Anyone quit smoking?

[Jim in Anchorage]

I am going to try and need some encouragement. I know too many people who have tried and failed over and over.

Edited November 30, 2011 by Jim in Anchorage

[BuffaloBillsSD]

Jim I started smoking when I was 14 and quit when I was 29. My girl nagged me so I decided to get serious after many failed attempts. I worked out every morning/early afternoon for about 60 minutes then a run at night when I would get the cravings, I also cut out drinking any alcohol for the first two weeks. I am now 16 months tobacco free, I routinely hang out with smokers and never get the urge.

 

Good luck, I know this will not be easy but it is worth it.

[Jim in Anchorage]

Jim I started smoking when I was 14 and quit when I was 29. My girl nagged me so I decided to get serious after many failed attempts. I worked out every morning/early afternoon for about 60 minutes then a run at night when I would get the cravings, I also cut out drinking any alcohol for the first two weeks. I am now 16 months tobacco free, I routinely hang out with smokers and never get the urge.

 

Good luck, I know this will not be easy but it is worth it.

Thanks. I like the part about no urge after 16 months. I get to many "I quit 20 years ago and would still kill for a smoke"! That talk gets discouraging.

[BuffaloBillsSD]

Thanks. I like the part about no urge after 16 months. I get to many "I quit 20 years ago and would still kill for a smoke"! That talk gets discouraging.

 

I would like another cigarette but I know what it took to quit so it is easy to say no.

[DC Tom]

Quitter.

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously...advice I've given to others, that sometimes works: save the last cigarette from your last pack, and tell yourself "If I never smoke that cigarette, I'll never have another one." Then stick to it, come hell or high water. It takes discipline...but so does any other way of quitting, and it serves as tangible evidence of your commitment to stop smoking, and makes it very specific and direct (instead of "I'm not going to smoke anymore," you've now committed to "I'm not going to smoke THAT cigarette," which is an easier commitment, relatively speaking). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...

 

And yes, that was in "War Of The Roses". Not where I got it from, though.

[Jim in Anchorage]

I would like another cigarette but I know what it took to quit so it is easy to say no.

I like that attitude. Thanks again

[Jim in Anchorage]

Quitter.

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously...advice I've given to others, that sometimes works: save the last cigarette from your last pack, and tell yourself "If I never smoke that cigarette, I'll never have another one." Then stick to it, come hell or high water. It takes discipline...but so does any other way of quitting, and it serves as tangible evidence of your commitment to stop smoking, and makes it very specific and direct (instead of "I'm not going to smoke anymore," you've now committed to "I'm not going to smoke THAT cigarette," which is an easier commitment, relatively speaking). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...

 

And yes, that was in "War Of The Roses". Not where I got it from, though.

I'd keep THE cigarette and run out and buy a fresh pack. Really get more motivated by cash. Figured I would take that money I would have spent on smokes and on a daily basis put it in a drawer. Cash,not a # in a bank statement. Greed to watch the pile grow would be a HUGE incentive. Like when I used to get in fist fights with friends over monopoly because I would eject them from the game for being $1 short on rent.

[Chef Jim]

Quitter.

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously...advice I've given to others, that sometimes works: save the last cigarette from your last pack, and tell yourself "If I never smoke that cigarette, I'll never have another one." Then stick to it, come hell or high water. It takes discipline...but so does any other way of quitting, and it serves as tangible evidence of your commitment to stop smoking, and makes it very specific and direct (instead of "I'm not going to smoke anymore," you've now committed to "I'm not going to smoke THAT cigarette," which is an easier commitment, relatively speaking). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...

 

And yes, that was in "War Of The Roses". Not where I got it from, though.

 

That's how my dad did it. I used zyban.

 

Here's another way. Just realize that to the rest of us you !@#$ing stink.

[Jim in Anchorage]

That's how my dad did it. I used zyban.

 

Here's another way. Just realize that to the rest of us you !@#$ing stink.

Off topic. I said I wanted to quit smoking, not taking regular baths. One thing at a time.

[BuffaloBillsSD]

That's how my dad did it. I used zyban.

 

Here's another way. Just realize that to the rest of us you !@#$ing stink.

 

Jim, wait until you smell a smoker after you have quit for awhile.

[Dr. Fong]

I quit cold turkey. It sounds weird, but the key was I convinced myself that I was a non-smoker. I remembered what it was like to be a non-smoker and would just act accordingly. For instance when there is a pack of cigarettes in front of a non-smoker there is no temptation to smoke them. They simply don't have the desire.

 

My Dad and one of my good friends were both really heavy smokers they both quit using Chantix. Neither reported side effects and both said quitting was exceedingly easy. My Dad didn't even want to quit. He just took the pills to shut my Mom up.

