anyone quit smoking??? its not cool

[chong2]

ok, well im 25, and i have been smoking (inhaling) since i was 13. around 18 i tried the patch, i quit for 3 days then got upset and lit a smoke then got right back were i started, at around 21 i tried smoke away, nada, and sometime else i tried gum, nada. i have a new baby girl and really want to quit. i would like to see her grow up and share the adventures of life with her. so, i cut back ciggs, and now smoke 2-3 black and milds, im trying to ween myself. I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS, every morning i try and try but still lite up. i also went to mexico to buy the patch, i paid 20.00. the other day at the store i saw them going for 15.00, i said, WTF i remember when they were 40.00. they are still in the box because i dont wanna waste them. so if any of u all have advice for me ill read it carefully and take it to consideration, i appreciate it.
p.s. i have talked with a few people that had done hypnosis, with good results, i just cant find anyone in my area that does that.
THANKS EVERYONE

 

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[gold fish]

Quitting smoking is easy, I do it five or six times a week.

Seriously, I'm gonna set a quit date, and after that it's all a matter of will. The sad thing is that I know I'm a stronger person than that, this whole quitting thing should be easy. I guess it's just gonna suck for a while.

 

[hollowpointred]

cigarettes are a hard give up. just keep doing what you are doing and it will eventually get easier. if you drink its even harder to quit! nothing goes better with a beer than a smoke! come to think of it all sorts of things that are bad for you go great with beer! when it gets tough just look at a pic of your daughter. if that wont stop you nothing will!

 

[Digginman]

Seriously, I'm gonna set a quit date, and after that it's all a matter of will.

That's exactly how I quit. My doctor told me to do that. Set a date, it doesn't matter how far into the future. Keep that date in your head and your heart. You may taper off or smoke like a chimany. That is what I did, smoked constantly. My date was October 1, 2003. I haven't smoked since. I gave myself six months of lead time. I was a smoker for 30 years or so.

This method does work.

DM

 

[julesjunk]

I'm the poster child for helping people quit. I HATE smoking. I'll skip the sad details, and offer my two cents........
Try Acupuncture. I have a friend who as helped several people. Combine that with a strong will to quit, and you will kick it. Tell EVERYone you know that you are quiting. Ignore the negative smokers responses. Get your ego involved. Set yourself up so that failing is NOT an option. Set a date, and stick to it! Chart the times when you light up most. Whether it be right when you get in the car, or just after dinner, or right after you get up. These times are more about the "habit" and less about the addiction. Focus on those times first, and deny yourself a smoke for just one of them. Add another after X amount of time. Change the part of your routine/socializing that puts you in contact with other smokers. Put a picture of your child on the outside of your pack, or even put a pic on both sides. Keep a focus on your primary motivation for quiting. And finally, ask all that are close to you to SUPPORT your efforts. A good support group will help most at your weakest moments.

I wish you strength.
Regards,
Jules

 

[vic910]

There's a new medication out that helps you to quit. It's called Chantix, but it's kinda expensive. My insurance did not cover it and it was $67 here. I thought if it would work it was worth the money. You need a doctor's prescription to get it. It interferes with the chemical in your brain that makes you feel good when you smoke. I took it for about 4 days and quit the medication. I didn't like the way it made me feel and it seemed like it wasn't interacting with the medication I was already taking for other stuff very well. I do believe it will work though because when I was taking it I didn't really get any satisfaction from smoking and I could see where it would work for most people. I'll try it again one of these days when I'm not taking other medication. I also tried hypnosis but it did not work for me. Good luck and keep trying!!!!!

vicki

 

[Montana Jim]

I've quit cold-turkey many times... 3 months, 6 months, a year even! Last time I just bought an over the counter nic patch and they made it super easy for me... another three months went by and BAM! I light up again.

I know I should quit... jeez. I just don't think I want to!

I never smoke around others and I never smoke in my house... I have been banishing myself for years!

(I know the horror stories... I AM aware of the dangers... )

 

[chong2]

wow, see everyone relates. and the beer, of man, i love smoking while buzzed. thats true about the habbits, eating, waking up. if i can only go without smoking for the morning i should be good, its that first one. i almost almost did it today. i dont smoke in my house either, or around other, man, they need to develope something that can help the weak quit. besides, forced confinment......not saying im weak. i think ill first start with a stop date,on that day i will use the patch and nico gum as backup. backup after that will be a jar filled with water and cigg butts.

