help quitting

[Down_UnderKid]

hey all im having a bit of a problem and need some advice on smoking.

i was a very light smoker, maybe a pack/ pack and a half a week. only really smoking when doing things i enjoyed, hobbies, seeing friends (who all smoke)

now ive been off them for 6 months, (i was told i should quit as i have chronic sinusitis) and i am having a bit of trouble. i cant stop thinking about it, and its driving me crazy. i dont miss the nicotine, i miss the "smoking part" of smoking, if that makes sense.

my girlfriend smokes, and its her decision, and ive told her that. im not gonna make her quit.

so how do i stop thinking about it, before i pick up the habit again.

 

[fgarvb1]

Well first...Good for you!

When I used to crave a smoke I'd pop in a tic tac...orange flavor.

Use whatever works and never light up again!

Remember this, If you do anything else, you did not quit.

 

[Kikori]

All at once...
Buy a pack of smokes. Or take an empty pack you may have lying around.
Buy a pack of gum. Preferably the good kind with Relcadent, which is supposed to strengthen teeth enamel (hell if I know if it works, but it can't hurt, aye?)
If you bought a new pack, bring a friend with you who you can trust to not let you give into your smoking desires.
Have them remove the actual cigarettes and replace the empty space with the gum.

Any time you need a smoke, you have a supply of something better (or at least not nearly as harmful) in your pocket.

I suggested something similar to this to a guy who came through at work, he gave it a shot that same day. So it can't be a laughable suggestion, at least.

 

[indecisiviously]

Two words: Bubblegum

erm...make that one word.

It's the only thing that works for me. I'm a smoker, but have to go smoke-free for 3 months a year due to work. Smokeless, snus, snuff, nic gum, patches...all that stuff just made me dizzy or sick. But, somehow, miracle of miracles, bubblegum works. Not so much the flavor, but the physical act of blowing bubbles kills that oral fixation.

Only problem...I spend more on gum than tobacco. Seriously.

One of my co-workers chews on those cheap cigar tips...seems to work for him, but he leaves chewed up plastic everywhere, which are worse than butts. Then again, how green is gum?

 

[CherryBomb24]

the thing my sister did was those candy cigs.
i dont know if they make them anymore and if they do, might be hard to find.
she also always had a sucker or a peice of gum in her mouth. she quit 10 years ago and hasnt started back up.
Since your girlfriend doesnt want to quit smoking, ask her if she'll kindly smoke away from you - go outside, Not into another room as you'll still be able to smell it. and if you guys are in a car- ask her if she'll roll the window down as much as possible.

 

[sterculius]

I was finally able to quit using Chantix. It's been over a year and I don't miss it anymore.

 

[silverwhisper]

i've heard great things about chantix: a buddy of mine quit that way, and he was a pretty heavy smoker.

downunderkid: are you having these thoughts because your girlfriend smokes in your presence? b/c honestly, she could at least go outside or something.

ed

 

[Cattypuss]

I smoked over a pack a day fro 20 years and I finally quit cold turkey 5 years ago and have been happy as larry ever since.

I think the key to not missing it is to think -

"I'm so glad I'm free of this expensive, unhelathy, unattractive addiction. I'm so glad I'm a non-smoker, not controlled by nicotine".

(Rather than thinking "I'm so deprived, I wish I weren't an ex-smoker; oh how I envy those who can smoke when they want".

i.e. focus on your freedom from the tyranny of smoking rather than on the thought that you are somehow missing out on something.

It's worked very well for me and I was sooooooooo badly addicted.

 

[WriterDom]

The longer you quit the less the craving is. I still have them after 30 years. Sure am glad I quit though.

 

[fire_breeze]

I completely understand: I quit cold turkey 5 years ago and now very rarely indulge in a cig or two a year, if that, usually when I'm so stressed out to the point where nothing helps. And yes, I can stop after that one.

The craving of the actual smoking doesn't go really away; I don't have a craving for nicotine, but I do on occasion for the ritual, the whole sitting down in my spot, taking a cigarette, lighting it and watching the world pass by. Substitute that ritual with something else. Now I go to that same spot with a coffee, pour in my sugar, stir and take a sip while I watch the world go by. It works for me.

Good luck.

 

[shiny5437]

I once read a tip where if you want a cigarette you tell yourself you can have it in 15minutes, however by the time the 15mins had passed so had the craving.

Not sure if it works, i imagine some people might spend the entire time thinking about having lovely fags.

 

[KellysCrack]

I used the chantix... It worked. I miss them every day, but at 5 bucks a pack they can stay on the shelf.

 

[razorsedge]

I quit a month ago. Simle really, and I totally agree with what everyone here is saying. I'd just like to add that I sat down and figured out how much I'd spend in a year on ciggarettes with the newest tax raise. Fourteen hundred and forty fuckin' dollars! That's an embarrisingly huge chunk of my income.

When I was in college, I started a cigarette jar when I wanted something I couldn't afford. I'd quit, and drop a few bucks into the jar every day. The money piles up very quickly. It's sort of motivating.

 

[kimbernee]

I smoked over a pack a day fro 20 years and I finally quit cold turkey 5 years ago and have been happy as larry ever since.

I think the key to not missing it is to think -

"I'm so glad I'm free of this expensive, unhelathy, unattractive addiction. I'm so glad I'm a non-smoker, not controlled by nicotine".

(Rather than thinking "I'm so deprived, I wish I weren't an ex-smoker; oh how I envy those who can smoke when they want".

i.e. focus on your freedom from the tyranny of smoking rather than on the thought that you are somehow missing out on something.

It's worked very well for me and I was sooooooooo badly addicted.

Totally agree with the above, although before I quit I'd have said, like the OP, that I wasn't addicted to the nicotine at all.

Anyway, it's been either 5 or 6 years for me and I can't even remember because I never have cravings. If the world was going to end tomorrow, I wouldn't waste any of my time smoking. Smoking really is a tyrant I'm glad to be free of.