If you're trying to quit smoking, come in here...

ok folks, i am the classic 'monday quitter' - every monday, i say "that's it, i'm stopping today", and every monday by about 10 am, i am back having a ciggy.

so i figured i would throw this open in here, and see what hints and tips i can glean from the lit community to help me in my quest to quit.

now, i have an added problem - my partner in this house smokes (cigarillos, but like a friggin chimney!), as well as almost every person who comes here for a visit.
so that makes it hard - especially since he won't make concessions to my attempts, and smoke far away from where i am.

i've picked a definitive day - december the first (because the mother-in-law is coming on the 3rd, and it's only right she experience me at my most crabby and irritable! )

so come on, please help a 'would-be quitter' and let's see if we can get me - and maybe a few others who see this thread - to once and for all, stop this habit.

thanks.

I so know how you feel! I've been trying to quit for ages and I've got to be completely stopped by December as I'm hoping to get pregnant.


I'm looking forward to hearing from others as well that may have some tips on quitting.

*sigh* how weak am i?
i smoked all through the 3 pregnancies i had.

but i am determined to stop before the year is out, no matter how difficult.

warrior queen said:

so i figured i would throw this open in here, and see what hints and tips i can glean from the lit community to help me in my quest to quit.

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This is what I used to quit, just over a month ago:

Nicorette Mint, 2mg: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...1/104-6310410-8869521?v=glance&s=hpc&n=507846

Still want a ciggy, not nearly like I did before though. It 'stuck' this time. What I did was this (instead of the method they state on the gum):

* Chew as many pieces as I want to the first day. Count them.

* The next day, take that number and have that many -1.

* Repeat till the number is 0. Chew pieces of gum when the inevitable urge comes on to smoke after the 0 day.

I also tried other methods, (cold turkey, wellbutrin, gradually cutting back on the smoking, etc) and none of them had the same effect as a nicotine replacement did. None stuck like the nicotine replacement did.

Now, it's gonna be harder than hell to quit with a person who actively smokes in front of you. You might end up needing to have him smoke outside, or certain parts of the house, or similar - at least while you're quitting. If they won't do that for you, they sound like quite the jerk to me...

Just remember, as you quit, it will get easier. It took most of a month for me to get to the point where I only think about smoking once or twice a day. It'll probably take me more till I don't think about it at all. But it will happen.

Anyway, that's my experience. YMMV

many thankyou's, incognito

i too, have tried everything out there except for the gum.
no-one can tell me for sure whether the gum will stick to my plate or not? (i have a plate on my top teeth.)

so, i might try the gum this time.

as for the other person giving me enough respect to move away while he smokes - not going to happen.
he (nearly ex-partner) says it's the only joy he has left in life, and will not accomodate my efforts.
*sigh* and i cannot move out before january for several reasons, so i am stuck with him and his attitude.

i figure if i'm going to manage this quitting thing, i'm going to do it despite him.

warrior queen said:

many thankyou's, incognito

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Not a problem

warrior queen said:

i too, have tried everything out there except for the gum.
no-one can tell me for sure whether the gum will stick to my plate or not? (i have a plate on my top teeth.)

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The gum itself is basically the size of a chicklet, maybe a bit bigger. It's 'stiffer' than normal gum you might buy in a store. However, after chewing nicorette other gum seems way too soft and sweet.

Basically, the gum works by the same method that regular chew works with. You bite it a couple of times until you feel a bit of 'tingle'. Some liken that to 'pepper', though I don't see it. Then you stick it in between your gums and cheek. If you have a plate on the top only, you can stick it exclusively on the bottom gums, alternating sides...

One thing that I did like to do is near the 'end' of the chew I'd start chewing it like regular gum. It would make my throat have that 'nicotine/satisfied' feeling that smokes give ya. Non smokers wouldn't understand, but if you try it it will work for ya. This chewing releases the remaining nicotine from the gum all at once. Not reccomended for light smokers trying to quit - it might make ya sick.

