How did you quit smoking?

Question

I am so motivated to quit, but I just can't pull through. I need to hear your success stories and find out what worked and what didn't. And while you're at it answering this, I need some motivation and prayers too. Thanks!

So far I have tried cold Turkey, Smokenders, Patches, Gum with no success.

Answer 1

I quit cold turkey.
I used a pencil to hold in my hand when I did things that made me want to smoke, talking on the phone, drinking coffee, etc. It is all in breaking the mental/physical addiction, the easy part is the physical addiction.
Good luck! If you want to quit you will, and I will pray for you! HUGS

Answer 2

I did cold turkey. It was terrible. The first three days, I thought I might physically harm someone. Then it got better. Then it got worse again. This went on for about 9 months. People actually began to tell me just to smoke again. Here is the good part, I am coming up on almost 5 years now. I used to get sick all the time. I have been sick twice since I quit. Once was due to quitting, I got bronchitis. (yes sometimes when you quit, you get sick). The other time was the flu. But before I quit when I would even get a cold, it would last 2-4 weeks. I had the flu for 5 days. Since then, nothing. I have not even had a cold. I feel so much better. It is so worth quitting. Food was so good again. I used to have terrible acid reflux when I smoked, now I just get it occasionally. Quit, do it. You will be happier. I also bought myself gifts for every month up until the first year. Now, it if just yearly. Good gifts. Spend that big money on fun stuff. Do it cold turkey, there is no other way. Just smoke the pack you have until you are done, down to the last one. Enjoy the last one, cause that is it. That is what I did. I knew it was the last one. Dont give up. WHen you would normally smoke-find other activities. Work out, call someone and talk, read a book, or just tell youself NO. I ate alot more and did gain weight. But it all came off within 6 months of my quitting.

Answer 3

I smoked for 17 years. It took me 8-10 attempts and 8 years to get it done. I haven't had a smoke in 12 years and there's two things I know.
1. IT IS A ***** TO QUIT SMOKING !
2. IF I DID IT ANYBODY CAN.

And as it says in my personal bible-Let he who has not been addicted to cigarettes shut up-you don't know what your talking about!
Fight the good fight!

Answer 4

I've never smoked, but my mom successfully stopped smoking by using the patch and using an anti depressent that they also use to help people stop smoking, ask your doctor about it. If there's any stress in your life right now, this wouldn't be the best time to do it. Good luck though, this is a great thing to do! =)

Answer 5

I did the Chantix thing. You keep smoking for a week while you take the meds and then after a week you try to stop. Mine was fairly smooth-I was on edge for a day or two and then the cravings and such subsided. You do have excessively vivid dreams on Chantix and drinking isn't a good idea. I think it changes how your body reacts to the tobacco. I smoked a cigarette a couple of months after and it was pretty gross. I'm still not smoking 5 months after starting the drug.

Answer 6

I quit cold turkey, but I would not recommend it for everyone. It made me the most miserable S.O.B. on the planet for about a month or so. However, a co-worker of mine tried hypnotherapy through one of the local hospitals. He was skeptical, but he gave it a shot and after ONE TREATMENT he put the cigarettes down and hasn't picked them up since. He's been smoke-free for three years. The good news is most health insurance providers will cover the cost for hypnosis to quit smoking. It's worth looking into.

Answer 7

my husband finally quit smoking. He tried 3 times before he was able to quit, he said it takes most people he talked to a few attempts. He tried cold turkey and the patch, but on the third attempt of the patch he finally did it. He has been a non smoker now since March. He feels so much healthier and has more energy he says. Good luck and I will pray for you

Answer 8

I tried all that too. I never thought I'd be able to do it. But last July, I tried Chantix ~ and it worked. I was on it for 4 weeks and haven't smoked since July 4. I also logged on to Quitnet a lot too.
Good Luck!! I can't believe all the benefits I've gained.

Answer 9

I think that it may be harder today because they put more nicotine in cigarettes than they used to in order to make it more addictive. I had a hard time quitting because I was very addicted to cigarettes. I couldn't smoke just a couple of cigarettes a day. I quit because I used to see signs everywere that I had to quit. I started getting pains in my back. Whenever I sat on a bus or the subway invariably a person with emphazemia would sit next to me and I could hear them wheezing. I knew it was a warning. I had girlfriends who were non-smokers and wouldn't allow me to smoke in the house.
I tried cutting back little by little until I was down to 5 cigarettes a day then I would start going back up until I was smoking a whole pack a day. I went cold turkey and just threw my cigarettes away. Before the night was over I was running around trying to retrieve my cigarettes and would wind up buying another pack. It took me a couple of years before I actually quit. I think alot has to do with your will to quit and the pressures around you, within you and without you. It takes alot of effort to psche yourself up to quitting. Finally, I went on a camping trip and threw my cigarettes away before the trip. Well, when your in the woods and it's about a 45 minute drive to anywhere that you can go to get cigarettes, you are more reluctant to go looking for cigarettes. You really have to suffer through the first few days. Then, you still have the urge to smoke. It just doesn't go away. Even after a year you will still have urges to smoke. The intensity of the urges decrease in time and become less frequent. At some point you might try a smoke after not having a cigarette for a long time and you'll find that you can't stand the taste of it.
Ex-smokers really can't stand the smell of cigarettes. I had a friend who could smell a cigarette being lit over a hundred feet away. He lived in Staten Island and used to take a bus in to work. One day someone lit up a cigarette in the bus. The man went crazy. He complained to the smoker and told the guy that your not allowed to smoke on a bus. The guy ignored him. He then complained to the bus driver who responded by telling him that he couldn't be a policeman and drive the bus at the same time. He complained to the other people on the bus. They just told him to shup-up. So, my friend took his newspaper, rolled it up, and lit it on fire. At this point the bus was really filling up with smoke. Everyone on the bus went nuts and started screaming at him. So, my friend told them if he, the smoker, can smoke then so can I. Then, the people on the bus got the smoker to put out his cigarette. So, my friend put out his newspaper.
Good luck on quitting. It takes alot of will power and encouragement from friends.

Answer 10

I tried the nicorrete gum but then I got addicted to the gum/ then I tried the patches but I kept going back to the cigarretes

With support from family and friends and alot of prayer, I quit and haven't been back to it Set a goal, like only 5 cigarretes in one day or limit yourself and really try to cut down Or stopping cold turkey might work for you, try to hang around with non-smokers and stay away from places where people smoke