Smoking, how did you quit ?

[Accumulator]

In case this isn't obvious/has't already been mentioned, one of the triggers to avoid is ALCOHOL. Once you get a buzz going those serotonin receptors are gonna SCREAM for a cigarette to "put the finishing touch" on your high.

[RegalGS]

Originally posted by Patrick
Man oh man, this is getting worse, I just bought a new travel trailer, pick it up thursday...I cant seem to get smoking out of my head, sitting there on the beach, by the shore, in a chair....feet danglin in the surf....No Ciggy ??? ARGH !!!

Feet danglin in the surf... watching the sun go down without the ciggy grey haze in your face... be able to really smell the clean ocean air and all its subtleties... looking down at your toes curling in the wet sand, and seeing only sand (no ciggy butts)... seeing your kids playing in the water, and being able to, on a whim, get up and chase them without running out of breath... knowing that you'll never have to worry about cleaning the smoke smell/ashes/tar film out of the new travel trailer... and finally, knowing that you'll be able to enjoy even more evenings like these because you quit!

Oooooooh, that was mean of me. But it felt good. So, does the fact that you can't get smoking out of your head mean ya quit???

[DFTowel]

I quit cold turkey on July 20, 1990 at 1:30PM. I averaged three packs of Salems a day and had been smoking for 25ys. What happened was I was in the hospital with pneumonia for two weeks and the withdrawel never got any worse than going to the movies and not smoking for a couple of hours. When I got out I never lit up again.

I had my teeth cleaned, my clothes cleaned, forbade anyone from smoking in my house, car, office, etc.

Once you put your mind to it it isn't too bad.

[JimS]

After 49 years of smoking this is day 56 without a cigarette.

I used the patch and the inhaler. I started with the 21mg patch for 2 wks, then the 14 mg for about 10 days (had some old ones on hand) then the 7 mg for about 10 days (more old ones).

I used one inhaler cartridge in the morning and then just used the plastic inhaler kinda like a pacifier all day long whenever I felt the need for a cig. I'm still using the inhaler but without the cartridge so I'm not getting any nicotine. It just helps to have something to handle when the phone rings or when I feel the need for a cig it helps to have something to chew on, puff on etc.

A friend of mine who has been counseling addicts for 40 year says that one of the biggest problems smokers have when trying to quit is that they forget to breathe and thats because they did most of their deep breathing (which is very soothing/calming to the nerves) when they inhaled on their cig. The empty inhaler helps me remember to take some deep breaths as I "hit" it and inhale it and then when I exhale it feels almost like a good long drag on the cig did. I can feel the tension going out of my neck, shoulders and upper arms as I "hit" the inhaler/pacifier.

I still want a cig, I'll always have moments when I want a cig, but I don't want to smoke. I'm really tired of being a smoker so all I have to do is not smoke right now, put it off until this urge is over, hit the pacifier , and wait until later.

It's been 56 days. I haven't had a drink of alcohol for 7881 days, one day at a time. I haven't quit, I'm just not willing to go back to being a drinker, or a smoker, today. Not today.

Later JimS

[CharlesW]

Cold Turkey.
One cigarette at a time.
Treated each cigarette craving like a personal challenge.
First 8 days were really bad, every day after that it got easier each day. Probably been 30 years now. The only problem I have is figuring out what I did with all that money I saved.
Detailing supplies, maybe?

Charles

[NY detailer]

i did it the hard way. I was a pack a day smoker and I ENJOYED IT. I am not one of x smokers who say they hated. I LIKE IT!! After a hard day of detailing. But the effects it has on the body made me want to stop.

I have to honestly say that it all started when i met my wife, she hated it that i smoked. So 1 year later i quit cold turkey

I just never bought another pack, i used the straws they give you in coffee to chew on and keep with me. It has been around 8 years now and i have not had a smoke. I do get the urge every now and again but i just stop and think of something else.

GOOD LUCK

[Mosca]

You have to say "no" to EVERY SINGLE impulse to light a cigarette. You have to stay out of situations where you like to have cigarettes, like bars, if you frequent them.

I quit when I was 23, about 26 years ago. It took about 7 years for the cravings to go away. It was BY FAR the hardest thing I've ever quit; giving up all the so called "addictive drugs" was MUCH easier than quitting cigarettes.

