Smoking :(

coraliethomas

Ok, I have joined the Army, this obviously means that (at least for 9 weeks of basic training) I have to quit smoking. I figure if I cant smoke for 9 weeks, I may as well quit.. period.

However, this is proving difficult. I smoke a pack a day. I have 4 months until I ship out to basic, and I want to be as prepared for it as I can... meaning I need to quit ASAP.

Those of you that have quit... how did you do it? Especially without cramming candy in my mouth to replace cigarettes...

coraliethomas

No takers?

mommy7

This upcoming weekend, I'm buying one of those fake cigarettes.

shbretired

It's all about setting your mind to quitting. If the mind isn't sure you won't make it.

I said a prayer daily, and said when I smoke the last one I won't buy anymore.

Guess what? I haven't.

It's been nearly 8 years.

You deserve a healthy LONG life.

Tell yourself this daily.

I watched my mom die painfully with cancer. Her last 14 days she wasn't able to eat or drink.

My Dad's lung cancer hit him, and he was gone in 4 months. That was after years of emphesema where he couldn't walk 10 feet without getting winded.

For quality of life and a future with your family, kick it to the curb!

shbretired

I tried the gum, patches, fake cigarettes, pills - still all in your head.

Don't waste time or money.

hausofnichele

Patches are a lifesaver. The only method that works in my opinion. And chewing lots of regular (not nicotine) sugar free gum.

leilaphoenix

Allen Carr's "Easy Way" book. Read it. Worked for me and if not its only a few quid wasted. I've gone from 1 pack a day to nothing overnight and it was not that hard. That was 1 year ago.

You can do it.

coraliethomas

Yeah, I tried the nicorette gum and lozenges and it just makes me feel ill... I will try just regular gum.

AmandaCaswell1982

I used a patch for a couple days-- to get me through the worst. I loved smoking. I really didn't want to quit, but knew I had to. The patch got me through the first few days where the physical withdrawls are the wost. It helped break the habit as well. I didn't want to get addicted to the patch, either.

I smoked 1+ pack a day, not to mention the 1-2 bottles of wine I'd consume. Bad bad bad....

Good luck- you truly can do it. Sometimes it takes a few shots-- but the longer you don't smoke, the easier it gets.

ElementalEscapee

I've heard that drinking a lot of orange juice helps...something about the Vitamin C helps with cravings...but I would try gum/patch/etc.

Or you could just not do it, like I did. xD Save your money lol.

iron_jj

Willpower. I told myself no more and I haven't touched one ever since. (oct 2011) I used to smoke prolly 20-30 cigs a day.

Fay84Vegan

I have never smoked but my partner did for years.

He tried many different things but cutting down to start with helps. See if you can cut down to half of what you would 'normally' have.

My partner smoked 20 a day and managed to cut down to 4 a day in a few days. At least then you'll be part the way there!

There are a few things on the market you can try like an 'electric cigarette' My partner still uses this NOW when he feels the urge. It look simular, lights up blue at the end and you breathe in steam. Sounds strange but worked for him.

hausofnichele

Nicoderm CQ patches have the best reviews online so that's what I went with. Although generics are fine. Cold turkey sounds easy and cheap but the patches really help ease the side effects that come along with stopping smoking (mood swings, etc.).

edit* Patches definitely help initially because the beginning is the hardest part. Patches allow you to handle the hurdles of the physical addiction (hand to mouth motions, etc.) and mental addiction ("needing a cig").. and once you've made it over those critical steps you can finally ditch the patches and it is a LOT easier to get through the nicotine withdrawal.

sel254

Today's my first day giving up and I've spent all day munching on polo sugar free mints. I had a patch on earlier but it kept falling off so I've been using the nicorette spray as well.

coraliethomas

Vitamin C huh... well that couldn't hurt... at least my immune system will be bolstered. Did you just quit cold turkey?

clioandboy

I gave up nearly 6 years ago, patches for 2 weeks then just thought feck it, it was hard, I was a bag but best thing I ever did.

Your capacity for cardio will go thru the roof, you will not be ruled by an addiction and you wont stink.... I have just been with smokers and my oh my how it stinks.

Good luck, you wanna do it? Do it!

clioandboy

I havent read it but lots swear by the allan carr book.....

Presley0381

I smoked for 14 years. Not a pack a day but probably a pack every other day. I hated it and loved it. But I was getting tired of it and tired of spending so much money. I was not someone who would smoke just anything because it was cheaper. I had to smoke Marlboro Reds. It wasn't until my girls started asking me to quit that I knew I had no other choice. So that was my New Year's Resolution last year. Jan. 4 to be exact. I just quit. Cold turkey. I honestly do not know how I did it either. It was hard but I had to be strong. I wish you the best of luck!

Elizabeth_C34

Do a google search for smoking cessation programs in your area. Most of them are free, and they will provide some great support to you to quit. Don't give up.

I've lost 5 people in my family to smoking-related disease, and it's absolutely horrific what those stupid cigarettes do to your body. Nip it in the butt early, and live a long wonderful life for the people who love you.

grrrlface

You can probably have all the replacements you want but they won't work unless you WANT to quit.

