I have been smoking since I was 15 years old. About a pack a day for almost 14 years. Today is day two of being smober.

Can people who have quit share some brief ruminations on what caused you to quit, and how you handled it? People who have had failed attempts please feel free to post as well.

The best way to quit is to never start.

Thanks - excellent advice

James Frey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks - excellent advice


Since this forum is frequented by bored teenagers, it is really aimed at them.

I've never had success quitting. I tried the patch, and it irritated my skin and gave me wicked nightmares.

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

Patch works for some, not for others. Nicotine gum works for some, not for others.

The one thing that I have heard to work well is Wellbutrin. Its normally prescribed for depression but apparently it affects dopamine receptors the same way nicotine does.

If you went to your doc and asked for a prescription and told him it was for smoking cessation, I'd be willing to bet he'd write the script as its more beneficial to take a pill for 90 or 120 days than to smoke away and die of cancer.

That is one habit I'm glad I never picked up.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

good luck, hope you stay with it. smoking sucks

I have the patch which I used yesterday. At first it kind of burned, a strange feeling. Then it became somewhat pleasant. Like that internal warmth you would receive from a pain killer.

It caused me to toss and turn until about 1AM (went to bed at 10:45) and have some pretty vivid nightmares. My co-worker gave me a piece of nicotine gum this morning as well - pretty instense stuff. More of that burn...

It's not having those damn ritual smokes which is killing me. Like every morning, sitting on my deck and having one before I drive to work. Alcohol will of course be the true test. I quit around age 20 for 3 weeks. Alcohol of course pulled me back in.

I'll research the Wellbutrin.

Thanks

i wanted to quit by Saturday (7/11, my son's first birthday), so today was the test to see if I could go without. Sure enough, I bought a pack on the way to work. I want to try and go cold-turkey, but everyone in my life seems doubtful.
Ill buy the patch tonight and try it out tomorrow. If that doesnt work, Im gonna get zyban from the Doc.
I thought; thinking of my son would be enough, but the force is strong. I think I should be successful come Saturday. Ill keep everyone posted.
Best of luck to everyone who wants to quit. Id like to live as long as possible and enjoy a long life with my family. And, Im looking forward to not being the stinky guy in the office:)

I tried chantix about a year ago, and it worked pretty well. I just stopped taking it, so I could smoke again.
Side effects are pretty crazy; vivid/violent dreams, and I was speeding behind the wheel a bit more. Other than that, it worked. Took the cravings away, to the point of forgeting about smoking. And it made them taste bad.
I heard there were suicide type side effects attributed to it too. May not be worth it.

What about those electronic cigarettes? It's just nicotine liquid and you don't get all that tar and other byproducts. They're not supposed to be a substitute but rather a tool to ween you off the nicotine.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

Start an exercise program. Working out will help balance you out and cut the craving down to close to nothing. Plus, you get the benefit of looking great.

What's the big deal here? If you want to quit smoking then just stop. They have had congressional testimony stating that nicotine is non-addictive. Man up for Pete’s sake.

You'll quit if you really want to. I believe after three days the nicotine has left your body completely, so after that it's really just the behavioral addiction. Not saying it's easy by any means, but it all comes down to will power.

Lurker's right, excercise is a great way to help.

I have heard a lot of success stories with Zyban. I started smoking when I was 13 and smoked pretty heavily when I was in my teens. When I was 23, I quit cold turkey, but I was on my honeymoon on a non-smoking ship, so it helped. Other than the random MUST HAVE smoke, I stayed smoke free for 5 years, but started smoking at work again with a co-worker as I was going through some stress and she wanted a buddy. I've been pretty off and on since then. I have another co-worker that I smoke with maybe once or twice a day. Other than that, I generally only smoke when I drink. I do want to stop again, though, as I'm 33 and realize I have spent close to half my life smoking.

Give yourself a quit date and ration your cigarettes. If you smoke 20, cut out 3 a day for a week, then 3 more the next week. Most heavy smokers look at the clock and say it's time to smoke. Spread that time between cigarettes out at work. Don't smoke inside your home. Don't smoke in the car, or only smoke one instead of 2, 3, 4.... It does work, you just have to really want to quit. It's more in the head than the body. Chewing gum helps with the oral fixation as does thin pretzel sticks.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Being vague is almost as fun as that other thing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2009 05:08PM by Melissa.

smoke weed. Instead of 20 tobacco and chemical filled joints just smoke 1 marijuana filled joint. Healthier and easy to quit.

