How did you quit smoking?

J

Jamesh Bond

Joined
Jan 14, 2007
Messages
1,760
I have smoked for the last 15 years. Got up to 3 packs a day, and "cut back" to one a day. Its seriously affecting my quality of life, but i just cant make myself WANT to quit.

I cant stand the smell on my clothes, vehicle, home, etc. Its disgusting. Its trashy. Its expensive. Its deadly. Problem is, i LOVE to smoke. Oh the irony.

When ive tried to quit in the past, the withdrawals are heinous for me. My vision is like looking through a pane of shattered glass, i get so sick, cant think straight. Make stupid choices and mistakes. But the worst is the irritability. Im highly anxious and irritable by nature anyway, but then it goes so far off the charts, that i legitimately risk getting fired or possibly even jail. I completely lose all reason when im like that. And im normally extremely calculating and clear headed.

I absolutely NEED to quit, but i cant get my mind to agree. Cant make myself take that first step because when it all boils down, i still WANT to smoke.

My poor mom has smoked for the last 40 years and tried to quit for the sake of health insurance. Understand, i have NEVER known anyone with even close to the amount of willpower this woman has. She quit for an entire month, and had to start back up because her withdrawals were actually getting worse after the first two weeks, which makes no logical sense at all.

Plainly put. Im scared. My willpower is honestly very weak, so if she couldnt do it, what hope do i have?

Thx for reading the long intro.

What worked for you?
 
I'm in the same boat although I haven't smoked 3 packs in a day since Iraq. Get some Copenhagen (or Skoal if you're a sissy) and remember to pack a lip anytime you're indoors and craving... baby steps. I'm dipping and smoking and a pack will last me 2 days, a can lasts 3-4.

I've been smoking almost 20 years.
 
Nicotine is more addictive than cocaine..!
You are addicted.
You must want to be free of that.

I smoked for 45 years, I stopped while in the hospital for heart trouble.
I was given some meds to ease the urge while there, but what made the
difference was my cardiologist telling me..." If you don't smoke, you'll be OK...
If you smoke, you'll be back."

That was 10 years go.

I'd recommend seeing your Dr, Ask about meds to ease the craving. The rest
will be up to you.
 
I smoked 2 to 3 packs a day for years. One day deer hunting I lit the last one that I had with me and decided that would be my last. I tried to smoke another 6 months later and thought I would die. THAT was the last one. I had quit many times before that that time it stuck... At times if someone lights up close to me the urge comes back, but just walk away!!!!!!!
 
I PM'd Jamesh, but now that there are two, here is the real deal. I started when I was 12 and smoked for the next 44 years, so I know what I'm talking about. First of all, go to your Dr. and have him give you an RX for Wellbutrin. It is an anti-depressant with smoking cessation properties. Your insurance will probably pay for it, since it is an anti-depressant. Start taking the Wellbutrin two weeks before your stop date, that gives it a chance to get into your system. Pick up some smoking cessation patches; Costco or Sam's Club will have the best prices. Start using the patches the morning of your stop date (you should have ditched all tobacco before going to bed the night before). You will still want a cig for the next week or so, but the anti-depressant will enable you to laugh about it rather than obsessing over it. Use gum or mints if you still need some oral stimulation. And from then on, NEVER buy tobacco thinking that you have it under control. It has been 8 years for me, and my mouth still waters a little when I'm in line at the C-store, but it passes as soon as I can't see them anymore. I had a companion, and that might make it go better, too. As I said, we were both long-time smokers and this worked for us. Any weight gain will be just temporary; if you can beat the smokes, you can manage the weight also. By the way, trading cigs for dip is guaranteed to not work. Good luck, guys.
 
Last year, I quit for 17 days... no patches, pills, any kind of aids. Just prayer... much like how I kicked dope and booze. The problem is that I still enjoy smoking.
 
Jamesh Bond said:
What worked for you?
Click to expand...

What worked for me probably won't help you. I walked into the base Exchange at Pearl Harbor to buy smokes one day and found out they had gone up to $0.50 per pack. I said "That's too f****** much money for cancer stix" and walked out. The cravings got worse for a couple of weeks, and my cough got worse for the next couple of weeks as the cilia in my lungs came out of nicotine induced paralysis and started sweeping tar out, but I am too pig-headed to let a little thing like that make me spend that much money. I had only been smoking for about five years, so it only took a month to get all the crap out of my lungs. It was another few months before the smell of cigarette smoke stopped making me want one. After a year, I started actively avoiding places where people were smoking.
 
DD214,
Now that there are two what? Not sure what you mean. Also, how did you PM with only a Registered User membership? The trouble with meds is ive tried Wellbutrin and other meds in that class, and they ROYALLY efff me up. They cause me to experience hyper exaggerated versions of the symptoms they're marketed to ease. Sucks cuz my buddy used Wellbutrin to quit, and it worked great for him. I am extremely hesitant to try Chantix, considering my unique reaction to head drugs. And ive heard some insane horror stories. Also, no insurance.

Gave the nicotine supplements a shot a few times. No luck.

As Russ stated, I have to WANT to quit, and have been struggling for years to convince my brain of that. I cant make myself not like or want something no matter what i do. I write down charts of pros and cons and costs and diseases and other motivations, but AAAAARRGGGHHH it means nothing !!!!

Basically for me, the only option im left with is fearfully waiting in Prayer that it will finally sink in where the WANT goes away. After years of that its looking bleak.

Its my only hope.

Thx for the replies guys.
 
I'm the other one... so now there are 2
 
honestly what worked for me is smoking ganja, i've essentially replaced tobacco with weed (but smoke way less weed than cigs).

i live in california and it's basically decriminalized here (i have a card, very easy to get), don't know what the laws are like for you. everytime i get a hankering to take a "smoke break," I smoke weed. I haven't smoked cigs in a long time and have no desire/urge to do so.
 
