Former smokers, how did you qut? - Page 2

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Former smokers, how did you qut? (Page 2 of 3)

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:06:15 PM EDT

[#1]

I used camel snus to keep my temper at bay while the withdrawal was in high gear, and pretty much just stopped. It's easier when you make the decision on your own, rather than getting forced to do it by someone else. I pretty much woke up one morning and threw the rest of my pack out, and that was it.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:06:51 PM EDT

[#2]

Just don't light up. It all comes down to that, doesn't it? Everything else is just head games. You don't "need" it in any way, shape or form. Your body is lying to you due to the addiction.

It's ok to like it. It's better to acknowledge that you like it, than to deny it. The key is to be rational about it and recognize that you have no alternative but to quit. It's either smoke or quit - no in between. If you fall off the wagon be prepared to jump right back on and reflect on why it really wasn't necessary to smoke after all.

Get majorly pissed off about being an addict because it SHOULD piss you off. Are you your own master or are you a slave? Heart attacks and cancer really suck. How many people do you know who died young because of tobacco addiction? This is a big fucking deal. Life or death. You already know this.

Chew sugar free gum. It gives you something to do with your face instead of sucking on a cigarette and your breath smells better. You'll find out how much you stink of tobacco once your nose starts working again. Try to cut down on caffeine and alcohol. Try to stay out of situations where you would normally smoke - going to bars, whatever. Instead of smoking, go for a walk because the exercise will do you good and it gives you something to do other than smoking.

It comes in 2's. The first two hours really suck but you can make it. Once you make it, do it again. Then two days. Then two weeks, then months, then years. Each milestone sucks less than the last. Be ready to fail and try again. But never, ever be resigned to failure because failure is a choice, not a given.

Quitting smoking was pretty much the hardest thing I ever had to do, yet also the simplest. Just don't light up.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:08:29 PM EDT

[#3]

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First full day is tough but most usually make it past this one. It is the second day that most people fail. Everything happens and stresses you out. Your mind says screw it and just smoke a cig.

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This !!! I was an angry upset mo fo those first two days! Got written up at work, and then somehow talked my way into my first (way overdue) raise!

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:08:49 PM EDT

[#4]

Cold turkey. Smoked for 20 years. Saw a couple of those commercials featuring
the woman who survived cancer and had to talk through the thing in her
throat, wear a wig and a scarf. I thought that no matter that I didn't
smoke a whole lot, that could still happen to me. There were days I was a raging bull, screaming at other drivers through the windshield. Stuck it out and I'm over it. Still want one occasionally, but at least I'm not having conversations out loud with myself in debate any more : )

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:09:49 PM EDT

[#5]

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I just switched to vaping.

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This, a couple years ago.

Then I switched to low nicotine juice, then no nicotine. These days I don't even bother taking an ecig with me.
It's easierto quit if you don't quit. Just shift to a different thing.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:09:57 PM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

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Cold turkey. Quit about 6-7 years ago now. Don't be a puss. Make up your mind and do et. The secret? (You have to want to quit.)

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This.....
I've been off cigarettes for 24 years now. I smoked 2 - 3 packs a day for a long time.
The first couple months are hard.
You can do it.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:10:48 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
Like a man, I just stopped smoking. After twenty years of almost two packs a day.

Any other path is for women.

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You're not helping.

Anything that works, works.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:11:26 PM EDT

[#8]

I picked up the pack of Marrlboro Lights I had sitting on my desk and said to my self "Once these are gone I am done" Finished the pack and never smoked anther one again.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:11:29 PM EDT

[#9]

Cold turkey about 7 years ago.

I'm not gonna lie, the cravings lasted a good four years. Now I dont give it a second thought.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:11:31 PM EDT

[#10]

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Smoked for 38 years, loved it, never had negative effects that were noticible. Woke up and decided it was time to stop. Chantix worked, made it easy to quit.

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THIS! I am quitting again after a 3 month relapse, Chantix is what makes me dump cigs.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:13:38 PM EDT

[#11]

What works seems to be different for everybody. If you really really want to quit you will find a way. Just experiment. So what if it takes a fews weeks or months as long as there is improvement.

