I have stopped smoking many times. It has lasted from as little as a couple of hours to as long as 3 months, but I always fail at some point and start smoking again. So far I have used patches, nicotine chewing gum, acupuncture and will power to stop. None of them made it easy.

Does anyone have any tips on ways of stopping smoking and, most importantly, staying stopped? I would be very grateful for any advice.
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07-16-02, 04:53 PM
Ewood27
It's not easy, Storm. Nicotine is very addictive. I stopped in January for good health reasons, using patches and also an inhalator to mimic the rasp of inhalation down my throat.

If you've managed three months, you've got it cracked and it must be a moment of weakness that makes you start again. Maybe you were in a pub or similar? You just have to be on your guard. I find it helps to think of the money too. If I'm not sure whether to buy some little luxury, I equate the price to 'x packets of cigarettes'. Then there's all that lovely tax money I'm not paying to the Government!

I must admit, though, that even after six months I could still slip back, and I still use the inhalator sometimes.

If groups and peer pressure are your thing, ask at your doctor's about a quit group. That's how I did it, and succeeded partly because I was not going to stand up and say I'd failed!

The very best of luck anyway, and if a man in his 60s can help, feel free to e-mail me.

07-17-02, 12:06 AM
angela-cc
Giving up smoking is one of the hardest things to do. I quit before for 12 years. Nothing worked for me except laying them down. Getting past the first 4 or so months was the toughest. I would not have been able to quit unless my late husband hadn't agreed to start smoking outside. I couldn't be around it at all. Also, I had to take up doing something to keep my hands busy and my mind occupied. I began a king size bed spread, hand crocheted. It turned out to touch the floor on 3 sides. Also, It helped to choose another oral fixation. I took up chewing sugarless gum and eating candy. We will not discuss my dental bills, but if I were to do it over again, I would have chosen sugarless candy as well. Peppermints and life savers were my favorites. To me the urge was the worst right after a meal. I made sure that I got busy right away after eating to keep my mind off of it. Also I took some advice from a friend. Just like with any other addiction, it is easier to give in if you alow yourself to become too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. That spells HALT. Not everything works for everybody. We are all individuals, and our body metabolisms, and reations are different. I can tell you this though. You can not ever quit smoking unless YOU absolutely want to quit. You have to want it and want it badly, and have a conviction and a commitment to it. I hope you have success in quitting.

07-17-02, 11:47 AM
Fritzzs
The main thing when I quit, I WANTED TO...I used the pill ( forget what it was called), and it was easy....I just lost any taste for a cig, had no midnight hankerings, and basically, just walked away from it..Now after 5 years, I still have no desire to light up...I will admit, that at times ;the smell of someones smoke sure does smell good...You might consider the "pill"...dosen't work for everyone, but then again, neither did the patch...Good luck...Don

07-17-02, 01:47 PM
LVLF
You might want to contact your local American Caner Society. They have tons of information and suggestions on how to quit smoking.
Nicotine IS one of the hardest drugs to quit, second only to heroine- so says my sister who used to be an assessor, but now is a felony drug probation officer. The nicotine is out of your system after 72 hours, but the HABIT is what is so difficult to break. One thing you can do is to start altering your smoking habits.
If you normally light up as soon as you get on the phone, wait until you are off the phone to light up, then gradually extend the time to 1 minute after your off the phone, then two minutes, etc. Simply put, alter your light up times, gradually putting longer periods of time between cigarettes, then begin skipping light up times, putting even more distance between your next smoke. If you get up on the middle of the night to smoke, don't- wait until morning, and then wait some more. It's a start.
Ironically, when I quit, I kept a pack in the freezer- just in case. After 5 years I finally gave it to a friend who stopped to visit but ran out of cigarettes. The thought behind keeping a pack in the fridge is the same reason I TRY to keep a lot of food on hand. I crave what I don't have. It worked for me, but I realize it wouldn't work for everyone.

