Quitting A Nasty Habit

So I know there are tons of facts and read-ups on quitting smoking, but I want to hear personally some experiences. I have only been on the train for around 4 years, off and on for the first 2. I figure it is better to quit now when I am young. Lately it has been too much of a nuisance while I am working out and running lots. I find I have cravings due to patterning, which is hard to break.

For example, one of my patterns is while I study. I always study for a good 2 hours, then take a cigarette break. Another being before my first class of the day. And of course when I am drinking, after a few beers the nicotine calls.

I don't really believe in patches, gum etc. As individuals become dependent on them. Companies claiming to sell methods to quitting are no different than tobacco conglomerates themselves. So I would strongly prefer to quit "cold turkey". I have set a date, May 1st which is after my semester ends as I don't want to interfere with my grades.

So what can I expect? Any tips from experienced individuals would be awsome.

Also, I don't want to switch to chewing tobacco. This is how my friend "quit" smoking, but is now addicted just as severely to chew.

 

don't put it off till the end of semester. give it a shot now, it'd be harder to quit on summer break. stop bringing them with you to class. if you don't have them on you, it's easier to not smoke them. also, when you get ready to take your 2-hour smoke break, tell yourself you'll put it off for 15 more minutes. if you get used to this, keep pushing it back.

that's pretty much what i did. i stopped bringing them with me to work. some days, if i had a really bad day at work, i would be thinking about my cig all the way home, and smoke two or three when i got there. weekends were an issue too, i'd smoke 4 or 5 on a weekday, then a whole pack on the weekend. then one day, i stopped smoking a cigarette in the morning. it became easier. Until i had a few days off from work, and just decided, i wasn't going to smoke....

about all the tips i have. this has been discussed before, just do a search for 'quit smoking' and a few good ones show up.

good luck!

 

i quit smoking in 2002, the main thing is that you must really want it and when you feel that you want a cigarette drink a glass of water or eat an apple.
acupuncture helped me also and lollipops too but be careful with your weight then.
good luck it's better without that habit but you are young and it will be easier.

 

Setting a date to stop is setting up failure. Stop today right now. You will be able to quit once you are absolutely committed. Until then its just practise runs. Just stop and never look back. Its the best way to deal with an addiction.

 

I never started, so my advice may be useless. The three people close to me who were successful just decided one day to stop, and they threw out all the stuff, and just toughed it out. It wasn't a schedule, or a big media event, they just said 'enough!' and that was that. All of them were + 10 year smokers, and all of them are still off.

That's my 4 cents, and a wish for success.

 

I quit ciggies in mid 1984 by gradually cutting down to 2 or 3 smokes a day, then went cold turkey.

Cold turkey was hard for the first three days but I couldn't have done it at all without reducing consumption first.

I stayed completely off tobacco for 26+ years, then in a weak moment last fall tried an insidious product called Swedish snus.

Once an addict, always an addict. One weak moment leads to another...and another...

 

In the words of Mark Twain: "Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it hundreds of times."

I've never started but I did help an office mate quit after 3 years of trying. I asked her a simple question, "Are you totally incapable of controlling your own hands?" -- It seems like a stupid comment but think about it.

If you can't control your own hands you're in pretty sad shape.

She told me it was dumb at the time but a few weeks later stopped me and thanked me. She thought about it a lot and she realized it really was that simple and she was not willing to admit she did not have the ability to control her own hands. After 10 years of smoking (from age 15) and 3 years of trying, she simply stopped. She said the physiological changes in her body (cravings) lasted a week but she didn't let her hands act on their own.

BTW this method is proven to work only if you really want to quit. Think about that one too. ;-)

 

I gave up smoking a few years back, there is a thread here about it somewhere, I wont lie the first week was really tough for me but after that it gradually got better, after two weeks when I could actually taste my food and not smell like an ashtray I thought this is easy and to tell you the truth it was, it is just the first 3-7 days that are really rough, five years later I look back and think that was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Sadly a year ago during a very tough period i relapsed and took up the evil weed again but I am going to quit again, maybe we can do it together? it would be easier maybe knowing that someone else is going through the same as you? anyway good luck you wont regret it.

All the best.
Steve.

 

Thanks guys for all the feedback. I have only had 2 since I made this post, and the delaying thing actually helps quite a bit. I have one left in my pack and have no desire after to buy a new one. Let me know what your up to Steve.

 

Congrats dude. Things will start to smell better. Things will taste better. You will have more energy. You will not get sick as often. Do yourself a favor, and throw the last one out. That way you're not thinking about it as your last cigarette.

 

Just discard all the cigarettes you have at home,car, anywhere you may keep them, and do not smoke another cigarette ever again. It's that easy.

 

Smoked for 10 years, LOVED it, was 100% sure I could never quit.

