How did you quit smoking?

[BADBOY]

I started this thread to figure the many different ways people quit smoking. I am a smoker and I quit many times, but never been able to kick the habit for good. I heard there is some new presciption drug on the market that takes all the cravings away, but not sure what it's called. I've tried the gum, patch, wellbutrin, and cold turkey. None of them work. I was wandering how many people at bbs kick the smoking habit or tried. If so how did you quit?

"You might be able to save a life."

:attention::attention::attention:

[Flame]

For the children that may look at this quit the way I did. DON'T START.

[kcredden]

Thankfully I didn't, Flame (Cool av, BTW) But my mother stopped cold turkey. I wish I knew what she did. But a few things she did may help. First she cut back considerably for several years. I think she was down to a half pack a day. That may help get rid of the nicocone out of her system.

Then to battle the physcological effects, she basically just did something when there was a craving. Like took a walk, gardened, worked on her business, etc. Anything that took her mind off of a cig.

Now this may be strange sounding, but she kept a pack in a drawer for years (I can imagine how stale they can be now :) She said she did, if she ever had a craving so bad she couldn't stand it. I'm not sure if that'd help but it may be helpful. I think she also said it's a reminder of what she did before, and not letting it get her again. Helps being stubborn at times I guess :)

Now I will say something too. It took a heart attack for her to stop completely. Once she came back from the hospital, that was it. Her last *** was around I think just a few hours before her heart attack.

That was 4 years ago. We're quite proud of her.

Here's another thing that may help, BB. When I was diagnosed with diabeties I too had to change completely. Fear was a major help (Imagine being healthy for my entire life, then being told you have a cronic, and potentially fatal diease - its a kick in the gut.)

For the first 2 weeks, I had a HORRIBLE craving for carbs. I wanted to eat krispey kreme donuts, and anything sweet. But I stuck with the low-carb diet, and eventually it faded. (This is normal for a low-carbing diabetic. You go though carb withdraws) But the way I did, was to keep my own mind occupied. Exercise, reading, computer work, you name it. Anything I could do that even momentarly take my mind off krispy kreme donuts floating around my head. (Thank you Homer for that :)

The first few weeks will be a challenge, but just keeping your mind off of this, and cutting back is a major help. Once the nicitine is out of your system, the physchological effects are the only thing left. But that can be overcome by not letting your mind wander.


Gaa, didn't mean to be windy, but hopefully it'll help.

- Kc

[Pierced Bliss]

It was pretty easy for me to stop smoking after about 7 years. I became pregnant. Never took it up again. My two grandmothers quit cold turkey after 40 plus years of smoking due to their health. Not to make it sound so trivial, but I do firmly believe it's mind over matter. If you want to quit bad enough you can. IMO.

[farmgirl]

I stopped cold turkey & the cravings were horrible the first 3 days. It took a long time to stop reaching for one. I even caught myself making the motion to my mouth with nothing in hand. lol It will be 5 years in October. There are still times when I think a cigarette would taste so good but I'm determined.

[Maxwells]

I stopped smoking using the patch..that was like 15 years ago when you had to have a perscription to get them. I quit for 10 years....but I made a mistake and started back again...I intend on quitting on September 1st of this year using the Committ Lozenge. Wish me luck..I have tried cold turkey couldn't do it.

[nfd]

I was a 1-1/4 pack a day smoker until Jan 1st this year. My doctor suggested I try Chantix, and I jumped at the chance. 3 people I know have used it and succeeded, so I thought why not me. Works great! I tried Zyban and would not suggest it to anyone. It gave me and the wife terrible mood swings. The Chantix is about 100 dollars for a months supply (a little less than the 4 cartons a month I was smoking), and I only took it for 2 months. I never craved a cigarette the whole time, and still don't. And as a side note - including myself I now know 5 people whom have used it - and only 1 has relapsed. Not bad odds. Later......

[maysvillebulldog]

Is Chantix in a pill form? I would love to quit. I have tried the patches, wellbutrin (which gave me dry mouth and mood swings), and was even hypnotized.

