Wanting to Quit Cigs!

I quit a little over two years ago after smoking for 20 years. I got on the oprah website and got on their support board for quitting smoking after seeing a show on quitting smoking. There I found a reccomendation to a book called, The Easy Way To Stop Smoking, by Allen Carr. It really helped me a lot, I read the whole book and followed the directions in the book and I had a successful quit the first time I tried. Both the book and the support board were huge in my success. You can do it! Best of luck in becoming smoke free :)

My husband and I used Chantix and haven't smoked in 3 years. My brother also used it and it worked for him as well. You can smoke the 1st week on the medicine and then quit after your dosage doubles that 2nd week. While on it if you want a cigarette and you have one you don't feel anything that you normally would while smoking so it's like, why bother because you just taste the smoke and it doesn't taste as good as it does when you get the other side effects from the nicotine. It is expensive if your insurance doesn't cover it but worth every penny because it is successful for people who truly want to quit. You have to get a prescription from a doctor as well but if you know your doctor they can probably just call in a prescription for you. Your dentist or a nurse practitioner from a minute clinic at Walgreens or CVS could prescribe it too if you met with them for this. It's probably $160 for a 3 month supply. They say you need 6 months but I ended up getting off it early (after 2 months) because I got pregnant. Side effects I had were gas/upset stomach on occasion and crazy dreams (not nightmares though).

T., just wanted to wish you good luck. I have never smoked personally, but know of a few people who have had luck with Chantix. If you decide to go that route, or whatever route you go try to do a reward system for you. Maybe put what you would have spent on a pack of cigarettes in a jar and then after a month or 2 see how much you could save a year by not smoking, and then take that money and reward yourself with a spa day or something that you really would enjoy. I knew a guy who figured out how much he was spending a year in cigarettes and that is all it took for him to quit.
GOOD LUCK and I hope and pray you kick it!!!!

I smoked for 18 years (I'm 31) and had the same problem everytime I'd try to quit (go without for 2-3 days and then have another smoke). I tried the Chantix pills. I didn't complete the program (my insurance didn't cover much and they are very expensive), I only took the pills for 3 weeks, but I've gone over 2 months without a smoke (my hubby still smokes and most everyone we're related to does, in the case of my in-laws they smoke INSIDE the house which was a joy for Xmas dinner) and the smell makes me want to puke. All I needed was a little help making it over the 3 day hump. I still think I want one, but not for the nicotine or the taste, just because I did it ALL the time for sooooo long. My dad quit 24 years ago with accupunture and hypnotherapy. You just have to find what works for you. And have someone to talk to about it. Hope this helps!

I did the same thing--quit while I was pregnant, then started back up after--twice!!! When I finally decided that I really wanted to be done, I took Chantix. It is pills that you take for three months, and what they do is block those receptors in your brain that make smoking enjoyable. You begin taking Chantix a week before your quit date, and (for most people) you are ready to stop even before day 7. It makes smoking not enjoyable. You literally don't want to smoke. I once snuck a cig from my sister a month later, and threw it out after two puffs, it was that gross!! My insurance didn't cover it, and it runs about $120 for a month supply, but that was what I was spending on cigs. 2 1/2 years later, I am still smoke free (even though it took my husband another 2 years to quit!)
As for the habit, and keeping your hands busy, I found that cutting a straw down to cigarette size was a good way to simulate having a cig. You can then play with and hold it, and even take (clean air) drags if you need too.
Good luck, and remember--don't "try" to quit. Tell yourself that you are now an EX-smoker!!

Good for you, T.!! This is the single best thing you can do for yourself, and your kid(s). The fact that you can go 2 days already means that you're already on your way. I used Zyban, which is a prescription, and it worked great for me. It takes a couple weeks to kick in, but it cuts down a lot on the cravings. I remember, after being on it a few weeks, I would light a cigarette and then not even want to finish it. It also helps to have something else to chew on to help with the oral fixation. For me, it was sunflower seeds (in the seed), which really keep the mouth busy. Also hard candy. I also avoided all bars and smoky restaurants for a while, and even people who smoked, until I got over the big hump. GOOD LUCK!! You can do it!

Hi T.!

I'm a 34 year old mom who has had on and off battles with smoking and quitting. The best suggestion that I can give you is to find something to replace smoking with. I highly recommend exercise. It might sound cheesy, but it worked for me. Just think, when a person quits smoking, most of the time there is a slight weight gain. If you exercise twice a day, you can avoid gaining weight and do something good for your lungs/body. Besides, if you really exercise hard, your body just won't want or need a cigarette. The first couple of weeks will be rough, but after that you should be fine (and lookin' fine too!) Hope this helps. There's never an easy way to quit, but if you're really trying to quit, this just might work for you. Good luck!

It took me several times, but the patch was what finally helped me quit. It cut down the worst of the cravings. I'd also tried the gum, hypnosis, cold turkey, cutting down, but the patch was the one smoking cessation aid that really made a difference. I also had to avoid certain triggers. If there are specific places, times, or situations in which you smoke (e.g., when you drink, on your porch, with a specific friend), avoid those as much as you can until you're confident you've kicked the habit.

"They" say that all the nicotine has left your system after three days, so if you can go that long, it's not the nicotine you're craving anymore. At that point, it's habitual, so you need to fight the urge to go through the motions of smoking. One thing that might help: picture every time you exhale smoke that you're actually blowing it in your child's face.

Also try positive reinforcement. Think of all the money that you'll save not buying cigarettes. If you can go a certain amount of time without smoking, buy yourself something as a reward with the money you would have spent on smoking.

Good luck! Quitting smoking was so tough for me, but it's so worth it.

