I need to quit smoking, any advice from successful quitters?

[lasbar]



Same thing happened to me after 3 months clean. Damn Old Friends!

Get rid of all your smoking friends...

 

[chogall]

Same thing happened to me after 3 months clean. Damn Old Friends!

Go jerk off, binge eat or something. Divert your attention away. Its more of a habit that you have to forget.

This is the second time i quit; first time i lasted a year before career pressure caved me in. Smoked for a year in between and now i am 2+ years clean.

 

[DerekS]

well you have an oral fixation. just replace cigs with penors.

best of luck buddy.

 

[tsacain]

I chew on toothpicks or mints. It is all about satisfying your oral fixation when the desire hits.

 

[heyej]

I didn't read the whole thread but I basically went through the same shtick for the last 11 years. Started in college, quit for 4 years, started again when life was stressing me out, been on/off since. It's a holding pattern of quit for 3-4 months, start again for 1 year, quit again for 2-3 months, etc.

Currently in an cold turkey off period for the last 2 months and that's only because I started running again. However I plan to extend the 2 months and not pick up a cig again, ever. Hardest days are at social gatherings but I'm starting to habitually adjust to drinking and not smoking.

 

[tenfingers]

I quit after smoking for about 10 years, about 6 years ago. I used the patch, but leading up to that, I enacted a strict regimen to my smoking.

First I set an arbitrary, easy to reach limit. 1 cigarette per hour. This was cutting down slightly for me, but no big deal. The biggest thing that sticking to this accomplished was, rather than following cravings, I was in conscious control of when I decided to smoke. I followed that plan for 2 weeks, then I cut down to a cig every 2 hours, then every 3, then every 4. At that point, having about 3-4 cigs a day, it was easy to switch to the patch. I had one rough day where I totally freaked out while trying to replace my shower head. ******* washer kept slipping out of my hand, and I had no ability to cope with frustration. I think I walked around my house throwing the shower head at walls and doors for about 15 minutes solid. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing.

The one other thing I did, was mention my plans to every single person I knew, even in passing. Everyone at work, my parents, my friends, everyone. I made sure to make such a big deal out of it that the embarrassment of failure would be hefty.

Ultimately though, you have to internalize, and commit to the idea that you absolutely want to quit and that there is *no* situation you ever want to smoke in again. Once you are emotionally invested in that idea, a huge hurdle is leaped.

 

[in stitches]

so i kinda had some ups and downs since i started this thread, but as an update i havent touched a cigarette in over a month.

 

[DerekS]



so i kinda had some ups and downs since i started this thread, but as an update i havent touched a cigarette in over a month.

because you switched from smoking cigs to smoking pole.

seriously though.....congrats son. thats quite an accomplishment.

 

[in stitches]



because you switched from smoking cigs to smoking pole.
seriously though.....congrats son. thats quite an accomplishment.

thanks a lot dude. and

 

[CDFS]

Use your guilt:



Edit: Didn't read whole thread, obviously.

 

[Fang66]



so i kinda had some ups and downs since i started this thread, but as an update i havent touched a cigarette in over a month.

 

[bringusingoodale]

Good advice on here. Today, there are many drugs to help combat the negative effects of nicotine addiction. Try one of these if you think you need to.

Otherwise, take up another vice like drinking or gambling.

 

[83glt]

^ I agree. Welbutrin has worked very well for me. It helped me quit a number of times in the past. As others have mentioned it often take several attempts to finally kick it for good. Right now I'm in my 5th month without a single drag and I have absolutely no desire to go back. It's an amazing and liberating feeling. I only took Welbutrin for the first month. The last 4 months have just been my commitment to never smoke again. For me it helps to have young children as an incentive. So far so good, and this time feels different. In the past when I quit, I think in the back of my mind I always looked at it as "taking a break" and that I could always have one here or there later on. Stupidity, that was. This time I know I don't even want to touch a cigarette again.

 

[in stitches]



Otherwise, take up another vice like drinking or gambling.

ive taken up poasting

In the past when I quit, I think in the back of my mind I always looked at it as "taking a break" and that I could always have one here or there later on. Stupidity, that was. This time I know I don't even want to touch a cigarette again.

true that. ive fallen prey to that self trickery many times before.

 

[lasbar]



^ I agree. Welbutrin has worked very well for me. It helped me quit a number of times in the past. As others have mentioned it often take several attempts to finally kick it for good. Right now I'm in my 5th month without a single drag and I have absolutely no desire to go back. It's an amazing and liberating feeling. I only took Welbutrin for the first month. The last 4 months have just been my commitment to never smoke again. For me it helps to have young children as an incentive. So far so good, and this time feels different. In the past when I quit, I think in the back of my mind I always looked at it as "taking a break" and that I could always have one here or there later on. Stupidity, that was. This time I know I don't even want to touch a cigarette again.

I quitted in 1999 and I haven't thought once having a *** since.