Quitting Smoking

[ElPietro]

Ok I have decided that I will be making a serious attempt at quitting smoking. I have thought about it for some time now and have quit twice in the past cold turkey for about 4 months.

What I was wondering is if any others of you have successfully quit and if so what was your method.

I am considering cutting down on smoking, maybe cut the amount in half and substituting with nicotine gum. Then cutting down even more and maybe using a patch if I still feel cravings. I'm not sure of all the products out their and what is over the counter and what isn't. I've seen people use the drug Zaiban and have heard of it work and have also seen it fail. I haven't consulted my doctor but I'll probably go talk to a pharmacist today at lunch and get his/her thoughts on the matter. My doctor is new to me so doesn't really know all that much about me.

If any of you guys could give some suggestions that would be cool. Thanks.

[syntekz]

I quit cold turkey a couple times and ended up going back. I haven't had a cigarette in about 6 months now. I just quit because I knew it was doing more bad than good.

My doctor put me wellbutrin to help quit smoking as well as give me more energy. It's an anti-depressant I think. Ask your doctor about it, it made cigarettes taste like crap and my cravings went down.

[Paul Stagg]

I did.

It sucked, but in the end it's worth it.

Basically, I just started cutting back gradually until I was only smoking 5 cigarettes or so a day, unless I went out drinking or something.

I then stopped buying them. Stopped carrying money, so I COULDN'T buy them

[syntekz]

That reminds me. I had quit for months and I ended up drinking one weekend and smoked a pack of cigarettes in one night and that's what started me back on the habit.

Why does drinking cause people to crave cigarettes?

[ElPietro]

I don't know but I quit smoking for 4 months cold turkey...no cutting down just stopping...then came Octoberfest and I was up in kitchener/waterloo (where the party is at for that event) and was drinking my face off and then just started smoking like a cannon again.

Everyone was pretty pissed that I did as they were all quite pleased that I made it that far...maybe for the first little while I'll allow some smoking in bars but will try to avoid bars as much as possible.

[ElPietro]

Bah general health forum sucks...or mebbe ppl are just bein inactive today...i'm sure half you chronics smoke or smoked so help a brutha out...actually those that are still smoking need not apply...

[Belial]

I used to smoke.


........


I started cutting down by stopping in the morning (because of workouts)... and then not smoking for several hours afterwards...

Gradually I just kept having my first cigarette later and later in the day, until one day i ended up going to bed before I could light up.


*shrug*

I was over a pack a day for a full year.

[syntekz]

Go to the doctor and get some wellbutrin. Trust me.

[Chris Rodgers]

I never smoked and never will. I am dead set against it. I just want to congratulate you on taking the first step and wish you luck in quitting.


I had a friend who smoked like a chimney. He got hyponized once and quit just like that. Never had one again....at least as far as I know.

[the doc]

i smoked for 9 years
started when i was 15
when i quit i was putting down 1/2 to 1 pack of american spirits a day (heavy tar)

i quit cold turkey so to speak
i used nicotine gum for the first month or so and regular sugarless gum for a while afterwards
I would puff on a fat doobie to take care of the craving to have something in your hand
Also the doobie did wonders for eliminating cravings. They usually would smoke for a while so it worked wonders

it will be 3 years this january and i haven't had a (tobacco) smoke since the day i decided to quit

[Allie]

I actually can remeber the first time I ever tried to smoke and after quitting many times.... I'm done. Being sick hasn't really let me smoke and I haven't had a desire to either (kinda weird) But it has been about a month now and I hadn't even thought about it.

[Tryska]

wait...doc...your 27?

[the doc]

:nod:
how old did you think i was?

[PowerManDL]

I can relate.

I'm trying to quit drinking right now, with mixed results.

I haven't had anything to drink since Sunday, but its damn hard not to.

Focusing on other activities and convincing myself that I have better things to do seems to work.

But it won't take much at this stage to push me right back in.

[Allie]

OK I swore I wouldn't use this again... But why do you need to drink when you have :hump:?

By the way Good job so far :)

[PowerManDL]

Who's got :hump:?

