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HELP Me Quit Smoking!

iLander

iLander

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
6,731
Okay, I'm outed. I've been a heavy smoker for years, but my breathing is starting to be affected, so it's time to quit.

So, Please help me do it.

Remind me of all the reasons not to smoke, stories of friends that did or did not quit, words of encouragement, do your best, whatever it is. This is going to take some time, no question. Theory has it that after 21 days, you can quite any bad habit.

So here we go.

Please no judgemental meanies, that will just make me mad, and makes me want to light up! :(

I've got some lozenges, I'll buy some patches, maybe some gum. The full arsenal. I'll try them all and see what works and stick with that.

I've tried this before, but I get so ticked off (I will try not to post on other threads for a few days, to avoid letting that pissiness out) and the cravings get so strong, I cave. But I really do need to stop this time. It won't be an easier at some future date.

I will post here when I'm feeling weak (like now), so maybe that will help.

Thank you in advance.
 
Wellbutrin has helped a lot of people I know quit.
 
First of all, congratulations!!!! You are making a great decision for yourself and for those who love you!

From what people have told me, it is really hard to do with the gum and patches. Have you considered a prescription drug like Chantix?
 
My dad just turned 51 on Saturday and he's in his now 7th quitting attempt since he was 13. I strongly believe it will work this time because he's just doing it cold turkey.

I bought him a book and he's read it and he said that it really helps because it takes a realistic approach. It treats it like an addiction-- lets you know that there will be withdrawals and it will really suck, but if you stick it out you'll make it through and gives you tips on how to make it through.

http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-but-Not-Helpless-Addiction/dp/0962368377/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246383192&sr=8-1

I'd give the book a shot! Every time my dad's tried quitting with one of the quitting assistants he's started up smoking heavier each time. We're ready to finally quit this thing for good.

Best of luck!
 
Be careful with Chantix, I had a friend who tried it and he had suicidal thoughts and really scary dreams. My dad's doctor was going to recommend it but ended up going against it.

It can work but the side effects are a bit scary.
 
Electronic cigarette. I've posted about them a lot on here, and I continue to believe they're one of the best quitting aids around, particularly for "habitual" smokers - you know, you ritualistically light one up at the end of a meal, you can't work without one in your hand, whatever. This way, you get the nicotine, but you also get the gestures and the inhale and all that. I quit by tapering down (the little cartridges come in various strengths, from "Normal" to "None," if you have a psychological desire to keep doing it even after the addiction is gone), and it worked really well.

I quite two and a half years ago the first time, and then I had a really bad August, so I fell of the wagon: the practical result is that when I quit again in January, I test-drove all the brands out there (I think I have a thread about all this is "Healthy Living"). I would highly recommend GreenSmoke as being the best on the market right now.

Good luck quitting! Much as I enjoyed smoking, I like the ability to walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded more. :oops:
 
Disassociating certain rituals (the morning coffee smoke, the after-the-meal smoke, driving and smoking, the last-one-before-bed smoke, etc.) are very important. When at home and a craving hits, go brush your teeth, grab a celery or carrot stick, and be active. Get a phone buddy that when you're having a hard time you can call them to vent.

Smoking addiction is a miserable, deadly, difficult addiction to overcome because it's not just the physical cravings and mental addiction but the habitual routine as well. I am still battling this demon myself. (((((Hugs!)))))
 
HI:

Does your Health Region/local medical facility have a cessation program? What is their advice/protocol?

cheers--Sharon
 
Hi ilander! Good for you for deciding to quit! Thats awesome. I smoked for about 10 years, and quit about 4 years ago, so I will tell you what worked for me, and hopefully something will help you, too. First, I should tell you that I had tried to quit between 8-12 times before I actually *quit*. So dont beat yourself up if and when you slip, it happens to the best of us, and you just have to remind yourself that every day is a new start.