I can't believe some people smoke at work. Who wants some body sitting in a meeting or office wreaking of cigarette smoke.

heres my 2 cents on the topic:

Quitting smoking is very hard, the main reason i was able to quit was through changing my entire mentality, aspects which really encompassed my entire life. What I mean by that is: start giving yourself other things to look forword to in your day ( I know its not as satisfying as a cig but a decent source of sugar can help get your mind accustomed to having a different type of fix), and once your smoke free for about five days one must completely change their mindset to the point that smoking is simply not an option. Think of your old smoking self as in a previous past life or something like....it may sound odd but you just really have to reach a point where you have trained your mind that reaching for that light is simply NOT an option no matter how nic craved you might be.

I have never smoked but both my parents did. My dad used pills to quit and mom used the patch.
They both smoked 2 packs a day for over 30 yrs.
I feel if they could do it anybody can
Good luck to all who want to quit, and to all of the kids out there, don't start.
Smoking is'nt cool or sexy. It is one nasty smelly habit.

---------------------------------------------------
W.W.S.D. what would Scooby Doo

WashingTone Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The best way to quit is to never start.


lol you asshole

i guess the best way i found to quit (although i still smoke), is to stop doing everything that was linked to smoking. Drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes i know is a big one for alot of people (not me personally). I found that i smoke 95% of my cigarettes while driving. So i simply make the gayest mix CD i can filled with One Republic, Lil Wayne, and Lady Gaga, so it forces me to drive with my windows up... i dont want anyone to hear the gayness, it worked for like 4 months, but i started back up for some reason. I dont know why this shit is still legal...

Wellbutrin, or when prescribed for smoking cessation, "Zyban", really does work.

However, some people do have bad reactions with it. I knew someone who had to go to the emergency room after two days of taking it. But she was a heavy drinker and possibly a pill-popper of some sort. When I took it, it just made me feel excessively happy, and on the third or fourth day, I just didn't want to have a cigarette anymore.

I took the entire prescription (3 or 6 months, can't remember) and was smoke free for 4 years.

The trick is to STAY quit. Most smokers quit several times in their lifetimes, and they all quit when they die.

Thurston Moore Wrote:
Most smokers quit
> several times in their lifetimes, and they all
> quit when they die.


fuckin pessimist...

Kenny_Powers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thurston Moore Wrote:
> Most smokers quit
> > several times in their lifetimes, and they all
> > quit when they die.
>
>
> fuckin pessimist...

There was a comedian, I think maybe Ron White, who said something really funny once -- "half of all marriages end in divorce. The other half end in death!"

]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2012 03:08PM by Alias.

Alias Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thurston,
>
> Why don't you try Wellbutrin again, but stay on it
> longer.


Why? Don't I seem happy to you?

]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2012 03:07PM by Alias.

Alias Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, a little tweak here and there couldn't
> hurt.


Do you think it might get my thinking in line with the neoconservative agenda?

I hope so! I hate myself for being such a liberal weenie.

fuckin liberals... with their baby killing and socialism!

Kenny_Powers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fuckin liberals... with their baby killing and
> socialism!


I think they are all a bunch of commies.

Did you know that liberals don't even watch cars racing in circles?

they worship the devil too

]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2012 03:05PM by Alias.

ran out of meds today huh?

\



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2012 03:03PM by Alias.

cool?

I've smoked for about 8 years, a pack a day.
quitting; day one-
Well, its been about 3 hours since I woke up. Going strong. I got the patch on, but it just itches a bit, no warmth or the "pain killer" feeling as of yet. I'm thinking positive! I just hope no one steps on my dick today...:)

Just keep thinking of that little boy. I wasn't able to really quit until I got pregnant with my first. It's been over 15 years now. I will admit to some crying during the process cause it really sucked, but there were no ands, ifs or buts for me. Maybe you can work some pregnancy imagery into the doing it for my son imagery. That pregnancy thing was pretty powerful. :)

Also, I had to come to the realization that "just one" would be the end of me. Never go there ... real smokers can't do that.

Good luck!

i remember when i quit... oh no i dont because i never started. >;)


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

I am on day four now. I started to take the patch off while I sleep. For some reason it keeps me up at night. On Monday, I literally did not get a wink of sleep. Not sure if it was just mental, or something with the patch. Had a big dinner at Outback last night (smokers know the urges to smoke after a big meal) and I overcame those feelings. Luckily, the C-Ville Outback no longer allows smoking at the bar so the smoke was not wofting over the divider. Tonight I am going to drink a couple beers. That will be a huge challenge, but I need to cross that hurdle sooner or later. My appetite fortunately has not increased. Maybe even decreased. The last thing I need is to gain 15 pounds. Maybe I'll dust off the Lifetime fitness pass. I don't want to go to gung-ho though. Baby steps.

