Any one quit smoking successfully?...help!

ruthiejewell

I smoked from age 13 to 33. I had about 5 failed attempts over the years at giving up. I knew I needed support and the main support I needed was nicotine while losing the habit parts. So I swear by nicotine gum or alternatives . . not patches for me as that gave a slow release, but something that gives the sudden rush of nicotine a cig gives. I limited the gum as much as I could, I didn't just have it when I wanted it. But just when I was desperate that rush felt fantastic and allowed me to wean myself off the habit. ( I didn't have any cigs during this period and it took a year to change gradually to ordinary gum then none. One other comforting thing I did was wrap my last pack of cigs (with about 5 in it) in masses of sellotape/sticky tape in case of emergency! I never attempted to unwrap them but if they hadn't been wrapped I may have weakened once or twice which would've started me smoking again! Wish I'd kept that packet, just as a memory of a very proud acheivement! I feel so so so free since I gave up! No more dreading time on a plane/ in an exam/interview etc. You'll feel so proud, good luck!!!

Kasya007

It's all in how you look at smoking. A change of attitude is the key to quitting, and it's easier than any smoker believes it to be.

~ ~ ~

I smoked from the ages of 13-28, worked my way up to a pack a day habit, and proudly quit 2.5 years ago. Since then I have become an avid runner (training for my first half marathon this fall). I also never gained a pound and have never looked or felt better. No patches, no gum, no pills, no tricks, Lord knows I wasted enough $ on them over the years.

My secret? I simply read a short book (ok, half of it), recommended by a friend who quit several years prior & I have never craved since. Quite the opposite, I am disgusted by them! I read the Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Alan Carr and he really puts everything into perspective in a different way. He does it so well, that your preconceived attitudes & beliefs regarding smoking change almost instantly.

Quitting is easy, when you believe that you can quit. It's just changing your beliefs from "I need it!" to "Pssshaw, I don't need that sh$%, all it does is hold me back!"

I wish you luck, you can do it, you just don't believe it yet. Learn to trust yourself.

PammyJay91

I smoked off and for about 21 years...more on the last 10 years....the problem was I was 26 when I quit cold turnkey. Yes, my brother and I stole cigarettes and lighters when we were really little and would sneak off and smoke them.

I stopped cold turkey 22 years ago and have not looked back. I tried a few times before but nothing helped. My biggest vice was the car....every time I got into the car I would light up…the other thing is my wife still smokes. The weekend I quit we had to travel 10 hours…with her smoking in the car. However, it did not bother me. So, I am one of the lucky ones and was able to do it cold turkey.

The bad part of it is this is when I started my weight gain. Everything in the cupboard had to be in my hands and eating it!
My wife tried hypnosis once…I don’t recall how long it helped but she was good for a while. I think her returning to smoking was peer pressure because everyone at work smoked and kept begging her to join them instead of encouraging her to quit.

Good for you! I really think cold turkey is the only way, because nicotine substitutes just keep you addicted anyway. I am concerned about peer pressure. It's not what people think, but i AM a social smoker for sure. I go to a community college, and every break all of us go out and have a smoke. I have had a friend who quit, and i think i was one of the only ones who encouraged her instead of begging her to come out, which i have seen others do.

WendyA1119

You have to want to quit. It took me many times of saying I would but of course didnt. It wasn't really until my kids and my new Boyfriend at the time insisted. I didn't want to be a disappointment to them so New Years Eve of 2010 (of course I chained smoked that whole day long) was the last time I smoked. Its tough but definitely can be done.

Good Luck!

PammyJay91

It's all in how you look at smoking. A change of attitude is the key to quitting, and it's easier than any smoker believes it to be.

~ ~ ~

I smoked from the ages of 13-28, worked my way up to a pack a day habit, and proudly quit 2.5 years ago. Since then I have become an avid runner (training for my first half marathon this fall). I also never gained a pound and have never looked or felt better. No patches, no gum, no pills, no tricks, Lord knows I wasted enough $ on them over the years.

My secret? I simply read a short book (ok, half of it), recommended by a friend who quit several years prior & I have never craved since. Quite the opposite, I am disgusted by them! I read the Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Alan Carr and he really puts everything into perspective in a different way. He does it so well, that your preconceived attitudes & beliefs regarding smoking change almost instantly.

