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HOW TO QUIT SMOKING ~ Mega Thread

What's the point of switching from death smoke to death spit? They are both really bad for you.

Cold Turkey has worked best for me, and i've quit at least 30 times!
 
How to stop smoking...

this is probably a bit redundant, (i haven't searched.. i'm lazy). But I honestly don't know the best approach I can take, or what has worked for others.

I've seen people gradually cut back what they smoke until they don't anymore. People have sworn by gums, patches and pills. Others have quit cold turkey.

I'm 2 days into "cutting back" from about 20 to 4-5 cigarettes a day. I'm not really limiting myself to a particular number, but just holding off on a smoke for about as long as I can take it and then wait a little longer before giving in. (and this is With nicotine gum in between.. ya ya I know it says not to smoke at all while chewing but with the amount of legal stimulants by body is accustomed to, i'll be ok). But anyways, 2 days in and it's reminding me how absolutely daunting this task is.

Last month I went on a workout spree and diet in order to lose 20 lbs. I lost the 20lbs and the holidays kicked up and i went right back to my drinking all night/redbull-mtdew all day routine, on top of eating heavy and not working out.

As of this week, I'm getting back into working out and I haven't had any caffeine (except tea once, which anything that has less than 60mg of caffeine doesn't count in my book). And I haven't drank this week. It's not like I was a drunk but I did make a habit of using beer on a nightly basis to wind myself down to go to sleep, generally from being hopped up on so much caffeine all day, but then in the mornings i'd be groggy from alcohol so I'd use caffeine to perk me back up for work.. and so the cycle went.

I still have caffeine cravings, but i don't get the caffeine headaches any longer. I'm probably re-going through the sugar withdrawal as well.

But all of this going on...i'm thinking is really affecting my quitting smoking. I get anxiety attacks -- if you want to call it that, if i'm conscious that i'm trying to hold off. I'll get them in as little as an hour since my last one. My chest tightens, I can't focus on work, I can't focus on my studies, and i become irritable. And eventually I just break and run to go get one. I've made a half pack last 2 days which is something I haven't done in 4 years, and that was only for a short time as well and on the patch... and cutting back down to 4-5 a day just makes me feel like absolute shit.

Technically, I've smoked since I was about 10-11 sneaking them when I could. I've been a pack a day since I've been 15 or so (so for about 12/13 years).

In the last 2 months I've stepped down the size of my cigarettes from normal size down to the short 72s. I've gone from Reds, to mediums, to lights, and now i've been smoking ultra light 72s for about 2-3 weeks.

But this just seems to be the breaking point where I go no further unless I'm strapped in a hotel room like a heroin junkie.

Anyone have any experience with Wellbutrin/Zyban? Any other advice? I know to keep myself busy, but it seems the only thing that really works is working out.. which I can't do all day or all night. Cravings are killed while I'm working out and only up to an hour after I'm done and then they're right back. Other things to keep me busy would be my studies, video games, computer projects, surfing the web, watching tv or movies... but all of that either stresses me out, or i'm too unfocused to read, or it's too passive for me to ignore the cravings.

I know I definitely cannot under any circumstances drink. i dunno, i'm pretty aware of most of the options out there but I just wanted some more first hand experience from others.
 
I quit over the summer with Chantix. I started smoking when I was 12 (31 now) and was up to almost 2 packs a day. At some point I'd tried just about everything (patches, gum, Zyban, cutting back slowly, cold turkey,ect) This is the only time I've had any long term success.
 
I was looking at Chantix and there are news reports of some pretty serious side effects regarding seizure and increase in suicidal attempts and a lot of people reporting trouble sleeping and when they do.. getting cracked out dreams.

You get any negative effects from it?
 
I read quite a bit about Chantix before and was a bit apprehensive about taking it. Especially because I have a slight history of anxiety and depression. In the end I decided to give it a try because I was desperate.
I was pretty lucky, the only real side effects I had were a little nausea and some wacked out dreams.

The nausea went away pretty quickly. The dreams were a bit nuts, but nothing like when I was on the patch. One thing that I did was after I had quit for 3 weeks, I started taking only one pill a day (skipping the evening pill) after that the dreams stopped, and I also saved money as my insurance didn't cover it.


I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone with a history of seizures. I don't know how the risk compares to that of zyban, which also has a risk of seizures, but i read enough to be concerned.
I had been taking tramadol before starting Chantix and decided to quit, the doctor didn't think it would be a problem but I didn't want to take the chance.