I've tried to quit 3 times previously using replacements, the final time I was so sick of smoking I have done it on my own.

You have absolutely got to want to do it. If you have the slightest doubt in your own mind you will always go back, even if you quit for a while.

Sorry if it sounds a harsh way to put it but I think for most people, it is true.

aki7chien

I am a smoker too. I find when I keep my hands and mind busy I don't smoke all that much. Like when I am really engaged in a drawing or crafting project.

I have tried the electronic cigarettes, and they are not the same. They work good when traveling (flying) to get thru, but overall I don't like them.

From what my daughter told me about her experience with basic training (AF), I don't think you'll have much time to think about smoking. LOL!

Maybe if you can try just cutting back it won't be so dramatic when it comes to the day?

Good luck and thank you very much for your upcoming service!

keem88

i started to roll my own cigs, and they last longer than a reg cig so i wouldn't smoke a whole one (a lot cheaper too).
then i would get lazy and didn't feel like rolling any
then eventually i stopped buying them
i have smoked once or twice in the past 6 months, i was wasted and it sounded good lol.
i didn't use candy or any patches, i just smoked less and less until i didn't feel like it anymore (i used to be up to a pack a day as well)
you can do it!
oh, i forgot, i had switched to the e cig briefly right before i quit and i found myself barely puffing on it, and forgetting to charge it all the time lol. i think that may have helped too

amblee125

I'm wanting to quit as well..but worried about weight gain. Did anyone gain weight??

kmjenkins

I smoked a pack a day for 10 years and tried everything to quit, but nothing worked. Finally in January 2011 I got Chantix and have been smoke free for a year and a half. It gets a bad rap, but for me personally it is my miracle drug. I loved smoking and just the thought of it now disgusts me. I took it exactly as prescribed and had no side effects, I also did not even have to take it for the full twelve weeks, about 4 weeks and I stopped taking the medicine and have never even considered picking up another cigarette.

Good luck!

Sox90716

I quit cold turkey. My wife, family and friends couldn't stand me for the first week. I've been smoke-free since 12/31/09. You can do it! Good luck in basic and AIT!

Quasita

With me, I currently smoke but it's a long story... I started again when my boyfriend passed away because I couldn't sleep and kept crying at work so I'd use it for breaks and to stay awake...

However, I successfully quit before that using my head. I had one pack of cigarettes that I kept at home, and if I was having a really bad withdrawal, I'd allow myself to have one only AFTER I got home from work. I just didn't keep them around. You'll find that you may smoke that much right now but for the addiction aspect, you only need a fraction of it to keep the headaches from being too bad.

Seriously though, I dropped the habit with just tylenol at the ready for a few days. You gotta identify and remove your triggers.

I do vape now, and that has cut down on cig consumption a lot, BUT vaping aka electronic cigarettes are not a quitting aid per se. They maintain the nicotine, they just are cleaner for the lungs. Could be a good midway for you.

hpage84

Ditto the Allen Carr book for me. I wasn't actually planning to quit when I started reading it (a friend had given me a copy), but by the end of the book I really wanted to. Of course, I had been fed up with the stinkiness and expense for a while, but the book's great for laying out all the reasons to stop totally, immediately. I went from a pack a day to nothing, and that was about 6 months ago. I highly recommend it!

autumnk921

Allen Carr's "Easy Way" book. Read it. Worked for me and if not its only a few quid wasted. I've gone from 1 pack a day to nothing overnight and it was not that hard. That was 1 year ago.

You can do it.

This definitely....Tons of people swear by it....I have the book and quit the day I finished it....I am one of the silly ones who started back up again but I plan to read it again soon - Once I am SURE that I am ready....It is kind of a de-brainwashing, is what the author says and it seems to work....Try it...For $9 or so - It's worth a try...And it's not a huge book..." 'EASYWAY' To Stop Smoking"...You can find it on amazon or Walmart.com is where I ordered it....Best of luck!!

Faye_Anderson

I quit smoking 64 hours and 24 minutes ago, I have a nicotine inhaler and patches. I have only used the patches so far though, in fact I forgot to put one on this morning and managed 3 hours before the craving got so intense that I needed to use it. I've smoked a 20 pack a day for 19 years. We can do this :flowerforyou:

Cliffslosinit

I cut back over a few days then went cold turkey. It's a "State of Mind". Do you want to live longer? Be healthy?
I smoked for around 39 years...last cig was March 18,2012. Haven't touched one since! You can do it!!!!!!!
Good luck:flowerforyou:

Also it's a habit as well as an addiction. With coffee,after meal,etc. Hand to mouth... Change your routine when the urges come.

mojo1115

I needed help. I was a pack to a pack and a half day smoker for about 16 years. 2 years ago I made the decision to quit for good. Cold turkey, weening and subbing my oral fixation never worked for me. I tried Chantix and it worked like a champ. Smoke free since 5/12/2009. My hubs did it cold turkey so it really is up to you and wanting to do it for yourself. The Chantix may not have worked if I wasn't ready to quit.