help me stop smoking

In My Humble Opinion
1

it really really has to be done.
Am 50 years old. Far too old to be smoking about a pack and a half a day. Its not the financial incentive because here in phils cigarettes are about half a dollar a packet its the obvious health benefits… speaking about incentives I am a kidney cancer survivor since 1997. in 2001 as I was visiting a friend in a New Zealand hospital an astute nurse walking past me sussed that i was illl and she took me to the emergency room where I promptly obliged with a a massive heart attack. Needed paddles to kick start me again. ( That episode put me off smoking for one week)

I still couldn’t kick the habit.

On the plus side, I travel regularly 9 or 12 hour flights… and you know what? because I know I can’t smoke then my mind doesn’t even want to. No desire whatsoever. However as soon as we land then am looking for the smoking room.

I want to stop… well maybe its more that i accept that I need to stop. ( sometimes I actually enjoy smoking)

If I could extrapolate that (non)desire regarding smoking on from my airplane flights to the real world I would have this cracked.

anyhoo any advice, stories, experiences would be welcome. I will print this thread out and carry it with me if its gonna help.

full disclosure FTR am smoking camel light just now

2

I’m an ex-smoker now, been one for four years. What caused me to finally quit was recurring bronchitis.

I’m not a big believer in quit aids like gum and patches. To me, cold turkey is the way to go, and the addiction is mostly mental after you get past the one-week or so withdrawal - the association in my mind with having a smoke with having a break.

My “secret” if you will isn’t really much of a secret - every time I wanted a smoke, instead of picturing in my mind a relaxing break - ‘sitting on the pier at the cottage, warm breeze through my hair, enjoying a smoke while the sun goes down’ kind of thing - I pictured ‘standing outside in the drizzle, feet encased in slush, hacking and coughing, trying to draw breath with burning, mucous plugged lungs - while sucking down some smoke’.

Second, get rid of spare smokes, lighters, ashtrays and the like. Just make it a slightly difficult task to get smokes. That extra five minutes makes all the difference when you first quit.

3

Two things helped me immensely:

One, was a book called “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” by Allen Carr. Now, I’ll warn you, it’s a bit of an advertisement for his clinics and seminars, but it really helped me realize that every excuse I was making TO smoke was a bunch of B.S., and that I was looking for reasons to justify my habit to myself: “Dad smoked for 30 years, and didn’t have any health problems until he was in his late 40’s. I’ve got all kinds of time,” or, “I smoke less than half a pack a day, that’s not too bad,” or, “My grandfather smoked two packs a day his whole life and lived to be 89.” It’s amazing what your mind will come up with to feed the addiction.

I’m not saying it’s going to work for everyone, and I’m sure some here will say it’s crap, but it worked for me. But I was ready to quit. I hated that I was a smoker and I hated loving to smoke.

The other thing was a heart attack at 39 years-old this year. Do yourself a favor and try like hell to quit.

4

After smoking for years, and trying to quit umpteen times too, I finally just gave them up two years ago. For some reason they just didn’t taste good anymore and let me tell ya, I loved smoking. Go figure. So no useful advice on what finally flipped the mental switch, unfortunately.

I did get some fairly serious cravings for a short while though. The single thing that helped me the most was drinking straws, cut into roughly cigarette-length pieces. No kidding. The beloved habit of putting the cig between my lips and inhaling was completely satisfied by sucking in clean air through the straw. Something about the familiar gestures staved off the panicky “omiGOD I need a smoke NOW” nicotine attacks. The hit of oxygen actually seemed to help kill off the cravings. Within a few weeks I realized I wasn’t even bothering with the straws anymore.

Worth a try, and a cheap one too. Good luck, manila!

5

how did u get over your short term cravings?

when i wake up i crave for a cigarette but within three or four puffs i regret it and have horrible taste i my mouth… immediately put it out but after shower and breakfast i do it again.