They have lozenges now, too - but I liked the idea of being able to control the release of the nicotine with chewing better. Kept my mouth 'busy' as it would be puffing on a ciggy.

warrior queen said:

as for the other person giving me enough respect to move away while he smokes - not going to happen.
he (nearly ex-partner) says it's the only joy he has left in life, and will not accomodate my efforts.
*sigh* and i cannot move out before january for several reasons, so i am stuck with him and his attitude.

i figure if i'm going to manage this quitting thing, i'm going to do it despite him.

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Yeah, still going to be rough though. You might do well to make yourself scarce during your quit, and try to get your quit through asap. That's why I did my alternate method of quitting - to get it over with. The 'real' method that the gum reccomends is a 2 step process - just seemed so drawn out.

As of now, I can smell ciggarettes seemingly a mile away. Makes going to bars and parties where people smoke hard, but I'm sure that with time that will get easier too. And I sure don't miss the morning 'hacking-up-a-lung' episodes.

Anyway, good luck in your quit. And whatever you do, keep trying at it. Eventually it'll 'stick'. I quit after 7 years of smoking, so I understand how hard it is... but it's doable... Just keep reminding yourself that the withdrawl, the cravings, all of it - will eventually end.

I will be watching this thread closely. I have been smoking for about 15 years. That seems so long when I actually count it and "say" it out loud. I don't know where all those years went.
Anyway, I have tried to quit quite a few times. I have tried the patch, cold turkey, cutting down, etc. But none of it seems to work for me. I know that a lot of people have luck with these things though.
I have found that keeping busy helps, so if you can do that, perhaps that will help you. They also say to do what non-smokers do. I personally don't remember what it was like to not smoke, so I have always draw a blank here when I am told that. lol

I haven't tried the gum. I have some dental problems, so I worry about having that on/around the issues. Does anyone know if it would cause pain or anything if you have problems with your teeth?

I have heard great success stories about the Smoke Away product advertised on tv. It is expensive though.

I guess it comes across as excuses when I think of why I haven't actually bitten the bullet and just stopped.
This is a very hard addiction though, and you have made the first steps to quitting. By deciding that you want to, and by letting others know. That way they can be there to support you.
Best of luck to you,
dls

Oh and don't feel too bad about smoking while you were pregnant. I smoked during my three pregnancies too, and all of my children were perfectly healthy at birth and still are. I did cut back severly with them, but never got to that totally quit stage.

dirtylittleslut said:

I will be watching this thread closely. I have been smoking for about 15 years. That seems so long when I actually count it and "say" it out loud. I don't know where all those years went.
Anyway, I have tried to quit quite a few times. I have tried the patch, cold turkey, cutting down, etc. But none of it seems to work for me. I know that a lot of people have luck with these things though.

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I think, in the end, what it's all about is that different things work for different people. I know exactly why the various methods didn't work for me:

Cold turkey: Lasted all of a week, then just gave in to the cravings. A drop from high nicotine usage to no nicotine usage wasn't pleasant.

Wellbutrin: It didn't make me not want to smoke (like it was 'supposed to') - it just removed the pleasure from smoking. So I smoked more to try to get that pleasure.

Cutting down: I always started going back up - always a 'temporary' thing.

Switching down to lights, then ultra lights, hopefully to nothing after that: I just smoked more ultra lights to make up for the lack of 'flavor' with them..

Switching to menthol: I decided I liked menthol better, not worse like I had hoped.

Some of those 'methods' will work for others, though. I think it's not a bad thing to try out multiple methods.

dirtylittleslut said:

I have found that keeping busy helps, so if you can do that, perhaps that will help you. They also say to do what non-smokers do. I personally don't remember what it was like to not smoke, so I have always draw a blank here when I am told that. lol

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I ramped up my other addictions during the quit to get thru it. Specifically, caffiene - I more than doubled my amount of intake of that. And had as much other 'goodies' as I wanted. DVD's, food, etc. Kept me busy past the first days/weeks.

dirtylittleslut said:

I haven't tried the gum. I have some dental problems, so I worry about having that on/around the issues. Does anyone know if it would cause pain or anything if you have problems with your teeth?

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Read my thoughts above on it... But it's not like most 'gum' that you've known. Harder. Less 'gummy'. Plus, you just bite into it a couple of times, then sit it between your gums and cheek...