Quitting is easy, when you believe that you can quit. It's just changing your beliefs from "I need it!" to "Pssshaw, I don't need that sh$%, all it does is hold me back!"

I wish you luck, you can do it, you just don't believe it yet. Learn to trust yourself.

Thank you . I will look into reading that one for sure, maybe it will be that one thing i needed.
By the way, I noticed your icon is a WoW character. I am guilty of spending a little too much time on that ahahah. If you still play send me a friend ID request. Ichleibemusik91@hotmail.com.
thank you for your story!

marnijojo

I haven't 'quit', but I haven't had a cigarette in nearly 3 years....so my best advice is to just not have 'the next one'. To think of never having another cigarette was too overwhelming, so I just conquered one craving at a time.

This little physcological game that I play with myself has worked out pretty well so far. And I like to tell myself that if I live to be 90, I am going to break down and finally have just one! haha

Good luck! You will be amazed at how good you feel.

ReneeCK

I haven't had a cigarette in like two weeks and although I really dont want one...... I have seriously seen an dramatic increase in my cravings for sweets... :-(

This is because when a smoker quits, your blood sugar drops! I didn't know this and it's not really common knowledge but from a medical standpoint I researched this and found it out! I was floored! Who knew?? It's your body's way of keeping that glucose up at a normal level! Also, when you quit smoking you become more sensitive to caffeine O.o

mdelcott

I will be 1 YEAR YAY on tuesday...I love being smoke free.. I read Allen Carrs Easy Way to Stop Smoking and signed up to Quitnet.com Which was a HUGE help in the begining.. I smokes for 20 years.. I stay quit by reminding myself that I am only a puff away from a pack a day.. Really I feel FREE, like a was a slave to the addiction. You have to really WANT to quit and you have to be ready, Seriously its all about your frame of mind, your not depriving yourself of something you are freeing yourself.. I enjoy everything more now as a non smoker, best thing I ever did

motherbetty

I smoked for 30 years. Quit cold turkey when I was in the hospital for an unrelated issue. When I came home from the hospital, I wanted to smoke but didn't have the strength to go outside to light up. So I didn't. That was in 2009.

I miss it but it gets a little easier every day. It's best to avoid your triggers which for me was a cold bottle of beer. I've reached the point where I can have an occasional beer without needing a cigarette, yet it does still trigger the urge. It's just more controllable now.

Truth be told, I did gain weight but only about 10 pounds or so. I'm working on losing that by changing eating and exercise habits. Slow and steady wins that race for sure. I also don't feel tons better but I think I was one of the rare ones who hadn't experienced any noticeable negative physical signs - yet. I consider myself lucky.

Look at it this way: imagine how much money you will save when you quit!

sdpursley

i tried the gum, patches, welbutrin, and chantix...none of those really did it for me. i would go for 2-3 month periods smoke free, then dive right back into it. it was always caused by allowing myself a vulnerability to certain triggers. my biggest trigger was either golf, or that smoke first thing on a chilly morning with a hot cup of coffee, or being around my army buddies who smoke.

I was never pressured by my family to quit. BUT, i just got up one day and decided enough was enough. nicotine lozenges ended up being the answer for me. that and the fact that i finally accepted that there was no way i could smoke only 2 a day and stop with that. the lozenges only lasted about two weeks, and i've now been smoke free for almost 25 months.

when you're absolutely ready to quit, you will! you just have to avoid the triggers and temptations that are specific to you! i do wish you the best of encouragement on this journey! you CAN DO IT!

emmie0622

My husband tried quitting for years - I saw this book recommended on a post on MFP last year and bought it for him. He read it and had his last cigarette 7/4/11 - I got the book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easyway-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345481204&sr=1-1&keywords=easy+way+to+quit+smoking+by+allen+carr

camelothosting

I started smoking at 14, I was 37 when I finally Quit in 2005.
I tried many times to quit before, I tried cutting back, I tried nicorette, Nic patches and none worked.

