I want to quit smoking!!! any tips? -
I-ve been smoking for 12 years and i WANT to quit. but i dont want to go on any meds that have any side effects. does anyone know some tips that helped them quit??
thanks
Here-s some suggestions. Drink plenty of water. Walk or do other type of aerobic exercises. Do deep breathing (breath in fully for a count of 3 and out for a count of 6) over and over for as long as you need to get past the craving. Stay focused on your goal. Don-t let the crazy talk enter into your mind. Crazy talk: I could smoke one. it won-t hurt, why can he/she they smoke and I can-t) just block all of that. Don-t be surprized if you have dreams. I did and thought they were real. Finally, if you fail, jump right back on the band wagon and try it again. Good luck to you
I smoked for over 40 years, having quit and gone back several times. I finally tried something new and have been smoke-free for about a year. This is what I did: whenever I wanted a cigarette, I-d smoke half of one. I did that for a couple of weeks, then I-d just take about four or five puffs, only smoking every other time I wanted a cigarette. I did that for a couple of weeks until I was down to 2 drags on a cigarette, maybe 4 times a day. Then, I decided that when that pack ran out, I-d buy no more.
Quitting cold turkey is just about as effective as quitting heroin cold turkey. Your body is just as addicted to nicotine and you have to wean yourself off it, like heroin addicts do with methadone. If you quit cold turkey, the craving is huge, while weaning yourself off of it, there is no craving left and your body is accustomed to being without it. Good Luck, my friend!
Best way ? just make up your mind and quit ! I know it-s very hard, and make you very irritable to say the least, but trying to slack off, doesn-t work.
Try to carry some low-cal hard candy or something else to put in your mouth when you get the urge to light up, and it will work if you have the will power to stop.
I smoked for 41 years, heavy, and I can speak from experience, it-s not easy to stop, but if I can do it, anyone who really wants to can. My problem is I didn-t stop until it was too late and my lungs were damaged, now have copd.
Good luck, and I-m sure you can do it.
It all depends on your determination, but what I did was this:
I bought 200 cigarettes, told myself (like a mantra) these are my last, then proceeded to chain-smoke them over a day and night.
When finished, throw away all paraphernalia (ashtrays, lighters etc) and get a big bag of dried fruit.
Every tie you crave a smoke, have dried fruit, and lots of water (some people use gum/patches but I think this prolongues nicotine withdrawal), your body will be clear in a matter of days.
Any cravings after this are psychological, so find a positive to replace smoking, and actively save the money unspent on smokes each day towards a treat.
Stick to it!
My mom quit smoking with ease when she was told she had cancer.
If you-d like to quit before getting cancer... well, here-s a story!
My stepfather smoked from when he was 1968 to 1999, two years after my mother died.
One day, while standing at my mother-s grave with my two sisters and my aunt, he and my aunt lit up a cigarette. I broke out into tears and told him it was disrespecting my mother, because she gave up smoking once she found out she had cancer so that she could stay with us just a little bit longer than what the doctors said. And yet, there they were, smoking at her grave, as if saying her death went in vain for the whole family.
That day was the last day my stepdad smoked a cigarette.
He moved from cigarettes to, first, candy cigarettes. Not the little sticks. The ones that, if you puff on them, create smoke. Then he moved to pretzels and twizzlers. No tobacco patches or gum or anything like that.
Once, he told me, he was thinking of smoking a cigarette. But then, he said, he remembered how many people he would leave behind if he died from coming down with lung cancer, and how many things he still wanted to do before he died.
Only you can stop yourself from smoking. I merely offer this as inspiration.
Good luck.
Fourteen months ago, I ended up in the ER because I couldn-t breathe. My oxygen level should have been in the upper 90s, but it was only 64. The doctor said a couple of more hours, and I would have been dead from respiratory failure. They put a bipap machine on me and after about two hours, I was able to breathe again on my own.
I was in the hospital for 3 1/2 days. They put a nicotine patch on me every day. By the time I went home, I had a good start to stop smoking. I stayed on the patch for a month. That helped me to quit wanting to handle cigs and play with them, as we all do. The patch gave me nicotine, but it helped me to not want a cig.
After a month, I started on Chantix for a week, and then stopped the patch and just took the Chantix. I was able to quit successfully, and I had smoked for 55 years!
Don-t be afraid to use something to help you quit if you can-t do it on your own. Why suffer if there are things that can help you? I had tried many times to quit, and just couldn-t do it. I didn-t think I ever could. But with the patch and Chantix, I have been smoke free for 14 months, and I will never smoke again.