I was able to quit with Champix. Its a persciption that you get from your doctor. Its unlike the patch or the gum because your not just replacing the way you intake your nicotine. Your actually blocking the nicotine receptors in your brain. You can smoke for the first two weeks that your on it, while your body is adjusting. By the second week the cigarettes start to taste really bad and make you nausious. So you actually dont want to smoke. For me it worked very well because it takes away the physical craving. The mental craving is somthing you need to be ready to deal with on your own.

There are many reasons people continue to turn to smoking and its all to avoid our feelings: boredom, anxiety, worry, anger, fear, etc. In 2- 3 sessions with a hypnotist you will learn effective tools to manage your stress levels and to let go of unwanted habits like smoking.

T.,

Good luck. I quit in 1993 before a lot of stuff you could get OTC. I found for me drinking lots of water, sucking on hard candies and always being busy with my hands. I will say I still crave a cigarette after a really good meal, but I have not smoked since 1993. I also started taking classes like knitting, cake decorating anything to keep me busy and keep my mind off things. My mother died of colon cancer, which is why I stop a couple of months after her death. I did it to honor her. One day I just woke up and said no more. So I hope you can find something to motivate you. I tried several times and I always went back to smoking. Maybe if you do a chart something you can look at everyday, or have your kids start a count up chart. I know if I can look at something it helps keep me focused.

Good luck! I know you can do it!

K.

Pray
And reward yourself when you go a whole week/ 2weeks/ etc.
Remind yourself of all the reasons why you will quit ( it may be good to write them down).
Get support from other, positive people, too!

the best advise i have is, get lots of sucky candy, suckers, etc. Dont plan on leaving the house (least that was the hard part for me, driving/of course witout kids in car) for the weekend, and drink lots of water, antitoxins and keep busy. GEtting over the 3rd day is the hardest, but after that its just being strong. You can do it!!!!

I quit smoking before i got pregnant with my son. He is now 2 1/2 so i have been smoke free for a little over 3 years now. Here is what i did. First you have to be truley ready to be done smoking. If you still want to smoke you will probably have a harder time, but if you know you want to be done then it may be easier. I did not quit cold turkey. I cut back a little at a time. I would cut back to only a certain number a day for a week or so and then go less and less. After a couple months i would only smoke if i was drinking. Then once i was ok with that i stopped buying them and when i drank if i wanted one i would have to ask someone for one. Then once i was pregnant and didnt go out it was way easier. Dont get me wrong i still get the urge for one at times but i have never given in. The urge goes away soon enough and now when i go out i dont even think about it, and the smell of them make me gag now. Everyone is different with what works for them. Some can do cold turkey, some the nicotine patches, etc but i found just cutting back and sticking to it worked for me. The first couple weeks are the hardest. Once your through that its not so bad. Just stay away from people who smoke and drinking, etc for a while till you can handle being around it without giving in to smoke. Good luck, i hope you are able to quit soon!! You will feel a thousand times better once you do!

I see someone else mentioned the electronic cigarettes. My husband has been smoking for years. He tried the patches, tried Chantix, and tried cold turkey. None of those worked, he always went back to smoking. He's now trying the e-cig called "Blu" He loves it, but he still has a real cig sometimes. Baby steps! haha

Not sure if that's what you really need or not, but we do recommend the Blu if you want to try an e-cig.

But since you can already go a couple days without smoking, perhaps you can slowing try increasing that to going 3 days without, then 4, 5, etc.

Another idea is to get an envelope or piggy bank and every time you want to go out and buy more cigs, put the money you would spend on them in that envelope/bank. If you can make it x number of weeks or whatever, then you could use the money to treat yourself and your family to a prize! :)

Congrats on deciding to quit! It really is up to YOU. You are the only one who can decide to quit & stick with it. You must do it for yourself & no one else!

Hi T.,

Cigarettes are addictive because of the chemicals they are laced with. I rented some farm land out to a tobacco farmer and wasn't even allowed to go near the land after they had sprayed. The farmers will tell you that the gases are lethal....so of course they are dangerous if you are smoking them.

What I have found is you need to detox your body. That means extra fiber, exercise, an absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex and a lot of water. The reason that most pregnant woman don't have a lot of desire to smoke is because they are looking at their body for their baby. Now you need to look at your body for you. The things I mentioned are the same things you do when you are pregnant. It does work. I have walked quite a few people through this and they will attest to it.

Hope I helped!

M.

I've been smoke free fro 10 weeks now. I used the mints from nicorette. They helped with the cravings. They don't taste so hot but better than the gum. Just keep trying and don't be so hard on yourself.. take things day by day.

Try using cinnamon. Buy cinnamon mouthwashing and toothpaste and gum. When you brush use the cinnamon mouthwash and toothpaste. When you get a craving chew the cinnamon gum. I don't know exactly why, but the cinammon makes the taste of smoking terrible and from what I''ve heard very undesirable. I've also heard drinking OJ along with this helps. I've never smoked, but I've heard this works and is cheaper than nicorett and all those gums and patches and things. Good Luck! Keep up the fight!

I too am in your boat.... I live in Texas and we have something called the electronic cigarette.... not sure if they sell them in IL.... Everyone that has used them has quite smoking.... I have not personally tried them but hear good things about it. My "smoking buddy" at work just bought one last weekend. I am going to see how it works for it and if it does help her quite I will go buy one. You might want to look it up online and read about it. Hope this helps!

as with any habit, part of the problem is ritual. you're used to having that cig in your hand, your mouth, tamping the pack, flicking the lighter. find something that can be used in place of the cig. like a wooden cig, a candy cig, a stick, you get the idea!! just going thru the ritual can really help. pretend you're smoking. go ahead and fire up that candy cig, have a nice drag, enjoy! you'll be surprised at how your brain reacts, it really reduces the psychological aspect. of course, you'll still have to deal with the physical withdrawal but weaning from the psychological helps too!!! good luck!