6

Good luck.
The Rhythm house had two late thirties smokers who both started in their early teens. We quit … well, that’s hard to say. About a year and a half ago (after three years of false starts) we made our Last Great Push. We’ve had two major relapses since (once for about a month and a half, once for about four months), but have been smoke-free again since about August.

We’re big fans of the patch — if used correctly. Of course YMMV, but considering it a panacea or a stop-gap is what trips most people up. It also gets in the way of macho “I don’t need a crutch” attitudes, which is actually part of the overall addiction and keeps us smoking. (Note I’m not saying it isn’t possible or that no-crutch isn’t a valid or worthy attitude to take; whatever helps you quit!)

They did two major things for us. First, they helped quell (but not completely remove) the irritation associated with quitting. Mrs. Dvl and I work together from our home office, so you can imagine the homicidal possibilities of two quitters being together 24 hours a day. We weren’t angels, of course, but there was a noticeable decrease in anger. It was easy to tell if someone forgot to patch that morning.

Second, they helped break the, for lack of a better term, situational and repetitive habits. That is, aside from the neurochemical physical addiction, there are tons of smokes that every smoker knows about (the after food smoke, with morning coffee, the smokers’ bonding outside the theater, etc.) and of course everyone has personal associations (anytime we sat in the parlor for a business meeting, etc.). The whole smoking ritual, from sitting in the evening with a single malt to taking a break together during house chores. Unlike gum and other substitutes, there was just the barely noticeable patch working passively, so for the first few weeks — to the first few months without smoking, all those “oh, now is a good time to have a smoke” times started to fade on their own. All without being right in the middle of a nicotine fit. Not that there isn’t some of that too, it’s just much more muted than without the patch.

So, by allowing you to start to get over the culture of being a smoker while gently (or so) getting you’re brain off nicotine, they seemed to work well for us.

The hard part, now, is staying off. The first few years of fits and starts were all about having “just one,” because we didn’t really crave one, but it was fun. Then another, because, you know, we didn’t get hooked from just that last one, and this one will be so much fun. Then another, ha ha… and we’re smoking again. Can’t. Go. Back.

If you’re taking reading suggestions, let me know and I’ll find the titles (drawing a blank at the moment). Not an actual inspirational book (I have no experience with the up-thread recommendation), but a couple books about the tobacco industry. One was written by a former head of the US Food and Drug Administration. They’re excellent reads, and if you’re a reader will help channel some of the excess anger toward the right place – helping to quit out of sheer spite if nothing else.

And of course, there’s the Dope. Posting here from time to time, whether in your own struggles or commenting in another thread can be pretty cathartic.

Good luck!!!

7

Wrigleys Doublemint gum. Baby Carrots.
Also, try “cold turkey”. If it doesn’t work, try Gum/patches. If that fails, see your Doc. Or see Doc step #2.

Finally, if all else fails, switch to real cigars (not those little ones with tips, make sure you don’t inhale) or a pipe. Not safe- just safer.

Do you “always have a cig” during certain times? Mornings with coffee? Then stop that habit also- go to a coffee shop, switch to MtDew or something. Whatever you associate with smoking- switch it around.

8

The patch worked for me as well - it really took the edge off. The only weird side effect was that I had really intense, bizarre dreams. I think the directions even warned of this.

The short term craving for a cigarette will only last about 30 seconds, so if you just take a deep breath, chew on a straw or some munchies, the feeling will pass.

Keep track on a calendar of your daily progress. Each minute, each hour, each day you don’t smoke is a victory! Don’t think about anything else besides getting through the day. At the end of each week without smoking, give yourself a reward. Buy yourself a new piece of clothing, celebrate your newfound stinkless-ness with some new cologne, whatever. Just reward yourself because you deserve it. And if you fall off the wagon, do not despair - just get right back on it again.

