Help me quit smoking PLEASE!

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I really want to quit smoking. It's gross, annoying and expensive! I know it is one of the reasons why I always feel so icky because I have quit for months at a time before and felt great. So I know I CAN do it...but I know, sadly, that part of me doesn't WANT to.

I look at as my escape. I get a few minutes of quiet outside away from my kids and everyting else. I really want to change my way of thinking since this is the ONLY thing I feel holding me back.


So...to any of you DISsers who have quit what is your advice to quit and STAY "quited"?

Success stories are wanted and welcome as well.

 

[happygirl]

I really want to quit smoking. It's gross, annoying and expensive! I know it is one of the reasons why I always feel so icky because I have quit for months at a time before and felt great. So I know I CAN do it...but I know, sadly, that part of me doesn't WANT to.

I look at as my escape. I get a few minutes of quiet outside away from my kids and everyting else. I really want to change my way of thinking since this is the ONLY thing I feel holding me back.


So...to any of you DISsers who have quit what is your advice to quit and STAY "quited"?

Success stories are wanted and welcome as well.

Most of the people I have known have done it cold turkey

 

[boppy]

Yes, smoking is a great escape. Just ask my father, who smoked for over 40 years and died from lung cancer less than a year after being diagnosed. The cancer spread to his spine and his brain. He died an unrecognizable man. Maybe think about how your family will feel when that happens to you.

Don't mean to be nasty, but get real.

I wish you luck.

 

[IdesOmarch]

You might want to try those new artificial cig things, that are actually water vapor, but have nicotine or something so you get the nicotine, but not the negative effects of smoking. My brother started using one of these. They smell like fog machine smoke, much less offensive than regular smoke.

 

[Pakey]

Last year I had part of my lung removed due to cancer (my lung cancer was from the spread of my breast cancer, not smoking). It was enough to get my son to son to stop smoking. He saw how gruesome my surgery and recovery was.

He used the nicotine gum to quit.

If something like that didn't work, I'd try hypnosis. I'd try anything. Cancer is a terrible thing.

 

[momof1princess]

OP, i have a friend from HS who is quitting with chantix. it's been about 6 weeks now for her, and she's doing great. it's worth looking into. good luck!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Last year I had part of my lung removed due to cancer (my lung cancer was from the spread of my breast cancer, not smoking). It was enough to get my son to son to stop smoking. He saw how gruesome my surgery and recovery was.

He used the nicotine gum to quit.

If something like that didn't work, I'd try hypnosis. I'd try anything. Cancer is a terrible thing.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. But hopefully you are healing well!

I'm thinking of trying Chantax, the pills, but my husband was on them and couldn't sleep so I'm looking at other ways. I know I can beat the actual physical addiction, it's more of a mental thing me I think.

 

[rainy~daze]

Quitting smoking is agonizing. I can relate to everything you feel OP.

If someone hasn't smoked, they truly can't understand how hard it is to quit.

In spite of the fact my mother has had breast cancer, I was a smoker.
And I hated it...smelly, dirty, just plain gross.

But, it was so addictive. I enjoyed my quiet time, too, all the while being disgusted for smoking.

I quit when pregnant with both of my kids and several times after that. I quit cold turkey with the kids, and used the patch a few times.
Never worked, I always felt like I just wasn't ready to quit and kept coming up with reasons to buy another pack.

6 weeks ago tomorrow, I quit again.
This time it feels so different. I did use the nicotime gum just to help satisfy cravings for a few days. I only used about 4 pieces of gum. Chewing it for just 3-4 minutes when I really felt pressure helped immensely.
The first few days were the hardest. Thinking about having a cigarette and having to redirect myself, usually just breathing. Still same today.
Though, my cravings for one are almost nonexistent already.

You are at the first step...really wanting to quit. You have to want it, for you.
Just believe in yourself. Don't feel bad if you need to use a quitting aid, they are there for a reason. When you feel the urge to have one, just relax. Breathe...the urge will go away.
I loved smelling my hair and not smelling smoke.

If you want to quit...you can do it!!!!! It takes patience and a strong will, and you can do it.
I know it has only been 6 weeks for me, but I feel free.

If you are a praying person, pray..it helps too.

