What did you use to quit?
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celesteholt1971
Posts: 6
Personally, I knew that this time had to be THE time. I wanted to really tackle it from every angle I could. My health was in question (all is fine now) and with my family history...well, you know the drill. One of my biggest fears was weight gain, as is with most everyone else in the world.
However, here I am, 45 days later. Smoke free, craving free and smiling more than I ever had. I have energy to spare, which is quite a treat to a 43 year old lady!!
I read Allen Carrs book, The Easyway to Quit Smoking. He puts things into such a great perspective. I also called my doctor and got a prescription for Zyban. AND once the pills kicked in the cigarettes started to taste bad. That was timed perfectly with finishing Allen's book. And the very next day I was hypnotized.
I think timing is everything. And you MUST have a determination to quit!! I love being able to breathe, walk and go to the gym. I jump out of bed in the morning. I don't take afternoon naps anymore. I feel wonderful.
I have not, however, lost any weight. I joined MFP to lose weight. What I am finding is that I am just holding it steady. So,, I supposed if I can quit smoking and not GAIN weight, I am doing okay.
What did you do to quit?
However, here I am, 45 days later. Smoke free, craving free and smiling more than I ever had. I have energy to spare, which is quite a treat to a 43 year old lady!!
I read Allen Carrs book, The Easyway to Quit Smoking. He puts things into such a great perspective. I also called my doctor and got a prescription for Zyban. AND once the pills kicked in the cigarettes started to taste bad. That was timed perfectly with finishing Allen's book. And the very next day I was hypnotized.
I think timing is everything. And you MUST have a determination to quit!! I love being able to breathe, walk and go to the gym. I jump out of bed in the morning. I don't take afternoon naps anymore. I feel wonderful.
I have not, however, lost any weight. I joined MFP to lose weight. What I am finding is that I am just holding it steady. So,, I supposed if I can quit smoking and not GAIN weight, I am doing okay.
What did you do to quit?
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Replies
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Mr. Carr all the way! Also not drinking alcohol for a while! I, too, was ready to be a non-smoker. Glad I am!0
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Mr. Carr all the way! Also not drinking alcohol for a while! I, too, was ready to be a non-smoker. Glad I am!
I've already cut out beer. I don't like having a sweet drink (vodka & cranberry) and smoking. It makes the cigarette taste gross so I'm going to stick to that and hopefully lose this beer belly while I'm at it!!
ETA: And vodka/juice is WAYYY too many calories so that's not something I want to do all the time either, so this is what I'm doing to get on the track to just having the occasional drink with friends instead of a few times per week...0 -
The first time I used Allen Carr's EasyWay, which worked wonderfully for 3 years... Until I relapsed. I did only smoke for one month, however and knew I was going to quit, for good. This time I used 1) great timing, 2) willpower.
I strongly believe that one does not need any substitute. In fact, quitting is so easy, it's almost funny. The tricky thing is to never slip thereafter and not let *just this one* cigarette drag you inevitably back down. It'll remain an ongoing battle, but every day we manage to be the strong ones who say NO, it's a battle we'll win in the end.
"What do you say to the God of Nicotine?"
"Not today."0 -
Well put!0
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The first time I used Allen Carr's EasyWay, which worked wonderfully for 3 years... Until I relapsed. I did only smoke for one month, however and knew I was going to quit, for good. This time I used 1) great timing, 2) willpower.
I strongly believe that one does not need any substitute. In fact, quitting is so easy, it's almost funny. The tricky thing is to never slip thereafter and not let *just this one* cigarette drag you inevitably back down. It'll remain an ongoing battle, but every day we manage to be the strong ones who say NO, it's a battle we'll win in the end.
"What do you say to the God of Nicotine?"
"Not today."
Love this whole thing!0 -
Do not believe in self help books but Allen Carr all the way!! That book changed my mindset and 1 1/2 years later do not want to smoke at all.
Once you have said goodbye to your last ciggy forever keep remembering N>O>P>E
NOT
ONE
PUFF
EVER
Best decision ever, thinking about quitting was much harder than actually doing it and I can honestly say its not missed.0 -
THIS! So true.Best decision ever, thinking about quitting was much harder than actually doing it and I can honestly say its not missed.0 -
Add my yeah to that.0
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I am again quitting, today is day 7. I've quit a dozen times and always fall back into it. I use the patch and have no cravings! I get cocky and think I can have just one here and there, and I always spiral back into smoking. No more.0
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I am on day 1,117.. I used chantix, read Allen Carrs books, went onto whyquit.com and read the stories, drank fruit juice every two hours for first two weeks to help with blood sugar levels, prayed and talked to folks on here.. I even went to nocotine anonymous meetings online..0
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I want to quit! Just don't know how to get started. I've smoked for 43 yrs! UGH! I hate it! I always smoke outside because I don't want to smell up my house. It's a shameful habit and I am riddled with guilt. My problem is this.....I am good at quitting but I am better at starting over and over and over again! Help!0
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I don't know if this is good advice or not, but I haven't touched a cigarette since the end of June. I started vaping instead. I have done a good deal of research on vaping, and I've concluded that it is likely, (key word, "Likely") that it is far better than smoking.
