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Quitting Cigarettes

yanksfan

yanksfan

Member
Joined
May 31, 2007
Messages
345
After 34 years of smoking cigarettes I've decided to give quitting a real honest effort. Today was chosen because of personal reasons. I've tried before, but really only half-assed attempts. This time I'm determined. It's also a good time because I won't be smoking cigars or the pipe for a while. Gave both up for Lent.
Decided to go with the patch. Haven't tried it before. Figured I needed something even if just for the psychological edge. Cold turkey never worked. Longest I made was 2 days.
If there are any BOTL's who have kicked the nasty habit, I would love to hear from you. Any info, ideas, methods. Whatever may have worked for you.
 
yanksfan said:
After 34 years of smoking cigarettes I've decided to give quitting a real honest effort. Today was chosen because of personal reasons. I've tried before, but really only half-assed attempts. This time I'm determined. It's also a good time because I won't be smoking cigars or the pipe for a while. Gave both up for Lent.
Decided to go with the patch. Haven't tried it before. Figured I needed something even if just for the psychological edge. Cold turkey never worked. Longest I made was 2 days.
If there are any BOTL's who have kicked the nasty habit, I would love to hear from you. Any info, ideas, methods. Whatever may have worked for you.
Click to expand...

Be strong, brother!
 
When I stopped cigarettes, the doc gave me Zyban.
Kept on smoking as I was and then one day, I just tossed half a pack in the trash and did not care for them any more.
 
Look for something to help the oral stimulus of cigarettes. Chew on a toothpick or something of the likes. It will help you in those times that many people smoke when they are bored.
 
I have been cigarette free for about 5 months now after about 20 years of 2 packs a day. I also couldn't quit for more than 2 days in that whole time. I did it with the help of the new drug Chantix, it works amazingly well. I took it for about 2 weeks and just noticed that I was smoking about half as much, then I wasn't smoking at all. No madness, no stress. Some minor side affects from the Chantix, like crazy dreams but other than that it was super easy with that stuff.

Al
 
I'm at 1 year and about a month smoke free! Stick with it, the first month is the hardest! Good luck!
 
I smoked cigs. for over 40yrs before I finally quit 3 yrs ago. I was up to three packs a day when I stopped. I tried everything, including the patch. The gum eventually did the trick for me. I went smoke free for a year before I began smoking cigars again. You need lots of support from your family. It's going to be as hard on them as it is on you. Just ask my wife.Try to avoid coffee and alcohol, they make you weak. Good luck and try to remember quiting isn't easy and it takes practice. So, if you screw up, don't let it get you down. Just try again.

Doc.
 
Chantix. I work in a hospital and TONS of the people I work with have quit on it.

But you fart when taking it.

A lot.

And no, I'm not kidding.
 
puffstuff said:
I have been cigarette free for about 5 months now after about 20 years of 2 packs a day. I also couldn't quit for more than 2 days in that whole time. I did it with the help of the new drug Chantix, it works amazingly well. I took it for about 2 weeks and just noticed that I was smoking about half as much, then I wasn't smoking at all. No madness, no stress. Some minor side affects from the Chantix, like crazy dreams but other than that it was super easy with that stuff.

Al
Click to expand...


I just quit for the third time seriously, about a month ago after 1 - 1 1/2 packs/day for about 12 or 13 yrs. So far so good. I quit cold turkey but it is difficult at first. Experts say that it takes 21 days to break a habit. There's definitely something to it because the first time I quit, before I had even heard that, I remember it took almost exactly 3 weeks for the cravings to stop. If you can just struggle through that 3 week window I find it gets considerably easier after that. As stated, keeping something to chew on whether it be gum, hard candy or toothpicks is the key. I know several people who've had incredible success with Chantix. Everyone I know who has taken it has quit smoking and to date has not started back. In fact, the results are so encouraging that they're are actually going to begin studies using Chantix to treat other addictions like gambling and alcohol.

It is tough as hell, but be strong..... and just remember that there are others of us going through it right along with you.


DeVonn
 
Cold turkey....that's how I stopped. Then started taking Tic-Tacs and Eclipse chewing gum for the oral support.

I was once told by a guy about quitting any habit...it takes 3 days to change a habit. Just think of it as the "3 Day Hump".

Good Luck.
 
My cousin would grab a cinnamon sticks when he felt the urge. Wierd but I guess it fills that need to have something in your hand. Plus your breathe will smell nice. My fiance used some prescription (forget the name) from her doctor but gave her wierd dreams and some side effects. I've had luck of changing your routine (smoking after a meal, drive to and from work, etc..) by doing something else *(chew gum, cinnamon stick, flavored toothpick). Be strong bro.