Or, like I said, they have a lozenge now...

dirtylittleslut said:

I have heard great success stories about the Smoke Away product advertised on tv. It is expensive though.

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Never tried it nor heard about others experiences with it, but the site (www.smokeaway.com) has info on that, for the curious.. It looks awful involved though... But whatever works for you - it's better than paying for more ciggys, and continuing to do something that you know you don't want to do. And it might be just what those who are into herbal things are looking for.

you know the part were you light the cigarette? I stopped doing that.

I kept putting them in my mouth for awhile, that helped...the main thing is, you have to make up your mind, then stop making excuses.

16 years now, two pack a day habit for about 10.

You'll feel better, not because you can breathe, that's just a bonus...because you won't feel like a weak loser with no will power.

so, my advice is have a cigarette and lighter handy at all times...if you can't overcome the desire itself, you're ultimately going to fail anyway...and don't tell anyone you're quiting. again, just saves you from having to make excuses later.

.....

Ugh, I know how you feel. I started at 17, tried quitting many times, then at 23 finally quit using Wellbuturin... however, I did not take the meds like I was supposed to. I quit for over five years then like four months ago started up again, now having a hell of a time quitting, and this time, nothing is really helping.

My wife quit, and now she is angry because I started up again... but fuck me sideways! Cigs are sooooooooo expensive. Over $5 where I live. Not that I should bitch, because some places like Austrailia, cigs can cost around $8-$10 pack.

I really want to quit smoking again, and will try your tips. Thanks everybody

The gum works

I quit for over a year using the gum after being a pack-a-day man for 14 years. Unfortunately, I went to work in a bar, and started again. My stop date is one week from today, and I will be using the gum again.

I"ve just about quit quiting

Mark Twain once said, "Quiting smoking is easy. And I should know, I've done it a thousand times." Thought of that as I read your post about being a Monday quiter.

I once quit for about a month by cutting back. Eventually, the only time I smoked was when I begged one off of someone at work. But work got to be VERY stressful and I bummed a smoke from some one. That night, I stopped and bought a pack.

I took Zyban. Didn't get any instructions from my doctor and the pharmacy left them out. So I just took the required number of pills each day. Found myself only smoking half a cigarette each time I lit up. Picked a date and quit. Quit for about two weeks. Didn't like the side effects of the Zyban and quit taking that as well. Two weeks after I quit, my sister and I got into a big fight. She told me I was only saying that because I quit smoking. So I lit up and told her she was still a bitch.

Tried the gum, but you can't eat or drink anything when chewing it. I usually wake up by smoking a pot of coffee, drinking half a pack of cigarettes.

Tried the patch, but it made me sick. To strong. That was when they first came out with it in only one strength.

So, I have just about quit trying to quit. Until December. Then I'm going to quit quiting quiting.

Good luck to all who make the attempt. They say the more you try, the more likely you'll eventually succeed.

Miscellaneous other things...
1) Drink lots of water, flushes your system and fewer calories then candy.
2) Stick cinnamon is about the right size and shape. Suck on it instead.
3) Deep breaths when you feel the urge. Remember, they only last for about a minute.

Again, good luck!

Jenny

I've quit a a couple of times in the past as well. Once was with wellbutrin. I did really well. I went about a month... Then I got told I was being laid off. Oops! Bought a pack on the way home. Another time I just cut back until I wasn't smoking. That only lasted until my now ex-spouse came home and started smoking in front of me.

I found that having something to do with my hands is important as well as just being ready psychologically to do it.

Tried the gum, but you can't eat or drink anything when chewing it.

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They have to say that for liability. I've never had a problem from drinking anything with a piece of gum in my mouth. The only thing is that cold liquid makes the gum hard to chew.

One warning, though. When they say DO NOT SMOKE WHILE USING THIS PRODUCT, they mean it. I was trying to quit the first time and was out drinking with friends. I wound up bumming some smokes from friends and chewing gum in the meantime. Got an awful case of nicotine poisoning. Feels like a hangover only 20x worse.

