I'm going to smoke, and I'd like to see some answers upon my return!

I have had one since I got home on 8 December, and I quit this time because, even though I enjoy cigarettes, I know that they affect my ability to run. The whole time that I was in Afghanistan I told myself I would quit both for my running and for my climbing trip to mexico next month. I have a feeling that being a smoker wouldn't do me any favors while trying to reach 18,500'!

This is going to sound like captain obvious, but the bottom line is everyday you have a cigarette your a smoker, everyday you dont consecutively, you aren't. There is no magic cure. Just put them down and don't pick one up again. Do not make excuses why you should have one more or wait until... I quit smoking October 19, 1989. Why do I know that? Because that is how significant it is to me. Even now 23+ years later, I know if I have a cigarette today, I will be a smoker tomorrow. I still get that urge when someone lights up and I catch that first smell.

Forget all the health reasons as you know those already. The thing I discovered was everything taste better. I could smell better and let me tell you people that smoke, stink from cigarettes. I no longer burned clothes or furniture. I didn't have to go outside and freeze at someones house because they didn't allow it. I didn't have a bad day out duck hunting because my cigarettes got wet or I forgot a lighter.

If that isn't enough then consider that you say you spend $8 a day on cigarettes. In the time some BPs go off feed (100+ days), you could afford a new peid girl.

Quitting is hard. For most people it takes several tries. My husband and I quit over 10 years ago. But it took us several tries, I would be ready and he wouldn't or vice versa. I wanted a baby, and that was what finally did it. Quit cold turkey so I could get pregnant, and never looked back. Won't ever start again either, because my daughter and being healthy for her is very important to me, and I wouldn't ever want it around her. I chewed lots of gum (just regular gum), and drank lots of water.

Good luck!! This is the one time in life when you really do want to be a quitter!

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I just quit smoking last week. I am not using any patches, gum, or ecigs. I just decided that it is time to quit. I am tired of stinking like an ash tray and also of wasting my money. I am also tired of hacking up a lung. Cigarettes are terrible and are just bad for you , period. If you really want to quit, you can do it.

my dad used the patches and gum when quitting. now 20 years later he still needs gum every once in a while....it will stick with you. good luck

I smoked for 30 something years. Yes I'm old:). I quit about 6 years ago. I had tried pills, gum, cold turkey. The thing was I just wasn't truly ready to quit. I had a little health scare 6 years ago. That is what finally did it for me. Cold turkey! One day at a time. I am so glad that I quit. You don't think so much about it when your young but smokers get higher rates on insurance. Health and Life. Plus the cost of a good Marlboro:) All are gonna keep going up in price I believe.

My clothes, home, car don't have that stinking smell anymore:banana: If I can do it anybody can. Tell yourself you can do it and think about the long term benefits. Good Luck!

I quit in 1988 - before the gum, patches and other stuff on the market today. I put them down one day and have not smoked cigarettes since. For me, flossing my teeth helped. It gave me a routine with my hands and mouth. I discovered that the ritual of smoking was as pleasing as smoking. The pulling out of the pack, the tamping it down, pulling one out, tapping it down, etc. So, if you want a substitute, try flossing. A side benefit is that your dental hygienist will love your new habit!

An alternative to Chantix would be Zyban (or Welbutrin - same exact drug marketed under two names). It is a medication that requires a prescription. Some doctors may prescribe Welbutrin (for depression) if your insurance company doesn't cover Zyban (for smoking cessation).

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Originally Posted by BrandiR

I think the problem for me is that I truly enjoy smoking. I know it stinks and it's expensive and it makes me look old and it's just bad, bad stuff. Nevertheless, I enjoy it

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I started drafting my post in my head during the first few sentences, then I saw this.

You won't quit until you don't like it anymore. That's my belief.

I smoked for a number of years and finally decided that I didn't like it anymore. Everyone I've ever known that quit under any other pretense has been an on and off smoker since trying. If you're ready to not be a smoker anymore, it won't take a huge amount of effort. I smoked a pack of camel filters a day for 6 years before I quit, just in case someone will make the claim that I must not know how hard it is (boo hoo).

Good luck - find ways to stop liking it. Smoke your first butt the minute you wake up in the morning. Take HUGE drags and really feel the smoke all up in your system. Notice how you feel before and after the cigarette. It's going to make you groggy, fatigued, and weak. I started realizing that life was hard enough on its own and smoking was just making it harder to get up and face the day. Don't fool yourself into believing otherwise. Try taking breaks in the morning from smoking. Figure out if the urge to smoke is because of a physical addiction or if you actually think it will help you in your day. I guarantee if you focus on it enough you'll realize it's the first of those 2. At that point, why are you paying a bunch of money to enslave yourself to something unhealthy? It doesn't even do much. The act of taking a break and deep breathing is all the therapy you get out of it. Just do that without the cigarette.

I quit smoking with both pregnancies, but started up again afterward. Then in March of 2009 I quit again and haven't smoked since. That time I used Chantix, but only for a month because (as you mentioned) the side effects were vicious. Then after I weaned off the Chantix the nicotine cravings were, weirdly, back and awful. Fortunately at that point I hadn't smoked for a month and since this was right when all the cigarette taxes were going up, I was feeling EXTREMELY cheap and didn't cave.

I think you've just got to have the trigger to want to stop, to really want it, regardless of how much you want a cigarette. Because believe me, I'd love one right now. But my husband and I both quit at the same time so even when we're both muttering how good one would be, we don't. I'm not going through the misery of quitting ever again.