Any Ex- Smokers on MFP? I need suggestions!!

I quit smoking 2.5 years ago with the help of Chantix. Mostly, it helped me because it made me sort of nauseous and the last thing I want to do is smoke when feeling gross like that. And after 12 weeks, well, you just don't need to smoke anymore. I still have some friends that smoke at poker night every week, and it does not make me crave smoking at all. In fact, now the smell is kind of gross - and I always loved the smell of smoking. Odd.

The longer you can stay away from cigarettes the easier it gets. Once all that garbage gets out of your system you won't think about it anymore. Just think like this, you weren't born with a cigarette in your hand and for most of your life you didn't smoke.

I was hopelessly addicted to them too, I would seriously considering walking barefoot in a snowstorm for a cigarette. Good luck you really can do it.

I am a recovering X smoker.....yes, I still sneak one! I am taking the prescription chantix, it seems to really be helping a lot. This may sound crazy but it does help me. I use cinnamon sticks. Yes, the spice. I bought a bottle of whole sticks and when I have an urge I pop one in my mouth, and just sort suck on the end. It's like a cigarette. You get to in hale and you get flavor. I think it satisfies that hand to mouth craving.

But if you really think about. When you smoke you are standing there taking deep breathes, just focusing on that silly cigarette. So for that 5 minutes or so that cigarette has all of your attention. Have you ever just thought about just taking 5 minutes and going somewhere calm and taking deep breaths and just focusing on breathing?.....I bet if you did you would feel a more relaxed calm state. It's all in reprogramming your brain, once you get past the nicotine addiction. Nicotine stays in your body for about three days. I have personally called the American Lung Association to ask this question! Best Wishes!!

Been 4 years for me and I still think about having a cigarette on occasion. Chew lots of sugar free gum. Develop a new habit for those stressful times or craving moments (like after a meal). Do anything except give in to the craving !!!

This August will be 17 years clean from cigs.....and I love it! Every time I craved I would find something to do and I also wrote down a list of all the negatives of smoking vs. all the positives of quitting and I would refer to those in my mind whenever I craved. It takes 21 days to make or break a habit.....after that it's all psychological. You can do this....just keeping concentrating on the positive aspects of it and get some carrots or sugar-free gum to chew. Good luck to you! :flowerforyou:

i quit smoking after 21 years last April 2nd 2010. it's hard that is for sure,,, one thing on the running, i was never a runner in my whole life could never do any kind of distance mostly because i couldnt breath,,, in January this year i started a program called c25k. "couch to 5k" i completed the 8 week program in about 15 weeks and i can now run 4 miles without stopping several times a week, you want to talk about stress reliever... it's amazing. you can feel free to friend me if you want some additional support.. you can do this you just have to take control.

I have stopped smoking more than three years now. Occasionally, in the first three - six months, I still had one occasionally. What I realized was the more I stayed away from it, the easier it became! Now I live in a house with two smokers and the scent of it disgusting to me now! I sometimes wonder how in the world I ever smoked!!

Oh... thinking about the severity of lung cancer and throat cancer scared the crap out of me... that also helped!!

I quit a little over 9 years...best thing I ever did, other than having my two children!
I drank alot of water, I used the nicotine lozenges, chewed gum, got up walked around and lots of deep breaths...reminding myself if I smoked again I may not be able to breath deeply like that for long!
Good luck and take it one day at a time, and there will come a day you won't think about them anymore.

It does get easier. I had to think(in times of stress) many many people deal with stress without lighting up, so why can't I? Well the answer is- I can! and I decided to. It did help to take myself away from the stress for a minute and deep breath as if I were actually going for a cigarette. I would then return after my deep breaths...lol...I would also do jumping jacks (25) because doing the jacks releases chemicals in the brain similar to the effects of nicotine(the stimulant then the relax).

