Quitting Smoking.

[adamsaccount]

Hey people,
Ive been smoking tobacco about 3 years now and ive decided that ive got to stop. The problem is that I dont have a huge amount of willpower, Ive tried nicotine lozenges but they didnt do it for me so I was just wondering if anyone here had any advice or experiences of quitting smoking that they could share,
I know the bottom line is to stop buying cigarettes but are there any techniques that make this any easier?
cheers
Adam

 

[Queen Michael]

One method I read about, which I can't guarantee works because I never tried it, is to keep reminding yourself that you're happy not to be smoking anymore and that you really don't like smoking. That way, it doesn't require any willpower since it doesn't take willpower to stop doing somehting you don't like doing.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

I've never smoked so I have no experience in quitting smoking but I would imagine that the easiest thing to do would be to ease yourself off cigarettes slowly. Don't just throw all your cigarettes out the window, but instead gradually decrease how often you have a cigarette over time until its not such a huge step to suddenly jump to not having any.

 

[adamsaccount]

Allright cheers for all the replies. Ive allready cut down a fair amount, gonna have to just stop as you said. im gonna be an angry prick for a few days but i suppose its gonna be worth it.

 

[generals3]

Well a good moment to stop is when you change your "environment". As we all know there is the physical and habitual dependence and the habitual dependence is often linked to your environment (used to smoke a cigarette at your place after eating or whatever). So you can try to stop during a holiday trip or whatever. This way you'll only have to deal with one aspect of dependence at a time. When you're "away" in the beginning you'll only have to deal with the physical dependence and when you come back you might have the "habitual dependence" kicking back in but at least you should be over the physical dependence part.

I've never smoked so I have no experience in quitting smoking but I would imagine that the easiest thing to do would be to ease yourself off cigarettes slowly. Don't just throw all your cigarettes out the window, but instead gradually decrease how often you have a cigarette over time until its not such a huge step to suddenly jump to not having any.

In theory that would seem logical but unfortunately it isn't. All you need is a stressful/emotional period and you're back at square 0 (because as most smokers will testify when you're under stress or "emotional distress" the smoking consumption increases drastically)

 

[adamsaccount]

Well a good moment to stop is when you change your "environment". As we all know there is the physical and habitual dependence and the habitual dependence is often linked to your environment (used to smoke a cigarette at your place after eating or whatever). So you can try to stop during a holiday trip or whatever. This way you'll only have to deal with one aspect of dependence at a time. When you're "away" in the beginning you'll only have to deal with the physical dependence and when you come back you might have the "habitual dependence" kicking back in but at least you should be over the physical dependence part.

I've never smoked so I have no experience in quitting smoking but I would imagine that the easiest thing to do would be to ease yourself off cigarettes slowly. Don't just throw all your cigarettes out the window, but instead gradually decrease how often you have a cigarette over time until its not such a huge step to suddenly jump to not having any.

In theory that would seem logical but unfortunately it isn't. All you need is a stressful/emotional period and you're back at square 0 (because as most smokers will testify when you're under stress or "emotional distress" the smoking consumption increases drastically)

Sounds like sound advice, got a friend who only smokes when hes at home so this makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks!

 

[lechat]

ok i'm an expert on quitting smoking since i've done it 5 times so far..... try and take me seriously here because each time i quit i was off them for good and free of the physical addiction, all i lacked was the ability to not start again from scratch and yes i as all smokers know that it is moronic to start smoking again after quitting
these are the 2 most important times i quit


first major quit 3 months no cigs
bought a pack of nicobate minis nicotene replacement lozenges on impulse when getting gas and went home. told myself i would quit later but family was home and decided that was the best time. kept a full pack of cigs on hand at all times and reassured myself that if i ever needed a cig they were always right there waiting for me

the added assurance that i could have a cig whenever i wanted allowed me to press on during the hard parts and push for that "one more hour then ill have a cig" "i might have a cig on the way home" "ill have a cig tomorrow"

