X-Smokers

SageGoddess320

I figured Success Stories would be the appropriate place for this, since quitting smoking is a huge success! I am officially giving up the cigs on Saturday. I have been a smoker for 15 years and I'm pretty nervous about it. I've never tried to quit before and I'm sure it's going to be a rough ride. For those of you who have successfully quit smoking, do you have any words of wisdom or advice to share?

rjadams

when you get a craving get up and move. I used to do like 10 jumping jacks. then take some really deep breaths. It will pass. It is never easy but you start to feel better and then when you get the urge you can weigh the ycky way you felt versus how you feel and for me I never want to go back. Good luck and stay strong.

dwalden

I have been smoke free for a little over 3 years now. I picked a day, set my mind to it, told a lot of people to get support and accountability and just devoted myself. It was the best thing I ever did for myself. Keep active, watch what you eat and try and keep out of situations where you will be tempted. Good luck. I know you can do it.

FYI: I used lozenges and just popped one when I got a craving. Slowly wheened myself of those.

chgudnitz

The really bad stuff only lasts for a few days. Just stay strong and ride it out. Like rjadams said, get up and do something. Find a replacement (not food) for the habit until you feel fine.

kateyb

I quit at the same time as I started using this site. I found that watching what I eat takes the focus away from wanting a cigarette. I did it cold turkey because have tried patches in the past and found that they made me feel wierd, the inhalator's very good but so like smoking that it was an easy road back. In the end cold turkey was the only way for me so I smoked for 17 years and have now been smoke free since NYE!!!

shanolap

I just quit...again (made the mistake of thinking I could be a asual smoker...WRONG!). I use Nicoret (not the generic ones) and it really helps. I also envision how much healthier my lungs are getting, my skin not as dry and how I don't smell like cigs. I applaud myself every morning for making it thru the day before and before you know it it will be a week, a month, several months and then you'll have to think hard on the last time you smoked.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie CounterGood luck and don't give up!!!

jaycee76

You have to remember this is going to be a rough ride.
When you have gone without for a few days or weeks or however long, DO NOT say I can have just one. If you do your nightmare will start all over again.
I stopped so many times. The longer you go without the more you have to tell yourself how amazing your achievement is and how if you have 1 now all the hard work you have done was just a waste.
I have not touched one for over 2 and 1/2 years now and although I would not touch one now because it repulses me, I still sometimes find myself thinking 'I will just do this then I will go and have a cigerette' then I think - what? Its the habit that is still with me after all this time!
Good luck x

Poison5119

May 10th it'll be 4 YEARS for me! You can do this!

tabbydog

I used the gum. Get the original yucky flavored one. I would have a piece when I was in the car, or anywhere that was a trigger for me to smoke. It tasted like crap and gave me heartburn, so it was easier to give that up. Don't get any of the new good tasting ones, the grosser the better!

Snack on baby carrots, celery, cucumber slices to help alleviate the hand to mouth thing. Chew regular gum. Brush your teeth often. Drink a lot of water. These things all help.

karlowe

I will be a non smoker for 6months this Sunday. YEAH! I smoked 2 packs a day for the last 20 years. I did not use a smoking aid. I did however keep candy on hand and still pop red hots in my mouth. I can have 20 red hots for 60 cal. I pop 3 or 4 in my mouth several times a day. I add it everyday to my journal under snacks. I LOVE BREATHING! it is awesome! Wishing you the very best! !!!!

tzvishear

keep track of the number of days that you have not smoked. like everyone is saying you can't be a casual smoker. it is so easy to go back to being a regular smoker. you just have to be able to get past the first few weeks. after that it gets easier. don't make the mistake of thinking you can have one. good luck. i stopped smoking on Dec. 20, 1988. i keep that date in the back of my mind. when you have stopped for a year you will see how far you have come.

TuscanySun

I smoked for 18 years and quit 9 years ago. It was definately a process of cutting down and then one day I'd just had it and tossed a full unopened pack out the car window and said "NO MORE".

