an upper respiratory infection that had me down for a few days. When I got better, I realized that I had not smoked the entire time I was sick, so I just quit. Yes, it was that simple for me! I just quit. But, I will tell you that I believe that the Lord took the desire to smoke from me. I didn't ask Him at that time, but it was on His time. So, my suggestion to you is that you pray about quitting, and all that comes along with quitting. Pray when you want a smoke, and give thanks when you don't. And keep on praying about it!! And love yourself enough to continue to be a FORMER smoker!!
Another thing that helps me to not start smoking again is thinking about the pain and suffering my father went through. He smoked for many years. He quit smoking about 5 years ago, but it was too late. By then he had developed COPD and early emphysema. He passed away 3 months ago from cancer. I truly miss him, and do not want my own children to have to miss me like that!!

MassiveDelta

16 years a smoker...5 + years smoke free... Not a single puff since my quit date. I love smoking. Wish I could have a smoke right now. The extreme cravings will persist for a while 2-3 weeks and then moderate cravings I would say almost a month for me. After that though its all mental. Mental triggers and cravings. Things like drinking, driving, playing cards, playing video games, triggers a craving not nearly as much but still I get this mental pull. Nothing I cant overcome just a trigger. After getting heavily into triathlon I wish now I had never smoked even one time.

MassiveDelta

I love smoking! I don't want to quit.

I hate to say it, you need to change this first.

I didn't I loved smoking all the way to the last drag....But I wanted to quit more then I wanted to smoke

smplycomplicated

June 29th will be 8 years smoke-free for me. I tried Several time, and failed. The best advice i can give you is..

First of all don't give up! If you happen to cave and smoke, don't get discouraged and give up..just chalk it up to a brain fart and move on.

what i did..

I used to smoke 2 and a half packs a day..by the time i quit i was closer to 3 packs. I had tried the patches before and they didn't work for me. I am crazy stubborn and competitive, and i believe in prayer. I decided to challenge myself, so i did it cold turkey.

I set a date on the calendar as my quit day. I bought a pack of drinking straws. measured them out to the same length as a cigarette, and put them into an empty pack. I stocked up on gum, and healthy snacks. once the day came everytime i felt the urge to smoke i would grab one of the straws out of the pack..I would hold it like i would a smoke..and take "drags" off of it...it helped with the oral fixation, and the habit of having soemthing between my fingers..and it was also helping to heal my lungs quicker since i was taking in healthy air everytime i took a drag off the straw. when the urge became too strong i would chew on the straw..If it became too hard to handle i would say a prayer. I prayed for him to help ease the urge/craving..and if he helped me i would never tough another cigarette again...and 8 years later here i am.

I'm definitely not pushing religion on anyone, just giving you my tips, and my story on how i did it

Keep it up! It's hard but well worth the fight!!

Douggggggmuprhy

dont quit i haven't

bcressy

bump this for after work! all this advice is great

jbella99

I recently quit. Have been a smoker for 20 years. I quit a few times once for four years. I am currently using the patch and it works for the irratibilty and i use exercise so I am not sitting around. It is difficultt but you just have to put your mind to it.

If you decide to use a nicotine replacement product use it for at least the recommended 8 weeks, lower the dose as is directed. Even if you feel you got it licked. The first time i used the patch i stopped after 2 weeks and started again after 2 months. It was a minimum of 14 days to break a habit, the extra 6 weeks just reinforces it.

cbear017

Have you read Allan Carr's book "The Easyway to Quit Smoking"? If not, you should. That book, and the website www.quitnet.com were the best resources that I used to quit smoking over two years ago. I was a very heavy smoker for 50 years and quit cold turkey using just those two things.

I also loved to smoke, but like you I hated the way it made you smell and how hard it was to breathe. Until you have been quit for about six months you won't really know just how bad it does smell, you only think you know.

I waited too long to quit and am now living with COPD...please be smarter than me and quit now...your lungs will thank you for it! :flowerforyou:

THIS ^^^ book is the only thing that helped me to quit and I've been smoke free for 2+ years after smoking a pack a day for 13 years. It should be a mandatory read for smokers. It's truly enlightening.

p.s. I'd tried the patch, nicorette, will power, Zyban, etc. all unsuccessfully before.

JoJoDoerr

I quit almost 2 years ago after smoking for 18 years! Not gonna lie....it was HELL! However, the alternative is much worse. It took a couple months for me to feel normal again and I had about every withdraw symptom there is. At one point I was in bed for almost a week due to headaches and muscle aches....but it was all worth it! There are still times when I will have a little craving but I know better than to touch one now! I did it all cold turkey for the most part...but did have the gum a couple times when it got bad. (couldn't use the patch as it caused a rash)

I smell everything now. I taste everything now. I don't pant and run out of breath as much just trying to do normal things like getting dressed...lol.

