Giving up cigarettes.

[bigliver]

...1 February. Wish me luck.

[SmokinDuck]

Do you have a plan? Are you going to use a patch or the gum or what?

I really need to quit also. I've tried 3 times using the patches but never physically felt quite right when I was using them. I tired the gum too and that didn't do me any good either.

Maybe I'll join you.

Good Luck bro.

[bigliver]

I have gum, but I'm planning on going cold turkey. I figure if I can weather the first few days I'll be alright. I posted here for support and am hoping it will give me the extra motivation I need.

Bro, it will be worth it to quite. I quit cold turkey but i only smoked for 2 1/2 years. I know it can be harder if youve smoked longer, but you can do it.

[bigliver]

More than 20 years for me. It should be fun.

Originally Posted by bigliver

More than 20 years for me. It should be fun.

It will be fun because now you can either save the money you would normally spend on your cigs, or buy cigars!!

Chantix is your friend, I prescribe alot of it......I had one of my patients say she and her sister quit on "Final Smoke" I think is what she called it...do a search.. She said in day two of it if she smelled a cigarette she felt nauseaous.

[floydpink]

I'm nearing a month and it's hard, but not impossible. Go for it...

[floydpink]

Forgot to say, the gum and Chantix are both good I hear, but I truly believe it is a psychological battle and I did stuff like challenge myself like it was a battle between me and the cigs.

It also has helped to consider myself an ex cigarette smoker and never lose sight on the reason I have failed before; because I told myself I could have just one at a party, bar, or concert.

If you touch even one, count this attempt as yet another failure.

Better yet, mark feb 1st as the day you became an ex cigarette smoker for good.

You can do it if you want to.

It has been about two weeks for me taking chantix, tell you what cigars taste allot better.

[Rabidsquirrel]

Good luck with quiting. I've never understood the 'appeal' that cigarettes had to many others of my generation.

[68TriShield]

The wife and I did it cold Sept 30 07.
If you've made up your mind,don't wait.Go for it.
We're here for you Bro.

[bigliver]

Originally Posted by Rabidsquirrel

Good luck with quiting. I've never understood the 'appeal' that cigarettes had to many others of my generation.

If I knew what the appeal was, I would have quit long ago. I am addicted, I admit that much. Cigarettes disgust me and I find myself ashamed to be a smoker at times. It's quite ironic because I smoke cigars with pride even though they are more disgusting than cigarettes to most others.

[bobarian]

Good luck bro! Its a tough trek, but deciding is half the battle.

Let us know if we can do anything to assist.

Good luck!
I quit for 4 months, but gave in a while ago. Now I just cut back to smoking on the weekends.

The first 3 or 4 days are the worst because you gotta cut the habit part of smoking. Like smoking when you wake up, before you go to sleep, after you just ate a meal, ect.

I would stalk up on some gum and whenever you feel the craving just pop some of that in. Also getting another hobby(like wood work or model cars) that will keep you occupied and not thinking about smoking.

[Smokin Gator]

You can do this brother. I smoked for 25+ years. Not huge, but usually about a pack a day. I had quit so many times!!! But then I would fool myself and say something like "I will just smoke on this fishing trip." I'd be right back to a pack a day.

I got hypnotized this time, but I think it was just more I knew I was quitting. May 21 of '08 was the last cigarette I will ever smoke!!

When I wanted a cigarette I would drink a glass of water and put a toothpick in my mouth. Sometimes I would just get up and go for a 5 minute walk. I really seems to help to come up with a different thing to do at those times you would usually have a smoke.

I'm pulling for you!!!

[acruce]

Good luck. It can be done. I quit about 15 years ago.

[FEAR]

Tomorrow will be 1 week for me. I'm taking chantix works great. I had some really weird dreams the first few days. Now ever time I reach for a smoke I keep halls cough drops there. Sounds weird but it works for me. The hardest part was drinking and smoking. Yesterday I was drinking and no problems. Good luck..

[FXAdam]

Do not under any circumstances buy a pack. No "I'll just have one" type BS. If you buy a pack to get one cigarette you will end up smoking the whole thing, and then your initiative will be over.

I've watched many people try to quit and that has been the nail in the coffin on many occasions in my opinion.

The key to staying quit is remarkably simple. People never like it when I tell them this but it makes sense and is what worked for me.

Whenever you want a cigarette, don't smoke. That's it. No special tricks. Just don't smoke. Eventually you will stop wanting to. Eventually the smell of smoke will actually start to become really unpleasant and the idea of smoking a cigarette will make you kind of nauseous.

If you can don't substitute anything else for smoking in order to accomplish your not smoking. You don't want to get "hooked" on something else, no I'll just have a small snack to distract me, or a candy or whatever.

Find something to distract you. Keeping yourself busy with cleaning the house is a really good one. You get rid of all the smokey smells that have built up over time and keep yourself doing something other than thinking about not smoking.

You might want to lay off the stogies for awhile as well so you don't end up pouding through them trying to get your nicotine fix.

And that's about it.

Edited to add that I used to smoke and successfully quit on my first try and haven't really looked back at all. I had only smoked for about 5 years though and I recognize I probably wasn't as hooked as many people are.