07-17-02, 03:11 PM
BrMain
I too have given up now for some 6 years now. The most important thing is that you REALLY want to give it up. Previously I had said that I would give it up, and like you lasted about 3 months and would start again. Reason being that subconsciously I really didn'y want to give up in the first place.

Well the last time I tried I really wanted to and stuck to my guns so to speak. Didn't require any patches or gum etc, just plain will power because that is what I wanted to do.

Can tell you though that even now when in a pub, with friends, the smell does get to you sometimes and the craving can still be there.

I have also had a puff or two since giving up, and now that I have my tatse back, I wonder why I ever started in the first place. I even got my smell back, and can smell the smoke on other smokers. When coming back from the pub need to get my clothes into the wash as soon as possible because I can smell the smoke on them.

But being an ex smoker I know how hard it is to give up, and therefore I am not one of these reformed anti-smoking campaigners, who jump up and down at the slightest hint of a smoker.

I wish you all the best in your endeavours to quit this habit, and remember just be strong.

07-20-02, 08:12 PM
Storm
Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your excellent advice. I realise now that I need to be psychologically ready before I start with the physical side of giving up smoking. That is where I went wrong before.

Thanks again, especially to Ewood for offering 'a shoulder by e-mail'. I will need all the help I can get when I finally take the plunge!

07-21-02, 07:58 PM
twinhearts
I used to smoke for years and have finally stopped. It's been almost a year now. It's hard but it can be done.
If you can stop on your own or with the use of patches, gum, ect.. but feel tempted at times, try going to a local cancer ward. Seeing people with lung cancer can help. I finally quit because whenever I visit my grandmother, I have to see her on oxygen because of years of smoking. She now has cancer of the bladder, which is operable normally, but because her lungs are so bad the doctors can't do surgery.
This might not work for you, but it did for me.

Good luck to you!!

08-03-02, 11:43 PM
Johnny Velo
I personally found that the only way to stop smoking is to have the motivation and DESIRE to quit, with no nonsense. I quit in '88, and cannot imagine myself with a **** cigarette in my mouth. I had motivation from my surgeon who removed a sample of my lung and found it benign. But, he asked me to quit, and that was all it took. Really cannot imagine smoking those filthy things again.Ughhhh!!!

[This message was edited by Sherasi on 08-03-02 at 11:53 PM.]

08-28-02, 06:51 AM
Sandy
I quit smoking 17 years ago when I wanted to get pregnant with Megan (TWP princess). That was my main motivation. I didn't want to smoke for the sake of my child. Megan often reminds me that she saved my life, and perhaps she did. Quitting was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. But also among the best!! At first I woud cut down by only having a cigarette on the exact hour. If I was busy or forgot, I had to wait until the next hour and so on. Beeing very busy made this very effective.I am SO glad I quit. Thanks, Meg!

08-28-02, 07:49 PM
frankvan
I had my own theory and while some of the above suggestions are good, I believe some are actually counterproductive. I smoked from the age of 20 to age 45, and since I was smoking three packs a day at the age of 45 and my doctor suggested that I quit because I had bronchial markings on my lungs. So I did think about it, and I developed my own personal theory. I decided that the ritual of lighting up whenever you answer the phone, have a cup of coffee, etc. are habit patterns that have to be broken. The secret to breaking a habit is to forget about it, and the longer you go without thinking about something the dimmer the memory becomes. In order for the memory to fade it is imperative to NOT reinforce it by acquiering SUBSTITUTES. If you suck candy, chew gum, etc. you are constantly reminding yourself of why you are chewing gum or sucking on candy. I find the best way to forget about the cigaret is to get involved with thinking about something else, fix something, make something, do something that requires some concentration. And don't keep telling yourself how difficult it is, or how much will power it requires. Whenever you think about how long it has been since your last smoke, use that as an excuse to see if you can prolong it a little more, because it will get easier as it gets more prolonged. I haven't gone back for 35 years and have no intention of ever going back OR developing some unproductive substitute habit. I am inclined to think that patches, nicotine gum, candy, and such are constant reminders of something that you are trying to forget. You can do it, so DO IT!.

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