Quiting with smoking

I don't know if this will be any help but I didn't quit, I just don't smoke anymore. I went from a pack a day, to nothing, to having one a few times a year as a social thing, to almost never now.

I did not smoke all of the last pack and I did not throw it away. I kept it but did not smoke them for a month or more. I did not use patches or nicotine gums (I did chew regular gum but I did that when I smoked too). I did not count days since the last one, I think this practice just makes you focus on it more and reinforces the craving. I was already fat, I don't think it caused any weight gain.

I think keeping them helped. I knew they were there just in case, but I didn't. You have to save them because you don't want to buy more right?

Don't tell yourself you can't smoke them. Tell yourself you don't smoke them or you don't want to smoke them.

Good Luck,
Brent

Don't tell yourself you can't smoke them. Tell yourself you don't smoke them or you don't want to smoke them.

I don't smoke and never have smoked, and I unfortunately have no good advice for the OP other than to reinforce what this guy said. Truly, sir. Great phrasing - and that is a wonderful philosophy that could be employed in many other parts of life.

I only smoked about 1-2 packs a week, so for me it was a challenge, but doable. I quit cold turkey many years ago. I am interested to see some of the advice on your post since I have someone close to me that I would like to see quit smoking.

Have any of you tried Vaping instead of smoking? Is this effective or simply a marketing gimmick?

Vaping is intended for current adult smokers , that wish to continue enjoying their nicotine habit at a reduced risk.

In other words staying addicted I don't see the point of that actually...

I would tend to agree. Just looking at the lesser of evils. IMO it is similar to using gum or patches instead of smoking.

*copy/pasting an old post of mine*

I quit over four years and it was tough the first four or five days. For about two months after that, habit made me reach for my (nonexistent) cigarettes and lighter when I sat down at my desk, when I got off the train, when a class had ended, … But it was just out of habit and not a real drive or a mad craving. Those first three days were the hardest and the next two weeks were uncomfortable. I got through them by eating tons of fruit (I picked the right time of the year: high summer!) and chewy candy and by exercising A LOT, simply to keep myself busy. Whenenever I was at home and felt a craving announce itself, I got on my (outdoor) bicycle and drove around at maximum speed until I was so exhausted that smoking didn't seem attractive. Or I went for a run, or took the parents' dog for a walk. I think I hardly sat still for five minutes during those first few weeks, except when at work, and that made up for all the extra sweets I ate. There was thus no harm in eating as a substitute for smoking. I'd burned all the extra calories before I even ate them.


As for physical withdrawal symptoms: my whole digestive system felt disrupted for a few days, my stomach was grumbling all the time and I had to take a few more bathroom breaks that usual. But I actually welcomed these symptom, as they meant that my body was healing and resetting after a long time of mistreatment. My system was getting rid of all the toxins and repairing itself.
There was nothing worse than that, by the way, even though I'd been a regular heavy smoker for ten years. No shaking of the hands, no cramping muscles. This is nicotine we're talking about, not heroin.

Focus on the positive effects when you quit. For me, it was a matter of days, if not hours, until my nose and my taste buds got more sensitive. Does food already have a more intense taste? Do you smell that candle at the other end of the room? How does an ash tray full of cold ash smell to you now? Noticing and appreciating these effects made it easier for me to hang in. There is so much to gain there and absolutely nothing to fear. In the end, to me it seemed surprisingly easy.

I was the worst nicotine addict and a serial quitter, until this time!
I tried nicotine replacement torture and champix but in the end cold turkey was the easiest way, despite my fear of it.
Look at ;
http://whyquit.com/
and read as much as you can, this and the accompanying facebook page helped a lot.

I am not going to sugarcoat this for you---smoking is so damn hard to quit! I have been smoke free for about 7 months now. The first 3 days were torture. All I could do was eat, sleep and think about smoking. I used the electronic cigarette to get me through it, and I quit that after about a month. The type of aid you use(patch, pills, e-cig, etc.) depends on you, but you just really have to want to quit. Cardio and 0-calories carbonated drinks also helped me.

