...break a habit?

[jadefirefly]

I need advice on how to break the *habit* of smoking. Not the addiction; I can deal with that part. The hard part for me is the habit.

I smoke before work, during lunch break, and after work. I smoke on the walk home from the bus stop, and after I eat. I smoke before class, and during break. Pretty much anytime I can be outside where it's okay to smoke, and I have them with me, I'm lighting up.

Recently I ran out of cash near the end of a pay cycle and had to go four days without smokes. I did fairly well, with no major withdrawal problems, except for the annoyance at my routine being all fubared. I went so far as to bum smokes from friends, not to smoke them, but just to hold them, and do the ash-flick thing.

I've tried carrying hard candies. I just eat 'em like candy -- heh, go figure -- and it's just not quite the same for sating the habit.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[OutshinedOne]

Try finding something that's not as bad as hard candy for your teeth or your body.

Gum perhaps?

 

[jadefirefly]

I've tried gum. It'd be a great alternative, but it makes my jaw lock up.

Never should have learned how to crack it, like my knuckles, when I was 13.

 

[OutshinedOne]

How about Altoids or breath mints that numb your tongue or mouth?

 

[A_Kefka]

I had a friend who's mom started eating a lot of licorice when she quit smoking.

 

[Typo Fu Master]

I think you just need to find something that will take your mind off of it. Preferably for long periods of time. I don't have any specific suggestions. Each person is different and what works for one won't necessarily work for another. If you just need something to do with your hands; they used to sell fake cigs, but I don't know if they're still available. I've also seen non-tobacco cigs. You don't light them and they're cinnamon or mint flavored.

 

[silverwhisper]

jadedfirefly:

first of all, good luck! it's extremely difficult.

i recommend finding a substitute, and trying to break the habit by consciously rationing when you use your substitute. when you're going to/from the bus stop or class, or any other time that you normally would smoke, use the substitute. then start cutting out those times. maybe you don't want the substitute during break, or maybe you don't use it while waiting for the bus.

ed

 

[Guest]

 

[EJFan]

the compulsion you have to flick ashes and have something in your hand is merely a mind-body memory thing. it's the same sort of thing that, for instance, allows marching band musicians to do their precision work while playing their instrument.

you said you can deal with the chemical withdrawal and that's great! having gone 4 days w/o a cigarette is also fantastic (considering the 3rd day is pretty much the most difficult). by comparison, that makes the muscle memory thing a really peripheral issue.

like others have said, just give yourself something else to focus on and retrain your muscles with other memories... a stress ball, a pencil, a spinner ring... anything that gives your hand something to do should work for you.

good luck! you've got a handle on the hard part... i have no doubt you'll conquer this part easily.

 

[NaiveOne]

I agree with all the above posters, and it seems like he knows that he needs something else to break the habit.

How about we give him some good suggestions to pick from.

Some that were mentioned:
stressball
pencil
spinner ring (I have no idea what that is.....)
coffee
tapping or nodding to a tune
liccorice
altoids/breathmints

I also suggest:

Make phone calls- keep in touch with your family and friends when you are walking around or waiting. Your mom will enjoy it!!! Although you might need to increase your cell phone minutes....

Write music/poems- I wouldn't chose to do this, but maybe you like poetry and lyrics. Keep a little notepad in your backpack or briefcase or jacket.

Excersize! Do abdominal crunches or pushups. Those won't make you too sweaty for those short inbetween times, but it will really improve your hot body over the long haul.


Who has more suggestions for him?

I'm so happy for you!

Quitting smoking is the simplest and most important thing you can do to decrease your risk of getting all sorts of diseases, it is the leading actual cause of death in the United States. I am taking a graduate school-level class in epidemiology and I promise that this is TRUE.


Good luck!!!

 

[EJFan]

spinner ring (I have no idea what that is.....)

it's a ring (typically worn on the index finger) that has another ring wrapped around it... so you can spin it with your thumb.

and you make a great point about the exercise, NO. a lot of what i've read lately suggests that the best thing you can do when you stop smoking is to make yourself walk for 30 minutes each day, preferably outside. if it rains, you walk. if it snows, you walk. if there's a hurricane, do laps around your dining room table for a half an hour.

 

[Camileah]

I have been smoke free for a year and 2 months. I started when I was 17, quit when I was 25 (due to health issue), started back at 29 (due to stress). Within one pack after I started again, my cough started back up. So after another 3 years of chain smoking I decided to quit for good.

I told myself this is the last pack I'm going to buy, then I bought one more, LOL. Then at the end of that pack, I cleaned and put away all ashtrays, including my car ashtray. I cleaned the smell out that would remind me of wanting one.

Then everytime I had the urge to smoke, I would take some long deep breaths. Just like I did when I inhaled. I would sometimes act like I had a cig in my hand and take deep breaths. And believe it or not, that gave me my fix/rush I was looking for. I also reminded myself that after 3 days nicotine craving has gone and the thing you are addicted to was the habit and why restart after those first few days of what I thought were the agony of it all. Whether or not this is true, I don't really know, but I convinced myself of it.

I still have cravings to smoke, I think I always will. Sometimes I wake up from a dream and think OMG that was a great cig. Then I remember I don't smoke anymore and it's just a dream, LOL. Anytime I am tempted to take it back up, I remind myself of the tight feeling in my chest and the chronic cough and the problems that it caused me... then I take deep breaths and remember that nasty smell that was all over everything I owned, including me.. and the feeling goes away.

I hope you manage to quit. It's completely worth it. I don't know about you, but the next habit I take up, I would like to be at least one that isn't going to run me into an early grave.

Cam

 

[jadefirefly]

Licorice makes me feel sick.

Those are some great ideas, though - thanks, guys! I'll have to find a way to adapt some of them.

The only difficulty I can see with some of these 'distraction' methods is that I'm the kind of person who'll sit outside, read a book, listen to my iPod, drink a coffee and smoke, all at once. Or read, walk, listen to the Pod, and smoke.

I'll probably just need to find something for the other hand to do while I'm walking or on lunch break. Book in one hand, something else in the other. Dunno what yet, but I'll find something.

I like the marching band analogy -- I'm such a band geek.

And Naive One... I'm a girl.

 

[Ezzy]

Try a game boy.

It fits in your pocket, is about the same size as a packet of cigarettes. Ok so it at least as addictive as smoking. Well for me it has been!

I used to hand roll my smokes so; I had to get past the tactile addiction as well as the nicotine addiction.

 

[NaiveOne]

Licorice makes me feel sick.

Those are some great ideas, though - thanks, guys! I'll have to find a way to adapt some of them.

The only difficulty I can see with some of these 'distraction' methods is that I'm the kind of person who'll sit outside, read a book, listen to my iPod, drink a coffee and smoke, all at once. Or read, walk, listen to the Pod, and smoke.

I'll probably just need to find something for the other hand to do while I'm walking or on lunch break. Book in one hand, something else in the other. Dunno what yet, but I'll find something.

I like the marching band analogy -- I'm such a band geek.

And Naive One... I'm a girl.

Ooooops

Very sorry!!!

 

[jadefirefly]

*giggle* No worries, N.O., I never even thought about needing to specify that.

I hadn't thought about a game boy... I have one of those, and *blush* a seemingly never-ending pokemon game in it.

Maybe I'll find a new game to play. Actually, maybe I'll find or buy a new power cord, first... then I'll get a new game to play. I've lost the charging cord for it.

 

[Guest]