One more day of smoking... Ex smokers how did you quit? Help needed!

[vocaltest]

So my mum bought me 600 cigarettes back from the USA (worked out £1.23 for a pack of 20, so good!) and I said to myself last week I'm going to give up once I've finished them, and I now have just 20 left, which is about a day and half worth of cigarettes for me. Now that it is close i'm panicing!!

How did you ex smokers give up? Any tips?

I'm not going to cut down because personally I don't think it works, I'm just going to go cold turkey. My mum gave up 5 months ago after smoking for over thirty years so it can be done! But she still says when she see's me smoking she could easily grab it off me and smoke it. She went for NHS one to one classes and she is using the nicorette lozenges, shes down to 1mg but she still has to use them.

The bad thing is... I LIKE having a cigarette. I enjoy it. Don't ask me why, but I do. The main thing (apart from the health aspects) is the money... I can't afford to spend £5.50 a day on cigarettes, thats near enough £40 a week that I don't have! And its an extra £40 to spend on MAC

hehe. I know I'm going to get so stressed about it all. I didn't think I would but now that its looming nearer my heart is racing. Arghh!

Should I get patches? Lozenges? Fake cigarettes? Should I go to classes? Like I said my mum went to NHS classes and she said the only benefit of it is that you pay one prescription charge and then the rest of your nicotine replacement course (patches/lozenges/gum) is free, otherwise it wasn't particularly helpful.

Ughh I need advice!!

p.s Kinda off topic & I don't wanna start any debate etc, I'm only going by what the nurse told my mum.... but the nurse who my mum saw at the NHS one to one meeting, she told my mum something quite interesting.
The nurse who she saw doesn't just do nicotine addiction she helps heroin addicts, cocaine addicts etc, and she told my mum that if you are a drug user say on heroin, if you go into rehab, the government will pay for your mortgage if you have one, you get all your meals cooked for you, if you have any payments they pay for you and so forth, and according to the nurse, heroin is only slightly more addictive than nicotine. So if you're a heroin addict, everything is catered for when you try to come off it, but if you're a smoker and you give up, you're expected to get on with it. Nice huh? Anyway thats not my point haha just a little bit of shinfo there for you!

 

[mizuki~]

I've been smoking pretty much a pack a day for a few years but I recently quit. I'm not sure how I did it but I stayed home A LOT (I can't smoke at home. Grandma is always around). I got so use to not smoking that somehow the urge was gone. Crazy, I know! Smoking was like a part of my schedule before. When I leave the house, get to the bus stop, after I eat, or it's been an hour, smoke smoke smoke. But now it's all changed because I hardly go out and when I do go out, I get tempted sometimes especially after a long walk but I keep my health in mind and I stop myself. I think it also helps to not be around smokers. I used to hang out with friends that chain smoked like crazy. And you know when your friends go outside for a smoke, you think you might as well go too. Or at least that's how I was. Okay I'm just babbling on & on now lol but seriously, I think the best way to quit is to not think about quitting. Just slowly cut down. Like instead of having an entire pack in your purse, only put 5 cigarettes in there and don't buy another pack for that day and don't bum off one from somebody. Then maybe next month, you'll bring 4 cigarettes with you a day. I'm making my BF do this and it's going along pretty smooth for somebody who also smoked a pack a day.

Ugh I'm sorry it was such a long post. My mind tends to go all over the place..

 

[AdlersMommy22]

O Lord--- i dont know how people do it. I quit becaues i got pregnant- which was realllllllllly easy considering even the SMELL of a cigarette made me want to puke my guts out.. I dont know how i would quit otherwise!! goodluck, doll!

 

[ClaireAvril]

I was smoking for a few years and I quit cold turkey.
One day I just got fed up.. here (in Canada) packs of smokes are probably about 10-11$ (i think)... I just was sick of the costs, the fact that the smoking shit is ageing me and I want to stay young forever lol...and I think that it just wasn't doing anything for me anymore..
I used to smoke when I was stressed.. and after a while.. it just wasn't helping..

For me I don't think weening off but using fewer and fewer works.. if you want to quit just QUIT and don't smoke again.. you will get some side effects but stay strong.. always keep something in your mouth like gum.. and DON'T hang out with smokers until you get over the difficult time. And try not to fill the void with eating... i have put on a few since I quit.
Try to take up new activities like sports to try to change your lifestyle.

Now I look at smokers and think.. why do they do that? Why did I waste all that money all that time doing that..? It's pointless and quitting is possible.. just have the will power and have faith in yourself.. trust me the cravings will eventually go.. your body will feel so much better.

Good Luck I wish you all the best.. and you can do it!

 

[meaghanb2926]

I got a prescription for Chantix which was phenomenal!!! It blocks the nicotine receptors in your brain and gets rid of the "I want to kill someone for a cigarette" edge. You take the first week of pills and continue to smoke. Week two you stop smoking (although I had one every night- it was how I got through the day). At week three you pretty much want to vomit if you smell smoke. I smoked a pack a day for 10 years and haven't had a cigarette in over a month and don't have any real desire to. I too "liked" smoking and decided to quit to get healthy. Now I see people smoking and realize how completely ridiculous and disgusting it is!!!

 

[xsnowwhite]

idk how to help but I just wanted to say good luck!! You will be way healthier not smoking!!

 

[flymestza]

I so feel your pain. I have been smoking off and on since my late teens (currently in my 30's). I quit when I met my husband 10 years ago because he can't stand it and frankly I know it's a bad habit. I went cold turkey as it seems to be the only thing that works for me. I started smoking again a few years ago because I thought I could handle doing it only socially. That led me to craving daily and now I'm battling again. Three weeks ago I stopped buying them but every weekend I have been around family or friends who smoke and I admit I cave when they offer. I still have haven't smoked or bought any during the week but I do feel the cravings and honestly it sucks. I really want to quit though and I'm sticking to my guns. Lots of luck to you girl!

 

[JoeyEmma]

I went to see a guy in Hebden Bridge (Yorkshire/ Lancashire border) who called himself a neuro-acupuncturist. He talked the biggest load of babble about how his method had been proven in "trials" and had me and my nurse research background disparate not to shout at his rubbish. He then puts a stitch in your ear and voila, you don't smoke again.

I had it done nearly 2 years ago. I must say it has worked for me, although I have had a recent bereavement a few weeks ago and have been stealing drags of my mates cigs, but haven't properly started again.

 

[ClaireAvril]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flymestza I so feel your pain. I have been smoking off and on since my late teens (currently in my 30's). I quit when I met my husband 10 years ago because he can't stand it and frankly I know it's a bad habit. I went cold turkey as it seems to be the only thing that works for me. I started smoking again a few years ago because I thought I could handle doing it only socially. That led me to craving daily and now I'm battling again. Three weeks ago I stopped buying them but every weekend I have been around family or friends who smoke and I admit I cave when they offer. I still have haven't smoked or bought any during the week but I do feel the cravings and honestly it sucks. I really want to quit though and I'm sticking to my guns. Lots of luck to you girl!

it sucks when you have people around you who smoke.
Its funny that a couple of my friends that I hang around the most decided to quit at the same time.

 

[jenntoz]

Its funny, for years i tried to quit & when I started to notice that my dog would leave the room as soon as I put a cig in my mouth, it made me feel pretty bad. Then I also started to notice my hubby (and my dog)weezing in their sleep(and neither smoked)it made me realize that I wasn't just harming myself, I was affecting those I love the most in my life & was taking years off their lives & selfishly I want to keep them around as long as possible. So that was it, I stopped cold turkey & never looked back. FYI, I LOVED my ciggies for 20 years before I quit, it was like a part of me(I started at 11 & quit at 31.) The truth is unless you really want to quit, it doesn't work. So if its really time & you really want to give it up, you will. Good luck, I hope you can quit!!!