 

[grizzly bare]

I quit in 1974. I remember it like it was yesterday. Everyday since then I have wanted a cigarette, but I don't have one.
My daughter (17 now) is severly asthmatic. ANY smoke and we take a trip to the ER. If I hadn't quit before she was born, I would have quit for her.
Focus on why YOU want to quit, not why you feel you SHOULD quit. That beauty should be a strong motivator. This isn't a twelve step program, it's a one step program...every day for the rest of your life.
we've (most of us) been there and we'll support you all we can.
Don't expect to be perfect, take the backsliding and start all over again. You are in charge.
You will be in my prayers for sure.

grizzly bare

 

[diggummup]

I quit last November,the 25th to be exact.It gets easier after the first couple months.You can do it if you really want to.Wish you luck!

 

[Cynangyl]

I quit last Nov 7th! Before that TRYING to quit was one of my biggest hobbies! Keep trying friend....you will eventually make it, I did! That darling little girl is definitely worth it! I will be praying for ya too!

 

[SomeGuy]

I think the year I quit was 1990, but I'm not sure. The nicotine patch was only available by prescription then, and, besides the patch, my Dr. also prescribed a blood pressure patch. I can't rememberthe name of it. He told me that nicotine can be as hard to kick as heroin, and that this blood pressure medication decreased your craving for drugs.

I started on the highest dose nicotine patch plus the blood pressure patch. I smoked about 3 cigarettes that day and quit for good. The thing is, you still have to quit smoking; it's not easy. I've seen people fail because they thought the patch would do all the work for them. Anyway, the drugs kept me in a mild state of nicotine withdrawl, but not one I couldn't resist. I can jump over a 3 foot wall, but not a nine foot wall. These drugs lowered the wall to 3 feet, but I still had to jump.

When I was smoking, the first thing I would do on waking each day was suck down 3 cigarettes before I even got out of bed, and another 4 or 5 before I got out of the house. That's because I had a low nicotine blood level from going 8 whole hours without smoking while I slept, and would be in a state of withdrawl. By leaving the patch on all night, I avoided these extreme morning cravings.

When the constant craving went away, I quit using the blood pressure med. The craving came back. When it went away again, I switched to the lower dose nicotine plus the blood pressure patch. Again, when the craving subsided, I removed the blood pressure med. I continued in this fashion thru the lowest dose nicotine and finally a short time with just the blood pressure med and no nicotine. Each step took longer than it was supposed to, but my Dr. (remember this was all prescription only) didn't force me to go through the routine faster than my body could adapt.

For a long time, there were environmental cues that would trigger the desire/habit to smoke: walking past a cigarette vending machine in a bar, that "wonderful" smell of someone else's cigarette smoke wafting my way. Eventually these lose their effect. Just remember that you can't smoke "just one" cigarette.

 

[BADDOG]

I quit Sept 1, 2003, after almost 25 years. I'll tell you my story. I was talking to my brother and he said "did I tell you I quit smoking"?
Me:No when?
Brother: 1 month ago.
Me: How'd you do it?
Brother:The patch, you can get the generic at Walmart now for around $20.
Me: Thats not bad.
Brother: It was super easy.
Me: Did you have the craving?
Brother:No not at all.
Me: Wow that's exactly what I'm looking for.
I picked Sept 1st as my quit date. I had wanted to quit for years but always justified why I didn't. Always realizing that if I continued to smoke it would eventually kill me!
The night before I quit I smoked my last cigarette at 12:00 midnight. Went in shaved my arm (I'm pretty hairy) and put my patch on.
I got up in the morning feeling great. No urge to smoke at all. By 3:00 I called my brother and said:
Me: Are you sure you didn't have any urge to smoke?
Brother: Well maybe just a little.
Bottom line forget the acupuncture, hypnosis, pills, or anything else. Until you decide YOU want to quit your wasting your money. I still get the urge to smoke although much easier to get past now. If you don't want to do it for YOU you won't succeed.

GOOD LUCK and I'm rooting for you

BADDOG

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

hi: OK, if "you" really want to help quit through hypnosis. do it yourself. iI is extremely easy and effective. There are various free lessons on Google. As I said it is extremely easy to do and free, but the key is "IF YOU WANT TO QUIT".

I have taught it to many people for various things, it works.

Any questions, feel free to em me

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[lucky1777]

Put that picture of your beautiful little girl in your cigarette pack. Take a long and hard look at her everytime you want to take a cig out. I quit smoking over a year ago and the only reason I did was for my two kids. I guess the thought of someone else raising my son and daughter meant more to me than a puff or two. Good luck and I will be pulling for you.

 

[nealb]

Chong - I quit in March of 2002 after smoking/chewing for over 23 years. I used Hypnosis. One thing is, you have to want it for yourself. Sounds selfish, but you've got a better chance. You also have to prepare your surroundings when you get ready to quit. The day I quit, I washed my vehicle, vacuumed it out, and sprayed all of the interior with febreeze to mask the smoke smell. I took my ashtray out of the car and ran it through the dishwasher, then filled it with mints so if I got the urge, I could grab one of those. My last pack of smokes was the nastiest I could think of so I would have a dislike for smoking ( I was a menthol light smoker and purchased a pack of camel no filters for my last pack). It worked. Do I still want to smoke - Yes, I don't think the thought ever goes away. Do I act on it - NO. I had tried all ways to quit. After I quit, I got certified as a hypnotherapist myself. I have not used it commercially, but what I learned helps me throughout my day to day life. Drink lots of water when you quit and find healthy snacks and activities to replace the time you use to smoke. If you were a pack a day smoker at 5 minutes a cigarette, that's 100 minutes in your day that will now be free. Looking at what smokes cost now, I'm saving $2,000 a year. You have to want it, though. Listen to all suggestions, and use what you feel will be the most successful for you.

Good Luck
Neal

 

[txkickergirl]

I started smoking in jr. high and by the time I was pregnant at 19 I smoked 2pks of mal. reds a day. I found out I was going to have a baby one day went to bed the next morning never had a smoke. For what ever reason when I hit 26 I started up again. At 29 I got pregant, found out quit the next day. No smoking while baby on board! Well after I had him I started up again. I know I can quit, I know I should quit, but I smoke a pack a day of the capri...the little skinny ones. At almost $5 a pack that should be reason enough to quit. I know the day is coming and I will just quit. But dang do I enjoy it, and its really the only vice I got...well besides metal detecting....maybe I will quit and put that $5 a day toward a trip to go detect somewhere. I think in a year saving I should be able to go somewhere cool.

 

[Jeffro]

The thing that worked for me (one time) was the pill. really had no desire whatsoever to smoke after two weeks. It was easy. Then a death in the family and I started right back up.

Now I'm chewing the gum during the week, and smoking on the weekends. So basically, I quit every week, Mon-Thurs!

The guys at work all smoke and noone at my home does, so its pretty easy.

Next week I start Karate. HUGE incentive to never puff again. I'll never last in class.

Funny thing is, I never had the desire to really quit this time. 5 bucks a pack is a big motivator, too.

 

[BioProfessor]

And now for the rest of the story. Forgive me Paul Harvey.

YOU have to decide you want to quit. It has to be YOUR decision. Not a nagging from you significant other. Not from your friends and family. And not even from your new daughter. It has to be your decision and it has to be arrived at freely and be a decision you have made that is as serious as any in your life. Maybe the most serious. Then and ONLY then is it possible to quit smoking. First things first. You have to own the decision.

Once you have made the decision, the work begins. Do not try to quit cold turkey. With all the help available, there is no reason to put your body through the pain and agony. DON'T DO IT.

Most people don't realize that smoking is addictive in two way - physiological (your body's addiction to a very powerful drug) and psychological (your addiction to the act of smoking and all the things you "have to have" but don't know it. The act of lighting a cigarette, watching the smoke, the "pulling a drag," the sensation when it hits the back of your throat, even the holding and gesturing with a cigarette). Your mind is addicted to these events. And in the end, it is this addiction that causes you to start smoking again. NOT THE ADDICTION TO NICOTINE.

