How do i quit?

I smoked for 16 years and was up to about 3 packs a day, which basically means I always had a cigarette in my mouth. Even the thought of quitting smoking made me so nervous I only smoked more. I was only able to quit by using electronic cigarettes. I started with the high level nicotine liquid and am now at the lowest level of nicotine in the liquid. My lung capacity has increased tremendously, my daytime and especially nighttime wheezing has stopped, the morning lung pain and coughing fits are over, and now when I get out of breath it's because I'm overweight and not because I can't inhale. I can only work on one thing at a time :happy:

If you're interested, www.cignot.com is where I got all my electronic cigarette equipment. Fast shipping and friendly service, but they aren't the only sellers out there. I use the Ego-C Type-B system with a Ego-C Upgrade Pass-Thru battery that lets me plug in to USB when at the computer, or unplug and take it with me when I leave. As expensive as cigarettes are now, I took a chance two years ago on something that costs the same amount as I would spend on cigarettes in a little over a week. Haven't looked back since and it was one of the best decisions of my life.

I've been there - I've had so many unsuccessful attempts over the years and felt so weak that I could only last hours or days (some times I got to a few weeks or even 2 months, just to start up again). Last July I decided enough was enough. I threw away my nicotine aids, went cold turkey and went on a no smoking forum almost daily for a few months. I'm now 7 months down the line and can't believe how strong I feel now! I haven't had a real craving in a couple of months now. Believe me, I was a 17 yr smoker and a real nicotine-a-holic, so if I can do it, you can! You have to commit. Decide that NO EXCUSES are allowed anymore. If stress and work are a trigger for you, I would book a fortnight off work and go through withdrawal at home, trying to relax with walks, baths, massages etc. Then every day, post how you are feeling in a forum and educate yourself by reading (eg Why Quit website and recommend Allen Carr book) so you reprogrammed your brain to undo all those associations you've built up over the years. I too believed I needed smoking to deal with stress but it's an EXCUSE, junkie thinking.Whatever stress you're got going on will still be there whether you smoke or not. In fact now I see them as totally separate. If something's not going right I honestly think think god I'm not smoking too, that's one area of my life that is sorted. My quit is a strength in stressful times now! Commit to it and guard your quit with your life - you CAN do it! It's a temporary adjustment, the craves WON'T kill you, then you have to put in the self-help work, then it all gets better believe me. So worth it, best thing you will do for yourself!

I quit smoking in October after 25 years. I also thought I was a smoker for life! I have four children and quit every pregnancy but I waited and waited because I knew the moment I went into labor I was firing up a cigarette!! I must have quit a total of 10+ times, so many I have lost track.
I think what finally did it for me was that I made up my mind to quit. I no longer felt good after smoking, I felt like crap!! I spent WAY too much money on these things, hated the OMG moments when I knew I didn't have enough smokes to get me through the day. I didn't want to end up one of those old ladies who are all wrinkled up and sound like a raspy man. My kids hated my smoking and I want to be around to enjoy my grandkids. I spent every break and lunch at work running outside so I never really got a break did I?
I could continue to go on about why I quit, now you have to find your own reasons. They can't be anyone elses. You must own this!
Ok, this might sound crazy, but I think it is true. I smoked Marbs for years, then Winston and finally settled on Pall Malls for the last few years cuz they were cheaper. Got a coupon for American Spirits and liked the idea that these were just tobacco-not all the chemicals and stuff the tobacco companies add to keep us addicted! It took awhile to get used to them (a pack or so) but then I spent the extra $$ and ended up smoking less. Instead of 2 on break I would smoke 1. Then I would try to skip a break, I could do it!!
I set a date to quit and haven't lit up since. I did arm myself with nicotine gum and all of the other things to shove in my mouth that people talk about, *see the ecig info at the bottom. This time I really didn't have the withdrawal symptoms like I had in the past and I think it all had to do with the fact that I switched to those all natural cigs first and flushed all of those chemicals out of my body while I was still smoking. Other people tell me that's stupid,but I only know how I felt. My husband quit as well (25+ years, 2 pack a day-er, hardcore smoker) and boy did he have a terrible time. He still goes through a box of 100 piece gum at full strength a week, but hey, he doesn't smoke! I don't need any gum or anything anymore and have lost the 10lbs I put on after I quit. You will gain weight, but tackle one problem and then deal with the other. My doc says I am still much healthier for quitting than putting on a little weight.
*If you need to continue to have the puffing sensation for a bit, try some of the e-cigs on the market. They sell them pretty much everywhere now and the disposable ones are relatively cheap so you can try them out before you would invest in the "real" ones. I can't tell you enough how these helped in the first weeks of quitting! I still went out and just puffed on my ecig. Now I only use it on the drive to work and home because that is the main trigger for me and I am down to just very light nicotine in them. I asked my doc about these too, and he said it's the tar and the smoke from the cigs that are bad, so he was fine with me using these for awhile. I say do whatever you need to to get off the smokes. You will be SOOOOOO glad you did:happy:

Cigarettes are the hardest to quit.