 

[Lndsy]

Hey, I just wanted to say good luck and I hope its going well!

I smoked for about 9 years and just quit this past march. I just decided one day not to smoke again, and it went really well for about 5 months, then I slipped and had maybe 2 smokes, felt so sick and stopped again for another month till my neighbor talked me into having one with her one day. Its really tough because people for the most part are really supportive but there are those who are not, and they make it hard on you. So in 7 months I have maybe had about 10 smokes, and I have been trying really hard to be good, so I know its tough. I think about it everyday, but I know if I didn't just decide to quit one day then I would be a smoker till I died.

Anyway, done rambling. Again, good luck to you!!

 

[TISH1124]

My parents quit after 20 years of smoking...They just went cold turkey...They said lots of gum...lots of mints...I have never smoked so not sure...But Good Luck!! Your body will certainly appreciate it afterwards!

 

[flowerhead]

Currently in the process of quitting too, it's damn hard. Now I allow myself 3-5 a day, I don't think there's any tips I can give you - If anything focus on how much nicer your skin and hair will be in the long run! Try to think of them as your enemy, not your friend. The only reason I'm quitting is for my vanity

 

[MacAddict_Sami]

I quit cold turkey...I was a smoker for about 4 years... I had to quit because I ended up getting cancer and couldn't smoke during chemo... I must say, gum and hard candies really helped... it eased my cravings...

 

[bebs]

I used to smoke from 14 to about 18 so about 4 years... about a pack a day or so, and well.. I quit cold turkey, one reason was the money, the major reason was I played sports and was having a hard time running and could hardly run anymore because of it and I knew I needed to stop for my health.

I did put on a few pounds cause I needed something in my mouth.. gum is the best thing ever, I buy the packs of gum from cosco instead of the other packs .. it's kept me off of them for the past four and a half years, I can handle being around people smoking just fine now.. I have to stop my self from bumming one off of them from time to time.. and at the start I had to rip them apart to keep my self from smoking them... there are a lot of hard nights but know that there are always people here that you can talk to whenever you need support

 

[kittykit]

I started smoking at 19 for 6 years and finally went cold turkey about 2 years ago. Chewing gums help a lot.

Good luck with quiting! You can do it.

 

[Brie]

A couple of years ago I tried to quite cold turkey but it only lasted three months. I quit again about 6 months ago, (cold turkey again), and i don't feel like them at all now. The smell actually makes me sick a little bit. I don't believe in patches either, I just wanted the nicotine out of me as soon as possible.
I think you just have to be ready.
Looking back now I can't believe how much money i wasted on smoking, its like a deposit for a house!!

 

[Korms]

I just went cold turkey. I literally woke up one day and found the thought of smoking made me nauseous. I do still think about having a cigarette very often, but because I haven't had one in 3 months I know it will taste disgusting and make me feel sick. I find it quite easy not to give into temptation as none of my close friends smoke, and now there is no smoking inside public bars etc. I don't have the wafts of second hand smoke luring me into buying a pack.

I would advise to make sure any of your smoking friends know you want to quit so they don't offer you any and are considerate enough to not smoke around you.

 

[blondemafia76]

I just went cold turkey, New Years Day 2 years ago. After a night of hard partying, I didnt feel so wonderful after smoking all them ciggys that night.... felt like ass...

Munched ALOT of ice till the jonesing wore off.

Good luck you are making an awesome decision!

 

[emmy282]

My mum had been smoking for 40 odd years, with various attemps to give up along the way, never any luck. Then she decided to go the a hipnotherapist with a friend of hers, and they literally went in smoking, and came out never wanting another cigarette ever! Bear in mind that both my mother and I were VERY skeptical about the whole thing, but you can't argue with the facts! Oh, and this was more than 3 years ago, and she still has no cravings for ciggies AT ALL!