[mark]

For the children that may look at this quit the way I did. DON'T START.

.........same here.............see ya mark

[TheMan]

Is Chantix in a pill form? I would love to quit. I have tried the patches, wellbutrin (which gave me dry mouth and mood swings), and was even hypnotized.


Mood Swings...? Yer moody anyway...;)


And a simple answer to the question posed.. I haven't...

[bubbysgarage]

And a simple answer to the question posed.. I haven't...


Neither have I and I don't plan to anytime soon.

[BADBOY]

I was a 1-1/4 pack a day smoker until Jan 1st this year. My doctor suggested I try Chantix, and I jumped at the chance. 3 people I know have used it and succeeded, so I thought why not me. Works great! I tried Zyban and would not suggest it to anyone. It gave me and the wife terrible mood swings. The Chantix is about 100 dollars for a months supply (a little less than the 4 cartons a month I was smoking), and I only took it for 2 months. I never craved a cigarette the whole time, and still don't. And as a side note - including myself I now know 5 people whom have used it - and only 1 has relapsed. Not bad odds. Later......

Is chantix the new quit smoking drug that came out this past year


Also My father quit for 13 year and when I was 14yrs old I started smoking. He caught me and then he started back. But even today when he smokes it's only on vacation, hunting, at the bars. He is a social smoker. He has awesome willpower. I look up to him still today, and will the rest of my life. (even through disagreements)

[kdown]

Chantix works for some. My wife took it and has not smoked since April 11 and says she doesn't even want one. Couple of guys here at work took it.
One never stopped smoking the other quit for a week or so and is now smoking like an engine.
Basically you have to want to stop or it will not do any good.

[littlehagg]

I have tried cold turkey, wellbutrin, patches, hypnosis twice, and most recently Chantix. I think the only thing left is acupuncture. I felt the one that would give me the best chance to quit was Chantix. Notice past tense. I experienced restless sleep and dreams that would wake me up several times a night. I spend 2 1/2 hours a day in the car commuting, so the sleep deprivation didn't go over too well with me. However, I will try Chantix again....this time at a half dose.

[Bengals_Mama]

My husband quit smoking a couple of years ago, because our daughter kept getting chronic ear infections. Her doctor said it contributed to the ear infections. At first he would just smoke outside, and not around her, but she kept getting them. It would still be on his clothes, and when he would hold her she was exposed to it. Finally he just decided to quit. He used Nicoderm for less than a month & he was smoke free! He chewed on a lot of straws, chewed a lot of gum, and ate a lot of hard candy & suckers.

The first week he got extremely sick, probably due to the toxins being released from his body. After that he was fine, although he did eat more. he actually gained about 25 pounds the first couple of months being smoke free, but he is 6'4. he weighed 174 before, 200 after. He has since lost a few pounds, but he looks so much better now. His family thought I wasn't feeding him before..haha

Reading your Bible helps too, because smoking is an addiction. The devil will use anything he can to make you do harm to yourself & others.

My husband was in the Marines, and he HAD to quit then. When he got out he started back up again, just because he was around it all the time. He has not picked it back up so far, and it's been about 2 1/2 years.

I am so proud of him, and I hope that God continues to give him the strength to overcome this bad habit. He smells so much better now, and doesn't taste like an ashtray!

You have to want to quit, and want to be healthy. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your family. That's what my husband did. I don't think he would have quit if we weren't around. There's a reason for everything, and God knew what he was doing when he brought us into my husband's life!

[BADBOY]

I stopped smoking using the patch..that was like 15 years ago when you had to have a perscription to get them. I quit for 10 years....but I made a mistake and started back again...I intend on quitting on September 1st of this year using the Committ Lozenge. Wish me luck..I have tried cold turkey couldn't do it.

Good luck for Sept. 1, my date will be soon(undecided).:Banane44:

[ponto]

I am sorry to bring up a year old thread, but I am trying to stop smoking..

