How did you quit smoking?

I just stopped. This March it will be two years. The first 6 months was hard but after that I have been smoothe sailing. I did gain about 10 pounds which I lost now and I was pretty miserable for a while. BUt hey, I don't smoke now and am loving life more than when I did smoke. You don't realize how bad it stinks until you quit. Good luck!

I got really ill and smoking made me feel much worse so I associated the two.

Another thing that helped me is whenever I really needed to smoke I only let myself smoke from a pack which I found in my house that was between 20-30 years old.
Thinking about it thats probably what made me ill to start with - well it worked anyway.

Or just try the muff diving strategy

I just stopped after 7 years of smoking, almost 1 year now and I can't even figure myself smoking anymore.

First 2 months are hard, specially when I went out and had a beer with some friends, but be tough and you'll make it

I just stopped. That was 12 years ago. I still want to smoke. I've had a headache ever since I quit.

Good luck

I didn't!

I quit for 5 years then started back up, then quit for 1 year then started back up........
Don't you love addiction....

> Some people say they just put them down and didn't
> ever smoke again.

For me its just a matter of discipline and I cant see stopping right away working for anyone. I used to smoke about a 20 pack a day 6 years ago and I made a conscious decision that I was gonna stop smoking slowly because I did and still do enjoy a smoke but fortunately for me the best smoke is the first smoke of the day. Nothing ever matches with that.

So three years later I could make a 10 pack last a week or two. And now 6 years on I smoke very occasionally like one or two (single cigarettes not packs) a month. Ive come so far there is no way im going backwards - im always very aware about "moments of weakness" because they are the ones that tend to get you smoking again - so have a plan ready for when that happens.

Find an alternative activity for when youre feeling down or you lose someone or problems at work etc. For me, its exercise - I run a couple of miles and i feel great.

Its just about discipline & common sense..... are you gonna let it control your life or are you gonna fight back? Do you wanna live longer? Then make a decision and stick by it but dont be unrealistic.

Sheesh, Im sounding like a fucking GURU

Cold Turkey.

I didn't believe in using nicotine to stop my nicotine habit. It only takes 72 hours, after that, you are a nicotine free man.

Oh yeah. First of all.. Go read there

It's free, they have kick ass articles and advice.

http://www.whyquit.com

"Quit Cold Turkey!

To many, cold turkey conjures up visions of torturous pain, suffering and general drudgery. In fact, it is easier to stop smoking using the cold turkey method than by using any other technique. Cold turkey induces less suffering and creates a shorter period of withdrawal. Most important, cold turkey is the approach by which the smoker has the best chance of success.

Smokers must recognize that they are drug addicts. Nicotine is a powerfully addictive drug. Once the smoker has smoked for a fairly long time, the body requires maintenance of a certain level of nicotine in the bloodstream. If this level is not maintained, the smoker will experience varying degrees of drug withdrawal. The lower the level, the greater the intensity. As long as any nicotine remains in the bloodstream the body will keep craving its full complement. Once the smoker quits, the nicotine level will eventually drop to zero and all physical withdrawal will cease. Cravings for an occasional cigarette may continue, but this is due to past psychological conditioning and not to a physical dependence.

Cutting down on cigarettes or use of nicotine replacement strategies throws the smoker into a chronic state of drug withdrawal. As soon as the smoker fails to reach the minimum requirement of nicotine, the body starts demanding it. As long as there is any nicotine in the bloodstream, the body will demand its old requirement. Smoking just one or two a day or wearing a patch which is gradually reducing the amount of nicotine being delivered will result in the smoker not achieving the minimum required level, creating a chronic state of peak drug withdrawal.

This state will continue throughout the rest of the smoker's life unless one of two steps is taken to rectify it. First, the smoker can stop delivering nicotine altogether. Nicotine will be metabolized or totally excreted from the body and the withdrawal will stop forever. Or, the smoker can return to the old level of consumptions accomplishing nothing.

Therefore, cold turkey is the method of choice. Once the smoker stops, withdrawal will end within two weeks. If you smoke, we can help you over this crucial period of time. Once it is past, you can rest assured that you will never need to smoke again. Then, to stay off you will simply need to remember to Never Take Another Puff! "

Thanks everyone! I have tried ZaBan or whatever it's called but it didn't work.
More then likely I'll wait until after Vegas before I try and quit.
Anymore idea's?

