I'm going to quit smoking

I don't know if anyone else smokes cigarettes :colbert:, but I've had some trouble quitting/staying quit/getting motivated to quit, probably some people can relate

I just wanted to see if anyone has any advice if they have experience quitting, might be helpful for others.

I took Chantix last summer and it worked until about December, when I begun to be surrounded by smokers again. I have slowly gotten back in the swing of being a smoker. I'm going to stop buying and smoking cigarettes July 8th, two weeks from tomorrow.
Hopefully I can stick with it.

Thanks for reading, and possibly giving advice.

I think the problem with most people trying to quit is they have the 'I hope it works' attitude. It should be 'I'm going to MAKE it work!' You went a few months without smoking so you know you can do it! You just need to develop that iron will power!

carry mints or candy with you and when you feel the urge pop one in. part of the addiction is the hand to mouth habit train your brain to associate something else from your hand insteaf of the cigarette

I went three days once. I like smoking so I don't think I'll quit. Maybe if I get married and have a kid.
Right now I don't see the point in not smoking.
It calms me.
It's always there for me.

But, if you really want to quit, you will.
I find the nicotine gum works. Expensive as hell though.

-Chris-

All I can say is good for you and good luck! I haven't been able to do it yet.

Not being rude, but I would think that the health impacts would be more than enough incentive to quit.

Good luck!!

I agree TTT.
Not to mention, the HUGE amount of money that you spend on cigarettes is virtually wasted money that could have been put to something that I'm sure you can think of yourself having money problems with?

Unless your super rich and have no problem throwing away thousands of dollars a year. :D

I'm glad your trying to quit! It's a very responsible and respectful move. All I can think of is different flavors of gum. When you get bored of one, try another or a mint. Keep your mouth occupied. :]

I just quit smoking after a good 5 years. Pack a day.

I just stopped. Told myself its crazy to keep doing this to myself. I want to be around as long as i can. I went through 2 or 3 bags of Halls cough drops to curb the oral fixation.

The physical addiction got phased out afterwards.

I will admit. I caved and had a smoke 6 weeks into being finished with it. I about coughed up my lung. Said the hell with it. And im done for good.

You can do it. You just have to tell yourself you can do it. If your optimistic, and determined, your results will be much better.

HTH.

I quit a 36 year cigarette habit 8 years ago. I had been smoking 3 packs a day for years. I used Nicorette gum (actually Walgreen brand mostly). The gum plan is based on a 1 pack a day smoker and each piece of gum has nicotine equal to 1 cigarette. I chewed 3 pieces at a time. I chewed the gum for 3 months and was free from the act of smoking. Then I quit the gum and faced the nicotine addiction part. I was short tempered and mean at this point for about 2 or 3 weeks. But I was determined to stick with it and succeeded. I had tried to quit many times before and had no success at all using different methods. It is very hard to quit but it is worth it to do so for many reasons, health of course being the biggest reason. But the money that you spent on cigarettes is now in your pocket and it seems like you have lots of money once you quit. And the satisfaction of being free from the control that it exerts over you is priceless. I had my teeth bleached at the Dentist and they went from yellow to white. And amazingly, I can't stand to be around smoke these days. I started smoking when I was 12 years old.

These were the steps that helped me to quit smoking 4 months ago. I will never smoke again.

1.) I anounced my stop smoking date to everyone I knew the day before quitting. Family members, friends, coworkers. I even told people at work I didn't know, but that I would often see outside when smoking. EVERYONE knew. Obviously I would have looked like a complete idiot if I broke out a cigarette in front of anyone I told.

2.) I was spending 4 dollars a day in cigarretts. I religiously instead put 4 dollars per day into a wood box screwed shut. It will be opened and spent at the Daytona show. It already has what, like 500 bucks in it (unless I have been robbed!)???!!!

3.) I promised my kids I would stop smoking for them.

For me, honestly, number 2 is what made me stick to my guns more then anything else. That, and the much better tasting food!

When I quit I told nobody because I found during previous attempts at quitting that people keep asking you about when you are trying not to think about it. One guy at work got angry at me and told me that I was rude because I kept chewing gum and didn't offer him any. So I said "Oh I'm sorry. Help yourself." He was too worried about his bad case of hiccups to feel indignant after that. :rofl:

Good luck man. Both of my parents smoke and I can't stand it.