Don't smoke in the usual places you always did.Such as if you smoke while driving make a promise to yourself not to smoke in the car.If you smoke in the house say you will only smoke outside.Etc. Get the idea here.What you are doing is making it inconvenient to smoke.

ok, folks....
i've bumped this thread because although i put dec 1st as my quit day, i've been toying with the idea of bringing it forward.

and so this is it.
tonight, i have my last ciggy (hopefully - i am being realistic here!)

i have gum, i have nicotine microtabs - they tell me these are better than the gum! - and i have a changed schedule to keep me doing stuff that i wouldn't normally do, and take me away from my danger zones.

i'm doing a 'cleansing' at the same time, as i figure i might as well get it all done at the one time.

i KNOW i am strong enough to achieve this, and i also KNOW that it's only really a matter of willpower..... and i am absolutely determined to be a non-smoker.

supportive words appreciated

anyway, i shall post in here as to my progress, and let's see if the strong, capable wq can do this!!!

I was lucky, mum caught me smoking when I was about 13 and gave me such a talking to I have never been game to touch one since.
one thing I have been told is to take a break as you normaly would, smokers are use to having a minute or two for a break and a smoke and you need to keep having the break but grab a coffee or something instead of a smoke

thanx (((nostress)))

please check back in every so often, and see how i'm doing!

i CAN do this!

Seeing we have met in R/L & you well know I'm hooked & have tried so many times to quit but end up back smoking again but I do offer you all the support I have to beat this & non smokers do not know what it is like to try to quit or the adiction that smoking is, i even tried seeing a shrink to help quit & he pointed out it's easier to quit Heroine adiction that tabacco adiction, i have also tried every quit idea around with no luck, after more than 25 years of smoking it's not getting any easier, the worst part is BANDIT has been living with me since January & she is a non smoker so I do have an incentive.

GO WARRIOR QUEEN
you can do it !

I'm actually an ex-smoker, I smoked for about 10 years and quit in 1986 (what's that, 18 years ago if my maths is right )
I wasn't a heavy smoker, around 10-12 a day and twice that when I went out. Gimme a drink or a coffee and I had a ciggy in my hand

It was mostly a social crutch, I was extremely shy and found it hard to socialise so having a cigarette seemed to relax me and help me mix with people. WQ we know each other in r/l and you know I'm not like that now (though I still like a drink or two

Good luck hon

damn

Damn and to think Eye love the taste of your mouth now......


maybe i will get the chance to taste you now instead of the nicotine huh

sorry for that non suppotive comment *grin*

couldnt resist....

you know how i feel........

do it for YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

Started smoking when I was 13, with a few stops of anywhere between a few weeks to a couple of stints of a 2 year hiatus, somehow always came back to the cigarettes. Approximately 5 years ago after a rather heavy holiday season and smoking like a chimney I decided that I need to try again. I have tried using gum, hypnosis, the patch, lobotomy…lol… to no avail.

So on day x around 10pm, I had 2 or 3 cigarette left in my pack. Normally, even if there were 12 feet of snow outside, an avalanche thundering, Grizzly bears rummaging in my garbage cans outside, I would be off to the local 7-11 to get my pack of smokes.

Not this time, I told myself, you will be going to sleep soon so go buy the pack in the morning. In the morning, I told myself, well you didn’t have a smoke for 8 hours while asleep, so wait till noon and then go buy the cigarettes.

After that 12 hours had expired, I promised myself to go buy cigarettes at 3pm. After surviving 48 hours, I just told myself that maybe I can wait another 6 to 8 hours before buying the pack.

No, it wasn’t easy, but somehow the human will can be very strong and I really feel great. It may work for some, I think each person has to try a few methods. It is said that if you keep trying you will succeed eventually. Bonne Chance … good luck

quitting

Thanks for the thread, I am a lifetime non smoker and I am very sensititive to the smell of cigarettes. The smell is offensive to me as an unflushed toilet, but lots of members of my immediate family smoke. Aside from being a nasty, foul smelling habit, it is very dangerous, I have had many older members of my family and my wife's family die due to smoking, 2 aunts, 3 uncles and a cousin, I couldn't make them stop either. The smokers that really piss me off are the ones that smoke around their children and other non smokers, its one thing to ruin your own health, but you have no right to ruin anyone else's.

thanks, I will put my soapbox back now