Tough road ahead - I am going to quit smoking. Any tips?

a reply to: Cabin

You aren't going to like it, but here it is. You need to stop, cold turkey, and find a reason, a good one, that will make you absolutely certain you don't ever want to smoke another cigarette again. For me it was cost. And to show how long ago it was, it was $5. I put a 16 ounce coke on the counter and asked for a pack of marlboro red in a box. She said, $5 and some change. I told her to keep the smokes, and I bought the coke and never picked up another. I know that if I ever pick up another, I'll smoke until I die. I don't want that. So I won't go back.

The same logic saved me from hard drugs as a kid. I was told by a good friend I trusted that if I ever tried the white stuff, I'd love it and not be able to stop, so I never tried it and have no idea what it's about. And I'm fine with that. it's all in your head and you HAVE to believe yourself and in yourself. Cheating is cheating on yourself. Know you can.

a reply to: Cabin

Vaping

I quit for a couple of years by doing Vaping and NAC.

a reply to: Cabin

I had been at two packs a day for over twenty years when I quit. I got sick, sick enough that I did not even want a smoke for almost a week. Once the crave came back I thought to myself, Ter, everyone says the toughest part is the first week or two so I figured I had that done already.

When the desire crept back I was fortunate to have a realization. That my smoking was not one large habit but rather a string of small habits . Getting in the car, sitting down at the bar, finishing dinner, climbing off a ladder. Commercials. Get the picture? All the little habits. That worked for me and made it much easier. All that was over thirty years ago. I wish it had been sooner. You can do this Cabin.

My husband was forced to quit smoking after bypass surgery three months ago, and he smoked 2 packs a day, puffing away every time I looked at him.
He did it cold turkey, bless him, and uses Tic Tacs as a substitute. But cranky and at a loss to fill that 'space' that smoking provides.
He was so 'snappy' that I finally bought a pack of his favorites and give him one cigarette every other day, which calms him down no end.

originally posted by: Cabin

My action plan is the following: I am on vacation (until 15.05) right now (without transport home) and the nearest store is 10 kilometers (6 km) away. At the moment, I have enough cigarettes to last 5 days, which means the last day I will be smoking will be on the 8th of May.

This is why you will not succeed this time, you are not ready mentally. You need to just quit, dont think about it, dont plan it out, just stop buying them, throw out the ones you have, crush them into dust with every fiber of your being and commit to it.

With that said i used to work in the e-cigarette industry. In the early years, small companies were effective as thier intent was to help people quit. as time passed, it just became another form of smoking addiction, now most vapes/e-cigs are manufactured by big tobacco and contain more nicotine than cigarettes.

If you can find, and are willing to learn and put the effort in, an e-cigarette that allows you to control and reduce the nicotine level to 0, may be a viable option but i will say that NONE of the ones at your local gas station/convenient store will help you quit.

The way i quit, it was a bet i made with my then 8 year old nephew, i lost and there was no way i was gonna go back on my promise. maybe something like this will help you also

truly wish you the best of luck!

I smoked for 50+ years. Quit many times to no avail. Twelve years ago I tried vaping, it worked! I gradually lowered the nicotine content down to zero then I quit vaping.

My in-laws were smokers for 30+ years. They took a trip to Boston to check out “ The mad Russian”. This guy helps to quit smoking , weight loss. In-laws never smoked again after that day.

My father in law said you could barely understand the little Russian guy but he came up to my FIL and grabbed his hands and said “ You will never smoke again” and he never has.

www.wickedlocal.com...

A week has passed since I started my journey to quit. It has been relatively easy so far, although I have succumbed to habits a few times. During the first 2 days, I vaped a bit. On the 3rd and 4th day, I met a friend and had a few cigarettes with him. I had forgotten to put on the patch in the morning and for some reason succumbed to the pressure. On Thursday I had 3 cigarettes and on Friday morning 1. Since then had none.

The cravings are relatively easy so far. They mostly come during the morning and after meals. I wear the strongest nicotine path and generally have 4-5 nicotine gums per day. Yesterday, I was back to work. I still went outside every once in a while due to habit, although did not smoke, but did breathing exercises or just talked to smokers. I had no need for a cigarette. In addition, I try to drink lots of water and try to drink less coffee.

I was significantly more afraid of the quitting, although I feel like there has been a click in me and I simply do not need cigarettes anymore. I am still a nicotine addict, but the cravings are becoming less frequent and are easy to tolerate. I am already getting used to the feeling of being a non-smoker. So happy, that I took this step.