Oz

Oh yes, it's very easy to STOP smoking cigarettes - start smoking good cigars for Cuba and you will never want to see any Malboro etc.

Cold turkey is NOT the easiest way and whoever wrote that is fucking idiot.

How easy to quit depends on several factors.... Did your parents smoke? Did they smoke while pregnant with you? How much do you smoke? How long have you smoked? Etc.

My wife smoked for about 3 years, but she was a social smoker. Her parents never smoked, and she would only smoke when someone else was. She wasnt anything like a REAL smoker who goes crazy and acts agitated and anxious when they dont have a ciggarette or its been a long time since having one.

I smoked from 15yrs old to 23 yrs old. I quit almost exactly a year ago. Before that I tried several times, and the longest was 3 months.

I tried patches, that was it. I swear, when you first slap those on, you have the weirdest most vivid dreams in your fuckin life. Especially taking them when you go to bed, not a good idea.

Anyway, what finally got me to quit was two things: My mindset was committed, and I got lazy using the patches. Yea thats sounds odd so lemme explain...

Week before last Xmas I bought a weeks worth of patches. I used them up, and I was down to the last one on Xmas eve. Stupid me didnt go out and get a new box o patches beforehand, so I went and tried on Xmas eve, and I couldnt get any store that was open and had em. So I bought myself 2 packs of ciggs to get me through Xmas and the day after.

After those 2 packs I went straight out and got myself a 2 week box o patches. Nobody around me knew I was smoking those 2 packs of ciggs, every1 still thought I quit. I didnt want people to think I quit quitting AGAIN - that just makes you look WEAK.

SO heres the lazy part. I had the patches on for a week, putting them on at different times, morning, night, etc. But I started forgetting to take them off, until hours or even a day later. It got to the point in which my laziness ended up weaning me off the damn patches.

The first two weeks are hard as hell. HELL I tell you. Its all about disassociation. Cold turkey my ass. Yea it takes a day or two for nicotine to be out your system, but if you are ADDICTED to smoking, its also a PSYCHOLOGICAL addiction, and you have to deal with all the triggers that make you smoke. Its crazy. Everytime I saw a movie with someone smoking, I wanted a cigg. If I saw someone smoking on the street, I wanted one. After coffee, I wanted one (I stopped drinking coffee cuz of that).

Anyway, since patches feed you that nicotine, it helps you deal with the psychological aspects of quitting without the hassle of the physical crap (the urges, the thirst in your throat, etc).

But you can have all the patches in the world, pills, hypnosis, nothing will work unless your MIND IS SET.

My parents are both 55 and had smoked since 15 - My Dad quit last year (using the nicotine gum) and my Moms went to one of the hypnosis seminars. Find what works for you but be sure you really wanna quit, unless you like spending shitloads of money for cancer candles that make you yo-yo your lungs out yer mouth when you run.

Damn what a long post. But if your a smoker, think about what your doing. So many people are quitting these days, to all non-smokers, you smokers look like fucking weak-minded morons that stink to high hell. Let me tell you, when you are no longer a smoker, cigg smoke REALLY FUCKING STINKS LIKE SHIT.

So quit for your health. Quit for your bank account. Quit because you stink.

a friend made a deal with his girlfriend.. he gives up the ciggies and she goes on the pill.. nicotine is nothing compared to the power of raw pussy

I think he had an ill fated blowjob deal that fell through at one stage.. i think all smokers could learn from him though.

Just stop... simple as that.

Make the decission and do not pick up another cigarette.

I woke up one morning and decided to stop, that was 13 months ago.

Exactly what I did... Save your lungs -- smoke cigars. These cheap cigs are full of toxic crap designed to get you addicted... What I do: if you are drinking a lot of alcohol and find yourself with that strong craving -- just tell yourself that after you are done drinking you will reward yourself with a nice cigar -- that will give you the fix you need

Think of it this way:

Do/Would you like other people controlling your life? No. Right?

Cigarettes are controlling you... the people who made them, are controlling you. They WANT you to be addicted, they WANT to control you.

If you're will to NOT be controlled is strong enough, just quit. The first few weeks will be hard, but keep reminding yourself that you are NOT to be controlled.

