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How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

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  • How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

    I am making yet another attempt at stoping smoking. If you have quit, please, please give me some advice about how you did it, once and for all.

    My health is suffering terribly because of smoking.
    I am sick and tired of this ball and chain in my life.
    I smell like smoke.
    I jones when I can't smoke at work.
    I have to run out at all hours of the night to buy smokes.
    I have to spend my hard-earned money on smokes.
    I look ugly and weak when I smoke.
    I offend people when I smoke.
    I don't want to die for smoke......

    Any and all advice you can muster for me!
    Mahalo!

  • #2
    Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

    I quit a year and a half ago after smoking since 1959. I have a sort of strange take on method. I've never become convinced that smoking really is addictive, and one thing that makes it so hard to stop is people's belief that it is. Since it's not truly addictive (only lots of fun), you can just stop putting the cigarettes in your mouth and lighting them. I just don't do that any more.
    Greg

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    • #3
      Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

      I quit in 2002. I decided not to overthink it: what mattered most? For me, it was figuring out when I smoked (routines that encouraged the smoke break)--most often, it was drive time on the road. I also knew that it takes 21 days to make/break a habit (can you see my Franklin Covey training? )

      For the next 21 days, I focused on tangible ways to change the physical routine, to shake me out of the physical desire to suck smoke. This meant that every time I got in the car, I would stop off at different gas stations and convenience stores and buy me one new flavored bottle/can of some liquid, and I drank that whenever I wanted to suck smoke. I made sure that I never bought the same flavored drink twice--the whole point was to not replace one bad habit with another. I am a creature of habit; prior to quitting cigs, I rarely tried "new drinks" because I am not a fan of caffeinated/sweet funky flavored things (water and black coffee and green teas are my drinks of choice, period). I can honestly say that there are many ass-flavored drinks on the market. These shocked me enough when I was driving that I was able to get through my desires to suck smoke.

      After 21 days, I carried with me only water bottles. Until today, I have not changed that habit. I have been smoke-free for over five years.

      pax

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      • #4
        Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

        Douce myself with water.

        *hears crickets. leaves*
        How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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        • #5
          Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

          My experience was pretty much the same as the previous posters; I just decided to quit and didn't look back. One cavet is that I was never a heavy smoker. I typically smoked less than a pack a week and would sometimes go a couple of weeks without smoking at all - which speaks to the thought that cigarette smoking is a habit rather than an addiction. Like Pau'i Mano'a I was a smoke-while-driving person and I stopped the urge to light up while driving by listening to a different podcast on my iPod shuffle. The night before I would spend some time picking out what I was going to listen to and uploading to the shuffle. I'd get in the car, plug it in and go. I also chewed a lot of sugar free gum. It's been about 20 months since my last cigarette.

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          • #6
            Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

            I was a very heavy smoker (about 1.5 -2 packs a day) until last week. I decided to quit and went to see my Doctor who gave me a perscription for Wellbutrin. Its an Anti Depressant which has a side effect of curbing cravings to smoke. I am sure I could have quit with out it but I just wanted to have all the weapons I could. Its been a week and I do crave it a little but nothing I cant handle. Go see a Doctor and give it a try.

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            • #7
              Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

              Never tried prescription stuff, but did try patches. Didn't work. Nor did simply cutting back and trying to smoke less.

              I smoked 2+ packs a day and the wife 1+. We both went cold turkey. I been off for 2 yrs. and a 3 months. The wife cheated for another month without my knowing.

              The first week is the worst as your body gets used to the lack of nicotine. The 2nd week, you'll be working on the "habit". You know. As soon as you sit in the car, ya light up. Pick up the phone, ya light up. Kick back after a good meal, ya light up. The next few weeks, cravings will come and go, but will start to lose it's intensity. You'll really start to feel better about your health and the fact that you got rid of that monkey off your back. No more late night cig runs, forgetting your lighter or matches, rummaging through the ashtray for a butt that's still good for a couple more drags, no more smelly hair and clothes or bad breath.

              Expect to start really hating the smell of someone else's smoke. You'll get a whiff and start looking around to see where the smell is coming from, looking for a fight.

