No Smoking--Cessation Support?

Due to the recent hike in cig prices, my husband and I have just quit smoking.

I've heard a lot of people around here mention using the price increase to, ah, motivate this kind of change and felt we needed a... support group! Yeah!

Or just a thread to rant in. Or be silly. Don't care, really--my coping method is chatterboxing, hubby's is to be silent, you can see the difficulty here, yes? :bash:

SO!

Any takers? Share your stories and commisterararate, or sump'n like that... I'm 24 hrs in right now, The Land of Hard Withdrawals.


[edit on 4-4-2009 by quitebored]

[edit on 4-4-2009 by quitebored]
Admin Edit: corrected spelling.

[edit on 4-4-2009 by Crakeur]

Hi quitebored.

I need to quit and after many failed attempts I understand how hard it is.

I wish you and your husband the best of luck. You guys will be able to go throught it together which might make it easier.

Rush

reply to post by quitebored


drink lots of water. I read somewhere once, a long time ago, that water somehow reduces the physical need/desire.

If you have kids, put a picture of them in your bag or pocket where the smokes are usually found. Then, when you find yourself reaching for them (you will, it happens), you'll be reminded why you stopped.

If you don't have kids, your spouse's picture will work (provided you want to live a long and healthy life with them).

Keep a running total of how much you've saved. money is a hell of a motivator. Perhaps open a savings account that consists of money not spent on smokes. Each day, take the cigarette money and deposit it. The ritual of depositing the money will replace the ritual of buying the smokes and the account balance will provide you with ample reason to stay away from the smokes.


After a week you'll start noticing how much everyone who smokes reeks of the stuff. your jackets will remind you of it and that smell will provide additional reason to stay away.

For what it's worth:
94 days smoke free, over $1,000 not wasted on the sticks.

I'm goin on 5 yrs now and I absolutly couldn't do it cold turkey.
But it was easy with the patch and this....www.youtube.com...

reply to post by Crakeur


Good ideas.

I bought a couple of cartons before the tax went into effect, and now I am seriously considering those to be my last.

It is a nasty habit, but that's all it is for me now: a habit. I don't feel the "need" to smoke.....it's just something I do. I don't get crazy when I can't smoke, but when I can, it isn't an urge. It's just habit.....takes up some time, gives me something to do with my hands (oral fixation kind of thing), and is just always there.

I don't know if the fact that it is a habit will make it easier or harder to quit.

reply to post by skeptic1


the habit aspect is, for some, harder to ditch than the physical side of things.

for me it was a nice dose of both. I set my date (1/1) so that, mentally, I was prepared for it and that was it.

Oddly enough, the most difficult moments have come more out of the habit side than the physical side. the first few days without them were not that bad but tonight, after dinner, when my wife and I are walking home, that smoke will be missed.

I think the physical and the mental side of the addiction really run hand in hand. I might think "this is when I'd normally have a smoke" because of habit but the habit is, primarily, that part of the brain that still longs for the nicotine telling me that it wants the action of smoking not the chemical reaction from smoking. Trying to fool me into thinking I can have one and not suddenly start in on the pack and a half a day habit.

I quite once before, and got a few good pointers.....


You need something to distract yourself. I know someone who quit by eating sunflower seeds, because peeling each one kept you busy, and you can carry them around. No popping them in your mouth because that is cheating.

I used a yo yo. I never used one, so practising kept me busy. I kept it in my pocket and whereever I went, when I had the urge to smoke, I would bust it out, even standing in line. Some people even end up teaching you tricks.


Also give yourself a tracker, to look foward to and keep track of your progress.

I used a calendar and each day I didn't smoke I put a big red X on it. People who came over asked me about it, and I would tell them. People started taking interest and counting them. It was like a group effort. Then they would look forward to checking on my progress.
You begin to look foward to putting that X there.And the gaps don't look good, so when you have the urge, you can think about how you want to put your X down for the day. A simple but powerful tool.


Make note of when you smoke and prepare for the habit. If you always smoked in the car on the way to work, those are gonna be really tough times. And realize that is why the craving comes back suddenly. You will realize what a habit it was. For example, when I was on the phone I would go sit outside and smoke. I noticed that even after I quit, I would get on the phone and head straight towards teh door. And because of that, a tremendous craving would come on.

So NOTICE your triggers, and make sure you have amunition to keep you busy. And when you do notice them, it makes it easier to realize them for what they are.