When I was ready to quit for real it was easy, I spoke with my Dr. I set a date to quit. ( was supposed to be March 1, 2005 ) I got a perscripption for welbutrin to keep the evil grumpy demon at bay. Then on Fed 23rd I decided I was done, I tossed the smokes in the trash and havnt touched one since,
The thing is that you can only be sucessful when you are really ready.

primalchaos

I've quit more than once in my life, but the latest has been for over 9 years. It was awful, but it may have been that's what it took to make me never want to go through it again.

I used the patch and still had terrible headaches. Worse, I put on almost 100 lbs over the next 8 years after quitting and have finally addressed that.

My advice is simple. Figure out the why before the how. Why do you want to quit? Is it important enough? Will it hold you through the tough spots? Or is it important but not the most important?

I quit to feel better and not smoke around my children. I was already dealing with the spring and fall sickness and trouble breathing the rest of the time. Not needing oxygen but would have been nice. Those where what was important to keep going then. Everything else could fall by the wayside if it had to (friends, social events, going outside for breaks, even gaining weight).

Now the how. Depending on how much you smoke and how bad you 'need' it you may want to talk to your Dr about it. If you think that Chantix or something will make you more successful, do it. I used the patch to ween myself off the nicotine but it has it's disadvantages as well. I wouldn't recommend the e-cig since it's just removing the smoke but leaving all the trappings of a real cigarette. Break the habits.. you will need to change your routine and plan what you will do when the urge strikes. Make it public, it's harder to slip and will help keep you accountable. Don't keep them in the house, don't bum them from friends. Remember, if you're serious, you're only hurting and cheating yourself. If you do smoke, start over right then, don't beat yourself down over it. (This sounds an awful lot like dieting doesn't it?)

Priincess_Natalie

I smoked for 15 years, heavy, as in 2 packs of 120's a day. I LOVED smoking, a lot! I had to get real about my health though. I tried 20+ times without success. Some were better than others. My longest stint was almost 5 months smoke free and went back. I tried gum, patches, e-cigs, support groups, journals, and any combination of these.

You've already accomplished the hardest part, deciding you need to quit. Now it's just a matter of finding what works for you. While there is no one size fits all solution to this I will give you what helped me:

Start thinking of your cigarettes as what they really are. They are cancer. Period. I don't say that to be harsh, remember, I was in love with them. I say it because it's true. While I was still smoking I put long hard thought into each one that I smoked and it's repercussions. Keep in mind that just because you don't have any problems now that doesn't mean you won't.

Next thing is to decide how you want to try go about it? Do you want to do patches? Gum? Cold Turkey? Meditation? Medication? Pick one that seems to work best for you. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Don't beat yourself up, try something else when you're ready.

In my experience I found the patches to be good, so long as they were on. I found the end of the program to be much like cold turkey. You still have to quit nicotine at some point. I always went back to smoking at after the last patch. They have worked for 1000's of people so that is just my own personal experience.

The gum...was...AMAZING. I loved the taste and the buzz I got from the nicotine. The problem was that I loved the gum as much as cigarettes. I wanted to chew a piece and then as soon as it was out of my mouth I wanted either another piece or a smoke . I had to give up the gum. It wasn't helping me. I've had friends that quit using the gum so again, don't rule it out. It just didn't work for me.

Cold Turkey is hard BUT for me it was the only way. The other ways just kept nicotine in my body and so long as I had nicotine I still had an addiction to fight. Once I got past the first few HELL days, it got easier and easier. I never avoided smokers. They are a part of life and they are my friends. I just lived with it. I think it helped more than it hurt because dealing with smokers is a part of life. You don't want to alienate your friends or yourself from certain social functions. I actually find the smell pleasing but no longer find it alluring.

After a few weeks you need to work on your mind-set. You are no longer a smoker or an ex-smoker. You're a NON-smoker. Be kind to yourself. Try to quit around some time off from work, if you have kids, get a sitter. Turn the lights off, read a book or sleep. I slept for the first few days as much as I could and avoided people. Do what you need to do for you. This is a matter of your health and people need to respect that.

Treat yourself. Give yourself some rewards for doing such a good job. Buy that perfume you've been wanting or those super awesome jeans. Get your hair done. Do nice things for yourself, you deserve it. Quitting is freaking hard!