Edited November 30, 2011 by Dr. Fong

[PromoTheRobot]

My addiction was not severe. I averaged about half a pack a day when I quit. I started at 16 and went cold turkey at 30. My strategy was to convince myself I never smoked and that my nicotine pangs were irrational. It took a few weeks to break free but I still had dreams of me smoking for two years after. Basically you have to mentally beat down the urge, try to use your mind to release yourself from the need to smoke. It's the same thing when I try to stop eating late. I'm dying for a bite but I have to just say no to myself.

 

PTR

[Chef Jim]

Jim, wait until you smell a smoker after you have quit for awhile.

 

Not sure which Jim that was for but seeing you quoted me I reply with I quit over ten years ago.

[Cynical]

Here's my $.02:

 

I quit 20 years ago. Prior to that, I smoked for about 7.5 years, and was smoking about 2.5 to 3.5 packs a day.

 

I quit cold turkey.

 

What worked for me?

I wanted to quit. Not wished, not hope, not desired.

I was tired of waking up and hacking a up lung until I got that first cigarette smoked.

I was tired of spending a big chunk of money on cigs.

And I was tired of the way my clothes and I smelled.

I wanted that habit gone.

 

I looked at my smoking pattern, and figured out the times of day or activity when smoking really was enjoyable.

(For me, it was that first cig of the day with a cup of coffee, smoking after eating or sex, and anytime I was drinking).

The rest of the time I realized I was smoking because of habit and addiction, and not because I enjoyed it.

 

When I quit, I modified my behavior during those times when smoking would have been enjoyable.

I cut way back on the drinking for about 3 weeks.

In the mornings, instead of waking up 2 hours before I had to leave, I would wake up an hour before I had to leave.

So, instead of drinking coffee and smoking that first hour, and the second hour to get ready, I left myself only the 1 hour to get ready.

I would buy coffee on the way to work, and skip breakfast (thus eliminating another one of those moments where desiring a cig would be strong.

 

After about 3 weeks, the cravings stopped, and I haven't craved a cigarette since.

Edited November 30, 2011 by Cynical

[BillsFanM.D.]

I would like another cigarette but I know what it took to quit so it is easy to say no.

 

This is a good retrospective view. Based on my interactions with patients (never a smoker myself), and seeing my parents both quit and nearly killing one another in the process......I know it's a real challenge. At the point of quitting there are many methods of help (hypnosis, chantix, nicotine subs, zyban etc.) but the smoker really has to WANT to quit. Sounds simple...but very true and difficult.

[bbb]

Like SD, running really helped for me........When I really had the urge, I went running. Man, I was in great shape - unlike now!

 

When you have an urge, know that it's going to go away. If you do smoke, the urge will come stronger. If you don't, it'll lessen. Then the urges will come less frequently.......One day you'll realize that you're a non-smoker. (For me, it was always a crutch when things went bad, so it took a good number of times going through things that normally would trigger a smoking binge for me to realize that I now am not turning to smokes as a crutch).

[BuffaloBillsSD]

Not sure which Jim that was for but seeing you quoted me I reply with I quit over ten years ago.

 

Sorry meant to tell Jim in A that he would eventually notice the smell of smokers. Congrats on the 10+ years though.

[Jim in Anchorage]

Here's my $.02:

 

I quit 20 years ago. Prior to that, I smoked for about 7.5 years, and was smoking about 2.5 to 3.5 packs a day.

 

I quit cold turkey.

 

What worked for me?

I wanted to quit. Not wished, not hope, not desired.

I was tired of waking up and hacking a up lung until I got that first cigarette smoked.

I was tired of spending a big chunk of money on cigs.

And I was tired of the way my clothes and I smelled.

I wanted that habit gone.

 

I looked at my smoking pattern, and figured out the times of day or activity when smoking really was enjoyable.

(For me, it was that first cig of the day with a cup of coffee, smoking after eating or sex, and anytime I was drinking).

The rest of the time I realized I was smoking because of habit and addiction, and not because I enjoyed it.

 

When I quit, I modified my behavior during those times when smoking would have been enjoyable.

I cut way back on the drinking for about 3 weeks.

In the mornings, instead of waking up 2 hours before I had to leave, I would wake up an hour before I had to leave.

So, instead of drinking coffee and smoking that first hour, and the second hour to get ready, I left myself only the 1 hour to get ready.

I would buy coffee on the way to work, and skip breakfast (thus eliminating another one of those moments where desiring a cig would be strong.

 

After about 3 weeks, the cravings stopped, and I haven't craved a cigarette since.

VERY good points, particularly about that first smoke of the day. I do the same,get up early for my coffee and smoking hour before I get ready to go to work. I have noticed that I really only enjoy the first cigarette. After that it's like I have to do it. Mentioned that to my brother [quit 20+ years ago] and he said "Sure. The first one is good because you haven't poisoned yourself yet." And thats true, I feel worse after each one, not better.

[bbb]

But, you keep chasing after the feeling of the first one!

[Jim in Anchorage]

But, you keep chasing after the feeling of the first one!

This is not about virginity. Slut.