The fact that your son is worried should be a good enough reason to gain that will power too!

I used Zyban and it worked. Seriously. Fantastic stuff but you feel a little funny for a few weeks.

On the other hand i've got this strange tick now and i think it may have had certain sexual side effects :-/

The nicotine craving has something to do with your body fat and can take up to 10 years to purge. If anyone has documentation on this I'd be interested.

Rule # 1 - Dont put it in your mouth (that goes for you to Archer)
Rule # 2 - If you broke rule # 1, then just dont light it up (Archer - dont bite it)
Rule # 3 - If you broke Rule # 1 and # 2, you are now smoking

zyban worked for me.... going on 14 months now....


the only time ive had a puff is when im drunk... but never a whole cig...

cold turkey!

here are some tips...start by cutting down to fewer cigarettes if you can, also, switching to american spirits can help cuz you'll be removing 200 addictive chemicals right there and you'll only have nicotine left to quit. once you're ready just quit. i know how addictive cigarettes are but it's not the end of the world...once you make the decision never to smoke again, stick to it. after a few weeks, the urges go away and it gets easier...just go cold turkey and NEVER SMOKE AGAIN, no matter what. i know it sucks but it's not as bad as lung cancer

I am the worst. tried patches three times and I actually have a box of gum that I haven't broke open yet.
After Vegas I think I'll be ready. Smoking just freaking sucks! I feel everyone's pain. Good luck to us.

Haven't quit, don't have plans to... pack a day, no other vices other than caffeine... I'm a happy smoker, thank you very much.

A friend's aunt quit a few years back and got some herbal stuff that helped to purge the nicotine from her system. She went cold turkey after a 20-year, 2-pack-a-day habit and hasn't smoked a cig since. Check out your local Vitamin Cottage or other health-food or vitamin emporium, and ask if they can tell you what it is (I cant' remember for the life of me).

I admire your decision to quit, and wish you the best of luck with it!

Just promise you won't become one of those militant, born-again, fundamentalist non-smokers! LOL

I smoked for around 20 years before quitting 10 years ago.

For me, first rule was I didn't actually quit - just delayed smoking until I get a nice fatal disease - then I'm going straight for Marlboro.

Also, they are right - a lot of pussy licking helps. I try to do that as much as possible, even on busses and in diners.

I just stopped. I only smoked about 1/2 a pack a day, but I did it for about 12 years. Stopped...gosh, 15 or so years ago. It's probably the hardest thing I've ever done. It honestly has more of a physical pull on me than anything else. Even today, if I'm a bit tipsy, I'll grab a few puffs. Thankfully most of my friends smoke really harsh cigarettes, so just a couple of puffs reminds me why I stopped

I know this sounds yadda, yadda, yadda, but you CAN do it, and it is SO much better for you NOT to smoke (plus, at least around the Atlanta area, more and more places ban smoking )

Good luck!!

its hard to smoke when they put you on a ventilator.

its hard to remind yourself that you don't want to smoke, right before lighting a sig.

my body rejects anything bad for itself, i smoked 2 month when was 9, then body rejected it, i couldn't stand being arount sigarette smug, would make me throw up. it lasted for 15 years, last summer i had tooth problem, i started smoking to kill tooth pain, ater a month i went to dentist, by the time i got used to sigarettes, now i smoke 1-2packs a day, after one pack i fill like shit, ready to quit, but after sleep or couple of hours not smoking, when body feels better, unconsious urge finds a sig. and cycle begins. during the day mind switches between wanting to quit and not several times, basically fucks the schedule and everything else.

just don't get as fucked

I agree 110% with that

Wow, great replies and great support!
Thanks I needed that
Yeah, I'm going to do it. I'm going to quit.

Great advice! I might try the American Spirit cigs and see what happens.

ZyBan I have tried but didn't work for me.
Maybe the patch is the way to go.

There are somedays I smoke so much that I make myself sick from it.

Thanks again everyone! Yeah I can do it!
Oz

Just my .02:

1) My father had been smoking for 40+ years ... he is now 71 & <i>very</i> sick because oft hat shit ... his heart is weak, his lungs are working at 50% only ... it's sad, I can tell you.

2) I stopped smoking some years ago and it was easy because I <i>wanted</i> to stop ... do you remember the song "You can do it if you really want" ... that's true!