Quitting smoking

[jaybird2001wi]

Yes, I am one of "those people." Today is the day I would like to quit smoking, but I just don't know how. My coworkers told me to not quit cold turkey, but to start limiting myself and then start sucking on suckers. Any remedies any of you all know of?

[temke]

find a S.O. that doesnt like smoking. worked like a charm for me.

 

honestly though, i went cold turkey. i picked a date a couple weeks into the future and told myself that was the date.

[jazzytrav]

I had a friend who put a bunch of signs around his place telling him that he didn't need a cigarette, along with other inspirational things to show him why he didn't need a cigarette. Bottom line is that for awhile you're still gonna think about it...a lot. The mind plays plenty of tricks when you're going through withdrawals, so anything that reminds you that it's not necessary will help.

 

As for me, I quit for about 4 months starting last summer, but eventually went back for reasons that I would rather not get into. Anyway, what I got from that was that it is indeed possible for me to quit, so when the times comes again, I know that I can do it http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[jaybird2001wi]

I am 24, soon to be 25 in October, and didn't even pick up my first cigarette until I was 21 and I went from a pack of cigs every 3 days to almost a pack a day.

The weird thing is, when I am at the Brewer game I feel like a total putz in the designated smoking area every 3 or 4 innings when I should be watching the game.

[dvoiss]

I smoked 2 packs a day for 25 years and quit cold turkey in 2000. I used an anti-depressant and chewed on straws for the first 2 months. It also helps if you can sleep a lot. Thats a good way to pass the time. the 1st 2 weeks were the hardest but it got better after that. Good Luck!!!

[ajgodson]

I've never smoked, but I've heard great things about Chantix, a drug that can help. Some people hate the idea of pills, but it's not really different in principle than patches, gum, etc. Just a thought.

[fstorm1]

Quote:

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I've never smoked, but I've heard great things about Chantix, a drug that can help. Some people hate the idea of pills, but it's not really different in principle than patches, gum, etc. Just a thought.

---

 

Ironically, I was at the docs just this past wednesday, and his nurse mentioned a stop smoking drug that all I could remember was that it started with a "C". Guessing it's this one. She said that she's been keeping track of the patients he has that are using it and she's seen a near 90% success rate. 'Course, I didn't ask about the side effects, which are always fun.

 

I've started and stopped a number of times in the past 18 years. Whatever course you try, I wish you the best of luck. I'm pullin' for ya.

[mothershipconnection]

The best part about pharmaceutical aids is that your friendly insurance company won't cover them and it'll set you back big bucks. They will, however, cover expenses related to lung cancer you developed from smoking.

[jaybird2001wi]

mothership, Bless our American health care system. It would just make too much sense for HMO and other providers to throw in $500 now and save later rather than not spend a dime and spend thousands later.

[BrewCrewKid]

Two Guys at my work used Chantix and say that it just completely took the urges away and made it easy to quit. I quit for about a year using the patch, worked for me. Ironically enough tomorrow is my day I usually smoke a pack a day, I put a patch on today so I could cut down for tomorrow and only had seven all day.

If you do decide to use the patch, make sure to never put one on at night time, it'll keep you awake all night.

[EsoxLazer]

I have heard really good things about the book "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr. Supposedly the quit rate after reading it is very good and he takes a very sensible approach to getting people to quit. I have also heard really good things about Chantix. My parents just got their prescriptions and should be starting it soon...I will give an update after a few weeks if you would like. I quit not too long ago and what I learned was that the withdrawal really isn't that bad...I think most people, myself included, psych themselves out by thinking about how bad its going to be and chalk up that anxiety as a withdrawal symptom. I haven't read it yet, but I have heard thats the point that Carr tries to make in his book. Keep your mouth occupied with seeds, gum, hard candy, etc and you will be just fine. Think about how much money you are going to save and how much better you will feel when you are done with the cigs. Good Luck!!!!!

[TracyThom]

Have you tried Nicotrel? Chris Parnell will swear by it. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

http://aegmaha.com/9482cd74d/thumbs/b/2007031113422052566.JPG

[GAME05]

On the inside of the lid of the pack I glued in a piece of paper that read "Stoma". it didn't work 100%, but slowed me down.