I did 3 things on that final attempt to quit...one...I prayed...alot. Every time the craving hit...I stopped and literally prayed "Lord, give me strength to not cave in this one time." Two....I drank Celestial Seasonings "Tension Tamer" tea. It has vitamin B and some other herbal things that really helped to take the edge off (vitamin B can be a mood regulator). Third, the whole "carrots/celery sticks" thing never worked for me, but getting a huge bag of fresh green beans did. They're the same size/shape as a cig (basically) and snapping them into pieces to munch at the times that I'd normally be smoking really helped.

Odd combinations I'm sure but it worked.

The tough part does only last a few days...you can do it...just dont give up!! Good luck!

riannenrings

im telling you.
you MUST and i mean MUST, buy the book "The Easy Way To Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. Ebay. $6. Price of a pack.

It will unravel all the brainwashing that we have about why we "need" or "want" to or "enjoy" smoking and you will know what to do when the little monster in your brain starts telling you things.

TRUST me.

What do you have to lose?

It took me reading it 2 1/2 times before it all gelled and i was ready. but man. i have ZERO struggle with quitting. i am SO HAPPY about! PLEASE buy this book. its been translated into 20 languages and has been on best seller list for 20+ years.
they never advertise.

do yourself a favor, buy it! quitting will be IMMENSELY EASY AND ENJOYABLE! ITS TRUE! im living proof!!!

lucky1ns

Can you PM me your email address?

I have a book I would like to send you that helped me quit.

It is amazing.

Non smokers could read it to.

It changes your way of thinking about smoking so that you would never dare smoke again.

Not through scare tactics either.

lucky1ns

That is too funny.

We posted it at the same time.

Dive_Girl

Plan a VERY VERY BUSY weekend and week!!!! Hiking, biking, shopping....non-stop! Go the museum, movies, Broadway show or local festivals. Enjoy being outside and active.

I smoked for 20+ years, pack a day hard core. I quit July 2007 at the most stressful moment of my life. I used the lozenges to get me past the first couple of weeks and easily dropped them after that. I told myself that I would rather be addicted to nicorette or the lozenges than do anymore harm to my lungs, and it worked. Stay with it no matter what and eventually the cravings will finally go away forever. It takes a while and everyone is different but you will be someday craving free and you'll love it!!! I do!

Also, on Saturday get your car detailed or do it yourself. You can pick up car upholstery shampoo at your local Kragens or car part store...even Walmart carries the stuff. Get rid of EVERYTHING that smells like smoke and do yourself a favor and invest in a Camelbak (or equivalent) water bottle with a straw. It's something to suck on instead of a cigarette plus you'll no doubt up your daily water intake by a lot!

Good luck I have no doubt you can do it!!!

Holly

holly0925

I keep a pack of dum dum suckers in my car. I dont know when you crave one most, but for me, it was in my car. Whenever I get the urge, I grab a sucker instead. It will keep you busy and they are low in calories. Or you can get sugar free candy and that will help. Did for me anyway

kendrafallon

Good luck to you!! I haven't yet set a date, but I'll be quitting the *kitten* this year too.

ka_42

I wasn't a smoker for long... 2 years or so.. nothing like 15 so it was easier for me. My (new at the time) boyfriend found smoking disgusting. We spent a lot of time with each other so I obviously didn't want to smell like it. After you quit, it will smell disgusting to you! Last week I was convinced to have a couple cigs when I was out drinking with a friend. It didn't make me feel like I needed more at all. I still find them to be pretty nasty. It's amazing how long the smell lingers. I agree with the others- keep busy and chew gum! Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

Dragonfly11

Hi Ex's,
I can't believe I'm posting on this thread but ... as of today I haven't had a cigarette in 1 week!! I've smoked about 15 cigs/day since i was 16 ... i'll be 48 this year. Guess I'm not "official" yet b/c I am using an "Ecig" and am weaning off that but it's working for me. It's the first time I've ever even wanted or attempted to quit. I am still navigating thru all of this.I was so emotional for the first 3 days: shed some tears and snapped at people too ~ unlike my normal personality.
I made a gratitude list about things that I lke about not smoking, I have cherry tomatoes, cucumber spears, I chart my smoke free days, have been walking on my lunch rather than hanging out in the smoke area and exercising twice /day to help with my attitude and offset the pounds and asking God to help me!