Anyway, it's not for everyone, but in my case I decided I'd try it because the side effects from continuing to smoke were probably going to be much worse.

Good luck, with whatever you choose.
 
I'd recommend Chantix too. I know a couple people who have smoked for decades and they swear by the stuff. I even tried it myself and thought it was working until I was overwhelmed by the death of a grandparent. None of us felt any negative side effects from the drug, but it does happen to some people... you just gotta try it and see what happens. I've also heard good things about Welbutrin too.

Either way if you try Chantix or Welbutrin try to score a free month's sample from the doctor. Those Rx can be costly so try a free sample pack and find out if it works for you. That's what my doc did. (Who knows, maybe that's all you'll need)

Other than that I just tried going cold turkey this week (my mom took my Chantix). Didn't even allow myself to take a drag and I live with 5 other people who smoke. There's a degree of personal satisfaction you feel after every hour that goes by without caving into the cravings. And it's actually kinda cool to reflect on yourself and think, "OMG I went 2 whole days w/o a smoke!!". You just can't "reward" yourself with a drag or a smoke if you go x amount of time smoke free... it's a very slippery slope if you take a drag here or there. Ultimately you just have to commit and stand by it, no matter what happens. And don't forget your cravings will dramatically lessen within a few days. You just gotta hold out.
Good luck!!
 
my mother quit two years ago after a 40 year pack-a-day habit.

she used chantix and hasn't looked back since. she suffered none of the ill side effects.

i'm not trying to minimize the serious side effects, but i think many smokers use them as an excuse.

try it, see what happens.

good luck!!!
 
i tried wellbutrin a few months ago, and it was awful. i quit for a few days, but got terrible heart palpitations that are only recently finally going away. i quit smoking new years day. i have had a few, every other day or so i smoke one of my dads, since it is a brand i don't like, it cures my desire and i am not tempted to go buy an entire pack. tonight, i had one and threw it out halfway through.

what convinces me to restrain myself is my health and my vanity. i don't want yellow teeth, i don't want black lungs, and i don't want wrinkles. i have been a pack a day smoker for 15 years off and on. and it is ending now. i refuse to shorten my life, lose 1500 dollars a year, make myself ugly and smelly because of a pointless addiction.

i have quit before, when i was pregnant, no problem. and one other time in my life also....you don't need meds, just a desire to quit.

pack a day off and on for 15 years, if i can do it anyone can. because my ass is sooo weak :D
 
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have quit before, when i was pregnant, no problem. and one other time in my life also....you don't need meds, just a desire to quit.
Click to expand...

Yeah..I quit for about a year too when I sobered up from the dr00gz and I wanted to eliminate all the bad stuff from my body. No meds, just that desire.

Picked up again around June last year, but hey what I can do..I have a terrible oral fixation;)
I know I can quit if and when I really have to, or need to.
 
READ Allan Carr: EASYWAY to Stop Smoking. Availiable at EVERY bookshop.
I swear on my life it works, you will never crave cigarettes ever again.
 
my mother quit after 40+ years by using the gum. after a while every so often when she wanted a piece she would just chew some normal gum, gradually stepping that up until she qasn't using nicotene gum anymore (although she likes a piece here and there to kill the occasional urge).

she did not have a problem quitting regular gum, ha.
 
yuck

i smoked for 10 years.

my advise is to stop drinking alcohol for a while.

if you drink it's going to be really hard to stop smoking.
 
Any time you want to have a cig and don't, you've made a step towards beating your addiction.

Just continue to do that and you'll be fine.
 
Once when I was going to be staying with my mother for a week, I had to quit smoking for that time (she doesn't know I smoke - dad died of lung cancer = very sensitive topic in our family). By chance I picked up Paul McKenna's book on how to quit smoking with a hypnosis cd with it at the airport. I skimmed through the book, some of the techniques seemed really good, but I didn't try them as I didn't want to quit forever. I just listened to the hypnosis cd at night and amazingly, the next few days I had no cravings at all! I took up smoking again after that week though.

Hypnosis is a bit hit and miss though. It helps many people, but for others it doesn't. As my therapist explained it, hypnosis is excellent for things that are pure habit, but sometimes there are strong psychological factors behind smoking too. But I think hypnosis is a good addition to other techniques. At the very least, it'll help relax you. I've temporarily quit a few times using nicotine gum too (same situation as above, visiting family). Nicotine gum is very dependent on the brand, I find. Niquitin is my favourite, the rest of them don't really do it for me.