Remember nicotine is out of your system after 3 days...after that, any craving you have for nicotine will only last 3 minutes at a time. If you can make it through those 3 minutes you're doing great. the cravings will eventually die down BUT if you give in and have a cigarette the entire process starts all over again...so if you do not give it up completely you are torturing yourself with the withdraw symptoms again and again...quit and make a choice never to light up again..ever..and you will find yourself a non smoker in no time.
I also used music...at the times when I would reward myself for a job well done or get my 5 minutes to relax...I used to light up...now I get out my headphones go to a quiet place and listen to my music for a few minutes...also add some good smells such as a favorite candle or air freshener...sit and enjoy the music without the stinky smoke.
I never used food to take away the edge and I have only gained one pound with the quit. I am on here to lose another 9 or 10 pounds I had gained over the past couple of years but because I was smoking I never had the breath to try to run or exercise enough to enjoy it and would always give up the exercise session to go have a cigarette break.

Make a commitment to quit completely...make up your mind to be a non smoker...remember there are millions of people who handle stress without cigarettes, there are millions of people who reward themselves for a job well done without a cigarette, there are millions of people who relax without a cigarette..and you can be one of them. Good luck.

I smoked 1 ½-2 packs a day for 8 years. I quit smoking "cold turkey" Nov 3, 2000. I haven't picked up a cigarette since. I still have the craving and if I smell a menthol, the cravings hit harder. I have chewed A LOT of gum and sucked on A LOT of peppermints over the years. When I get a coffee from Starbucks, I will have them add peppermint to most of my drinks. So those have been my replacements for my “menthol” cigarette addiction.

I smoked 1.5 to 2 packs a day for 15 years. My hubby & I quit almost 2 months ago using SmokeAway from http://smokeaway.com/. You only need to get the Premium Kit - no need to spend the extra money for the Premium Plus. Haven't had a SINGLE craving! However, I find that I'm now absolutely addicted to all things peppermint!!! I loved it before, but now I can't get enough! When I go to Starbucks I get a peppermint mocha, I chew peppermint gum, I drink peppermint tea everyday, I put organic peppermint extract in both my water & my coffee at home! I even bought a mini flask that holds an ounce of my organic peppermint extract & have it with me at all times to add to things when I'm out & about!

Good luck to you!


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Hi everyone!

I recently just joined mfp and I feel really good about this change! I downloaded the blackberry app, have been excercising daily, and I track everything I eat- both good and bad. I'm really enjoying doing this and already feel more upbeat and energetic and just overall more optimistic. However, I am an ex smoker (I quit March 13th of this year) and although I have already done really well, I still get angry or stressed and crave a cigarette and sometimes give in. Any tips on how to ignore these cravings and replace them with something healthy? I'd love to go for a run when I get stressed but sometimes that is not an option- and to be completely honest I can't run- or at least I've never gotten very far. I can't imagine that running down the block 3 houses will help relieve my stress!!! Any tips and/or support would be welcomed!

Don't replace the habit with anything that resembles smoking unless you want to wind up smoking again. That's my advice--I quit smoking over five-and-a-half years ago, and I did it cold turkey after smoking for 2 1/2-3 packs a day for over 26 years.

What you've accomplished thus far is amazing--be proud! What worked for me, more than anything, was a combination of icewater when a craving hits and changing how I view smoking. As soon as I was able to realize that a smoke wouldn't be a treat--it would be punishment--everything changed for me. Smoking causes the very cravings it creates, which is why one smoke makes you crave another. Instead of viewing folks smoking with envy, I realized that *my* life, my LACK of a smoke is what's enviable! I've rewarded myself with a longer, better, healthier life, and I am so glad.

What might help you? Knowing that the cravings DO go away. I haven't craved a cigarette in almost five years. My experience is that the first year is the hardest because we're relearning how to deal with things in our lives--happy things as well as not--without a cigarette. So for the first year things hit us like, "Wow, first time driving in a blizzard without a smoke" or "First Christmas without a smoke." View every one of these as a victory! When you learn how to deal with a situation without a smoke, you are winning and you're mastering new ways of coping!

You can so do this. Part of what helped me was remembring--really remembering--how awful smoking really felt. How tight and scratchy my throat felt, how I popped and clicked and wheezed when I breathed, how I had to sleep with the radio on to block out the sound of my own crackly breathing. I remembered the gasping with long walks and the pressure in my chest. And every day I reminded myself of the money saved and the LIFE saved. Do you have a quit meter? Silk Quit has one for free, and it's very motivating!

Feel free to message me any time--I'm happy to talk.

Kris