I always complain about the smoke, and they'll reply "it's not that bad".....pssshh, it's terrible

When I finally quit smoking I had to go completely cold turkey. I tried the patch, some God awful tasting gum, chowing down on boxes of tooth picks, etc, etc, etc. In the end it came down to a simple determination to quit. I didn't quit for kids (don't have any), a girlfriend, a wife, my mom and dad, my teachers, or anyone else. I quit for me. And that's what your motivation needs to be. Yourself. Be self-centered this once and quit for you because quitting for other people doesn't work. So here's my advice take it for what it's worth, but I've been there.

1) Quit for yourself.

2) Don't set a date, just quit. Trust me it's not any easier setting a date. In fact it's worse because then you get to dread that date. Don't wait until your pack is gone. Slice open each smoke and dump it in the toilet and flush it. There, now it's gone. Congratulations! Your quit date is today!

3) Take 3 days off of work or make sure it coincides with a weekend. The first 3 days are the hardest. That's how long it takes the chemicals you are addicted to to get out of your body. Not 100% out, but out enough that you aren't craving so badly. And trust me cold turkey you don't want to be anywhere near work. Anything and everything will set you off. Don't risk getting set off at the wrong people. Meaning those who pay you.

4) Stock up on fresh fruits, juice, and plenty of water. The fruits because you're going to want to eat a lot. Trust me fruit is a much better choice than hot dogs and burritos.

The juice because one of the effects of cigarette smoke is that it actually causes your blood sugar to rise. Not sure how exactly that works, but drinking juice when you start getting light headed and/or a craving helps immensely to combat the craving.

Finally the water because you need to help in flushing the chemicals out. You should be drinking excessive amounts of water. Think in terms of about a gallon a day for the next week. Obviously don't try to drink it all at once, but space it out throughout the day

5) Take it one craving at a time. If you can stick it out for about 3 minutes you'll beat the craving. It might only be a 10 minute victory, or even 2 minutes but each time it gets easier.

6) You're never out of the woods. I've been quit 3 years and I still from time to time get cravings that almost make me want to cry.

7) Don't ever put another cigarette to your lips. You'll start again. The brain's receptors will go back to their addictive state as soon as you inhale. Again I don't know how it works I just know it does.

8) Finally I recommend prayer. To overcome your problem and for those around you have to deal with you while you're overcoming it.

Good luck, it's a hard but necessary choice.

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Originally Posted by mcavana

These were the steps that helped me to quit smoking 4 months ago. I will never smoke again.
...
2.) I was spending 4 dollars a day in cigarretts. I religiously instead put 4 dollars per day into a wood box screwed shut. It will be opened and spent at the Daytona show. It already has what, like 500 bucks in it (unless I have been robbed!)???!!!
...
For me, honestly, number 2 is what made me stick to my guns more then anything else. That, and the much better tasting food!

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Originally Posted by bsd13

When I finally quit smoking I had to go completely cold turkey. I tried the patch, some God awful tasting gum, chowing down on boxes of tooth picks, etc, etc, etc. In the end it came down to a simple determination to quit. I didn't quit for kids (don't have any), a girlfriend, a wife, my mom and dad, my teachers, or anyone else. I quit for me. And that's what your motivation needs to be. Yourself. Be self-centered this once and quit for you because quitting for other people doesn't work. So here's my advice take it for what it's worth, but I've been there.

1) Quit for yourself.

2) Don't set a date, just quit. Trust me it's not any easier setting a date. In fact it's worse because then you get to dread that date. Don't wait until your pack is gone. Slice open each smoke and dump it in the toilet and flush it. There, now it's gone. Congratulations! Your quit date is today!

3) Take 3 days off of work or make sure it coincides with a weekend. The first 3 days are the hardest. That's how long it takes the chemicals you are addicted to to get out of your body. Not 100% out, but out enough that you aren't craving so badly. And trust me cold turkey you don't want to be anywhere near work. Anything and everything will set you off. Don't risk getting set off at the wrong people. Meaning those who pay you.

4) Stock up on fresh fruits, juice, and plenty of water. The fruits because you're going to want to eat a lot. Trust me fruit is a much better choice than hot dogs and burritos.

