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2004/02/12, 05:57 PM
i am going to try to kick my horrible habbit of smoking. Does anyone have any suggestions?Its hard for me since i am able to smoke at work and everyone there smokes. Any advise would be appreciated.Thanking you all in advance.
angi
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2004/02/12, 06:01 PM
Angi, it is a very hard habit to kick. However, the first thing to do is to stay away from the smokers (if possible). Second, I know that you want to quit so that's a good sign. You might want to try OTC stop-smoking programs (i.e. patch, gum, etc.).
I quit smoking many years ago, but remember the experience well. There are others here as well so you'll get plenty of support!
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**_Robert_**
Pain is temporary; glory is forever!
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2004/02/12, 06:04 PM
Hypnotist helped me. See my post in this heading called "quit smokin". Also see "kicked ass" here too.
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Some times life is like herding cats.
Charlie
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2004/02/12, 06:10 PM
Where can i find a hypnotist?
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2004/02/12, 07:47 PM
Yellow pages or......Look deeply into my eyes....
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Some times life is like herding cats.
Charlie
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2004/02/12, 08:09 PM
Personally I vote cold turkey. Patches and gum just prolong the agony and you could end up hooked on gum - which is EVEN more expensive than cigarettes. Once the nicotine is out of your system the worst is over. When you use gum or patches you never let the nicotine completely leave your system. My hb and I both quit over a year ago, I quit cold turkey, he quit w/ gum and only one of us still isn't smoking... guess who?
ME!! :)
So the results are in, of our not so random sample of two.
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2004/02/12, 08:37 PM
I cold turkeeyed with the hypnotist. Read my post. You can also get chin ups in the bargain. You lil man basher Jess....LOL
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Some times life is like herding cats.
Charlie
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2004/02/12, 10:40 PM
Yep, I concur. I smoked 2 packs per day when I quit, I tried 3 times before I finally did, and it was simply cold turkey. It is tough, but doable. Find something you love to take its place, that would make it silly if you smoked. I have been into health for years, was even taking vitamins while still smoking. Then, I started working out, first couple weeks after working out I still smoked afterwards, started thinking to myself, boy, this is stupid! I am doing this to be healthy and make gains, and I was taking a step forward and 2 backward while still smoking. So, working out and taking care of myself became much more important to me! If I could do it, anyone could.
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Quoting from JessicaR:
Personally I vote cold turkey. Patches and gum just prolong the agony and you could end up hooked on gum - which is EVEN more expensive than cigarettes. Once the nicotine is out of your system the worst is over. When you use gum or patches you never let the nicotine completely leave your system. My hb and I both quit over a year ago, I quit cold turkey, he quit w/ gum and only one of us still isn't smoking... guess who?
ME!! :)
So the results are in, of our not so random sample of two.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
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2004/02/12, 11:06 PM
BB1, of all people. Crikey!
Well I still smoke like a train. I have a deep psychological marriage to cigs. I will break it, when I'm ready, but right now I'm not. Don't envy me (pffft) but think of me more as a.... a science project. Yeah.
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--There are no versions of the truth.--
Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park II
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2004/02/12, 11:10 PM
Yep, I have quit for over 20 yrs. now. Would never dream of smoking again.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
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2004/02/13, 08:57 AM
Keep all of us informed on how the science project turns out. LOL.
I am one of those people that chain smokers hate... maybe once every month or every other month I decide to have a smokey treat, and after that one or two I'm done until the next month or two months later. I am a firm believer in moderation. The same goes for soda pop, ice cream and FRIED CHICKEN (moderation!!).
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Quoting from Ogun:
BB1, of all people. Crikey!
Well I still smoke like a train. I have a deep psychological marriage to cigs. I will break it, when I'm ready, but right now I'm not. Don't envy me (pffft) but think of me more as a.... a science project. Yeah.
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Look Life in the Face
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2004/02/13, 09:13 AM
I quit cold turkey in November because I wanted the nicotine out of my system as soon as possible. Health Canada's website has some good information or www.quitnet.com is a good resource. The later offers message boards like this one and some great advice can be found there. Take it one day at a time and it can be done.
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2004/02/13, 09:41 AM
I quit cold turkey a number of years ago... can't remember how long ago it was, but I never smoked that much to begin with, perhaps half a pack a day. But then again, that's too much.
