Quitting smoking: any tips?

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Well, I've decided to quit smoking (yes, yes, I know, I should have never begun), and I was wondering if there were any ex-smokers here who could possibly pass a few things that worked for them my way. I wish to quit this bad habit.

 

1) Simply stop
2) Tell all your friends and relatives that under no circumstances are they to give you a cig no matter how much you beg grovel or threaten.
3) Retire to a hermitage. That way you won't kill the above because they didn't give you a cig.

Seriously: Good luck.

 

Both my husband and I were able to successfully quit about 4 years ago. We both waited until we had one of those horrible horrible colds that smokers get. When you feel that crappy it is easier not to smoke for a few days. After you get past the first couple of days then the quitting is a little easier. Anyway, it worked.

 

The key is to get away -- far away -- from anything that reminds you of smoking. Your clothes, your furniture, even your bed sheets smell of cigarettes. You're probably so used to it that you don't notice (unless you visit a non-smoker's house -- ah, fresh air!).

That smell is a constant reminder of cigarettes which makes it very hard to resist the temptation to smoke.

The solution? Launder all your clothes, your bed sheets, heck even shampoo your carpet and rugs. Option B is to move into a new house, but that's probably out of the question.

 

Wel, not being a smoker (ex- or otherwise), I can't speak from personal experience. But from the many (and I do mean many) former smokers I know, wanting to kick a bad habit is half the battle. So as long as you're serious about wanting to quit, you'll find a way. But if you're only going to go into it half-heartedly, you are probably doomed for failure.

 

Sir Fink's suggestion is excellent but I would add to it take a week retreat to a non-smoking place of your choice. After doing all the cleaning Sir Fink suggested.

Of course Splunge is correct if you are half-hearted don't even bother.

 

Well, here it goes - I'm out of cigars. I can't believe I've been smoking this crap since I'm 17... it's more than time to put an end to this. Fortunatly I can count on both my love and my brother (who are both non-smokers) to help me along the way. I've got a hold of a boatload of chewing gum and toothpicks... that should help resist the cravings.

The battle is on... and I'm not fighting it to lose.

 

From my experience with smokers, it looks like you really need to want to drop it and you had better not start eating things instead. You don't want to exchange one addiction for another and you don't want to put on twenty pounds in the process of giving up smoking. I suppose with any addiction the key is to make either a radical step or a series of smaller steps but no tiny breaks when you feel like it. Perhaps remembering how miserable you felt indulging in addiction will help you survive the misery of withdrawal.

 

Another thing DoTW. Remember if you do fall off the wagon (it sometimes happens when you are quitting such a powerful addiction) that you can climb right back on that hay wagon. Just keep trying and you will perservere. I think it took us at least three or four tries but we finally did it and haven't touched a cigarette in a looong time.

 

@Chev: Well, the chewing gum is sugarfree. That and the toothpicks are basically just a help for now - I'll gradually reduce gum chewing and toothpick gnawing until the toughest part is through - I must admit I'm having some powerful urges - but it's bearable. Since this afternoon, I passed through half a pack of gum, and gnawed on like 10 toothpicks. It's hard - but I won't fail.

 

If you get bored you could alway try browsing internet pictures of rotten diseased lungs. That might be fun for you.

 

Okay, here's my advice. Take it or ignore it as you like.

Big key is you are NOT *quitting* smoking. You are *stopping*. It makes it easier to say, 'I stopped smoking' to friends and family who will otherwise beat you with a dead mackerel when you get busted smoking again. I *stopped* smoking 3 1/2 years ago. If someone offered me a decent cigarette right now, I'd light up.

You *will* pick up smoking while you 'stopped'. It's natural. Smoking is an *addiction*, no matter what others tell you. Your friends and/or family won't 'stop' smoking because you did. You can either not be around other smokers or just mingle with them in that white, wispy cloud and identify who's smoking what by the smell in the air.

Gum is okay to substitute for cigs. I chew sugar-free when possible. Toothpicks if you can get them work better.

Personally, I have an oral fixation. When you can figure out *why* you started smoking all those years ago (to be cool, it was free, seemed like a good idea, etc.), you'll see the underlying factor(s) of why you continued to smoke. Chewing on anything works for me, though food is a problem.

 

@kuemp: I'm having both the sugarfree gum (Dentyne Tango, mmm, passion fruit) and the toothpicks as well - they're my constant companions.

And as for the reason which motivated me to start smoking... I have pinpointed it to a party, many, many years ago... it was a friend of mine which handed me a big cuban cigar in one of our unnumerable partys, and that, for some obscure reason, I actually liked it, and it begun to be a trademark in partys, and eventually, in my daily life. What I have liked of smoking, I don't know - it's plainly disgusting, and I do intend to get rid of that. Of course I might fall back along the way - but perseverance is my motto.

 

Don't make it a big battle you 'have' to win, DotW. Quitting has a negative conotation nowadays and, if you don't like to be a failure, really messes with your head when you say 'quitting' smoking (or anything). Keep telling yourself and others that you are *stopping* smoking. Stopping doesn't imply you're a complete looser.

 

Yes, mistress, this servant shall say *stop* smoking from now on...

No, but seriously... there's far more positive in *stopping* smoking... Better for my health, goes without saying, better for the finances, in fact, with the spare cash I intend to buy a spankin'new Blackberry, and maybe treat myself to a trip in Mexico at the end of my studies. Having projects helps in *stopping* smoking, I have been told.

 

Just stop. There is not much more to it. Just challenge yourself to stop. If you lose, you prove to yourself that you are weak minded.

 

Money is a good motivator. Do the math of how much you've spent on smoking in your life, and how much more you'd spend if you kept doing it. It tallies up to a nasty amount, and just think about what else you could do with that money...

Also like others have said, if you slip, it's just a setback you can overcome, it's not a final failure. A friend of mine tried to stop, went on without smoking for more than a month, but when he slipped, he gave up completely and started smoking daily. "Well I tried to quit but couldn't." That's just BS.

You'll succeed, I don't doubt that for a second.

 

Well, keeping track of all the money I spent would be kind of hard, since in the first two years, I wouldn't smoke regularly... but I can make a total for the last three years... let's see... a box of cigars costs me $40, and I pass through it in two weeks and a half, for the means of the calculation, we'll say that I pass two boxes per month. So that would be 80$ per month, multiplied by 12 months, equals 960 bucks. In the three years I smoked, this represents 2880 bucks. That's MORE than enough for a new Blackberry and a trip in Mexico.

Anyhoo, it's my second day as a non-smoker, and it's not so bad. The urges are strong, but bearable. The chewing gum and the toothpicks are definitively helpful here. The fact that my bro is a non-smoker makes it much easier. My love and in-laws also helps me as much as they can. Support also makes it easier.

 

Never smoked myself, but heard that it might be a good idea to find something to replace it. A buddy of mine used sweets, so every time he wanted a smoke, he would take a cookie instead.

 

Money is the biggie for me. Don't carry any cash or cards and you won't be able to buy any cigarettes. Just looking at how much cigarettes cost and how much it would add up to in a year would be enough to make me run a mile from a smoke. You could buy a new PC every year for the same money as you'd spend on cigarettes!