::FORMER SMOKERS:: Urges..
 

Ok - so last night I decided we're going to quit smoking (hubby is forced into this) Now since I'm far from a lightweight, I'd like to know what solutions you all had to keeping your mind busy during an urge? Candies, mints, what else?

Your help is appreciated!

just smoke weed all day :)

I use Nicorette Commit Lozenges 4mg.

Been smoke free almost 2 months.

best price I found on this product
http://www.cvilla.com/smoke-alleve_a.htm

oh .
thank u man

Would probably send me to a mental hospital - first time I smoked a joint like 20 years ago, I saw basketballs all over for about 3 days - anything more than one puff would put me either depressive or basketball viewing for a lifetime - no thanks...I prefer to clean up the lungs and not screw up the mind!!! ahahah :)

That is exactly whats keepin me from smoking cigs.

What he said. lol
alot of gum
a strong will to quit
basically always have something in your mouth.
lots of water.
and be strong.
good luck. :) If you wanna do it, you'll do it.

I've had patches in my dresser for about 6-10 months - can't seem to want to put them on - tried it once and got massive migraines, although it did work but situations brought me to start again.

First of all, you need to learn about your addiction. I suggest you stop cold turkey, that's how I did it.

You need to be prepared or you won't succeed.

Go read that article now -->

The First 72 hours

Amazing articles, it's free. Trust me, go read them now and don't forget to bookmark that site. (http://www.whyquit.com)

There is no grandma recipes. Do it Cold turkey. It takes 72 hours for your body to be nicotine free.

'A permanent successful quit is not nearly as dependent upon "planning" as it is upon "learning."

Helix, have you actually tried this? Anything that has that 'As Seen On TV' logo just makes me weary - kind of like anything that is sold through spam hahaha :) call me cynical :)

I'm not really looking for a recipe, NoCarrier - just looking for something to keep my mind off it. Been smoking since 18 years - moved offices this weekend and checked the color of the walls in one year. My lungs must be totally black!

Then Follow the following link now ------->

The First 72 hours

Amazing articles, it's free. Trust me, go read them now and don't forget to bookmark that site. (http://www.whyquit.com)

'A permanent successful quit is not nearly as dependent upon "planning" as it is upon "learning."

Ok printing and will read during lunch, thanks.

Did you use anything to manage the cravings?

Yes, taking deep breaths, going outside, drinking water..

Please keep in mind that those "cravings" usually last a couple of minutes only..

But like I said, go read the articles. Everything you need is there.. That's how I did it. So it's possible to do it. And you can do it too. All it takes is 72 hours. After that, your body is nicotine free.

I smoked for 15 years and just went cold turkey. That was 14 years ago. I still have a headache and crave a smoke constantly, but hey, good luck to you.

Ok will do - it's not so bad now, Dentyne Fire gum is burning the hell out of my mouth so it's keeping me busy. hahaha

Thanks for your help NoCarrier - hopefully I can get this done this time without gaining another 50lbs :)

After 14 years you still crave a smoke constantly? Ok well hopefully I won't get cravings for the rest of my life!

I quit cold turkey 14 years ago. I still have an occasional craving when I'm drinking, especially when I'm in a place where everyone else is smoking like a casino or bar. But I just tell myself I'm falling victim to the habit and I don't want one anymore.

The first week is the toughest. I quit because my fiance had cancer and he was quitting. It wasn't hard to quit while watching him go through chemotherapy because of his smoking. Don't make me post his surgery pictures! :)

Just know in your mind that you want to do it and you can. Set yourself up for success. Lots of carrots and celery to chew on (low calories, keeps your mouth and fingers busy). I lived on sunflower seeds for the first month or so. Drink lots of water and when you want a smoke, try to get outside and walk briskly somewhere. It gets lots of oxygen into your blood and cuts the craving, IMX.

Keep busy and stay focused on your goal. Have lots of things to do with your hands (take up knitting or sewing, do crossword puzzles) and things to put in your mouth that won't make you fat. I'm sure some of the boys will have a suggestion or two. :) You can do it, but you have to stay focused and on track.

I drank tons of water and also, I cut a straw to the size of a cigarette and put some cotton in one end...and just puffed on it...helped with the 'feeling' of having a smoke....

Also, being an asthmatic and almost dying 2 times and being in ICU more times than I can count sure helped me with my decision:)

He was being sarcastic. Don't worry. The cravings will stop. :1orglaugh

After the 3rd day you will see a huge difference and the cravings will become less and less intense.

just think about other things and the urge will go away

Very good suggestions!! So I've had a shitload of cravings so far - the astrays have been cleaned and removed - just the smell of the astrays would give me a craving. Let's see how this will work. Taking deeper breathes - can't wait not to hear the hissing sounds!! I need to believe it and it's going to happen!

cold turkey.

will power.

if i quit smoking anyone can.

no patches no bullshit.

POWER OF WILL

ive said this a million times but its the truth

i am simply too lazy to get addicted to anything

if i have to choose between going to the store and buying smokes or scratching my ball sack watching family guy

volume up

Been smoking 3 years, starting to get sick of it now. Making my nose filled up with mucous and shit all the time and I have no endurance. Time to stop.

