need help from FORMER SMOKERS!

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  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    Cold turkey on in May 2010 after having smoked for over 20 years. I had gotten to a point where I realized I wasn't smoking because I wanted to smoke but because I needed to smoke and I wasn't willing to let something like that have that much control over me.

    The first two weeks sucked really bad. The third week was a little easier and the after the fourth week I was fine. I haven't wanted one since. Except for when I see anti-smoking commercials. They make me want to smoke because THEY CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!! THEY'RE NOT MY REAL DAD!!!

    During that first month I seriously considered buying a pack many times but I just gritted my teeth and decided that I was in control of my life. I concentrated on not being an *kitten* (oftentimes unsuccessfully) and just worked on through. And it wasn't easy but often the things in life that are most worthwhile are the toughest to accomplish.
  • KeepCalmNGetyaSweatOn
    KeepCalmNGetyaSweatOn Posts: 361 Member
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    I too quit cold turkey. The first week or 2 are the hardest but after that it gradually gets easier. The best thing I found that works when you feel the urgency to smoke is find a distraction. Also, chewing on straws or pens help too. You just have to really, really, want to quit. Make up your mind to do it and just DO IT! You have to be your #1 motivator because most other people don't even really want to constantly be motivating others when they can't motivate themselves to do the things they want to do. I know you can do it!
  • JanisMay67
    JanisMay67 Posts: 43
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    It's really interesting reading through this thread - that going "cold turkey" seems to stand out as being most successful.

    I agree - I've been smoke free for 10 months now. For me it also meant giving up industrial strength black coffee too, as the two went hand in hand. The first week was absolute hell, but after that it got a lot easier. I haven't gone back to caffeine either, as I've found I'm better without it, and no longer rely on it to survive.
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
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    I taught myself how to crochet (and then knit a few years after)... It kept me so busy I kept forgetting to have a *kitten*... and then finally one day I realised... Oh... I quit smoking!

    Oh and THIS! When i keep my hands busy I barely notice.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    I used to smoke as well, over 30 years ago...........I did it for New Years resolution, and it worked

    wanna really really really quit?

    Take that photo you have of your beautiful daughter, and put it next to your computer screen and then watch this video from a daughter who is attending her mother who is dying from emphasima in the hospital room....

    if this doesn;t make you want to quit, I don't know what to say..........just watch this You Tube video and think if that was your daughter in the video.

    Good luck, YOU CAN DO IT...........I DID
    Listen hard, to the last words of what the daughter is saying on the video............excellent advice


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmtEVu-ldT0
  • ItsMeGee3
    ItsMeGee3 Posts: 13,255 Member
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    I smoked for over 25 years. I enjoyed smoking. Then at some point, I realized smoking was controlling me and I didn't like it. I tried to quit cold turkey a couple times. Didn't work for me. I wanted to kill someone. I finally tried Chantix. It was a miracle for me. Yes, I still had cravings for a long time but, they were manageable. I haven't smoked in over 3 years. I love being a non-smoker. I can't believe I ever smoked. I also can't believe I'm running in marathons. Something I would have NEVER been able to do as a smoker.
  • smesche
    smesche Posts: 234 Member
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    As with a majority of the other posters, I quit cold turkey this past July. I smoked for 15 years. I started going to the gym and picked up running a week prior and I just COULD NOT hang. I was out of breath and it just didnt make sense to me anymore. I am paying to kill myself. WTF? I quit and haven't looked back. I don't miss it and the cravings for it are rare. The smell is horrid and I never noticed before. It helped that my husband and mother quit with me. A support system is SO important.

    Good luck!
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
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    I was a very heavy, almost chain-, smoker for about 10 years. I quit cold turkey when I had an a-ha moment while helping my son decorate the Christmas tree. I left him putting the ornaments on so I could go light up. And I realized my entire life was revolving around when I would have that next cigarette.

    I put out the cigarette I was smoking, left that half-pack laying on the kitchen counter and never smoked again. It was a snap decision, but it worked for me.

    Keep in mind the physical craving for nicotine will be gone within 72 hours. After that, it's just breaking a habit. Not really "all in your head", but similar.

    I gained 25 pounds after I quit in 1999 and STILL felt better than when I was smoking. DO IT! It's totally worth it. :smile:
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    also,this would do it for me.......makes me glad I quit 30 years ago..............I just took my blood pressure

    116/84.................again, If I smoked, I would never had this good of blood pressure........again, watch this video, OP, and think of your beautiful daughter

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-lJ8rED40c
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    Cold turkey on 1/6/12. I am watching my husband, diagnosed with COPD in 2011 slowly not be able to breathe. He is only on oxygen at night at this point, but it will never get any better. One cold and he could lose more of his lung function. It's torture to watch someone you love and has always been your strength, struggle for breath. I NEVER want someone to have to take care of me as I slowly drown.

    But like any other bad habit, when you are ready to quit - you will. Best of luck.
  • swycas
    swycas Posts: 1
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    I agree...COLD TURKEY is what worked for both me and my wife. One of the best things anyone ever said to me about quitting smoking was a doctor, who asked if I'd ever tried to quit. I said yes, for a day here or there, once for five days. His response, "Good, then you know you can do it." Meaning if you can stop smoking for an hour you can stop smoking.

