Quiting smoking

[Bethany Westbrooke 7532]

I admire you for asking for help Emma, it is hard but you can do it! I quit recently, was my 4month anniversary a few days ago, and have to say for me realizing how gross it was really made it easier for me to quit- I really was more of a social smoker, but it was still hard.

 

If you can, go to Spain, they still allow smoking in most bars, barely being able to breathe from all the smoking like it's going out of style helped me to realize how terrible smoking is. My last day there 4 months ago I took all the smokes from my retro cigarette case)a useless souvenir now of when I used to smoke) and left them on the table where I had made the decision. Haven't even had a puff since then, it completely repulses me, wish I had gone to Spain sooner, plus most beaches have clothing optional sections, lol!

 

Xoxox

[Old Dog 179138]

I am a smoker, so I do know what the sacrifices are.

 

For those that have never smoked, it's no use throwing statistics and timelines and wonderful utopian ideals at a smoker. The decision has to come from within. I once was told that every cigarette you smoke takes 4 minutes off of your life expectancy; I figured that a good smoke break was 10 minutes so I was 6 minutes to the good anyhow.

 

I have quit.... a number of times. It is easy to have that last cigarette and say never again, the hardest part is making it stick. I guess it's like alcoholism in that respect... you can NEVER smoke again. The first time you cheat, that's it. You are a smoker again.

 

All this being said, I sincerely hope that you can do it Emma. One day soon, I will join you.

[mrgreen760 37785]

 

MRGreen

You are absiolutely right, it fells way better to take it!

You made me laugh, i love your sense of humour

yeah i love smoking some pot and then

watch a comedy show and it is such nice way to just relax

and for sex pot it is sooooooooo aphrodisiac mmmmmm!

The problem is the next day i fell lethergic unless i lift some weights

and bounce off in the stairs master to get my ass harder

and my mind clear!

 

Amanda, let me just say a hard ass is good thing;). Lethargy has never an issue for me :) I wake up sharp as a tack, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Most days I lift and ski on a nordic trak and my ass isn't the only thing that takes more effort to get harder as I age...ifuknowwhatimean;) Might be an age thing but worth the effort...lol I find pot to have aphrodisiacal qualities as well.

 

Peace

MG

[pjrd 324]

I am a smoker, so I do know what the sacrifices are.

 

I have quit.... a number of times. It is easy to have that last cigarette and say never again, the hardest part is making it stick. I guess it's like alcoholism in that respect... you can NEVER smoke again. The first time you cheat, that's it. You are a smoker again.

 

All this being said, I sincerely hope that you can do it Emma. One day soon, I will join you.

 

Old Dog has wisdom mixed in with that wonderful sence of humour. I haven't smoked for thirty years and still won't even try one because to this day I'm afraid of starting again. I now find it disgusting but I'm still afraid.

Emma, don't do it to please anyone else. You have to really want to quit for yourself then make a promise to Emma never to have that first one.

Cold turkey is the way it's working for me.

[Amanda Bella 421]

 

Amanda, let me just say a hard ass is good thing;). Lethargy has never an issue for me :) I wake up sharp as a tack, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Most days I lift and ski on a nordic trak and my ass isn't the only thing that takes more effort to get harder as I age...ifuknowwhatimean;) Might be an age thing but worth the effort...lol I find pot to have aphrodisiacal qualities as well.

 

Peace

MG

 

Dear MG!

I can see! If you work out most of the time

your energy level it is way higher, congratulations on your efforts.

I find it when i am working out regularly that i have way

more energy pot or not. I love discovering the beauty

of gym culture it is uplifting energysing and fun.

At one point i got addicited to pot because i was

smoking pot to go to the gym ( smoking pot makes me very energetic )

But lately i have stopped doing that, my gym pot now it is

my ipod. Thus it fells like going to the gym equivalent to

going dancing. lol!

Now make sure you will have

A good day!

Kisses!

Amanda

[joeyjoejoe 100]

I didn't see anyone mention the new stop smoking drug Champix. It is supposed to be more effective than zyban/wellbutrin. I found it really effective. I just didn't change enough of the other stuff I needed to and started back up when someone offered me a cigarette five months down the road. If you do go that route talk to your doctor about how to time your doses. The drug interferes with your sleep, but I found taking my second dose earlier helped a lot.

 

Also it is important to build up your support network. They will boost you up when you are feeling down. They will also give you strength when weakness inevitably sets in, no one wants to tell their friends that they failled.

 

Good luck and stay strong. Hopefully I will be right behind you on that quitting train.

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[Jabba 18389]

I've heard the experience is different for everyone. I have friends who quit several times - sometimes successfully for several years. Then they started up again after some event or whatever.

Me, I had to quit after one attempt. No multiple tries - that would kill me. I used the patch. Weird dreams, grumpy for about a week. It worked after about 4 days. I was ready though - if you're not ready, you don't have the motivation. Without the staying power of real motivation, you will fall back on old habits. Ditch the associated habits - coffee, smoking friends, drinking, sex, fun, etc....:exagerefesses:

[hohum123 103]

After smoking a pack a day for 6 years, i quit cold turkey years back, I agree that's the way to go.