I'm down to about four per day. I smoke an e-cig and it doesn't really help that much. An e-cig, a patch and staying busy works better. Still want one with coffee. I do not smell or taste anything any better and haven't noticed anything that is better but maybe it will take some time. I don't take them if I go anywhere which is a big deal if I'm gone for a few hours.

If I thought I could stick to just three or four real cigarettes a day there is no way I'd worry about it but I know that isn't going to last.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:13:39 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

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Tried that when I was out of dip at work...stuff was

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Quoted:
Snuss.

Tried that when I was out of dip at work...stuff was

You have to get the real swedish kind. I only know of one place that sells it near me.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:14:03 PM EDT

[#13]

Chantix I smoked for 26 yrs 1.5 packs a day

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:14:39 PM EDT

[#14]

i just stopped buying them. id have one every now and then from a buddy. then it got to where i'd only have one while drinking. now, i never crave them at all, even while drinking. but i will still have one while drinking every 6-12 months. the hardest part was not having them while drinking. i love smoking while drinking. well i used to. even if i have just one, the next day my throat will be so scratchy and i'll have a cough all day, so it's not even worth it. you may have it harder though, i only smoked for about 6 years.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:16:03 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Like a man, I just stopped smoking. After twenty years of almost two packs a day.

Any other path is for women.

View Quote

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:16:19 PM EDT

[#16]

after 20 years of 1½ to 2 packs a day , i did it the easy way only the first 45 minutes real bothered me as I was driving back home , after that not a big deal

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:17:37 PM EDT

[#17]

WOW this is more spot on.
I quit about 8 or 9 years ago, after smoking for about 30ish years, the MAIN thing you need to want to quit, period..

Quote History

Quoted:
Cold turkey. Quit about 6-7 years ago now. Don't be a puss. Make up your mind and do et. The secret? (You have to want to quit.)

View Quote

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:20:27 PM EDT

[#18]

Let me cut through the GD bullshit, and wish you genuine good luck, OP!

I have no stories of quitting to share with you, but have lost countless family members, directly attributable to smoking!

Stay strong, seek support groups and QUIT, if YOU feel that it is the right thing to do; John 8:15.

Good luck, Godspeed

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:20:40 PM EDT

[#19]

I just tapered it off from a pack a day. I cut down to a cigarette or two a day. Then one every two or three days. Then I just kind of stopped. Six or seven months later, I noticed half a pack of smokes in my dresser drawer and realized how long they had been there. Then I went outside and fired one up. It damn near killed me(not really) and I've never lit another one. I got my caffeine addiction down to one 16 oz bottle of Diet Dew every couple of days too, thanks to a nice episode of tachycardia.

Beer is proving a little more difficult.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:22:13 PM EDT

[#20]

Avoid alcohol the first 10 days.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:26:18 PM EDT

[#21]

It's easy to quit, I've done it lots of times.

I've tried tapering off with nic gum and patches (not at the same time). That didn't work for me. No pain, no gain I guess.

I finally went cold turkey. It was... quite unpleasant... for about 2 weeks. Then it slowly got better, so that I started regaining some semblance of sanity, over a period of about 3 or 4 months.

That was 8 years ago, and I haven't touched one since. Strangely enough, every few months I'm struck with the sudden urge for a cig, for no particular reason. I've come to like myself well enough that I don't think I'll ever light another one.

If you decide to quit cold turkey, acknowledge ahead of time that it's really going to suck for a while. I suspect that a lot of people start again because they weren't prepared for the level of suck.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:27:12 PM EDT

[#22]

Cold turkey, while deployed to Kosovo, in July 2000. I'd been smoking since 1982, when I was 11. I had been diagnosed with Testicular Cancer in 1997, which was unrelated to smoking. The chemo, though, caused me to develop exercise-induced asthma, so I had a little extra motivation to quit.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:27:57 PM EDT

[#23]

FPNI
37 and had smoked for around 20 years. Like you, mornings or when having a few drinks are when I smoked the most. Over the years I had tried gum, the patch, cold turkey and Chantix and was never able to stay quit.

I finally bought a decent vaping setup and haven't smoke since. I had tried some of the cheap ecigs that you find in gas stations before but they never did it for me. The best part is I don't feel as addicted to vaping as I did to cigs. Many times I find myself in situations where it has been several hours since I've had a few puffs and I don't even realize it. With real cigs I would be counting the minutes till I could run outside and smoke but I don't get that feeling with vaping. I'm convinced it has something to do with all of the other crap they put in cigarettes that I'm no longer ingesting.