I knew if I searched the BBS I would find a thread on the subject..........lol

Now that I have gone public with this project, I would be totally embarrassed to fail now.............

[wmjsmallwood]

i also would like to quit smoking , i have been trying to cut back ,i think a lot of keeping busy helps ,stress is a major thing i think , i don;t know ,i just know it's hard ,,but i refuse to go on letting a little tube of tobbaco control me ,that really makes me upset !as far as the $100.00 medscine i can't really afford it ,,,if i quit smoking i could but i can get a pack of cigs for less that 2 bucks ,and i some times get thouse filtered tubes ,then i got tobacco fron the barn that they left from last yeay ,,put it in the blender ,it smokes fine ,kinda strong but i got to where i like it ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,oooh i still wanna quit!!!!!!!i will keep praying and trying and maybe i will

[Elsie Bee]

Ponto, sounds like you've got a good start. I'd always heard if you could make it thru three days, you could make it. Most of the toxins are supposed to be out of your system by then. Anyway, after years of smoking I was able to quit cold turkey. I had to do it for me not anyone else. It's so nice to sleep all night and not wake up coughing. Not smelling of smoke. Plus all the money I'm saving by not smoking I can put in my gas tank. I haven't smoked for five years now. Sugar free cinnamon candy helped.

[roadrunner]

Ponto, I quit cold turkey after a heart attack. I just didn`t start back smoking after I got out of the hospital and thats been about 4 or 5 years back. I chewed a lot of gum, ate a lot of the small bite size candy bars and crackers and after 2 or 3 weeks the worst of the craving was gone. I don`t know about everyone else that has quit but I still have the urge to smoke at times. I might go a month or two and never think about it and then it will cross my mine. Don`t get me wrong its not a bad craving or hard to deal with but its there. I think I was lucky to quit so easy because I know other people that has really had a hard time trying to quit. Good luck quiting roadrunner

[Storm]

The first time I quit was cold turkey. They just started tasting weird and the craving was gone. I was 16 then. But two years later, my best friend (at the time) smoked one in my car. In the middle of of November (it was really cold that year). The smell of the smoke was to over powering and I started back. The second time was cold turkey again with a little help from my daughter. Yes, I smoked while I was pregnant with her. I know that I should not have done that but, she was the reason I quit. She also made it very easy to stop. The cravings just disappeared. Yes, I have started back again. What can I say it does relieve stress. It does not make the problems go away but, it does help ease the stress at the moment.

[ponto]

Ponto, sounds like you've got a good start. I'd always heard if you could make it Thur three days, you could make it.

Well, it is the morning of the third day, here we go.

The time line started Saturday, July 5, 2008 3:45 pm.

[kdown]

Good luck Ponto

[mom36]

Out of all of you who want to quit, how many actually enjoy your smokes? I no that is what makes it so hard to stop.

[ponto]

I know I have enjoyed each and every one of those wonderful cigarettes for over 40 years.

If I wasn't so old, I would be putting off quiting for another year or so.....................This, it turns out, is my year to quit......i hope..............lol

[annie]

Good luck Ponto! I have enjoyed each and every one of my cigarettes, too.

I've tried ALL the methods to quit..........they were just practice runs (I tell myself).

Will have to say Chantix at half-dose worked the best. Quit for 5 months........

I really want to quit......want to be around to see grandkids grown..........maybe it's time??????

[money]

well on march- 24-07 i had to go to the hospital. i was very sick. i thought i was going to die. dont get me wrong i loved smoking. i tryed a few times to quit. but i couldnt. its very hard to do. but this one day. i took sick. couldnt breath; all that good stuff that comes with it. so i was in the hospital for like 4 days. when i came out it seemed like i never did smoke in my life. didnt even want one. thank god. also something in my life happened to me i watched my cousin smoke one cig, after another. he was on oxygen; breathing treatments. he also had throat cancer. got to where he couldnt eat; drink; it got real bad. i thought oh my god i can see this happening to me. i was heading in the same shape as he was. now i can do lots more now then i did a year ago. by the way my cousin passed away 12-21-07. god bless him. i will say prayers for you all. god bless you all.