The juice because one of the effects of cigarette smoke is that it actually causes your blood sugar to rise. Not sure how exactly that works, but drinking juice when you start getting light headed and/or a craving helps immensely to combat the craving.

Finally the water because you need to help in flushing the chemicals out. You should be drinking excessive amounts of water. Think in terms of about a gallon a day for the next week. Obviously don't try to drink it all at once, but space it out throughout the day

5) Take it one craving at a time. If you can stick it out for about 3 minutes you'll beat the craving. It might only be a 10 minute victory, or even 2 minutes but each time it gets easier.

6) You're never out of the woods. I've been quit 3 years and I still from time to time get cravings that almost make me want to cry.

7) Don't ever put another cigarette to your lips. You'll start again. The brain's receptors will go back to their addictive state as soon as you inhale. Again I don't know how it works I just know it does.

8) Finally I recommend prayer. To overcome your problem and for those around you have to deal with you while you're overcoming it.

Good luck, it's a hard but necessary choice.

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

I just quit smoking after a good 5 years. Pack a day.

I just stopped. Told myself its crazy to keep doing this to myself. I want to be around as long as i can. I went through 2 or 3 bags of Halls cough drops to curb the oral fixation.

The physical addiction got phased out afterwards.

I will admit. I caved and had a smoke 6 weeks into being finished with it. I about coughed up my lung. Said the hell with it. And im done for good.

You can do it. You just have to tell yourself you can do it. If your optimistic, and determined, your results will be much better.

HTH.

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I am going to use this state of mind to quit. I am very glad I got all the advice and encouragement.
I know the mints/gum works for some people but I see it as a mental fixation on needing to do something rather than an oral fixation to need to do something. But hey, if I feel like going to get cigarettes, I will try gum instead.

One thing I need advice about is drinking beer and wanting a cigarette. That was the hardest to conquer last summer :rage:. I don't drink all night, just on the weekends, but I don't have any techniques that are suitable for those times.
Quitting drinking is the best thing I can do in the meantime, but I'm still going to drink if I am at a party with my friends.

Lots of good advice from everyone, I really appreciate it. :bow::bow:

I quit smoking 4 years ago I used the patch nicoderm CQ and I did the whole thing all the way through. It wasn't easy but I was ready, which I think is a big part of it. You have to be ready or at least of the right mind set. The other thing that helped me is to not drink at all for atleast the first month or so. I used to get three beers in me it was over, I can't tell you how many times drinking killed me trying to quit smoking . The thing that helped me keep it in perspective is I kept track of how much money I spend on the patch, and looked at it as if I smoked a cigarette it would be what ever I had spent to that point. For instance if you get to the third week on the patch the first cigarette you smoke will be a $150.00 cigarette. It just helped me keep it in perspective. My cousin is on the patch doing what I did and is a month and some change smoke free. Whatever you decide to do good luck. I have twin girls that were born three months ago, and I thank god every day that I quit because I want to be there for them and watch them grow up for as long as I can, Again Good luck if I can do it so can you.

Chuck

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Originally Posted by Chuck

I quit smoking 4 years ago I used the patch nicoderm CQ and I did the whole thing all the way through. It wasn't easy but I was ready, which I think is a big part of it. You have to be ready or at least of the right mind set. The other thing that helped me is to not drink at all for atleast the first month or so. I used to get three beers in me it was over, I can't tell you how many times drinking killed me trying to quit smoking .

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Yup that's right on the money Chuck! It was the same for me.

I smoked for nine years, and quit about two years ago. What I did was just told myself that if I don't have self control, then what do I have?. Anytime I thought about smoking, I said NO!! I am going to get through this. I have enough self control. And it worked. Once I told myself that I was not going to smoke anymore, I did not.

That is what worked for me. The only bad thing is that I got sick for about a week. I guess thats my bodys way of fighting for the nicotine. Anyway, hope this helps. And good luck!!

I didn't smoke for very long. I started because of partying, and I continued to smoke for only two years. Then I met Chris and I started to spend a lot of time with him...

For me, smoking was out of sight out of mind. Sometimes I would get really strong cravings, but if I never went to the Admiral station, or 7-11, and I didn't put myself around others smoking... I quickly lost the urge.