I agree on the statements taking the gradually quitting route is not smart. I did that, about 10 times, and it always backfires. Went from 5-10 smokes daily, to 1 per week. The Saturday smoke, as I called it. Walked around crazy waiting for Saturday to come - don't torture yourself. At the 1 cigarette per 2 weeks level, I couldn't take it anymore and had to have THREE cigarettes after one another! You don't have to fall in to the same trap.

Just quit. Only that helps. You have to set your mind to "I must beat this" mode, like if it's a competition; You vs. the cigarette. Throw away every cigarette available, promise yourself to never buy it again. In 2009, I quit smoking, but three days later I couldn't take it and bought one pack again. That first cigarette of the pack made me slightly dizzy, and my conscience beat the crap out of me. But I continued smoking.
On 12th August 2010 I was bored and serial smoked several cigarettes in the summer heat, to the point where I got sick of it and thought "this is it, no more cigarettes". First three days were bad. I used this mindset: First, I have to make it to three days. Then seven days. Then 2 weeks. Then 4 weeks. Then 2 months. Then 3 months, and finally 4 months. Haven't smoked since Don't even go to cigars, because your lungs will probably go right back "smoke mode" and you probably will get the craving again!

Once you have ruled out the cigarettes in your daily and social life, it's no problem at all. The thing is, as all quitters know, sometimes when "everybody" is smoking around you, you WILL be tempted. But then you have to think "I made it this far, I'm not going back". Well, that worked for me at least. Very happy and because one pack costs 14$ where I'm from, I saved a lot of money too this far...

Stop destroying your lungs, you breathe with them (!!!!).

 

**Update**

So there is no point starting a thread like this without updates. I am on my 3rd day now, and this has been the hardest. I had a final today, so maybe it was the stress of that. I also sipped on a couple beers this evening and that really made things hard, yet I feel exposure to my weaknesses may make things easier. I keep telling myself there is no point going back to it now because I would have wasted my efforts, and it seems to work well. I also find I am biting my nails quite a bit, just with irritability, and also find it hard to focus at times. I will make sure to keep everyone here posted following this thread.

Chow

 

Congrats. I hope you are still staying strong!

 

Keep it up mate you will not regret it

 

I switched to these.....
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So, I relapsed. I guess this is part of quitting. I went out tonight with some friends to celebrate a birthday and the completion of a very difficult, heavily weighted final exam. After about 4 pints I gave in, and shared a cigarette with a buddy. I feel very guilty and wrong, almost like I have committed a noticeable crime. I am up now, finding it difficult to sleep at almost 3am local time, wanting another yet mentally punishing myself. I have hot flashes currently and major irritability. I don't mind the loss of sleep and staying up late, I have the weekend off from studying, but the cravings are killing me. Currently I am sipping some Coke and Vodka which I am sure adds to it, but this is all part of quitting. For anyone thinking of quitting, I would put aside any alcohol (even one beer) for 3 weeks or more. And if you choose to have any alcohol be prepared for a trip to hell.

On a side note, I went for a massage yesterday, aiming at relieving the cravings and it worked wonders. $80 for an hour session, and I came out feeling amazing.

I still have not bought a pack, and won't. I split one tonight with a friend, and the relapse almost adds to my desire to live smoke-free. Since I am awake late and pondering, I have looked at the E-Cigarettes as an alternative, although I don't want to get hooked on something else and allocate money towards such. But I have read good things.

 

Yup, alcohol will make it harder. Keep trying and don't give up.

 

In the uk the government have a programme to help quit smoking,( they say the investment now will save billions in 20-30yrs when most patients will need treatment for smoke related illnesses).

Anyway I had smoked for about 15 year, about 15 a day but at least 2 packets a day on weekends. when I started the programme they offered gum patches fake ciggarettes, but I had heard first hand expierience about some tablets called Champix made by Pfizer, anyway I started the course of tablets which are a 12 week course and the price worked out a little less than the cost of the cigs themselves. First week are half strength then the tablets increase to 1mg. Anyway without realising by day 5-6 I was only smoking about 4 cigarettes a day. And by day 13 I had smoked my last one, I just could believe how the desire to have a cigarette had just gone, anyway after about 3 or 4 weeks I started to half my tablets my self and missed a day here and there and stopped taking them at about week 5.

I admit I did exchange the coffee or tea with a cig to a biscuit, and I put on about a stone which is about 6 kg, but I thought I can deal with the weight later once I no I've kicked the habit, and I could of done with a bit of weight on really. Anyway 3 year later and successfully helping 3 other friends and family quit through the tablets I can't recommend them enough. When I stopped it was three weeks before Christmas and new years eve I was intoxicated and was offered a cig which I took , took 2-3 draws and said I dont even smoke now and chucked it away. And it has never bothered me since. The nurse who ran the programme was an ex smoker to, or so he said, anyway a bit of advise which always stuck with me a helped out was," just because you go 2days 8 days 3 weeks 2 month or 10 month without a cigarette, just because you have one doesn't mean you are a smoker again it just means that in 3 weeks or 10 month or whatever you have only had one cigarette in all that time.

