Quitting Smoking. What worked for you?

[Guest]

I need to quit smoking and am having a difficult time of it. I feel very pressured by the need as I was diagnosed with cancer last week. It is treatable, but will recurr if I don't make some lifestyle changes and the next time, I might not be so lucky.

So, after having smoked for 16 years, I need to stop.

Successful ex smokers, please offer any advice you can. I would sincerely appreciate it.

Please, no one use this thread to flame smokers. I do know and have known for some time how stupid the "habit" is. You can't tell me anything I haven't said to myself over the years.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

 

[tonytuna1957]

What worked for you?

Not a fucking thing.....cant quit................................


The Breast Man

 

[P. B. Walker]

I know several people that used Zyban. It's supposed to work great. It's a bit pricey, like $100/month supply. But that's probably about what ya spend on cigarettes per month anyway. Good luck.

- PBW

 

[Guest]

Thank you

Thank you for sharing that about Zyban.

Doctor gave me some to try. I wasnt' sure how effective it was as anyone I know started smoking again after they stopped taking the meds.

I might try it anyway as it might help a bit with all of the stress involved.

I was also leary of it because of my medical hx coupled with potential side affects.

I realize the thread would get more responses if I used my registered name, but I really am not ready to share all of this.

 

[Guest]

Dude, I use to smoke for about 7 years before I finally quit. The thing that worked for me was a number of things.

1st: Seeing my mom laid up in the hospital bed with tubes, and IV's running all through her body as she fought to stay alive after having a heart Attack and then going through a triple bypass surgery. I must submit that my mom has never smoked in her life. However being that heart disease runs rampant on her side of the family the cards were definetly stacked against me.
2nd: After seeing my mom like that I turned and looked at my wife and son and decided right then and there that I wanted to live a long and prospurse life seeing my dreams as well as my sons dreams come true.
3rd: I finally just made my mind up that I would no longer smoke and that I had the will power to quit.
4th: On those really hard days when I really wanted to smoke, I would buy a bag of sunflower seeds and suck on them. I would also find something to do, to keep me busy.

I have now been smoke free going on 4yrs. I'm in better physical shape and my pulse rate has returned to the pulse rate of an athlete due to my exercise. My oxygen intake has definetly risen and I feel so much better all over.
Good luck! I truely hope you suceed in your conquest to stop smoking.

 

[Guest]

Just quit too

You have to get out of the routine too.
I mean all smokers have a routine of when they smoke ... for me that first cig on the drive into work was orgasmic. You have to get out of that routine.
The worst part is the first two weeks anyways. From what I hear that's the time when you still have a physical addiction to the nicotine. After that it's all psychological.
Good luck

 

[Starfish]

The only advice I can give you is that you have to WANT to quit.

I quit sucessfully because I clearly envisioned a more healthy lifestyle, and also because I was extreamly ill from an unrelated, but very serious illness.

Once I wanted it, I used the patch until one day I just ripped the fucking thing off, and went through 2 weeks of feeling sick, and then I was free. It went away, and I have yet to crave a cigarette.

I wanted to be free of it.

Do you still want cigarettes?

If so, then you most likely won't be able to quit or you'll regress.


Good Luck, and remember that once you are through the pain of it, it is over, and you are free!

You can do it.

 

[dancinvixen]

Sad, I can sincerely understand your predicament. I have been smoking off and on since I was 14. I an now 26. I need to quit not only for my health, but for my children also. The first time I quit, I quit cold turkey. But I ended up picking it back up again because I hooked up with another smoker. I have tried Zyban, it works differently for different people, but I had a horrible time with it. I was constantly sick to my stomach, constant migraine, for me the pain wasn't worth it. I've tried nicorette, but couldn't get over how close to dipping it is<which is nasty>. And the taste is awful. I am currently trying to talk my doctor into letting me try that patch. If it doesn't work, then I go cold turkey again. Good luck to you in your search, and be healthy.

 

[Guest]

Yes, I want to

Thanks everyone.

Yes. I want to quit. I am tired of my clothing smelling and that awful cough in the morning. I really dont' enjoy it. Yes, I want to quit, badly.

I have a family to consider as well as my own health.

What are some other things that you all have used to break away from the routine and the craving?

 

[HotXBunz]

I facilitated an 8 week smoking clinic awhile back and the participants had pretty decent results.

The program was basic behavior modification. I asked them to keep smoking as usual for the next week and keep a smoking journal. In the journal they were to identify time of day, activity and state of mind when lighting up. The journal would reveal any patterns or triggers the person had.

Once the patterns and triggers were identified they could be modified or eliminated.