Hang in there! I promise it will be worth it! :flowerforyou:

Lissakaye81

I've quit twice, once for 8 months and just quit again, its been around 2 weeks I think. Sounds funny but it was way easier this time. I didn't like the regular flavor e-cig, I found the menthols much more pleasing on the throat. I like herbal cigs without nicotine best. It's weird though, I dont want so much the cig but the routines I used to do. So I just randomly go outside and instead of smoke just stand there, its funny but works. My fiance uses a little nicorette, a full flavored e cig and camel's snus....he is having a harder time.

akkbatra

lookforgood,
corolemack is very correct. Just read Allen Carr's easyway to quit smoking. I am in fourth week of quitting. Do it urgently. ebook is available free online in pdf format. The book actually encourages to smoke while reading the book, but I think you better don't. Don't count hours and days as if you are losing something or that u are sacrificing something. U actually are giving up the nicotine addiction. U surely will succeed if u understand the process psychology. best wishes.

AllenCarrEasyWayToStopSmoking.pdf

jenniferret

good for you! i quit smoking cold turkey a year ago after smoking a pack/day for over 10 years. the first week was the hardest but my strategy was to replace this habit with a new better habit that would not only be positive but would occupy my time and take my mind off of the cravings- so that is when i started working out and exercising. i replaced my smoking breaks with 10-15 minute brisk walks outside- really paying attention to how good that feeling of oxygen in the lungs and body made me feel. eventually i became addicted to the oxygen feeling and the cigarette cravings were no longer there.

CatchMom11

I quit smoking in 2005 when I got pregnant. I started smoking again November 2010 and just quit again September 2011. I quit because I was eliminated from consideration for a job that I was completely qualified for due to being a smoker. It pissed me off. I was tired of my smoking controlling so much in my life and I was a complete hypocrite because I was begging my own mother to quit to try and save her life. I was able to quit cold turkey. My husband... he's a different story. He's struggling but he is doing better than he's ever done. He no longer smokes at home as I will not go near him if he smells like that.

He's also watched my mother waste away due to smoking, diabetes, and vascular disease. She was on a vent for 3 weeks after having heart surgery because her lungs weren't strong enough to work on their own. She was 49 when that occured. She didn't stop smoking. She will be 53 at the end of the month and in the last 18 months she has had two more heart attacks, bypass surgery, and had her leg amputated up to her knee.

While the amputation is due to diabetes, her smoking has eliminated her from ever being able to have heart surgery if she needs it. Her lungs are shot!

If that doesn't give you some sort of strength to quit, I don't know what else will.

I wish you the best of luck in your journey to quit. As someone who is forced to watch their parent wither away because they refuse to give up the nasty habit, I encourage you NOT to do that to your children.

nikrit84

My husband and I just quit this new year...and it has been 3 months and the cravings are still there! Will proabably be months before they go away. I quit cold turkey, however, my husband quit with the patch and the gum. those worked fine for awhile and then he would have the electronic cig when he had his intense cravings (feels just like one). Cranky is an understatement for the both of us, but my workouts are much more enjoyable AND we don't stink anymore! lol

haleighallen

I took chantix to quit smoking! It worked absolute wonders for me! I know some people are leary of it because they've heard horror stories about so-and-so's friend's sister's cousin went "crazy" on it blah blah blah, but there are horror stories like that about everything. I personally had literally NO SIDE EFFECTS with it. Just talk to to your doctor about it, get the facts, and decide what you want to do from there.:flowerforyou:

Jordynnsmom

You can do it as long as you focus on the important reasons you quit for. The hardest part is when you do the typical things that you associated with smoking like talking on the phone, driving, after meals and drinking. Like others said I find something else to do until you completely kick the habit. That is exactly what it is HABIT. Play with a tooth pick, sugar free sucker, minute etc. Eventually you will re-train yourself do do these things without it. Plus remember that if you can hold out for 10 minutes the craving will pass. I quite cold turkey after 22 years of 2 pack a day smoking(used to light my next off of the one I was putting out). I also smoked cigare and inhaled them. I quit while my spouse continued to be a smoker. I have been smoke free for 5 years now and honestly it is difficult sometimes to hang out with smokers because I loved the act of smoking. After I had been smoke free for a year I tried it and it hurt my throat and tasted disgusting. I just know that my child is more important. Plus I was saving nearly $10 a day;)
You can do it!

amysj303

I quit smoking 6 years ago just to see if I could do it. It was the hardest thing I ever did. I think you should be nice to yourself because it is taking a lot of emotional energy to quit and so if you are crabby or need a treat, try and plan for it. and try to reward yourself without food-like a massage or something.
Also, I did chew the nictoine gum when I really wanted a cigarette. so if there are times that are really hard for you, or something coming up that you anticipate being hard without a cigarette, you can chew the gum, so you get the nicotine you want but without resorting to smoking.
also, if you do smoke, don't just think, "I failed so I should just go back to smoking" just think about why you gave in and try to have a strategy for the next time and give yourself a break for slipping up, it's a process.
It was a long time ago but there are times when I still want to smoke, like when I am in a really stressful situation, or Vegas;)

Sabresgal63

I smoked 16 years..........2 packs a day.......I threw them out and suffered and was miserable and got through it. It has been 18 years since I smoked a cigarette. I kept picturing what life would be like hooked up to a portable oxygen tank and then gasping for air dying........It was enough for me.

Give yourself the biggest gift you can..............LIFE...............Its so aweful now, but will be worth it in the long run! Good luck to you and remember that you are bigger than that cigarette!:bigsmile:

Tennessee2019

bump