Need Advice!!!! People who quit something and succeeded

I have not personally quit a habit, but my husband quit dipping tobacco 3 1/2 years ago. He dipped for over 30 years. He promised me that he would quit when my son completed the firefighter academy and received his badge. (My husband has been a firefighter for 30 years.) He quit cold turkey. The first week or so he had flu like symptoms from detoxing. For awhile he used chewing gum as a distraction.

Good luck with quitting, I am sure it will be hard, but you can do it.

Yup. Nail biting was one of mine. I felt like an utter *kitten* biting my nails well into my 50’s.

I remember when mom used to put that awful bitter pepper stuff on my hands to make me stop. Did nothing except give me red eyes, lol.

I quit 2 packs a day 33 years ago.
I first decided on a date. I did not try to cut back, but I did these things:

1) I smoked as much as I wanted but I only bought one pack of cigarettes to make it inconvenient to leave the house to get them.
2)I always bought a different brand than "mine" just to kind of mess with my addiction.
3) I did not empty the ashtrays, so they were gross.

When I did quit, I drank a LOT of water. I ate too much and I did gain weight but have more or less lost it. I'd go with celery instead of Hagen Das ice cream bars as a substitute if I had to do it again.

springlering62 wrote: »

I had two bad habits, one actually inherited-my dad and both siblings had this particular habit.

Our yoga studio offered a course in mindfulness. She handed us a journal, asked us if there was a habit we wanted to break, and asked us to write about it every day. Why we did it, our feelings about it, what prompted it.

No joke. In less than two weeks both habits were broken and I haven’t done either in over eight years.

It was just the actually thinking about it made me actually think about it.

Seriously, the journal thing works! I've been through a few different versions but my favorite is a basic weekly planner where I plan my tasks AND my habits. Seeing them visually and taking a moment to reflect goes so far.

I quit smoking after about 10 years as a pack a day smoker. What got me was the annual November "Smoke Out" where you are supposed to stop smoking for 24 hours. I tried and couldn't do it. That made me mad. I decided I needed to be the one in control, not my craving for cigarettes. I quit, for good, the next day. Hardest part for me was the habits associated with smoking, like smoking when I was on the phone or with my first cup of coffee or coming out of a building. The cravings weren't that bad. I'd get the odd urge to light up, but nothing I couldn't resist. I use the same discipline when it comes to running. I may not be in the mood to run on some days, but I do it anyway, because I am the one in charge, not my laziness.

Just to say good luck, you can do this.

I quit smoking 30+ years ago. I used the patch and it took A LOT of effort. It was hard but WELL worth it. I smoked 2 pack a day and because I did not sleep well I was smoking at night. Smoking was harder to quit than sugar, coffee, McD's, and 20 other bad foods.

You hold the power to never smoke again. Never think "I can have just a puff" It does not work and you will have to fight again to gain your freedom.

I wish you the best.

I quit smoking cigarettes by letting myself smoke marijuana instead, as often or as much as I wanted to smoke. Worked like a charm

I smoked for many many years ... I ended up in the hospital with the flu that turned into pneumonia for 10 days back in 2019 ... I have not had a cigarette since ...You can do this ... May I suggest the book called https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155.. It helped me tremendously .... Good luck

I quit smoking 20 years ago as a birthday present to myself. I had been telling myself for ten years that I would quit by the time I was 30, and even though I had quit for extended periods before, during my basic training and pregnancy, I started again afterwards. I was actually successful when my goal date came around. Maybe setting that goal had partially psyched me for the final split. I used patches at first, but after I kept forgetting to apply them, I just went "cold turkey" and saved the money.

Here is something I think is very important to know: Don't expect to feel better right away. The first months are rather rough because on top of the cravings, your body begins to expel the toxins that have been building up the whole time that you were smoking (it was 11 years worth for me at the time). I felt run down and congested for 4-6 months, and I was in very good shape at the time since I was on active duty and worked out most days of the week. To help repair my system, I started to work out even harder, drink more water, and take vitamin supplements. I still gained some weight (15-20 lbs), but once I didn't have cravings for nicotine, I was able to lose the weight by focusing more on my diet. That first year was challenging, but the actual cravings went away fairly quickly.

After going through all of that, there was no way I would go back to smoking. I can't stand smelling it now, and I have no desire to have a puff.

Edit: I should also tell you that I still have dreams that I have had a smoke and wake up ashamed of myself until I realize it was just a dream. It's very weird, but maybe others have had the same thing.

I didn't quit smoking, but I did quit eating cookies, candy, cake, ice cream, anything like that. When I began I wanted to give that all up in part as a form of solidarity with my husband who was quitting smoking, but unfortunately he reverted, but I've still continued. As of tomorrow, It will be 5 years since I have had any sugary sweets. I was completely addicted to sweets and sugar and went through similar detoxing experiences that my husband had experienced quitting smoking. But the hardest part was the cravings. Out of nowhere I would get these cravings that my mind would nearly obsess over. I couldn't stop thinking about it, wanting something sweet, and I would get more and more agitated by continuing to tell myself no and not being able to stop thinking about it. I found out, if I said what I was thinking out loud, something like, "I really want some ice cream, chocolate with reese cups" and going on to describe exactly what I wanted, somehow just saying it literally outloud helped to "exorcise" the craving out of my train of thought and I was able to finally move on. I'm 5 years in and I still have tough days.