Changing my routine was the most important thing, IMO. I was the type of smoker who had one Immediately upon waking, so that had to change, I always smoked after I ate, etc. In the am, instead of having a smoke, I would get up and make myself a great breakfast (a reward, because I usually eat oatmeal) , then go for a walk afterward to not smoke. Looking back, I was really unhealthy and stagnant (SP?), and I used getting healthy and exercising as a means to quit. If you smoke after eating, upon waking, before sleeping, or anything like that, try to vary your normal routine, it will help.

I rewarded myself for small victories. Every week or so that I went with zero cigs, I would get myself a small treat. A new book, a truffle, lobster at the grocery store, anything to celebrate the fact that I hadnt smoked. *extra bonus* since you wont be buying cigs, the money isnt really missing from your regular budget, score!!

Breathe deeply- this one will take a while to affect you, getting the nicotine and all that out takes a bit, but you will truly relish being able to inhale deeply without having wheezy feeling in your lungs. Also, I notice I sleep WORLDS better now that I am a non-smoker.

I hate to put this one, but it was so important to my quitting- Avoid smokers like the plague. I have alot of smokers around me, so it was very difficult to do this. But I wouldnt have quit if I didnt, temptation helps no one.

I bought myself delicious smelling shampoo and conditioner. Smoking makes your hair REEK, and after years of it, it was really nice to be able to smell my hair and be like AHHH smells like coconut, heehee. It was a small stupid thing that would help when I was driving or something and wanted to smoke, I would just smell my hair and think "Scts your hair smells so nice why ruin it?"

Have a support system. This one was big too. Have someone that you can call when you are crazy jonesin for a smoke so they can help talk you down so to speak. Mine was my DH (non-smoker, always) and he was really good at being able to make me question *why* I wanted a cig, and finding something to replace it, or if I was stressed he would talk it out with me. (when you are first quitting, you are LOOKING for a reason to start back up, at least I did)
Put quitting into day increments, dont tell yourself I will never smoke AGAIN!! That is setting yourself up to fail. Tell yourself I will not smoke today, and do that until a day isnt hard anymore. Then move it up to I will not smoke this week and so on. Basically, just be easy on yourself, quitting an addiction is hard, but anyone can do it.

None of the patches, gums or any of that crap worked for me, I had to quit when I truly *wanted* to. Then things fell in place.

Im sure I will think of more, and I will be rooting for you, ilander. One day at a time. I will be following your progress, you can do it!!!
 
My friend's husband was a smoker since he was a teen. He tried everything and nothing worked, until someone suggested hypnosis.
Hypnosis actually worked for him and he hasn't had a cigarrette in over 3 years. (he's 60 now)
 
iLander, I don't smoke, so I don't have good, helpful tips for quitting smoking for you. But I can give you a reason....

I've been lurking on the pearls forum and LOVE your golden South Seas. I think quitting smoking would help you live longer, thereby amortizing the cost of those beauties over a much longer time...and thereby giving you reason to buy more so I can ogle. :rodent:

Good luck quitting smoking, I wish you great success!
 
TravelingGal|1304353821|2910069 said:
iLander, I don't smoke, so I don't have good, helpful tips for quitting smoking for you. But I can give you a reason....

I've been lurking on the pearls forum and LOVE your golden South Seas. I think quitting smoking would help you live longer, thereby amortizing the cost of those beauties over a much longer time...and thereby giving you reason to buy more so I can ogle. :rodent:

Good luck quitting smoking, I wish you great success!
Click to expand...

Not to mention the fiduciary benefits - in NY, cigarettes cost at least ten bucks a pack these days. I was a pack a day smoker, so I figure that's at least 3K more worth of jewelry per year!
 
I don't know how old you are now, but . . .

My mother's heart was not strong enough to put her under for an operation to save her life. Why? Probably because she smoked from the age of 14 to her death at 68.

