Does anyone have any advice on quitting smoking? -
I have been smoking for too long and lately I have been smoking like a chimney! LOL I really need to quit. Does anyone have any advice?
First congrats on ur decision to improve your quality of life.
I smoked for 20 yrs 1 pack a day.....I quit 4 mths ago and have not touched one even in the most stressful times I did not go back to the old habit.
I tried everything in the past, patches, gum and cold turkey. This time I went to my doctor. He prescribed Chantix. I know there has been alot of bad press about this drug lately but I had no problems with it. I really think it depends on the individual in regards to the side effects. If you really want to quit I suggest you at least give it a try. It worked great for me.
Good luck
Ive been smoking since late 2005 i was up to smoking almost a pack a day sometimes a pack and a half a day if i was with friends who smoked alot. One day i decided i was wasting alot of money so i just decided to quit. Might not work for you, 7 people work at the lab im at and of the 7 people 4 of them smoke. so its tough but i realy think since im still inhaling second hand smoke i guess you could say thats actually helping to curb my need to smoke.
Good luck and quit for yourself not for others.
Hey Trueblue!
Smoking is a nasty habit, but its one of the hardest habits to kick. Coming from a former smoker, I know - I used to smoke almost 2 packs a day!
A friend of mine forwarded me this ebook that he got that really helped me. It was written by a former smoker and addresses the excuses smokers have about not wanting to quit AND the -perceived fears- smokers have about a life without cigarettes. Its an awesome book and you can download it for free. Definitely worth checking out:
http://www.killer-ebooks.net/Quitting-Smoking.html
You have to be prepared mentally. The physical addiction can last a few days, but the mental addiction can last forever. You can help yourself by using a product designed to help people quit
http://www.havetoquitsmoking.com/quit-sm…
Ask your doctor.
My mom, as well as a few of her friends have quit smoking. Its some pill that you take for about a month. but i forget what it-s called.
She asked her doctor and he recommended whatever it is and it worked.
I tried everything for the longest time.... at some point you just have to -man up- and just stop..... it sucks for a few days but you will feel SOOOOOO much better later on
I work for a smoking cessation team and I-ll tell you that the BEST way to quit smoking is to pair both some sort of counseling along with nicotine replacement therapy...that will bring you the greatest likelihood of success. Many hospitals have smoking cessation groups that are either free or only cost about $20. Cutting back your nicotine with products such as the nicotine patch will help you get over the cravings little bits at a time. If you try -cold turkey- I-m not saying that you won-t be able to accomplish your goal...but most people can-t bear the withdrawl symptoms long enough to overcome them. The average physiological dependence on nicotine can be broken in 3 days...after that point your addiction is more psychological..which is where things like habit come into play. Think about where you smoke, when you smoke, why you smoke, and what you can do to change those things. If you like to smoke with your coffee in the a.m., try another beverage until you break the habit. If you smoke because of stress, try some deep breathing exercises before going out for a cigarette; you might get the calm down that you need.
Nicotine replacement therapy is a good substitute for smoking when trying to cut back (instead of smoking fewer and fewer cigarettes) because there is only one chemical in NRT: nicotine. There are thousands of chemicals in cigarettes that aren-t addictive that you should be avoiding. The patch, for example, releases a constant stream of nicotine into your system so that you don-t experience a nicotine withdrawl...it is a small amount all throughout the day rather than a quick burst of nicotine with each cigarette drag. Another good thing about the patch is that, if worn at night, you won-t wake up with a craving (especially important for folks who smoke in bed) because you are getting nicotine all night instead of going 6-8 hours w/out any nicotine at all. The patch is in steps to help you cut back, but slowly so you don-t have to worry about withdrawls. There are health restrictions, of course, and you CANNOT smoke w/the patch under any circumstances. Nicotine overdose is a very serious thing.
Another option that you could talk to your dr. about is Chantix. This drug helps block the receptors in the brain that nicotine stimulates to release dopamine into your system and give you that -feel good- feeling. It will help you so that when you go to take a smoke, it isn-t a wonderful thing that you can-t get enough of.
Having counseling is good because it helps you help yourself. Perhaps -counseling- has a bad ring to it...think of it more as a point of accountability. If you know you have someone other than yourself to feel almost responsible to, you think twice before -quitting quitting-. Also, the counselor doesn-t tell you what to do. They help you find your own solutions to problems and can give suggestions.
Don-t ever feel like a failure if you try to quit and don-t at first. Many people try to quit 7-10 times before they do successfully. Instead of focusing on not being able to quit, focus on what things were positive while you were off tobacco. What were your strengths? What weaknesses can you improve upon next time?
Good luck to you!!
Be resolved that you want to quit, I mean REALLY committed.
Set a date to quit, the prepare for that date.
Get rid of all the ashtrays.
Think of some hobbies that will keep your hands and mind busy when a craving hits you.
Get a bunch of straws and sip water frequently. It helps flush the nicotine and diminishes the oral aspect of your craving.
When you crave, do deep breathing, suck the air in as you would if you were inhaling a drag. Part of our addiction is the relaxation effect you get as you smoke. Slow deep breathing helps to relax the chest and back muscles and relieves tension. It will help trick your mind into feeling satisfied.
Change your routine. eg. If you have cigs while you sit getting ready in the morning, change that habit and get ready standing up, preferably in a different room. Addiction is driving by triggers. When your brain recognizes a familiar smoking situation, it sends the -SMOKE NOW!- craving. You have to break those triggers down and reprogram your brain.
Don-t hang out with friends/family if they-re smoking for at least 3 months, longer if you can manage it. Your cravings will come in waves for months or years. They get further apart and less intense as time passes, but can blind side you into starting again if you don-t anticipate them.
DON-T HAVE EVEN ONE PUFF after you quit. That part of your brain that says -One puff won-t hurt me-, is the addicted part of your brain trying to trick you into feeding the addiction.
Shampoo your carpets, wash curtains and any other fabric surfaces in your home, bedding, clothes, etc. Wash down the walls in the rooms you smoked most too.
The residual smell of the smoke can trigger cravings. Also, if you do a major clean you can use that to combat your cravings. When you have a craving think, -I didn-t work that hard just to have to do it all over again when I have to quit again-.
Positive reinforcement is essential. Give yourself rewards for milestones. Treat yourself to something at specific intervals, like 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, a year... Make the rewards things that help motivate you to stay smoke free.
Avoid stressful people and situations for the first 3 months, if at all possible.
If you can, take a week off work, so you don-t use the stress of the job as an excuse to smoke. Also, having used a week of vacation to quit creates an investment in the process. Use that to beat the cravings with repeated mind speak, like - I-m not going to waste a week of vacation, I WILL DO THIS!-
Get out and walk or exercise as much as you can. It will help with the mental image of a healthier you, while actually making you a healthier you.
Ultimately it begins and ends with your resolve to quit. As your get closer to your set quit date, imagine a smoke free, happy, healthier you. Get a really solid mental image of yourself as a non-smoker and pull that image up as many times a day as you can stand. This will help A LOT to reprogram your mind and defeat future cravings. When a craving pops up, that smoke free mental image of yourself will be easy to access and use to defeat the craving.
Plan ahead and be committed and you-ll beat this!
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU :D