How to Quit Smoking Cigarettes? (routine, results, Cary, time)

[simplicity2550]

I have been quiting for 3 weeks by reading and following the instructions from this quit smoking ebook such as understand addiction,creating supporter and success strategies. Quit Smoking,Short Period,Safe,Reliable

[meems]

Today is my 4 month quit anniversary. I smoked for 30 yrs. about a pack & a half. I quit using chantix (welbutrin/zyban was terrible for me). The chantix was amazing! I did have side effects, but it was wierd, they changed, tired..but only for say 5 days, then almost a mania..weird dreams that were interesting. Nausea occassionally. All worth every single second! Only bummer is..at my 6 week mark I had a tough time (I had cut my dose very low on the chantix) & a friend gave me a box of nicotrol inhalers...they worked excellent to get me over the hump! Only problem now..I'm hooked on those inhalers! Those puppies are more expensive than smoking was!! ARRGG, I so wish my insurance company covered them!

[tired of smoking]

I am ready to quit, I am a cheater, I say I quit, but I always find ways to sneak a cigarette..I am tired of it, my husband & children hate that I smoke, I have the chantix prescription, but lost the instructions...I want to start Monday, I need help, support and a reality check.

[jobborn]

I have decided to quit smoking and I'm almost there. My quit date will be September 1st. I'm preparing mentally and doing research on what to do to keep me busy. I have smoked for 35+ years and I recognize that I never go anywhere without my best friend, the cigarette. Wish me luck

[GreenMachine]

You just stop completely and make up your mind you are never going to smoke again. Sounds extreme, but many people do this. I stopped drinking this way. Just woke up (with a hangover) and said that's it, no more. Never went to a meeting. Never thought about it too much, just decided I was done.

greenie

[princessvanessa]

I had cut down to 6 cigarettes a day.....but oh, I loved those 6 cigs. I was feeling really ill so I went to the doctor. After tests, the doctor told me that I had diabetes and high blood pressure....and by the way, did I smoke? "Only 6 cigarettes a day," I proudly informed him. "QUIT," he told me!!

Quitting those 6 cigarettes (in 1998) was one of the hardest things I ever had to do because I wasn't ready to quit. It is 9 years later and, to this day, I still crave a cigarette whenever I am in a stressful situation.

I very nearly started smoking again when my mom passed away in February this year.

#@$%#$@ those cigarettes.

[Earniefan]

I quit smoking over 11 years ago after smoking at least a pack a day for 3 years. I tried to quit cold turkey but couldn't stand the nicotine cravings so I ended up using the patch. I used the strongest one for two weeks the next step down for two weeks and the weekest one for a about a full week. By the end of that I just didn't need it anymore. Then for some stupid reason I started up again a while later and smoked for a few months and decided it was stupid and just threw them away.
You have to really, really want to stop. As with anything, it requires will power, which comes much easier when you've been honest with yourself about what the cigarettes are actually doing to your body. I knew I wanted a family someday and I definately wasn't going to smoke pregnant and I didn't want my children to see me smoking and be that influence on them. That coupled with the fact that I realized they were controlling my life, that was enough for me right there. I'll be the control freak here thank you very much, lol. You know, you don't want to go to that person's house because you can't smoke there, or that restaurant, or whatever. I had just had enough.

[whowants2know]

Originally Posted by PrettyHateMachine

I've been an avid smoker for 15 years and would like any suggestions on smoking cessation that have worked for any of you. I'm tired of the smell and what it can do to my health. Thanks!!

For me, what worked was psychologically psyching (sp?) myself up against cigs before I was able to walk away from them for good. Since the biggest problem was not the physical addiction, but the mental addiction..that was what I had to do.

I began to create all the worst mental images I could about smoking, looked at all the worst photos of what smoking was doing to my body. Stood and watched myself in the mirror smoking...and saw how dumb it looked to have smoke coming out of my nose and mouth. And began to see how silly other smokers looked. (Now, please understand...I never told other smokers about this! That would have been very rude! And I did this to help myself).

Anyway, I continued on this campaign against smoking until I was able to completely break away mentally. Because I knew that within 48 hrs of the last cigarette, the physical addiction would be gone.

I had enjoyed smoking too much for too long...when I was on the phone, driving, after a meal, reading a book...you name it, I enjoyed it. But, I also knew for health reasons I had to quit.

It took me (ane the timeframe is different for each of us) about six months before I was completely mentally unaddicted. And I knew when the moment was right because I had no apprehension about quitting at that point.

And, when the moment was right, I was able to walk away and never looked back. I never craved a cigarette again, never missed them, never felt the need to smoke when around other smokers...and never felt superior to smokers, and never put them down.

Oh another thing...for me, it was important I kept it all to myself. I was never able to quit before using the buddy system. It was myself I had to be concerned about, and I had to quit for myself, no one else.

I can't tell anyone that my method would work for them. I just know it worked for me...and I quit for good 17 years ago.

Best of luck to you and/or anyone who is going to try and quit!

[groove1]

I've quit smoking and dipping. Both were hard. Just do it. There are no shortcuts, easy ways, etc. Only succesful way is cold turkey. I advise doing at a time when you can alter you daily routine.

[JasmineRose]

I have been smoke free for 2 years now. I quit cold turkey after app. 28 years of smoking. I realize that cold turkey isnt for everyone, but I strongly encourage smokers to find a method that works best for them. (Heres my story
I had childhood Athsma and around my early teens I outgrew it and for years I didnt have any problems with any type of respitory ilness. I started becoming more and more breathless and I started thinking about my grandaughter and wanted to watch her grow and to be there for her so I decided to take control of my life and stop letting nicotine control me so I made up my mind to quit cold-turkey. Less than a month later I was hospitalized in the CCU I was in critical condition with pnuemonia ( I thought I was going to die, I felt alone saddened and terrified ) I recovered from it. I was ok for a couple months and got sick again but I got help before my pnuemonia developed into a critical state, and the doctors ran several tests on me to try and find out why I was getting sick like that (they were baffled ) I requested a test to see if I had lung cancer and it was negative. For over a year the drs. remained baffled as to why I kept getting sick.. I was floored when the doctors finaly diagnosed me with adult athsma .. It was due to years of smoking even though I had out-grown it it came back, I was fortunate enough to quit when I did or I may not be here today ( there isnt always warning signs and I am proof to that ) This could happen to anyone of you who smoke, I really encourage you to do anything in your power to quit, I wont lie it isnt easy and after 2 years I occasionaly crave a cigarette but I know if I smoke another one it might kill me and the cravings dont last very long just a few minutes and I have learned to occupy my mind with other things when those cravings hit me.