Advice to quit smoking please?

I used nicotine patches and have been smoke-free for over 6 months now (after many failed prior attempts). The oral fixation can be difficult to avoid... my fingernails took a beating, I chewed gum once in a while (not supposed to because of TMJ), and I absolutely ended up eating in place of smoking a whole bunch of times but overall I felt like a little extra weight was worth quitting smoking because I could always work on losing the weight once I didn't have to concentrate on quitting anymore... and that's what I'm doing now.

Add me to the e-cig reco parade. I get mine from smokesations.com, multiple flavors and strengths. Use "gunshow" coupon code for 10% off. Worked great for me- been off cigs a year next week. Also worked great for my stepdaughter, who quit totally without even really trying...

BOL with this. You WILL feel a big difference. I smoked for nearly 40 years, with a year off here and there...but this works great and I have no desire to go back.

you have my sympathy its very hard to break the habit!I satarted smoking when I was 12 packed them in when I was 21 so 23 years free! I just stopped went through all the cold turkey thing,its not easy there is no real easy way!wish you all the best!

I used the nicotine gum. I think it helped for the times I really wanted a cigarette, I got the nicotine but without all the harmful stuff and a lollipop wasn't really going to make me feel better. Also, I got the cheap Target-brand gum. It's sort of waxy and peppery and not at all like yummy gum, so there wasn't any pleasure in chewing it. I didn't chew it like they prescribe, the package basically says to chew it all the time so you don't experience nicotine cravings, but I had already cut back to a few cigs a day so that would've been too much.

I really don't think you have to be ready. I never wanted to quit exactly, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could. Also, quitting was so hard I never wanted to do it again So, if you mess up and have a cigarette, give yourself a break, just note the day, the reason, and develop a better coping mechanism for the next time.

The problem was, smoking was sort of a coping mechanism and new stressors might make you want a cigarette but once you get through it you'll do better the next time.

Also, some people say to not do things that remind you of smoking like drinking or whatever, but I think it's better to keep doing those things so your brain forms new connections and those things will stop reminding you of cigarettes. Like, I used to light a cigarette every time I got in my car at the end of the day of work. But I had to keep doing that and after two weeks I got in the car and got home and never thought about a cigarette, the brain is amazing:happy:

You can do it, you've done it before!

Chantex was the only thing that worked for me. Along with a lot of prayer. Smoked for 15 years and then did that...never went back!

I quit smoking about 12 years ago and it was definitely the best decision I ever made! For me, it was totally the Zyban/Wellbutrin. It allowed me to forget about smoking until I saw or thought about something that reminded me, which made it much easier to just quit. I think I took it for a few weeks, only smoking when I felt like it, although the pills helped me not think about it for hours and hours at a time until I felt ready to just quit. First few months were hard, but I always told myself when I had a craving that, if I really still wanted a cigarette in 20 minutes, I'd have one. The craving never lasted that long

I don't remember any difficulty getting off the Zyban - I was on it for maybe 6 or 7 months, but it did have some side effects. I could go to sleep just fine, but I would wake up at like 5AM and be unable to go back to sleep. Also, I had the most awful, vivid nightmares while I was on the stuff. It was still well worth putting up with the side effects to be able to quit!

I smoked for about 25 years and I quit finally by using Chantix. My doctor prescribed it for me and my insurance actually paid for part of it. It wasn't all that expensive and I only had to take it for 2 months. I literally forgot to smoke after I had been on it for a few days. The urge was just gone... the physical urge that is. The mental urge is what you will have to fight against the hardest. It is a habit like no other. There are a lot of times now when I think I want a cigarette, but I just have to fight through it. I haven't smoked in over 3 years. In talking to other people who have quit I find that they all still have the urge to smoke at times no matter how long it's been since they had their last one! Good luck to you however you choose to quit... JUST DO IT!!!!

i quit dipping tobacco with gum. a 5cal piece isn't gonna ruin your diary

My husband and I both quit. The patch, deep breaths when an urge hit, and when he was quitting and was having a withdrawal attack - he would do deep breathing and I would chant "no cancer, no cancer!" he later told me that actually helped a lot. Good luck and you are starting it off right - you want this, not others telling you it's bad or gross, as if you didn't already know that! Oh yea, DO NOT keep anything related to smoking in the house and if you like coffee and smoking in the morning (was my hardest habit to break) change the location of where you drink your coffee.

Hi everyone,
I've gone cold turkey in the past (as soon as I found out I was pregnant) and I wound up replacing that bad habit with hard candy, gum, and food. Like a moron, I started smoking again 6 months after my son was born. My kiddo is now 2 and I'd really like to quit again because I felt so much healthier and want to be around for a long time for him but I'm worried that I'll cave into the same "replacement habits" as I did before. So, my question is, does anyone have any tips on how to go about kickin the butts while not resorting to food as replacement? I figure sugar free candies can be a fall back but all that fake sugar isnt healthy either. Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated :flowerforyou: Thanks!

i say cold turkey is the best way to go this next november 10 will be 7 years for me..... i found that you have to really want it in order to do it. just like with weight loss.

I set a date about 6 weeks ahead. I knew what day I was going to quit and every day before that day I mentally prepared myself for the change. I didn't freak out, I just started really getting myself ready.

Then when the day came, I quit as planned.

I used a nicorette inhaler for the commute to and from work the first couple days just to get through that trigger, and then it was all cinnamon toothpicks from there on.

I smoked for 31 years (and tried quitting a few times). I've now been quit for 3. I think preparing my mind for the change really helped with my task. I had already decided and was ready for it by the time quitting day came, so the triggers didn't seem as bad

livestrong has a free ap for smart phones to help one step down. Helps you break patterns ( HABItS) and address cravings. Great community. I used it and am smoke free x2 years after 30 years of puffing. Good luck. But be sure you are really ready to quit. Repeated failures because YOU are not ready ultimately make it harder. Same as losing weight. You have to be ready and have your own motivation.

The easy way to stop smoking by Allen Carr - So so easy, I've been smoke free almost 3 years now. Patches, gum, hypnotherapy none worked but the book did!