It's almost been 6 months now and I feel so much better. And, each day I find myself thinking about smoking real cigarettes less and less.

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:34:48 PM EDT

[#24]

Any side effects from the Chantix users?? I really need to stop but going thru this divorce has me weak, I have lost some good pounds and don't wish to gain them back. Almost back to my awesome weight of 170 from 195.................Good luck and hope to achieve victory myself!!

Posted: 4/24/2014 6:36:15 PM EDT

[#25]

When I was diagnosed with Cancer..... I quit real fast.

Posted: 4/24/2014 7:46:20 PM EDT

[#26]

Just decided I was no longer a smoker. The first few days are hell, but gets much easier after that.

You can do it.

Posted: 4/24/2014 7:52:55 PM EDT

[#27]

Quitting is easy. I've done it hundreds of times.

Posted: 4/24/2014 7:59:19 PM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:

Cold turkey. Quit about 6-7 years ago now. Don't be a puss. Make up your mind and do et. The secret? (You have to want to quit.)

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This is how I did it. Been smoke free sin Jan. 6th. It has not been easy at times.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:01:06 PM EDT

[#29]

Cold turkey. I ate a lot of sunflower seeds and hard candy the first week or so.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:04:49 PM EDT

[#30]

Quote History

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I just switched to vaping.

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FPNI

been digital for a year now, no smoking since.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:06:27 PM EDT

[#31]

i never quit. but every month or 2 or 3, i will buy a pack. smoke it while hanging with friends and drinking alcohol, and then finish the pack. then not buy again for weeks and sometimes months.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:07:15 PM EDT

[#32]

Varenicline (Chantix)

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:10:12 PM EDT

[#33]

I know OP said no drugs, but Chantix was my way out, and worked like a charm. I tried everything with very little success, but Chantix was super easy.

For the first two weeks on it, I didn't hang out anywhere that there were smokers, did not go to convenience stores where cigs were sold, gnawed on gum and hard candy, and wore a rubber band on my wrist. Anytime I had a craving (which wasn't often compared to other methods I'd tried), I snapped the shit out of myself. By day three, my wrist was raw and it hurt like a bitch, and the cravings became less frequent with that kind of pain associated with it. the Chantex helped me stay calm and not flip out, and made the cravings not nearly as intense as I had experienced before. Plus, most importantly, I was READY to quit

Regardless of what you try, OP, you can do it!

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:10:50 PM EDT

[#34]

Cold turkey. Mint flavored tooth picks helped.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:17:55 PM EDT

[#35]

I quit when I was 44 oddly enough. What I did was set a date, made up my mind and commited to quiting. That was 8 1/2 years ago and I'm glad I did it.

Almost forgot, someone recommended a website to me to help me prepare myself and to find help while I was going through the process. It was http://whyquit.com/ and it did help.

If there is anything I can do to help you, PM me and I'll be glad to help you. And no condemnation will come from me.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:19:23 PM EDT

[#36]

Chantix for 1 month worked for me. Been off them for 3 years now but I put on 50 pounds, now I have to work on that.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:22:40 PM EDT

[#37]

I got sick of it and stopped. October 31, 2004. Halloween. I was smoking and felt ill. I laid down and after awhile I felt better. So I had a cigarette. I got ill again.

I put them down and didn't pick them up again. Cold turkey. Thing that worked for me is I read that the urge to smoke only lasts for a few minutes. So when the urge to fire up hit me, I did something to keep me busy for a few minutes. Took a walk taking deep breathes, hugged the wife, beat my dick like it owed me money, whatever it took. First two weeks were the worst, after than it gradually got better.

But you have to want to quit.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:25:36 PM EDT

[#38]

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Thought about that, but I don't want to get "addicted" to spending $ on those either to fake myself out.....
Thinking about just cold turkey, but will admit....I am "weak" when it comes to that

hate being a
fucking slave......

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Quoted:
Go to a vapor shop, they have litterally hundreds of flavors, with varying nicotine levels. You could get yourself a setup with the e-juice to step yourself down in nicotine levels to 0 and that would make it easy. Plus you still get the feeling of smoking.