Would you consider vaping? You get the smoking feeling and nicotine without the crap. There is a lot of debate over them but I recommend talking to your doctor and taking a look at the research for yourself. My doctor said if that's what it takes to quit smoking then do it. I have tried champex and the other meds and patches gum etc. More people have quit smoking with vaping than all the other methods combined over the last few years.
But don't get the electronic cigarettes from the convenience stores. Go to a vape shop if you have one available.
If it sounds like something you are interested in let me know and I can do what I can to provide you with more info and how to start up.
Again, there are a lot of uninformed opinions regarding Vaping, try to find the useful info. Good luck man, how ever you do it I sincerely wish you the best.
 
I thought I'd never quit brother, pack a day for around a decade. I started using an ecig a few years back, vaporizing nicotine juice rather than smoking cigs. The initial change over from the cigs was a little uncomfortable, but not completely awful. I was still getting nicotine from the ecig, but it felt like my body was missing all the chemicals that were in chemically cured combusted tobacco smoke. After a day or two I was going hard on the ecig, didn't miss those nasty cigs one bit. After a short time on the ecig, cigarettes smell disgusting, the enjoyment of tobacco flavor and smell is 99% wrapped up in the nicotine addiction, which I find intereseting because I truly thought I loved the smell and taste of a cig after a long day. Ecigs turned out cheaper, tastier, could smoke it anywhere, could dose the amount of nicotine I wanted and no more. No longer had the compulsion to huff down whole cigarettes in a sitting.

I stayed content on the ecig for a couple years, then the batteries started to run down, which led to me ingesting nicotine with less and less frequency, as I had to fiddle with the batteries pretty often. After awhile I got tired of fooling around with the batteries, told myself I was quitting. By that time I think I was lowered to such a low nicotine level, quitting was totally painless. I remember getting stressed in the first week and going for a pack I had stashed in the closet, I took a drag and was totally turned off. I had given it up, and not even realized. The addiction only remained in my mind. Haven't smoked in over a year at this point, feels amazing.

If you're serious about quitting, buy a decent vaporizer and a few bottles of juice with decreasing levels of nicotine. Taper down the nicotine level every few months till you're just blowing steam, then working off the mental compulsion is all you have to do, the nicotine is what keeps you chained to those cancer sticks.

I'd have to suggest you buy a fairly decent vaporizer or ecig setup. Ive suggested this to others and it doesn't work out when they go with cheap gas station ecigs that don't give them a satisfying hit of nicotine. The vaporizer will quickly pay for itself considering the price of cigarettes. This really works, I hope you'll give it a go. Being a slave to big tobacco and their tax thirsty government lackeys is no way to live. Health and Happiness to all :thumbup:

---cinna
 
Good advice here from DD214. That is the same way I finally quite after smoking 2 packs a day for 20 years. I would only add two provisos: Ask your "still smoking" friends not to ever offer you a smoke (the hardest cigarette to avoid is the proffered one), and stay away from said smokers for a week or two if possible when quitting. I noticed that during the first week of quitting, smokers smell wonderful. The second week they stink. The third week you stop detecting the smell in such a hyperactive fashion. Anyway, just my 2 cents. Good luck!


DD214 said:
I PM'd Jamesh, but now that there are two, here is the real deal. I started when I was 12 and smoked for the next 44 years, so I know what I'm talking about. First of all, go to your Dr. and have him give you an RX for Wellbutrin. It is an anti-depressant with smoking cessation properties. Your insurance will probably pay for it, since it is an anti-depressant. Start taking the Wellbutrin two weeks before your stop date, that gives it a chance to get into your system. Pick up some smoking cessation patches; Costco or Sam's Club will have the best prices. Start using the patches the morning of your stop date (you should have ditched all tobacco before going to bed the night before). You will still want a cig for the next week or so, but the anti-depressant will enable you to laugh about it rather than obsessing over it. Use gum or mints if you still need some oral stimulation. And from then on, NEVER buy tobacco thinking that you have it under control. It has been 8 years for me, and my mouth still waters a little when I'm in line at the C-store, but it passes as soon as I can't see them anymore. I had a companion, and that might make it go better, too. As I said, we were both long-time smokers and this worked for us. Any weight gain will be just temporary; if you can beat the smokes, you can manage the weight also. By the way, trading cigs for dip is guaranteed to not work. Good luck, guys.
Click to expand...
 
Nothing wrong with cheechin a little chooch Mr. Nguyen. Relaxes the body, frees the mind. Everything in moderation of course. :watermelon:
 
I traded cigarettes for dip. One can of dip lasts me two days. I think I'm better off.
My two cents.

Jim
 
I've been a smoker since I was 14. Turned 34 on the 18th of this month. I averaged about a pack a day. The last cigarette I smoked was on Super Bowl Sunday. I've tried Wellbutrin, Chantix, the patch, the gum, you name it. This time I went cold turkey. Man, did it suck, but I had some good motivation. Found out the wife was pregnant, so she had to quit and I wasn't going to be the douche that smoked while she couldn't. If she had to quit, I was quitting too. That's was some pretty strong motivation, and it's worked so far. I wouldn't go around knocking up women to quit smoking though. Probably not the best idea :D !
 
If you really don't want to quit, but would like to cut down. Consider smoking cigars or pipes instead of cigs. You can't smoke them just anywhere and they take a good amount of time to burn up. DON'T INHALE. You'll get the same buzz. If you have smoked for a long time, you probably don't realize that you even get a buzz, but you do.
 
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