Trying to quit smoking

My mom drank tons of water and siad that helped.
Or try lazer treatments I heard that helps to.

My heart goes out to you - I just quit two months ago. Unfortunately, I have no advice to give to you. I quit because I really wanted to quit and that was all the difference. Other than that, I just say no.

I'm sorry. I want to help - but I struggle every day too. I try to think about what I used to feel like in the mornings and remember that I'm running 8-10 miles a day now and I can't have both. For some reason, the exercise has helped the most.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

The patch worked for me. I am smoke free for 18 months today... It is hard, but it does get easier. I was so excited to wake up and find that it wasn't my first thought anymore. Just hang in there, everyday gets better.

if you go cold turkey and are successful, it has been said that you could gain 75 pounds and still be healthier than if you continue to smoke....that isnt being healthy to gain 75....but dont let overeating stop you from quitting...quit....then start working on the food issue

I quit 2 years ago using Chantix - a prescription i got from my doc. It was great for me!

Other helpers:

Drink through a straw - a lot of smoking is the oral craving - straws help.
Every time you crave - fill it with something else - a ten minute walk, jumping jacks, sit up very straight and take deep relaxing breaths (just like inhaling off a cigarette) - just don't reach for the pack.
If you are weaning - set a designated (rather uncomfortable) smoking place - like only in the corner of your back yard or in your garage - but start early breaking your smoking patterns - like when you're in the car or on the phone or whenever it is that you tend to automatically reach for a smoke - don't allow yourself to smoke while doing those things -

just some things that helped me.

BTW, no matter the struggle, I promise you will be so damn proud of yourself for sticking with it that it will all have been worth it. Don't give up!!!! Every week gets a little easier and before you know it you are a NON-smoker and it feels soooooo good!!!

Yayyy for you for reaching out!!!

chantex here too. two years ago last week......both DH and i

GOOD LUCK!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

I teach sports med to high school kids and I get so freaking mad when I see them leave campus for lunch. The first thing they do is light up a cigarette. Totally blows me away.:mad:

I watched my Grandma die at age 63 from Lung Cancer and Emphysema when I was 12 and that was enough for me to NEVER touch them. YUCK!!:grumble:

irononic...I have friends who chug the diet coke and I feel the same way you feel about the kids smokin....bet those kids feel the same way about the smokes as you feel about the soda....I guess it is all relative...we fool ourselves that we are different,,,it wont happen to us....we will quit before then bad stuff happens.....oh well

Pretty sure that drinking a Diet Coke isn't going to kill me.

I watched my grandma die as a direct result from her smoking pack after pack every day.

I don't appreciate your snarky remark. :noway: Very insensitive.

wow..it was truly not meant that way..I was being genuine...wow..sorry

Pretty sure that drinking a Diet Coke isn't going to kill me.

I watched my grandma die as a direct result from her smoking pack after pack every day.

I don't appreciate your snarky remark. :noway: Very insensitive.

wow..it was truly not meant that way..I was being genuine...wow..sorry

How is that genuine??? Comparing Diet Coke to cigarettes???

Cigarettes are so dangerous and high school kids just light up because they think it's cool or because their friends are doing it. It kills something like 5 MILLION people a year!!

sorry, I thought you said that coke is all you drink and you dont drink water....peace and out

I quit before coming here.

What helped me was having a plan. I started by cutting back slowly untill i was down to 1-2 a day. I also bought a bunch of lollipops ( those big bags of dum dums are great) gum, chewy candies and hard candies. I also made sure I had coca in the house so i could make hot chocolate. Having tea or a water bottle on hand also helped.

As I was slowly cutting back on cigs I would tell myself how horrible it was and i focused on the smell and the bad taste. As I smoked I told myself how I hated smoking and it was disgusting. Its funny but by the time I was down to a few a day i couldnt even finish one. I would have the craving so light up but not be able to fininsh. I stayed there for a few weeks continuing the self talk and then I just stopped completly.

I didnt pressure myself becuase whenever I do that with anything I get bad bad cravings and I rebel against it. So I just told myself I can smoke if I want but then I spent all my energy and self talk convincing myself that I didnt want to smoke lol.

There are also some websites that have support forums and stuff. I didnt use them but I have seem them and Im sure it helps just like MFP is helping us.

"If you are not mentally ready to quit you need get there first - you can try everything out there from patches to pill but if you are not mentally ready you will, without knowing it, sabatoage your effort.

Quitting is part mental, part habit and part nicotine. It's rough but take it one day at a time. Find a program that has a support system and keep sugar free candy and lollipops on hand. Also buy a few note pads so you can doodle because keeping your hands busy is also part of the process."




I totally agree. You have to be ready mentally FIRST. I quit 6 years ago on March 10th. It wasn't, okay I'm going to quit tomorrow. I thought about it for awhile and then went to my doctor. She gave me Zyban (Generic: Wellbutrin). I got my prescription and set a date about a month away. I started taking it about 2 weeks beforehand. I bought all the hard candy, lollipops, and mints I could want and filled a gallon sized bag. I also got the nicotine patch. I was very determined not to gain a bunch of weight and Zyban helps with that. It gives a bit of energy. I was ready. For me, the mints were a lifesaver. Also, to keep my hands busy, I kept a small cross stitch in my purse or on the counter. I actually ended up losing about 25 pounds. My brother, who is a doctor, laughed when I told him. He told me it would come back and it did about 7 months later, but that was okay.

My parents, who are 60 & 61 yo, just quit this last November with Chantix. They took it for about 6 weeks and were able to stop taking it. My mom will take it when a really strong craving comes about, but I am so proud of them. They have smoked for 45 years+. They have both gained weight, but I think part of that is that they quit at the beginning of winter and winter hasn't left northern michigan yet. I guess the only warning I would have about Chantix is that some people can get weird dreams. My mom swore that she saw sparkly things coming out of her ears one night, lol.

I wish you all the luck in the world. It is hard. I would suggest that you quit smoking first before you try to lose any major amount of weight. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to eat healthy, but I do believe that you can set yourself up for failure if you are trying to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time. They both take a lot of mental energy. There are many right ways to quit. Everyone is different. Talk to your doctor.

Be good to yourself!!!