I smoked from 18-24, and I LOVED it! It was also the worst thing I could have been doing to my health so I decided to stop.

The only way I could quit was to go cold turkey, I also stopped drinking alcohol all together, went vegan and worked out like a maniac - boxing!

I was in the best shape of my life :-)

The vegan thing and no wine thing lasted about 4 years, than I started slowly incorporating animal products and wine back into my life, BUT cigarettes no longer seemed appealing. Even to this day I cannot stand the smell of them!!! Now cigarette free almost 13 years.

Good luck!!!!

You will quit when you are ready. You are ready when you are willing to do whatever it takes to quit. You simply may not be ready yet.

I know you mean well, but with smoking there's the danger of just expecting to wake up one day a non-smoker but it doesn't happen without effort to free yourself. And time doesn't half pass by when you're 'waiting' to feel ready. Here's a good little post I came across...


She was 17 and thought it was cool
She was 18 knew she was in control
She was 19 living in the fast lane
She was 20 and would quit before hitting 21
She was 21 and thought new years eve was better
She was 22 the new job was to much stress right now
She was 23 and her fiancée smoked anyways
She was 24 the baby would be fine, what’s a little nicotine
She was 25 what else is there for a stay at home mom to do
She was 26 job interviews are just to demanding
She was 27 in this job you have to be social
She was 28 her uncle just died but she would be alright
She was 29 thinking this time Im ready and 30 is my number
She was 30 maybe just one more year
She was 31 who can handle a divorce all alone
She was 32 working two jobs and life’s to hard
She was 33 and the new boy friend doesn’t mind anyhow
She was 34 wedding plans are all she could do
She was 35 his kids are so wild , just need the break time to time
She was 36 a quit would have to wait , to much on her plate
She was 37 forty wont be to late
She was 38 a daughter and two steps sons a mini van and career
She was 39 one more year and so done
She was 40 are you crazy and gain weight
She was 41 and probably couldn’t anyways
She was 42 and enjoy smoking
She was 43 but I should try, just for a month
She was 44 her little girl smoking, and wonders what went wrong
She was 45 The Doctor said it wasn’t good
She was never 46

I quit for my child. My mother always smoked and always said she would quit. As a teen, I started smoking and completly denied it was because my mom smoked. As an adult, I've come to realize how many habits I picked up that my mother taught me, no matter if she meant to teach them to me or not. As an adult, I have now watched my mother, stiill smoking, become more obese because she looses her breathe if she tries to exercise or walk around a lot. My mom has only smoked 3 to 5 cigs a day for the last few years, but it's still affecting her greatly and she's only 52. When I got married and we decided to have a child, I knew I had to change a lot of habits in my life. The 1st was to stop smoking, the 2nd was to add in exercise and be active while meant limiting tv, and the 3rd challenge was to eat healthier. I quit because I want to be a good role model for my children, I want them to be proud of their healthy mother. It wasn't easy, it was horrible and I always had to have something to chew on during the quitting process. I used gum, celery, chewed on straws, pen caps (ya, I know, gross), I had to keep something in my mouth at all times. Now I realize how gross smoking smells and it makes me sick to see so many people still smoking. My mother, at 52, now has to ask my 2 year old to "slow down" instead of running with her to have fun. It's sad to see my mom not being able to keep up with my daughter because of smoking for so many years. I don't want to be that person.

You should try the e-cigs i used one for about a month then just stopped havent had a cig in 29 days now and dont even notice! think they helped me off the cigs alot id deffo recommend them! there called nicolites or even 5colours GOODLUCK!

My mother's cancer came back and I promised to quit with her. I quit, she didn't.

I quit smoking a year ago after 22 years of smoking. Here's what worked for me. You have to REALLY want to quit...do your research about addiction, the harmful effects of nicotine. My big motivation was that both my parents died from lung cancer--I loved them, and wanted to honor them. Also, I watched two very special people die, and I got mad to be honest. It was not an easy death. I hated that cigarettes contributed to it. Next, you have to believe you can stop. I used nicotine gum for 2 weeks to help me overcome the belief that I wasn't strong enough. After two weeks, I felt I could go it alone . When stress hit, I reminded myself that cigarettes wouldn't help, tried to deal with it, and took lots of deep breaths. I also tried to be nice to myself in other ways--eating well, exercising...just relaxing when I could. Most important for me was I learned about why I was craving cigarettes--the drugs in cigarettes make you crave them...it's not real, nor is the enjoyment you receive from cigarettes real. It's you brain, which has been chemically changed by the cigarettes, craving more. The "enjoyment" is feeding the addiction. Yes, I enjoyed a lot of things associated with smoking--but I found I also enjoyed them (even a little more) without the cigarette in hand. It's really a great feeling to not be chained to a small white stick...plus you save TONS of money!!!

Do it for your health man! Replace the bad habit with a good one. Just do it, and that is that.

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