the reason it failed in the end was i kept pushing harder and harder to not have the tablets and the nicotene finally got the better of me after my buddy at work finally smoked the last cig in my pack and i had a bad day
i still think this is a fair enough tactic since it is very likely you will have a slip up and having to go to the store to buy a whole pack for a moments weakness is very demoralizing


second major quit no cigs 6 months
i honestly couldn't push this product harder if i was the head salesman at the company but champix (sometimes chanpix) is basically modern day wizardry made by a genie riding on the back of a magical dragon

went to the doctor for some chest related medical issues and the doctor was convinced i had the lungs of a 90 year old (was actually just a chest infection) doctor freaked out and immediately prescribed me champix. i had zero interest in quitting at the time telling myself i would quit in a month or 2 but the magic of champix is you are advised to continue smoking up to 2 weeks after starting the pills so i figured i'd give it a go

the effects of champix arn't great. for me it was really bad nausia and a mean temper and i'd advise you to read around before starting them but as my doctor said the potential side effects of champix are nothing compared to continuing to smoke
1 week into starting the pills i found myself forgetting i was a smoker and going 4 or 5 hours before thinking "shit that's right i should prolly have a cig now cause thats what you do when you smoke for 10 years and even though i don't feel like one i guess i should"
whats better is when you have a cig because of the way the pills block the receptors in your brain it feels unrewarding and you don't get the usual high after going a long time without one

by week 2 i had 4 packs of cigarettes that i meant to ration to make it through the 2 weeks sitting leftover unsmoked and just calmly handed them to a friend saying "enjoy man. im done"

by week 4 (or was it 6?) when i stopped the pills i had zero desire to spark up again and officially considered mysel a non smoker that would never go back

the reason it failed?
i promised myself that i would never buy another pack of smokes again and was enjoying my new found freedom of going for lengthy jogs and increased lung capacity in my weight lifting but was hit with a massive back injury leaving me bed bound for weeks and massively uncertain and depressed about my future. on one of my many drives back from a doctors appointment a pack of cigarettes lay waiting for me on the side of the road (seriously not funny world) so i proceeded to smoke em all. when they were gone i needed a few more to get me through the day, then a few more to get me through the next day... i'm now on about my 30th carton

for starters do not try and mimic what worked for me or anyone else but instead set a plan for yourself that you think will be effective. if you think going cold turkey might work give it a shot but if you are sure you will fail try something else


here's my top tips

1. go see your doctor. those bastards hate smokers and will do everything in their power to help you quit. actually listen and follow the advise of the doctor

2. inform those around you that you are quitting and if necessary limit exposure to friends and family who smoke. they will understand and will be happy to see another smoker leave their ranks. see if anyone else wants to quit with you

3. DO NOT think of yourself as someone who is quitting smoking, instead from the day you stop smoking consider yourself a non smoker. take time to reflect on how stupid it is and fell good about your ever increasing health, get excited about the extra money you will be saving
take some time to laugh at those around you still stupid enough to continue smoking and maybe make some time to lecture them on their evilness and convince them to join you

4. recognize your triggers and counter them. my trigger is driving. second i get behind a wheel i need a cig in my hand but for many it will be the after food cig or the beer cig. blare music, chew some gum or whack off. anything to keep your mind off it for a little while longer
consider cutting back on alcohol and caffeine as those are generally triggers

5. be active. go for regular walks and consider taking up jogging, the endorphin high will help counter the cravings and new found heath and strength is a good motivator
set yourself daily goals and revel in the fact that you couldn't have climbed that hill or those stairs or jogged for 5 minuets back in the days when you used to be a smoker. YOU'RE AWESOME!!