Avoid drinking till you are in a secure place where you are sure you won't smoke.

don't be afraid to ask other smokers to not smoke around you, or to walk away.

Give yourself a present you can work for in the end. I know people who took the money that the didn't pay for cigarrettes and put it in ajar and saved enough to go on vacation!

Or get a new outfit or toy with it. You deserve it.


Last but not least, let people know in case you bug out on them. that it isn't personal.



[edit on 4-4-2009 by nixie_nox]

Originally posted by nixie_nox
I quite once before, and got a few good pointers.....

you make it sound like it didn't take.

all good ideas. personally, I've found that not giving it much thought is better for me. If I were concentrating on not quitting, thinking about the things should do instead of having a smoke, I'd probably wind up smoking. everyone is different and what works for one might not work for another.

one thing I can say is chewing gum is not the answer. it's uglier than smoking.

Unfortunately I am the smoker that want's to kill anybody and everybody when I am with out my precious medication, um I mean nicotine. But the few time I have made the attempt to quit I found that just keeping my hands busy helps the habit portion, some chew gum, doesn't work for me seems mastication is a trigger for me to smoke.

But any was a big for taking the first step and I hope you and the ole man can be successful.

Congratulations on your 24 hours of being smoke free. It's been 96 days no smoking for me.

It's the hardest thing I ever had to do in my entire life.

I shut myself away from people for the first month. I was a real what rhymes with witch. I felt so sorry for my sweet man. He spent a lot of time in the workshop during that first month.

The urge to smoke is not happening much anymore. But sometimes I feel like I could smoke a whole pack in one sitting.

I feel very good about myself and being able to kick tobacco in the butt.

Hang in there it does get better. Best wishes to you both in your effort to quit that nasty habit.

Week One!

So far, so good. Thank you everyone for your responses!

I've started a project to deep-clean our whole house, gonna talk DH into doing the car, see if we can get the smell out of everything. Never really noticed it before, but it kind of bonks me on the head when I walk through the door, now.

We're both taking a cold turkey approach, using nicotine gum in the mornings and afternoons for the worst of the cravings and then tapering off to one piece after dinner, same as we previously did with cigs, actually.

Helps a lot to have someone else for support and to focus on supporting them, too, I find. Buddy system FTW.

I've also been tracking how much money we're not giving in taxes on our habit, anymore, which is motivating us both--as hubby says, it's the principle of the thing.



We don't have kids, but we do have a pair of cats, and... I'm kicking myself for never realizing before how much our habits affected their lives. The younger one of the pair had started snoring--we both assumed it was just her age--but after a week without smoke in the house, she's stopped.

I felt terrible for never thinking that her respieratory problems could be related to air quality. ...but hopefully she'll be better now!

reply to post by quitebored


Congrats on week one down. keep it up. From what I have been told by succesful quiters that you have made it through the hardest part.

I went cold turkey 8 months ago with no repercussions. The first month is difficult, but the rest of your life is easier!!

The video posted by Whaa is very positive and realistic. You may put on weight during the time you stop smoking but this is cosmetic, as is your will to smoke.

The steps I took to stop smoking were as follows:

1. Usually there is a cost or health factor that over-rides all other considerations to stopping. They are getting too expensive, I am getting chest pains regularly, my partner is nagging me about quitting, smoking is becoming more socially unacceptable etc. Either way, I experienced one of the above and used it to my advantage to stop. This is the prime motivator and once it is firmly in place and in your face, it’s time to take the next crucial step.

2. Visualise and remember (reminisce) about when you last (successfully) stopped smoking. Remember how you felt, remember what it was like waking in the morning without that cloud over your head, not smelling of smoke, not coughing hard etc. Therefore, for three – four weeks, reaffirm your quit intentions. Don’t say to yourself ‘’I need to stop smoking’’. Say that you are going to stop and reaffirm that you cannot wait when you do.

3. Be specific, remember, visualize, actually feel these little instances – do this every day until your subconscious is now very much ‘conscious’ to the fact that cigarettes are not designed for you.

The more time you spend at the above, the more your desire to stop will become, and the more successful you will be to completely banish the will to stop smoking. Drop it off and leave it behind.

reply to post by Crakeur


Yea....

well I went through a nasty breakup with a live in boyfriend and went through a self destructive phase.

reply to post by quitebored


the best way to get rid of cigarette smoke is fresh outdoor air. take any furniture in teh yard if you can. leave the car windows open all day. throw open the windows for a few days.


best remedy.