James Frey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am on day four now. I started to take the patch
> off while I sleep. For some reason it keeps me up
> at night. On Monday, I literally did not get a
> wink of sleep. Not sure if it was just mental, or
> something with the patch. Had a big dinner at
> Outback last night (smokers know the urges to
> smoke after a big meal) and I overcame those
> feelings. Luckily, the C-Ville Outback no longer
> allows smoking at the bar so the smoke was not
> wofting over the divider. Tonight I am going to
> drink a couple beers. That will be a huge
> challenge, but I need to cross that hurdle sooner
> or later. My appetite fortunately has not
> increased. Maybe even decreased. The last thing I
> need is to gain 15 pounds. Maybe I'll dust off the
> Lifetime fitness pass. I don't want to go to
> gung-ho though. Baby steps.


You could always fight off a bunch of police while on crack.

Yahweh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've smoked for about 8 years, a pack a day.
> quitting; day one-
> Well, its been about 3 hours since I woke up.
> Going strong. I got the patch on, but it just
> itches a bit, no warmth or the "pain killer"
> feeling as of yet. I'm thinking positive! I just
> hope no one steps on my dick today...:)


Oh, and good luck to you too, Yahweh. Let's quit. Keep us posted.

no one likes a quitter

WashingTone Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You could always fight off a bunch of police while
> on crack.

it works better if you are on PCP.


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2012 02:58PM by Alias.

yea good plan to think about lung cancer, that almost got me to quit. Someone told me that the way you die is your lungs start to fill with fluid, so in essence you are slowly drowning, shitty way to go.

James Frey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe I'll dust off the
> Lifetime fitness pass. I don't want to go to
> gung-ho though. Baby steps.

That might be the best plan. Put your cigs in the locker and when they get stolen, you'll be forced to quit since you won't have them.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

My ex sister in law works at the hospice ward in a hospital.Most patients were dieing from smoking related illnesses
She still smokes 1 and a half to 2 packs a day. Dumb bitch

---------------------------------------------------
W.W.S.D. what would Scooby Doo

I started with the patch (more than a few times) and each time I stepped down, according to the instructions on the box, the meds no longer took the edge off and I went back to the cancer sticks.

My doctor said the instructions are general recommendations, and we all have to decide when it's right for us to "step down." It took me about 3x longer than recommended, but I did it when I customized the program to my needs.

At the lowest step on the patch, I played it out as long as I needed, and supplemented with the gum when the patch didn't "do its thing. Then, I went to the gum 4mg first, then down to 2mg. I was "hooked" on the gum for a couple years, and one day, I just didn't need it anymore.

That was 9 years ago. It was the best thing I ever did for myself - and the most difficult.

My last (successful) attempt to quit was prompted by a friend who had a stroke. A total health nut for years, he went into a tail spin, started smoking and worked up to two packs a day for about 10 years. He ate all kinds of crap food and gained nearly 100 pounds before he got the message. He survived the stroke but is weak on one side. It was an eye opener.

Making the decision to quit is the best first step. My doctor told me that the body is an incredible thing. It will fight the toxins from thousands of cigarettes for years - and then that one cigarette will break through the line of defense and its down hill after that.

After smoking more years than I care to admit, my lung x-rays now show no evidence of my ever smoking. I dodged the bullet

ADDED: You WILL gain weight if you don't get into an exercise program to build up your muscles. The nicotine in a pack of cigarettes will burn up to 500 calories a day (don't know how this works, but it's true). You will have to offset those calories by either eating less, or working out more. Weight bearing exercises are best because it builds muscles that burn about 150 calories a day just to maintain.

GOOD LUCK! We're all rooting for you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2009 08:04PM by RestonLass.

Warhawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Put your cigs in the
> locker and when they get stolen, you'll be forced
> to quit since you won't have them.


ZING!


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

quitting; day three-
Going strong with the patch (and a lil gum)! I’m surprised that the patch works so well. It almost feels like I just had a cigarette like 30 minutes ago, and I’m still satisfied. I feel the patch and some gum works well for me, but it’s also the driving force of the baby. I’m thinking positive, but it is really tough.
I don’t think I will be stepping down to the next phase of the patch, just cut it off after the 14 patches in step one (a box of patches is $50 for 14 days, and I’m poor). Ill probably have the gum for a month or two if I feel I need it. If I think there is a chance of me slipping, I’d buy the patches before those delicious Marlboro Reds, mmmmmm…
I’m also enjoying the side effects of the patch. I’ve had crazy vivid dreams for the last three nights. Good dreams, but I wont go into them here, I’ll just start another thread for that topic..
I hope everyone else is staying strong. I understand it very difficult; this is like the 10th time I’ve tried. Another helpful aspect is that I was spending about $150 a month on smokes, and there are plenty of things I would rather spend that money on.
Good luck to everyone else that’s trying, I’ll check back in a few days.

Why quit? If you enjoy it go ahead and smoke. Enjoy yourself and have fun. You're gonna die someday of something anyway. Why worry?

Snopes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why quit? If you enjoy it go ahead and smoke.
> Enjoy yourself and have fun. You're gonna die
> someday of something anyway. Why worry?


There is some validation to that point...

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.