6. the 4 Ds plus an extra one from me

delay: try and hold out as long as possible. cravings will subside

deep breath: relax and try and focus on something else

drink water: helps flush toxins from your system and feeling full helps counter cravings. also feel free to pig out since a little weight gain is nothing compared to the long term health benefits

distract: try and fill your day with as many activities as you can to avoid boredom and occupy yourself

do not get discouraged: the average quit smoking attempt fails 7 times but remember you are not quitting smoking YOU ARE a non smoker. if you slip up and have one that does not mean you failed it only means you need to strengthen your resolve and try harder next time

wish you the best of luck man. keep us updated and use us for support

 

[Catfood220]

I've had to give up smoking, but I've got friends who have and they all say the same thing, its not very nice. I'm not going to go into gorey details but what they went through quitting has made them never want to start smoking again.

There are pills available from the doctor(I can't remember what they're called) that block the chemicals that cause the cravings, there are others that other friends use that make you sick everytime you smoke. Maybe those would be helpful, you maybe want to talk to your doctor, he may be able to help.

 

[adamsaccount]

ok i'm an expert on quitting smoking since i've done it 5 times so far..... try and take me seriously here because each time i quit i was off them for good and free of the physical addiction, all i lacked was the ability to not start again from scratch and yes i as all smokers know that it is moronic to start smoking again after quitting
these are the 2 most important times i quit


first major quit 3 months no cigs
bought a pack of nicobate minis nicotene replacement lozenges on impulse when getting gas and went home. told myself i would quit later but family was home and decided that was the best time. kept a full pack of cigs on hand at all times and reassured myself that if i ever needed a cig they were always right there waiting for me

the added assurance that i could have a cig whenever i wanted allowed me to press on during the hard parts and push for that "one more hour then ill have a cig" "i might have a cig on the way home" "ill have a cig tomorrow"

the reason it failed in the end was i kept pushing harder and harder to not have the tablets and the nicotene finally got the better of me after my buddy at work finally smoked the last cig in my pack and i had a bad day
i still think this is a fair enough tactic since it is very likely you will have a slip up and having to go to the store to buy a whole pack for a moments weakness is very demoralizing


second major quit no cigs 6 months
i honestly couldn't push this product harder if i was the head salesman at the company but champix (sometimes chanpix) is basically modern day wizardry made by a genie riding on the back of a magical dragon

went to the doctor for some chest related medical issues and the doctor was convinced i had the lungs of a 90 year old (was actually just a chest infection) doctor freaked out and immediately prescribed me champix. i had zero interest in quitting at the time telling myself i would quit in a month or 2 but the magic of champix is you are advised to continue smoking up to 2 weeks after starting the pills so i figured i'd give it a go

the effects of champix arn't great. for me it was really bad nausia and a mean temper and i'd advise you to read around before starting them but as my doctor said the potential side effects of champix are nothing compared to continuing to smoke
1 week into starting the pills i found myself forgetting i was a smoker and going 4 or 5 hours before thinking "shit that's right i should prolly have a cig now cause thats what you do when you smoke for 10 years and even though i don't feel like one i guess i should"
whats better is when you have a cig because of the way the pills block the receptors in your brain it feels unrewarding and you don't get the usual high after going a long time without one

by week 2 i had 4 packs of cigarettes that i meant to ration to make it through the 2 weeks sitting leftover unsmoked and just calmly handed them to a friend saying "enjoy man. im done"

by week 4 (or was it 6?) when i stopped the pills i had zero desire to spark up again and officially considered mysel a non smoker that would never go back

the reason it failed?
i promised myself that i would never buy another pack of smokes again and was enjoying my new found freedom of going for lengthy jogs and increased lung capacity in my weight lifting but was hit with a massive back injury leaving me bed bound for weeks and massively uncertain and depressed about my future. on one of my many drives back from a doctors appointment a pack of cigarettes lay waiting for me on the side of the road (seriously not funny world) so i proceeded to smoke em all. when they were gone i needed a few more to get me through the day, then a few more to get me through the next day... i'm now on about my 30th carton

for starters do not try and mimic what worked for me or anyone else but instead set a plan for yourself that you think will be effective. if you think going cold turkey might work give it a shot but if you are sure you will fail try something else


here's my top tips

1. go see your doctor. those bastards hate smokers and will do everything in their power to help you quit. actually listen and follow the advise of the doctor