 

The first 3-4 months were excruciating, gradually easier from then on!

 

Afterwards, for the first few years I was always very tempted in the presence of smokers and cigarette smoke...the next few years the reaction was neutral..and after that, the third stage was being turned off by even a whiff of cigarette smoke!

:smile:

I guess my own experience parallels the changes in larger society..

[Emma Alexandra 123368]

Thanks for all the support and helpful hints..and the not so helpful ones too..smoking pot..haha...i'm a goodie goodie..no pot...no booze...it doesn't bother me that other people do it but it's just not me...5 days in now but I must confess i did have a couple ...it's been a tough week...I'm not giving up though...kisses

[Andee 220524]

I didn't see anyone mention the new stop smoking drug Champix. e

 

Actually I did, 4th post down.

 

Like any drug, it has its side effects, but apparently better than zyban (wellbutrin).

[PistolPete 61421]

Thanks for all the support and helpful hints..and the not so helpful ones too..smoking pot..haha...i'm a goodie goodie..no pot...no booze...it doesn't bother me that other people do it but it's just not me...5 days in now but I must confess i did have a couple ...it's been a tough week...I'm not giving up though...kisses

 

Good for you Emma just keep going!;) Confessions are good for the soul too!

[Megan'sTouch 23875]

o..smoking pot..haha...i'm a goodie goodie..no pot...no booze...it doesn't bother me that other people do it but it's just not me...

That's funny because I consider cigarettes to be more of the "bad girl" image and pot to be the "good girl" image. I guess that's because all the bad girls in high school smoked cigarettes, and when I got to university all the smart studious girls smoked pot.

 

Best of luck and congrats on making a move towards a healthier lifestyle!

[slurp 7020]

I smoked for 35 years, at least a pack a day, usually more during that time. I had tried and failed to quit many times. I was really a hardcore smoker. I ALMOST quit using Zyban but figured I could have one with a friend. Bad move, you cannot give in for even one puff.

 

The last time I failed I was on Zyban and went to a support group at the Royal Ottawa Hospital. They offered me the patch and said it would not just double my chance for success, it would quadruple it! Stupidly I said no, that I was doing fine with Zyban. Again I failed a few weeks later but kept this in the back of my head.

 

I decided a year or 2 after that to quit around New Years. Quitting as a New Years resolution rarely works but I wasn't being hard and fast with the quit date. With Zyban you start taking it and naturally start slowing down how many you smoke.

 

So I was taking Z and had bought the patch keeping for when I finally felt the time was right to quit. Was buying packs instead of cartons but the quit date kept being moved back. Towards the end of January I got sick, the flu or whatever. It was a Sunday night and I ran out of cigs. Felt too crappy to go buy a pack so threw a patch on my arm and figured I'd go buy a pack Monday morning. Never smoked again. That was 4 or 5 years ago, I'm so over it that I don't even remember. Feels great to remove the shackles that smoking strangles your lifestyle with.

 

Just over a year after I quit my son died. Everyone was waiting for me to grab a smoke and I did a few times but never lit it. Like I said I had been one of the most hardcore smokers my friends and family knew and this is what people like me do when things get rough, smoke. Except something kept me from it. I think it was the fear of the feeling I was not in control again. And that was one of my big reasons to quit, I wanted to be in control, not the cigs.

 

So I still get the occasional urge but it is short and fleeting. Usually when I am thinking of my son a lot, we spent lots of times sitting talking, smoking while we talked, in the past.

 

It's a great feeling to know I am in a place where nothing will make me smoke again. Never ever thought I'd make it or stay there if I did.

 

A few cautions if you decide to try what I did. Some people report odd dreams or troubles sleeping while taking Zyban. I had none of that .... until I used the patch with Zyban. I had some wild dreams, let me tell you. But they were harmless and passed as I reduced the dosage of the patch. Using both together I reduced the patch dosage quicker than recommended and stopped both the patch and Zyban before the usual recommended time. And it was no big deal after I stopped them, the urges did not increase and kept decreasing with time. I think I was off everything and smoke free in less than 6 months.

 

I think one thing that helps is that I feel VERY strongly that one puff will be the end for me and I will undo all the good. The thought of a cig makes me feel queasy, which is good. Helps keep me from having one. Oddly enough, I don't mind being around someone smoking, I kind of like the smell of fresh smoke. Stale smoke repulses me tho.

 

Best of luck, hope somewhere in this long winded tale you find something to help you. Feel free to PM if you have any questions, I don't check on at Cerb every day but do fairly often. Anyone who can kick the habit deserves accolades, hopefully soon you will be getting them! Just remember every day gets easier .....

[Guest S**r***e]

I quit smoking 6 months ago and have no cravings now at all. I used the drug Champix. You are supposed to take this drug for 3 months. My doctor said statistically those who don't finish the drug intake restart smoking. Well I didn't finish. I decided not to take the drug anymore after 1 month. It had got to the point where I was forgetting to take the pill, so I said F#ck it! I did however not drink alcohol and coffee for about a month too, as someone already pointed out, these were triggers for me. I did slowly introduce them back into my lifestyle later and now I am fine. I also found a different route to take to work as certain spots along your commute can trigger the cigarette need. A certain sign along the road can trigger you to get that one last cigarette in before getting to work or getting home. I also had found that for about 2-3 months after quitting, I would get this feeling that I should be doing something, I would then realize that at that point in time I would usually have a smoke. Once I figured out what it was, I just shrugged it off and it went away. I no longer have these feelings.

