Quitting smoking....

[mo_feezy]

Originally Posted by coffiend

Any ex-smokers here? Any people currently in the process of trying to quit?

Tell me how you did it, if you're in the process... How you're doing.

I need to stop, I have come to realize that this is a unbelievably expensive and unhealthy habit and it needs to stop.

Any words of encouragement?

When I finally quit, I realized what worked for me. First, I had to actually want to quit. Before I decided this, I "tried" to quit a bunch of times. What actually worked was that I decided I did not want to smoke anymore, so any time I found myself smoking I realized it wasn't something I wanted to be doing.

The second thing was that I really had to try to figure out what places/people/events/tasks I usually smoked with or during. Once I did that, I tried to minimize those times/places until I had quit for a few weeks.

When I actually quit, I had the most insane withdrawals I've ever had from anything, and once they ended I just told myself that if I smoked again, I would have to go through the withdrawals once more and just thinking about it made me sick to my stomach.

(1) really want to quit, you can't quit for anyone or any reason other than this.
(2) avoid situations when you smoke a lot (for me it was driving, drinking, hanging with certain people) at least until you are over the withdrawals.
(3) once you are in the process of quitting (i.e. no smoking for 3 or 4 days) and it gets tough, remind yourself that if you smoke, you'll have to go through another 3 or 4 days to get back to where you are now. After a few weeks, you won't even like the smell of cigarettes, let alone want to smoke them.
Since you are in Omaha, these last few days would've been perfect, as it was so disgusting outside you would want to avoid going out to smoke at all. Maybe wait to see if this winter is like last winter and do it then.

[toy_toronto]

Originally Posted by coffiend

Any ex-smokers here? Any people currently in the process of trying to quit?

Tell me how you did it, if you're in the process... How you're doing.

I need to stop, I have come to realize that this is a unbelievably expensive and unhealthy habit and it needs to stop.

Any words of encouragement?

hi coffiend, i just quit smoking again in january of this year.

This is my 3rd time quitting. Every quit attempt i made i had to have some kind of a smoking cessation aid and never done it cold turkey. For example, I used the patch the first 2 times I tried quitting and for this third time I used Zyban -- all three methods worked for me like a charm.

I go back to smoking if i have a smoke during social events, etc. I think i've learned my lesson now and i won't be doing anymore 'puffing' at parties or anywhere else.

I breath better, feel better, and all my clothes including the yaris (never smoked in it) have never smelled so good.

Here's my mileage to date according to http://smokershelpline.ca:

Smoke-Free Days: 202
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 2,432
Amount Saved: $906.58
Life Gained: Days: 30, Hrs: 5

good luck!

-toy

.

[tomato]

^ this looks like a great website! Can you really talk to people and everything?! Pretty cool! and congratulations to ya and the other posters who did quit !


quitting smoking rules

[junorico24]

Originally Posted by coffiend

Any ex-smokers here? Any people currently in the process of trying to quit?

Tell me how you did it, if you're in the process... How you're doing.

I need to stop, I have come to realize that this is a unbelievably expensive and unhealthy habit and it needs to stop.

Any words of encouragement?

Yes, I quit for a year and half.Then re-stared again My advice is be active do some exercises. I do Boxing not serious but for fitness or anything that improves your fitness and stamina like running or walking etc.I guess i started again coz half the peeps at work smokes. On the break I lit one and then 2 and that was it.

[tomato]

yup. Thinking you can smoke "socially" will usually do you in. I'd try to quit again (when you're ready) and know that you can't have "just the one"

Or, if you fall off the wagon - that can happen - resume your quitting the next day. Look at it as a "one time thing", just cross off that day and continue on. As time passes, you think about cigarettes less and less and when you're finally pretty much over the habit, you'll be glad you went down that path. 02

[BailOut]

coffiend,

My experience is similar to others. I tried to quit a few times because I knew I should, but it didn't work. One day I realized that I was just tired of it and didn't want to do it anymore, and that's when I was successful.

I used the patch and it helped, but I'm not convinced that it was a net-positive thing. Sure, it let me down more slowly, but it also prolonged the whole quitting event by several weeks. Like most people I couldn't wear a patch at night as they would give me vivid nightmares, so when I woke up I had to wait for a fresh patch to begin soaking into my system to give me that morning boost that I was so desperately used to.

Months after I quit I still had some issues with it. I remember sitting in our chair-and-a-half, curled up and reading a book, when I got the most intense craving I've ever experienced. For the period of a few seconds I would have sold both my children for a single puff of a cigarette, and I spent the rest of the day mentally beating myself up for it. We once had friends over for a barbecue and as we sat on the back patio sipping wine after dinner, before I even realized what I was doing I had grabbed my wife's pack and lighter (she still hasn't quit, and that made things harder on me), pulled out a cigarette and had it half way to my mouth. I would have dreams that I was smoking and would wake up so mad at myself!

It truly is an addiction and an insidious habit. Quitting it is one of the most difficult but worthwhile things I've ever done.

[slothman86]

If you start smoking again you never really quit, you just prolonged times in between cigarettes...LOL

Don't buy them, destroy the ones you have, associate cigs with something you despise/hate/are disgusted by... like poop or something

[toy_toronto]

Originally Posted by tomato

^ this looks like a great website! Can you really talk to people and everything?! Pretty cool! and congratulations to ya and the other posters who did quit !


quitting smoking rules

thanks tomato. it's a good site and helped me a lot. it's rough to quit but if i was able to do it (3 times!) then everyone can do it easily

[tomato]

yeah, I know it's hard