im 23 yr old and have been smoking for 12years,currently on 40 a day have tried quitting but cant.i need help?

Answer 1

Quitting smoking is a great opportunity to learn about ourselves, as you have already observed.
Congratulate yourself on having the desire to stop - then you are over the worst, but still need to maintain your resolve. It's just so easy to start thinking that just one won't hurt, but it does. Just one achieves nothing except feeling the need for another. Whatever you do, don't have just one. Beware - alcohol will weaken your resolve.
Here's a few home-brewed tips that might be useful.
It's not just nicotine addiction - there are 50+ chemicals in cigarettes. Also the main problem is habit.
We have been used to having body sensations which we translate as 'my body needs something', which we have attempted to satisfy by having a cigarette.
When we try to stop smoking, we still get these 'my body needs something' sensations, and we still feel that we want a cigarette. We have to train our body to be more selective. When we feel we need something, we have to work out what it is that we actually need.
A glass of water is an excellent substitute if nothing else comes to mind, as it helps with the clearance of the toxic substances in our body. Another good substitute is a bag of salted peanuts, used in combination with the water.
Another thing to do is to find an activity which occupies the mind or body. Go swimming - nobody wants to smoke while they are swimming. Slowly, as our body adjusts and translates the 'want something' feelings into something other than cigarettes, then the feelings begin to go away. We know its not a cigarette that the body really needs, because as soon as we've had one we still have the feeling, and want another!
We will have a few bouts of feeling or even being short tempered. We must try to bite our lip, and control; ourselves. Recognise the short temper as being the removal of toxins which are trying to find a way out. They went in through the mouth, and they try to get out that way to. We must learn to keep our mouth closed, and force the toxins out the other way.

After we have stopped for a while we will begin to feel that just one wont to any harm.
All that leads to is a desire for just another one. We must guard very strongly against the desire to have just one.

Answer 2

A friend used an interesting method to help him quit. He smoked Camels for some time and when he ran extremely low on cash he started rolling his own. The bulk tobacco from the smoke shop didn't contain all the chemical additives that most major brands do. After a time of smoking the cigs he rolled he was able to just quit with little trouble. You could try getting some natural tobacco and rolling your own for a while and then trying to quit. If rolling your own seems like a bit much then you can buy those native American spirit cigs which do not contain any additives and try quitting after a while. I would only use this method as a last resort but if all else fails I think its worth a try.

Answer 3

Along with the Medical help - patches etc - yu're going to need a strong dose of willpower - it's hard - but think about this to help you focus

My dad died at 43 - he had smoked since he was 8! In india he rolled village ciggies - tobbaco in a tobbaco leaf - sold some to make a living and smoked some - because he knew no better.

I was 20 when he died - my kids are teenagers and they always say how they wish they had known their grandad - it's that serious pal.

I remember being in hospital and there was a fella in the bed next to me on a respirator being given oxygen and steam - he was coughing up all sorts of phlegm and crap - yet he kept screaming at the nurse for a cig.

Sorry for the mental picture - keep it in your head - it will help you come off and hopefully stay off ( thats the harder part).

I really wish you all the best - I know you can do it - you asked the question - so you have the will - go 4 it.

Answer 4

It's how you make that image in your head. If you believe you cannot give up (excuse) that allows you to continue to smoke.
If you had say a heart attack because of the fright that would give you and the choices you would have ie a) live and no smoking or b) die from smoking your whole attitude would be changed in an instant. Also make big in your mind the negative things about smoking, ie the smell, the stainage etc.

I like Musicol's anti-smoking idea. Difficult to do something you convince yourself you are against.

It will be hard initially because you have something to miss, so remind yourself of that, but if you really want to stop, you can, but only you can make that decision. And once you do stop never try one again even socially as that gives you the excuse to slip. Is the same for alchohol.

I have never smoked because I didn't see it as necessary and I didn't like the stench etc. I don't like substances being in control of me. I drink socially and I have two pints usually - I may stretch to three. Then I stop. A friend of mine that can drink too much I actually hit with his deductions when sober and got him to go home as opposed to drinking ridiculous. So these ideas do work. It has to be in relation to you.

Answer 5

Allen Carr's EasyWay is by far the best way of giving up smoking. You can either go to a seminar (expensive) or buy the book. He is an ex-smoker with a previous 100-a-day habit (!) and his method is endorsed by everyone who has ever used it, including me. He recommends that you continue smoking while reading the book, and does NOT use scare tactics or focus on health or financial reasons to give up. It's fear that stops most people from trying to quit, and that fear is taken away by using his method.

