Giving up smoking

Quit about 5 years ago. I tried several times before. I used Chantix (US), Champix (EU/AUS). It worked great to get me to stop. THe side effects were a bit brutal. Then again dropping that habit is brutal period.

These E-cigs help, but only if you use them as a "dosing down" idea. Converting from cigs to e-cigs still involves nicotine but no tar. Still bad. If they help you stop then great. Anything the helps you stop is good.

Good luck, it ain't easy, but it's well worth it.

I have been quit for 4 Years, 1 Month, 2 Weeks, 1 Day, 16 hours, 49 minutes and 36 seconds (1,507 days). I have saved $7,538.50 by not smoking 30,154 cigarettes. I have saved 3 Months, 1 Week, 5 Days, 16 hours and 50 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 3/1/2010 12:00 AM (yes that is an app) :blushing:

These E-cigs help, but only if you use them as a "dosing down" idea. Converting from cigs to e-cigs still involves nicotine but no tar. Still bad. If they help you stop then great. Anything the helps you stop is good.

Congratulations on quitting. I agree that quitting nicotine altogether is the best approach, but what works for some people doesn't work for everybody.

There is no evidence that I'm aware of that nicotine is any worse than caffeine. The real health hazards of smoking are in the tar and the thousands of gasses given off when tobacco burns. One of these days there may be a study linking e-cigs and health dangers. It's unlikely that they'll ever be shown to be as harmful as regular cigarettes, though.

I think everybody ought to try quitting cold turkey. If that doesn't work, try some of the smoking cessation aides like Chantix, the patch, nicotine gum or any of the other nicotine delivery systems. If they're not working for you, switch to e-cigs. They're not quite like smoking, but they're close enough to satisfy most people. And you'll immediately start to enjoy most of the health benefits of quitting smoking. You may also want to quit e-cigs one day, but even if that day never comes, your health and finances will improve dramatically.

I JUST QUIT 10 DAYS AGO!!!

Wow, I have been smoking a pack of cigarettes for 10 years and on April 6th I quit cold turkey! I was finally done, the first few days, my head was in a fog, the first day I started a fire in my kitchen that I had to stomp out, I couldn't focus on anything, I lost my sense of humor the first 3 days, I found nothing funny and just spaced off into my own head. couldn't carry conversations.

By the first weekend I had to literally sit on my hands so I wouldn't move, I became emotional in the grocery store for no reason, I was abruptly and randomly rude out of the blue to a few people. I had anxiety.

Since I stopped to this day I haven't slept well, I wake up twice in the middle of the night sweating.

BUT I DON'T MIND I HEAR IT'S JUST TWO WEEKS OF HARDSHIP AND THEN YOU'RE IN THE CLEAR!! I WANT THIS MORE THAN ANYTHING. Because I deserve it. I DERSERVE IT.

I quit smoking November 2012. I quit cold turkey by replacing cigs with DumDum lollipops. Also quitting on a Friday and sleeping through the weekend helped. I just kept telling myself "3 days and it's done. 3 days and it's done." Once the nicotine is out of your system it gets easier and easier.

Best of luck to you all. It's worth it.

I've never smoked but from what I hear, the beginning is the hardest.

E-cigarettes, patches, the liquid cigarettes at 7-Eleven (supposed to be really good and it's not expensive to use), and chewing gum can be helpful when transitioning off cigarettes. Some people quit cold turkey while others slowly decrease the number of cigarettes they smoke.

Good for you! Sometimes we quit several times before it actually sticks but don't give up! I have been cigarette free since 2007. I can,t even tell you how many times I tried quitting before finally quitting. I tried the gum, the patch, cold turkey several times. I finally decided that I needed to get scared. I made a list of horrible things that could happen to me if I continued to smoke including dying of cancer, my son ( who was 3 at the time) being mother-less and an orphan, my son crying at my funeral and always missing me. I looked at this list every day and cried. I also looked at anti-smoking videos online and one in particular struck me pretty hard because a boy in the video looked about the same age as my son. I heard later that they pulled that video because it was so intense....but I'm glad I saw it because that's what kicked my butt into gear....and now I'm smoke-free! :-)

I'm on Chantix also, and it's been extremely helpful.

The first time I took it, several years ago, I had very vivid dreams. Not nightmares, just very intense and bizarre. I liked it. I did have one episode of irrational anger, but I recognized it as a side effect and was able to laugh it off. I did have some nausea if I took it on an empty stomach. It was working until I began dating a heavy smoker and got derailed.

This time around I have had no side effects, which is disappointing since I was looking forward to the dreams. But the nausea also hasn't been a problem, so I guess it's a decent trade-off. It helps that my current boyfriend, the love of my life, is a non-smoker.

How's everyone doing on their quit smoking quest? Going on week 6 without a cig so far. I quit taking the Chantix last Thursday, 4-17. I can't tell any different than when I was taking them. Still want one 2 or 3 times a day but only takes a couple of minutes of distraction and I forget about it.

It's been awhile since anyone posted on this thread so I'm gonna - I'm on day 5 today with the help of Champix

Today is the first day I don't want to kill everyone I come into contact with....so it's a yay day for me!