I want to quit smoking

I smoke hookah daily which I hear is worse than cigarettes. I am in the same boat. For alcohol I literally think about how many calories I am about to intake. Also I have stop drinking until I hit my weight goal. I have not been sober for 57 days since I have started drinking.

When I quit it was easy because I had a reason and a definite goal. My son didn't want me to smoke any more so it was a no brainer to quit. I gave myself a quit date that was a few weeks out and I stuck with it. I haven't had a cigarette since January 17th of last year. If you want something bad enough you just have to do it. It's not easy every day, but it is worth it every day.

Quit for a few days, then the next time you're around a smoker you realize how horrible it makes you smell.

Yep, that's what did it for me.

Sorry, this is a bit long...

I just hit my two-year anniversary of being smoke-free 6/1. I had accepted a job at a company that doesn't hire smokers (and they chemical test to verify). So I went cold turkey, and promptly turned into a psychotic late on day two. None of that was as bad as day three. I was dizzy, I could hear a high-pitched ringing at all hours. Everything seemed too bright, my muscles ached, and I was running a low fever. Day four hit, and it was better! I was physically free of nicotine. The mental addiction was still there, but I could pass the job's pee test at that point, and I did. The mental portion took months to finally overcome, but it was so much easier than the physical. It was "force of habit" kind of stuff, and when I was feeling stress, my first instinct was to go outside and smoke. Instead, I chewed on straws, went for walks, (and ate too much.)

Anyway, I didn't want to go back to smoking, and I was pissed off! I had been Marlboro's ***** for a long time, and I didn't like it! I wasn't going to kneel down and suck off another cancer stick. I had to concentrate on how much I hated Phillip Morris / Altria. I had to continually think of my two kids crying over a headstone instead of playing catch, fishing, or cooking with their dad. I chewed on straws, ate about two bags of Werther's sugar-free asphal....er, "candy." And after a few weeks, the desire dropped, and the old habits went away.

But that's when things really did start to get better. I regained my sense of smell within two weeks, and it was a whole new world. I stopped wheezing entirely within a month, and within two I no longer snored. Within three I could hold my breath for 45 seconds, and two years later 80 seconds is easy. I get maybe one cold a year (instead of five or six) and they really do last only about a week, instead of a month.

Do whatever works for you, but do it. You've made it to the hardest part many times. Stick with it just a day or two longer, and it becomes INFINITELY easier. If pretending that they don't exists works, then do it. Hell, go out into the woods, or shutter yourself away if you can if you're worried about running into smokers. If thinking of calm, relaxing places works, more power to you. If you're like me, then summon up every bit of hatred and Game of Thrones-style rage and direct it at the company that wants to profit off your death. You will succeed, and your life will be so much better because of it.


:Edited to remove quote:

Sorry, I've never been a smoker, so I can't give you personal experience. However, everyone I know that successfully quit smoking did it cold turkey. They just wanted it bad enough. Example: my brother wanted to join the fire department, so he quit.

I used to smoke two packs a day and quit in 93. A trick that worked for me was to bribe myself.

The cost of my habit was about 20 Euros a week, the price of a new CD at that time. On Saturdays I would buy myself a little gift with the cigarette money (typically a CD) and my contract with myself would be not to smoke for the rest of the week until the gift was paid off. As time passed, I would buy larger gifts associated to longer periods of not smoking, such as designer shoes with 3 months worth of cigarette money.

I think it helped to have some positive reinforcement. Mostly people only have negative reinforcement to quit smoking, such as not wanting to get lung emphysema or cancer, not wanting your clothes to stink, etc. Also being able to focus on short periods of time helped me.

I gave up 8 months ago, after 30 years... enough was enough. It was actually a bit easier after the first 2 weeks than I had hoped but the first 2 weeks and any stressful situations will test the willpower

I had bought some patches but never used them but I will tell you straight... I still miss them, most days I have to remind myself I am now a non smoker and when I am within half a mile of somebody smoking I can tell instantly



It's hard but it's worth it

Go to your doctor or dentist and get a prescription for Chantix. I worked in dentistry for years, and we prescribed this pretty regularly to our patients who wanted to quit smoking. It works very quickly (2-3 weeks for heavy smokers), because of the nature of the medicine it does have some bizarre side effects (most people had very vivid dreams, including nightmares and erotic dreams). Basically it blocks your nicotine receptors so that your body doesn't get satisfaction from cigarettes, and it has a high dose of anti-depressants. So you start to smoke, your body realizes it isn't doing anything and you just sort of lose interest in cigarettes, but you're happy, because of the anti-depressants. We had a 99% success rate with patients who were prescribed Chantix. *Note - I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice.

I quit smoking in September 2013 after a habit of nearly 40 years. I had wanted to quit for a long time and did quit a number of times, but never for long.

Then I lost my job.

All of my wonderful reasons to quit -- my family's pleadings, the health concerns -- all came together around money. I could no longer "financially" afford to smoke. I counted the cost and counted the savings. Enough.

And I quit anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes at a time. When a craving hit, I would take 3 slow deep breaths and repeat that until the craving passed. Those deep breaths were intentional to help me think about my lungs getting clearer each time I passed on having a cigarette.

You need to know that I loved smoking. Loved it. And I shed bitter tears on many days. I wished smoking was good for me, that there was a government program to give me cigarettes for free, and that people admired me for smoking ability.

I miss it from time to time...BUT, because I quit smoking I know that I can lose the rest of this weight. I have lost nearly 35 pounds in 108 days and I know that the remaining 70+ will also come off.

I quit smoking. I can do anything.

I am almost at one month nicotine free. I quit cold turkey because it seems to work best for me. This is the second time I've quit. I was very successful the first time and was free for 4 years. Then I made a stupid decision to start again. It has taken me 2 years to quit again. I think it comes down to really being ready.

Every time I have a craving, I remind myself of all the reasons I quit.

My daughter
my BF
not having a stroke while on birth control
better biking
not getting lung cancer
not rapidly aging
better teeth, breath, lips
not looking like a WT thug
14ers
money, money, money (what''s saved is better spent at the dispensary)
not freezing my *kitten* off in the winter, roasting in the summer
not stinking
pride (you have to give yourself credit for quitting. It's effing hard)

I also drink almost a entire bottle of water every time I crave. I've managed to not gain any weight this time.

Hang in there. You CAN quit. Like anything else, it takes strength. At 3 and 1/2 weeks, I barely have any cravings at all anymore.

ETA: I'm currently binge watching Mad Men. If you want to be totally grossed out by cigarettes, watch that show. I thought it would make me want one, but it's the opposite. I can't imagine how bad the 60's smelled.

Never smoked, but just want to say I am proud of every one of you for kicking the habit & sharing your stories.

I quit cold turkey 4 years ago. I found sucking on hard candy helped, kept my mouth busy. I must say though I only quit because my ex gave me an ultimatum. Only good thing the piece of crap did for me.

Honestly, I quit by not buying cigarettes. It is really easy to not smoke when you have nothing to smoke.

I am in the process also, I have tried many times in the past to quit and never made it longer than 6 weeks. The beginning of April I got myself a vapor pen and started on 18mg liquid, I am down to 3mg at this time and hoping to be done with it all very soon. The good thing about it is that I have not touched a cigarette since I got my vape and have not experienced any withdrawl symptoms at all (except the few days when I just think I want a real smoke) But everyone is different and quitting smoking is very hard. Just don't give up and don't quit quitting......If you slip up, forgive yourself and move forward......Now.....if there was only a way to give up on all the extra calories so easily life would be great!