2. inform those around you that you are quitting and if necessary limit exposure to friends and family who smoke. they will understand and will be happy to see another smoker leave their ranks. see if anyone else wants to quit with you

3. DO NOT think of yourself as someone who is quitting smoking, instead from the day you stop smoking consider yourself a non smoker. take time to reflect on how stupid it is and fell good about your ever increasing health, get excited about the extra money you will be saving
take some time to laugh at those around you still stupid enough to continue smoking and maybe make some time to lecture them on their evilness and convince them to join you

4. recognize your triggers and counter them. my trigger is driving. second i get behind a wheel i need a cig in my hand but for many it will be the after food cig or the beer cig. blare music, chew some gum or whack off. anything to keep your mind off it for a little while longer
consider cutting back on alcohol and caffeine as those are generally triggers

5. be active. go for regular walks and consider taking up jogging, the endorphin high will help counter the cravings and new found heath and strength is a good motivator
set yourself daily goals and revel in the fact that you couldn't have climbed that hill or those stairs or jogged for 5 minuets back in the days when you used to be a smoker. YOU'RE AWESOME!!

6. the 4 Ds plus an extra one from me

delay: try and hold out as long as possible. cravings will subside

deep breath: relax and try and focus on something else

drink water: helps flush toxins from your system and feeling full helps counter cravings. also feel free to pig out since a little weight gain is nothing compared to the long term health benefits

distract: try and fill your day with as many activities as you can to avoid boredom and occupy yourself

do not get discouraged: the average quit smoking attempt fails 7 times but remember you are not quitting smoking YOU ARE a non smoker. if you slip up and have one that does not mean you failed it only means you need to strengthen your resolve and try harder next time

wish you the best of luck man. keep us updated and use us for support

Thanks for the essay man, appreciated. Im trying to replace my morning cig with expensive coffee but like u say the two go together too damn well.

One question though, how long can you expect being smoke free before you start feeling healthier?

 

[Angie7F]

When you really want to stop, all it takes is for you to make up your mind.
I stopped after joining the gym and realizing how much impact smoking has on me, and stopped then and there.
It is like other drugs too. Once you hit rock bottom, you have no other choice but to stop.

Also, after not smoking for a while, you will realize how gross it smells and will not want to smoke. You just have to reach that point when the smoke is totally out of your system.
Good luck!!

 

[Bertylicious]

Smokers never quit, they just take a break. And why would you want to quit anyway? Smoking is awesome!

If you do want to take a break, like I'm on a break, you need to have a compelling reason. Getting healthier is not a compelling reason because, really, the only people who worry about their health either have a serious problem or are mentally ill. Having a baby is a compelling reason. Being agrophobic and not being allowed to smoke inside is a compelling reason. Being too poor is my personal favourite compelling reason.

My point is that you should have a reason that makes you want to quit even though you love smoking.

 

[adamsaccount]

Allright, Im going to see the doctor in a few days and im going to try and get some help from there. Thanks for all the responses. Another thing im worried about is whether the old green tobacco can stay or not. I dont really want to quit that yet.

 

[lechat]

One question though, how long can you expect being smoke free before you start feeling healthier?

Australia runs a pretty good anti smoking campaign and one of their best tactics is "every cigarette you don't smoke is doing you good" which is the counter to their "every cigarette you smoke is doing you damage" campaign

the campaign addresses the changes your body undergoes when quitting
basically from minuet 1 your body starts to repair itself and after as few as a couple of hours you already have an easier time breathing and doing any form of activity. every single day you get a bit better at tasks that would have left you wheezing and coughing back in your smoking days.

