Smoking :(

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.

noirnatural

Congratulations on joining the Army.

I have just recently stopped smoking ( this is my fourth attempt in 10 years) I am using the nicotene patch ...it works and its the most effective method I have used.
My first attempt back in 2001 I used welbutrin(dont know if I spelled that right) I only lasted one day.
My second attempt 2005, I used the nicotene gum...I lasted from July-September, it was okay until I discoverd I could chew the gum and smoke...lol
My third attempt 2011, I was admitted to the hospital from chest pain, before I left the hospital a Nurse came in and slapped the patch on me and told me not to smoke while wearing it, I could have a heart attack..( well thats what i heard during the long explanation she gave me..lol) I lasted from December 11 - March 12, then my Aunt passed and I gave in..
My Fourth attempt June 1 2012--- and forever....this time I want to stop, I am sick of it!the patch although it has some funky side effects.(it itches when you first put it on, you may not be able to sleep when you first start wearing it...)
Its worth it, Thursday I noticed that my patch had fallen off...but I still made it through the day, I was alright...so I am begining to think its a mind thing...although I know smokers, we crave the nicotene we can stop...good luck and keep trying one day at a time..( I tell myself that all the time...kinda makes me feel like a crack head...but then I think a smoker without a ciggerate kinda acts like one.LOL)

enyo123

I quit gradually over a few months and had my last partial smoke in May 2009. Here's a blog post that I wrote for how to get it done without cold turkey or nicotine substitutes: http://motherhoodlooms.com/2011/10/how-i-quit-smoking/

jamm2000

Congrats on joining the Army! May God bless and protect you as you defend our freedom.

Zarebeth

I smoked a pack or two per day for over 35 years. I have now been smoke-free for three, and it was easy to quit. I used Chantix, and know of several other people who were successful with it, but not everyone can take it. It does have some side effects, and only you can decide if they are manageable. I did turn turn into a bit of a *****, but I got some situational antidepressants from my doctor to take during those times - by situational I mean you take them only when you need them, you don't have to take them long term. Most days just knowing I had them was good enough.

After 3 months I stopped Chantix, after 6 I no longer carried the other pills (I only needed them a couple of times). I have been smoke free for 3 years + now, and will never go back.

Talk to your doctor. It isn't to be taken lightly, but I couldn't have quit without it. Patches, cold turkey, acupressure... I tried it all and then some. Chantix worked for me.

srp2011

Read Allen Carr's The EasyWay to Quit Smoking - When I was done reading it, I finished the pack I was smoking and was done with them - aside from the uncomfortable physical withdrawal symptoms the first 4-5 days, it really was pretty easy - a lot of other people swear by this book too - it may not work for everyone, but for me it was the best money I ever spent. I've been a non-smoker since Jan 10. Also, stayed about the same weight-wise for a few months, then started losing again. Try substituting exercise for smoking, rather than food, and when you do snack, go with healthy, lo-cal foods (oranges are particularly good for some reason, but munching on carrots, air-popped popcorn, and things like that can satisfy the munching urge without doing much damage).

Good luck!

SeasideOasis

Pure determination.

I had half a pack of cigarettes left and tossed them out the window of my car (yea, yea....I littered). I had one relapse while out drinking. Well, in the evening of maybe 3-4 hours, I smoked an entire pack of menthol cigarettes....I was sicker from that than from the alcohol. I havent picked one up since.

I still smoke a natural cigar a couple times a year, but you'll never find me picking up a cigarette ever again.

Fatbuster205

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.

Totally agree - I read Easy Way 18 months ago. Didn't need patches or anything - just stopped and have not craved at all since!

Deegs3

It's a good idea to quit, but I'll just tell you the first week of boot camp for me- I was to tired to think about smoking or anything else- so that kind of gets you through that 3 day cleanse. Of course your run time and your general health will improve, so I'm not saying "don't ever quit", but it's easy to quit in boot camp. But at the same time it's just as hard to stay off the cancer sticks during active duty- so good luck!

KathyWel

I quit over a year ago and I did it using Chantix....I didn't gain weight either when I quit.

BeckysMama

I quit about 2 yrs ago after smoking for 30 years. My husband just quit too 14 weeks ago, he had smoked for about 30 years too. how did we do it? we read a book by a man called Alan Carr (not the comedian!). it was called how to stop smoking permanently, and it works. Every excuse you come up with as an addict for continuing your habit he has a counter argument. atfer a while you just can't think of a good reason to carry on. The book is a bit long winded, but if you stick with it, it WILL work. I never thought I would quit as I loved smoking, but i was just feeling a bit anti social as everyone else i knew had stopped, and i also knew that i had a cough that was really getting annoying, and it wouldn't go away. It went when i stopped smoking and has not come back. Get the book, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!