I want to quit smoking...

[lunasmom]

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

Oh yeah, I guess I should have mentioned she just did it like a week before I talked to her and it had worked so far, but I don't know how it's going now. Oh, um, and she started eating a lot...

Oh yea that's a good point...get yourself addicted to gum or bottled water. It helps the oral fixation and doesn't make you gain a lot of weight.

 

[beckiboo]

I know one person who quit by drinking orange juice everytime he wanted a cigarette. I'm not sure if he was replacing one habit with another, or if the extra vitamin c helped.

Maybe if you aren't ready to quit "forever", you can just quit Sunday through Friday. Then on Saturday, if you have the craving, you can let yourself have a few. It might make it harder, because you will get the nicotine in your system again...but it might make the mental battle easier.

Antidepressant help take away the irritability. Nicotine patches and gums help take away the craving, I think. Nothing wrong with seeing if they help, IMO. However, I think the most important thing is you really wanting to quit!

By the way, I absolutely and totally forbid you to quit smoking cigarettes!

 

[goosehazel]

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

What about going to one of those laser therapy places? I don't really know what they do, but there an office that does that near where I work..and they gaurantee that you will stop smoking...

That's what I did. Brent and I will be smoke free for a year at the end of this month. It was wonderful. You don't have any of the withdrawal symptoms. Good luck and keep us posted

 

[jeanor]

A good friend of mine quit after many years of smoking. She's been smoke free for about 7 years now.

One of the things she did was download a "quit meter" you enter in info (your age, cost of cigs, how many you smoke a day) and it keeps track of... how many cigs you haven't smoked, how much $ you have saved, how many days added to your life etc. That was a HUGE help to her - gave her something to do - constantly check... motivation.

She joined an online quit support forum.

She also replaced the hand/mouth contact with suckers.

GOOD LUCK and congratulations on your decision!!!

 

[eupnea]

I've never been a smoker, but I've lived with many.

Apparently cigarette cravings only last about 4 minutes, so if you stick it out, the crappy feelings will go away.
I think the key is distracting yourself.. there are so many want-a-smoke triggers, like driving, after meals, etc.

 

[abbycats]

I quit 2 times for 4 years each time. The first time I quit I did it by chinese accupuncture.. They put staples in your ears and you are suppose to rub them when you want to smoke. It was torture, but I did it.

The second time I quit I took zyban! It works! It is a antideppresant that they found does something to you that makes smoking taste terrible. It takes about 3 weeks to start working. I didn't have cravings to smoke, I didn't gain weight, it is worth looking into.

Unfortunatly I picked up a cigarette after being clean for 4 years each time.. You can't do that,once you stop it's forever.. You have to watch yourself every day even after you have stopped for several years. I started the last time because of a bad life event..It's no excuse but it happens..

Good luck to you!! I hope you achieve your goal. You will feel much better!

 

[deb25]

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

Maybe if you aren't ready to quit "forever", you can just quit Sunday through Friday. Then on Saturday, if you have the craving, you can let yourself have a few. It might make it harder, because you will get the nicotine in your system again...but it might make the mental battle easier.

I do not recommend this at all. You need to rid your body of the nicotine completely. The quit will never happen like this.

 

[zissou'smom]

Drinking and quitting smoking do not mix at all. I did so well yesterday, until about 9:30 pm. Then I had two... But I'm not smoking today. At all!!!

Antidepressants and I do not mix. I wish they could make a pill that just makes you puke when you smoke like they do with alcoholics. That, I would take. I agree, I need to stop completely. I get really dizzy for a couple days when I quit, so I can't go back and forth.

Yesterday afternoon I coughed and it tasted like cigarettes. EWWWWW!

I don't really get irritable with withdrawal. Just sick.

Thank you guys so much for your support!!! It means a lot. Certain people are not being very helpful... like my roommate who was just sitting right next to me, light up a cigarette, and then got mad when I moved seats to be further away!

 

[deb25]

I think I might ask my roommate to smoke outside. I agree, it will be tough if you have it right under your nose in your house. I'm not sure if I could have done it.

 

[dragonlady]

Keep in mind that cats can get cancer from second hand smoke. I quit over ten years ago. I began dating a man that had asthma so the smoke would have had a very bad affect on the relationship. We married and our 9 year anniversary is this June.

I just put them down, and never went back. I kept away from the triggers like hanging out with smokers while waiting to clock in for work. I found that if I brought a good book and kept away from places I used to smoke, it was a lot easier.

Figure out when the cravings hit and make a plan to do something completely different then. I also suggest moving out if your room mate cannot be more supportive.

Wash the walls in your room and have your curtains dry cleaned and deodorized. You will be amazed at how dingy everyting is from the smoke. The smell can also trigger cravings.

Coughing and tasting cigarettes is normal as your body is trying to sweep the tar and nicotine out of your lungs. The longer you do not smoke the faster the lungs can clear. I read that the damage done by smoking is like a tablecloth that has a cigarette burning on it. Once you remove the cigarette the distruction is stopped, but the damage will remain. As long as you keep smoking the damage will continue to you and your pets.

I wish you the best of luck!

Teresa

 

[valanhb]

One thing my doctor told me is that after you quit, it's quite common to develop smoker's cough worse than you've ever had it while you were smoking because the body is able to fight against keeping that crap in your lungs. But it does subside, I promise.

You will also notice how bad it makes everything smell after you aren't adding to it. It wouldn't surprise me if you want to move away from a smoker just because you'll see and smell how gross it is.

 

[zissou'smom]

I can't just move out, but I am moving to a new city in August and nobody will ever smoke inside around the cat after that. There isn't really anything I can do about it right now, for all sorts of reasons. I know its bad for her, and bad for me-- that's why I'm trying to quit. I never smoked in my bedroom, to much of a fire hazard.
Everything else is pretty gross, mainly the TV. Even with one of those sharper image air purifiers.
I found this interactive chart thing where you fill in how much you smoke, how long, etc, and it shows you your likelihood to die of lung cancer and other stuff, and if I quit right now and never start again, I'll be back to a risk like I never smoked by the time I'm 30! Yay! If I don't quit right now, and wait till I'm say, 30, then it'll never go all the way back down. (I know it's just statistics, but it's encouraging!)
Heidi- I've noticed that too. It's gross. I feel like I've been working in a mine shaft all day. I probably won't be able to stand the smell for a while, but I pretty much have to...

 

[deb25]

I went out to a club last night, which is a rarity for me. Anyway, here in Florida, clubs are about the only places left where people can still smoke indoors.

It was amazing. On my way home I almost couldn't get there fast enough, because everything smelled like smoke - skin, clothes....... blech!

Who ever thought I would become an anti-smoking snob? Well, I am.

 

[lunasmom]

Originally Posted by Deb25

I went out to a club last night, which is a rarity for me. Anyway, here in Florida, clubs are about the only places left where people can still smoke indoors.

It was amazing. On my way home I almost couldn't get there fast enough, because everything smelled like smoke - skin, clothes....... blech!

Who ever thought I would become an anti-smoking snob? Well, I am.

It is funny...my parents use to smoke like crazy when they were younger. When they found out we were smoking, they would make comments behind our backs like "Oh your brother couldn't blow out all the candles on his cake because of the tar dripping from his lungs."

I do whole heartedly agree though, once you quit the smell of smoke is very distinct and most times irritating. There are days when B smokes (he has his own man cave to smoke in) but the door doesn't shut all the way...its really gross. Especially lately because for some reason he's smoking more.

Oh and whoever said about the cats and lung cancer - the other day I was petting Patches and she let out a sigh...totally gross because it just smelled like stale smoke.

!!

 

[beckiboo]

Originally Posted by Deb25

I do not recommend this at all. You need to rid your body of the nicotine completely. The quit will never happen like this.

Yeah, that is probably true. Better just to decide to quit, then do it! And it is true that if you stop young enough, the damage can pretty much be reversed. But if you wait too long...

I KNOW you can do it!

 

[lisasha3]

I quit 2 years ago (May 3rd) using Hypnotism. It was really cheap and it's guarenteed forever. In otherwords - if I start again - can go back and get hypnotized again for free. The main thing that worked for me was I timed quitting with a move I was making to a new apartment. I knew that the new environment meant no familiar habits. That's the important thing - don't go where you usually use to smoke - find other places to go. If you always went out back to smoke - go out front. If you use to sit in front of your computer and smoke - try moving the computer to another room. Change things that way there is no familiarity. Smoking is not only nicotine - it's an association habit - i.e. - always in the car, always with a cup of coffee, etc. Try to change as much habit as you can so there is no association.
Also - my oral fixation became a bottle of water, but I made it a very special bottle. I kept one bottle and decorated it to the hilt - colored tape, marker, etc and just kept refilling it. I never ever put it down and all my friends and family knew what the bottle meant and knew I had quit. Everytime I got a craving I'd drink some water.
(Oh - and one other thing I did - every day I put $5 into a jar because that's how much I spent on a pack a day. I made sure I made no excuse not to put the money in there because I knew if I was still smoking - I would find that $5 somewhere - scraping change up if I had to.) You will be amazed at the way that money adds up! Unfortunately I then bought a house and moved out of my apartment and got out of the habit.

 

[trouts mom]

Hey Zissousmom, How bout you try and quit smoking, and I will try and quit biting my fingers..then we can both try and quit cold turkey and we have to tell eachother when we cheat...That way we'll feel bad about cheating and maybe won't do it??

Just an idea, I know you probably think that my habit is not addictive..but it surely is I haven't been able to stop and I have been doing it since high school!! (I'm now 24)

 

[zissou'smom]

Wow!
Trouts Mom you have a deal. I know the nicotine is addictive, but some people are more addicted to the habit than the nicotine (supposedly) so for them its the same thing.
I'm doing pretty well... not perfect. I know this isn't the best way to do it, but here's the approach I've decided on. My first step is going to be to stop thinking of myself as a smoker. I'm not going to make sure I have the pack with me every time I leave, I'm not going to plan out how I'm going to go buy the next pack, etc. I'm going to be a non-smoker who sometimes has a cigarette (only step one!). Then I'm going to delay the first one by two hours every day. So today was at noon, tommorow will be 2:00, then 4:00, etc. And keep going until its after dark. Then it'll be one a day, and then none.
I know it's better to stop altogether but I really don't think I can. I just get so sick...
Also, I'm only smoking outside so that I actually have to make it a pain in the butt (third floor walkup) and so that its not the familiar places.
So far, Troutsmom, you can bite five of your fingernails.

It already smells gross to me if I'm not smoking too. Thats how they get you. If one person lights up, everyone else does too!

The bottle of water idea is really cool, as is hypnosis. I've been meditating every night before bed telling myself that I don't smoke, I don't smoke, I don't smoke. I think my major problem is the way it becomes part of your personality, and who your friends are, etc. If it weren't for that I never would have started, or kept doing it.

 

[trouts mom]

Sounds like you have a pretty good plan mapped out for yourself..I haven't done any chewing today really..maybe a few nibbles here or there..but none that did damage

Good job on the self talk..I really think that might help you to say you are not a smoker..Hey, I should try that for myself..I will not eat my fingers!!

 

[katiemae1277]

The secret to me quitting is I just decide too- it sounds kind of weird, but I just quit, I go through about 3 months of cravings though, but its mostly stiuational, like when drinking or after a meal.... unfortunately everytime I quit I started again

and right now I want to, but I don't, I'm sure you know what I mean

I think quitting smoking is 90% mental, thats why it can help to have support, I think the main reason I started up again each time was that everyone around me smokes and its hard to be around all that so I caved