Most importantly, if you slip up, you slip up. Don't beat yourself up. Even if you go back to full on smoking. Just chalk it up to lessons learned and try again when you're ready. Just don't quit quitting :-).

Good luck. Message me if you need any support.

Oh and I've been smoke free for a year and a half now. I don't crave them or feel like I'm missing anything :-). Keep at it. You'll get there.

gingerjen7

I quit smoking about 22 months ago. I was at the gas station, I'd had a rough day and decided that that warranted a caramello and a coke, and when the clerk asked me if I needed anything else, I thought about getting a pack because I was out and then just decided not to. I didn't think about quitting, I just decided in that moment that I was ready to be done. It didn't hurt that I had friends at work who were very supportive when I told them it had been a few days since I smoked. I think support is the number one thing. If your friends smoke and they don't respect your decision not to (we all know how changing our bad habits can make others with the same bad habits feel bitter and resentful) then you may need to distance yourself from them in the beginning when your commitment is the most critical and temptation is strongest.

Of course, everyone is different. My sister quit cold turkey like I did, but my cousin needs nicotine gum--she tried the electronic cigarettes, but they didn't work for her. She's been chewing the gum for months, and maybe she will always need it, as she was a much heavier smoker and started earlier and smoked longer than I did. But if it keeps her from polluting her lungs, then good for her.

bada_bing

I have been quit since March of 2011. Smoked for 40+ years and thought I could never stop but with patience, perservance and endurance, I have finally been able to come out on the other side. I used Champix (Canada) or Chantix (US), same thing to overcome my cravings for the first few months, then went cold turkey. It is entirely doable.

I also joined an online smoking cessation forum (to which I still belong) at

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?folderId=4&listMode=13&nav=messages&webtag=ab-quitsmoking

This free forum has saved many a smoker from lapsing. Check it out, I have met many great cyber friends there! And so many great articles and people's stories of why they quit!

Donna

Priincess_Natalie

Oh and if weight gain is a concern, I did it without gaining anything. I used money that I would have spent on smoking to pay for new exercise clothes, a nice gym membership and instead of focusing my time on smoking I focused on me and my health. I learned to cook healthy, I quit pop and I took up exercise. Quitting smoking opened doors to me that used to be closed because of finances and my health was in the the toilet. Don't let a fear of weight gain stop you. You can control the weight gain just by using the wonderful extra energy you will gain from quitting :-).

suemar74

This thread made me want to go back to quitnet.com and see what my "quit stats" were....


1025 days, 6 hours, 36 minutes and 32 seconds smoke free.

20506 cigarettes not smoked.

$5,483.75 and 5 months, 6 days, 15 hours of your life saved.


Don't ask me where that money went, though...hell if I know

SueGlazier

I quit 21 weeks ago cold turkey after reading The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. I also regularly visit the facebook page for WhyQuit.com and their forum as they are a really great place to get education regarding the nicotine addiction and how to quit it. A lot of people have trouble quitting as they are not in the right frame of mind when they begin. After the first 72 hours all the nicotine you smoked has left your system (although other nasties that were in the cigarettes may take longer for your body to eject. After those first 3 days most of your quit is more of a mental battle. I would highly recommend WhyQuit.com as they have many many resources available to help with your quit (all of it totally free) and many many wonderful supportive people on the facebook page as well as on the forum.

hippietofugirl

I smoked for 4 years and quit for good about 5 months ago. I'd quit before but started back again because of the mindset "if I quit once, i can always quit again..." Now I have a different reason for wanting to quit. I've watched 3 people die of smoking related illnesses and I NEVER want to suffer the way they did. Every time I see someone smoking now, I think about the suffering, pain and shortened life span its going to cause them if they continue. IT WILL eventually kill you. When I realized this, I was able to let go of my habbit for good.