When you do quit though, it's like you've lost a friend. At least thats what it reminded me of. You'll get through it. :hug:

I kind of agree that setting a date is just....daunting. You expect your pack to be gone, and it's not - and "HEY, that's a waste of money so we'll wait until tomorrow". And then the next day, and a week later, you're setting a new date.

Drinking will not be your friend. As sucky as it is, I would recommend just... avoiding it for at least a couple of weeks until you get that mentality that it's too late to go back.

Weaning just doesn't work either. It takes a whole lot more will power for weaning than cold turkey.Cold turkey, point blank - thats the only way.

I did a lot of cherry tomatos, grapes, cherries, lollypops, and things of that nature for the car - driving is your WORST enemy when trying to quit!!! The advice about fruits and whatnot is priceless - it helped me like crazy... well the second time around :rolleyes:

I started smoking when I was 15 when a friend passed away. The FIRST time I quit was because I had become pregnant, so that was much easier than just giving up because you want to.

My falling-outs with cigarettes always involves some tragedy - so watch out for times of hardship. I quit for 3 years after becoming pregnant ( and YES! you still get cravings after 3 years!!!), and started again after a very messy, extremely hurtful break-up with my sons father (cheater! liar! lol)

I smoked again for less than a year, and woke up one morning and was like, "**** this" and just stopped that day.

I was good for quite a while, and then a dear friend, one that was part of that circle of "family" you've had since you were tweens, died in a car accident. That got me started again (including everyone else in the group that had quit).

So now Im back to square one - so im kind of glad this thread came up. I didnt know about the juice - that should prove to be useful. My boyfriend smokes too, and wants to quit, so Im not sure how that works ?

I dont smoke...but my father-in-law smoked for 37 years. He smoked a pack a day and has tried to quit but never worked. Well he is VERY competitive, and so I bet him $600 that he couldn't quit for 6 months. Well it's been about 3.5 months for him now smoke free and I really think he is done. Plus being a newlywed, I think he wants to be sure he will be around for a while to see his grandkids....and I will be very happy to fork over the $600 to him in a couple of months...:)

Im on my third week of Chantix right now. I know your supposed to quit after the first week but I failed. Right now I smoke about a pack a day. I was smoking almost 3 packs a day. I had quit for 5 years and that was great. I am still battling this darn mess but I know I will kick it. Thanks everyone for your suggestions it really helps. Wish me luck

Good luck!

Will power man, will power!! EXPECT cravings, and have a way to keep yourself occupied!

If you dont smoke inside of your house, find a reeeaaallly lengthy project indoors - or 2 or 3 :)

...someone should organize a bp.net 'kick the butt' challenge :P Just like the bp.net weight-loss challenge. I duno how you would organize it or what not...but the weight-loss challenge seems its been going well....so who knows...start another one...kick the butt! :):gj:

I started smoking cigarettes when I was 15 and quit when I was 25. I was pregnant with my 3rd child and so we (Jeff and I) decided to quit. No patch...gum..meds.. nothing. Just cold turkey.

Then 7 months ago Jeff started smoking black and milds. :rolleyes: So I decided to start smoking cigarettes again to piss him off. I smoked for maybe 2 months. I didn't like the taste or the fact that they made me feel like throwing up after every one so I quit again.

:D

he still smokes the b&m's though.

Good for you!!! You have already taken the first step. I quit after about twenty years of smoking. The key for me was to REPLACE smoking with something else. I took a walk whenever I wanted a smoke. (It's also really hard to smoke in the shower!) After a while I was walking all the time so I figured I would just start running. One year later I ran the Boston Marathon in 3 hours and 57 minutes. Then I became a fitness trainer. Quitting smoking was the best thing I have ever done. I wish you all the luck in the world.

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Originally Posted by Jenn

(It's also really hard to smoke in the shower!)

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Hahaha - But I promise, it CAN be done!! LOL

And I really like the idea of the "kick the butt" challenge! It would be nice to have a support group like that - somewhere to go/something to do when you're having a craving .... I can see it now...

89072349759204357 posts saying ... " IM GOING TO FREAK OUT FROM THIS CRAVING!!!!"