[Allie]

Someone a little edgy that they arn't getting any :hump:?

[PowerManDL]

I haven't had any :hump: in *censored* years-- if it hasn't bothered me in that long, I can't see why it would now.

[Tryska]

doc...not 27! *lol*

dl...it's only a big deal if you make it a big deal homie. (quitting i mean, not humping)

[ElPietro]

Hahaha...I knew when I saw 18 replies that my thread had degenerated... :D

Thanks for the responses anyway...I think I'll try the gum...although I saw that nicorette is pretty fookin expensive... oh well...last time I quit I think I gained 40lbs in the 4 months I was off...but I was totally inactive at the time so now I don't expect the same results...

Doc I don't know if replacing smoking with pot is the ideal method of quitting though! :p

[the doc]

ahh yes but now i no longer smoke cigs i can do all the things i couldn't while smoking

[the doc]

tryska, did you think i was older/ younger :confused:

[Tryska]

presumed you were younger, but really smart for your age or something. ;)

[PowerManDL]

*chooses to remain age-less*

[the doc]

well we can be the senior citizens of WBB ;)

[Belial]

Originally posted by the doc
well we can be the senior citizens of WBB ;)

I'm a lil' tyke!

[Savannah]

I like the nicorette gum. It more or less helped me to quit except for the occassional falter here and there. I figure it's better gettting just the nicotine than all the other crap in the smokes.

I hate smoking cause I know it smells and it makes my cardio soo much tougher .


It boggles my mind how i used to smoke , then go off and teach an aerobic class
:rolleyes: picture of health I tell you, oh yeah!

[the doc]

It boggles my mind how i used to smoke , then go off and teach an aerobic class
picture of health I tell you, oh yeah!


boggles my mind as well! :)

[Tryska]

yeah doc...i thought you was a youngun like b. *lol*

it's cool though....i'm glad your one of the grown folks up in here too. ;)

[ElPietro]

Well into my 2nd full day of having zero smokes...a little voice in the back of my head tried to convince me that maybe allowing myself one cigarette after training wouldn't hurt...but I squished it with my mental hammer. :D

Time for another piece of gum... :(

[Tre Bong]

man i've tried to quit so many times, i'm so weak minded when it comes to cigs, i don't like the taste (unless it's weed :) ), i hate the smell (unless it's weed :) ), and it really kills my fitness, maybe it's time to put a bit more effort into quiting, i guess i should include the weed in that too, waaaaaaaa :cry:

[Maddog]

I smoked a pack a day for 7 years, quit 4 years ago. I wasn't planning on quitting just thought I'd give it a try as a new year's resolution. Anyway what I did was a went to a hobby shop and bought a couple of car models and worked on them whenever I felt like a smoke. Drank lots of coffee too. I was off work at the time as well which made it alot easier for me.

[ElPietro]

I've cut back a bit on the nicorette gum and this morning only had one piece on the way in. I got stuck in a meeting all morning and didn't have a chance to grab another piece. MAN was I ever cranky when I came out of that meeting. I started snapping at everyone and just basically being downright mean. After lunch I had my second piece of the day and am now moderately sociable again...

[codei]

i smoked cloves for quite a while then when i decided to get healthy i just stopped and that was it. first thing is you have to want to quit. quitting wasnt hard at all, i think anyone that cant do it either doesnt want to or is just flat out weak.

[ElPietro]

Well I'm still smoke free...i've dropped to 2mg nicorette instead of 4mg. Now I don't feel sick while I chew the *****...

[Monkeybrains]

I quit cold turkey about 5 months ago, the first few days were really tough but it got quite easy after that, just make sure you have plenty of stuff to keep you occupied and take your mind off smoking.