SueGlazier

I quit 21 weeks ago cold turkey after reading The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. I also regularly visit the facebook page for WhyQuit.com and their forum as they are a really great place to get education regarding the nicotine addiction and how to quit it. A lot of people have trouble quitting as they are not in the right frame of mind when they begin. After the first 72 hours all the nicotine you smoked has left your system (although other nasties that were in the cigarettes may take longer for your body to eject. After those first 3 days most of your quit is more of a mental battle. I would highly recommend WhyQuit.com as they have many many resources available to help with your quit (all of it totally free) and many many wonderful supportive people on the facebook page as well as on the forum. With what I read in the Allen Carr book and all the articles in WhyQuit I know I will never pick up another cigarette ever again for as long as I live.

coe28

I'm also trying to quit.....again. The only thing I have ever had any luck with is Chantix. It was wonderful! I quit for 5 months, had no cravings, hated the smell of smoke, and felt amazing, BUT as soon as I finished the Chantix I went right back to smoking like I had never quit. That was my 3rd round of Chantix and I have the same result every time.

I'm getting desperate, my son is almost 3 and is starting to ask questions about my cigarettes and my smoking and telling me I'm stinky when I come back in from having one. I REALLY want to quit, but my cravings get the best of me every time

This sounds like me! I have quit before, and next thing I know, I start back up like I never stopped to begin with.
It's definitely a long journey, but it is also a journey that is worth it. The benefits outweigh the negatives. We can do this! You are welcome to friend me so we can support each other.

Have you read that book "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking"? I've heard a lot of good about it, but I haven't read it yet. I'm really considering ordering it!

MsFarmington

I battle with smoking for 30 years. I have not smoke for a year. I was always afraid of the weight gain, well yes I did gain. But I also have learn to eat healthy since the weight gain. I exercise at least 5 days. I really go serious about the smoking when I looked into my grandson eyes, I thought, "I really would like to see him grow up" that all it took. I drink green smooothies everyday. I started on July 5 seriously working out and so far I have lost 14lbs. You make make the decison to stop you have to do it in stages. I stop smoking in my car for about 7 months, them I cut back on how many I would smoke before I went to work. I cut back on the coffee, them the alcohol. I have not had a cigarette, coffee or alcohol since August 1 of 2011. I let it had go. I put that money into a membership at the gym and I still have extra to spend. I also was able to pay my car off.

LovesAdventure

Fantastic online support group: www.quitnet.com

I quit two and a half years ago and was on that website everyday for months!

suemar74

I'm also trying to quit.....again. The only thing I have ever had any luck with is Chantix. It was wonderful! I quit for 5 months, had no cravings, hated the smell of smoke, and felt amazing, BUT as soon as I finished the Chantix I went right back to smoking like I had never quit. That was my 3rd round of Chantix and I have the same result every time.

I'm getting desperate, my son is almost 3 and is starting to ask questions about my cigarettes and my smoking and telling me I'm stinky when I come back in from having one. I REALLY want to quit, but my cravings get the best of me every time

This sounds like me! I have quit before, and next thing I know, I start back up like I never stopped to begin with.
It's definitely a long journey, but it is also a journey that is worth it. The benefits outweigh the negatives. We can do this! You are welcome to friend me so we can support each other.

Have you read that book "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking"? I've heard a lot of good about it, but I haven't read it yet. I'm really considering ordering it!

I borrowed mine from my library. I figured that way I wasn't out anything if it didn't work...but it did.

AlphamaleBAMF

I quit a year ago. I was smoking since I was 16 and I was then 31. So 15 years as a smoker in total.

I'd smoke a pack of 30's a day or more and usually a 1/4 of weed every few days.

I hurt my leg bad a few years ago and became pretty sedentary and I got up to 140kg (308lbs) I was in a really toxic relationship with an abusive partner, I had sleep apnea and I was incredibly depressed. I wasn't eating properly and I basically just lived off coffee/coke/energy drinks and fast food and cigarettes and weed and worked all day and got by on barely any sleep.

My chest used to hurt sometimes and I could feel my heart pounding away. I felt like I was dying and I honestly think if I hadn't made a change I'd be dead by now.

I knew it was time for a change and I just said F*** it. I have to do it.

And I did.

This is a picture of me then

Just over a year later I'm 99kg, divorced. I've quit smoking (cigarettes and weed) and I got to gym 5-6 days a week. I saved my own life.