              Btw, the cravings never go away completely. Never, ever think you can, one day, simply light up for just one smoke or bum a drag off a friend's cig.
              It'll start all over again. That's a promise. This is a life time commitment. I don't know of anyone who's stayed on course after doing that. They end up buying a pack for the "occasional" stress reliever. Ya, right. It don't work that way.

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              • #8
                Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

                Good points Rolling Eye! Its really weird to not be smoking right after a meal or on my breaks. It does have a lot to do with changing the way you think about smoking. After quitting at least 4 times, one thing I have learned is "there is no such thing as just 1 cigarette".

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                • #9
                  Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

                  I know one way. Join the military, you aren't allowed to smoke in boot camp and it's not available. Trouble is that the military smoking rate is much higher than the norm, due to the high stress and often times the lack of other pleasures when deployed or in the field later on.

                  As for me, I would never quit by my own will. I just love it too much.

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                  • #10
                    Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

                    i used to smoke up to 3 packs a day. when i had to catch my breath going up 4 stairs, i thought about quitting. then one day i was coughing and i just thought oh smoker's cough and well sadly and might i add grossly when i spit, there was blood in it. so well i quit. and never looked back. been 4 years now. what i asbolutely hate is when smokers smoke near children off topic ..

                    oh ummm every time you get an urge to smoke, put on your walking shoes and walk it off instead!

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                    • #11
                      Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

                      Originally posted by AlohaKine View Post
                      I know one way. Join the military, you aren't allowed to smoke in boot camp and it's not available. Trouble is that the military smoking rate is much higher than the norm, due to the high stress and often times the lack of other pleasures when deployed or in the field later on.

                      As for me, I would never quit by my own will. I just love it too much.
                      Wow!! AlohaKine you are the first person I have ever heard of that justifies smoking. Even the one or two people I know that still smoke whish they didn't. I like the fact that you are defending the personal rights of people but I sure hope you stay healthy. I just woke up one day and said enough is enough and quit...it was really difficult but I did it.
                      Last edited by greentara; July 3, 2007, 07:57 AM.
                      "When you dance there are two of you, your spiritual self and your physical self. The spirit has to dance." ~ Aunty Mae Ulalia Loebenstein

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                      • #12
                        Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

                        I forgot the caveat. If you quit at the same time as your spouse, do whatever you can to stay out of each other's hair. Wife and I were just about at each other's throats for the first month. Poor Mel got caught in the middle. I gotta say what a relief it was when it finally calmed down and Mel is happy that we no longer have to take "breaks".

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                        • #13
                          Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

                          my wife needed pills to quit, i just needed to get it set in my mind. curbing down -1 cigaratte a week also helps. (week 1, 20 cigs a day; week 2, 19; week 3, 18 cigs a day, etc, down to 1/2 a cig a day, then gum or something)
                          this last time i used the patch to help speed things up.
                          some pills make you feel really messsed up and might make you eat more, i know a girl who took a pill (xantrax?) and it worked, but it made her feel ill. she also packed on the pounds.
                          good luck
                          Aquaponics in Paradise !

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                          • #14
                            Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

                            Thanks, everyone! I so appreciate such great help! The last time I made the attempt, I used the patch. It seemed to work with the nicotine, and I used things like dum-dum lollipops and black licorice (hand to mouth psychology) to help.

                            My boss at the time, almost died, and was in intensive care. I was three weeks into it, and my "guilty ass" went into the store and bought a pack...ugggh!

                            I really want to change this in my life, and any and all advice will help. I am tired of these ugly, smelly things in my life! I want to be FREE of them.
                            Mahalo!

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                            • #15
                              Re: How Did You STOP Smoking? I am Desperate!

                              My coworker smoked cigs' ever since high school, then made the choice to quit about 5 years ago (in his 30's) after his wife got on his case about it. Did it using Nicorette Gum. Stayed smoke-free for a couple years. Then his dad passed away and he stressed out and went back to smoking for about 6 months. After that all settled he quit AGAIN using the same technique - Nicorette Gum. He's been smoke-free (again) 'til this day.

                              At first he would be dangerously tempted by the smell of others smoking. After a few months, that went away and it's not even a thought anymore.

                              I don't smoke.
                              sigpic The Tasty Island

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