Help I want to quit smoking !

by Hudson_Hawk » Mar 20, 2009

Just go for it.

 

by Lorelei » Mar 20, 2009

Check out this thread, there are some of us here who have quit successfully!

https://www.pricescope.com/forum/healthy-lifestyle/quitting-smoking-support-thread-t84960.html

I used Nicorette gum and found it very effective, so it is definitely worth trying - it worked for me. The key is to use it properly, you don't use it like normal gum but chew a few times to release the ingredients then park the gum in your cheek to absorb it. Or you can try the patches, whichever you think would help the most.

 

by klewis » Mar 22, 2009

If you are a regular smoker and find you are unable give up, read up on and ask your doctor about the drug Champix. Good luck with whatever method you choose.

 

by InLuv101 » Mar 23, 2009

I''m not a smoker so I don''t have any advice, but I just wanted to offer some encouragment! You can do it!

 

by AmberGretchen » Mar 23, 2009

This is the absolute, single BEST thing you can do for your health and your future - if you''re doing it for stress relief, consider alternative ways to de-stress (taking a walk, a bath, calling a friend, working out, etc...). Definitely check out the resources listed here and talk to your Dr. - there are a TON of good resources out there to help you.

GOOD LUCK!

 

by packrat » Mar 23, 2009

Just wanted to offer some encouragement as well. I smoked for about 12 years 1-2 packs a day and quit August of 2000. It''s HARD but it''s SO worth it!!! It''s amazing the improvements it makes in your health, and you''ll start to notice it fairly quickly. You can do it!!

 

by atroop711 » Mar 24, 2009

you can do it! While in school and studying, I had the luck to see what smoking does to your lungs and heart. I also have my mother with congestive heart failure (ex smoker)...so it really helped me kick the habit. When I smoked it was hand and hand with a cocktail..and in your 20's...going out for drinks was an almost every day thing.

It's the best thing for your health if you do stay away from them. You want your life to be full and healthy! You can do it!

Now that I don't smoke, I realize how nasty the smell is and all on your clothing too. I was damaging my expensive clothes (that was an incentive lol). GL

 

by Diamond*Dana » Mar 24, 2009

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do, so I wish you all the luck and support in this!

I tried the patches, but my willpower is not the greatest. The only thing that did work for me was getting pregnant, lol. You can try the patches or the gum over the counter, and there is also Chantix that would require an Rx....I have heard that it has some side effects and you may want to read up on them.

I wish you all the best in making yourself MUCH healthier!

 

by tlh » Mar 24, 2009

My bff used the gum... really found it helped w/ the cravings... just don''t get hooked on the gum. the hard part is the triggers - but now my BFF always chews regular gum (cinn helps w/ cravings and has been smoke free 3 years... now that the bars are smoke free it is a LOT easier than it used to be.)

HUGS!

 

by vespergirl » Mar 25, 2009

I did it cold turkey. I didn''t use gum or patches or anything - I hated the way the gum tasted.

The "cold turkey" actually lasted about 3 months, of me giving in maybe once a week and having a cigarette, until I finally was able to resist the triggers, and cut out the one or two I would sneak every week.

We used to go to bars a lot, and I had to stop going out so much in order to quit. It was too hard to see people smoking around me. I was lucky, though, in that my DH and best friend didn''t smoke, so it was easy to surround myself with NSers only.

Good luck!

 

by vespergirl » Mar 25, 2009

I also wanted to add that it took about a full year until the temptations totally went away, but I would only have them if we went out drinking. After about a year, though, the idea of smoking started to sicken me, and now that it''s been 5 years since I quit, it actually grosses me out when I smell a cigarette.

 

by packrat » Mar 25, 2009

I was the same way Vesper! I went cold turkey too. I stayed super busy so I didn''t have time to think about it, but when we''d go to the bar..that was hard, and I''d find myself asking my cousin who smoked "Hey, you gotta go to the bathroom?" and then we''d go share a cigarette. I hated doing that to myself but the pull was really hard. And after a while, it wasn''t that big of a deal-and if I did want to sneak a drag, it hurt my lungs and tasted awful. I can''t stand the smell anymore either!

How has it been going Blissful?

 

by Rod » Mar 25, 2009

Hi Bliss,

I quit now over 3 years ago. I did it "cold turkey" which should be called "tortured tormmented turkey!" Prior to that time, I''d start, stop, start, stop, while using the patch, gum, etc. For me, nicotine replacement simply kept me addicted and while the idea is to step down, my dependence on the drug didn''t go away, hence the start, stop, start, stop routine. In between I''d beat myself up and feel utter disappointment in my lack of willpower. So, when I decided to lose weight and start working out, I also knew I had to quit smoking and what I did was completely reengineer my life. Instead of gaining weight, I lost over 70 pounds. I dropped my cholesterol from the 300s to the low 170s and became addicted to fitness over a nasty smelly, lung destroying, artery clogging drug machine. I also had to stop going to places where smoking is not only OK, it''s the norm. Places like Starbucks (I do go there now though) and bars are havens for smoking. Cigs and coffee or alcohol seem to go hand in hand. I also had to stop being around people who smoked, which meant I couldn''t be around friends who did for a long long time. It was hard. Unbelievably hard. I lost friends. But I gained so much more. Also be aware of the ''foggies'' If you go "cold turkey." The foggies are weird. Time stands still at times. Seconds seem like minutes [or more]. Your mind seems to be stuck in mud and there times I felt panicky, grumpy, angry and confused. The foggies last about a month, but does go away. Oh and unlike others who say that after so much time, they hate the smell of smoke and no longer crave a smoke. I''m not so lucky. I still find myself staring at a smoker when they light that cancer stick and envy them. Sad but true.