Thought about that, but I don't want to get "addicted" to spending $ on those either to fake myself out.....
Thinking about just cold turkey, but will admit....I am "weak" when it comes to that

hate being a
fucking slave......

Ignore the "rawr, vaping is for pussies, real men quit cold turkey or staple their mouthes shut so they can't smoke" bullshit.

After initial outlay (two batteries, couple tanks, etc), vaping costs me ~$6 a week for liquid and the occasional replacement atomizer.
that is about what a pack of smokes cost here.

And guess what. Shit works. A solid 90% of the people that I know who smoke have started vaping in the last 6 months. Almost all of them have not returned to regular smoking.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:26:33 PM EDT

[#39]

I quit 3 years ago today. 1.5 packs per day for 33 years. I took Chantix for 3 weeks and it worked I haven't had one since and no desire to smoke another one. Them fucking things stink. For the first couple months after I quit and kept reaching for my cig pocket, it was weird the things that triggered me to want to smoke.

I chewed a shit load of gum for about 6 - 8 moths and gained 30 pounds but smoke free.

Good luck. I hope you are successful.

Art

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:31:16 PM EDT

[#40]

Quote History

Quoted:
Like a man, I just stopped smoking. After twenty years of almost two packs a day.

Any other path is for women.

View Quote

+1

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:38:41 PM EDT

[#41]

I'm going on one year off of cigs. Tried all of the above. Vaping is working for now. Good luck. It is freedom for me.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:41:40 PM EDT

[#42]

just stopped. 1-11/2 packs a day for almost 15 years. just decided i didnt want to do it anymore and quit. that was almost 2 years ago. i will never start again.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:43:38 PM EDT

[#43]

Quote History

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I just switched to vaping.

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That. After vaping awhile and having no smokey clothes you will not smoke just to avoid the smokey clothes smell. I still have a cig now and then when I'm out for drinks or something but not often. Couldn't tolerate it knowing what it smells like.

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:43:42 PM EDT

[#44]

the easy way.... never started

Posted: 4/24/2014 8:46:42 PM EDT

[#45]

I quit smoking by changing to dip. I thought that was a good idea at the time but it wasn't. You can't exchange one nasty habit for another and expect good things to happen. You will still be slave to tobacco.

One day, I was feeling like crap and tired wasting my money by spitting it out on the ground. That day I took one dip in the morning and said to myself, "I wonder how long I can go without nicotine today?" I lasted that whole day without another dip then tossed and turned trying to get to sleep but when I woke up the next morning I knew I had it beat. Everyday after that got easier. Been nicotine free for just over a year now. Only regret is wishing I would of done it sooner.

One motivator for me during stronger cravings was to look at images of tobacco users with oral cancer. For me, that was motivation enough to quit.

Posted: 4/24/2014 9:12:32 PM EDT

[#46]

Quote History

Quoted:
Cold turkey about 7 years ago.

I'm not gonna lie, the cravings lasted a good four years. Now I dont give it a second thought.

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Quit cold turkey a year ago after 20 yrs.

It's true about the cravings...honestly thought it would've subsided more. Got to want to quit...

Posted: 4/24/2014 9:14:04 PM EDT

[#47]

Hypnotist. I went to one of those Holiday Day Inn group sessions 20 years ago, haven't smoked since.

Posted: 4/24/2014 9:15:31 PM EDT

[#48]

Quote History

Quoted:
I just switched to vaping.

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This is where it's at!

Made me quit after 15 years, 3-4 packs a day with no withdrawals.

Posted: 4/24/2014 9:17:20 PM EDT

[#49]

I tried all the ways to quit. Gum, patches, pills etc. Never could quit. One day I said I was done and quit. No withdrawal symptoms or cravings. I think that you have to be ready to stop 100%, no hesitation. Then just let it go.

Good luck with it.

Posted: 4/24/2014 9:22:08 PM EDT

[#50]

20+ years of smoking, got tired of being a slave to it (don't kid yourself, that's what all smokers are). Dr recommended Zyban (wellbutrin). Worked like a charm - made quitting EASY.

Just passed 14 years 100% smoke free.

Do it.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Former smokers, how did you qut? (Page 2 of 3)

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