Commom triggers were, time and place (upon rising, in the car, after meals, after sex, the phone), certain people and activities (out with friends drinking, playing pool) and the rituals that go along with smoking (the feel of the lighter in a pocket, the sound of a pack, washing ashtrays). Some lit up when they
were upset, bored or happy. Many were "mindless" lightings. The person didn't even realize they had lit up.

Some folks used Welbutrin (sp) and the patch.

I also introduced negative reinforcers for people to try such as wearing a thick rubberband around the wrist and thwaping themselves if they were responding to a trigger. One person emptied all of her full ashtrays into several jars and had one in the car, one at the office and another at home. when she got the urge to smoke she opened a jar and took a deep long inhale.

The participants were encouraged to do a deep cleaning of their personal space and car to get rid of the cigarette smell. One couple did not stop completely but cut down to three cigaretts a day that they smoked outside because they didn't want to smell up the house again.

Having something to do with their hands and mouth helped also. Someone posted about sunflower seeds earlier. Many of my participants did this. Some, who were also watching their weight, chewed toothpics, gum and straws.

One thing I shared with the class is to keep trying. It took my SO three sincere tries over an eight month period to stop. Every time she tried she learned a bit more about her own personal behaviors that allowed her not to smoke for a little while longer. She has been smoke free for five years now and she said identifying her triggers helped her the most.

I wish you the best of luck with this. I am sincerly sorry about your diagnosis. Just keep on keeping on. Everyday is a new begining.

 

[RhumbRunner13]

Quitting.

Sad and Dancin'

This will sound a little complicated, but it has a good chance of working if you follow it.

#1 How many cigarettes do you smoke in a day?
#2 How long is your normal, routine day, in minutes?
#3 Divide #2 by #3 to get Minutes between cigarettes.
#4 Set a schedule with one less cigarette per day.
#5 Decide a date that you will be motivated to "really" quit!!
Example: Sunday morning, 'cause the party is over!
#6 Start quitting!

Let's say Hoople smokes 25 cigs between 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM. He smokes a cig every 36 minutes (900 min/25). Hoople should get up at 8:00, wait 36 minutes till 8:36 and LIGHT-UP! Then, for the rest of the day, as much as possible, smoke again EVERY 36 minutes! He keeps those cigarettes separate from his stash.

Next day, Hoople counts out 24 cigarettes, divides 900 min by 24 and smokes every 37 or 38 minutes after the first at 8:38. By day 7, Hoople is down to 18 cigarettes. One every 50 min. with the first at 8:50 AM. If he gets stuck and can't smoke at a scheduled time, he simply picks up as soon as he can and continues on the 50 min. interval. The progression continues!!

By day 20, Hoople is down to 5 cigarettes, one every 180 minutes, or three hours! His first is lit at 11:00 AM. He found that he CAN drink his coffee in the morning without a cigarette and now a craving passes pretty quickly if he just says, " My next one is only 18, 24, 31, whatever, minutes away". At 2:45 he has a craving and realizes he can't have one until 3:27! At 3:41 he finds he went past his craving and has his "ciggy"!!

Uh oh, on day 22 Hoople has a bad day and slips! He gets drunk, bums a couple to diminish the touts of his/her mother,father,boss,sister,brother or SO. No PROBLEMO!!!
In the morning, Hoople just goes back to the previous day's schedule, preens the ruffled feathers, and continues from the previous day' schedule, day 21.

On day 24, Hoople knows he is relatively a non-smoker, but he must finish the silly game! He lays out three cigarettes and clears the environment of ALL OTHERS!!!

On day 25 he will carry his one cigarette with him until 3:30 PM, when he will sit down with a few friends, smokers and non, and say, "This is my last one!!"

WARNING!! If this works, and it can and should, it is very easy to forget how easy it was to quit!!!!!!!!!!!!! The danger, after you guit, is how you forget the hold that cigarettes hold over you NOW!!

YOU MAY NEVER TOUCH ANOTHER CIGARETTE, CIGAR, CHEW or SNUFF AGAIN EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!!!!!!!

PM me on results!!!

RhumbRunner

 

[submissive~pet~]

For me i quit after seeing my dad die from cancer from many years of smoking.

I desided then and there no more smoking.
Yes it was a hard habit to break,but i did it.

I went out and bought lots of life saver candy and when ever i got the urge to smoke i would slap a life saver in my mouth.

This may not work for You.

However its how i stopped i went cold turkey.

I know its hard.
I wish you well in and operations etc you may have to have.

Just think about it before you light up.

Live long and prosper.