Quitting smoking support group

[Soverntear]

Hi everyone,

Not sure if this thread has been attempted yet, it is has sorry for the double post. Tomorrow is the date for me, I'm starting physical training again and I'm just sick of throwing money away. I know its all about will power and control, but I also know how many times myself and countless others have failed. Hence this post is born.

I'd like ex smokers to chime in with things they did to make the transition smoother for them. Any suggestions are welcome from books to dvds to little tricks to make that craving time slip by. That pretty much sums it up so here's my intro.


My name is Evan, I'm 24 years old and have been smoking since I was 11. I started smoking just under a pack a day by the time I was 13. I have since cut back to 13-15 a day and would like to quit cold turkey tomorrow monday september 5th. I have attempted to quit smoking at least 10 times in the past with little to no sucess (I'm still smoking so its still a fail to me).

[satchmo]

I just hit the 6 month mark. It's not easy and the patch helped for the first two weeks.

I'd recommend having something to do when a craving hits - play bass, go for a run, play with the dog, - just something so you don't dwell. Remember that you control your life, not cigarettes. Good luck!

[Soverntear]

Originally Posted by satchmo

I just hit the 6 month mark. It's not easy and the patch helped for the first two weeks.

I'd recommend having something to do when a craving hits - play bass, go for a run, play with the dog, - just something so you don't dwell. Remember that you control your life, not cigarettes. Good luck!

Thanks for the positive words and congratulations on being smoke free for 6 months! How was your experience with the patch? I tried it a couple summers ago and personally it made me want to smoke like you wouldn't believe. Also did you have any strange dreams while wearing one? I asked my Dr. about it and she said its a common side affect

[satchmo]

It is a common side affect so I didn't wear it at night. Otherwise my experience was good, but I started on step 2 because step 1 is the equivalent nicotine if smoking a pack a day which would have been more than I actually smoked (half pack)

[Sublab]

I've been trying to quit but fail every time again. Until now i haven't used anything medical to help me out of it, don't really believe in it either. But God!! The money you throw away smoking cigarettes is just disgusting! Really, the money I smoke away in a year would get me a brand new top notch bass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yet even that fact doesn't get over the fence, hence the word 'addiction'.....

[claudemorrow@ao]

I plan on quitting Sept 5 as well. I've quit before and this time I'm quitting for good. Here's a link that I found pretty helpful: Quit Smoking with NeverSmokeAgain.Com : quit smoking : stop smoking : quit smoking free : free quit smoking program : quit smoking without drugs : quit smoking drug free : stop smoking without drugs : stop smoking drug free

It's not trying to sell you anything, just some helpful suggestions.

Claude

[Ayce]

Smoker here. Trying to cut back and quit for health reasons. I have talked to my doctor about aids, specifically, the eSmokes. She advised the inhalers would help, as well as the patch. I tried the patch before, and it helped for a while, but did nothing for the cravings. Unfortunately, the patch and inhalers are not cheap, and I can't chew the gum.
By BIL has one of those eSmokes, and he said they are great, but there's that initial expense (~$120 +tax in for the device) + $20/mo for nicotine doses.
The nicotine isn't good for the heart, but the lack of the other junk will help the blood pressure.

[Soverntear]

Sublab The money alone is a HUGE reason to stop. I figure I smoke about 15-20 packs a month and i buy in pack not cartons. at 11 a pack thats $165-220 or $1980-2640 a year. my gf smokes about the same so at minimum per year we're spending just shy of $4000. Keep trying man, it will stick eventually and then you can buy a kick ass bass every year!


claudemorrow@ao Seems like a nice site, very similar to the book i'm reading "the easy way to quit smoking" seems the old statement that its all will power and time management that's the real key. I wish you the best in quitting tomorrow. if you would like a "quitting friend" PM me and I can give you my email.


Ayce Best of luck to you as well, I know its really hard but think of all the work you put in to the things you enjoy in life. If any of us put half that much effort in to not smoking (cause its sure is a load of effort to get started the things taste like death) we would all find it easier i assume. If the patch or inhalers help then by all means go for them. I know a couple people who had great luck with them. I will say the esmokes are a bad idea, they make quitting harder due to getting a more direct dosage of nicotine coming in to the system and your still putting poison in to yourself.

[James Hart]

I switched to vaping (eCigs) about a year ago... costs me about $30 a month. I've reduced my nicotine to below ultralight cigarettes... and have eliminated all the rest of the bad stuff associated with burning tobacco and it's additives.

[Soverntear]

Originally Posted by James Hart

I switched to vaping (eCigs) about a year ago... costs me about $30 a month. I've reduced my nicotine to below ultralight cigarettes... and have eliminated all the rest of the bad stuff associated with burning tobacco and it's additives.

Glad they are working out for you. On the research I've done on them I've read they are a bit unstable when it comes to administration of a dose. granted this was about 3 years ago when they first started coming on the scene. Now heres the two main question i have for an esmoker. will you ever quit the esmokes? do you still call yourself a smoker?

[Dirk Diggler]

I'm on well over 6 years now. It is so not an issue for me anymore that I don't remember exactly what day/month and such that many people seem to stress over.

I believe it's more behavioral than addiction.