9

+1 on Alan Carr’s book. It was really almost enjoyable to quit. Just like Shark Sandwhich said, the book lets you realize what the addiction does and how you are affected by it. The first couple of days I was always thinking “yup, I knew this was going to happen. Aint workin this time, you stupid weed!”

After about 12 yrs of smoking at a pack a day and countless tries at quitting, I read the book, put down the smokes and never looked back. Oct 8th, 2007 was my last day as a smoker.

Just try the book. It only costs $15 and was the only thing that worked for me. I tried the patch, the gum, the losenges, Zyban, and Chantix - I was alwasy able to quit with them for anywhere from a few days to a few months, but I always went back.

Another important thing. Don’t ever smoke another cigarette - ever! About 4 months ago, I started to have a cigarette every once in awhile. I’d go out to the bar and have one - just one. The next weeked, I may have two - but it’s no big deal since I don’t smoke, right? Then maybe I’d have one after a rough day at work. Then a few more at the bar. I was at work on a Monday morning a realized I was craving a smoke. I was slowly slipping right back to my old ways. I vowed to never smoke again. The following weekend was a little tough, and the whole time I was cursing myself for ever being stupid enough to go back.

I don’t even think about smoking any more and it is so great to not be tied down by that nasty habit.

10

Brewha’s post made me go dig the book out and flip through the pages, and one thing I forgot to mention in my post earlier that may make Carr’s book an option for you is this: he encourages you to smoke while you read it. He doesn’t say, “Okay, you’ve got the book, now it’s time to quit smoking and start reading.” Nope. He just lets you know that mentally you’re stonger than the addiction. And you’ve proven it by your 8 and 12 hour flights. It’s just that sometimes the addiction convinces you to forget it.

11

Stopping by to send supportive thoughts and wish you luck!

12

Boy, Carr’s book did not help me at all. I didn’t think the writing was very good and that kind of put me off. The husband and I just picked a date and did it 2/14, midnight this year. I crave cigarettes every single day and night. I’m pretty pathetic with it, actually. I’m up fifteen pounds and just cannot get rid of it. Things are going so badly right now that, if I were smoking, I would see it as the one thing that I looked forward to. Now, I don’t even have that, so I’ve started drinking more. Oh, well…either do something about everything or quit bitching about it.

13

Read Allen Carr’s book. Everything else made my cravings stronger. Gums, patches, pills, chewing gum, carrots, taking a walk whenever a craving hits, etc; all bullshit. Anything you do when you get a craving besides smoking just highlights the fact that you’re not smoking. You need to reprogram your mind to enjoy not smoking and the rest is easy.

14

I quit smoking on Dec 27, 2005. I smoked 1 1/2 to 2 packs a day. I recommend the patches, cinnamon gum, drinking a glass of water immediately after waking up, deep breathing, and realising that it takes around 3 weeks to break the habit of smoking (not the addiction, that only takes maybe 3 days)

15

Oh yeah, the wake-up-and-light-up thing. I had pretty much convinced myself that I had to do it get doing in the morning. (Hardcore night-owl here; it doesn’t help that I hate mornings anyway.)

Stupid as it is, grabbing my drinking straw and sucking on it, just like a cig, really staved off those first bad moments. I was sick of smoking and felt pretty lousy too. My breathing was bad, coughed a lot–that dry, low-level smoker’s hack–and was pretty much winded all the time. But one of the worst parts was genuinely grieving for my habit. Heck, I’d sure lived with it for a lot of years–and enjoyed the hell out of it for a long time too.

Part of my mental switch was probably getting pissed at myself for being scared about it. Every time I’d quit before I expected it to be rough–and it was, and I failed every time. This time I just decided it wasn’t that big a frickin’ deal. So there’d be cravings. I’d had food poisoning, major abdominal surgery and a broken bone but recovered quickly, so how bad could nic fits be, relatively speaking?