    If you're really at a point where you hate smoking and want to quit, you can do it. Know that while you're going through nicotine withdrawal that you'll be in a terrible mood, feel anxious, snappy, and be unpleasant. When the inevitable terrible NEED for a cigarette comes on and you can't stand it, go for a walk or a run, do something that takes the edge off. And just embrace that you're withdrawing and it's hard.

    For me nicotine gum, the patch, or just trying to wean myself off cigarettes only prolonged the agony. You've got to get through the nicotine withdrawal. Good news is it only takes 2-3 weeks for your body to get over nicotine withdrawal. The psychological withdrawal takes months, maybe years. But once the physical addiction is gone, the psychological part is much easier to deal with. Believe it or not, it's taken me almost fifteen years to get to a point where I never think about smoking....but I often remember what that doc told me. If you can stop for an hour, you know you can stop.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I smoked from age 13 to age 51.
    Probably made my first attempt to quit -- first serious attempt -- at age 24.
    CHANTIX ! It was the only way for me, and it worked wonders. Made it . . . I wouldn't say 'easy,' but almost easy. Also, with Chantix, I was not hostile while I was quitting.
  • SofaKingRad_II
    SofaKingRad_II Posts: 591
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    Cold turkey all the way. It wasn't easy, but as time goes on it got easier to manage the cravings and habit.
  • DeliriumCanBeFun
    DeliriumCanBeFun Posts: 313 Member
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    Smoked for 25 years, quit with the patch. Key was that I was really ready. Good luck!
    This sounds like me. I smoked for 20 years and woke up one day with the usual nasty lung clearing cough and something in me said, "I'm done!" I spent that day alsone except for my kids doing something i love, baking for Thanksgiving the next day. I smoked maybe one more and then literally tore up the ones I had left. I took a picture and posted it on FB for all of my friends and family to see. I knew that trying to beat the nicotine addiction and the smoking habit all at once would be too much for me, so I got the patch and first worked on changing my habits. I lowered my doses of the patch pretty quickly and didn't draw it out as long as is recommended, after all they are in the business of making money. One big key for me avoiding triggers like not drinking in the very beginning and basically staying away from anyone smoking. And now a little over 2 years since I quit, I can't believe I ever was a smoker. Now I am setting a good exaple for my kids and they are so proud of me, I'm saving all kinds of money, and I don't stink!!! I can't even handle being around smoke or people who just smoked. Before I quit I couldn't make it up one flight of stairs without being out of breath, now I can ride 20+ mph on my bike for miles and miles with no problem. I wish the best of success to anyone trying to quit smoking! Like anything that is really worth it, quiting smoking is hard but so worth it!!!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    it depends on how bad you want it,,
    I just did it, cold turkey.
    now my husband,,,, that was hell
    he tried everything, oh he was a ****head
    cranky, miserable,, hot and cold sweats, bad dreams
    but then it came seriously down to his health, the doc said quit or you are dead.
    he quit cold turkey,he is in a great place.
    I still socially smoke the odd time when I drink,if someone else is smoking
    but I do not need to.
  • Monkey_Business
    Monkey_Business Posts: 1,800 Member
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    Smoked for 35+ years, quit cold turkey Labor Day 2002.

    I did replace it with other things at that time. I had gotten layed off from work when the Atlanta IT Bubble burst, I had time to get back into shape so everytime I wanted a smoke, went for a walk or run.
  • ekz13
    ekz13 Posts: 725 Member
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    after smoking for 20 years, cold turkey.. been quit for 2 years now... ifyou are ready and want it, you can push through.. my advice though is don't worry too much about the weight.. try to eat healthy, but one vice at a time.
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
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    I was taking Wellbutrin (Zyban) and it was a pleasant side effect. It made the smokes just not enjoyable anymore. I have been quit for over 11 years now.
  • BrienJD
    BrienJD Posts: 541 Member
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    I quit cold turkey in 2000 on a dare made by my dentist after he noted I had leukoplakia. It took about three days of pulling my hair out but after that it was done. I first tried the gum and the patch, but they didn't work at all. The gum was nasty and all the patch did was make me crave cigarettes even more. So in the end I just stopped. I had cravings galore for about two weeks after I quit. I even had a dream that I had smoked a cigarette that was so real I had to check to ensure the pack was still sealed (I kept a pack of cigarettes in the freezer....just in case) I had been smoking for about 20 years by that time. I've only smoked one cigarette since and that was in 2004.

    Just put them down and deal with the crazies for a few days. Use your support system so you don't break anything expensive and realize that you will get through them if you really want to. The withdrawal is real but can be overcome. Then take it one day at a time. After a while the intermittent cravings will stop and you will stop counting the days. To me there really isn't any other way to do it.
  • christinemadden0223
    christinemadden0223 Posts: 175 Member
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    Cold Turkey, just like most. 2 1/2 years smoke free...but I was ready. I had decided and that made all the difference. I know still that if I ever even took a puff off one I'd be right back smoking. It helped that my best friend had quit a week earlier and we are competitive athletically so I could NOT let her outdo me!! Make a pact with someone else trying to quit- someone you REFUSE to let be better than you!

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