The struggle to quit smoking

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Replies

  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    edited August 2016
    I quit in 1979 after smoking a pipe and cigars for about 15 years. Smoking has a lot of ritualistic aspects surrounding it: associations with food, sex, times of the day. I found I needed to suck on bitter licorice (the Dutch kind with salt in it) -- the oral stimulation helped with the cravings. When I quit drinking in 1993, I craved ice cream and ate about a pint a day (which was not good for the waistline).

    If smoking has been your five minutes of peace break, you may need to find something else to replace it. Try five minutes of mindfulness instead:

    http://www.pocketmindfulness.com/6-mindfulness-exercises-you-can-try-today/
  • mary25osman
    mary25osman Posts: 7 Member
    Try not only rely on the vape too much. If you can, try doing something else, like listening to a song you really like with your headphones on. Keep going. :)
  • faramelee
    faramelee Posts: 163 Member
    I smoked for 27 years and if you'd have asked any of my friends or family they would have told you that I'd never quit. I would use the 'stress' excuse but when you look into it you'll see that smoking actually enhances stress - not eliminates it. If you need that 5 minute break find something you enjoy doing/reading/playing and do that instead.
    Allen Carrs Easyway to Stop Smoking was my support, I swear by it, it really did work for me and I didn't feel like I was going without. I've been smoke free for 3 years on the 2nd September and to be honest I sometimes look back and wondered how I smoked....

    Best of luck to you! :)
  • spells1977
    spells1977 Posts: 146 Member
    I smoked 40 a day for about 15 years but managed to give up 4.5 years ago. I used the patches as I wanted to come off the nicotine gradually. It is truly the best thing I have ever done. I was initially worried as I was already really overweight and didn't want to get bigger by giving up smoking and substituting cigarettes with food so I gave up everything at the same time! I found this amazing site and started to log everything, I gave up drinking caffeine (for health reasons), gave up smoking and joined a gym. It was extremely hard but found it easier to give up smoking as I was concentrating on other things. I also took up doing jigsaw puzzles in the evenings lol as this took my mind off eating junk food and smoking. Oh yes one other thing i made myself do was force myself into situations that i associated with smoking. e.g I made sure that on day two of quitting I went to the pub and had a few drinks etc. I wanted to make sure I didn't end up avoiding places or situations that went hand in hand with smoking. I went home and cried myself to sleep but I did it. I managed to drink alcohol in a pub and not smoke :)
    Good luck to everyone trying to quit. It's hard but worth it.... :)
  • jadefitnow
    jadefitnow Posts: 47 Member
    I smoked for close to 40 years off and on (from the time I was 15); I would quit and start, sneak and start, hate myself, gain and lose weight and totally beat myself up. Nicotine was the center of my personal support system. Every time I'd quit, I'd miss it completely and eventually go back. Any excuse, I'd fall back into the habit. It's 6 1/2 years since the last time I quit and this time I don't even think about it. The difference? I have no idea, except that I stopped thinking of myself as a smoker and decided in my head that it wasn't happening again. I also joined an online chat room called "Quitnet" for support- any time I craved, I'd go there with other people who were looking to do the same thing. It was extremely helpful to find support any time day or night that I needed it- people from all over the world were in there. I've never looked back- I am now training now to do a triathlon; still have 15 lbs to lose (my other nemesis), but am in better shape than I ever was in my life. GOOD LUCK- YOU CAN QUIT! Its the best gift you can give yourself!
  • MarlowJo13
    MarlowJo13 Posts: 43 Member
    I smoked for about 10 years and have now quit since May. I used a e-cigarette to quit. I used it with the lowest nicotine level I could find for a week and haven't touched either since. Good luck with quitting! Add me if your like for support!
  • aneedforchange
    aneedforchange Posts: 75 Member
    I attempted to quit at least 10 times before it stuck but when it comes down to it you have to really want it ..for you and no one else and when you are in that mindset nothing will stop you.
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