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HOW TO QUIT SMOKING ~ Mega Thread

I quit a year ago cold turkey and now I rarely smoke. I was able to quit because I could see how it was affecting my life in a negative way, i.e. needing to smoke ten cigarettes per day had made me into a recluse and I was getting a lot of anxiety due to inability to exercise, etc..

I found the articles at www.whyquit.com particularly informative :)
 
its all inside, i dont believe that bullshit claim that nicotine is physically addictive because if it was i woulda never been able to quit and would still enjoy the smell of cig smoke
 
Different strokes for different folks dude. Some people find cigarettes addicting, some dont. But we can only speak for ourselves and not for others.
 
How do you explain 7 years of daily smoking half packs to a pack a day and then quitting it in one day with no remorse, its not like i was a social smoker either, id wake up with a fucking cig in my mouth and go to sleep with one.
 
^^^ Because you're not everybody... As cc said, different strokes for different folks... I would definitely say that I am more psychologically addicted than anything, last time I quit for three weeks I had no withdrawal symptoms at all. But that doesn't mean that no-one is physically addicted to nicotine, it has been proven to be a phsyically addictive substance after all.
 
I'm one of the lucky few who has never had a problem with nicotine. Last year I used to hit the bars a few times a week with my bud who was a smoker. We'd smoke quite a few a night, and during exams we'd kill a few during our study sessions. Despite smoking a couple almost every other day for a few months I never had a problem with it. Granted I made sure to never let it get to the point where I *needed* a smoke but I know friends who once they start simply can't stop. I stopped hanging out with him as regularly due to conflicting schedules over the summer and so I didn't touch nicotine for a few months, no problem. These days I'll light up a Captain Black or a Colt on the weekend or some special occasion and enjoy the buzz but I've never felt compelled to smoke, I really only smoke if I'm drinking.
 
>>i dont believe that bullshit claim that nicotine is physically addictive>>

This "bullshit claim" is based on neurophysiology. If physical withdrawal symptoms didn't manifest for you, count yourself lucky.

ebola
 
I stop when my lungs hurt. Or when I don't feel like smoking.

It's a good system that works for me.
 
I quit smoking last March with help from the patch..I was previously a heavy smoker for 7 years and my life has changed dramatically since I've quit. I exercise 4 days out of the week and my skin has a radiant glow to it. I've also seen an increase in all of my senses and just feel really good these days. The big turning point for me was a combination of LSA blotter, 7 grams of coke, and 3 packs of cigarettes..I was actually searching through my trash can scanning for smoked butts...
 
I smoked only for 5 months and smoked 3 or 4 cigarettes a day. During that time, I kept on telling myself "this is the last cig" or "this is the last pack" but it never happened until I started putting off buying cigarettes instead of putting off quitting. Ran out of smokes one night and planned on buying a new pack in the morning. The next day, I woke up ready to have a smoke, but thought to myself "nah I don't really need one." At lunch, I stood up to go buy that pack but thought "eh I'll just wait til tonight." Did the same thing that night, and so on. I didn't have a serious addiction, but I definitely was a smoker and was a bit on edge when I didn't have a cig.
 
I think setting has a lot to do with it as well.
I can sit at home and smoke a pack a day b/c everyone in the house smokes. But if I am at my g/f's place where no one smokes and I have to go outside, I smoke far less, perhaps 5 a day.
 
Started smoking cigs some weeks ago when I started using kpin for recreational purposes. I hadn't smoked for like 4 years, which is about when I quit drinking. I found the exact same craving for cigs as when on alcohol. However, Ive limited smoking when on kpin as it reduces its efficacy.

Now I try to limit myself during weekdays to 2 or 3 cigs a day. In fact, I am aiming for 2 a day. One in the morning before work, and another one after training or when I get home to relax. I put some good music and smoke it. Feels very good, but after one cig, the need for more dissapears. I also do not smoke a few hours before bed, as smoking impairs REM sleep, and I value the little sleep I get far too much.
 
Why did I quit

Cliché but it was a moment of just, mind numbing obvious clarity, I was at a club, (high on ecstasy) and reaching for a cigarette when I thought, why am I doing this exactly? I'm not addicted yet but I was just starting to depend on smoking more when it came to times of panic and crisis, as a means to relax.

So I guess, being depended on something made me quit, I didn't find any comfort in the fact I could trick my fear for a short while with tobacco. Plus, why not quit while you're ahead? It was hard enough for me to quit smoking and I really didn't think I did it that much; one pack would last me two weeks to a month. It's actually pretty frightening to me that I even get that much of a pull to cigarettes; I can't imagine how hard it'd be for a pack a day smoker.

How did I quit

Altered my lifestyle a fair bit, I haven’t touched ecstasy and crystal meth in four months (though I don’t think I’m swearing off ecstasy entirely), I don’t go clubbing as much and when I do I tend to stick to the dance floor rather than lounging around (with my smoking friends), having books and my iPod with me while I'm at train / tram / bus stops, that’s where I seem to feel a reliable urge. I have anxiety issues which I've been trying to overcome, acknowledging I was feeling anxious and panicky at times, taking deep breathes through my nose rather than doing the cop out thing, going for a smoke and blocking everything out.

How it affects me today

Here's something; I never noticed that I smelt like cigarettes. I've always carried around sample size perfumes in my bag for when I'm out with friends or at school so I assumed it covered up the smoke scent, apparently it didn't because I've noticed that since I've quit I'm no longer approached by people asking if I have a cigarette.