Should I vape forever? Probably not. BUT, I have decreased my nicotine usage from 12 mg per juice to 3 mg (and sometimes 0 mg) per juice, and I believe I can do more during the day without thinking about it. Switching to vaping was far easier for me than the patch, gum, and pills, AND I believe that I have more control over whether or not I vape than I did with cigarettes.
PROS of vaping:
1. A lot of studies have confirmed that second hand vaping is nearly a non concern to others (though we don't know about allergies, and certainly, we should always be mindful of others in our vicinity).
2. You don't stink when you vape. It smells good when you do it and it leaves very little to no residual smell.
3. You can select which level of nictotine you want, making it easier to control your addiction.
4. There's a wide selection of vape flavors to keep you enjoying your new vice
5. Several studies suggest vaping is far healtheier than smoking cigarettes (no tar, no combustables, fewer toxins)
6. Lung capacity DOES improve when vaping as compared to smoking.
7. If you know people who smoke and find that it's really hard not to pick up smoking when around them, vaping can help with that urge.
Cons of vaping:
2. The verdict isn't fully out on the potential healh effects. If you choose to vape to ween off of smoking, it's probably a good idea to do so with the notion of quitting all together at some point.
3. The industry is not regulated. A few years ago, a British reporter sent several vape juices to a lap to test for potentially hazardous inhalents and found one flavor, the butterscotch, to have a chemical which was safe to eat but not safe to inhale (the same inhalant found to cause popcorn-lung. People know about this chemical now, but the e-juices are NOT checked. The ingredients are simple: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine, and flavoring. It's the flavoring that could cause the problems as the other ingredients have been studied as inhalents and there are no checks to e-juice producers. We won't know, really, which flavors they are using to make their e-juices.
4. Vaping is a new vice. It's not the healthiest thing to do for yourself. Quitting all inhaling of anything is best.
5. Vaping is not necessarily less expensive than smoking.
In general, if you have a really hard quitting, vaping could be a viable way to get off of cigarettes, but procede with caution.0 -
I used fear of death to stop.
7 years ago, I was admitted unconscious to the Acute Care ward at hospital because my respiratory system had shut down. I woke up 48 hours later to the news that I had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder-COPD for short. I had tubes in my stomach, nose and throat pumping in oxygen and cleaning out my lungs. The gunge coming out was just like the black tar on roads. The chest consultant advised me that I had 12 months to live unless I stopped smoking, 7-9 if I did stop and had a load of luck.
I was already lower limb disabled so conventional exercise was problematical. Copd was meant that any exercise is a major issue. I have destroyed 73% of my lung function and unless I do cardio exercises, I risk losing more. I have to have Steroids daily (inhaled) inhale a broncodilating powder to keep my airways open to max out their efficiency for 24 hours and use a Ventolin inhaler for shortb term respite. The Copd attacks the immune system and usually death is caused by pneumonia rather than copd. I have had pneumonia 18 times and been hospitalised 7. My metabolic rate has been compromised through smoking and I put on, aided by the steroids, 6 stone in 6 months. My thyroid has now almost collapsed so take thyroxine tablets daily & the dosage is getting stronger annually. I have developed type 2 diabetes as a result of my weight and this in turn has caused circulation issues in my legs with the development of cellulitis on a regular basis. At the time of writing, I am managing leg ulcers on both legs & have psoriasis on the legs. My triglyseride count is high for which I take medication. I take statins because of the increased risk of heart attack & stroke for diabetics. So I'm in a situation where I have to lose weight but low thyroid and steroids work against it. I have to get my blood glucose down to keep diabetes under control but at least two of the meds I take increase the count. ALL OF THIS, ALL OF IT, can be traced back directly or indirectly to smoking. I don't want sympathy because I recognise this was my fault. I was stupid enough to smoke, despite warnings, and evrything is down to me. There are no excuses-remember that smokers-. It's selfish to smoke making oneself stink like an ash tray without bothering to consider ones spouse with whom you expect to share intimacy. You stink and it's a sex killer. It's selfish also because I will be dead long before I should be thus depriving my sons of their father and my grandsons of their grandpa ahead of time. ALL BECAUSE OF SMOKING. Give up or die young.0
