Quitting Smoking

I am a smoker. I did quit once and lasted 10 years. I know that was dumb to start again. Anyway the biggest thing is that you have to really want to quit. When I did I quit cold turkey. Wanting to is the biggest thing

I quit smoking 18 months ago after smoking for 7 years. I honestly never thought I would quit. It is such an amazing feeling to finally be free of those evil coffin nails.
I owe it all to my smoking cessation support group:
http://quitsmoking.about.com
It is very important to educate yourself, read all of the articles and join a quit group, keep in touch with them regularly! Every day! Take the NOPE pledge (Not One Puff Ever) every single day.
Good info also at:
http://www.whyquit.com
The hardest times are: 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months. Expect to feel severely tempted. I had my last big temptation 6 months in and then I was free. Usually people feel more free at 6 months, but it takes a year to truly stop thinking of it. But don't look at it as "I have to stay quit for EVER". Take it one day at a time, try to focus on not smoking for that day, hour, minute. One thing I told myself when I started was "If I still want a cigarette tomorrow I will get one, let me just finish this day" or "I smoked for 7 years, now I have to stay quit for 7 years".
Combat cravings: ICE WATER. It helps 99% of quitters! Feel a craving? Drink lots of ice water, and remember, the craving will pass in 5 minutes or so, whether or not you decide to smoke. Don't view quitting as a sacrifice, smoking is silly and you shouldn't view it as giving up a pleasure.
I could go on for hours about this! Read those sites and join a support group, I highly recommend it!

I quit after my third attempt. Because of each of the attempts the amount of cigs I smoked reduced. For example, I quit smoking for maybe a week, started again but kept it down to 5, quit again, restarted but only on three. Then I made the effort to reduce that to 2, then 1, then none. I still slip up from time to time, maybe once or twice a month I'll have a cigarette with wine. But other than that I've been smoke free for over 6 months. It's a slower process, but it worked for me!

Hello Everyone,

I am attempting to quit smoking but every time I try I give in to the addiction so quickly and buy another pack. Does anybody have experience with quitting smoking, any ideas. Thank you in advance for your help.

: )
Desiree Biggs

The first step is that you REALLY REALLY REALLY want to quit for the right reasons. If you have ANY hesitation or excuse, then you won't quit. From there it's easier.
I made a vow to my wife that when she got pregnant I would quit. When she told me we were, she gave me a month to get it out of my system. That gave me time to mentally prep for it. A set day made it seem important. Then when it came, I quit cold turkey. Haven't touched one since.

How about if every time you crave a cigarette you do something else instead, like go for a walk or run. I have heard this works for some people. I quit smoking when I was 25, and I am not going to lie it was hard. Sometimes I still have cravings, it is so addictive. But it can be done and tons of people do it all the time. You can too! I tried wellbutrin, but I don't think that really had an impact. The social aspect was what made it even harder for me to quit. Going outside on smoke breaks at school with my friends, or the smoking break room at work (Before it was illegal lol). It was a very social activity for me. Try changing your routine. If you are used to having a cigarette at a certain time or after a certain activity, try filling it in with something else....

I don't smoke, but I believe smoking is like other addictions (Alcohol, Narcotics, Food), you have to decide that your life is better without the addiction before you can stop. No one can make you stop if you don't have the will. Good luck - I hope you make the best decision and follow through.

i tried the chantix way and it does help BUT i am in that group that should not use chantix ...sure i quit smoking but one week i was moody the next week i was grumpy at everyone and by months end i was really quite hostile.... if you take any kind of depression meds do not take this drug... it does worsen everything... im walking proof of that.. sure i quit smoking but it was at a cost... as the insurance didnt cover it and i almost drove my husband crazy with my crazy way of thinking while taking the drug....

i am now smoking about a cigarette or two a day and just cutting down from that.... good luck

Hi there,

I smoked for 30 years and quitting was the hardest thing I ever did. I tried, truthfully hundreds of times. 7 1/2 years ago, I did the same thing, quit for the who knows how manyeth time. This time, I found a website called Quitnet. Its similar to this website, but, its for people who want to quit smoking. That site, literally saved my life. Ive been cigarette and nicotine free for 7 years. I had tried other quit smoking websites, some who scorned nicotine replacement, but, the gum, the patch and Quitnet and the people were the major things that worked, for me. Also, drank lots of water (no ice water, made me feel too cold) , with lemon, and a straw (chewed on that too) . Also found in the spice section of the grocery store some cinnamon sticks also chewed on them (calorie free)

Check them out., lots of good information and the best, thing lots of good people.

www.quitnet.com

Good luck

I completely agree, you have to WANT to give up!! I decided last November that I was giving up on the 4th January 2011 and replaced smoking with a beginners running group. I haven't touched a cigarette since. You need to want to give up and have something in place to be a new beginning. I hope you find something that helps you.

I quit smoking after 30 YEARS ---12 years ago. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I used the patch and gum at the same time, as well as hypnosis, relaxation breathing

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all at once.

If you take a deep breath----blow it out--a few times--it will help the urge pass.

I have quit more times than I care to think about! I took wellbutrin (same as chantix pretty much) and it did AMAZING things for me. It just like cut the string in my head that pulls every time something would usually trigger a craving. I also took a month off from drinking which was so important since that is my #1 trigger. I went cold turkey this time. I quit in February and slipped up a bit when I was in Europe (maybe had 5 cigs in 2 weeks) but haven't had any since. Best part is I actually dropped a LOT of weight when I quit. Smoking kills more people than obesity. I wish you the best of luck!!

I quit the day I got pregnant. I hate smoke now. HATE it.

I did crave it and dream about it while I was pregnant though. Now and again I will get really stressed and think "Man, I could smoke one" then I remember that if I do it ONCE I will be right back where I am.

Edited to add... I found out I was pregnant on Columbus Day 2008!! So I guess it's been 3 years exactly. Not that I pay much attention or even really think about it all that much. It's mostly just something I did that I don't do anymore.