Good luck.

 

You quit when you are ready to quit.

 

After 15 years I decided one day to quit. It has been a year since then. I still have occasional urges to light one up but I immediately think of something else. I guess that's my strategy. I wish you the best of luck. If I can do it, anybody can!

 

Actually it's so easy to quit.

I used to smoke for 7 years rather stong stuff, 2 boxes a day. Quit for fun (actually to see if could), for over 5 years Got married, my wife used to smoke a lot, didn't really bother. Got into cigars a while (2 years, didn't inhale though), and gave that up also over a year ago.

The truth is simple, you aren't dependent in Nicotine or whatever, you're just damn bored once you quite, as a cigarette is a handy way to blow time in smoke. So indeed it's easier to quit if you're busy.
On a side note, since you have less cigarette sellers than Meth ones, it's quite easy to refrain from actually buying some. Of course there's always that late party where you drank too much, but come on, a bit of self control and it's over.

 

Hello to all! Well i have smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day for 5 years...too bad i know! So a friend of mine once told me that it is impossible for me to quit this nasty habit, so on the other day i smoked my last cigare! So know it is more than 2 years i haven't been smoking and i feel great and it was not hard for me at all, i had no cramps...suppose it is all in your brain you know, just focus on something else!

 

Quitting is easy...I've done it a thousand times!

Actually, yes, set a date (I'm doing it 11/11/11), then STICK TO IT!!!

Something I find that helps: keep track of the timeline of benefits you gain as you go longer w/o a cig. THIS provides a sense of accomplishment as you go along.


http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Benefits_Time_Table.html

Within ...

20 minutes
Your blood pressure, pulse rate, and the temperature of your hands and feet will all return to normal.

8 hours
Remaining nicotine in your bloodstream will have fallen to 6.25% of normal peak daily levels, a 93.25% reduction.

12 hours
Your blood oxygen level will have increased to normal and carbon monoxide levels will have dropped to normal.

24 hours
Anxieties peak in intensity and within two weeks should return to near pre-cessation levels.

48 hours
Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal. Cessation anger and irritability peaks.

72 hours
Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites (the chemicals it breaks down into) will now have passed from your body via your urine. Symptoms of chemical withdrawal have peaked in intensity, including restlessness. The number of cue induced crave episodes experienced during any quitting day will peak for the "average" ex-user. Lung bronchial tubes leading to air sacs (alveoli) are beginning to relax in recovering smokers. Breathing is becoming easier and the lungs functional abilities are starting to increase.

5 - 8 days
The "average" ex-smoker will encounter an "average" of three cue induced crave episodes per day. Although we may not be "average" and although serious cessation time distortion can make minutes feel like hours, it is unlikely that any single episode will last longer than 3 minutes. Keep a clock handy and time them.

10 days
The "average ex-user is down to encountering less than two crave episodes per day, each less than 3 minutes.

10 days to 2 weeks
Recovery has likely progressed to the point where your addiction is no longer doing the talking. Blood circulation in our gums and teeth are now similar to that of a non-user.

2 to 4 weeks
Cessation related anger, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, impatience, insomnia, restlessness and depression have ended. If still experiencing any of these symptoms get seen and evaluated by your physician.

21 days
Brain acetylcholine receptor counts up-regulated in response to nicotine's presence have now down-regulated and receptor binding has returned to levels seen in the brains of non-smokers.

2 weeks to 3 months
Your heart attack risk has started to drop. Your lung function is beginning to improve.

3 weeks to 3 months
Your circulation has substantially improved. Walking has become easier. Your chronic cough, if any, has likely disappeared.

1 to 9 months
Any smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath have decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean, and reduce infections. Your body's overall energy has increased.

1 year
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke has dropped to less than half that of a smoker.

5 to 15 years
Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.

10 years
Your risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer is between 30% and 50% of that for a continuing smoker (2005 study). Risk of death from lung cancer has declined by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack per day). Your risk of pancreatic cancer has declined to that of a never-smoker (2011 study), while risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus has also declined.

13 years
Your risk of smoking induced tooth loss has declined to that of a never-smoker (2006 study).

15 years
Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked.

20 years
Female excess risk of death from all smoking related causes, including lung disease and cancer, has now reduced to that of a never-smoker (2008 study).

Good luck!

 

Oh yeah...and keep putting aside the same amount of money you would be spending on smokes...and watch it add up...fast!