Best way to give up smoking? I actually like a cig but my health is starting to worry me?

Question

I have tried all kinds from the doctor and nearly all of them give me horredous side effects so I've had to stop the treatment. Also tried the gum and patches [both made me throw up!] Not sure if I can do it on will power alone. Please help!

Answer 1

Oh dear you should talk to a quit councillor, see what other methods you could use, acupuncture or something, good luck!

Answer 2

There is no one best way to quit. Some use chewing gum as a substitute while others quit "cold turkey". However you do it, though, it works if you have a plan and have prepared yourself in advance. You are, after all, breaking both a habit, which will require a lifestyle readjustment, and an addiction which has been shown to be statistically 10 times more powerful than heroin addiction. As you will face temptations, especially in the first few days and in situations where you regularly resorted to smoking, you are going to rely on that research and planning done before you quit so that you can better handle the situation. Having a buddy to talk to or another activity to substitute would be helpful, I'd think. You also need a good motive. Your health is, of course, the primary reason, but saving money is a good reason, too. The average Canadian, for example, will spend over $2 000.00 a year on cigarettes. That's equivalent to burning that much cash in a bonfire or flushing it down a toilet. Foolish, indeed! If you are committed to your motive, have a plan, have thought out what to do to handle challenges and stressors and have a buddy system or some other defence to turn to, you will have a much greater likelihood of success. Good luck!

Answer 3

I smoked for 30 years and stopped maybe 25 times in that period but always started again. Proven way to STOP - I've done it and been off 2 years - Niquitin CQ patches,but don't use the strongest ones unless you smoke a helluva lot per day. For the average 20 per day smoker the 14mg patches fine for 3 - 4 weeks then reduce to 7mg. You'll know when they're too strong as you'll feel a bit dizzy. After you stop the patches, if you definitely crave a cig then get some of the Niquitin CQ 2 mg chewing gum - this works very well in reducing the craving. They say the best way is pure willpower but not many of us have the willpower or we wouldn't have smoked anyway. Reinforce your desire to quit if you can with a visit to a hospital dealing in COPD cases and emphysema - that should work better than anything. Many people report side effects from whatever drug/pill/gum or patch they are using - I reckon the side effects are merely the side effects you get from quitting nicotine. Good luck and always remember that the only thing a cigarette does for you is to make you want another one, once you get your head round that you'll be OK.

Answer 4

Hi - I know the feeling - I used to eat sleep and live cigs and tried and failed various methods till I read the Alan Carr book'Easy Way to stop smoking' (think thats the title). I believe, you have to really want to stop and everyone has to find the method that suits them but this one worked for me. I had to read the book twice to really get it (and that is the key - to really GET the message) and had to dip into the book a few times the first couple of weeks for support but I have never smoked even one again and its 5 and a half years. It's not the same as the willpower method (I'm not great on willpower, believe me) but is more about understanding the nature of addiction. The first two weeks were not exactly easy but (dont laugh) I found eating pumpkin seeds helped - something to do with zinc in them helping with cravings, but they also gave me something to do intsead of smoking and twas better than eating unhealthy stuff. It was however, easier for me than any other method I had tried. The main ideas that helped me were that each cigarette causes the craving you get for the next cig; non-smokers dont get cravings and with passing each day you are less addicted; you are not 'giving up' anything, but gaining something by stopping and finally, as a new non-smoker you are only one cig away from being a smoker so dont have that first one. Sounds bland when you havent read the book, but if you read and understand it these truths can really help. The best thing about being a non-smoker isn't the extra cash or better taste buds or being able to breathe but the freedom from slavery - no more panic: 'oh my god, can i smoke here' or 'have i cigs for the morning?' and 'when can i have a smoke?'. As a non-smoker I dont get cravings and didnt get many at all after the first couple of weeks. Of course, this method doesnt work 100% of the time and I hope nobody gives feedback saying it doesnt work - well... isnt that a bit unfair to put you off before you try? Good luck with it. I am sure you can stop and get on with a healthier life.

Answer 5

You have to want to give up for a reason. I was a smoker for 30 years until I saw my father die of lung cancer ( 40 a day man).
I not only gave it up for the benifit of my own health, I think we owe it to future generations to wipe out this deadly and very stupid habit for good by making it illegal. This can only be achieved by people giving up in enough numbers.
As for a method, I found the cold turkey best. It is the mental addiction that is strongest though. What I did was to make a contract in my own mind that no matter how many times I reached for one I would not smoke it because of the claus in the contract that said I would not, and if I broke that claus there was another that said the same thing and so on and so on. Then by the time your minds been through all that the urge passes. Gradually it goes away. I have not smoked for 12 years now.
By the way you say you enjoy a cig at the moment, you don't ,that's just the drug giving your mind an excuse to carry on doing it.
Good luck, you can do it if you really want to.

Answer 6

I gave up last January using "Zyban". They are prescription only, but are truly the "easy" way to give up smoking. After ten days of smoking whilst taking one tablet a day the cigarettes are beginning to taste so awful that you dread the next one, and are counting the days to your quit date. It was so easy that I had no cravings and could sit at a table full of people smoking and not be tempted. There is no nicotine in Zyban, so they are not nicotine replacement therapy. It seems the way they work is by "turning off" the receptors in the brain that make you crave/want a cigarette. They were originally marketed as an anti-depressant, and it was only when they people on them started commenting on the fact they couldn't stand smoking any more that their true potential was realised. They also tend to put you off alcohol slightly, and what alcohol you do drink has a far stronger effect, (so beware!).

I have to confess I did start smoking again a long time after giving up using Zyban, but this was way after I came off the Zyban, and I did not complete the full course. I also had a very bad time going on in my private life, had lost my job, had an operation with a post op infection after etc, and thought I needed a cigarette, bad mistake! Sadly I found Zyban don't work the second time round, and using this method again just wasn't working as the cigarettes simply tasted a bit nasty, but not unsmokeable like they had the first time I had used it, (I actually had a friend who said exactly the same thing), so I decided to try willpower alone. This has worked, and I truly found that after only a week or so I had stopped missing the cigarettes again, felt great, and my bank balance was again much healthier than it had been since I began smoking again. My Husband has done exactly the same, first the Zyban, and now the willpower, so take your pick, but I suggest you see your Doctor and try the Zyban 1st. I never needed to go up to 2 tablets per day, as this made me dizzy, and 1 tablet per day did the trick without any unpleasant side effects.

For the record I had already tried many other methods before, various nicotine patches, inhalators, the Alan Carr book, Hypnosis, Accupuncture etc, but nothing was as good or as easy as the Zyban.

Good Luck, I hope you succeed, and just remember you can only be successful when you really really want to give up, and not because the people around you pressure you to quit.

Answer 7

It's easy to give up.... the hard part is not starting again. I found Alan Carr's book really good. Also pick a day to stop and get rid of any cigs the night before, even if it means throwing them down the toilet. Next morning it means that you have to go out if you want a cigarette, just consider whether its worth going out, for about 30 secs and the craving will pass. It will come back again and you have to do the same thing, each time it comes back it will be less. If you can do this for 3 days, you're well on the way. I'm sure there are many out there who'd like you to stick around. Good luck my friend.

Answer 8

I started to give up smoking 2 years ago today. I worked out that the longest time I could go without was 5 hours (from stanstead airport to tenerife) using this as a guideline I started to cut down (not give up), on occasions I fell by the wayside such as weekends in the pub, but by April 2006 I had cut down to 1 a day that was the 1 after my evening meal. After a while I managed to leave my cigs at home and not worry all day but still had my cig in the evening. The 20th may 2006 was the last consecutive day I smoked I had 1cigarette in July 1 in august 1 in October 2006 and 1 in the pub 30 June 2007 out of protest! . I still remain a smoker who is cutting down which helps psychologically but with all the restrictions at work and socially not smoking now doesn't bother me. I smoked continuously for 34 years my wife still smokes, I don't mind that , I am still cutting down but I don't think I will ever have another one

Answer 9

I successfully gave up because I happened to know that addiction is mostly about how high the spike in blood levels of nicotine get, rather than the quantity of nicotine (although a stronger cigarette will have a higher spike). That means getting lighter tobacco and avoiding ready-mades as the manufacturers apparently load the first few puffs with the most nicotine to ensure a nice spike. By rolling progressively thinner cigarettes using a light tobacco, until not much more than a matchstick (takes practise), I found it almost completely painless to give up. I have the occasional pang, and sometimes have a cigar or a cigarette (without inhaling), but otherwise I rarely ever think of cigs anymore.

Loved them when I had them, though. I only gave them up because of my teeth. Has been two years now.

Another tip in the meantime : avoid immuno-bashing substances like light vegetable oils (only olive oil seems alright), hardened veg fats (margarine), too much sugary fruit and too much carbs. And get at least some animal fat (like butter). Most of the diseases of smoking are improbable if your immune system is in good order, and that means copying a hunter-gatherer style diet. Other factors that have a big effect on the immune system : getting too little vitamin A (found in liver) and too little vitamin D (mostly from sunlight, but supplement up to 800IU in winter). I use a combo fish-oil capsule that does both vitamins. Apparently D also boosts the mood and may help SAD sufferers.

Answer 10

I smoked regularly for 22 years since I was 14, I suffered with asthma and just blamed it on other things. I used to think that smoking a cigarette helped when I had a bad cold...... The things that made me stop were, (1) smoking a cigarette in front of a mirror...yuk! (2) People said I wouldn't give up, which is like dareing me, so I dared. Now over 8 years given up smoking, I don't stink, my food tastes brilliant, and of course I've had no instance of Asthma for many years. It does take a while to get out of your system, but if you think of this thing as something that has hold on you - think "how dare you" etc.

Good luck, the only time I ever smoked again was luckily in a dream, I was devastated, then I woke up and was euphoric. Take every hour/day at a time, the more time goes by you will feel less like letting yourself down.

Answer 11

I gave up smoking on the 2nd of jan 2007, I had my last cigarette at 14:10 and have not smoked since! but it was not easy in the beginning. The first 3 days were the worst, then the next 3 weeks. I had been smoking between 30 and 50 a day and I enjoyed smoking, but at 51 and having smoked since I was 14 I knew I should really try and stop. I didn't use anything to help me apart from will power and encouragement from friends and relatives. I felt that nicotine replacement therapy might prolong the withdrawl symptoms. Tomorrow I will celebrate 1year as a non smoker, and am very proud of the fact, but I am not against smoking, I believe it is everyones right to if they want. I did it for me, and 1 year on I feel better for it. I wish you good luck and success in giving up. Remember when you start to give in to cravings you are only letting yourself down and it will make it harder to stop again.