I NEED TO QUIT SMOKING

Although I cannot give any advice about chantix or smoking, I wanted to say good luck to you. I know its hard but the health benefits are your reward I have moderate asthma due to second hand smoke and my mother and father both died from lung cancer. Hope you find some great advice from someone who's been on chantix. YOU CAN DO IT :flowerforyou:

i quit smoking saturday. I did it with the electronic cigarette. I need that motion and yes, a little nicotine. I would like to wean myself gradually down to 0 nicotine, but for now I'm gonna be at medium for a while.
Vaping seems to be working well for me!
Best of luck to you!

Don't get too discouraged - keep trying because I think each time you try, you learn more about it. I finally quit by reading Allan Carr's book. The original is called Easyway to Stop Smoking, and I read the later and expanded version, The Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently. It worked for me (smoke-free 9 years now and no regrets), and I actually really enjoyed the experience, but everyone is different, so if something doesn't work, just try again a bit later.

my husband, mom, and dad quit with chantex, but I would research it before you jump in! My husband couldn't take the full dose because it made it hard to sleep and he had very weird vivid dreams. It seems to be similar to some anti depressants. It works, but like most drugs there are side effects.

I have tried several times to quit smoking with no luck. I've tried cold turkey, patch, gum and just cant stay quit!!!! I've heard chantix works but im afraid it will make me crazy, I've heard horror stories too. What has worked for you?

Allen Carr's book helped me quit June 16th of 2008. it's called "the easy way to stop smoking." best $15 i ever spent. i tried and failed to quit twice previously, and thought that i was doomed to a pack a day for the rest of my life.

a few of my friends quit successfully with this book, and i finally caved in and bought it. it worked.

I also can't tell you anything about Chantix, but I can tell you one or two things about quitting smoking.
1.It's HARD
2. It SUCKS
3 It's probably the single MOST IMPORTANT THING you'll ever do for yourself.
How do i know these things you ask? I am a former smoker (16 months free) I feel better, I am breathing better, I have more stamina, My clothes don't smell... the list goes on and on.
I personally used lozeges and will power and some tense moments with those around me. I banished anything that had to do with cigarettes from my house (yes, I even make my s/o go outside to smoke). It is hard work, and i still do get the occasional urge, but I am able to fight it off knowing that just one is NOT ok, because it'll lead me right down the path again. Oh, one more piece of wisdom, You will quit when YOU are ready, not when others try to force you into it. I know you can do it when you're ready. Best of luck.

I quit cold turkey the first of the year. I had wanted to use some kind of aid but couldn't afford it, so, cold turkey it was.

I started about a month in advance by cutting down. I cut out the morning cig first. Then I stopped smoking in the car. I gradually cut out a cigarette here and there until I was only smoking about 3-4 a day, then I just stopped. I felt like I was losing my mind for the first week. So I decided that I wasn't going to worry myself with nutrition and I didn't keep my food diary for 2-3 weeks, until the stressful part of quitting was over.

25 days since I quit and I feel GREAT. It doesn't smell good to me anymore, I can run longer and farther, my face doesn't get all beet red when I exercise... I still struggle sometimes, but not every day anymore. The best part - every week I put $20 in an envelope and I'm saving it for a new waredrobe when I finally reach my goal weight :bigsmile:

And here's the miserable part.
Your hunger will BURN for a month after that first week. Just BURN!

I must respectfully disagree with this statement, and it's statements like this that can set up a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm on day 15, and I was somewhat hungrier for the first few days (hungry may not even be the right word - during the nicotine withdrawal stage it may be more of a nervous need to fill the void), but my appetite went back to normal soon after. I made a serious commitment to regular exercise, which may help, but again, everyone is different, and what was true for you may not be true for another, so why set up negative expectations for them?

I may not have any amazing suggestions for how to quit but what I can say is when you finally do, all the suffering will have been totally worth it!! I quit smoking 3 years ago and it was literally the best thing that has ever happened to me. I probably smoked about a pack a day when I finally decided to kick the habit. I had tried the gum, and while it was tasty, it was no substitute. I was only able to quit when I came down with the worst flu of my life that had rendered me incapable of enjoying a cigarette for four days. I had decided that since I had already gotten over the three day "hump," that I would take it from there. (The "hump" theory is true!!!) Since then, I have felt healthier, more energetic, and I don't feel like I smell. My skin tone is more even and healthy looking, my teeth are whiter, and I'm actually a happier person. Quit smoking!! When you do, you will feel and look amazing!

I'm really pulling for you! And feel free to add me if you'd like some encouragement along the way!
Good Luck!!!

I quit using Chantix. In fact my one year anniversary is coming up on Feb 7th!!

You have to go see a doctor to get the prescription. Your doctor will be able to let you know if you are able to take it and what signs to look for. You won't just turn crazy overnight! If any side effects show up, your doctor will tell you to stop taking them.