Tom

[HRP]

Admitting you need help and are willing to try is a great first step. There are several prescription medications which help to relieve the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Two of them are Welbutrin, an antidepressant tablet, not related to Prozac, and Clonodine (an antihypertensive) which is available as a pill and a patch. You might contact your physician and discuss this with him. I am an Internal Medicine doctor. You are probably defidient in some of the B vitamins, so geet a B complex like B50, 100 or 150 from GNC or anyother vitamine story. Add a good multivitamin preparation without iron, also avoid any herbs, etc. Also suggest a good exercise program. I quit my pipe and cigars when I was diagnosed with coronary artery disease at age 57 (7 years ago). I still crave a good cigar, but now even a few puffs gives me nicotine toxicity. You've picked the right time of year to quit. Holidays and vacations are usually the most stressful times to quit (I alwsys wondered why the Great American Smokeout s set up in November, right before Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc). A long hike with at least one overnight camping out with no cigarettes and only non smokers (so you can't bum one) will help get you over the first few days. Warn everyone that you're going to be a real SOB.

[a.k.a. Patrick]

hmmmmmm, glad this thread is still alive.....I havent had much luck, although i did purchase one of those herb stop smoking kits, ahvent yet tried it though....damn its tough.....

[Rlockyer]

It is very tough. Sometimes you'll think it's impossible.
I quit the week after I signed up for Scuba classes. Finished the carton I had on Tuesday. Thursday, I lit a butt out of the ash tray at work, finished it off, and haven't turned back since.

Did I say it's very tough? "They" say it's as hard as kicking heroin... "they" are F.O.S. (not that I know firsthand), but it's pretty hard.

I used to put away between 1 and 2 packs a day. When I quit, not a day went by the first 3 months that I didn't automatically reach for my pocket while driving. Oops... nothing there, that's right, I don't smoke anymore.
The first year was the hardest. The cravings tend to drop off quickly... after that, it's just an oral habit. It's like missing an old friend.

Did I forget to say it's very tough? Quitting is easy. Staying quit is hard.

I quit AT LEAST 5 times over the 14 years that I smoked. Every time, I'd be good for a month or two (max two) and figure "Okay, I've got this under control and I can just buy a pack and have one every now and then."
Don't make that mistake. One every now and then quickly escalated back to 1-2 packs a day. I was at my peak in the late 80s when I worked retail and put away 4 packs a day. I can't imagine what kind of damage I did.

Today, if I check my heart rate while still in bed in the morning, it's at 60. Not bad for a resting heart rate.
Unfortunately, ANY movement spikes it up. Walking across the room brings it to the 90s. IF I sit still for a couple of minutes, it'll settle at 70 or so. I posted in the "Diet and get in shape" thread the progress that I've made over the last 2 weeks, but it is obvious that I've done some serious damage to my system by smoking and not eating right.

BTW: Don't get the wrong idea... I'm not, and never have been a "fat slob". I'm 6'3", and my highest weight has been 220. I've never needed pants over size 38, and I can generally wear 36 (all of my jeans are 36x34). Prior to starting my recent fitness program, my weight was 210 at 26% body fat. That's out of shape, but for a 41 year old male, it's within the "normal" range (25% would be obese for a 20 year old).


When it gets tough and the cravings hit you, think of a few things.

Think of your wife or family having to visit you in the hospital.
Think of them having to drain their resources to pay for your care.
Think of spending the last few months of your life in an iron lung.
Think of your friends that you'll be leaving behind and how much fun they won't have because you won't be around, or think of the fun they'll have without you.
Think of the fun you won't be able to have because you'll spend your last 10 years plugged into an oxygen bottle.

I'll always be the last person to bust someone's a$$ for smoking, and scare tactics were the last thing that would work on me (the commercials that were paid for by the tobacco tax only reminded me to light up).
If you want to do it, you know the dangers... feel free....

But you're asking for help.
Once you've made up your mind to quit, it will happen.
Sometimes the scare tactics are a good reminder. :tu:

[MSOsr]

I smoked a pack a day for 12 years and quit on a New Year's Eve. Started a diet, started jogging and quit smoking all at once. Every time I wanted a cigarette, I forced myself to drop to the floor and do 50 crunches.

After about a week of crunches (some in embarrassing places), and an inch off the waistline, I never wanted a cigarette again. It's now been 27 1/2 years.

Kind of like Pavlov's dog in reverse!

[hondaguy2582]

Here is an answer for all of you trying to quit: RUN. Alice Cooper turned to running to get away from drugs, and now he doesn't even touch them. The runner's high that you get can be very beneficial when trying to quit. Honestly, Just exercise and have more vitamins. Also, stay busy to where you dont' have time to smoke. Last word of advice, don't goto bars or drink alcohol around your friends, bc you will end up relapsing to smoking if you are trying to quit.