Two packs a day for ten years. Then I quit one day in the middle of cigarette. It took three years for the cravings to finally quit completly, I have something of an addictive personality. It really helped that Ms Hook didn’t smoke. Probably the hardest thing I ever did.
I actually found it remarkably easy as I’ve always been an erratic smoker. There have been times in my life when I’ve been a 2 pk a day girl and others when I’ve only smoked socially. One day I just decided to quit altogether. I didn’t have any problems and haven’t wanted one since.
If I was going to recommend a method of quitting, I would have to say cut down in strength and number over a period of time; then when you are happily down to just one or two a day, stop. You really must have a genuine desire to quit successfully, it takes a great deal of discipline and willpower. I’m not sure the reason you gave will be a strong enough incentive. but then I’m not a 21 yr old guy. 
After spending $100 on hypnosis, taking Zyban for a year, using the patches for six months, and the gum for nearly as long with no success, I was finally able to quit using Smoke Away – (the stuff they advertise on television).
In fact, I had only taken the Smoke Away for three days and had no anxiety over “not having a pack of cigarettes.” That used to bother me; I would have to go buy a pack if I was down to five cigarettes.
Oh, and this would have been my 13th year of smoking had I continued. Granted, it’s only been six weeks since my last cigarette, but in those six weeks I’ve had a house deal fall through, work stress has intensified by 10 times, and my brother has moved around the world on a 10-year job contract. Not the easiest of times, but I’ve managed to get by without the nicotene. And I have no intentions of buying any more-- especially after I’ve seen what a difference quitting makes in my checkbook.
After two tries with cold turkey, I tried the Switch Down and Quit Method. It just made sense to me and it worked like a champ. Haven’t had a cigarette in 14 years. I still get the urge every once in a while, though.
I was a member in good standing of the '60s. I smoked from age 13 to 23, Camels (unfiltered). The first time I dropped acid I must have smoked too much, because my body couldn’t stand the ciggies. I just quit effortlessly – no cravings, no nothing. Bang, gone!
I quit cold turkey 13.5 years ago.
IMHO it’s all about getting it through your head that if you have even one puff of another cigarette, you are going to end up a smoker again. You are not going to be able to have “just this one”, or restrict your smoking to particular times of the day, days of the week, events, etc. It’s finally learning to understand and accept this fact that has kept me from lighting up again, no matter how tempted I get (and God, do I still get tempted).
Do whatever you need to do to break yourself of the physical habit - patches, hypnosis, cold turkey, whatever - but it’s the psychological bit that will ultimately make or break you.
My quitting method. First was trying Zyban/wellbutrin. My insurance would not cover Zyban, so my doc says , “well, I need to diagnose you as clinically depressed to give you the wellbutrin”, along with multiple samples of Zyban.
My urge to smoke went to nothing, for a while. I hadn’t set a DATE yet so I kept smoking, less for sure. A friend of mine decided that the time I decided to stop smoking was a good time for him to get cancer all over most of his important organs, drag it out for several months and then die, hence I gave up. Knowing the power of the Zyban I later on set a date (I honestly believe this is the key) several months ahead. I didn’t tell anybody until the day before my quit date. I knew how the wellbutrin/Zyban worked so I started taking that crap again 7 days before my date and kept it up until 7 days after. It was absolute hell, the first day I chewed gum so hard I couldn’t eat for three days because my jaw was so sore. I did bum one the first day I quit late at night, next day I had three, third day (I was at a WINSTON cup race) I bummed two, 4th day, I bummed one under the bleachers of the dirt track at Charlotte motor speedway. That was my last smoke ever. I still get a craving occastionally, but it passes quickly, I just beat it with Budweiser and Crown Royal. Was I better off before ??
I shouldn’t be in this thread because I quit smoking only three days ago, and simply reading all these stories makes me want a cigarette. Actually, my last cigarette was Friday, March 12 at about 5:15 p.m. I think I’m at three and a half days.
I decided to quit in January. I did a lot of homework first. I surfed many sites about quitting smoking, including quitnet. I read a really great book which had loads of good advice. At that time I was at a pack a day, maybe 1.5 packs a day, for the last 15 years. Note that, according to Amazon, there are about 25,000 books on quitting smoking.