[JIMMY]

Good luck Ponto. I figure everyone needs a vise so I'm gonna keep it up for a bit longer. Sorry to ruin the smoke free fest but I think I would drive everyone around me crazy if I tried to quit.

[snowtiger]

PONTO, PONTO, but....but we were the last of a "dying" breed, LOL. I never thought you would go non-smoking on me, LOL. THat's ok though, I am rooting for you, seriously. Does this mean I can't smoke while we're training, LOL. I'll go sneak back with Eoor (spelling) and Cujo, LOL.

[ponto]

Today at 3:45 pm will be 21 days.

Cigarettes lit and sorta smoked=2, both borrowed from smoking friends.

Money saved = $88.00

Just to let you guys know, I still think about smoking all the time, but I know this is something I have to do.

Would anyone care to join me in this on line stop no smoking quest?

funny video about a cigarette cop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll2CtBbaJBA

[neverinthepaper]

Chantix is the latest drug on the market for this. There have been some negative reports of side effects with it; even some talk of a black box label warning. It is a pill taken twice a day for a week and once a day for 3-12 weeks afterward. Some insurance plans cover it, especially if your doctor will certify that you have an illness or precursor for an illness related to smoking.
My doctor reported 99% success with her patients- I was in the 1%.

I tried the patch and smoked while I wore it; gum kept me busy until it lost its flavor, but I didn't notice the nicotine. I tried Wellbutrin and it had no effect on me. A friend tried it and had mildly psychotic episodes!
I haven't tried hypnosis or accupuncture, but I understand that there is another drug in trials now that works similarly to Chantix.

[maysvillebulldog]

I wish I could quit smoking but so far no luck. I have tried the patches, Wellbutrin and hypnosis. In the last few months both my husband and I began hacking from the fire retardant that Kentucky puts in their cigs. This was a clear call to quit but instead we are now rolling our own and a carton costs about 9.00. Of course this does not include the $89.00 electric roller. I wish my will power was greater but thus far- no luck.

[Brian K Beckett]

I wish I could quit smoking but so far no luck. I have tried the patches, Wellbutrin and hypnosis. In the last few months both my husband and I began hacking from the fire retardant that Kentucky puts in their cigs. This was a clear call to quit but instead we are now rolling our own and a carton costs about 9.00. Of course this does not include the $89.00 electric roller. I wish my will power was greater but thus far- no luck.



I have noticed I have been getting pains in the bronchials recently I wonder if its due to the fire retardant ciggs that were recently introduced? I wish i had better will power as well. So how is the self rolling going? I have always thought that it is the chemicals used on tobacco and in processing ciggs that are more harmful then the tobacco itself.

[maysvillebulldog]

Brian, I smoked Doral Ultra Lights and my husband smoked Marlboro because he could no longer get Raleighs. When they put the fire retardant in the papers, he smoked anything that did not contain it such as Marlboro Virginia Blend and a couple of other Marlboro's I had never heard of. Anyway, to make a long story short, he buys the full flavor tobacco and I buy the Ultra light tobacco. A large bag will make 2 1/2 cartons and costs around 17 dollars. The tubes which contain the filters and come in longs or shorts costs about 2 dollars for 200. We have only been doing this for about a month. At first we bought the inexpensive roller which is slightly hard to load but gives a more compact cigarette. The electric roller is fast but the major draw back is that you sometimes will lose the fire. It has five settings and we are still experimenting as to which one works best. My husband does most of the rolling and he twists the ends as he finishes each one. As for the taste, I like it as much as the purchased cigs. I agree with you about the additives added by the tobacco companies. I will say that my husband is not coughting nearly a much---his was bronchial as well. If you have no intentions of quitting, you might try buying a 6 ounce bag of tobacco and the cheap roller.