|
I've been smoking for a few years now, and I really want to quit. It's a bad habit that has only negative repercussions on my life. I have tried to quit several times before, but have not succeeded in staying clean. This time I really want to succeed.
For those who have tried and managed to quit, what is the best advice you have? Also, what should I do in the times that the temptation becomes too strong? I know its going to be hard, but I also know I will end up quitting in the end. I just need to strengthen my will and focus on what I really want. Here's to a smoke free life!
EDIT: If none of you smoke, but have other addictions you are quitting/want to quit, post your advice. Quitting addictions in general is tough, so post how you got over your addiction if you have.
[UPDATES]:
Day 1: Success. This was the easiest day.
Day 2: Success. Did not succumb to cravings. Not as easy as day 1, but not too hard either. The day I am fearing most is day 4 and day 5. I have to hold out no matter what.
Day 3: It is 6:30pm. I am feeling mega cravings right now. I am trying really hard to resist. I'm going to go play some iccup in order to distract myself. I can't fail this early, crap. I MUST HOLD OUT!
|
If you drink you shouldn't drink in social settings for awhile. I find it's the hardest for me when I'm around other people that are smoking when I've been drinking. Other then that it is really a matter of will power. I've never used any patches or gum. Just seer force of will.
|
I personally have no experience with trying to quit cigarettes, but a few of my friends have been able to drop it by simply changing their addiction to caffeinated drinks for a little while, and drop those.
I guess it depends on how you smoke, and at what frequency you do.
|
On November 17 2009 06:16 tonight wrote:
If you drink you shouldn't drink in social settings for awhile. I find it's the hardest for me when I'm around other people that are smoking when I've been drinking. Other then that it is really a matter of will power. I've never used any patches or gum. Just seer force of will.
I don't drink, so I won't have any problem with this. Ya, I think having a strong will will help me more than anything.
|
Well when I quit smoking it was pretty much I had to sort of admit defeat in the fact that I can't smoke "in moderation."
So I had to convince myself that having one was just as bad as having a whole pack, and having one was eccentially starting from scratch.
Then I just paced myself with the "day at a time" sort of thing, like "if i can just make it all day without one ciggarette I'll be good."
But as we both know a day is a long fucking time when you want nicotine, so do it hour by hour and pace yourself. The cravings go away after a while, I havn't smoked in 8 months and it's great! no more getting winded walking up stairs!
Best of luck, and yeah I would recommend not drinking as tonight said. Don't drink for a while because that's just setting yourself up for failure lol.
Edit: Drinking not joking
|
Although I agree that quititng smoking is all about will power, other addictions have very little to do with will power =]
|
I just hope you have a strong will. That seems to be what actually does it for people.
Also If you have a lot of stress in your life it's probably going to be a lot harder for you to quit. Maybe then you should try using patches and things of the sort. There are sooooooooooo many different methods nowadays that I think you should find the one that is most appropriate for you. Unfortunately a lot of them are very expensive. If you're an oral fixate like me, then I would personally recommend gum. It doesn't even have to be nicotine gum. If you're seriously, seriously addicted to nicotine then you might want to just try the patches.
Orrrrrrr, you could try dip. :D
|
Russian Federation1208 Posts
My advice: always remember the exact date when you stopped smoking. And count days since this date: "I'm not smoking for 5 days", "I'm not smoking for 26 days".
And if you have a desire to smoke again, tell yourself: "I decided stop smoking X days ago, and I will not smoke today and I'm becoming stronger and more free each day".
This really helps me to get rid of one of my addictions.
|
The not drinking thing should really help then. That is always the time when I want to smoke the most. Social drinking settings.
|
Man, i dont understand why smoking is so hard to quit. When i smoked i could quit at any point, I did so a few times and picked it back up just because i wanted to, when i finally didn't want to smoke anymore I simply quit and haven't started again. WILLPOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR
|
Try replacing it with something else. I've never smoked, but this is how I cut down on things. Most smokers seem to just find a replacement as well, some quit easily, others have a really hard time. In my experience the people who've quite relatively easily have very busy days with not alot of down time.
|
The longest I've gone trying to quit was about a month.
