Quitting Smoking

[Neon_Chaos]

I've been smoking a pack a day for the past five years.

As a birthday resolution on my 30th, I went cold turkey last Sunday.

Currently on day 2 and struggling mightily.

Can someone please say that things are going to get better?

[sabotai]

Things are going to get better.

[Izulde]

It'll take about a week or two for the cravings to really start to lessen significantly if my own experiences are any indication.

I got through the first few days by reading smoking-related cancer horror stories online.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Things are going to get better.

Thank you.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Izulde

It'll take about a week or two for the cravings to really start to lessen significantly if my own experiences are any indication.

I got through the first few days by reading smoking-related cancer horror stories online.

That's not a bad idea.

I've already gone through 40 sticks of gum today. It's not good.

[Scoobz0202]

I've never read it, but Im thinking about giving it a shot for my next attempt. I'm not one for self-help books, either, but I've read enough praise about this book to probably give it a shot.

Amazon.com: The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr's Easyway Method (9781402718618): Allen Carr: Books

But keep trucking, man. I quit twice for a few months at a time. It's a good feeling when you do and you realize how much your life revolved around smoking when you are finally free.

[k0ruptr]

I'm still working on it. Cut my nicotine intake by 65% a day so far.

[spleen1015]

I really believe this is a mind over matter issue. I quit smoking cold turkey on January 17, 2007. I wanted to quit and was determined to quit.

Whenever you run into a craving, just remind yourself this is what you want. You want to live a healthier life.

[spleen1015]

DOLA,

You can do it.

[rowech]

My mom just recently quit after 40 years. If she can do it, anybody can do it. Just have to think about doing it one day at a time. Don't focus on the long time but focus on the short time. You can do one day each day until you just don't need it anymore.

The other thing would be to make sure you're doing something. Don't just sit around doing nothing. Otherwise, your mind will wander to it constantly.

[lungs]

Those commercials where people are talking out of holes in their throats and other sick stuff like that are mighty effective at making me not want to smoke.

[Blackadar]

Things will get better, but I hate to say it...even after 25 years, I still want a cig sometimes.

It doesn't work for everyone, but there was one thing that worked for me. I just absolutely refused, under any circumstances, to buy another pack of cigarettes. I just wouldn't do it. I could bum off of anyone for as long as I wanted, but I couldn't purchase another pack. And I stuck to that. So my cigarette intake got more and more sporadic - it all depended on if anyone was around with one and would give me one - and that kind of broke my pattern of smoking when I first got up, right after dinner, etc.

[-apoc-]

It takes 3 days to break the physical nicotine addiction so you are almost there. The harder part for me was the psychological addiction and just the pattern of smoking. What I actually did was go to a tobacco shop that had nicotine free herbal cigs and I bought 2 packs or so of those. They taste kinda crappy and are made out of dandelions or something but it was something. That way when I just could not take it anymore and had to have something to smoke I could smoke those and not restart the physical side of the addiction. After about a week I dropped those as well and that was about 5 years ago. I basically never think about smoking anymore now and the smell has actually gotten gross to me as well as the price.

[BillJasper]

Neither my wife or I are smokers (I'm addicted to cola), but evidently Chantix is so successful her company actually pays the cost of prescriptions for anyone who is trying to quit.

Bot whatever path you choose, I hope you're able to kick the habit.

[Lathum]

Just look at a picture of your kid every time you want to have a smoke. You can continue to smoke or you can see your kid graduate college, get married, and meet your grand kids.

Choice is yours.

[Lathum]

dola- I never smoked, but I have friends who did. When they wanted to quit what they did was take the money they would have used to buy cigarettes and put it in a jar. IT put it into perspective to them how much they were spending.

[DaddyTorgo]

You can do it Neon!

[AnalBumCover]

Is this the official Quitting Smoking thread? If it is, I'd like to participate. I refrained from buying a pack this morning. I usually smoke 3-4 cigs a day, nowhere near the pack-a-day camp. But an addiction is an addiction, and I hope to put a stop to it starting right now.

Those commercials and advertisement posters at the metro station are pretty effective.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

Is this the official Quitting Smoking thread? If it is, I'd like to participate. I refrained from buying a pack this morning. I usually smoke 3-4 cigs a day, nowhere near the pack-a-day camp. But an addiction is an addiction, and I hope to put a stop to it starting right now.

Those commercials and advertisement posters at the metro station are pretty effective.

Stay strong ABC!!

[britrock88]

You can do it.
Get a stress ball to keep your hands busy.

I can also post a great desktop BG, but I don't know how to resize it to less than a million by a million.

[DougW]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Just look at a picture of your kid every time you want to have a smoke. You can continue to smoke or you can see your kid graduate college, get married, and meet your grand kids.

Choice is yours.

That's a strong message.

Good luck Neon & others ! Is a tough thing to do.

[britrock88]

I'll attach a shrunken version of it for a preview, and leave the link below.

http://static.star.me/service/ashow/...sDesktopBG.jpg

[fantom1979]

I have tried to quit several times. Unfortunately I have not yet been successful. Things that seems to help me include sunflower seeds and Pretzel Rods. I really hope that you are able to kick it Neon. I plan on attempting it again very soon.

I tried Chantix, but it really made me depressed, so I stopped using that. I am apparently not alone, as the FAA has banned pilots and air traffic controllers from using the drug.

[JediKooter]

Drink a lot of beer.



No wait, wrong addiction...sorry.


Play lots of video games that require two hands at all times.

[MikaV84]

Not trying to be an asshole by any means, but it may sound like it, but here it goes anyway:

Just fucking quit. No fanfare, no parade, no crazy tricks, no nicotine gum, no books, dvd's, videos, nothing.

Just. Fucking. Do. It.

Here's the thing. You have full control of your hands, mouth and lungs. Dont buy them, dont light em up, and dont inhale em.

It really is that fucking simple. People make it to be this grandiose event that needs months of preparation and a shitload of effort - and those people never seem to quit smoking, mind you - when in reality, it's the simplest goddamned thing on this planet. Just dont smoke. Thats. It. You'll feel shitty for a while, sure, but thats life. Your bound to feel shitty time to time.

And yeah, after 7 years of pack-a-day, i quit. I have a friend who wholeheartedly agrees with my method, two packs a day for almost ten - quit. A third one, who actually was the catalyst to our quitting, ten years, pack and a half a day. It's been, shit, i guess over 6 years for me, 4 for my friend and almost 7 for the first guy. None of us did anything more than... Just. Stopped. Smoking. It was and is the simplest, easiest thing in the world - if you wanna quit.

If you dont wanna quit, and think that some fancy trick's gonna fix you, it's not gonna happen. Enjoy that smoke, until you have the desire to do it, and when you do...

Just. Stop.

[sabotai]

“It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.” - Mark Twain