[GAME05]

wanted to bump this thread because i'm really excited about my brand-new purchase of an electronic cigarette. the late-night ads make them look incredibly stupid, but i ran into a girl who had one and she loved it, said she was able to quit smoking because of it. it seems like you get to keep the nicotine intake and just having something to fiddle with, but none of the stink and tar. for $100 i'll take a shot at it.

 

i'm basically ashamed of my habit and have a fear of the repercussions, but addiction is a terrible thing. lost a great girl primarily because of the habit, too. even if the thing only reduces my intake of real cigarettes, that'd be a plus.

 

 

BrewCrewKid mentioned Chantix, and i've heard great things about it as well. one friend quit with it and he was even fine with me smoking right next to him. the drug does, however, give you some very vivid dreams. some people are fine with that, others not so much. i have a friend who ended up having hallucinations for two days because of it, just ended up huddled in the corner of his room with a samurai sword in his hand, afraid that some monster was going to get him.

[jjkoestler]

I tried Chantix too, but I stopped taking it because I was having horrible (screaming/sweating through my sheets) nightmares. The only way ive ever quit for an extended period of time was by using "white trash nicorette" aka Skoll to take the edge off.

[mothershipconnection]

I dip Copenhagen, but I work in a medical facility, so I can't do it at all at work and don't want to "need" to take breaks because my schedule often doesn't allow it. At work, I use nicotine lozenges, and they work really well. I really never feel the need to dip during the day. The best place to get them is Sam's Club - way cheaper than anywhere else and I get them with pre-tax dollars with my flex account.

[Schlitz001]

I've quit smoking and started up again at least 4 times since this thread first started. I've used the gum, lozenges, and Chantix all at a deep discount thanks to a state program to help people quit. (I live in Montana) I'm a part time smoker right now, only smoking on the weekends or during very stressful times. About a year ago I quit for 3 months with Chantix, but I couldn't get past the starter pack because of the side effects. It wasn't the dreams in my case, instead it was feeling extremely groggy in the mornings and having my entire day feel off schedule.

 

Good luck and let us know how the e-cig works.

[Bikeage77]

I quit smoking about 16 months ago when smokes went from 6 to 7. Every other tax increase I've found ways to make it work, but when the lady told me it was 7.25 that the new tax had started, I quit right then. I thought that that was way too expensive.

 

Theres a few things you can do:

If you need that fixation, take a bic pen and cut it to the size of a cigarette: you can use that to flick around, put in yer mouth, or chew on. (toothpicks work too)

Get a bag of sunflower seeds and keep them on you all the time.

Suckers or hard candy.

If drinking or coffee gives you the desire to smoke, be alert of it, and make sure you have one of the three above.

 

The first 10 days I didn't smoke (the hardest 10 days to most people), watch how much your having so you don't have an urge, and keep one of those three things above with you.

 

Figure out how much you spend per week and put that aside in a jar or envelope. After a month go treat yerself to a nice dinner or something. You'll be amazed.

 

Good luck, it took me about 6 attempts over 10 years. Once I went for 11 months before a tough semester broke me down. With the smoking ban, it's much easier to be in public.

[GAME05]

i like the sucking on a pen case idea. i may even try inserting a cigarette filter in there so it has the same resistance, too.

 

 

ok, so i've had my e-cigarette for about three days now and wanted to give my initial impressions. i bought the Blu brand because it supposedly had the best Original Tobacco flavour, plus some of it being made in Johnson Creek didn't hurt, either.

 

the Throat Hit has been the#1 downside for me. i've been getting very little vapor. i borrowed it to two smokers who somehow got a much better hit out of it, though, so possibly it's just me. but sometimes i get nothing out of it at all and sometimes it's just a very light hit. it sometimes has me wanting the regular hit of a usual cigarette, especially when i'm heading to work, when i know i won't be able to get my nicotine fix for another six hours. i've been told through Blu's chat forums that there's a better version of the vaporizer that should fix it, but i'm just not ready to spend another $70 on this experiment yet.

 

the battery life is short, so you have to recharge it every single night (wall outlet or USB). although i guess the Blu pack is a portable charger, so i'm not seeing this as a big problem going forward.

 

the number of hits you are supposed to get out of a fake cigarette is greatly exaggerated by their marketing (go figure), so keep that in mind when you do the math on the cost. however i've discovered a website where you can buy the "juice" for a lot cheaper, so maybe that balances things out.