me personally within 2 days i increased my running distance by a factor of 20 and my weight lifting ability by 50% and found most of the times i had to take a break from any form of physical activity was not due to any form of muscle weakness but merely the fact i ran out of breath. i loved the fact that every day i could do a bit more and struggle a bit less while the smokers around me could no longer keep up
it's a great feeling to see those around you stop for a smoke break utterly exhausted only to assure them you will do their job while they slowly kill themselves

i don't want to pretend it's all down hill from the day you quit though. at around the 6-12 week mark when your lungs start properly cleaning themselves again you can expect to do a fair bit of coughing and possibly expect some chest pain and at that point you will usually feel a bit of breathlessness and a diminished sense of health and ability. that there is the final kick in the guts from your old pal the cigarette and you can expect every day from there onwards to be a chance at you being a healthier person

 

[adamsaccount]

Smokers never quit, they just take a break. And why would you want to quit anyway? Smoking is awesome!

If you do want to take a break, like I'm on a break, you need to have a compelling reason. Getting healthier is not a compelling reason because, really, the only people who worry about their health either have a serious problem or are mentally ill. Having a baby is a compelling reason. Being agrophobic and not being allowed to smoke inside is a compelling reason. Being too poor is my personal favourite compelling reason.

My point is that you should have a reason that makes you want to quit even though you love smoking.

Well for me its partly seeing my grandad die from lung cancer and partly hating the feeling of being hooked on something. Its not especially health, as in i dont need to be any fitter than i am but i would feel like a prize asshole if i contracted lung cancer and hell it would be nice to be able to run properly

Cheers lechat, that gives me some decent motivation, from now im a failed ex smoker rather than a successful smoker, now for the hard part...

 

[lechat]

quitting the green stuff is a choice you will have to make for yourself. if you feel it impacts your chance of quitting smoking then it has to go but keep in mind quitting 2 addictions might be more than you can handle, be aware that pot impacts your health the same way cigarettes do so don't expect any miracles if you continue one or the other

also want to add that while my posts are usually just me talking out of my ass using my massively high IQ, charm, insight, good looks and superior googleing skills i was at one time a drug counselor in the highest drug capital of my country so i do have a bit of expertize in the matter

 

[Bertylicious]

Smokers never quit, they just take a break. And why would you want to quit anyway? Smoking is awesome!

If you do want to take a break, like I'm on a break, you need to have a compelling reason. Getting healthier is not a compelling reason because, really, the only people who worry about their health either have a serious problem or are mentally ill. Having a baby is a compelling reason. Being agrophobic and not being allowed to smoke inside is a compelling reason. Being too poor is my personal favourite compelling reason.

My point is that you should have a reason that makes you want to quit even though you love smoking.

Well for me its partly seeing my grandad die from lung cancer and partly hating the feeling of being hooked on something. Its not especially health, as in i dont need to be any fitter than i am but i would feel like a prize asshole if i contracted lung cancer and hell it would be nice to be able to run properly

Cheers lechat, that gives me some decent motivation, from now im a failed ex smoker rather than a successful smoker, now for the hard part...

Now, see, to me that sounds like you're trying to convince yourself that you don't like smoking. It's all very abstract, with the thinking it would be nice to run "properly" (which is, in reality, terrible), the somewhat vauge feeling of powerless (that's just the human condition and quitting your vices won't make that go away) and some confused feelings about the passing of a loved one.

This is doomed to failure.

A much better approach would be to get your girlfriend pregnant; you will be forced to stop as otherwise babby will be misformed.

EDIT: Didn't realise this had been moved to the Advice forum so has become a serious issue. Fine.

Smoke less, reduce to 5 or fewer a day and get to the point where you realise there are days you go without a cigarette. Personally I don't see a problem with buying a pack of fags if you're going to be with friends over the weekend in a similar fashion to getting a pack of beers, but if you disagree then you should consider techniques otherwise listed in this thread to reduce your cravings during social gatherings.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Cheers lechat, that gives me some decent motivation, from now im a failed ex smoker rather than a successful smoker, now for the hard part...

You can do it man! My girlfriend quit smoking cold turkey when she was 23. There was a bit of a rough patch, and one or two relapses during periods of intense emotional duress, but other than that she's been just fine. Huge improvements in her overall health, and she smelled 100 times better.