The first few weeks of quitting focuses on ridding your body of all the chemicals associated from smoking. Nicotine being the addictive one but there are others. Your body WILL NOT LIKE being deprived of this drug you are addicted to. You will feel like crap. The purpose of the patch is to slowly decrease the amount of nicotine entering your body. Your body metabolizes the drug and so by the end of the "Step Down" procedure, your body no longer contaings very much nicotine. Over the next few weeks and months, your body slowly gets used to not having nicotine. After a few months, your physiological need for nicotine - your drug addiction - is essentially over. Your body no longer requires nicotine to function. You stop feeling like crap. All that stuff. This is when most people think it is over. Problem is, the battle is just beginning.

A few words about using drugs to help. First of all, the patch "Step Down" system is the best way for your body to handle the process. It allows your body to slowly adjust to the change in the amount of drug in your system. DO IT. Another is a drug that works on the brain and the cravings associated with smoking addiction. It is sold under the brand name Zyban. There may be a new drug or they may have a generic that has another name but the original drug (and still maybe the best - consult your doctor) that's out there. The original drug first used was Wellbutrin (generic name is Bupropion HCl), the generic form was marketed as Zyban. They are all the same drug. The original use was to treat depression (and your insurance may cover the drug Wellbutrin from your doctor but not Zyban. Talk to your doctor about it because it is expensive) but they found it was very useful in controlling the urge to smoke. Since the drug is designed to treat depression, it may make you feel "weird" in a sense. It affects the chemistry in the brain and some people complain it makes them tired, etc. Even though there are these side effects, DO NOT STOP TAKING THE MEDICATION until your doctor tells you to. To sum up, us the patches as a "Step Down" to reduce the nicotine level and use the Zyban to reduce the cravings. That should be your bottom line. Start there.

Once you have beaten the nicotine, the real monster raises its head. The psychological addiction. You miss smoking after a meal. You miss watching the smoke rise from the cigarette, you miss blowing the smoke after an inhale, you miss the cigarette with the beer. The list is long and any one of them will get you. It is just like you can't stand it anymore. You resist and resist and resist and then one day, you bum a cigarette and light up. The addiction to nicotine IS NOT causing you to smoke that cigarette. It is the feeling in your throat of that first drag, it is the blowing of the smoke, it is the mix of alcohol and cigarettes that finally gets you. For most people, this is when they "Go off the wagon" and start smoking again. They feel they have lost and figure they will smoke for awhile and then quit again. That cycle repeats itself over and over in many people. They quit, sometimes for years, and then just have to go back to the act of SMOKING not because of the addiction that has been over for a long time.

When this happens, just smoke the damn cigarette and enjoy it. Don't feel guilty about it. Don't say I smoked one so I might as well say its over and buy a pack. Just smoke the one and forget about it. Stay the course you were on. One cigarette will not cause the addiction to be back. Just let it be the one that "Let the pressure off" so to speak. It may happen again in a few weeks or months. NO PROBLEM. Just let it pass and don't use it as an excuse to start back smoking.

As one poster said, he still wants a cigarette after many, many years. That's the psychological addiction still there. When I quit, it was a full 10 years before I stopped wanting one in a bar, after a meal, taking a break, etc. While nicotine addiction gets all the attention, for a huge number of people, it is the psychological addiction that finally gets them to start back.

That is why it is so important to stay on the Zyban until your doctor says to quit. It helps with the psychological side of things. It works. It will, many times, make the difference between staying quit or not.

This will probably be the most difficult and drawn out thing you have ever tried to do. It will not be over in 6 months. It may not be over in 6 years. The dual addiction is that powerful. You can do it but it will take everything you have to make it happen.

Hope this explanation will come in handy when things start to get rough when you thought you had it beat.

Daryl

 

[Montana Jim]

I quit last Nov 7th! Before that TRYING to quit was one of my biggest hobbies! Keep trying friend....you will eventually make it, I did! That darling little girl is definitely worth it! I will be praying for ya too!

Good for you Cyn! Well done...


And BiProf is dead on! Nobody knows more than a smoker that they (we) need to quit. When your ready, and I mean want to and are ready - you will...