Anyone ever quit smoking??

I quit a year ago with gum. It was the hardest thing I believe I ever had to do. I am not going to get into why, because that will not help you any, but find something that will suddenly get your mind off of it and keep it with you.

I would suggest using the gum even though you have decided against it. It is expensive (about the price of a pack a day) but it helps kicks part of the habit and shortens the nicotine cravings. I used Nicorette for about 3-4 months, then used the Kroger brand for about 2 weeks. The Kroger brand tastes SOOOOO bad it actually made me quit sooner.

But if you do not want to do any of that, the best advice I can give you is get ready for a serious lifestyle change if you are serious about it. I pretty much stopped drinking, with the exception of one or two every so often, flat out stopped partying on the weekends. Any time I ate a big meal, I would use the gum, but in the event I already had a piece and did not want to use another, I kept a strong piece of candy or gum on me. I suggest stocking up on peppermints, helps a ton plus it keeps you from munching on other unhealthy stuff.

Also, prepare to put on 5 or 10 pounds, and cough a ton.

 

I am trying to quit as well ... Chewing a lot of sugar free gum and using a lot of toothpicks ... :grrhee:

 

I never really got addicted to cigarettes, but I smoked a lot sophomore and junior year of high school... and then again freshman year of college due to parties (the dumb smoke when you drink thing). There have been periods where I would smoke about 2 packs a week while stressed with classes (even though I don't really think it helps with stress). But I just quit cold turkey.

A lot of my friends are addicted. It sucks. For whatever reason now I can't even tolerate much smoke and it actually makes me sick. I can't hang out with one of my friends because he constantly smokes.

Also depending on how much you smoke, you could be saving thousands a year. My friend always complains about being broke. He has a girlfriend and smokes. Both are optional. Dump them both and save thousands!!!

 

Also don't ever start up again. Don't even say "you'll have one"... All of my friends have quit smoking only to say that and get addicted again.

 

I quit cigaretes in 00' but continued to smoke blunts once home for the day for another 18 mnths.

Hardest thing was breaking the habits.The smokes that are part of your routine whether you crave them or not. Those are psychological habits you need to break rather than a physical addiction.

Wakeup smoke, drive to work smoke, coffee break smoke, lunchbreak smoke etc.

Most of those you don't need. I read and found to be true that are all you need to get you through a craving is the first drag on a cigarrette.

Use one large ashtray at home and don't empty it. That will soon disgust you and start to put you off.

You get over the physical withdrawal pretty quickly but it's rough. If you're a heavy smoker cut down your daily smoke until your down to less than 10 a day before going cold turkey.

You won't succeed unless you really want to quit. Even now I still get the urge to smoke on occasion. Usually when drunk.

 

I agree with most of that Childress

I actually quit while grocery shopping and did not want to wait in the smoking isle:ha: It was a long term goal for me to quit, within the next 5 years or so, but I figured what the hell. I actually enjoyed it, but I had only been smoking for about 4 years and did not have to worry about the health issues.

I smoked about a pack a day, which is almost $2,000 a year. Thats generous with the price, and not to mention I would always buy something to snack on and drink. I would usually spend about $10 every time I went into a store to buy a pack of smokes. I will let you do the math on that. To me, it was about 2 months worth of wages.

But like you said, the hardest thing is breaking the routine. Driving, drinking with friends, and after a big meal.

I think I will speak for everyone here when I say......when you quit and actually are able to smell the smoke on someone else(especially a jacket which does not get washed everyday) the smell is one of the worst smells that someone could smell like. Everyday if I smell that, I asked people if thats what I smelled like. They all say no, but part of me just thinks they are being nice.

 

I also take great pride when I hear people say that I am the only person they known to have quit. I have ran across one other person in my life to do the same. Its a small group of people.

 

Childress gave good advice.

I'm coming up on 2 years smoke-free. I was smoking 1-1.5 packs a day. I always knew it was ridiculously unhealthy and that I'd have to quit one day. But watching my brother-in-law's father (who I was pretty close with) deteriorate rapidly after being diagnosed with lung cancer was the straw that broke the camels back.

I cut back to about half a pack a day then went cold turkey. The first 3-4 days were BY FAR the roughest. After that the cravings had gone down substantially. I still found myself wanting one after meals or if I was having a few drinks at the bar for awhile though. Then, after a few weeks I didn't even miss them. In fact, I wondered why in the hell I ever smoked to begin with. Now I can't even stand the smell of them.

I can tell you this... if you can just get to the point where you've gone several days without a smoke you will notice a HUGE difference in your energy and just how you feel in general. That feeling alone was enough to keep me going.

I did order an e-cig with the intention of it helping me through the process. But by the time it arrived in the mail I was already over my cravings so I figured it would be stupid to use it just because I bought it. I gave it to my wife, who was also a smoker, and she was quit within 2 months. Then we bought one for my mother-in-law, who had been a smoker for 50 years, and SHE QUIT within a couple months.

So even though I don't have first-hand experience with e-cigs, I have seen them work wonders. My mother-in-law smoked like a freight train. So if she can do it I think anyone can. I know there is some debate out there about just how healthy e-cigs themselves are. And while I'm sure they aren't necessarily great for you, I can't imagine they are worse or even nearly as bad as cigarettes. If you are using them as a tool to quit and not as a replacement for cigarettes then I see absolutely no problem whatsoever.

One last thing, I wholeheartedly believe quitting cigs is 98% mental. If you REALLY want to quit, then it's done. But you have to truly be doing it for you and not because someone else is nagging you to death. You will have a few very rough days/weeks but in the grand scheme of things, what is that? Nothing. But a speck on the timeline of your life. And you will forever look back on it as one of the greatest decisions you ever made. Trust me.

 

100% agree.

Th second and third week were the worst for me. Anytime someone asks me what am I most proud of, I always say quitting smoking even over being a Marine. I know how many good strong people who have struggled with this and am thankful mine went fairly smoothly on my first try.