Trouble is, I wish I had quit long ago, before I ruined my lungs. I have COPD, and have a hard time breathing when I do anything strenuous. I need oxygen when I take a shower.
Try anything to stop before you ruin your lungs, too. Chantix has helped many people to quit! Good luck!
Why did you even start? Just dont smoke. Its that easy. Some famous guy was on ellen a few days ago and thats what he said. you just dont do it. dont give in and after a few weeks you will feel so much better and not worry about having cigarrettes all the time and what not.. or try the gum or the patch. idk i dont smoke im not dumb!!!
work on your self confidence and anytime you want to smoke buy a chewing gum and chew till you forget the cigarette
... I quit hundred times (kidding)
Sunflower seeds and double mint gum
Talk to your docter, or get lazer therapy. If you have made the decision to quit smoking, congratulations! Not only will you improve your own health, you will also protect the health of your loved ones by no longer exposing them to secondhand smoke.
We know how hard it can be to quit smoking. Did you know that many people try to quit two or three times before they give up smoking for good? Nicotine is a very addictive drug—as addictive as heroin and cocaine. The good news is that millions of people have given up smoking for good. It-s hard work to quit, but you can do it! Freeing yourself of an expensive habit that is dangerous to your health and the health of others will make you feel great!
Many women who smoke worry that they will gain weight if they quit. In fact, nearly 80 percent of people who quit smoking do gain weight, but the average weight gain is just five pounds. Keep in mind, however, that 56 percent of people who continue to smoke will gain weight too. The bottom line: The health benefits of quitting far exceed any risks from the weight gain that may follow quitting.
How to Quit
Research has shown that these five steps will help you to quit for good:
Pick a date to stop smoking. Before that day, get rid of all cigarettes, ashtrays, and lighters everywhere you smoke. Do not allow anyone to smoke in your home. Write down why you want to quit and keep this list as a reminder.
Get support from your family, friends, and coworkers. Studies have shown you will be more likely to quit if you have help. Let the people important to you know the date you will be quitting and ask them for their support. Ask them not to smoke around you or leave cigarettes out. Get more support ideas.
Find substitutes for smoking and vary your routine. When you get the urge to smoke, do something to take your mind off smoking. Talk to a friend, go for a walk, or go to the movies. Reduce stress with exercise, meditation, hot baths, or reading. Try sugar-free gum or candy to help handle your cravings. Drink lots of water and juices. You might want to try changing your daily routine as well. Try drinking tea instead of coffee, eating your breakfast in a different place, or taking a different route to work.
Talk to your doctor or nurse about medicines to help you quit. Some people have withdrawal symptoms when they quit smoking. These symptoms can include depression, trouble sleeping, feeling irritable or restless, and trouble thinking clearly. There are medicines to help relieve these symptoms. Most medicines help you quit smoking by giving you small, steady doses of nicotine, the drug in cigarettes that causes addiction. Talk to your doctor or nurse to see if one of these medicines may be right for you:
nicotine patch: worn on the skin and supplies a steady amount of nicotine to the body through the skin
nicotine gum or lozenge: releases nicotine into the bloodstream through the lining in your mouth
nicotine nasal spray: inhaled through your nose and passes into your bloodstream
nicotine inhaler: inhaled through the mouth and absorbed in the mouth and throat
bupropion: an antidepressant medicine that reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke
varenicline (Chantix?): a medicine that reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the pleasurable effects of smoking
Be prepared for relapse. Most people relapse, or start smoking again, within the first three months after quitting. Don-t get discouraged if you relapse. Remember, many people try to quit several times before quitting for good. Think of what helped and didn-t help the last time you tried to quit. Figuring these out before you try to quit again will increase your chances for success. Certain situations can increase your chances of smoking. These include drinking alcohol, being around other smokers, gaining weight, stress, or becoming depressed. Talk to your doctor or nurse for ways to cope with these situations.
Where to Get Help
Get more help if you need it. Join a quit-smoking program or support group to help you quit. These programs can help you handle withdrawal and stress and teach you skills to resist the urge to smoke. Contact your local hospital, health center, or health department for information about quit-smoking programs and support groups in your area. Call the National Cancer Institute at 877-44U-QUIT to talk to a counselor. To get live, online assistance from the National Cancer Institute-s LiveHelp service, go to www.smokefree.gov and click on -Instant Messaging.- LiveHelp for smoking cessation assistance is available Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.