Ex-smokers! I need some advice to help me quit

I used to smoke a pack a day. Anytime I wanted to quit I would go hardcore and just break. - Here is what I did to make it work and I still do this every now and then I feel a twinge of wanting a ciggie. - I have been smoke free for 5 months now. Any time I want to smoke. I just tell myself not right now, later. Just kept saying not right now, not right now. If I wanted one I would have one - only one at night. - But sometimes I would say not right now at night too. . .pretty soon I was not wanting them at all. Try doing this for 3 weeks. just saying not right now.

You know they will always be around -easy to get a hold of - just a short drive away from a fresh pack - you just don't want to have one RIGHT NOW! LOL

I know its odd- its just what worked for me.
Now I am 5 months out from smoking and I feel great. I can smell everything so much better, I never reek of ciggies. My cardio is awesome. - My skin is better. There are so many pluses! !!! Hang in there!

I tried quitting so many times! I tried the gum, lozenges, and the patch! None of it really helped me. I finally tried a prescription called Chantix, this was my miracle!!! It worked so well for me! I took the medicine and continued smoking while on it for over a month, and then one day I just realized that I didn't like smoking anymore, and i was just doing it to do it. So that day I decided I would try and quit, I have not smoked since and it will be 2 years on April 19th! It is the only thing that helped me finally quit. Good luck to you! I know how hard quitting is!:flowerforyou:

how about its a gross habit, yuk, what are you thinking?? JK, smoked for 18 years, loved everyone, wish i could still smoke but can't even get near a ciggy without gaging!!!! i can smell a person smoking from 100 yards away, makes me gage. anyway i bought the patch and used only the 14mg when i had a craving and it just tapered off from there and became gross to me, 7 or more years now without them lost count. oh and i quit going to bars and drinking to, got rid of my smoking friends (losers anyway) and found new non smoking ones. i think that is really how i quit, was getting away from other smokers, same as choosing to eat healthy, its your choice and what you need to do to overcome it.

I smoked for 5 years, quit for 5 years, smoked for 9 more years, and now have quit for 21 years. Here's the deal. You'll always want one, you just have to say no. It gets easier with time. Make it difficult to smoke in the first place. No smoking in the car, no smoking in the house. Then quit.

FIrst it's getting through the first hour, then the first night, then the first complete day. Then it's getting through the first week, and then the second, and slowly, it happens.

If I could do it, than you can definitely, but be realistic.

I know for a fact that if I smoked a cigarette today after all this time, I'd be right back to a pack a day.

Congrats on losing 40lbs!! I quit smoking almost 5 months ago. I used the patch, and I read Allan Carrs easyway to stop smoking book. I'm not going to lie, I replaced one bad habit (smoking) with another (mindless eating). But here I am 5 months later, and I'm getting back on track. I told myself that I'd rather be a little chunky than sick (and poor!! omg smoking is expensive) from smoking cigarettes. Its totally a mental thing. If you're ready to quit - you'll quit, and when you finally do, you'll wonder why you waited so long.

Good luck - I hope you succeed.

determine that it is a habit and change those habits. if you are used to smoking after eating, find something else to occupy your hands during that time . It takes 21 days to stop a habit. It can be hard, but it can be done. Good luck! I really hope you succeed!

I enjoy smoking but kicked the habit with an ecig, some cool info at smokingalternative.info

Hey there,
When I started this journey I told myself I'd lose the first 14lbs and then give up smoking. Well I've now lost 40lbs and I'm still smoking. I just can't seem to kick the habit.

Any advice on things I can do to make it a little easier?

Don't make such an extreme goal right off the bat. Take it one day at a time. Today, I will not smoke. When you want to smoke, find something else you can do... grab a mint, chew gum, get some tea, call a friend to talk you down, etc. Find something to help distract you. Also, if you have family (kids) that are part of your motivation, keep pictures near by or in your wallet to look at that remind you there is something more at stake than just you. Motivation is key. Find the resolve to really, truly want something else more than smoking, and you'll be better able to tackle the struggle. Also, there is no shame in seeing your doctor about some of the ways you can cut back over time and nicotine supplements to help you in that battle. You don't have to quit cold turkey. I've have friends do it both ways (I did the cold turkey... HARD) and the key is finding what helps YOU be successful. If and when you "fall of the wagon," ask yourself why you did, acknowledge that you are human and then get refocused on the goal. I mean, just because you trip on one step, doesn't mean you should just throw yourself down the stairs, right?

