Smokers,and ex-smokers only?

Question

Have you ever stopped smoking?If so,how,and what was the best method for stopping

Answer 1

Yes and I am trying to quit again. Tabacco addiction is harder to kick than opiate addiction and there are far more relapses when tobacco addicted. I quit for about 2 years using the Nicoderm CQ patches, the generic ones gave me a very bad headache, but the Brand Name did not. When my father passed, I used that as an excuse to pick up the awful and harmful habit again. I am an addiction specialist, but sometimes the first time you quit is the easiest because your mind (I call it the "Committee") will tell you go ahead, one won't hurt...and other nonsense. To tell you the truth, I can't stand the smell of tobacco and once you quit you won't either, at first anyone smoking around you will smell good only because your "committee" is telling you to relapse, then when you get over that, it will make you nauseated. I moved when I quit smoking and had to repaint the old house but it smelled so bad that I got sick everytime I walked into it. We aired it out but that ol tobacco and nicotine stays forever (it seems). Make sure to air out your home very well, and if you are just beginning the process, try to set some limits on your smoking, like only smoking outside, even if it is snowing. That is what I am doing now, and it is helping me cut back so I can just start on the lower dose patches. Some folks have used cinnamon sticks as replacements for the hand to mouth thing and chewing gum can help considerably. Just be aware that your food will taste better after you quit, and sometimes leads to
unconscious over-eating to fill the "void" created by smoking.
Again, thank the "committee" for sharing their crummy ideas and try to stay around non-smokers as much as possible. Also, get lots of exercise and drink plenty of water to help flush your system. My doc gave me an Rx for welbutrin which I don't believe in taking due to the side effects and I am not inclined to taking anti-depressants anyway. Some friends have had bad reactions to Welbutrin, so I would consider that ONLY as a last resort. Good Luck, kiddo, a little motivation goes a long way!
See if there is a support group in your area, some large cities have smokers programs. Be Well!

Answer 2

Yes, I was a smoker in college.

I have not had a smoke in about 15 years.

The best way to quit is cold turkey.

What every prospective ex-smoker needs to know:

There are both physical and psychological cravings and no stop smoking product in the world is going to completely get rid of them. What it boils down to is that you have to be strong willed enough to not be a slave to tobacco. This isn't too hard, especially if you are a bit on the arrogant side (like me) and can't abide the idea of something else controlling you.

Now for the bad news. Where most smokers who relapse go wrong is that they quit for a couple of months and are totally unprepared for a very harsh reality *THE CRAVINGS DON'T JUST GO AWAY!!*. There they'll be, sitting in a bar a few months later and *wham* out of the blue they will be hit with a craving that they are totally unprepared for and they'll give in. You have to realize and be prepared for the fact that multiple times in the future you will be very tempted. just *DON'T LET THE BASTARDS WIN!*.

For me, after a decade or so the cravings finally stopped.

Answer 3

Quiting smoking is like loosing weight. You really have to want to quit the habit to be able to quit smoking. I have picked up the habit and dropped it at least 3 or 4 times. Some would not consider me a full out smoker but I haven't done anything drastic to quit. It really is the will to quit. And of course there is the method of chewing gum and eating candy all the time. And then you can keep your hands busy, like play with a pen between your fingers and chew on a straw.

Answer 4

I swear by Alan Carr. Get his book. He says giving up smoking is easy and he tells you why and its all true! Just common sense but you haven't thought of it yourself. No scare tactics, it is all positive. He tells you how to deal mentally. Physical cravings for cigarettes are so minor, its the mental you need to learn. The most important thing is it works. My dad and i both stopped smoking after reading alan, dad had been smoking a packet a day for about 40 years and i had been smoking a packet a day for about 12 years. I managed to quit without feeling that i had lost something, rather that i had gained something. It is absolute crap that, 'Once youre a smoker always a smoker' and don't listen to people who tell you that "not a day goes past that you don't want a cigarette". They are just negative people and it is untrue, i don't ever think of smoking anymore. Sorry to have rambled on but i feel very passionately about alan carr's book because it probably saved my life. Good luck!

Answer 5

i recommend cold turkey as well. also picking up new habits worked for me like martial arts (or any exercise) tooth picks, sunflower seeds in shell to keep your hands and mouth busy since that's the main thing about cigarettes that humans are addicted to. pick a date and quit! reward yourself and buy things with the money you save. tell everyone you're gonna quit and that you have quit, so u won't wanna let them down either. think of yourself as a healthy non smoker,and most importantly, quitting means resisting the temptation, cuz you probably will try to justify reasons to smoke (stress, bad day, alcohol, social, etc.) so resist.if you do light up again, throw it out as soon as you feel the guilt. if you buy a pack, throw it away before you open it. believe in yourself, and remember how lucky you are you stopped now, the next pack might have been the one that pushed you over the edge with cancer or something. congratulations.

Answer 6

I told my doctor I wanted to stop smoking and that I needed help. He gave me free samples of Welbutrin. I didn't have cravings for nicotine with it, but used the patches in conjunction with the pills. I haven't smoked in a year, and am not bothered by people smoking around me. That was another concern I had. I didn't want to become one of those gung-ho non-smokers that no one wants to be around!

Answer 7

cold turkey

I have given up about 3 times now. i started smoking when i was 13 and i am now in my thirties,
The first time i gave up i tried everything under the sun, patches, gum anything and it worked the only trouble was that i was constantly in a bad mood and bad tempered. as soon as i stopped everything i started again.
The second time i went to counselling and hypo, this worked for a while but not for too long thou as i was a smoker yet again!
The third time i just went cold turkey but i had to as i had my tonsils out and i was simply not allowed to smoke and that did not work either because after 3 weeks i was smoking again!
So each time that i have tried giving up and the first two times was failures because i gave up trying myself and the third time was a failure because i was told that i had to give up and i was not personally ready to give up.
I believe that you can only give up when you are giving up because you know its something that you really want to do and also its the right time to give up.
Go cold turkey because its something that you want to do. It is hard but well worth it in the end because you know that you have achieved it all by yourself

Answer 8

Yes, i stopped smokin about 2 years ago.It's hard but, you can do it. Just thinks of somthing that moves u like your kids, wife ,God. u know then man get alot of gum it will be your best friend. And stay away from smokers for a while till temptation goes away. And u might even wanting too hurt someone that gets on your nerves. So stay away from them for awhile.

Answer 9

Hi. I have been 8 months without smoking. I did it with the help of this site (http://www.quitnet.com/), and also planned it with 2 months in advance, its harder to quit suddenly, put yourself a deadline and if you want, before the deadline start smoking less and less. (think that the cigarettes that you have are the last in the world, enjoy them while they last) I was smoking 23 cigarettes in December, in January i cut it down to 3 a day, until the day i quit.

Answer 10

yes im a smoker and im 17 yrs old.
i stopped laster and the year before for almost a year and a half.
how did i do that. i switched to gum or something i liked just like cigarrets. and when i didnt have money i didnt get any cigarrets thats also how i stopped smoking.