Good luck to you on your journey ~ I will be praying for you :happy:
Janet

weidner

I am currently going through what you are thinking about doing on Saturday!!!! I am smoke free one week TODAY!!!!! I am utilizing the patch and I have been doing great - the worse part for me is the car - I get in and I want to light up as I work at a non-smoking hospital; so when I would get in the car at night; the first thing I would do is light up!!! Well, now I smoke carrots, I put it in my mouth for a while like I'm smoking and then I eventually eat it.

I lost only a pound this week, but I had a big eating and drinking weekend and I was VERY happy with a pound and still not smoking.

I take each minute, each hour, and each day as it comes and I work through it. If I don't stop smoking, I will look good in the casket with the 18 pounds I have curently lost. I am doing all of this hard work to make myself healthier and if I don't stop smoking, what is the use!!! I am just trying to face reality - in the most real possible way I can.

Also, exercising is so much easier now that I have not smoked in a week; I was a bit surprised by that; I have smoked for like 30 years now (I'm 48 yrs. old), 2 packs a day; and I always had good respitory function - tested in hospital and they were surprised I was a smoker, but after just a few days of not smoking, I noticed a difference on the treadmill. Also, I felt that working out helped my cravings as well. My husband is also quitting and he was having way more harder of a time than I and I suggested working out for him earlier in the week, and he too said after exercising that he felt better. So, my motto is get a good work out twice a day!!!:):flowerforyou:

smarston

I have been smoke free for a little over two years now. I decided on a day that I was going to quit and I just did it cold turkey. I didn't wait to finish the pack just for the new day. I found that every time I quit before I would just end up buying a new pack because I didn't have enough tot last through the final day . For about 3 days it was really bad but I just kept telling myself that I was NOT going to smoke and chewed gum. I would smoke when I was stressed before I quit and knew that I could go smoke and come back a completely different person and I had to try to find another way to do that. I suggest you do the same. Find something other than smoking to help you relax. I started reading A LOT. I found that when I felt like smoking I would get that "new person" effect by reading only if it was only a few minutes. (lol I'm not sure how to explain it) If you need some suggestions of a few really good books I have plenty in mind. I also carried the half smoked pack of cigarettes in my purse for probably 6 months and managed to not to even smoke one. For me it was knowing I had the option that if I REALLY felt like I needed one I could though I never did. This is probably sounds insane but it helped me quit for good. Of course this was the 3rd time I quit and I always ended up smoking a few months later as all my friends and most of my family smoked. Without them on hand I felt like I had no option and only made me want to run to the nearest gas station and pick up another pack. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! GOOD LUCK!

SageGoddess320

Thanks so much everybody! I will definately come back and look at this for support in the future. The thing I'm the most worried about is just flat out snapping at work. I already can't stand the majority of the people I work with and the customers are usually pretty horrible too. I've been taking Zyban for almost 2 weeks and have cut back from a pack a day down to less than 10. I will be using Nicoret (for cravings & freakouts) and have just purchased a new treadmill to keep me busy at home. Congrats to everyone that has quit and a Big Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice and support!