The biggest thing is probably to not drink too much, lol. Cigarettes are just TOO good with alcohol, dear god.
Good luck. (:
|
Well, I'm an ex-smoker so I know what i'm talking about...
When I was a smoker the first thing I did in the morning, after waking up ofc  , was getting a smoke..
No breakfast or anything, and I used to smoke those 100% cigarettes (Twice as long as regular one)..
Pretty crazy now that I look back at it.. None of my smoking friends shared that crazy habit. They can at least wait until after breakfast..
An other thing I remember was that I didn't have any appetite at all.
One of the main reasons why I even did eat was that the smoke after wards tasted so much better..
I've tried a couple of times to quit smoking with different mindsets and with different strategies
(I think it's a good thing, but only if you can learn from your mistakes!).
I mean if somebody tell you, do this and do that only then you'll be successful.
Sometimes it's not until you made those same mistakes on your own you can really learn from it and try again with a different mindset etc .
The thing that worked for me was simply just to quit (sounds so fucking easy, and still it was one of the hardest things I've done in my life so far).
Work on your mood, get into that right mindset, be motivated and be strong.
And stay strong no matter what!
I failed many times by trying to smoke less and less..
Doesn't work, at least not for me or any of my friends (none of them has actually manage to successfully quit with any strategy :/).
And for me it didn't either work with 'only' to smoke when you're at parties and on special occasions, the cigarette will win in the end.
The thing is that you have to see the cigarette as your enemy (yeah I know that it sounds crazy, but it isn't. It's the nicotine's fault) but it will trick you by using your own mind, but only if you let it.
If you give in to those thoughts..
The nicotine will play with your emotions, for ex. like when I did a really hard test in school and afterward I just had to 'reward' myself by smoking a cigarette even tho I was supposed to quit. Another time I had a problem with a GF and I started to smoke again because 'I had a hard time'.
It can be as sad as "that guy DT-dropped me and I lost, DT:s are so imba I need some kind of comfort)." Well you get the point, and you'll have to get used to those thoughts as the will appear all the time (at least when you're really in a need of a smoke)..
Please don't think, "One little smoke wont make a difference" etc.
My friend who's failing to quit somking regular thinks like that and, he always start to smoke after that that one decision.
And oh, it's really hard to go to parties while drinking and trying to stay away from cigarettes, but it's not IMPOSSIBLE! Be strong!
For ex. I was at small party with my friends and we all was drinking and having a good time..
Then after awhile everyone needed to get a smoke (yes every single person smoked there, except for me who was trying to quit).. Btw we was like 12-14 ppl, and everyone got outside and I stayed inside all by myself just struggling.. I've never felt so alone in my whole life, but I kept being strong and resisted the temptation! And today I've been a non-smoke for more then 2 years! 
That's every bit of advice I can give you.. I hope you'll make it too!
It's has so many benefits being a non-smoker if you compare the two of them, you'll really be graceful to all those small things ppl take for granted etc. !
And oh, I'm a really strong person, not to brag.
But I feel like I have to mention it if anyone's wondering. Maybe that was the key to successfully managed to quit, I don't know..
GL, HF ;D!
+ Show Spoiler +
Edit:
Haha, I broke my keyboard while playing SC when I was trying to quit
|
When temptations got too strong, I would think about how other people were able to quit. I'd say to myself "what makes them better than me? I'll prove they're not I can do this"
I'm a very competitive person so challenging myself like that really helped when it got rough.
If any of your friends smoke stay away from them for awhile, and try not to drive long distances. If you can Id try and find a time where you will have the least amount of stress as possible. Take vacation/sick days if you can, and just chill at home for the first couple days. I found it best to relax as much as possible.
I also took up chewing pens, pencils, toothpicks, whatever I could find, which is a habit that persists to this day years after I quit.
