How did you quit smoking?

[Zantra]

Does/has anyone smoke(d)? If you did, how did you quit, and did you find it difficult?

I'm quitting smoking. I'm going into my 3rd smoke free week.

 

[rick1138]

At first very difficult, but eventually becoming easy. I don't miss it all. Don't go back.

 

[Monique]

I have never smoked, well, not directly anyway. Here in the Netherlands it is IMPOSSIBLE to escape the clouds of smoke that people puff out. The air is so dirty when you breath it, some nice fresh air would be my preferance.

So: it is a good thing you stopped smoking, in the end you will be more energetic, your lungs will be able to regenerate (the damage can actually reverse) and you will be doing the people around you a huge favour :)

Did you throw away ALL your cigarettes AND lighters yet?

 

[Kerrie]

exercise is the best way to stop smoking...i smoked off and on for the past two years till my sweetheart started taking me on a lot of hikes (many places to hike here in oregon)...being out of breath sucked and made me realize how much smoking limits you health wise (plus i just passed age 30 ), and i just stopped...

 

[BoulderHead]

You should have the worst behind you already. The first week was always the toughest for me, but if you can make it for a week you can make it for a lifetime. It's a mental 'thang' from here on.

When you have a craving, tell youself outloud "I am the master", then have a drink of water.

Good luck.

 

[selfAdjoint]

See a friend die of emphysema.

Get a slight cold, so cigarettes taste uncomdortable and make you hack more than usual.

Put your pack of cigarettes in your desk drawer and tell yourself you can always pull it out and smolke when you want, but that right now you don't want to. Get through the first day like that. Don't buy more cigarettes. Just go on from day to day. enjoy how fresh your breathing and mouth feel after a week.

Not guaranteed for everybody but it worked for me, 44 years ago.

 

[einsteinian77]

pretend that you just smoked a cigarette 5 min ago.

 

[Integral]

I have never smoked, but I am sure it must be easy to quit.


I watched my dad quit... dozens of times.

 

[Zantra]

I quit once before for like 2 months then got drunk one day and..well you know..

To those of you claiming quitting is easy- smoke a pack a day for only, say.. 5 months...then quit cold turkey.

Then tell me how easy it is

From the sound of it, those of you claiming it's easy are casual smokers. Me? Pack a day for 10 years.

 

[adrenaline]

Nicotine is the most addictive drug there is so hang in there! We have had hard core cocaine addicts, heroin addicts and alchohol addicts tell us it was easier giving up all the above than to give up cigarettes! Nicotine withdrawel in the hospitals drive our patients crazy but we can't prevent them from strolling out with their IV bags to light up their cigarettes! Our past Surgeon General Everett Koop labelled it the most addictive drug there is for a reason...however, it does take some time to cause its stranglehold on the brain. If you are going cold turkey the first week of withdrawels are about as bad as any drug withdrawels depending on how heavy of a smoker you were.

There is medication called Zyban, also Wellbutrin that does have clinical trials that show it helps. It is an old antidepressant that shows it modulates dopamine and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters involved in cravings and perhaps withdrawel symptoms, it perhaps even down-regulates the nicotine receptors in you brain after two weeks of taking it and clinical trials show that after 10 weeks, if you are goin to quit, you will quit by ten weeks.

some links http://www.biopsychiatry.com/buposmoke.htm

another one from Chest medical journal involving over 500 patients http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/405974

 

[Zantra]

Thanks for the advice adreneline. I'm using the patch and LOTS of gum to quit. I tried zyban before- it just makes me a happy smoker It really comes down to your desire to quit. If you donk't really want to quit, nothing can help you. I know I will suceed, because I really want to breathe again.

 

[The_Professional]

Print and post this where you can read it often. This should help in quitting.
http://www.lungusa.org/tobacco/quit_ben.html

 

[Janus]

I really don't think that there is a "best" way to quit smoking, You just have to find the method that works best for you.

In four days it will be fifteen years since I last smoked. I smoked for about 6 years, two as a cigarette smoker (about a pack a day) and then four as a pipe smoker.

I quit cold turkey, and while it wasn't exactly easy, I didn't find it very difficult either.

 

[Monique]

And remember: 8-9 out of 10 patients a lung doctor sees is a smoker..

 

[Zantra]

Originally posted by The_Professional
Print and post this where you can read it often. This should help in qutting.
http://www.lungusa.org/tobacco/quit_ben.html

Thanks.. this will go nicely with my desktop background picture of my lung blackened from smoking... it's an actual picture of an actual lung. Now that's motivation;)