Both my husband and I used Chantix with no problem. I highly recommend it over any other way to quit.

I quit several times - both with the patch and cold turkey. My longest quit was about 3 years, and every time I fell off the wagon it was because I was stressed out and "didn't care" anymore, and before I knew it I was puffing like a chimney again. I was my own worst enemy.

In the end what worked for me was a healthy dose of reality - being in the hospital with pneumonia and having the doctor tell me literally "QUIT OR DIE". Not being able to breathe can be enlightening and while that may sound snarky or funny, it's also true, because up until that time having ill effects from smoking was something that happened to "other people", not me. You never think it will be you, you know?

I quit September 11, 2010. This time cold turkey simply because I had developed an allergy to the patch & Chantix wasn't practical for me. And this time I absolutely know I will never smoke again, because some simple but powerful truths finally sunk in for me.

First, the manner in which you quit doesn't really matter. What I mean is, different people do better with different methods. What worked for others might not work for you and vice versa. What does matter is that you never smoke again. SMOKING IS NOT AN OPTION, and I had heard that before but until I really internalized it and coupled it with "QUIT OR DIE", it didn't sink in. Yes, there are some few people who smoke all their lives and live to be 90 but the odds are against you.

A very wise man once told me when I was going through withdrawal and terrible cravings, "You aren't going through all of this because you quit. You're going through it BECAUSE YOU SMOKED!" And wow that had an effect! If you never smoked, you wouldn't be in this fix! Remember that, because some quitters romance the past and say things like "oh I miss my old friend, smoking". Pshaw, smoking was NEVER your friend!

And finally, get support. Go to www.quitnet.com - thousands of members are there to help you and they know exactly what you're going through. I could never have done it alone! I had a supportive family, supportive friends, but QuitNet made the difference for me because they were going through the same thing I was. They will give you not only support but practical advice to quit and stay quit.

You CAN do it! Make the commitment & go for it!

Write me any time, I'm happy to offer my support as well!

Cheers,
Tammy

501 days, 11 hours, 49 minutes and 6 seconds smoke free.
20060 cigarettes not smoked.
$4,839.66 and 5 months, 3 days, 5 hours of your life saved.
Your quit date: 9/11/2010 1:30:00 AM

I've successfully quit smoking twice. The first time for almost a year, the second time, 3 1/2 years and counting (yay me!!). The first time I quit using the patch and self determination. I started again almost a year later because of extreme stress. The last time I quit, I again used the patch, and supplemented it with nicotine gum on days I found it necessary to do so. I also had alot of self determination this 2nd time around, but what ultimately gave me the drive to quit was that a family member had fallen ill with emphysema and after doing my own research on the disease, I was very afraid because I was already headed down that path. This last time I was also able to quit smoking despite being right in the center of a very serious family crisis and being severely depressed. Perhaps I was successful because I was finally doing something for me. Nicotine replacement therapy worked very well for me, but ultimately, it was my personal desire to quit that saved me. I have grandchildren yet to meet in this lifetime.

YOU CAN DO IT,BELEIVE IN YOURSELF !! iF YOU ARE AROUND OTHER PEOPLE THAT SMOKE ,STAY AWAY FROM THEM.THAT IS LIKE TRYING NOT TO DRINK AND YOU GO TO THE BAR. TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME.YES CHANTIX DOES WORK,IT TOOK ME 2 TRIES.I QUITE FOR 5 YEARS,THEN CHANGED JOBS AND THE GIRL I WAS AROUND SMOKED THE SAME BRAND I DID !!! GUESS WHAT I DID STARTED TO SMOKE AGAIN.NOT BLAIMING ANYONE EXCEPT ME.I went through thr loss of my husband and didnt smoke so IAM SAYING YOU CAN DO IT ...MY BOYFRIEND OF 7 YEARS AND I DECEIDED TO QUITE ,ITS BEEN 3 YEARS NOW,WE ARE SOOOOO PROUD,,,.SUCK ON TOOSTIE ROLL POPS.LEMON DROPS.SUGAR FREE CANDY.We are here for you

Good luck on quitting smoking! I am also scared of Chantix, not just from reading materials, but from those I know personally. The biggest issue I hear is problems with sleep and already have some of those issues, so no for me. Therefore, I'm choosing the route that Bysshe choose and just ordered a e-cigerette and I figured I would go with using those until I'm around my goal weight, then work on lowering the nicotine. Many medical doctors will not comment on the long term effects of e-cigs as it is unknown, but they do indicate it should be better for you as you go from 4000 chemicals (many very nasty) to 2.

To try to quit smoking and lose weight would seem to much for me at one time, but more power to anyone who can do both at the same time.

I had tried quitting several times as well using the methods that you listed.
What finally worked for me, and I believe the only thing that will ever truly work.... decide that you WANT to quit, and then just DO IT!

To me, trying to quit smoking using patches, gum, etc. is like trying to lose weight using pills, 48 hour drinks etc.