1) You have to really want to be done, you can't go at it halfassed, you have to go at it fullassed.
2) You need to substitute the behavior when cravings pop up. I know many will laugh at this, but this one thing helped me to quit, cinnamon altoids. They leave a nice burn feeling on the tongue that really simulates what a cigarette does.
3) Do Not reward your success with a smoke, it's the worst thing you can ever do, remember #1 when you made sure you really wanted to quit?

It gets easier every day that passes, it really does.
JUST DO IT!
Good luck,
Dirk

[James Hart]

Originally Posted by Soverntear

Glad they are working out for you.

Thanks, I've smoked upwards to 2 packs a day over the course of the last 25+ years. I quit and went back more times than I can count.

Originally Posted by Soverntear

On the research I've done on them I've read they are a bit unstable when it comes to administration of a dose.

There is a LOT of over priced junk out there... and 3 years is a lifetime in the industry.

Originally Posted by Soverntear

will you ever quit the esmokes?

I may, wasn't the plan going into it though. I have one more reduction step before I get to zero nic that I might take within my next couple of orders.

Originally Posted by Soverntear

do you still call yourself a smoker?

heck no... I quit smoking about a year ago and if vaping ever becomes outlawed or a forgotten fad, I know for a FACT going back to cigarettes isn't a consideration.

E-Cigarette Forum

CASAA | The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association

[carlos840]

I quit around two years ago, went from smoking 30 filterless rollies (american spirit virginia! so nice!) a day to quitting completely just like that! Cold turkey! No patch, no gum, nothing!

Honestly it was the worst week of my life! I literally felt physically sick for the first two days, had headaches for days, could barely eat and just felt like death!

It took around 2 weeks for me to feel human again and probably a month to stop looking for my tobacco in my pocket and realize i was a non smoker!

After a few months i lost all craving!

After a year i really considered myself a non smoker!

I dont believe in the whole "cut down slowly" or all the modern tricks like hypnosis and pills!
Just go for it, feel like crap, man up and do it!

On the other hand, i really think you will only quit if you actually want to quit! Peer pressure and society telling you smoking is bad isnt enough IMO! I loved smoking, still do (smoke the ocasional cigar) but hated the fact i was so badly addicted to it! That was what made me stop! Dont like being controlled by something!


Enjoy!

[iamdenialNJ]

Do not hang out with smokers.
Replace the crave with something positive.
Smoke weed

[fhm555]

Quit for almost 2 years now. Went cold turkey and it took me about 3 days to quit obsessing, then another few days to realize just how grateful I was to no longer smoke.

Long after I was safe from any craving or doubts about being truly quit, it still took me a while to let go of the ritual. Without thinking I'd reach up and pat my shirt pocket which was always the first move in the sequence which culminated in lighting up. I always made an effort to remember how grateful I was for being a non smoker when that shirt pat slipped out. I'm still grateful to be quit. Grateful enough that being around smokers and smoking doesn't bother me one bit, because I know it's never going to me again.

As far as that goes, I'm the only guy in the little country band I'm in who doesn't smoke. I keep change in my truck ashtray so I also keep one of those trucker cans that hangs from the door in case someone riding with me wants to smoke.

Now that I don't smoke I smell it on those who do but it doesn't bother me any more than exposure to actual smoke.

[Longhair]

I quit cold turkey after a 20+ year habit.

Physical addition is 14 days. Once you pass that point, it is all mental.
Keeping track of time is your motivator. x-hours since smoking a cigarette. That turns into x-days since smoking a cigarette.

That's all that it took for me to quit smoking.

[Strohsx]

Whoo hit the one year mark this year (15 year pack a day). It took a while not to bum a couple from the bandmates at practice and while drinking.

Good luck to you all, breathing is a wonderful thing, oh and don;t be scared if you start hacking up globs of nasty garbage when you lungs start clearing themselves out.

[Soverntear]

Morning everyone, so far it's been ok. not great but ok. A little tense but feeling confident that this is the right choice. Had a small slip when I woke up, I forgot to throw out my pouch of tobacco so I rolled one had about three draws put it out and threw the tabacco away, just tasted terrible. Going to be running this evening a couple hours before bed. I think my bass is going to get used a lot more, will give me something to do with my hands which is a damn good side effect of not smoking I say! I'll keep it short for now, craving coming on damn you smoking!!

[colcifer]

Is the gf quitting too?

[runmikeyrun]

I quit when I was 19, started when I was 12. I started working as a firefighter at 18 and saw a lot of people suffering from the end stages of diseases caused by cigarettes. Also saw a lot of young people suffering and dying way early because of smoking. Then my grandpa passed away. He had been sick for 30+ years slowly declining because of smoking while he was younger. It took a long time for it to kill him, and it caused him a lot of illness along the way.

Not long after my grandpa's death I enrolled in EMT school. When we learned to take vital signs the teacher had us all take each other's blood pressure and pulse right before a smoke break. Then he had us do it on the smokers after we came back in. My blood pressure went up 30 points and my pulse went from 70 to 100. It stayed like that for about 30-45 minutes. I was horrified at what I was doing to my body 20+ times a day! That was the last straw. I put em down and never looked back.