Congrats on making the decision to quit, that's half the battle! I quit more than 3 years ago, and here are a few tricks I learned. Put a rubber band around your wrist and when a craving hits, snap it, hard! That'll distract you away from the crave. Also, sucking on cinnamon sticks helps. I found that it was much more a frame of mind, I had to want to quit more than I wanted to smoke. I don't know if I'm breaking any board rules here (I hope not), but since you are familiar with how they work, http://www.quitnet.com/ might help you out also. It's a lot like bpnet, but for people in the midst of quitting, and there's TONS of support, it really helped me to stay focused.

Let us know how it goes!

Plain and simple... you cant quit if you dont really want to. Saying you're going to quit for whatever reason is great but if you still have a reason to smoke you will. I never got into smoking cigs but Ive I had my battles with quitting other things and its not easy. stick with it.

Well, my parents have not managed to completely quit. However, they have gotten hypnotized and managed to quit for at least a period of 6 months at a time over several years. Even though they haven't managed to quit completely, the hypnosis seems to help them for a while, and they've cut back considerably.

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Originally Posted by tideguyinva

Im on my third week of Chantix right now. I know your supposed to quit after the first week but I failed. Right now I smoke about a pack a day. I was smoking almost 3 packs a day. I had quit for 5 years and that was great. I am still battling this darn mess but I know I will kick it. Thanks everyone for your suggestions it really helps. Wish me luck

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Those pills worked for me, I slipped up though, lot of things going on in my apartment that shouldn't have been around me at the time...
Good luck using that method,
I recommend reading "the little book of quitting smoking," it's kind of silly, but it has helped me before.

good luck bro.

i think i say i want to quit everyday. no will power. crap.

Here's an incentive to quit..

You smell like butt after that cigarette. :)

I am the worst, been trying to quit for so long now its funny. I tried the patch it worked for a while but couldnt stand the taste you get in your mouth from it. Think i will try the pill. Good luck:8:

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Originally Posted by bsd13

2) Don't set a date, just quit. Trust me it's not any easier setting a date. In fact it's worse because then you get to dread that date. Don't wait until your pack is gone. Slice open each smoke and dump it in the toilet and flush it. There, now it's gone. Congratulations! Your quit date is today!

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Alright... After reading this, I honestly just decided to quit... I have smoked 3 cigarettes in the past week... I am very disappointed in myself with that... Two days ago I smoked a cigarette, and three days ago I smoked two cigarettes... A week ago today, is when I quit smoking...

I guess it's an update. But still, It's hard to quit smoking when you are a drinker, that is when I felt like I ran into trouble, I have drank the past 5 days but smoked cigarettes 2 out of those 5 days... I'm not happy with it.

I have started doing some exercise, 50 push-ups a day (after watching taxi driver), and it has been just as hard as quitting smoking after the first 3 days. I'm also going to get a pair of inline skates, (I used to do aggressive skating, thinking I might get back into it)

It's been a long week... I feel better that I have not been smoking (as much... :() It is just so hard... to get to sleep at night without a smoke... to party with your friends without a smoke... I used to not even mind being around smokers... but now, yeah, it is hard to be without a smoke when you're around smokers....

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3) Take 3 days off of work or make sure it coincides with a weekend. The first 3 days are the hardest. That's how long it takes the chemicals you are addicted to to get out of your body. Not 100% out, but out enough that you aren't craving so badly. And trust me cold turkey you don't want to be anywhere near work. Anything and everything will set you off. Don't risk getting set off at the wrong people. Meaning those who pay you.

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That is one of the best points of advice in this thread. You really do need days to just chill and get the stuff out of your system. Going to work or having stuff to do will just make you relapse that much quicker.

I smoked black and milds for a while then I cut back. Now I really only smoke 1 black every 2 weeks or so, also when drinking I am more prone to smoking.

I quit smoking 12/18/07 after 30+ years. I had wanted to quit for a long time and had failed before. I finally felt I had to when the sound of my raspy breathing was keeping me up at night. So I loaded up patches and gum. The patches itch like for several minutes after you put them on and left a share blotch on my skin after I took them off. You're not supposed to use gum and patches at the same time but I did and it made me nauseous to the point where I had to take out the (fairly expensive) gum and reuse it. After about a week of feeling sick and itchy and having squarish red blotches and chewed gum all over the place I thought: sod this, threw all the crap in a drawer and just quit. I haven't relapsed or even looked back. And I sleep like a baby.