 

All in all I am glad I quit. I had smoked a pack a day for about 15 years. I can now be around people who smoke and I don't crave one, even if we are drinking. I don't crave one after meals or coffee. In fact I don't crave them at all. I find that it stinks a lot and I can definitely tell when someone has just had a smoke. It stinks really bad!!

 

Good luck Emma, there are plenty of us here for you if you need some support.

[Guest Ou**or**n]

I've been quit for over 9 years now. When I smoked I loved smoking - I mean I really, really loved it. I'd drag on a cigarette the way a scotch lover will enjoy his favorite single malt.

 

Now of course smoking on a rational level is one of the most idiotic and stupid things in the world that it boggles the mind.

 

Here is what worked for me...

 

-you must really want to quit, want to quit for you feel are the most valid reasons out the 100's offered by others

 

-set a 'quit' date and prepare yourself for it by delaying your morning cigarette a bit more each day and cutting back on your total throughout the day (basically prepare that there will be some levels of craving you will have to deal with)

 

-consider smoking to be like alcoholism - you can't have just one now and again, you are either quit or your not

 

-there are cravings and hard times - get used to them - they will decrease and vanish or time

 

-change your personal habits for the first 3-6 months to take yourself out of the situations in which you are most likely to smoke

 

-I used Zyban and the patch, figured I might as well have the odds on my side as much as possible

 

I wasn't successful the first time I quit. In fact after a while I told everyone I was an expert on quitting smoking as I had done it so many times.

 

Best of luck!

[Guest ma*be***ag***]

Hey Emma, first of all, good luck with quitting. It is a tough choice, however it is a good one.

 

I don't know if I have much more to add than what others have said here, however for me, when I quit, it was in a life changing moment. I even remember the date (Dec 21, 1998), and the time (6:30PM) when I decided to quit smoking. For me, the way I did it was that I just never allowed myself to smoke, it was never an option. When I wanted a smoke, I reminded myself that smoking was not an option, and I would refocus my craving on something else (sex, exercise, etc.).

 

Even today, I still have cravings, but I have long since convinced myself that it is just not an option to smoke, and so I don't. Ultimately, it comes down to having a reason to quit. You have to know why you are quitting, and it has to be a strong enough reason that, when you are in a moment of weakness, you are able to stay strong.

 

For me, I lost my little brother to lung cancer at the age of 24. That's my reason, and trust me, I will never smoke again. I hope you can find your reason to quit too.

[Kayla 344]

After many tries in the past years I have decided that this is it...this is the time I Really quit for good...Amelia's constant complaining of me going for a smoke and how much I was actually spending on them made me decide. So if anyone has any ideas to help me with this endeavor please advice.

Thanks,

Emma

I smoked 3/4 a pack a day for over 21 years. I began when I was 16. I haven't smoked now for almost 5 years. How I did it was with the patches. I wore the patches for 1 week longer than prescribed. I began with the strongest patch. If they tell you to use that patch for 2 weeks, wear it for a week more. Make sure you complete the ENTIRE cycle or it won't work.

 

The patches took care of the craving, the habit of 'smoking in the car' or 'smoking while working on the computer', was a little harder because I was constantly reaching for my smoke in the ashtray. But I had read about the addiction as well as the 'habit' of smoking. They say that 75% of our smoking is out of habit, the other 25% is to satisfy the addiction. Because I had already read that, when I did catch myself reaching or wanting the cigg while I was performing actions I normally had a smoke with, I stopped, I thought about the 'habit' and I smiled when I realized I was winning.

 

I decided to quit because it was the last thing that was controlling me. Make no mistake, until you quit, that cigarette 'controls' you. I couldn't stand the stink or the taste or the need. I'm quite stubborn, so maybe it was easier for me than others, but I just said, enough is enough.

 

Others that have quit have ended up smoking once again because they claimed they got stressed out and 'needed' a smoke. If I was to walk outside right now, have a smoke, yeah, I believe I would start up again. But I have no craving and every day when I pass someone smoking, I appreciate I don't smoke any longer.

 

My smoking habit began out of self punishment. Some turned to drugs or drinking. I smoked. I came to a decision that I've suffered enough. I won't wish you luck on your journey or wish you hope that you can do it. It's simple. You will quit when you decide, 'enough is enough'.

 

All IMHO of course.

[Guest S***e]

Emma:

 

I've been smoke-free for more than 30 years now and being strong-willed or in my case just plain old hard headed really helped me quit. Nowadays, there's more medical options for people and I hope you find something that will work for you. I went cold-turkey and munched on peppermints all the time which caused me to gain some weight so I took up running and wieght-lifting at the gym replacing a bad addiction for a good one, fitness. I wish you nothing but success EmmaA.

 

Best regards!