I think you have to set it up in your mind why you are doing it. Is it for better health for you and your family? Perhaps that is the number one thing. In Alberta, a pack of smokes can run ten bucks! That's a chunk of change! That's about $3700 a year! Just imagine that in a bank account or an RSP! Not bad... not bad at all...
Good luck no matter how you try! I hope you succeed!
t
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Tim
"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self."
Aristotle
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2004/02/13, 05:39 PM
There have been a lot of similar posts, I will bump them for you, check through the boards.
I went cold turkey in 1996.
You just have to decide what is more impoartant, your health or being enslaved by nicotine.
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"To be able to go to the gym and train hard is a joy and a privelege, even though the hard work necessitates driving yourself through considerable discomfort. Savor this privelege and blessing, and revel in it."
Stuart McRobert, Beyond Brawn
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2004/02/14, 06:21 PM
I went through cold turkey three years ago. I smoked a pack and a half a day. Its the hardest thing I ever did and I never want to smoke again. In another post I mentioned that I saw the lung of a smoker on tv. Not pretty. I also found out that you actually burn your lungs a little with each drag you take. That information ended any cravings that I had after I quit.
There really isn't an easy way to do it. The first 96 hours are the worst because that is when you purge all of the nicotine from your system.
Your doctor can perscribe Welbutron (sp?) which is an antidepressant that has been know to help, but it can be expensive.
However you decide to do it, do it. It's the best thing you'll ever do for yourself.
Keep us posted!
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Happy trails,
Mike Young
Tis an ill wind that blows no minds!
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2004/02/18, 01:59 AM
I've been wanting to quit for a long time as well. I've been smoking for about 7 years. When I go to a bar and drink beer, smoking just goes well with it for me. It's just something for me to do when I'm not doing anything. I've cut my smoking down and going out down as well since I started working out again. I just don't feel like being out of breath after a couple sets. I guess this is helping out some, but I'm really tested when I go out.
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2004/02/18, 10:31 AM
I just posted this in another thread, hope it helps.
A botanical that's been shown to help smokers is Plantago
Major. Plantago Major (commonly called the Broadleaf Plantain) has been found effective in treating lung ailments. In one 1982 clinical trial, for example, it reduced chronic bronchitis in 80 percent of the patients tested.
Almost 15 years ago, Dr. Mary Cody, a physician and researcher, found that Plantago Major creates a natural aversion to tobacco when inhaled or ingested. In a 1992 study, 24 heavy smokers were given Plantago Major tincture in a nasal spray and then instructed to smoke. More than 80 percent of the subjects reported an aversion to tobacco shortly after receiving the dose, and the effect lasted as long as 24 hours for some of the subjects.
Dr. Cody's Plantago Major formula was patented shortly after that trial and is now available as a product called CIG-NO. Unlike nicotine patches or nicotine gum, which deliver the exact chemical you're trying to avoid, CIG-NO (which is sprayed under the tongue) creates an almost immediate reduction in cigarette cravings, with no reported side effects. For more information, visit cigno.com.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
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2004/02/19, 02:22 PM
Just quit...it's hell but you have got to apply your mind and beat the crap out of those devilish little white demons!
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2004/02/19, 04:52 PM
6 years smoke-free for me! I went cold turkey, but my hubby and sister did it with Zyban. Good Luck!!!
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2004/02/19, 05:46 PM
Hehee. smokey treat.
I also haven't been able to completely eliminate them. It unfortunately is a co-dependency for me with alcohol. Hey, recognizing the problem is the first step right? :) Anyways I still have a few drinks every other weekend, and a few 'smokey treats' with them.. and I feel like crapola the next day, and even for a few days sometimes.
Eventually I plan to give them both up altogether but geez.. what the heck does a girl do for fun without ANY vices??
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Quoting from shakkai:
... maybe once every month or every other month I decide to have a smokey treat, and after that one or two I'm done until the next month or two months later...
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2004/02/20, 01:19 PM
I quit drinking 10 years ago and quit smoking 3 months ago.The physical addiction to nicotine passes relatively fast but the mental addiction takes a long time to conquer.Reaching for a smoke after a meal or when I got up in the morning was just a way of life.If you're serious about your health, then you'll find a way that works for you.My wife had asked me to quit for years but I my heart was never in it.This last time she said we were quiting and I was ready to begin a new life.I want to look and feel good for the years to come.Good luck and be strong.