The physical withdrawal really wasn’t bad at all, any of the times I quit. Leaving behind all those comforting unconscious habits was the bitch. It had been years since I hadn’t wakened, stumbled out of bed then lit up to get my heart started and eyes open. So instead I wakened, stumbled out of bed and sucked on my straw, getting a big hit of air instead of smoke. I still coughed because by that time I couldn’t breathe deeply without hacking. To be honest, I couldn’t really taste the cigarettes by then either. So I didn’t even try to change my comfortable habits; I just substituted something that felt the same.

Same with any time the short-term nic attacks hit. Cup of coffee, take out my straw, tap it a few times on the back of wrist then take a few hits off it. The one thing I approached with great caution was drinking alcohol. I never drank a lot but I’d failed plenty of times before when a drink or two lowered my inhibitions enough to think maybe I could just smoke a few. They just went together, at least in my mind. Doesn’t bother me at all now.

Oddly enough, the only time I’m almost sure to have at least one mild “wish I had one” moment is long drives. Driving long road trips and smoking just went together. Boredom, maybe, and a way to help the miles pass. It isn’t bad at all though, it really isn’t. Just more a fleeting automatic thought rather than an urge, then it’s over.

FWIW, I feel like a million bucks now. Even with other–completely unrelated–health problems that hit unexpectedly, I can’t believe how good I feel. I knew it would make a difference but WOW.

16

I never read Alan Carr’s book. But It seems to have helped many. I got by by reading whyquit.com

Really a garish looking website and the message boards are the worst. I think it is MSN group based with all sorts of glittery signatures and shit. I hate those types of boards but somehow reading about nicotine really helped. I read and read. While reading I never really wanted one. I would look forward to reading about nicotine and tobacco.

I basically just forced myself to quit. I had unbelievable cravings. I got phantom pains in my shoulder unusual pains in my head that moved around, and all sorts of weird dreams and visions. It really sucked. I held on to nicotine so badly because I had used it as my last crutch after quitting other drugs and alcohol. Just fucking do it I finally said.

You will feel so good about yourself.
Look you are a strong person.
Making it through kidney cancer, having a major heart attack, 12 hr airplane flights om a regular basis.
Take control of your life. Dont let that little drug control you anymore.
Look at what you have done. Yes the cravings will suck but who gives a shit you have been through worse.

The reward is truly amazing.

17

I have been completely quit since July 16 and don’t ever anticipate starting again. Two things that helped me:

Chantix. It blocks your nicotine receptors, so you get no physical effect even if you do smoke. I’m too cheap to go to the store and spend six dollars and change on something that’s not going to do anything for me, so I didn’t buy any, and I’m too proud to bum one off somebody, so I just went without. Wicked horrible side effects but worth it for me personally.

Allan Carr’s book, as mentioned above. I wish I’d started reading it before taking the Chantix- I may not have needed the pills if I had. As mentioned, it actually does make you enjoy not smoking. Amazing concept for me.

And I am enjoying it. Smelling good all day long, not having to Febreeze myself after every smoke, not shelling out the cash, not coughing and hacking every time I laugh, breathing easier, not standing out in the heat or cold or rain… everything about not smoking is great!

Good luck- let us know how you do!

18

Well, I got pregnant. You could try that. :slight_smile:

Seriously, I probably never would have quit had I not conceived. I loved smoking, and my love of cigarettes far outweighed my desire to quit. The physical component of quitting was relatively easy for me. A couple of days of serious cravings and irritability, and the physical desire was pretty well gone. It’s the psychological component that’s the hardest to overcome - the habit, for me, was more pervasive than the physical addiction.

In the end, you just have to want to quit more than you want to keep smoking. Until you’re there, I think quitting is almost impossible.

19

Since you’ve had plenty of what looks like sound advice from people who know, I’ll suggest reading “Quitters, Inc.” by Stephen King.

20

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I recognise my own cravings in these posts. Am off to National Bookstore to buy Alan Carr’s book.

I will let you know my progress.