Help me!

Well today I have quit smoking. and i need something to distract me from the fact that I really want a cigarette. Can anyone help me out with things to think about? or Any words of advice?
Please help me!

I’m on day eleven. The answer is no. They can’t. You will want a cigarette even while the most talented fellatrix in the world is setting world records on you. And when she’s done, you’ll really want a cigarette.

No. I really want a cigarette. You will too.

Sorry. On both counts.
Good luck.


Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine

Darn!
Double Darn!

Well thanks for the luck! You too!

Worst decision I ever made to start smoking! Right now I would go back and beat the crap outta myself for even thinking about taking a puff!

frankie:
count to a googol. write a new message and post it every minute. enumerate the periodic table. surf for porn. do anything, but don’t give in!!!

and good luck, man.

I don’t suppose the fact that I am mentally patting you on the back and going, “Good for you!” is of the slightest help?

Yes flora it does help.
It always helps when you know you got people on your side!

And eden…thanks for the ideas! and the luck!

Go Frankie Go!!! Hang in there, get some gum and don’t give up!! I always used to hate that cheesy bumper sticker that says “One Day At A Time” but it really is appropriate here. Good luck!

I am so proud of you…my youngest is named Frankie too, but you know that. :slight_smile:

Is there any taste that makes cigs unappealing?
like when you brush your teeth…you cant drink orange juice when you can still taste the t.paste…
find an anti smoke taste, and use it…most importantly remember why you want to quit, write it down and read it when you get weak.
We love you
We believe in you…you can do it!

This might help. When I decided to eliminate smoking cigarettes during the day (I refuse to “quit” again, I’ve tried to quit too many times, and I’ll still have a smoke or two after I get home) I bought a box of nicotine gum. I carry it around with me knowing that if I ever yield to temptation, all I have to do is chew a piece. It’s been a month and I haven’t had to break the seal on the box yet.

For what it’s worth…sunflower seeds. They did it for me. I was pretty obnoxious for a few months, spitting out seed hulls all over the place, but who cares? That was eighteen years ago and I haven’t touched a cigarette since. As a drawback, I also hate sunflower seeds. Oh well, life is about trade-offs.


“…send lawyers, guns, and money…”

 Warren Zevon

Frankie! Frankie! Frankie!
You can do it!!
You can do it!!

I recommend slapping stupid people…it worked for me…got that stress right out!
I have a short story for you to read…by Stephen King- it’s in the collection Night Shift- it’s called Quitters, Inc. I mean, go to Barnes and Noble, get a comfy seat and read this story. It’s a short, short story- take about 30 minutes. Will give you real food for thought. I promise, you won’t be sorry…
Hang in there!!! You can do it!


An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; A pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.

thanks for everyones words of support!

Have you considered Zyban? I know some people who say it’s help them quit.

Go Frankie! :smiley: It’s been 3-1/2 years for me. I never thought I could do it, but I did, and you can too!

OK, enough with the motivational speech. I slept a lot the first few weeks. I also stayed in bed and read all the books that I had been meaning to read. I had the advantage that a few weeks before, I had stopped smoking in my bedroom, so I was in the habit of not smoking in there.

I discovered that breath mints (Certs, in my case) helped a lot; they have a strong flavor that kept my mouth “distracted” (for lack of a better term).

Try to make your surroundings different than they were when you smoked. I rearranged my living room furniture - not much, just enough to give the room a different feel. I was surprised at how much difference it made. I mean, I still wanted a cigarette, but every time I went to reach for one, it reminded me that I “didn’t need” to smoke anymore.

It’s all a big mind game that you have to play with yourself, until the worst passes (and IT WILL GET EASIER, I promise).


The Cat In The Hat

I quit in '87 and stayed off 'em til 4 years ago; I’m smoking about half a pack a day. (I was up to almost 2 packs in 87). I now use Nicorette during the day at work (can’t smoke there and don’t like standing outside). I tried to quit a few months ago and got depressed - teary, slept a lot, went back to the smokes. Try to avoid stress – that’s when you want to smoke. (I notice I smoke more when I’m on the computer too.) Also, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY! When you get the urge, go bike riding, walking, whatever, but move - don’t sit there thinking about it. Keep busy. The first 3-4 days are the worst. Zyban is an antidepressant - it may help, but you’re supposed to take it for a week BEFORE you quit. Yes, it does get easier and you will be glad you quit. Good luck.

I know that you already said you’ve quit… I presume that means “cold turkey”. I hope you can do it, I don’t know anyone, including myself, who’s been able to quit permanently that way. Good luck to you.

In case you cave, though:

When my aunt Sarah decided to quit, she went in phases. First she stopped smoking in all rooms except the kitchen. She made herself stand beside the stove, with the hood fan on. Then she quit smoking in the house altogether. Then she quit smoking in her car. She started getting tables in the non-smoking section of restaurants. Her last step was to ONLY smoke while she was at work. That limited her to breaks and lunch. She cut out smoking during her lunch break, then she cut out one of her breaks, finally the other. After about 6 months, she didn’t smoke anymore. She’s been smoke-free for 8 years.

Another friend of mine decided to quit recently as well. She bought a carton of cigarettes and one extra pack. She made one pack last for one day. The next day, she opened another pack, and made it last for two days. The next pack she opened lasted for three days, and so forth, until the last pack in the carton lasted for ten days. This, of course means that, for ten days, she was only smoking two cigarette per day. She made the extra pack last for twenty days, one per day. She kept it in the freezer, but the last few cigarettes had gotten stale enough anyway that they didn’t even taste right. She smoked the very last cigarette the day before her last birthday. If you couldn’t tell, she calculated and planned it that way. She did that so that, on her birthday, she could say she was starting fresh.

I really am rooting for you, and I hope that you don’t give in, but these methods were effective for my friends, so just in case you (or anyone else) needs them, there they are. Best of luck!

Veni, Vidi, Visa … I came, I saw, I bought.

franKIE! franKIE! franKIE!

I’m a smoker too. During the times that I have quit, I’ve found the most successful method (for me) is the patch. It does work, but that too takes will power.

If you’ve got any cigarettes in your home now, either get them out, or put them in a place that would be a real hassle for you to get to. That sometimes helps.

Good luck to ya!

Go Frankie! Go!

I know how it feels. Unfortunately, after three and a half years of “behaving” I started again. Damn! Anyways, here are a few suggestions:

  1. Move to California. Spend all of your waking time in public places, and then go home.
  2. Don’t think about it (and don’t tell me it is impossible to stop thinking, I know some people who regularly post messages in certain forums that are EXPERTS at it. He, he, he…)
  3. Tie your hands?

Seriously now, I don’t know what can really help you, but we all here support you (if even emotionally).

Go for it! Buena suerte!

Sycorax reminded me that there is something that helps. Most smokers have one or more activities during which they don’t really enjoy a smoke, but do it solely because they smoke. For me it is almost anything outside; it might be something else like reading for you. Assuming that the “I don’t enjoy smoking here” activity is less harmful than smoking, do more of it. It won’t cut the desire to zero, but it has helped me, and I just spent a week with my family (smokers and a source of stress).

You probably have already figured out that there are also one or more activities that make you want a smoke more than anything else in the world. Coffee, a great meal, being in a bar, whatever. Change, but don’t give them up. If you enjoy coffee, change to ice coffee or a frappaccino, etc. You’re already quitting smoking, so don’t try to compound it by giving up other things you enjoy.

And good luck again.

Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine

I don’t really have any advice to offer, but I’m rooting for you, Frankie! You can do it!