Good luck to you! It can be hard, but you can do it!

Dont ever say you are quitting, tell yourself Im gonna choose to stop. Quitting is so final so if you simply just stop then theres no guilt if you happen to have one. It worked for your diet you didnt quit eating, you simply made better food choices. If youre down 40 the smoking should be a breeze for you bc youre in control

My husband25 years, mom, 50+ years dad 50+ years and myself 20 years all 1-2 packs a day all quit. We just did mot buy them any more. Thats it ,if you dont buy them you cant smoke them

I use a Boge Leo e-cig...I love it! I've been tobacco-free 226 days!

Make the decision - really make the decision and just do it! It's not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. Once I made the commitment it really wasn't all that hard. Sorry, if that wasn't the answer you were looking for.

after a few pages of replies, I APOLOGIZE in advance if I'm repeating this advice.

I was a HEAVY, 3 pack of 100's menthol smoker, and started at age 10 (yes, I'm serious)
I didn't quit even when I had a full blown case of whooping cough and was coughing up BLOOD.
When the doctor told me I'd have emphysema within a year if I DIDN'T QUIT, I laughed and said,
"Yeah, so...at least I'll know HOW I'll die....." My then 5 yr. old turned to me and said "Mommy, you won't be alive to see me have children."
THAT was a brick upside the head- and I said to her, "YES I WILL." I tossed every cigarette away (even my *secret* stashes), threw out all the paraphernalia
cleaned out the car/ashtrays ( or ask someone to do it for you)
.........Residual SMELL is a huge trigger for cravings........

and did a LOT of walking when the cravings hit.........and drinking TONS of water (FLUSHES nicotine outta your system)

Best advice I got though.....
Disassociate all the triggers you can think of that make you want one out of habit......
EX- if you smoke and drink coffee, switch to tea for a while.
If you generally light up after a meal, GET UP from the table IMMEDIATELY and go for a walk.
If you drink alcohol, and that's part of the social scene- AVOID it for a while. REAL friends will support you.


Best wishes to you- it's a very hard journey, but a VERY WORTHWHILE ONE!
It's been 25 yrs since I quit......and I don't regret it at all........I now have 5 grandchildren I have the energy to chase!

My doctor put me on Welbutrin for my nerves and I was a smoker for 35years. I just put the cigs down and haven't smoked in over a year now. Feel so much better without them. But you must really want to quit or nothing will work!

I have smoked since I was a teenager (I'm 52 now) except for when I was preggers with my 2 boys, otherwise I smoked and pretended my kids couldn't smell it on me. Then the last two months of 2011 I got bad bad bad bronchitis real bad like it wouldn't go away bad and almost pneumonia. I decided then that when my pack was gone, I was quitting. My friend gave me some lozenges to help with cravings but I thought why am I quitting smoking if I'm just going to keep putting nicotine in me so I did it cold turkey. I put the cigs down on Jan 2, 2012 and I've been quit since then - not saying it has been easy OMG its soooo hard but you can do this!

I made myself little signs and stuck them all over my house, bathroom, car, etc. that reminded me of:

4 D's:
1. Distract yourself
2. Deep breathe
3. Drink water
4. Do something else

Tips (remember urges pass in just 5-10 minutes)
1. Take 10 slow deep breaths, hold the last one, then breathe it out slowly
2. Relax all muscles
3. Imagine a soothing pleasant scene
4. Walk to get away from it all for a moment - change of scenery
5. Light incense or candle
6. Wash hands or take a shower
7. Try carrots, raisins, gum, or toothpicks

I got a book from Half Price Books called simply "Stop Smoking!". It's little, fits in my hand and I carry it every where. It talks about herbal and aroma related remedies. I found I'm a very easily distracted by smells and scents so I bought a tiny bottle of lemon oil and when I feel the urge to light up, I open my little bottle of lemon oil and breath in the yummy intense smell - a few sniffs of that and its almost miraculous how the urge goes away! Any pungent aroma like that triggers my ability to push it out of my mind. I guess I respond well to all the herbal types of remedies. I've increased my exercise and I wash my hands a ton and I can't believe how amazing my hair & car smell!

Sorry this is a long bunch of advice and I never thought I could do this cold turkey but I felt like I could not let smoking and nicotine control me - I was going to control it. Plus in one year, I will save approx $1,500 based on the number of smokes I go through - that's vacation money dude!:blushing: