Quitting Smoking

[mightynintendo]

So if I manage not to smoke today this will be my third day without cigarettes.

It's not getting any easier. I have no motivation to do anything and all I do is sit around thinking about smoking. I am even spending hours of my day looking at the different varieties of cigarette Camel offers, the nicotine content of each type, reviews, etc.. Last night I even dreamed about smoking.

I'm using Swedish snus to help curb my cravings. It works pretty well but it definitely isn't as satisfying. There must be something else in cigarettes I'm addicted to because the snus has way more nicotine than cigarettes and it's not really killing my cravings completely.

I just feel weird too. I bought a pack today out of habit but haven't opened it. It's sitting in my car. I can't throw it away either because the thought of not having a pack of cigarettes nearby terrifies me for some reason. I don't know. I really hope this gets easier.

 

[bob1852]

It gets easier. If you can make it the next three days, you'll be surprised how much better you feel.

You'll still crave it though. Just don't get sucked into the devilish mind-set of "I'll just have one to make me feel better now."

You can do it! It's hard, but it can be done. Take a walk, drink some water, read. Take a walk. But don't light up.

It will feel strange as smoking was probably a huge part of your daily routine. After I quit chew, I remember getting into my truck and panicking. Did I have my spitter, was my can full enough, did I have a bottle to rinse with, etc. And this was months after I quit.

But, you can do it. Get made that the big cigarette companies are making huge profits by destroying your health. Keep a spreadsheet of how much money you are saving by not buying 'em. Use that money for something fun. You can do it!

AZ_IPA

tobacco free since 1/16/07

 

[mightynintendo]

Thanks AZ. Really helps to hear testimonials.

Another thing I've noticed is that drinking coffee is a terrible idea when you're trying to quit.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Just know this. You CANNOT have just one. You're finished. You don't smoke anymore. There is no grey area, no "I'll just have one." I've been off cigs for over a year now. I've done it before and each time I've fallen prey to that "I'll just have one" trap. It ALWAYS leads back to addiction, at least for me. Congratulations to you. You'll never smoke another cigarette. Life really is better without them, every day.

 

[bob1852]

buy a bag of carrots or a box of straws and chew on them. You're also going through the mental withdrawl of smoking (that'll actually last longer than the physical withdrawl).

Don't give in to the urges - and quite honestly, tonight will be hell. It usually is on the third night.

Try to avoid activities that cause you to smoke - large meals, drinking, long drives, etc. - whatever your triggers are.

Let your family and friends know you'll be on a short trigger soon, because that's what the **** does to you when you're body is withdrawing from the nicotine.

If you really, really, really want to quit - you can.

I spent several years of half-assed quiting, before I finally said enough is enough. I still wish I could have a good cigar, but I won't because my next stop would be to buy a can of chew.

Ya coffee or any excess caffeine probably isn't a good idae!

hang in there buddy.

 

[bob1852]

Just know this. You CANNOT have just one. You're finished. You don't smoke anymore. There is no grey area, no "I'll just have one." I've been off cigs for over a year now. I've done it before and each time I've fallen prey to that "I'll just have one" trap. It ALWAYS leads back to addiction, at least for me. Congratulations to you. You'll never smoke another cigarette. Life really is better without them, every day.

If you do fall into the "have one" trap - try this. Take one out of the pack and destroy the other 19 by whatever means possible so you can't smoke them. That will get financially burden some really quick!

(I did this with chew during my half-ass attempts to quit. One dip, and the rest of the can out the window)

 

[Pilgarlic]

That method wouldn't work for me. There isn't enough money in the world to hold me back on that slippery slope. The first step (down) is waaaaaaaaaaaay easier than the walk back up to smoke-free. For me, I know it's all or nothing. I simply can't manage anything in between.

 

[lschiavo]

Best of luck with it. I have been putting off quitting for a while now. I did quit a while back for about 6 months. Why did I ever go back?...so stupid!

A big part of cigarettes is the physical addiction but for me I think I am at least equally dependent on the ritual habit. Try to find an alternative activity you can do when you get the cravings. Anything that will take your mind off of it for a while will help.

You're off to a good start. Stick to your guns!

 

[bob1852]

That method wouldn't work for me. There isn't enough money in the world to hold me back on that slippery slope. The first step (down) is waaaaaaaaaaaay easier than the walk back up to smoke-free. For me, I know it's all or nothing. I simply can't manage anything in between.

yeah, that's why I added the ( did this with chew during my half-ass attempts to quit)

I, too, finally realized I just can't have any nicotine, unless I want to continue being an adict. So, I gave it all up cold turkey and plan to never have any again.

 

[mightynintendo]

Thanks I really don't know what my limitations on this are. I've tried to go without smoking for extended periods of time but never make it much further than a couple days at most. I just start obsessing about it. Every day this week I get up and tell myself that I'll smoke one cigarette tomorrow. It's a lot easier to not smoke in the morning than in the evening for me. So I smoked one on Monday and one on Tuesday but since then I've been able to hold off. Tonight is Friday night and I'm bringing a couple kegs of home brew to a house party where they're grilling so this will be a challenge. If i can get through this tonight without a cigarette that will be huge.

Luckily there's an ex smoker there so maybe he can help.

 

[glenn514]

With the exception of a six-month period when I quit "cold turkey," I smoked for 40 years. The dumbest thing I ever did was to buy that one more pack of smokes after being off the damn things for six months. I finally quit for good on 27 September 2001. I used the Nicoderm patch, which really helped fight the cravings. What I also did was to change my routine as much as possible. It's the routine things that make you want to have a smoke.

I knew I had it conquered when one morning I took off my step 2 patch and took a shower...and remembered about two hours later that I had NOT put another patch on!

Hang in there...each day DOES get better!

glenn514

 

[mightynintendo]

Glenn, that's the thing though is every day it gets WORSE. Every single day is harder than the last one. When does it end? Seriously I literally can't think about anything else right now.

 

[bob1852]

Glenn, that's the thing though is every day it gets WORSE. Every single day is harder than the last one. When does it end? Seriously I literally can't think about anything else right now.

It will end eventually. You'll eventually find that you don't think about tobacco for days or weeks on end.

 

[Mike M]

It does get easier, but not before it gets harder. There'll be a time after a few weeks when you kinda' lose motivation, once you push through that it gets easier.

Life is so much better without smokes. It's one of the best things (albeit hardest) I've ever done. I wish you strength. Good luck.

 

[slowbie]

My grandpa quit smoking after more than 60 years. He started when he was 14. I think he was 76 when he quit (it was a few years back). He got and beat cancer twice, halfheartedly tried to quit using gum and patches, but only managed to smoke less often after the second time he got cancer. Then, almost ten years later he decided to quit and has not had a single cigarette in the 6 or so years since. Hope that helps.

I don't know if this part will help or not, but please hang on this time so you don't have to be one of those guys that 'quits' smoking every week.

 

[ChshreCat]

When I quit, day 5 is usually the turning point. It gets gradually worse until the 5th day and then starts getting easier after that.

The reason the snus isn't stopping the cravings is because you're fighting two addictions. The snus is satisfying the physical dependence on nicotine, but doing nothing for the psychological need to smoke.

I've noticed the same thing with caffeine. If I'm quitting, caffeine will always trigger a nicotine fit. I used to think "Oh, I'm not taking the stimulant nicotine... well I'll replace it with another stimulant and that should make me feel better, right?" and never understood why I had so much trouble. When I cut out caffeine it made going without nicotine WAY easier.

I'm getting ready to quit again (for the last time, of course!) and will be using the patch again. That's always worked best for me. I've usually been able to quit without too much problem. My issue is the "staying quit" that many folks have talked about. That point 6 months down the road when I'm out at a bar and half looped and decide I'm just gonna bum one cigarette.

I tried to do the whole "I only smoke when I drink" trick, but was about to smoke myself into alcoholism with that one. That doesn't work either.

 

[hal2814]

I had a bunch of halfhearted attempts. I can still remember my first attempt to quit. I was only 16. I threw out my pack of smokes in defiance. Two hours later I was at the gas station buying more and feeling horrible about myself for doing it. Eventually, I got a girlfriend who didn't like that I smoked but didn't make a big deal about me doing it. I decided not to smoke around her. As I spent more time with her, I smoked less and less until I was smoking maybe one or two per day. At that point, it was easy to walk away. I'll still have a cigar every now and then (a love I've had for longer than I ever smoked cigarettes) but my paranoia about that first experience quitting has kept me from smoking cigars often. I have maybe 2-3 per year. I don't ever want to feel that way about myself again.

 

[GoldMiner]

Nobody likes a quitter.

Smoke or don't smoke, only you can decide.

 

[mightynintendo]

The problem with drinking is that it feels soo good to smoke when you're a little tipsy.

Hal I can appreciate that for sure. I'm getting married in less than two months and my fiance told me over the weekend she wouldn't marry me if hadn't quit for a month before the wedding... so this is crunch time. it's terrible too because i feel backed into a corner. it's my own fault though because she has been telling me this for two years.

Chshre, good luck to you good sir. It seems you know what you're getting in to. I talked to a guy at work who quit seven weeks ago cold turkey. He said he has smoked three cigarettes in this seven week's time, all three on occasions when he had a few drinks. His advice was if I do slip up, to stop after one and don't look back. He said not to be black and white about it and one misstep is still progress if I don't continue with it the next day. May be good advice, may be not. Giving myself the option to have one in an "emergency" makes me feel a lot better about the whole situation but that could just be one section of my brain lying to the rest of my brain. I haven't succumbed yet. The snus is definitely satisfying the nicotine addiction which is why I think there's something else in cigarettes that I'm addicted to. If I pop in a snus I feel OK (not great) but tolerable. 15 minutes after taking the snus out I am jonesing hard for a cigarette. I am encouraged by the snus though. A lot of studies in Sweden have found that snus is one of the most effective means of quitting smoking. Since snus is 98% safer than smoking, I'm OK with that for a while. Ultimately I'd like to get rid of the snus as well but it's the smoking that is the real killer.

Seriously though thank you guys for putting up your two cents here. Talking about it makes it a lot better.

 

[bmckee56]

I quit smoking cold turkey and it lasted over 24 years, then one day, I was vacationing with a bunch of friends and I just grabbed a smoke and started again. I wish I had the motivation to stop again, but have not yet achieved that level. I tried Chantix and it is bad stuff when you mix alcohol with it. Cutting back doesn't work either.

Wish you luck with your quest. Someday I will join you.

Salute!

 

[scrambledegg81]

Chantix kept me off smoking for about 7-8 months after only taking it for 3-4 weeks. (Job loss put me back on a pack a day at the mo, but that's another story.) Chantix worked for me after trying (literally) every patch, gum, inhaler, etc, available. Just flat out didn't want to smoke after about a week on the stuff.

 

[ChshreCat]

Haven't tried Chantix, but I tried Wellbutrin to quit smoking and it made me craaaaazy and I had to stop taking it after about 3 days.

 

[passedpawn]

I've been in your shoes. I've been clean for 3+ years. Cold Turkey. Don't fool yourself by keeping them around (you'll smoke them). Don't "just have 1". No way. Cold turkey and throw away any reminders (lighters, etc).

The ONLY way for me was to replace smoking with excercise. I became a serious running addict, running 10 miles EVERY DAY. I'd run in the morning, run late at night, any time I got the urge. You can't be a runner and a smoker (I'm sure someone could prove me wrong here though). If you are not a runner, grab an ipod and go walking (listen to beer podcasts!).

BTW, after a few months the urges completely went away. I can't lie, there are still times when I think it would be nice to have a smoke, but those are few and far between, and they aren't "urges".

Great, now I have to go running. Right now. Cheers.

 

[pernox]

Quit cold turkey almost two years ago.

First three days were hell. I don't even remember them, except I almost fired someone at work for lighting up in an area that I could smell the smoke from inside the building.

The first three weeks I do remember. They were awful, but not hell.

After the first three MONTHS, I stopped feeling like I really wanted a cigarette.

Now, at two years, I could light up again in a minute if I hit the lottery, but other than that I'll never smoke again, and it's okay with me. I was smoking two packs a day @ $7/e, which is $98/wk, which is $5,096/yr.

I took my cigarette money and put it in a jar during the first three months, and at the end of that time, I bought a nice rifle and a case of ammo to go with it. Great reward!

 

[HokieBrewer]

I tried quitting multiple times with various degrees of success. Here's what finally did the trick.

I was about to get married as well, just like you. I had told my fiance multiple times I would quit, and one day she finally called me out on it. She said quit or don't quit, but don't keep lying to me. I decided if I really wanted to marry this girl, then I needed to start keeping my word and being honest with her. So I quit cold turkey, proudly told her I wouldn't smoke another cigarette, and I've been smoke free for close to 2 years now.

I knew if I cheated and smoked, I wouldn't be able to hide it from her and would feel horrible for letting her down.

Having that accountability partner made it so much easier than quitting by myself for my own reasons. It also worked with dip as well, which was even harder to quit.

 

[user 55733]

I gave up smoking 3 years ago by getting into the gym and getting really fit, i'm now addicted to training and healthy eating.

You need to find a hobby that you can give alot of attention to to take your mind off it.

Also get rid of anything smoking related in your house.

 

[user 55733]

I gave up smoking 3 years ago by getting into the gym and getting really fit, i'm now addicted to training and healthy eating.

You need to find a hobby that you can give alot of attention to to take your mind off it.

Also get rid of anything smoking related in your house.

 

[Styles]

To the OP and the others that are trying, just hang in there, it gets easier. I find that I don't even think about it anymore, it seems like I was a whole different person then!

DO NOT do the "I'll only have one" thing. I did this after about 2 years of not smoking and was straight back into it and it took a couple of months to stop again. Bad news.

I did find reading Allan Carr's "Only way to stop smoking" a huge help.

Excercise helps a bunch too.

All the best, Styles - smoke free since '05

 

[passedpawn]

Styles - smoke free since '05

You are awesome.