Monkey: I just found 2 old e-cigs in my drawer( Earlier attempt, idea I think) they didn't work anymore :laugh:

McCindy, that would be lovely if you got some information for me. I am afraid for those pills tho. I don't know if they are the same as we have in Sweden, those were packed full with side effects, almost worse then quitting cold turkey.

As far as the effects of smoking on your body: Most people worry about lung cancer when they think of smoking. The primary disease caused by smoking is COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Because this disease is progressive, it starts with minor damage and then gets worse over time. The lungs stop working correctly, and when it gets worse, people often say they feel as though they are trying to breathe through a pillow, all the time, or like someone is sitting on their chest. Nothing really eases this feeling when they get worse, unless they wear a breathing machine with a mask to help them breathe. Almost everyone who gets COPD has to wear oxygen, and the majority of them die in their 50s, after months or years of an agonizing struggle to breathe. While the main killers like heart disease and stroke are actually on the decline, COPD continues to rise and is now the 3rd largest killer in the U.S. Once the damage has been done to the lungs, it is irreversible. The good news is, that when you stop smoking, the damage doesn't get any worse, so you can stop yourself from getting sick. It's likely there is some small airway damage already (I smoked for eight years, pack a day, and I have some small airway damage), but my lung tests show normal function. The sooner you quit, the better.

As far as quittting, the best thing to do is to find a quit smoking program with coaches and support groups, because success rates are higher with help like that. Using a nicotine replacement like gum or patches helps too, as it can stop cravings.
The rule of three applies: the first three days are the hardest, as you fight through the iniitial physical cravings. Then after three weeks, people tend to fail, and again at three months. Once you make it past those three months, you should be able to stay off of them, as long as you find other ways to manage stress (exercise is a great thing for that) and don't turn to food to replace the cigarettes.
Chantix does have side effects, as any drug will. The main ones are nausea and very strange dreams, usually those effects last for the first couple of weeks. Some people do have suicidal thoughts or mood swings, as many drugs in this class can cause those. Chantix works by blocking the nicotine receptors in your brain so that when you smoke, you don't get any nicotine satisfaction, so you stop wanting the cigarettes.
Wellbutrin is another medication that can sometimes work to help people quit smoking and can assist with the mood swings.

Vaping is intended for current adult smokers , that wish to continue enjoying their nicotine habit at a reduced risk.

In other words staying addicted I don't see the point of that actually...

I would tend to agree. Just looking at the lesser of evils. IMO it is similar to using gum or patches instead of smoking.

I have an e- cigarette also, The liquid I use has no nicotine in it but taste like tobacco.

I quit 3 1/2 months ago, cold turkey, after I got a bad case of pneumonia that put me in the hospital. The first week I quit was hell. Being sick, taking steroids, and going through withdrawals put me in a really bad place, but I stuck to it. Once I recovered fully from the pneumonia, I started exercising. I will say that I was craving carbs and sugar all of the time. I have only lost weight, though.

As a side note, I actually found that I have LESS stress, now that I've quit. Stress has always been my #1 reason to stay smoking, so I think it's funny that I'm much more calm and patient now. It's not easy to quit, and I don't think there's any ONE right way to do it. Good luck to you!

I quit smoking 7 years ago. I used a patch the first day and then nothing. Please go to whyquit.com and read through what happens to your body when you quit. Much of what your are describing is in your head and can certainly be avoided when you understand completely what happens when you quit tobacco. another site to go is quitnet.com you don't have to pay, I never have. You can connect with people who are quitting at the same time as you and going through the same same thing.

I was more of a social smoker at first then started smoking out of stress. I could go all day without a cigarette and then would chain smoke out of stress. Which in return would make me feel like crap the next day. I would run out of breath easy, cough, and just felt icky. Plus, I hated the smell and would scrub my hands, spray myself with perfume and all sorts of silly things to try to cover up my habit. I was just over it. I already didn't smoke in my house, and had previously stopped smoking in my car. I stopped buying cigarettes and just occasionally bummed them, and then got to a point where they tasted and smelled so bad that I had no desire anymore. I did have cravings, but I just tried to do something to get my mind off of it. I actually lost several pounds because I was staying busy, and that's what started my weight loss journey with MFP. You can do it if you want to. It takes 21 days to start/stop a habit. Quitting will suck, but you never have to quit again if you never light up again. :-)