[ElPietro]

Thought I'd dig this up as I had forgotten when I quit. I'm proud to say that I haven't had a drag since I guess 12-04-01 according to this thread. :)

*pats self on back*

It's cool now as instead of getting cravings when ppl smoke, I turn into one of those whiny non-smokers I used to blow my smoke at. :D

[kimpy225]

no more smoking :)
dont get too attached to the gum though.
i remember when my dad tried to quit a few years ago, he would chew the gum and smoke at the same time..
he knows he cant quit because he started when he was 12.. and now he is almost 54.. too many years of smoking for him
i am glad you decided not to.. it causes so many bad things
it might lessen nervousness, or whatever it does.. it still is horrible and everything.
good luck :)

[Maki Riddington]

*hands El a smoke, "come on man, you know you want it"*

[PowerManDL]

Earning those bastard points are you Maki?

[freztek]

Here's my 2 cents on smoking.

"They say the first few days are the hardest!" BULL$hit, Quiting smokeing is easy, staying that way forever is the hard part!

I smoked for almost 10 years. I have 18 months now without a smoke. Its an addicition thats for sure. In order to stay a non-smoker you have to remind yourself just like a alcoholic reminds himself "you can't have just one". But after time like anything it gets easier not smoking.

I quit by using the gum for cravings...the patch works for nic fix but doesn't give you the instant satisfaction like the gum did. As for Zyban. It is actually the same drug listed above as another poster said he took Wellbutrin to quit smoking. They market it under to different names for depression and smoking. I guess they figured it works for both but they figured smokers would take a "Anti-Depression drug" to quit their habits so marketed it as Zyban. Anyway...if you decide to try that route and have insurance have your Dr. give you Wellbutrin. Reason being that most insurances will cover anti-depressants but not a drug to quit smoking. Weird the way that works. I had actually quit smoking once for like 3 weeks and my doc gave me Wellbutrin and beleive it or not the side affects were so bad "jittering" and crap that it drove me back to smoking. So, it didn't work for me, but I know others that it has worked for.

Like I said, quitting is the easy part, staying that way is the hard part. Don't get complacent, it will lead you back to smoking.

Good luck, I thank God for being smoke free!

PS. Your teeth will can go back to white again after awhile! lol

[Delphi]

Originally posted by PowerManDL
Earning those bastard points are you Maki?

ROFL

[Justagirl]

I quit it has been 6 months. I dont even really have cravings anymore. I used the patch during the day. The warning on the box says if you smoke while using it you could die. That was enough for me, smoke or die. I also bought a bag of sugar free suckers in about a week it is all in your head. If a sucker doesnt apeal to you a straw works as well.

[ElPietro]

Haha...I missed the comments posted after mine.

Maki you bast@rd! :swear: :D

Anyway, I don't get cravings on any regular basis anymore. In fact the smell of smoke now bothers me quite a bit...yes I've turned into one of those bitchy non-smokers. :)

Every now and then I'll feel that a smoke would be good...but I generally crush those impulses before they can become more than a passing thought.

What I was happy with was that I didn't gain any additional pounds when I quit. Although, it seemed to make losing weight more difficult I'm still pretty much the same weight I was when I quit. One of the reasons I waited to quit was that I needed to get more active at the time. This site has been a great source of motivation. It kills boring work time and keeps training on the brain.

I have no fear or worry about going back to smoking. Some things you just realize are for the rest of your life. And smoking is one of those things I realize I don't need or want anymore. :)

[ElPietro]

Originally posted by Justagirl
I quit it has been 6 months.

Way to go! :thumbup:

[the doc]

it has been 3 years and 6 months for me :)

[ElPietro]

*hands doc a smoke* :D

[Belial]

Been a couple months for me. And I disagree that you can't have just one. I had quit for a month, had a single cigarette, and that was it. No cravings 20 minutes later, or even the next day.

[Darcy Tucker]

I know what you guys mean about drinking causing you to smoke. Any time I'm in a bar I feel as though i need a smoke.

[PowerManDL]

Originally posted by ElPietro
yes I've turned into one of those bitchy non-smokers.

You? Bitchy? Certainly not!!

[ElPietro]

Originally posted by PowerManDL


You? Bitchy? Certainly not!!

Yes Matt, believe it or not...under my calm and polite guise I am secretly hateful and bitter. :)

[IceRgrrl]

...don't forget "angry" :D