leggynita

totally agree, I read Allan Carr too...what an inspirational man. I read it at least 4 times and it took me 2 years to stop smoking, from when I started reading the book!!!!! In the end I had chronic bronchitis on and off for 18 months before I finally said enough is enough. My stop date was May 2nd 2009, I have tried to smoke twice since then, but I physically couldn't take a drag on the damm thing!!!! I really thought I wanted/needed to smoke.....obviously I didn't, I was standing there feeling like a complete idiot trying to take a puff and I couldn't even do it properly. And like someone said above I too still get this little "thought" in my head that says..."once I've done that I'm gonna have a cig!" it's mad coz straight away you say to yourself...that's weird I don't smoke!!!! Allan Carr had one of those moments 10 years after he stopped...he said it's just an old habit. I always thought it would make me anxious getting thoughts like that...but it doesn't.
Gutterball, you will succeed. I can tell you that I feel absolutely fantastic (I have had some minor illnesses, but my doctor has been great and said that it sometimes takes a year of being illl for you to feel the full effects or not smoking, and though I didnt feel too bad, looking back I feel 90% better then I did then when I first stopped).
:happy:

CaitlinEats

I smoked a pack a day for 8 years and quit cold turkey more than 5 years ago. I had tried several times before and failed, but this time something just clicked. Two things that really helped me:

1. Practically: Dum-dums (someone mentioned these). They are only like 5 calories each, super-tiny, and take about one cigarette's time to suck down. I would even hold it like a cigarette, or go outside and have one--anything to make the irritation of quitting just a bit easier.

2. Emotionally: I have never--not even once--had a single drag since the day I quit. This may not be true for some, but I know that one will lead to two will lead to a whole pack to being a full-on smoker again eventually. It's still hard sometimes, even five years later, when I'm having a drink and smell a cigarette and I'm in a particular mood or something. For me, the key is always remembering how gross and defeated I would feel to find myself buying a pack of cigarettes--because I know that is where one drag would lead, eventually.

Hope that helps! It's the hardest thing, but so so so worth it in the end. Good luck!!!

robin52077

11 days clean for me.
Eating a lot of fruit and veggies, and hitting the treadmill hard to keep me occupied.

I'll admit reading this thread is making me crave one, so I'll go make a little snack and go for a little walk now. It's hard to sit here at my computer because there was ALWAYS an ashtray here at my desk, it was my most popular smoking spot besides my Jeep.

...tiptoeing away from this thread and my desk now.....

tabbydog

Oh, and one more thing.... just like dieting, if you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up over it. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back on it! YOU CAN DO IT.

tabbydog

Oh, and one more thing.... just like dieting, if you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up over it. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back on it! YOU CAN DO IT.

richmondhillgal

I have to say I really, really wanted to quit this time. It took 25 years of 2 packs day and a scare of cancer to finally get the point that smoking was gonna kill me. I found a website that really helped me so much in the beginning. I think the most important thing is to be prepared ahead of time and pick a date. Once you pick the date, start to prep, just like preparing for a race you have to know what is needed to win. Make no mistake, it is a challenge but what worth having isn't? Make up your mind, get rid of all smoking related stuff, clean everything, get sugar free stuff to help with cravings, use patches, filters etc if you need help. Finally, don't let anyone tell you that one cigarette is ok, IT'S NOT!!! One cigarette means you are still a smoker. Make the decision to live a cleaner, healthier life and be a great example to others. I am proof that you can be smoke free after years of smoking. Oh, I will be 6 years smokefree in about 6 months. No smoking at all!!! If you want to check the site..www.quitnet.com or www.legacy.com

sheltieroger

I quit 2 years ago after a long history of smoking (15 ish years)...I hadn't had a smoke for a few days and hubbys brother came over and was being an absolute *kitten*. I wanted a smoke REALLLY badly...I told myself that even if I had a smoke, the brother would still be an *kitten* and I would be back smoking. So I abstained....and kept telling myself during stressful situations (my trigger for smoking) that even if I smoked, the stress would still be there. Eventually, I didn't want to smoke anymore.

Good luck!! I agree with those that said, power clean out all the places you smoke...nothing worse than the smell of stale smoke!!!
Hugs
Beth

kendrafallon

*Bump*

:bigsmile: