How to Quit Smoking!, Share your tips

[camper]

Somebody mentioned that you have to want to quit. That's step one.

Someone else mentioned that there is no mental addiction, and that's false. Breaking that is step two.

Step three, is ignoring the headaches, shakes and the agitation which is caused by the physical addiction, and the mental. Without step one, you won't get this far.

I'm a smoker. I haven't had one in...4 years or so. I don't smoke now, but every now and then I *still* crave it. I've adopted the attitude that once a smoker, always a smoker. Very simliar to how alcoholics treat it, because there really isn't much of a difference if you ask me. The dependance on nicotine is long gone from my system, so if it's all physical then where does that desire come from?

See my point?

The only way you can quit is to do it cold turkey. That's the only way that works, and really that's what all the 'leading up to it' gradual steps are going. At some point, you simply do not pick one up. You don't ween yourself off them, you simply stop. You may *think* you're weening, but you're delaying the inevitable if you're serious about quitting.

I've quit twice, both times it was cold turkey. Yeah...sounds funny, but I conciously decided to quit both times and conciously decided to pick it back up after the first. The first time I quit for someone else, the second I did it for me.

You have to understand...I LOVED smoking. The taste, the smell, the act...everything about it. Even now my mouth almost waters at the idea. Sounds sick, but it's true. If it wasn't bad for me I'd pick it back up immediately. Some days I WISH it wasn't bad for me. No smoking in 4 years. No cheating, no walking behind someone else having one and inhaling the 2nd hand. And I still want it.

That's why you have to want to quit. Period. Get there, and you'll beat it. Wouldn't be anything for me to hit a store on my way home tonight and smoke almost half a pack on the drive home. I'd be back up to 3 packs a day by the end of tomorrow.

But I know how that story ultimately ends, and that's not how I want my life to go. The pills, hypnosis, patches, gum...none of that stuff works. What works is you.

camper

[cartman781]

Originally Posted by quexos

Got the best possible way to quit it, to never start it. Worked for me.

Amazing,me too. Good luck to those trying to quit.

[Go Blue]

Originally Posted by Teabaggins

thanks. you have to make butt baby if you are a guy....don't worry, it comes out of the navel.

[Dexter Morgan]

I smoked for 7 or 8 years before I quit April 1, 2004. I wasn't sure if I could do it or not, because I have a general lack of willpower. I quit cold turkey, and haven't had one since. I did find it easier than expected, and after 2 months it was smooth sailing.

The day I quit coincided with a smoking ban in bars and restaurants that had been put in place the same week, so I had that much less of an influence around me.

I really loved smoking though, but things like the smell were getting old. I also had a grandfather who died partially due to emphysema, and a grandmother who died of lung cancer. I want to live a nice long life, so it was a necessary sacrifice.

[Psychonaut]

Yeah I want to stop but multiple years of constant World Of Warcraft had done horrible things to my body and now I'm focusing on getting back in much better shape before I drop these things. I am tired of the smell and having to go outside in the cold to have one. Usually I take a couple of drags and am too cold to bother with the rest.

[BStecke]

I quit after five years while I was working night shift during Christmas back in 01. I was going to school at the time so I was pretty occupied during the day, so I wore a patch during the day. All of my coworkers smoked, so I would take the patch off before I went to work, smoke two or three on my breaks, and that would be it. After a week or so I'd smoke one less, then one less, etc. etc.. I still did the patch during the day, but weaned myself off that too until eventually I didn't need either. The absolute hardest thing was getting over the smoke after a meal and the one when you hop in the car, but that was more the routine of it than anything.

I still will smoke every once in awhile, usually when I'm drinking. If I'm really stressed I'll smoke one (that was mostly the whole reason I started smoking . . . I found that it DOES do wonders for relieving anxiety), but I don't think I could ever pick it up on a regular basis anymore. I get customers who come in who smell like a bum's ****sack after incubating in cigarette smoke in their car, not to mention their breath. Plus I care about my car too much now to make it disgusting with cigarette smoke. Not good for the resale, either.

[SellmeyourDVD]

I used nicotine gum for a week. Havnt smoked in two years now

[dadkins]

Originally Posted by entertrend

If you quit already, how did you do it? Any tips?

Or even if you're smoking now and want to quit...just wanted to start a discussion.

I had a TIA - aka a stroke.
It was explained(in laymans terms), that smoking makes the blood cells "sticky".
When they try to go through capillaries, they clog up.
Traffic jam if you will.
When this happens in the brain, it turns off - along with my entire left side - arm/leg/face/etc.

Haven't wanted a cigarette since...

[joegs300]

It's hard when you have coworkers that smoke or brothers/relatives. I have been on/off for almost 7 years myself. It's a very hard habit to drop.

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by camper

*deleted due to length*
camper

If you are serious about quitting, go read what camper has to say. He nailed it exactly on the head. Although I have quit cold turkey, till this day I still love the smell of a cigarette after every meal. I would smoke one if it wasn't bad for me , but I haven't since i quit and I know I won't because i'm disgusted by it now, but I still love that smell and taste after a meal. I think it will always be there too.

Good luck !!!

[entertrend]

thank for all discuss..

[SellmeyourDVD]

Originally Posted by mikejet

You cannot compare the two. Your body develops a physical dependancy on Nicotine. The body only has a mental dependancy on THC. Not the same. Nicotine is just as addictive as Cocaine.

and alcohol, but that is also mental.

If you compiled a list of worst to best (not like any of them are good for you neccesarily) Marijuana would be the last harmful to you.

[Belloche]

Being cheap did it for me. The day I walked into the store and they were charging 9 bucks for a pack was my last day as a smoker. That was almost 7 years ago now.
If you do manage to kick it NEVER EVER have a single cigarette again. It gets too easy to cheat once you've done it one time and soon enough your right back where you started. It took me a couple tries to quit for good.
Reward yourself too. I started spending my cigarette money on movies.

[ManUtd]

Nicorette gum works. My dad smoked at least 2 packs a day for 30+ years! A few years ago, I gave him a big box of Nicorette gum, the super-size version from Costco. This was his first attempt to quit. He hasn't smoked since.

[Penitus]

I work as an addictions recovery therapist, and though there are dozens of counseling theories and styles regarding addiction, I'll give you most helpful tip in my bag-o-tools.

1. Imagine 2 boxes, draw them if you want.
2. In the first box, write a list of what you get out of your addiction. What do you like about it? What does it do for you? etc.
3. In the second box, write a list of what you would get out of being addiction-free. In what ways would your life be better? etc.
4. If the first box "outweighs" the second box, then it means you're not ready to quit your addiction just yet. But if your second box "outweighs" your first box, it means you're motivated enough to quit, and can use the items in that second box to further motivate you as you begin the process of becoming addiction-free.

So simple, and yet a crucial and often missed step in becoming addiction-free. Simply put, I have never come across a single person who ended an addiction as long as their first box outweighed their second. Those clients whose second box outweighed their first end their addictions successfully almost every single time, with minimal relapse.

I hope this helps.

[Xerces2911]

Flat out cold turkey.

[Aaron]

Reading this thread makes me regret starting a few weeks ago.

[jomari]

Originally Posted by Aaron

Reading this thread makes me regret starting a few weeks ago.

id suggest to quit while you still can bud. not only is it expensive, but hey, the health reasons are pretty darn obvious.

best of luck to you aaron.

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by jomari

id suggest to quit while you still can bud. not only is it expensive, but hey, the health reasons are pretty darn obvious.

best of luck to you aaron.

I've been on the same pack for over a week now. I'm not addicted to it at all, but it's so damn relaxing...lol

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by Aaron

I've been on the same pack for over a week now. I'm not addicted to it at all, but it's so damn relaxing...lol

Don't even kid yourself like that! You WILL be addicted real soon. Stop now. There are no benefits from what you are doing. Imagine smoking a pack/day (which will happen). Aside from all of the health risks/problems, look at the cost. At ~$3-6/pack (depending on where you live), do you really want to give up $1,100-$2,200 per year for this? You can buy a 50" Kuro for that!