Well, I just reread what I wrote and I hope I haven''t discouraged you. I truly hope you are successful. It''s probably the single best thing I''ve ever done for my health and I will never regret giving them up. I''ll just be one of the reformed smokers who will likely always miss them.

All my best to you. I truly hope you succeed. Just remember that if you don''t the first time, try again. And if you don''t succeed the second time, try again. It usually takes smokers multiple tries before they are fully successful. I am certainly an example of that.

Good LUCK!!

 

by Deelight » Mar 27, 2009

I quit about 9yrs ago, I used Zyban - managed to last 5 days out of the prescribed 3mths before the side effects took their toll and went cold turkey and never looked back - I HIGHLY DIS-RECOMENED this method most people I spoke to had varying levels of scary side effects.

I now can''t stand the smell of smoke and I actually can''t breathe around it, I am not sure if that is because I am now a non smoker or a lasting effect from the tablets.

You have to have the determination and the will to quit either that or have an overbearing stubborn GF who decides for you that you won''t smoke again (aka me to my then BF ).

You need to really want to do it and be ready to make the change.

 

by pichuchy21 » Mar 29, 2009

Just wanted to give you my advice....I am not a smoker, but my mom was and passed away aug. 12 to small cell lung cancer that had mets to her brain, liver, and almost every other organ in her body. It was the saddest day of my life and I am still wounded by her loss. Tomorrow would have been her 60th b-day. Lung cancer is one of the most aggresive cancers it is really hard to diagnose and even when it is diagnosed on time the prognosis isnt good. My mom lived a year and eight months from the day she got diagnosed. She woke up one day and said she was going to quit and she did. Never picked up a cigarette again unfortunately it was too late she was diagnosed with Lung cancer about a year later. I think the best thing you can do is try some of the products that have helped others quit. Do research online on how awful lung cancer is and what cigarettes do to your body. I am sure that will give you the power you need to quit. I really hope you can find a way to stay off them. Best of luck. If you need any help doing research let me know and I will help. Good luck.

 

by cwj » Mar 30, 2009

3/20/2009 2:42:45 PM
Author: Lorelei


I''m 27 and up until recently ive been smoking way more. Of course its because of the stress with the wedding but I want to be able to stop. I''m afraid of the addiction to get worse. There was a time where i only smoked when I would drink, but now it scary how fast I cant get through a pack.


I didn''t have one yesterday and its just 1pm so the day isnt over but I intend on not buy a pack. I wanted to order nicorette and was hoping I can get some feed back on it here


thank you!

Check out this thread, there are some of us here who have quit successfully!



I used Nicorette gum and found it very effective, so it is definitely worth trying - it worked for me. The key is to use it properly, you don''t use it like normal gum but chew a few times to release the ingredients then park the gum in your cheek to absorb it. Or you can try the patches, whichever you think would help the most.

HEY LORELEI,
Sorry I have been gone so long! It has been almost 9 months since i smoked!!! I was so bumed not find your quit smoking thread current!! It really helped me and I hope we can keep it going for anybody else that needs help. Maybe I just havent looked in the right places, but that is one of the best, most helpful threads on this forum!! Let me know if I just missed the current one.
Thanks fir all the help!!
cwj

 

by Circe » Mar 31, 2009

I started smoking when I was 22, when I got to grad school. Everybody else in my program smoked, and besides which, they reminded me of my dad (a lifelong smoker since the age of 12). So, I bought his brand and waved them around while arguing theory and felt very cool and didn''t really notice when I got up to a pack a day, or that the walls in my apt. were turning a delicate, tea-stained yellow or that I''d developed a nasty little cough. I smoked for 7 years.

I quit smoking back in August using electronic cigarettes. I haven''t tried Nicorette, but these work on a similar principle, and I recommend them really highly. My husband found a little tiny op-ed piece on them in Chemical Engineering Monthly and I ordered them on a lark, thinking that in the worst case scenario, they''d be kind of funny (and maybe give me my nicotine hit when I flew on airplanes), and in the best, maybe I''d be able to quit. It was definitely a best case scenario: I still get the "habit," but my smokers cough went away, and I no longer have to plan my days around when I can finally have a smoke. 8 months later, I''m down to the lowest strength cartridge of nicotine a day (I think it''s equivalent to what you''d get if you smoked 2 to 5 cigarettes a day) and the next step will be to switch to the no-nicotine ones if I still want to be able to gesticulate languorously while making pretentious arguments.