If the health risks aren't enough motivation, I knew an absolutely beautiful girl in her early 20's who was a heavy smoker. By 26, she looked 45. It absolutely destroys your skin, yellows your teeth, makes you stink...ages you tremendously. So do it for vanity if nothing else. =P

 

[Simalacrum]

e-cigs worked like a charm for my mother. They're essentially nicotine-laced water vapour creators, and so mimic actual smoking - part of the addiction can be habitual (i.e. the action of holding and smoking the cigarette itself, not just the chemicals), so having something to replace the tobacco can help. Its a little expensive to begin with but if you get off cigs because of it, it'll save you a LOT of money in the long run.

 

[adamsaccount]

Smokers never quit, they just take a break. And why would you want to quit anyway? Smoking is awesome!

If you do want to take a break, like I'm on a break, you need to have a compelling reason. Getting healthier is not a compelling reason because, really, the only people who worry about their health either have a serious problem or are mentally ill. Having a baby is a compelling reason. Being agrophobic and not being allowed to smoke inside is a compelling reason. Being too poor is my personal favourite compelling reason.

My point is that you should have a reason that makes you want to quit even though you love smoking.

Well for me its partly seeing my grandad die from lung cancer and partly hating the feeling of being hooked on something. Its not especially health, as in i dont need to be any fitter than i am but i would feel like a prize asshole if i contracted lung cancer and hell it would be nice to be able to run properly

Cheers lechat, that gives me some decent motivation, from now im a failed ex smoker rather than a successful smoker, now for the hard part...

Now, see, to me that sounds like you're trying to convince yourself that you don't like smoking. It's all very abstract, with the thinking it would be nice to run "properly" (which is, in reality, terrible), the somewhat vauge feeling of powerless (that's just the human condition and quitting your vices won't make that go away) and some confused feelings about the passing of a loved one.

This is doomed to failure.

A much better approach would be to get your girlfriend pregnant; you will be forced to stop as otherwise babby will be misformed.

EDIT: Didn't realise this had been moved to the Advice forum so has become a serious issue. Fine.

Smoke less, reduce to 5 or fewer a day and get to the point where you realise there are days you go without a cigarette. Personally I don't see a problem with buying a pack of fags if you're going to be with friends over the weekend in a similar fashion to getting a pack of beers, but if you disagree then you should consider techniques otherwise listed in this thread to reduce your cravings during social gatherings.

i see what you mean about the motivation, just a general feeling of wanting to be healthier isnt gonna make me do it, but its more like i dont want to repeat the mistaks that people around me have made, though i suppose theres no urgency to that either. Well I dont have a gf so thats sadly off the cards, what im gonna do is cut down to 5 a day and then see my doctor about some patches or whatever inthe near future
cheers for the replies

 

[dmase]

I've quit for like the third time in my life recently... yeah not exactly the person that should be handing out advice but here it goes.

Don't deviate from a schedule you set for yourself and pack your time with stuff that you wouldn't normally smoke during. videogames severally helped me out in that sense I have been playing near non stop dark souls and far cry 3. I'm actually eating less which is probably because my absolute favorite thing is eating a full meal then smoking a cigarette, things that you enjoy while smoking don't do them. Another thing is avoid driving, smokers like smoking while driving because it alleviates some boredom or at least that's what happens to me. Also If you live or are somewhere where you have to drive to pick up a pack of cigarettes and you don't get in the car you lose your ability to get a cigarettes.

Final advice and something you could change up with anything but I think this is the best. Exercise, this may not make sense because the first thing a lot of smokers think after they get calmed down from a run is they want a cigarette(contradictory as fuck right) but if you put yourself on a grueling workout routine with lots of cardio that pushes your lungs to the max smoking will be like standing in a coal plant breathing in all the soot for the first time. It will give you some minor chest pains, make you cough, dehydration will make you gag, and the high blood pressure will make your head pulse in an un-comfortable way.