I'm even more retarded than most folks cuz I truly became a smoker at about 18 yrs old - I was an anti-smoking ballbuster with my friends for my entire high school & teen life. Crazy - the thing is that secondhand smoke bothered me more than smoking did and that was my retarded excuse to start!

My sister was the same way in high school. She actually got me started.... She recently has gone a week without smoking last I checked.

Sorry, didn't think anyone would take me seriously. The hardest part about quitting is the habit of smoking at certain times, like after eating or while drinking.

Wilbo, actually you had me worried :) I know a lot of people had told me that they still get an urge, however those were social smokers to begin with..I'm just in a state of panic right now!! hahaha - withdrawal symptoms kicking in full force!

Desperate at this point.

I have been smoke free for about a 6 months now - at first there wasnt any real way to resist the urges
you just had to do it
no magic candys will do it
it is all mental - you gotta be 100% ready to quit

after about a month of not smoking when you get an urge just think to your self ... I have gotten this far why go back ?

I get urges every day still

Good luck hun, let us know what helps you.





:thumbsup

My husband is determined, I've already had to take 2 puffs and he gave me the 'loser' look so I threw it out. There aren't anymore cigarettes - so I have my green tea, gums and let's see how it's going to go tonight!! Help!

suckers~!

no lie, i always carry around a pocket full of suckers and when I get the urge to smoke a cig, i just have a sucker. it works for me ;]

Did you take the time to read the link to the articles I gave you?

Now read that one :

http://www.msnusers.com/FreedomFromT... Message=65406

Be honest! Truly see yourself as "addicted to nicotine" because you are! Just one puff and you will either immediately or shortly thereafter experience full and complete relapse back to your prior level of nicotine use or higher. Don?t look at it as taking just "ONE" puff, look at it as taking them all back. Picture them all.

Thanks for the words of support!

nofx......I need suckers huh? Ok going to get a supply of those!

I have the page open, as soon as I finish my work.

you will be so happy you quit once the hard part is over. I smoked for 16 years, and quit over 2 years ago. I do sometimes get urges still, but all I have to think of is how glad I am to not smoke anymore, and the main kicker: I do not ever want to have to go through the act of quitting ever again! It is hard, but soooo worth it!

Now, as far as tips... stay away from anyone that is smoking for the first two weeks if you can. I was lucky... working from home and my g/f being a non-smoker helped alot. Being around people smoking would have made it soo much harder, I think.

Good luck, you'll be so happy you quit.

Ok just finished supper, this is getting hard :(

i guess above those alternatives "DETERMINATION" is the key

I really wouldn't bother with a placebo. Think about it, a sweety, a stick of celery are not cigarettes. They don't work - all they do is make you think about smoking more - you will always associate the placebo with smoking, and always miss smoking because of that.

You will always have the desire to smoke some times. I stopped after 13 years (i'm only 26 now :() one day. And stop telling people you are quitting smoking, or trying to give up.

At this point you are not a smoker any more. You do not smoke cigarettes. It is something you used to do. The sooner you accept that, the easier it becomes.

The cravings work like this: at the beginning you will want a cigarette every thirty seconds or so. The craving will last two minutes. Over the course of 48 hours this will drop to zero need for nicotine by your body. This does not mean you will not want to smoke. You will, its inevitable. You need to just accept the fact that its painful and nasty but it won't last forever.

Will you be beaten by something? Or are you stronger than it?

I think what most people don't think about is not the fact you are stopping smoking (the easy bit of this) but the fact you are actually giving up a series of habits (which are typically harder to break). Think about it - there is not just 'one' cigarette the smoker has. He/she has the first one of the morning, the one with his/her coffee, the one waiting for the bus, the one before the cinema, the one after food, the one after sex (which i miss the most!).

It is not easy; it is a very very hard undertaking. Don't bother trying to do it at the same time as someone else, as you will fall foul to their weakness. You will think "oh it's ok if they have one, i can too" and its destroying. You don't want to be a serial quitter - that's just sooo painful!

Just beat it. You know you can.

"Don?t debate with yourself how much you want a "cigarette." You don?t crave a cigarette any more than the heroin addict craves a needle. The cigarette and needle are simply drug delivery devices. What you want is the drug inside."

I can speak from experience as a multiple time quiter, once for 10 years.

Smoking is both a drug addiction, nicotine and a social/oral addiction.

Nicotine is highly addictive and my require gradual withdrawl, I do it cold turkey.

The problem for me is the social addiction. I enjoy the social time with other smokers. When I quit I miss the social aspect.


Finally the oral fixation, women may have other options but for men well unless they are European Lee the options are limited.

been thinking about quitting for a while.. finally gonna try it this week

main reason i didnt is cuzz all my roommates smoke and the two times i made an attempt they made it as hard on me as they could >=/

nothing worse then feeling withdrawel and having a room full of assholes smoking and talkin about how nice it is just cuzz they know your trying to stop

orange juice helped with my cravings. the citric acid is supposed to help....

of course, i'm still a smoker so couldn't have been that effective.

good luck!

have a kid =]

i just quit cold turkey and never went back, no cravings here, my dad chewed on plastic straws, that helped him though.

Hey guys ... I quit smoking for a month and now I always feel sick ...my back hurts and its hard for me to breath ... is this natural for former smoker or should I consult a doctor?

THANK YOU!