What are some helpful tips for quitting smoking besides the patch or nicotine gum.?

Question

I've tried quitting several times. I was most successful with the patch. The gum worked but made me sick. I plan to use the patch again but what else can I try.

Answer 1

get a good mantra -- something that makes you realize its bad for you and people are actually profiting off your ill health. that will help a little.

i snacked a LOT so get snacks that don't make you fat -- like animal crackers and pretzels. i got a strange thing for cookies from spain now too. you can get them in latin stores. after a while you don't miss your 1000 calorie 100% transfat chocolate chips.

in health food stores you can get liquid stuff that tastes awful but you drop it on your tongue and it kills the craving -- its a combination of lobelia and valerian i think. those weird people that work in those stores will gladly point you in the right direction.

tea tea and more tea -- peppermint tea has some weird something in it that boosts seratonin levels. linden and chamomile are supposed to unstress you.

speaking of seratonin levels try 5-htp (100 mg) and melatonin (9 mg) at bedtime and it works kind of like welbutrin but you can buy it at walmart off the shelf for a lot less than 90 bucks.


a lot of it is breaking cycles too -- you are used to associating smoking with other behaviors -- you can take those on 1 at a time. like no more smoking when you have a drink (thats a hard one -- i wanted to beat up strangers and steal their cigs when i went out to bars). i still crave cigs when i am stuck in traffic and its been 3 yrs since i quit.

Answer 2

I say the gum. Lets him control his nicotine intake according to when he craves it the most , rather than keeping a patch on. Also a big part of quitting is the psychological and behavioral aspect. By that I mean the oral fixation, which would be taken care of with the gum, and things like grabbing the pack from his shirt pocket. Even blowing smoke in general is addicting to smokers. My strongest recommendation would be the gum for the nicotine intake and possibly oral fixation relief, and the nicotine free e-cigs for the habit of blowing smoke.

Answer 3

I smoked for 21 years. I have now been smoke free for 33days, and rarely get cravings anymore. First you have to be 100% commited to quitting, for yourself, not anyone else. Make sure you have people you can call for support when you are wanting to light up. I called my Mom and we would get to talking about shopping or whatnot, and next thing I know the craving had passed. This may seem silly, but it worked for me. I quit right after the holidays, and the first craving I got I picked up a candy cane and ate it, after I ate the candy cane my craving was gone. Of course it was pshycological, there is nothing in a candy cane to help reduce cravings, but it worked! So, 3 dozen candy canes later, I'm smoke free. It is hardest, when I'm at the bar with friends, so I tried to stay out of the bars for the first 30 days.

Answer 4

I smoked for two years, it was hard.. maybe not as hard as a smoker whos been smoking for longer but the best way is just to simply stay away from the people who do smoke, and now with the benefit of not being able to smoke in resturants and other public places here in NY/NJ (not sure if that law is anywhere else) it also helped me big time.

Answer 5

Cold Turkey

Answer 6

Some people try using a rubber band on their wrist. They flick it every time they want to smoke.
Hey, don't start again after you stop this time.

Answer 7

keeping your cigarettes in a place really difficult to reach
cold turkey
stay away from people that smoke coz then you'll feel like smoking too...

Answer 8

Be a ****** man and quit. You can quit on your own you just need to find the strength within yourself.

Answer 9

COLD TURKEY
THATS HOW I DID IT
NOW I FEAL GREAT