 

[Acklander]

When I quit, I just did it cold turkey. I still miss it.

 

[Pakey]

I'm sorry you had to go through that. But hopefully you are healing well!

I'm thinking of trying Chantax, the pills, but my husband was on them and couldn't sleep so I'm looking at other ways. I know I can beat the actual physical addiction, it's more of a mental thing me I think.

Thank you, I am doing fine.

If it's a mental thing, maybe it would help to combine the Chantax with a change in habit. You need to find something to replace the smoking. If stepping outside for a cigarette was your trigger to relax, you probably won't be able to step outside without craving a cigarette. Perhaps you could go into the bedroom and listen a song on headphones or something like that.

Good luck. I'm sure it's not easy.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Quitting smoking is agonizing. I can relate to everything you feel OP.

If someone hasn't smoked, they truly can't understand how hard it is to quit.

In spite of the fact my mother has had breast cancer, I was a smoker.
And I hated it...smelly, dirty, just plain gross.

But, it was so addictive. I enjoyed my quiet time, too, all the while being disgusted for smoking.

I quit when pregnant with both of my kids and several times after that. I quit cold turkey with the kids, and used the patch a few times.
Never worked, I always felt like I just wasn't ready to quit and kept coming up with reasons to buy another pack.

6 weeks ago tomorrow, I quit again.
This time it feels so different. I did use the nicotime gum just to help satisfy cravings for a few days. I only used about 4 pieces of gum. Chewing it for just 3-4 minutes when I really felt pressure helped immensely.
The first few days were the hardest. Thinking about having a cigarette and having to redirect myself, usually just breathing. Still same today.
Though, my cravings for one are almost nonexistent already.

You are at the first step...really wanting to quit. You have to want it, for you.
Just believe in yourself. Don't feel bad if you need to use a quitting aid, they are there for a reason. When you feel the urge to have one, just relax. Breathe...the urge will go away.
I loved smelling my hair and not smelling smoke.

If you want to quit...you can do it!!!!! It takes patience and a strong will, and you can do it.
I know it has only been 6 weeks for me, but I feel free.

If you are a praying person, pray..it helps too.

Thank you so much for understanding! And congrats on your progress so far! Did you go cold turkey...or wean yourself off?

 

[plutotek]

One thing is to reduce/avoid exposure to those situations that tend to promote smoking. Things like social settings, especially w/alcohol and other smokers, or trying to relax after a scary movie are things to try and avoid.

I would try and do the gum thing, or have a celery or carrot stick when the craving hit. If I was driving, I chewed on a toothpick.

Good luck!!!

 

[rainy~daze]

Thank you so much for understanding! And congrats on your progress so far! Did you go cold turkey...or wean yourself off?

cold turkey. I was so fed up with trying to find the right time of day, or right day of the week. If that kept up, there would have been a gazillion reasons not to quit.
The gum was surprising...had a bit of a zing to it after a few seconds. The patch always had made me jittery. When the gum got to be too tingly just threw it away, but it had taken the edge off.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

Last year I had part of my lung removed due to cancer (my lung cancer was from the spread of my breast cancer, not smoking). It was enough to get my son to son to stop smoking. He saw how gruesome my surgery and recovery was.

He used the nicotine gum to quit.

If something like that didn't work, I'd try hypnosis. I'd try anything. Cancer is a terrible thing.

Pakey, hope you are doing much better now!

DH and I quit smoking through hypnosis. We were both heavy smokers, each smoking two packs a day. We tried to quit numerous times, but always failed. Finally we went to a hypnotist and walked out as non smokers! He recorded our hypnosis sessions (we had separate sessions, which is what I recommend) and we were told to listen to our recorded CD's daily for 21 days to make the habit "stick". He hypnotized us to take three deep breaths, then say, "relax, relax, relax" and the urge to smoke would instantly go away. It was totally painless. No nicotine withdrawals, no having to chew nicotine gum, nothing to it except doing our deep breathing and saying relax three times any time we felt the urge to smoke.