I still feel the urge to smoke even though now when I smell a hint of cigarette smoke I start feeling nauseous, all quite freaky actually.
 
Man.. I need to quit smoking with the quickness. I've been smoking for about 9 years. 6 of which I've been addicted smoking about a pack a day.

I'm in some serious money problems right now so I can't even afford to buy cigarettes for like two weeks. So, I figure i'm gonna just try and quit. my problem is that when I'm fucked up (especially drunk) I love to smoke.

I've already been able to limit myself to just a few cigs a day. Which is a step in the right direction. But I've noticed a direct correlation between how many cigarettes I smoke a day and acid reflux-like symptoms. I've always had a problem with what I presume to be acid reflux (don't really know because I've never seen a doctor about it) but just recently noticed that when I smoke fewer cigarettes throughout the day I get it worse but, if I smoke more cigarettes I get hardly any symptoms. This concerns me because I read an article in Men's Health that said frequent heart-burn or acid-reflux can be a sign of a build-up of precancerous cells in the esophagus. (or something along those lines. read it a while ago.) Obviously I need to get myself to doctor but that is easier said than done when you have no health insurance.


With that being said.. Unfortunately, I feel that I am not one of those who can just quit cold turkey. I'm afraid that I won't smoke now because I literally can't afford to but as soon as I have some money in my pocket I'll be buying a pack. Can anyone recommend any products or methods that have helped you successfully quit?
 
I quit smoking a few years ago, but kept dipping snuff & using nicotine gum/lozenges until June 7th of last year. Finally kicked nicotine completely.

IMO, desiring to quit nicotine isn't enough. To really do it requires a conscious loss of desire to smoke. Note how different that is from gaining a desire to quit.

Lots of stuff can help in that regard... viewing lung cancer pics, reading accounts of advanced emphysema, getting sick of spending all the money, etc. 'Luck to anyone who's thinking about it.

P.S. IMO nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on the planet. The fact it's so easy to procure makes the situation even trickier. Thank goodness it's at least not so cheap anymore, which really helped in my case.
 
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I have a long and varied history with nicotine.

The day I turned 18 I started buying packs of Camel Reds to feel more grown up. That lasted for 3 years.

I quit for a constellation of reasons.

As I began to realize that I needed to get serious about school/life/career things, I took a look around me at the kinds of people I would need to interact with. None of them smoked cigarettes. During the same period of time, I started to see the value of good health...again, by looking at people who were older, seeing that they were healthy, and did not smoke.

Towards the end of my nicotine addiction, the truth was becoming more clear every day. Succesful people, as a rule, do not smoke cigarettes. Why not? Because to be succesful, you have to be mentally and physically on top of your game. You have to be able to concentrate for long periods without "needing a fix."

As a smoker, I found that I was using cigarettes as something "to look forward to" because, perhaps not surprisingly, I had nothing else TO look forward to. And then once I stopped, I was able to live in the real world again.
 
I quit 1/1/06 and haven't touched a cigarette since then. I was a 1.5 pack/day smoker.

Why? I quit because I had among other things really let my health get out of hand. I was active before, I become sedentary. I started drinking too much, although my other drug use never really became too much of a problem. I just realized that I was headed down the wrong path. I was about 90 lbs overweight and headed for an early grave. Then it happened. Pains, not feeling right, not sleeping, congrats asshole, you developed type II diabetes at 27 instead of 50. Time to do something!

How? I just quit. I quit drinking for a long time (about 8 months) at the same time because I felt that would help. I took the "I'm a non-smoker" mental approach. There was no reason for me to smoke because I don't smoke. This didn't help with the cravings or the withdrawal, but it kept me from going back.

This affects me incredibly positively today. I'm in almost as good shape as I was at 20 years old. Probably need to gain a little more muscle mass as I took off a ton of weight quickly (back down to 21 BMI). I find myself generally able to control a lot of things about my life better (after learning the "I'm a non-smoker" technique). I find myself much more active and feel better daily. My diabetes is completely under control, I can even eat sugary stuff if I really want to (that happens maybe once every other month) and it doesn't spike my blood sugar, although I do grapple with hypoglycemia on occassion now.

The odd thing is I bought a tobacco pipe and I now smoke a pipe maybe twice a month. I was a little afraid that this would lead back to cigarette addiction, but the amazing amount of control I learned keeps it from getting bad. And, at twice a month, it produces great feelings, and inspires me to be creative. Oddly enough that feeling usually lingers for 2-3 days then I'm completely baseline again without any cravings (I do NOT suggest this for any ex-smokers, I'm just relaying my personal successes). I've been doing this now for about 5 months.

Its worth it. Quit. It costs too much, and its terrible for you.
 
I will let you know if I ever find a method that works. The gum made me sick, the patch kept me awake all night. The inhaler did nothing at all. I got sick from zyban as well. I cant find a crutch that is really effective. Calamus root helps me smoke less, but I still get the headache from hell if I dont smoke. I have not yet tried chantix however.
 
I had been smoking for about 4 1/2 years up until last August. I had been getting sick of cigarrettes and began thinking that they tasted like shit but I couldn't seem to get motivated enough to quit. Then one day last August I was tripping on acid at a festival and realized that I really didn't need them anymore and that I wasn't getting any benefit from them. From that moment on I quit (cold turkey) and really haven't even craved a cigarrette since then!

And I feel GREAT since then. I have asthma, so quitting really helped out my lungs. I don't get sick as much as I use to, and when I do I get better 3 times faster!
 
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