My father's heart began to fail him in 2005. He had never been sick a day in his life. He had never been anything but strong, healthy, robust, with a physique that other men envied. He had a massive heart attack last year at 77. Why? Probably because he smoked from 13 to 77. And he didn't even smoke a lot. Just some.

My grandmother also died at age 78. Also because of her heart. She had a hole in her heart. Attributed to 50+ years of smoking.

Do you want to live? Do you want to be well into your later years? Do you want to see your grandchildren grow up and give you great-grandchildren?

Stop. Otherwise you will die before your time.

Stop. You smell like an ashtray.

Stop. Your house, car, clothes, hair - - everything smells. And everyone else thinks you stink.

Stop. It is a waste of money. Huge waste of money. Ridiculous waste of money. Think what you could do with all that money.

Stop. No one thinks smoking is cool. No one. Bogart was cool, and he died of throat cancer. Nat King Cole was cool, and he died of throat cancer. John Wayne was cool, and he died of lung cancer. Steve McQueen was cool, and he died of cancer.

Stop. Everyone can stop. Everyone. Even you.
 
Congratulations on your decision!!

I've got stories.

1. My grandpa smoked for years and years. He had quit for 10 years and then lung cancer was discovered. He only lived a matter of months. Even in 10 years he couldn't undue the 45 years of hurting his body.

2. My grandma smoked for 40 years. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and beat it for a while. When it came back, it immediately moved to her lungs where conditions were perfect. She died of lung cancer within 6 weeks.

3. My other grandma has recently quit smoking after being diagnosed with emphysema.

4. My dad is on his 3rd attempt to quit and is right at a month without cigarettes. Every day of my childhood I remember hearing and seeing my dad cough up disgusting chunks of blood and tissue. Every day of my childhood I remember worrying that he and my mom would just suddenly die. He has dentures because the smoking has ruined his teeth, gums and mandible. The attempt he's making now is his second since my daughter was born with a heart defect. He said what was happening to her she had no control over, but what was happening to him he did have control over.

5. My mom is 50 years old. She used to be stunningly beautiful. People stopped to look at her. She was offered a modeling contract at 17. She had gorgeous, soft, long blonde hair, striking blue eyes rimmed with mile-long lashes, beautiful, glowing, golden skin, and a smile that was perfect. In the last 15 years, her hair has become straw, coarse and fragile. Her skin is thin and wrinkled especially around her lips and eyes. Her teeth started falling out when she was in her late twenties. Before she was 40 she had complete dentures. She's about 100 lbs sopping wet and has calluses on her butt from where she sits. She has no meat on her 5' 8" frame. When cigarettes became higher taxed, she started smoking thin cigars because they're cheaper. So now this skinny, frail looking woman smokes 3 packs of disgusting brown cigarettes a day. My children are forced to take a bath as soon as we get home from their Grammy's house because they stink like smoke. We see her once a week and try to be outside the whole time so my children can breathe.

6. I have chronic bronchitis. I am 31 and have never smoked. Supposedly it's from the lung damage I sustained as a child. My risk for COPD and other respiratory diseases has increased substantially. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

7. My son has looked at his Grammy and asked her why she doesn't love herself. "You don't love yourself if you put smoke in your body." and "why do you put fire-sticks in your mouth?"



You have a recently married son and I'm assuming you'll have grandkids someday. Do you want to hear those words?
 
Ilander - you can do it!

My dad was a heavy smoker and drinker and gambling addict. When I was about seven is when he stopped cold turkey we were only in the states maybe five years, he didn't know that there were other available methods to stopping gradually. I asked him what made him stop and it was more for us. He didn't want us to suffer because of him, he brought us to the states risking all of our lives, and he didn't want to endanger or inflict a different kind of threat to us so he stopped.

Your life is precious, you want to live a longer life to see your future grandkids grow up you. If you crave, find a different outlet that will keep your mind off of it, keep yourself busy. Ilander, I hope the best for you.
 
THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS! :wavey: :wavey:

I've been checking in my moments of weakness, and seriously, this is helping.