*edit to add
 
I quit almost a year ago (late Feb. 2007). I was surprised it worked as I went cold turkey.

I was visiting some friends in California and went out for drinks one night. I smoked so much on that night out that the next day the thought of a cigarette turned my stomach. I never looked back. Eating black licorice also helped me squash urges over the following months.

I've even had a few smokes since then and the urge has never returned. Granted, I was a relatively light smoker (1-2 cigarettes a day), so I don't think my nicotine addiction was too hard to conquer. Now that I've picked up the cigar hobby, I doubt I'll ever be a cigarette smoker again. It's like going from drinking fine Cabernets to chugging Cisco.
 
April will be three years since I quit smoking cigarettes. he doctor gave me Zyban and that stuff worked amazing, you take the pills for 14 days while you smoke, then you just stop smoking on day 15 and continue taking the pills. I only contiinued the pills for another week and then i stopped even then. I think the trick is to really want to quit.

Good Luck
 
Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words. It means alot. Support is very important I understand. Hardest part for me will be first thing in the morning with coffee. Or anytime with coffee for that matter. Alcohol's not a problem. 19 months sober :D .
Once again, thanks to all.
 
I smoked for a hundred years (seemed like), then just quit cold turkey about fifteen years ago. No meds, just toothpicks and hard candy. The trick for me was exercise. I had urges and instead of sitting on my arse, I'd get up and take a jog, lift weights, ride my bike, etc. Of course taking it slowly at first. Just a few minutes of exercise dissipated the urge completely. I actually started martial arts and months later was in the greatest shape of my life. Unfortunately I quit all that and started back smoking again and am completely out of shape now. :D Good positive story wasn't it? :laugh: :p

Of course, regardless of what you do, it will be a mental change you have to make and STICK TO IT. If you can make it through a week of no smoking...food will start to taste better, smells will start to smell better, and you'll start clearing out all that crud in you lungs helping you just feel better. I'm sure you've read up on all the information about after quitting for so long, you'll be back to where it was like you never smoked at all.

The best part (other than good health/hygiene) was that positive feeling you have every day that passes that you didn't light up.
 
I kicked the habit after nearly 8 years of smoking (yeah I know I'm only 22) with the Chantix pill. The thing is crazy, you take it for two weeks and keep smoking during those two week then stop smoking and keep taking it for another two weeks and bam! You've quit.
 
puffstuff said:
I have been cigarette free for about 5 months now after about 20 years of 2 packs a day. I also couldn't quit for more than 2 days in that whole time. I did it with the help of the new drug Chantix, it works amazingly well. I took it for about 2 weeks and just noticed that I was smoking about half as much, then I wasn't smoking at all. No madness, no stress. Some minor side affects from the Chantix, like crazy dreams but other than that it was super easy with that stuff.

Al
Click to expand...

The local morning radio host quit using Chantix and said it worked quite well also, but he had some wild dreams, too. Made for entertaining listening on the drive to work, though. :laugh:

Best of luck on quitting, Yanksfan!
 
I quit after 30 years with Chantix. It cost about 100 bucks a month but that was alot cheaper than what I was spending smoking. I quit last June. I started smoking a cigar a day about a month after I quit and still don't want to smoke cigarettes. Chantix dose make it easy to quit but you still have to want to quit.

Good luck you can do it.
 
Not to mention cigarettes destroy your pallete and make's it hard to taste the COMPLETE cigar. I.E. makes it harder to pick up some of the underlying tastes.

Reguardless, I wish you luck...I've lost some people very close to me due to cigarettes. To me, that was motivation enough. You know the CP community is here to help whenever you need it my BOTL!

Take Care,
-Jake
 
Good luck in your effort to quit. I agree with the exercise/movement theory as well. Even if it is a 10 minute walk, a certain amount of neurotransmitters (norepinephrine and dopamine I think) will be activated that send pleasure signals to your brain. Pretty much the same thing that happens with the first draw of a cigarette. Stay strong. Soon you will get to be a self righteous ex-smoker that waves your hand in front of your face and fake coughs when you encounter others' smoke. The smell you realize will be atrocious. Don't make it a daunting task, just cope with the urge that is in the present until it passes in whatever way works for you. Exercise, meditate, take a shower, masturbate, etc. We are all on your side!
 
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