Quitting smoking, any advice?

[DRTY]

Any tips? Decided I want to stop, expensive, makes you die, generally just fucking dumb. I want out.

[butt jolokia]

I decided that I really wanted to quit. Its such a simple thing. You only quit when you finally decide you don't want to smoke any more. Its not really explainable with words. I smoked for 16 years and quit about 5 years ago. Its a three step process.

1. You don't have a say so in this one. Its just the final-ness of it. You don't decide to quit. You just realize you don't feel like smoking anymore.

2. This is the tuffest part. Getting through the withdrawl of addiction. Just because you don't want to smoke anymore, your mind and body wants to disagree. It is all now about getting through 2 to 5 day cold fucking turkey. Its will seem like neverending withdrawl. Its only the thirst getting worse. But keep in mind.. it will get unbearable and then it will just turn off like a light switch. Its pretty amazing. You will feel you have accomplished something great.

3. After the 5 days (my body kicked it in 3), you feel wierd not having that ritual/routine. You wont have that physical pain or mental withdrawl at all, but you'll have that boredom before you smoked. Just find something to do and don't smoke again. Just think about the pain you went through to kick it.

Good luck!

[DRTY]

cheers! Also, I'm guessing straight up quitting is better than cutting down?

[wub]

I stopped back in April/May time; me and the missus came back from Cuba w/ 600 cigs. I got through those and decided that as far as the whole smoking thing was gone, I'd done it. No real tips I'm afraid, I just stopped one day and never started again. As you've named 'expensive' as the first reason, I'd say keep a check on how much you've saved by not smoking etc.



The best advise I can give is to down a pint of water everytime you feel like having a smoke. Between the water in your stomach and busting for a piss, you won't have time to think about smoking.

[james fox]

work out when you are most likely to smoke and then plan ahead to ensure you are doing something else - for me it was after eating, so i'd just go for a walk or have a mix or something. join the gym at the same time if you haven't already and go as often as you can hack it in the first week of quitting, helps to distract you. keep telling yourself that after the first few days it's all in your head, as by then all the nicotine is out of your system. and yes, cold turkey - no nicotine replacements as that will only prolong the process.

good luck

[wub]

cheers! Also, I'm guessing straight up quitting is better than cutting down?

YES. All or nothing.

[butt jolokia]

Also.. when going through step two.. don't have people around you smoking or smells of ashtrays, lighters or packs of smokes. You will be wanting to put things between your fingers and in your mouth. Get some suckers or lollipops, drink plenty of soda (the carbonation will help your throat), out a pencil between your fingers. You will also start coughing up tar fro your lungs. Spit it out immediatly as the taste will remind you of tobacco.

[JemGrover]

I once made it to 2 weeks, but I had a friend give me a load of grief (starting waving one in front of me, blowing smoke in my face, etc...) and cracked, so support from friends is a must, or avoid people who're going to get all vindictive that you're doing something they aren't prepared to do.

[apmje]

I just kinda started smoking...

But if I was to quit, just go cold turkey and keep occupied. Don't even smoke if your on a night out, just means you'll start again.

Save your money up in a jar and then you can realise how much money your actually saving and spend it, it'll feel good.

[james fox]

one other idea is to empty a full ashtray into a jar and half fill it with water - every time you fancy a cig, open it up and take a massive sniff...

[firky]

I just stopped. Didn't bother with any patches or anything as you're still feeding the need for a cigarette, albeit in a different way. You want to stop. Stop. Takes will power though and it's much easier if you stop toking too.

[firky]

Oh and don't start threads about stopping smoking as you'll just want a cigarette, trust

[inDistinkt]

I completely agree that you should count, and keep a record of how much loot you've been saving since quitting. The things are getting ridiculously expensive these days. I shouldn't have to pay so much god damn money to slowly kill myself of cancer.
I've been smoking for maybe 2-3 years and still only smoke about 3-4 cigs a day. More if Im out for the night. I think the thing that keeps me from smoking any more than that is all the health risks I've read about online. For some reason it hasn't been enough to get me to fully stop, as I enjoy it as a casual sort of thing, but I dont think I could ever see myself hacking down more than 10-15 cigs in a day.

But then again, I guess thats what everyone says at one point... until it's too late.

[test_recordings]

Just don't smoke, that's what I did.

[deadly_habit]

cold turkey worked the 3rd time for me and i've tried the gum patch etc in the past
just have to have the willpower to stop and want to

[DRTY]

Just don't smoke, that's what I did.

yeah that's kind of the logic that struck me. Was gonna make a rollie and then sorta realized every time you have a cigarette you're making a decision to carry on smoking. Just stupid really.

[knell]

the way i did it was just fighting it one urge at a time... i quit, and then every time you feel like a cig, you just tell yourself no and that you can get through this, the feeling goes away, comes back, fight it, goes away, comes back, fight it, goes away...

like lots of mini battles that let you win the war

i only smoked for about a year tho, so it might have been a little easier for me

[deadly_habit]

yea i smoked over 13 years it's a bitch to quit, but cold turkey and willpower is the only real way
you'll def have to make some behavior changes which is the real bitch

[laurent__duval]

...are pussies and quitters!

[jameshk]

Cut down and then quit. I'm still on the cutting down, can't resist sometimes when im out raving. Although quitting drugs is probably more essential right now, k is screwing my head up!