Answer 6

Hi,
Do you know that Cigarette smoking kills nearly about 420,000 people a year, Men's sexual and reproductive health is not immune from the effects of smoking.
Smoking also reduces sperm density and their motility, increasing the risk for infertility.
Methods to quit smoking are as under
At this time the most effective methods for quitting is a combination of nicotine replacement products and the antidepressant drug bupropion bolstered by counselling. After a year only about 4% of smokers who quit without any outside help succeed. The primary obstacle in trying to quit alone is making the behavioural changes necessary to eliminate the habits associated with smoking. Excellent books, tapes, and manuals are available and are strongly recommended to help people who want to quit without other assistance.

1. Nicotine replacement

Nicotine replacement products provide low doses of nicotine that do not contain the contaminants found in smoke. They are proving to be twice as helpful as other standard quitting methods. Replacement products include nicotine patches, gums, nasal sprays, and inhalers. Side effects of any nicotine replacement product may include headaches, nausea, and other gastrointestinal problems. People often experience sleeplessness in the first few days, particularly with the patch, but the insomnia usually passes. Patients using very high doses are more likely to experience symptoms, and reducing the dose can prevent them. Certain individuals like people with heart disease, pregnant women, small children may need to avoid nicotine replacement products.

Nicotine patches: Nicotine patches, or transdermal nicotine, can be an effective way to quit smoking. The quit rate for patch users is around 20% after six months. Nicotine patches are available over the counter, but it is best to consult a doctor before using them, particularly people with any medical problems.

Nicotine gum: Nicotine gum (Nicorette), available over the counter, has also been effective for a number of people. Some prefer it to the patch because they can control the nicotine dosage and chewing satisfies the oral urge. Long-term dependence may be a problem with this method.

Nicotine inhaler: The nicotine inhaler resembles a plastic cigarette holder. It comes with a number of nicotine cartridges which are inserted into the inhaler. It has some specific advantages over other slower nicotine replacement products:

Nicotine nasal spray: The nasal spray satisfies immediate cravings by providing doses of nicotine rapidly, and thus may play a useful role in conjunction with slower acting nicotine replacement therapies.

Nicotine tablet: A nicotine tablet that is held under the tongue is also very useful.

2. Alternative and ther Methods for Quitting

Scheduled reduction: One study showed that people who used a systematic withdrawal schedule were twice as likely to quit as those who went cold turkey. The procedure involves the following steps:


Divide the number of minutes per day awake by the number of daily cigarettes; the result is the minute-long wait between smokes.

Set up a schedule with time intervals based on this result and using a timer, smoke only at those intervals; if the "cigarette appointment" is missed by more than five minutes, the smoker must skip that cigarette.

The following week, one-third fewer cigarettes are used and the smoking time is recalculated based on the lower number.

During the third week the count is again reduced by a third, and the smoker quits in the fourth week.
Change daily habits:


Change the daily schedule as much as possible. Eat at different times or eat many small meals instead of three large ones, sit in a different chair, rearrange the furniture.

Find other ways to close a meal. Play a tape or CD, eat a piece of fruit, get up and make a phone call, or take a walk (a good distraction that burns calories as well).

Substitute oral habits (eat celery, chew sugarless gum, suck on a cinnamon stick.) Go to public places and restaurants where smoking is prohibited or restricted.

Set short-term quitting goals and reward yourself when they are met, or every day put the money normally spent on cigarettes in a jar and buy something pleasurable at the end of a predetermined period of time.

Enjoy Life

Dr.Mojo

Answer 7

Whenever someone has a heart attack, they stop smoking that day.
This is the shock it takes for some people to stop.
I was able to think about the probable consequences and simply gave up the ciggies.
The difference in your voice, breathing and just your general health is noticeable in about a month.
After that the smell of smoke will be awful to you.
You will not be young forever and quitting now will prolong your life.
It is not something you can do tomorrow, please do it now.

Answer 8

There is a book which has helped a lot of people called something like How to Stop Smoking by Alan Carr. My sister stopped using this method.

Answer 9

Ask the doctor to prescribe Zyban for you. Sometimes you need a little help besides will power, and Zyban are great. They worked for me after 40 years of heavy smoking, and I'm so glad I no longer smoke. Best of luck to you.

Answer 10

Stop Smoking before it stops you. I smoked 20 a day , tailor mades, roll ups, weed. Got Bladder Cancer for my efforts. There are many aids to help you stop smoking, try them, but only will power counts in the end. Good Luck friend.