If I can do it anyone can.

dalehall64

I smoked from 16 to 33. Most of that time, I was a pack to a pack and half a day smoker. I had half-heartedly tried to quit on multiple occasions. You know, throw the pack in the trash and then less than 4 hours later you're at the store buying a new pack. I always had one excuse or another to go back. Bad day at work, crappy date, job stress, whatever. I used them all. Finally, 2 days after I turned 33, I realized something: I was no longer invincible like I was when I was younger. When I was young, nothing could hurt or kill me!!! Now, that I'm in my 30's, holy crap, these things CAN kill me. I looked at my pack and I had three left.. I finished those three and decided I was done.. I worked the night shift and went in to work. There was a smoker there and I did end up bumming like two from him during the night. But, after that night, I was done. I kept hard candy with me and I cut straws down to about 1 inch and would chew on them. After about three days of that, my jaw hurt so bad, I was just done with it all. Mentally, it became more important to me to add those days, then weeks to my "days/weeks without a smoke" than it was to actually have a smoke. I also quit drinking for about 4 months. When I finally did start drinking again, once I made it through the first night of drinking and no smokes, I knew I was good to go. By the way, that last smoke I bummed was on August 4, 1997. I just went over 15 years quit and do NOT miss it what-so-ever. It is 100% a complete mindset. When you are ready to quit, you know it and you will quit. It may not be easy, but if you have the mindset, you can do it!!!

cmcollins001

I think one of the key things to quitting is the wanting to quit smoking, and for me personally, I needed a motivator to want to quit. My motivator was getting healthy. Not so much "getting healthy" but having a goal set for myself. The goal I have set is to participate and complete The Warrior Dash next May. I "quit" last June, but have had a cigarette or 20 between then and now. I have completely smoke free for about a month now. The patches help me a lot. The last time I had one, I got 3 drags into it and realized that I just didn't want it as bad as I thought I did so I put it out and that was that. I'm still using the patches, step two of three, but I don't think I'm going to need the 3rd step. I have kept myself busy and my mind distracted, as well, as concentrating on my goal.

I have a lot of weight to lose and a lot of preparing to do before May and smoking would be a step backwards. I have noticed several of the benefits others have to quitting, primarily the ability to walk and breathe is the biggest one. I know if I'm going to do a race and actually run, then I need to be able to breathe. Also, I started back hunting with my brother and my son, and having a smoke in the deer woods seemed a bit counter productive with the camouflage and having to be quiet :laugh:

The battle is mental and physical for the first little bit. Then, after the first 3 days to a week, it's more mental. This is where the wanting to quit plays a major role. If you can keep yourself distracted and force yourself to power through the cravings, they do go away. Being able to separate yourself from smokers, if at all possible, helps. If not, letting them know you're quitting and that you need their help works in most cases.

Honestly, it's different for everyone. The patches work for me where the e-cigs didn't. Cold turkey didn't work either. Changing habits that would trigger the want to smoke is another major factor that helped me. That was a big factor.

You CAN do this, if you WANT to do this. Just as in losing weight, find some people who will encourage you...not make you feel like a failure if you falter from time to time in the beginning, but will encourage you to quit during the whole process...and it is a process. Just as losing weight is a process. There are changes in habit, changes in mood, changes in activities, and changes in the way your body responds to things. These are a lot of changes, but they are all beneficial changes.

Bottom line: if you're like most people, it's going to REALLY SUCK at first, but over time it gets much much better and you'll wake up one day and be glad you stuck with it feel 100 times better for it.

jtslim42

Today is Day 70 of not smoking for me! It's great! Don't beat yourself up... Most people try quitting several times before they succeed.

AlphamaleBAMF

I think one of the key things to quitting is the wanting to quit smoking

I think losing weight is the same. You just say to yourself "This is what I want and it's going to happen" and if you're really ready and willing to commit to that, then it does. Those are the people who are successful, make the change and stay that way.

If you're not ready and it's not your time to quit smoking or lose weight or you're doing it for reasons other than really just wanting to do it for yourself and making a permanent change, then you will probably start having set backs. Your resolve will fail and you won't be successful in quitting smoking or losing weight or whatever it is you want to do.