On November 17 2009 07:46 wifebeater wrote:Well, I'm an ex-smoker so I know what i'm talking about... When I was a smoker the first thing I did in the morning, after waking up ofc , was getting a smoke.. No breakfast or anything, and I used to smoke those 100% cigarettes (Twice as long as regular one).. Pretty crazy now that I look back at it.. None of my smoking friends shared that crazy habit, they can at least wait 'til after breakfast..
I used to do the same thing, one smoke the moment I got up, brush my teeth run out the door. Then I'd have a smoke on the way to work, it tasted so horrid after brushing my teeth, but I still did it every day.
|
If you're going to be using something like gum or patches, I would suggest BlueCigs. Electronic cigarettes. I imagine they would be more effective than gum/patches. Good luck!
|
Thanks for all the great advice guys, I really appreciate it.
@wifebeater, thanks for providing all the examples and such. It gives me inspiration to hear these stories and know that I can accomplish it too if I set my mind to it.
@klapdout, I am also really competitive, and I really like your strategy. It just when temptation time comes around all I think about is one thing, and don't try and compare myself. But now, I am going to stop and think about everyone else who succeeded and know that I should be able to succeed too if they can as well.
|
My dad had been smoking since he was about 18 or so, and had tried everything to try and quit but nothing was working. So he was basically resigned to the fact that he was a smoker. And then about a year ago after a visit to the doctor, he suddenly just... stopped. No joke. He wouldn't have told me then, but a few months ago we were talking about it and he said that the doctor had said there was a good chance that he had cancer. It turned out it was actually a mistake and he was completely cancer-free, but the thought scared him enough that he hasn't touched a cigarette since. He still has cravings, but I guess the thought of having to deal with cancer is just too scary for him.
If you really want to quit you should do some research on the reason why you are quitting. You won't develop the willpower to suddenly stop indulging in an addiction without a reason. You might want to visit with a cancer patient sometime, and take a good hard look at what their life is like. Some of those people go through hell everyday, and a lot of them have smoking to thank for it.
It can be a tough battle but it's definitely worth it. Every time you think about how hard it is to fight that urge, just remember that in a few years you could be fighting a life-threatening disease in it's place. Good luck and I hope this goes well for you.
|
one thing that i'd add is not to think it's a bigger deal then it is. millions of people quit smoking. it's not easy, and it takes lots of willpower. but there's no reason you can't quit as well.
a side effect of whole "smokers are evil" campaign is that we constantly are told how hard is it to quit smoking. there are the numerous products, seminars and other tools marketed under a big "because you can't do it by yourself" banner. likewise the "zomg nicotine is more addictive then heroin" routine ends up convincing people that they can't quit. thus when you try to quit and about 3-4 days in you feel shitty, you perceive it as so much worse then it is.
tldr; it's going to be hard, but it's not impossible, and you'll have gone through worse things in your life. just start day by day, making sure you don't slip up and say "fuck it" when you're already in a shop buying a newspaper. stay focused, but don't let it own you, and welcome the withdrawal, because it's proof that you're doing it.
{motivational speaker] you can do eeeeet {/motivational speaker}
|
Remind yourself why you are quitting first:
1. Your health will improve greatly especially in long run
2. You will save more money
3. Its nasty, and you stink when you smoke!
4. add more
The hardest part for me after that was... identifying and overcoming my "habit" smokes, for example.
1. Always lit a smoke whenever I drove anywhere
2. Always lit a smoke after every meal, even snacks
3. Always lit a smoke on work break or doing homeworks etc.
4. Always lit up a smoke with my friends when they arrived.
If you can identify the times where your body will want that cigarette EXTRA bad, getting over them is really the key. For example I started drinking hot tea after meals instead of running out for a smoke, really helped. The car one was a pain but I got over it eventually.
Remind yourself why you are quitting and also constantly remind yourself that it WILL get easier.
|
Always have a reason to quit, and a solid reason, not "just because I want to". So often that will fail.
Try replacing it with anothe addiction, like chewing gum, since chewing gum is easier to kick than smoking once you're there.
I don't know what else to say, since there are so many people with good advice here already. GL
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