First I changed brands to a lower tar/lower nicotine cigarette.
Next, I cut out the “second smoke.” You know, you’re taking a break from something for a smoke, you have five more minutes so you smoke another one.
Then I made myself wait two hours until the next smoke.
Then I quit smoking in the car.
Then I quit taking smoke breaks at work.
I started walking 30 minutes a day. I’m now doing yoga 5 days a week.
Finally I got down to about 3-5 smokes a day and decided it was just stupid to smoke that little.
This has all been made infinitely easier since I started taking Wellbutrin, which I started in February. I do not feel cravings but I miss certain smokes, like the one in the morning with my coffee, or the one right after work when I take the dogs out. I’ve found if I just wait a few minutes and try to fill that time with something else, the urge passes and I forget all about it again.
I’m doing well and convinced that I will remain a non-smoker forever. Many people may say to you, “you have to want to quit.” That’s bullshit. You’ll never want to quit. You just need to find a good reason for yourself.
A few words about the book I linke to above:
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It talks about how you must put together a support network before you even try. Also bullshit. I live alone and work with non-smokers. I have a few friends but in one case, her version of support is to ridicule me for my methods by telling me that the Wellbutrin is not working and it’s all in my head and I should just grow a spine and quit cold turkey. (I think that’s a shock to your system and potentially dangerous. Great if it worked for you, but that was never going to work for me.) Another friend’s version of support is to not discuss it or bring up any topic remotely related to smoking – I think he doesn’t want to remind me about how I’m quitting or something. Forget the support. Make a plan, find reasons to stick to it and don’t bother discussing it with others, lest you find yourself, like me, disappointed with your “support network.”
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The book interviewed a couple hundred former smokers and asked them what worked, what didn’t, what smokers need to hear, what we don’t need to hear. (Wait a minute! I’m not a smoker now!) It’s a good book. A tidbit that interested me was something like 65% of the successful quitters attributed their success to adopting a regular exercise program. I must recommend this as it’s helping me. The more your lungs heal, the more you can exercise. The more you exercise, the better shape you’re in, the better you feel, and you feel like smoking less because you don’t want to ruin the good progress you’ve made in healing your body. Of course, YMMV.
I think the most important thing is to make up a plan that will work for you, based on everything you read and hear about what other ex-smokers did to quit. And give yourself permission for this to take months or weeks or whatever time frame you feel comfortable with. I didn’t set a quit date until I just didn’t feel like buying cigarettes anymore. I said to myself, “when these are gone, that’s it”.
That said, I kept one cigarette for an emergency. I don’t want to go out and buy a whole pack, because then I’ll smoke it. I was saving it up for a special ritual, “last cigarette” and when the time came, I didn’t feel like smoking it. So it sits in the kitchen drawer, mocking me. I look at it and refuse to smoke it. “F*&# you, cigarette. You’re not going to beat me this time!”
The other most important thing is to change your mindset. Watch non-smokers to see how they kill five minutes and find out what they do with their hands. (I play with rubber bands now.)
Finally, a word to the poster who asked if there’s anything he/she can say to a loved one to get them to quit smoking. You can say, “I love you and I’m worried about your health. If there’s anything I can do to help you quit, I’ll be happy to.” And STOP RIGHT THERE. Do not nag. Do not pester. Do not roll your eyes every time said loved one goes to smoke. Do not be passive aggressive and leave little articles about how terrible smoking is. Do not manipulate or use guilt. Any of these actions will only cause resentment and the smoker you love will continue to smoke to spite you. I have exactly zero patience for people who are either trying to spread guilt around or are simply intolerant or unsupportive. Hey, smoking is an addiction. Treat it like your loved one has a medical condition (because they do).
That’s probably plenty of advice from me. E-mails of encouragement and congratulations are highly welcome. Given how lousy my friends are at supporting me, I could use some positive thoughts from my fellow Dopers. But if I don’t get any and nobody ever “supports” me in the way I think they should – I am NOT going to use that as an excuse to start smoking again. (That’s why I think the whole support thing is a load of crap; it just gives you an excuse to fail if you’re looking for one.)