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2004/02/20, 05:57 PM
I STILL to this day think about having a cigarette!!! I LOVED smoking, but will never touch another one. I KNOW if I do, I'll be hooked again and I nEVER want to go through what I did quitting. Honestly, it took a whole year for me to feel better. I felt like crap, but it is soooo worth it. I see the poor people now having to smoke outside and feel glad I'm not one of them. Smoking ran my life; always worrying about having to stop for cigarettes on the way home, having arguments with hubby cause he smoked my last cigarette! (grounds for divorce that one! :laugh:). Now I'm in total control of what goes in my body.
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2004/02/24, 07:15 AM
Thank you everyone for your support and stories. I am really going to try i set a date of march 1st......gotta finish out the weekend and have some fun. My birthday os on saturday and some friends andi have some plans so I will finish out the weekend with a going away party to my best friend. Marlboro.
Thanks
angi
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2004/02/24, 04:53 PM
i found jolly rangers to help me when i needed a smoke.tried lollipops too but since i'm bald i got tried of kojak jokes."who loves ya baby?"lol
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Dave "lost viking seeking Valhalla"
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2004/02/24, 05:45 PM
jolly ranchers sorry not rangers
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Dave "lost viking seeking Valhalla"
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2004/02/25, 03:34 PM
I recently quit..was smoking two packs a day..I used nicorette gum on the really bad urges and chew sugar free gum all the time. It also helps me from snacking because I seem to always want to eat..Hope that helps you!!
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2004/03/16, 12:03 AM
Just wondering how the effort was going. . . hope you've been able to kick the habit!!!
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2004/03/23, 02:41 PM
I quite 12/24 - "Happy holidays to me." It did work though. I was out of the office for 2 weeks. When I returned I was able to sit with coworkers while they smoked without really wanting to have a smoke. Take it one day at a time and enjoy the social side of smoking without the smoking! Good Lick!
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2004/03/23, 05:06 PM
ermmm use to smoke, smoked for 6months or so. Cant say I was ever really "addicted" to it. I still smoke now and again when Im drinking only cos I need it to down the alcohol, otherwise I dont touch it, I dont even crave it. I never understood how people get so hook to the stuff they cant quit it, du have to smoke for like years? I think simply not smoking it should work shouldnt it? :)
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2004/03/23, 05:49 PM
I smoked for 9 1/2 years, I quit 31 weeks ago tomorrow, not a day goes by that I don't get at least 1 craving for a smoke, however now they are easy to deal with, almost just like a passing thought! Quitting was the hardest thing I've ever done but I have my hubby to thank for his unwavering support through all my mood swings and withdrawl. Anywho who has been adicted and quit has my utmost respect!
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Love me as I am . . .
Let me worry about how I look!
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2004/03/23, 08:05 PM
I've noticed that since I tried to quit smoking I feel "out of it". Has anyone else gone through this?
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2004/03/23, 08:59 PM
I was very out of it for about a month, how long has it been since you quit?
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Love me as I am . . .
Let me worry about how I look!
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2004/03/25, 05:53 AM
I have just finished week one of quitting. the first few days were the worst. But I feel so much better already, no more huffing and puffing when I climb the stairs. I use the patch. now I can really smell when someone else is smoking and I can't believe I ever smelled that bad. It isn't easy but whenever I get a craving I just remind muyself of why I want to quit, my sense of taste is returning, things ssmell better, the kids are happier, I feel so much better and I havemore energy, you can do it. Go to quitnet.com. the support there is great. Good Luck!
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Dsaul
To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.
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2004/03/25, 10:38 AM
LOL welcome to "Ex-Smoker's Nose" I was like you, I couldn't sit in a restaurant near people who were smoking for almost 3-4 months without getting the urge to gag at the smell, same with walking through groups of co-workers outside the building and I can tell you if any used car was smoked in in the last 10 years. . . at least that is what my hubby teases me :) Your taste buds will come back soon, though try things again that you used to not like, I found that some really weren't as bad as I remember them! Glad to hear you are feeling so much better and Major Koodos on getting through the first few days, those are ultimately what make or break quitting I think. Though now everytime I get a craving or someone offers me a smoke, I think about those days and tell myself that there is no way I would smoke again and make all that misery for nothing :) Anyways, done with my rambling, keep up the good work!
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Love me as I am . . .
Let me worry about how I look!
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2004/03/25, 02:56 PM
I quit smoking in December. Recently I've smoked a few. I just kept feeling "out of it" and it doesn't seem to be gettng better
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2004/03/25, 03:00 PM
Check your vitamin intake there may be a problem there, I know if I don't get enough Vitamin B a day I am not only moody as all heck but feel very groggy all day. And don't fret, you can kick those couple smokes and get back on track with little effort I should assume, if you've been a nonsmoker since December you should be fine.
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Love me as I am . . .
Let me worry about how I look!
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2004/03/25, 03:04 PM
The important thing is to not beat yourself up about that last cigarette. I quit smoking in 98, since then I have been known to have a few to many drinks and to start smoking. I dont beat myself up about it though. I just move forawrd in life and try to avoid these situations. As for feeling "out of it" I suspect this may be due to something other than not smoking cigarettes.
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My gym dues are not paid with money.
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2004/03/31, 12:52 PM
The "feeling out it" is due to the increased amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. This normally levels off after the first couple of weeks. Some people call it oxymoron syndrome or crs (can't remember shit) :)
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2004/04/07, 05:42 AM
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Quoting from Hellscream:
I never understood how people get so hook to the stuff they cant quit it, du have to smoke for like years? I think simply not smoking it should work shouldnt it? :)
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Yes you do have to smoke for years and when you are finally hooked research has proven nicotine dependence to be as strong as a Heroin or Cocaine addiction.
Nicotine is completely out of your system in 48hrs so after that its all pyschological.
Try writing down points of why you want to quit and what benefits quitting will have on you, ie Higher blood oxygen levels, healthier skin, more money, better breath, more muscle growth, better cardio fitness.
Then write down the pleasure you get from smoking ie, after dinner a cig is great, driving a car a cig is great, luckily there is not too many pleasurable points from smoking.
then compare your points and you will have a distinct winner, keep the reason for quitting points in your wallet, whenever you want a smoke look at these points and say no I'AM A NON SMOKER. In no time the habit will be gone and you will be a better person for it.
Giving up smoking for the seasoned smoker is one of the hardest things to do, like I said before nicotine dependence is just as bad as a heroin or cocaine dependence.
I started smoking when I was 11yrs old and didnt give up until I was 26yrs old, thats a pack a day for 15yrs and I was only 26(MY GOODNESS man what is wrong with you).
It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and am all the more stronger for it, I now know there is nothing I cant achieve.
They also say smoking stunts your growth, well if it does then I prob would have been a monster, now I'm 6'1" tall and have a size 14 shoe, weigh 97.5 Kgs with 10% fat, and I only started working out 6months ago, maybe if I didnt smoke I would look like Shaq or maybe not, I can only dream.
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2004/04/07, 08:15 AM
eat oats as these help dullen the taste of tobacco a bit...
Try changing to herbal cigarettes. Then give them up(over 3 months?)...
The nicotine patch does stop cravings so that too is long term (many months), will power too...
Hypnotism is said to be good- it's worth a few sessions...
Start takeing a good multi vit and add fruit and veg into your diet especially vit c and d...
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2008/03/17, 05:19 PM
Chantix...........
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2008/05/16, 11:29 AM
The reading on this site http://whyquit.com/ really helped me get into the right headspace and provided a reference when the cravings acted up. Haven't had a puff in almost 3 years. I get the occasional craving when fishing from time to time, but there's no way I'll ever go back. Do it! Good luck!
Sean
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2008/06/18, 02:24 PM
Hi ive quit smokin a few times and i recently started again this summer because of low low will power.. I had went to see the doctor for Zyban and he said no way im giving you that, and he perscribed me Champix(Canada), i think its called Chantix in the USA
Let me tell you, the best quit smoking method ive ever done. Ive done the patches and gums, but these pills are the best. Theres no active medical ingredient (so no depression or sleeplessness). You can smoke for up to two weeks after you start the pills, so its not like the patch where you slap it on and cant smoke anymore and go crazy.
At the end of the first wo weeks youll see youll voluntarily wont want to smoke anymore. What the pills do is block the nicotine from attaching itself to the receptors in your brain that release dopamine, so you stop releasing dopamine when you smoke and its not enjoyable anymore (you dont get that cigarette high).. Then you realize cigs taste bad, etc
(i hope i explained that well :) ). I REALLY RECOMMEND IT. man i should earn $$ from them now lol
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2008/07/14, 08:01 PM
You just have to be strong enough to kick the habit it is hard i know but if you just give in to it you will never reach your goal.
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