NEED ADVICE FROM EX_SMOKERS

sabermax

I smoke two packs a day. Have for most of my life. I have quit several times but it never sticks. I am trying again cold turkey. I could use advice and stories of how you did it, what it took to make that decision. I hope this will help and inspire me.

calibriintx

I quit cold turkey because I was ready to start trying to get pregnant and didn't want to be one of those people who waits til they're pregnant to quit. DH had a MUCH harder time quitting. He ended up getting an e-cig. I think he has the ego-C. I can't vouch for their safety vs cigarettes but his doctor said he'd rather him vape than smoke. Have you tried any of the other stuff? Gum, patch, Chantix(sp?) Good luck!

paygep

I quit cold turkey, too. These things helped me:

Don't PAY an evil corporation to KILL YOU.

You CANNOT be healthy if you smoke.

Just don't have a cigarette TODAY... you can worry about tomorrow when it comes.

And good luck to you! It's not easy, but it is worth it.

MrsSardone

I smoked for more than half my life. This is the longest I've gone without smoking. It's been almost 3yrs. I was on Wellbutrin and the patch to quit. I think the patch REALLY helped take the edge off.

richh963

I was a 3pack a day chain smoker, I quit over 18 yrs ago. I quit kinda cold turkey, every time i smoked one I made it so many minutes tell I could have the next one until I was down too 2 cigs a day, then I just stopped, never smoked again. dont even think about it anymore or when someone smokes near me i dont even crave having one. Just quit and spend that money you save on you.

Christygogo

Read Allen Carr's the easy way to quit smoking. Works!

ObiRenKenobi

I switched to an electronic cigarette.. It's not quitting, but I can breath easier..

Natihilator

I've quit many times, and currently my last smoke was in October. To be honest - and I am not advising this to others - I will probably have a cigarette at some point in the future. But I'll still have gone from several packs a week (me 5 years ago) to a rare social smoker having several cigarettes a year. It's not ideal but it's realistic for me.

ton40orbust

i switched to the puff disposable e cigarette after one month i was barely using it and now i only use it when im super stressed

388gigi

I tried about 10 times before actually finally giving it the flick....over 2 years since my last puff!!

I had a plan for everything.

- When I go out with friends every time I really feel like a smoke i'll go to the bar and get a water.
- When I'm at home every time I feel like a smoke I'll take my dog for a walk or do core exercises
- When I'm at work, I'll go for a short walk or get a cup of herbal tea

Then because I wasn't smoking, I felt like running instead of walking. So I started the C25K program. I had never run very far in my life, so the fact that I was starting to be able to run for minutes was reason enough for me to stick to the non smoking.

Then I decided to go to the gym in the afternoons if there was a good class on, because I seemed to have more time on my hands.

It went on and on from there.

I still occasionally feel like a smoke when it's around me, but most of the time I hate it. Hate the smell, hate the fact that my fiance still smokes, hate the look of it.

I dunno, I think something just finally switched with me.

Make sure you have a plan for all the situations you might face :-)

summertime_girl

Getting pregnant did it for me. It was ok to wreck my health and lungs, but not my future child's.

besaro

quit cold turkey. changed all my favorite habits around smoking, no bars, no drinking, long talks on the phone. I had already limited my smoking to outside only. Craved it for months. After a few years there were still times I would smell a cigarette and crave one. Now, finally, I find the whole habit very distasteful and smell of cig smoke, yuck. But it took a long time! Good luck!! I'm 20 years off them. Finally getting around to working on the weight I gained from quitting. lol.

melindanew

Champix (Chantix in the US) worked for me after 25 years. It's been four years now. Can't imagine smoking again but the first couple of weeks were awful.

Can't understand this e-cig thing. Nicotene isn't good for you, and why not just break your addiction instead of trading it?

dinosnopro

First you have to really want to quit, if you don't want it bad enough you will most likely fail. What helped me was the patch.

MidwestAngel

I quit two years ago cold turkey. For me it was just getting through one craving at a time. Eventually the cravings got less and less and weren't as strong. I get cravings every once in a while, but I just remember how nasty it smells and how gross it tasted and that stops me from being stupid.

TNR32

I was on the patch and chewing spearmint gum. I had tried every other nicotine replacement gum, lozenge, and the cravings increased...but I finally quit it has been 3+ years the patch and spearmint gum worked well for me.:drinker:

henkemonica

After smoking for 35 years I quit using the patch and Nicolette gum. It has been 3 1/2 yrs. my husband wasnt so lucky, it took two strokes and a heart attack before he awoke to the fact that the cigs were killing him. Now he is disabled, can only do an activity for 15 minutes before he needs to rest.

ajwolters

I just failed at quitting again, but my last quit lasted 8 months. I used an e-cig from vapor4life.com. Also, join quitnet.com for awesome support with your quit. I plan to quit again as soon as I get this diet thing under control

Top tips: When you want a cigarette, take deep breaths, as if you were inhaling on a cig. When you want a cig, take a drink of water instead.

The first time I quit, I made it 6 months. My smoking was masking hypothyroid, which kicked in about 3 months after I quit. I was miserable. I read that it's pretty common with women who quit smoking, so if you start getting fatigued or cold or any other symptoms of hypothyroid, go get your levels checked immediately.

badgranola

I quit in August. I was up to over pack a day when I quit. I "cheated" and had pneumonia so I wouldn't recommend that. However, the QuitNow App for my phone helped me a lot. (I LOVE seeing how much money/time I've saved)

Smilee3233

I quit 12 years ago with hypsosis. It worked wonders and now the smell makes me feel sick. Never quit quitting, you will get there.

njfitnessgirl

Like others said, you need to want to quit. When I quit 9 years ago DH and I wanted to have a baby. So I decided to quit before we even started trying. I did it using the patch and it worked for me. I'm actually to the point that I feel like I was never a smoker. I can't imagine smoking around my kids and that's why I know I'll never go back to it. Plus then I was able to start running like I had always wanted to do. I started off slow and over the years worked on my mileage. I just ran my first half marathon last year. I also have to say I'm in the best shape and health that I've ever been in and smoking played a big part in it. One thing lead to another, stopped smoking, changed my eating habits and became more active. Now it's my lifestyle. Good luck and feel free to friend me for support.