 

i was never 100% motivated to quit real cigarettes for good, so i'll still have a real one here and there. i was a half-pack per day smoker, and for those negatives to the e-cigarette, i think i've had two real smokes today. that seems pretty significant to me. even if i don't end up using this to quit real cigarettes, i'm happy enough that it's apparently getting me to cut back considerably. also, i like the idea that i could use this without getting the cigarette stink on me if i'm heading to a job interview or to meet a girl where i wouldn't want to smell like that.

 

overall, i don't know if i'd get the Blu brand again but search out the one that rates the highest throat hit. but at least in the past couple days i've been able to cut back on the real cigarettes, despite not having a huge desire to do so. that's a win for me. but yes, this is a small sample size, so i'll definitely post again on this thread in a month or so to see what happens with this in the long term.

 

ok, for the sake of this post, i just went outside to have both a real cigarette and the e-cigarette to better compare. with the real one, you can still feel that throat hit even after you exhale, but not so with the e-cigarette (i hated that about real cigarettes, though). you hit the e-cig and get the very slight tingle and then it's gone. again, maybe just me, but to get an equal amount of smoke i have to smoke the e-cigarette a bit differently, taking a tiny pre-puff and then dragging on it much slower than i would a real one (slightly annoying). flavour-wise, the e-cig doesn't have the depth/strength of a real one, maybe like an ultra-ultra light real cigarette, plus it's just a little bit sweet.

[GAME05]

ok, two things this time:

 

for a review on that e-cigarette, it's like smoking an ultra-ultra light. the drag is much easier and it's not much of a throat hit, so it doesn't compare completely to the real thing, and sometimes i just want the hardness of a real cigarette. however, it does vaguely curb the cravings. say, if you run out late at night and still really want one, the electronic version can curb it enough to wait until morning. the package came with two e-cigarettes, but one quickly broke, and the one i have can be a pain to remember to recharge all the time, especially since the battery doesn't last a full day.

 

other thing, i still really hate the fact that i smoke. chicks hate it, plus i want to start getting in better shape again, and smoking pretty much negates anything positive i'd gain. i don't have a wife and kids to say "I'll quit for their sake" or anything like that, and personal betterment hasn't been enough. however, i'm a gambler, and winning a bet is good motivation for me. so that said, i was wondering if anyone else out there is also having trouble motivating themselves and would like to make a friendly wager with me: first one to light up again loses the bet. not a small amount that means nothing if you lose, but not a mortgage payment, either. obviously we'd just have to go on the honor system.

 

i'm at about a half-pack per day right now, though sometimes more. i wouldn't mind keeping using the e-cigarette, but we'll see.

 

anyone interested?

[Invader3K]

Years ago my grandparents got hypnotized to quite smoking, and it worked for them. Just thought I'd throw that idea out there.

[jjkoestler]

My folk's (both smoked for 40 years) got their ears zapped with a laser a few times and they were both able to quit cold turkey. I cannot remember exactly what the treatment is called though. I know it was not covered by insurance.

[Schlitz001]

so that said, i was wondering if anyone else out there is also having trouble motivating themselves and would like to make a friendly wager with me: first one to light up again loses the bet. not a small amount that means nothing if you lose, but not a mortgage payment, either. obviously we'd just have to go on the honor system.

My story is pretty much the same as yours. If you read my previous post, you know I've tried and failed to quit several times. PM me if you want to make this more interesting. My latest attempt has already begun as of July 11th. It's only been 12 years of smoking for me, so you might be at a different stage than I am, but I completely understand not being fully motivated to quit. I'm quitting (cold turkey) this time around just because it seems like the older I get, the more my friends, family and coworkers get on my case about quitting. I'm doing cold turkey, because that seems to work the best for me in the past. It's a pain in the ass so far.

[1992casey]

the package came with two e-cigarettes, but one quickly broke

 

If it broke almost immediately, wouldn't it be covered by a replacement warranty?

[eanelson4]

I don't smoke and never have (think I've had 2 cigarettes in my whole life and maybe a cigar every 3 or 4 years). I can only imagine how tough it is for some of you guys who have been doing to for so long to quit. Game05, I would guess that in your situation, the fact that you are almost "ashamed" of your habit as you say and it is somewhat hampering you social life is extra motivation. I would think that extra push is a good thing because it's got to be really tough.

 

Good luck with your journey, we're all pulling for you. You just need to battle it day in and day out until you don't realize you miss it anymore. Keep us posted.