I'm past the after lunch crunch, the patch is taking the edge off, but I think it's giving me a headache, so I'm taking it off for short bursts. I've been concentrating on work and walking around outside when I'm antsy.

You guys are the best. :appl:

Going to walk some more. . . so antsy!
 
P.S. I will write more detailed responses/thank you's when I'm feeling settled, so please realize I've read and appreciate every one of your posts!! :)
 
YAY!! You made it past the halfway point, thats AWESOME. Just a little bit longer and you already have day one down...Keep it up!!
 
Yay for getting past lunch!! I hear that having something to do with your hands is a good thing to have while quitting. How about crochet or knitting??
 
1,000 people die EVERYDAY from tobacco. On average a smoker dies 13 years earlier than if (s)he never smoked. 10 years after you quit your body reverses most of the damage of tobacco. Good luck.
 
ILander, I'm proud of you for quitting.

I've never smoked but my grandmother Helga did. She smoked for 40 years. She died of lung cancer on May 6, 2009. The last few years of her life were painful (both emotionally and physically) and debilitating. It hurt to breathe, but of course, it hurt even more to stop breathing. She was in constant pain, and she was so humiliated by her weakened physical state (she was quite proud) that she tried to kill herself the night before my wedding. We were very close, and I know her suicide attempt had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the pain she was in from the lung cancer, but it still hurt me all the same. She was my hero and my favorite family member. I miss her so very much, and caring for her when she was dying of a disease that she probably could have avoided if she had never smoked was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.

Don't smoke. You will kill yourself before your time, and you will leave your loved ones with terrible mixed feelings of sadness and anger, and then guilt over their anger. You will leave them wondering "Why did she choose to keep on smoking when she knew it meant she might be taking time away from us? Why didn't she choose us over the cigarettes?"
 
If the cancer doesn't get you, the heart disease, emphysema or stroke will.

You have to stop. Right now.
 
YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME! :wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

This is seriously helping me!
@LULU: I tried it a few years back, it gave me some odd muscle aches which is a major bad side effect according to the literature, so Doc said stop taking it. Thank you, though!
@DIAMOND: This is going to work on the gum and patches, side effects scare me. I know, smoking should scare me more. . . Thank you.
@MRSWAHS: YEAH DAD! I will check out that book for sure and tell Dad to check in on this thread, it's amazingly effective! Tell him I said he's a brave guy, and he can DO IT! Thanks, MrsWahs!
@CIRCE: We have an e-cigarette, it makes me want a "real" cigarette too much. Sorry you had such a bad August! It's the stairs that are getting me too. Can't see it improving unless I quit, right? Thank you for the understanding.
@WINKS: When you're ready to quit, post a thread and I'll be your quit buddy! Thank you!
@CANUK: I think it would all be patches and lozenges, but that's a good idea!
@SCTSBRIDE09: That's a lot of good info, and I would really like to sleep better. I truly want to since it's starting to get to me, which it never did before. Thanks for coming back with more encouragement, it made me feel better!
@SOOCOOL: I think I will look into hypnosis, especially in a couple of weeks, which is when I've relapsed in the past.
@TRAVELINGGAL: This really touched me, TG! How sweet of you to mention my lovelies, thank you!
@CIRCE: I know! They are SO expensive! I am going to do some figuring, and buy something shiney with half the saved funds!
@HOLLY; Sorry to hear about your parents, my heart goes out to you. I don't want to do that to my kids.
@SOMETHING: Such sad stories, I'm sorry you went through all that. I will gain strength from your stories, thank you. And thank you for coming back, you wouldn't believe how much that helped!
@D&T: Your dad obviously has great courage and is very strong to kick these 2 things. Tell him I admire him very much.
@TACORI: I am looking forward to reversing the damage, thank you so much.
@HAVEN: Almost made me cry, I feel bad for you and grandma! You're right, I choose my kids.
@ROSETTA: Yup, I think I'm starting on emphysema. This is why it WILL work this time, d@mnit, it has to.
 