I actually do plan to quit this year. I've always said that smoking is one of the last of my vices that I'll work on, and I don't feel quite ready to give it up until I've sorted out a few other things in my life. But I'm getting there, so perhaps I'll be ready by the next time I go and visit my mother abroad (in March/April). It's convenient to have a change of scenery and a break from new habits while you quit. And like mariacallas said, you have to have that strong desire to quit, and I haven't had it before. Once I quit for real I plan on using nicotine gum to smooth me over the first week or so, listen to the hypnosis CD every night, and use EFT to eliminate psychological factors. I think maintaining a healthy diet does good too, to balance the energy levels and emotions, perhaps supplements for anxiety if there is any (theanine is the only one I've found that works, but you have to take way more than the recommended dose).

All in time :)

Lately I've taken up a great liking to snus, which makes me smoke less, but apparently it's more difficult to quit due to higher nicotine levels. 8( But, as I said, all in time.
 
i was a heavy smoker (25-30/day) till the beginning of 2009. i went cold- turkey on new years day.

i've given up many times before, only to relapse. i hope this time i can finally give cigerettes away

to give up smoking, i think you have to mentally condition yourself first. personally, for me it was lowered health and the fact that my habit was costing me and my wife $5500/year!

i've tried patches, inhalers, lozengers and gum. but i seem to get over the nicotine addiction quicker by going cold turkey. i still carry lozengers around with me when the cravings get real bad.....which is maybe once or twice a week.

also you'll have to change some of your routines....which previously involved cigarettes, if and when you give up.

at the end of the day you have to be prepared and even though one attempt may fail another one might not. trial and error....and perseverance.

finally, have you thought of hypnotheraphy? some people i know have sworn by it.
 
my advice is to let the withdrawals kick the shit out of you by going cold turkey and then upon realizing what the chemicals do to your body you may be able to figure that it really isn't worth it after all? :)

the first time i attempted to quit smoking, it went rather well. i made it to 3 months and then relapsed without even thinking about it. but the first week or two from my half/pack a day habit just made me feel horrible, i was coughin' up all sorts of gunk after i quit and was sick and literally had no energy. i just felt so much better two weeks afterwards, and i could really feel the difference.

my personal opinion is to just be a complete hardass on yourself and stop. one day it'll work, probably when you're truly fed up with the shit. right now i've begun slowing down and i'm going to stop completely after this saturday night passes. i'll see how it goes.

and if i'm still smoking, maybe my advice isn't exactly the greatest. yet still, it's some input =)
 
I remember the initial phase (0-5th day) of nicotine withdrawal being incredibly difficult, especially if I were around other people. You need not replace the drug with another, as that will lead to another withdrawal you will have to handle. Abrupt and complete cessation is the only reliable method to quit long-term, as you endure the most difficult withdrawal possible from nicotine, and you will use that memory to maintain abstinence from nicotine.

The second phase of withdrawal (6th-xx day) is another daunting experience, because you will experience the emotional side of withdrawal, which is somewhat similar to, albeit on a smaller level to bereavement of a close friend. To combat that side of withdrawal, you will need negative experiences with nicotine to combat this phase of withdrawal, which you will automatically have if you quit without aid. Further, by quitting without aid, you will find that you are far more equipped to handle situations which you previously thought as "impossible".

Finally, remember that you cannot trust your impulses when you are quitting, you have to rely on cold logic to get through it, so just know that there is no such thing as a "good time" to quit smoking, ever. You are prepared now, believe it or not. When I quit, I wasn't prepared. I was withdrawing from benzos as well, and was facing homelessness, but I got through it, and it wasn't NEARLY as bad as I initially thought it would be.

Good luck.
 
I have been off smokes for a couple weeks now using Champix, it has worked pretty well. I do get cravings once in a while, bit I know if I do smoke it will just taste like shit and give me no rush due to the champix, so theres no point!!!!

try it, it works pretty damn well.
 
I dont know how I did it but i did it. Quit smoking 5 months ago, first attempt, never had a puff since then once I made my mind up. I also smoked really high quality some of the best dank herb I have ever bought. Very awesome weed, it made me nod out.
 
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