How to stay away from smoking?

Question

I don't want to be judged for this stupid habit I have, but I have been smoking for 4 years, and I'm now 22 years old. I found out I was pregnant (I'm now 7 1/2 months) with my first child. I found out that I was pregnant at about 1 1/2 - 2 mths, and I quit cold turkey after smoking pretty much a pack a day. To this day I still feel guilty for smoking the first month that I was pregnant, but I didn't know I was. But now that I'm 7 1/2 months, I'm trying to keep it this way. I have not touched a cig since the 1st month of pregnancy. I have been sober from everything. The problem is, I have been getting urges to smoke, and I just want to know if there are tips to stay away from it for sure. It's hard for me as is because my whole family smokes, all my friends smoke, I don't know one person that doesn't. I just want to know some tips or what I can eat or drink or do to keep this nasty habit off.

Thanks for all your answers, they are very helpful :)

And to the person that misread what i said...let me clear that up.

I said I found out I was pregnant when I was 1 1/2 - 2months along. Not that I quit smoking 1 1/2 months ago....

Sorry for the confusion.

I hope to stay clean through the rest of my pregnancy, there is not much time left to go. Hopefully I will stay clean after that too. :)

Answer 1

ok how do you say you only smoked for one month of your pregnancy if you just found out 1 1/2 to 2 months ago and your 7 and half months. thats means you smoked for like 5 months. mayways thats just weird whatever that doesn't matter so anyways i smoked the whole time with my first baby. she gets sick so much now and its just awful cuz i know its probably my fault but no one not even my dr at the time told me i should quit. i didn't think it would have any real effects on my baby. but shes also very thin. so i quit right after i had her cuz i couldn't go out and smoke. now with this baby its HUGE! lol but anyway my best reason for not smoking is not making the same mistake again. i mean my daughter is fine she just gets alot of colds and stuff. i dunno i still crave cigarettes but i just tell myself whats more important.

Answer 2

Screw if other people smoke. You're not them.

You've come so far already. You quit smoking cold turkey and have stayed that way for over 7 months? That's amazing and I haven't ever heard of anyone doing that. So, don't blow it now, you're doing so good.

When you think about smoking, picture the smoke going in your mouth, in your lungs, into your body. There is a baby in there. If you're smoking, the baby is too. Don't do that to a poor child. And when the baby comes out, just continue to remember how important it is that you keep up your best health so you can be in his/her life as long as possible. And that smoking around the baby is no good, and will probably result in him/her smoking when they get older.

I'm sure everyone will say "chew gum." -Which is true. Chewing gum gives you a sense of eating. Most people don't smoke while they are eating. That would be weird.

Keep your hands busy. Your hands are bored and are not holding a cigarette...that will remind you of your habit. Twittle your thumbs, do some new crafts, knit something, even bite your nails if you have to (I know, one bad habit to another, but cig smoking is obviously more harmful)..

Well, good luck with quitting. Like I said, you're doing awesome, don't blow it now. Congrats on the pregnancy!

Answer 3

I would just chew on a straw. Keep yourself busy. The more you talk and think about it, the harder it becomes. Once you give in, then you will sneak and do it all the time. I went 2 years without smoking. I was craving one, (I thought) and I smoked one. Now I can't stop. I am so mad at myself. All the money saved and my health. Now those 2 years have gone down the tubes. I pray you do not do as I did. Try to be strong for your baby. Sounds like you are both in allot of second hand smoke too. Unfortunately this makes it so much harder to not smoke when it is right in your face. Maybe just try to realize that you are still smoking because of the second hand. It is much worse than you doing it yourself. try to not think about cigs. i know it is hard though. I am so sorry for you.

Answer 4

It sounds like you've done the hardest part, but are still having some cravings, even after all this time. 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 being around others who smoke, this is a tough one, but there is a health benefit for you and your baby if you make this tough choice: stay away from smokers. If these are your friends, then they will understand and support your desire to provide a healthy environment for you and your baby, and will adjust their habit to accommodate you. If they give you flak about your need to stay away from smoke, or just dismiss your concerns cursorily, then they're not being terribly friendly or supportive, so you shouldn't feel too terrible about not being around them. Respect is a two-way street. When the urge starts to hit, it's a good time to involve yourself in a very detailed kind of hobby, like model rocketry (just an example) or exercise like biking. If you can weather through the first few days of craving, you'll start to remind yourself of 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! Stay with it! You're doing well~Good Luck!

Answer 5

I am in a similar boat. I quit after about 10 years when I found out. I have had cravings for them too, but I know if I had one, how bad it will taste. I just keep my baby in mind. I still go out often with my friends and most of them smoke. When they go outside to smoke I sit inside by myself, if I have to. Just try to stay away from it. You can try chewing gum or candy, but this doesn't do anything for me. Just keep in mind the reason you quit in the first place and try not to be around the smoke.

good luck!

Answer 6

While you are pregnant you have to do anything you think will work. Maybe giving into other cravings would help a bit? Do some online shopping, eat a box of cookies, watch your fav movie. Also keep yourself busy and try to spend time in places where you can't smoke and there are no smokers around. When I quit I spent a lot of time walking around the mall, not shopping just walking, so I got a bit of exercise too.

Answer 7

Here is a little trick that may help. Try breathing deeply, hold the breath long enough to 'feel' it. Then let it out slowly. You can repeat this a few times if needed. What I was told...is this 'stirs up' OLD tar and nicotine that has been left in the lungs. So..it sort of gives you a mini hit of what you have been craving....so you are helping clear the lungs...not smoking...and it will get you past a bad craving.

Answer 8

I"m having problems with quitting myself. I've cut down A LOT but I would still like to quit. I live with 2 people that smoke and just like you, my whole family and all of my friends smoke. I don't know anyone that doesn't smoke either. How did you do it???

I wanted to add that sucking on candy or chewing gum didn't help me at all. If anything, it just makes my urges worse!

Answer 9

Do you have a picture from your ultrasound? Put it up on your fridge. Great reminder of why you're staying away from cigarettes. I know it can be very hard - my sister's a former smoker...she quit for pregnancy, but it was very hard. She started back a bit between the two, but quit again for good after a few months of that. She's 26 weeks with #2, and has no plans to go back. :) Good luck.

Answer 10

Don't feel bad because you smoked for the first month or so. You didnt know you were pregnant and now you have stopped so you should feel really good. I dont smoke so I dont really know what to tell you to help but I guess just keep yourself busy, get the babies room ready, clean, cook meals, do hobbies that you like to do. Sorry I dont really know what else. Good luck