+++ Quiting Smoking +++?

Question

Does anyone have any success stories?
My husband is trying to quit and he wants me too but It seems like It is harder for me than it is for him!
Any ideas on how to quit?

Answer 1

Credentials: I used to be a heavy smoker (3 packs/day, menthol). Quit previously 3 times. The last time took. Non-smoker for over 15 years.

For me, the hardest part about quitting was removing all of the associations around smoking. Example, whenever I had a beer, I had a cigarette. Whenever I finished eating, had a cigarette. You get the idea. I purposely and deliberately "weeded out" all the associations I had with smoking until I only had a few. In other words, I consciously did not smoke after each of these other co-occurring activities, until the urge was diminished. Once this was done, I had already reduced my smoking to a few cigarettes a day. To completely quit, it was a combination of negative imagery and getting the flu. I imagined coating my lungs with a thick goo of tar and nicotine while I smoked. I was never able to smoke when I had a cold or the flu, so after 5 days of various orifice purging, I realized I could probably go another few days without. Bottom line for me: discipline of living how you want.
As for the stress, good time to involve yourself in a very detailed kind of hobby, like model rocketry or exercise like biking. If you can weather through the first few days, you'll start to feel the benefit of being able to breathe without getting winded, and smell wonderful scents of nature and/or aromas of baking and cooking seemingly for the first time! Good Luck!

Answer 2

Quitting is very difficult for most people, but is definitely a good choice. Remember that there are both physical and emotional additctions that go along with smoking.

Some things to try:

Mini-quit - Make a list of seven things you do regularly (daily) that you smoke while doing. Week 1 - On Monday, while doing item 1 on the list, do not smoke. On Tuesday, you can once again smoke while doing #1, but no smoking while doing #2 on the list, etc. Week 2 - On Monday do not smoke while doing item #1 on the list. On Tuesday, continue not smoking while doing item #1 and add no smoking for item #2, etc.

Try a healthy snack as an alternative to smoking. Carrot, celery, fruit are all great snacks. Drink a glass of water, chew a piece of gum. I also had to find something to do with my hands. Bending a paper clip, writing a letter to a friend, knitting, petting my dog all helped.

Talk to people who will support you. Do not be afraid to ask someone for help.

Find a support group of others who are trying to quit.

Check out the following website. There is a wonderful Quit guide that helps with the process as well as wonderful support forums.

Good luck, you are making the right choice for yourself and your family!

http://www.quitnet.com/

Answer 3

I can't say for sure because I am not a smoker but my ENTIRE family was or is. My Mom says that what it comes down to is that you have to really, really want to quit, or it will never work. My uncle had triple bypass surgery several years ago and was lying in the hospital bed not able to move because his chest had been cracked open from the surgery and still wanted to smoke. THe good news is that he stayed in the hospital long enough that he lost the "taste" for them and decided that if he could make it 2 weeks there wasn't a reason in the world why he couldn't make it the rest of his life without one. He did say that it helped that his imediate family quit also and they all supported each other. So I guess, you have to have a supportive group of people around you and you really have to want it!

Answer 4

Discover How To Quit Smoking - http://Go.QuitSmokingMagics.com

Answer 5

This might sound dumb to you, but I quit using the Farmers Almanac. Whenever it says the best day to quit smoking, quit on that day and just make it a point to not buy any. I quit using this same method and haven't yet smoked for 3 months.

Once you go to the website click on Astronomy, then scroll down and you'll find a link that says Astrological Timetable: Best days for certain activities. It really will help and not just for quitting smoking but for a lot of other stuff too.

Answer 6

take a jar, fill it with as many cigarrette butts as possible, leave it shut and when you get the urge, open up the jar and take a big whiff..it helped me alot and I have been smoke free for almost 10 years.
It took a few tries of me I never quit the first time. Start to avoid situations that you normally smoke in for a while, in other words change your routine around it. Eventually its hard but you will get used to no smoking.

Answer 7

I quit about 9 months ago. I started eating things like tic tacs, and chewing lots of gum. I gained a little weight but I feel so much better. I smell good too!! They say you replace an addiction with another so the tic tacs or gum worked for me. Every now and again I want one badly but I know its not worth it. Good Luck!!!

Answer 8

Honestly, I just stopped. I never smoked when I had a cold because it prolongs the cold. So I got sick, didn't smoke for a week and thought, why not see how long I can go.

It's been 13 months.

I think everyone has to decide for themselves when to quit, you have to be mentally ready.

I've heard hypnosis works for some people

Answer 9

You need to really want to quit.
Don't tell everyone you are quitting. This only sets you up for failure.
Every time you are going to have a cig. make a decision as to weather you really want it. If you really want it, have it. You will find that at first, you only REALLY want 5-6 cigs. per day.
Eventually you will be able to sat you don't want any at all.
It worked for me. From 2 packs a day to 0 in about 10 days.

Answer 10

I'm quitting monday, join me.
I'm going to try to stay very busy for the first few days. I've quit before, and it's the first few days that are the hardest, after that it gets easier.