Almost 5:30, holding my own. I have a half a patch on, and I'm sucking on a half of a lozenge. I've got gum, and gummy candy. After dinner will probably kill me, but I''m expecting it.

I am noticing an odd "side effect"; this world is SMELLY! :errrr:

My dog REALLY needs a bath, and my car is stinky. :shock:

I guess the nasal passages are recovering. Not sure if I WANT that (just a joke)! :lol:

I quit both times I was pregnant, just cold turkey the second I found out I was pregnant. And it didn't bother me at all! It was very odd, so if I could do it then, I'll do it again.

It will work this time, because I have no options. Can't keep doing this, it's starting to effect me. Not good. :nono:

Thank you, all your help is really done a lot for me today!

ETA: Going to go wash my smelly dog!
 
I think the only thing that will help you stop smoking is YOU. You have to really want to do it and be ready to do it. I quit smoking almost 8 years ago. I had tried to quit twice before but I didn't really want to stop those times so I started right back up again. The last time I quit I was just plain done with cigarettes. I quit cold turkey midpack and never went back.

Good luck!
 
I was a smoker for 22 years. I quit when I was 33. Yup started at 11.
One thing that helped was swimming every day in a chlorine pool. IT changes the way you taste and smell the smoke that it is unbearably raunchy. Also mental resolve is important. as is keeping busy and avoiding the kinds of situations that you would smoke in, like kicking back with a coffee after a delicious meal. Keep your hands busy. purge your home of all accessories like ash trays and clean all the furniture walls rugs and drapes. excising the smell from your home is good.
If you quit for a year I will make you one of my hand forged rings. How's that for motivation?
 
You are ruining your clothes and jewelry by smoking, so stop! See if your state has resources for this - my friend is trying to quit and she was able to contact the Arizona Smokers' Helpling and was given a coach.
 
If it helps at all, vanity can be a very strong reason to quit. Less wrinkles, less damage to your skin.

My boss is a huge smoker--I've sat and watched her smoke 3 packs in an hour (she has a weird smoking style and it really probably equates to about 1.5 packs in that hour) and she is super wrinkled, her skin looks like leather and she has a permanent brown smoke stain on her upper lip. Her lips are wrinkled and puckered and her hair is brittle and looks like straw. She is 63 and looks more like she's in her 70s.

My dad occasionally smokes cigars--once a week or so in warmer weather. He is about to turn 74. He only started this a couple years ago when my mom passed, before that he smoked a cigar maybe once a year.

My father in law smokes multiple packs of cigarettes per day and has since he was about 20 years old. He is 61.

My nephew (FIL's grandson) is 16 and about a year ago he asked me how old my dad was, that he must be much younger than his grandfather. I used that as a tool to explain that smoking aged his grandfather so much that he looks older than my father--even though my dad is over 12 years older than his grandfather.

Smoking is not glamorous. It's obviously not cool. But not only are you going to save money on just cigarettes, but you'll save money on beauty products too!
 
VapidLapid|1304372986|2910402 said:
If you quit for a year I will make you one of my hand forged rings. How's that for motivation?
Click to expand...

DUDE! Can I start smoking and stop for a year so I can have one?!
 
iLander, congrats on your decision! DH stopped smoking before we started dating (he knew I wouldn't like it, and he was right! It gives me bad asthma, besides being disgusting) and quit cold turkey after reading The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Way-Stop-Smoking-Non-Smokers/dp/1402718616

It will be hard, and you will cough up nasty black gunk that has been sitting in your lungs for god knows how long. Think of it as your body getting healthier! Because it will be. And it gets easier. Since quitting in January 2007, DH has had only a handful of cigs, mainly in the first couple of months after he stopped.

Read the book, have people who support you read the book (there's a chapter just for them!). Good luck!
 
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