Quitting smoking (HONEST!!)

[Zoomer96]

Hey Congratulations on not smoking!! I'm smoke-free 8 years now. Toughest thing I've ever stopped doing. I smoked for 36 years and it took me years to stop. I used the gum, the anti-depressants, the patches, and they can help but not for me. Here's what I did.....Smoked the last one before bed and destroyed the rest of the pack, and next day I put off going to get more for 15 minutes, or 30 minutes or 2 minutes. when I reached the end of whatever time limit I set, I would put it off again and set another limit for until the cravings became bearable. I also found that cinnamon sticks would help put off the urge. I guess I went through a thousand of those things. In the middle of the night I would get a Freeze Pop and eat those things till I could go back to sleep. Also try to keep busy it helps to take your mind off the craving. Above all, if something happens and you do start smoking again, be sure to decide on a new quit date. Just keep trying to stop smoking. Eventually you will make it. Just don't stop trying to stop smoking. Also don't hang out with other smokers because it is just too easy to bum a smoke from them. (Most every smoker wants us to smoke with them.) Don't go to places where its O.K. to smoke either.
Chances are that you'll always face times when you will want to smoke till the day you die. That is the nature of the beast. I also called the American Cancer Society and asked them for any literature they could send me. I imagine you can go to their website these days. Hope this helps you and Good Luck!!

[AVGWarhawk]

Funny you mention cinnamon sticks. Pistachhios help me get past the graving I get every now and then. Even those gravings are getting further apart and hopefully gone very shortly. I started smoking when I was 15. I will be 44 June 30th. So, yeah, it is time to quit after all those years.

[NeonSamurai]

Although the chemical addiction can be difficult to break, Its the habit (psychological addiction) that is the most long lasting, and most difficult to control. That is what nags, cajoles, and harasses you to smoke again for weeks to months after quitting. The chemical part goes away after a few weeks, and peaks at around 3 days. The other part though can take months even years (some even say it never quite goes away).

That is why mental discipline and having a list of reasons to fight the urges with helps.

[FIREWALL]

Replace smokeing with other things that give you pleasure.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

Replace smokeing with other things that give you pleasure.

Yeah DRINK'IN....no wait

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

Replace smokeing with other things that give you pleasure.

But my hair stylist looks at me suspiciously when I ask him to trim the hairs on the palms of my hands.

[Happy Times]

Didnt read this trough but why is this a sticky?
I smoked over ten years and just stopped.
Its all mental and very easy if you really want to stop.
All addictions are mostly symptoms of deeper psychological issues.
If you cant analyze yourself, go to a professional.

[August]

Originally Posted by Happy Times

Didnt read this trough but why is this a sticky?

Sometimes folks just need a little encouragement from their friends?

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Happy Times

Didnt read this trough but why is this a sticky?
I smoked over ten years and just stopped.
Its all mental and very easy if you really want to stop.
All addictions are mostly symptoms of deeper psychological issues.
If you cant analyze yourself, go to a professional.

It is sticked to help others, give encouragement and ideas for quiting or help in quiting. Some are not as stalwart as you after 10 years of smoking and just stopping...no wait....I started when I was 14 and I'm now 43. I just stopped 9 days ago. Was it all mental? Nope, nicotine is a drug and addiction. It takes 3 weeks to have the body 99% nicotine free. That is purely physical. Once the smoker gets past that then it is a mental game. All addictions are mostly symptons of deeper psychological issues? Huh? Do you have some concrete evidence this is in fact the case?

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

But my hair stylist looks at me suspiciously when I ask him to trim the hairs on the palms of my hands.

There just has to be a lamo joke about "King Size" here... there just has to be.