I highly recommend hypnosis as the easy way to quit smoking. We quit 7 1/2 years ago and have never touched another cigarette. We paid $80 each but our hypnotist now charges $250 per person. Many insurance companies will pay $200 toward your efforts to stop smoking, whether it be through hypnosis, Chantix, nicotine gum, etc. You might want to Google hypnotists in your area and see if you can find a good one. My hypnotist guaranteed he could make clients stop smoking or he'd give them half their money back. It only took DH and me one session each to quit.

 

[SpecialK]

I quit two years ago last January after many failed attempts. I hated going out into the cold garage to smoke, so by the time I quit I was down to three or four a day. My children were my motivation. My oldest was entering his teen years, I don't want either of them to smoke, and I couldn't be a hypocrite and tell them not to do something that I was doing.

I bought one final pack of cigarettes, and told myself that it was my last pack when I bought it. I enjoyed the heck out of that last pack, then I just stopped. I announced that I had quit, so pride at being able to follow through came into play.

It's not easy, but you can do it. Just keep trying - eventually it will stick. Good luck!

 

[daisyduck123]

It makes the smoker stink.

Seriously, knowing that I stunk, & my car, would be enough to make me quit. I would hate to have everyone around me thinking I stink & never even be able to have friends ride in my car or come over to my house.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Thank you everyone for your success stories...I'm going to try...NO...strike that...THIS WIL be my last pack. As a previous poster said...I'm going to enjoy the heck out of it and be done.

I'm nervous because my husband is deploying in a month though, but I don't think I can do it while he's gone so I'm going to do it now.

 

[disney11fan]

I really want to quit smoking. It's gross, annoying and expensive! I know it is one of the reasons why I always feel so icky because I have quit for months at a time before and felt great. So I know I CAN do it...but I know, sadly, that part of me doesn't WANT to.

I look at as my escape. I get a few minutes of quiet outside away from my kids and everyting else. I really want to change my way of thinking since this is the ONLY thing I feel holding me back.


So...to any of you DISsers who have quit what is your advice to quit and STAY "quited"?

Success stories are wanted and welcome as well.

first take a trip thru your cancer hospital or ward. if that doesn't cure you...talk to someone you know that lost someone to lung cancer.


my uncle died of lung cancer....he died less than a hundred pounds and he suffered every day till he died. when the priest and chaplin spoke at the funeral...the story he shared was pray that i die father...he did and we did. he's not suffering now but why put yourself thru it.


don't let anyone smoke near you or around you or anywhere on your property.

 

[brittsmum1998]

Dh and I quit using Chantex. We had both tried numerous times without success. Chantex can give you some weird side effects so we both took it for less than 6 weeks.

It will be 2 years July 4th (Independance Day ) and neither of us have had a desire to smoke. I have 2 family members who smoke and I have been around them and it doesn't bother me (except the smell). I have gained 25 lbs. though but it is still worth it and I will take that weight off eventually.

I have recently started going back to the casino once in a while (I was soooo afraid to test myself) and have had absolutely NO problem. It seems that there are only a few who smoke at least at the slots

I wish you luck.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I really want to quit smoking. It's gross, annoying and expensive! I know it is one of the reasons why I always feel so icky because I have quit for months at a time before and felt great. So I know I CAN do it...but I know, sadly, that part of me doesn't WANT to.

I look at as my escape. I get a few minutes of quiet outside away from my kids and everyting else. I really want to change my way of thinking since this is the ONLY thing I feel holding me back.


So...to any of you DISsers who have quit what is your advice to quit and STAY "quited"?

Success stories are wanted and welcome as well.

Oh yea, I was you. I am on quit #4 and making it stick. I requit in Oct. I was a "closet smoker".

1) You have to want to quit. Without that you can't do it.

2) You are a drug addict. It is an addiction. Stop thinking about it in terms of "willpower" or other goofy things.

Now my dh is going to quit again in June. This will be #2 for him. He is taking Welbutrin and that is what helps him to quit.

I go cold turkey.

Now granted I have GAINED 10lbs since Oct. So word of advice....take up some form of exercise when you do quit.

Last time I quit I took up walking and actually lost weight. This time I am older and more out of shape.

I am a cig-a-holic. I want a cig everyday and will want one forever....I have to choose not to smoke.

Good Luck and don't beat yourself up if you struggle. It is not easy.