Who here had a hard time quitting cigarettes but finally did?

I started smoking cigs when i was like 20 and I am 23 at the moment. I have tried gum (didn't work and gave me a worse soar throat than cigs ever did). I have tried the patch (satisfied the physical need but I couldn't control my mental need for them). I have also tried chewing on straws/toothpicks to help clear my mental cravings while on patch but didn't work. Needless to say trying to quit cold turkey turns me into an extremely violent ass face the moment i wake up and realize I can't smoke.

I'm really wanting to quit so if anyone has any good experience to share with me I would appreciate it.

If it helps anyone come up with an idea for me - I do drink on occasion(can't quit so don't tell me that, one vice at a time please) I do smoke maryjane but I can't just go out and get huge amounts to replace cigs considering I have no income at the moment.
Although once I do find a job i was considering lots of regs and a bunch of js to fill in the void. But yeah...any other advice would be appreciated...oh crap and I also don't have any insurance so i can't go to the doctor and get something like chantix

HELP

plz and thnx u
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Rofl i cant even believe i posted all that on this forum... im probably going to get like 1 reply max and even though i should have posted this on a health and fitness forum..dont judge me..cuz for some reason this is the only forum ive ever fealt like being active on xD

 

i quit off and on for about 4 years before finally quitting cold turkey. it wasn't too bad for me because i HATED smelling like crap all the time. that was my main motivation. i also have a girl that pretty much guilted me into quitting. i haven't had one in about 3 or 4 months now. i still want one every so often, but i never feel like i NEED one.

it sucked because my jb had a lot of down time, so everyone pretty much took a smoke break every 30 minutes to an hour. so boredom was my biggest obstacle. being bored at work and seeing everyone else smoke sucked for the first week or so. especially since people would still offer to bum me one when they knew i was trying to quit.

 

i can relate to you man.. havn't had a gf in quite a while and my last one didn't smoke and hated it so that was like the ultimate motivation .. but the other thing too..the boredom... holy crap.. its like i dont know wha to do with my hands when i don't have a cigarette.. when ive been trying to quit i always find myself putting my hands up to my face like i have a cig but i don't :I

SUCKS

 

Best thing I ever did was read Allen Carr's book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. I read it and stopped smoking halfway through the book, as instructed. I didn't feel the need to touch a cigarette again.
I gave it to my housemate and she did the same.

After smoking about 20 roll ups a day for about five years, I went down to smoking nothing at all. I used to read the book every day, even when I had stopped, but as soon as I stopped reading that damn book I started smoking again. My housemate did the same thing.
I'm planning to read it again soon, and I guess I'll have to read the book for the rest of my natural life now. Might look into getting the DS version...

 

While I have never spoke...I can use my mother as an example.

She grew up in a family of smokers, she smoked at an early age (16 if I remember) AND was stressed out so much...she needed it.


After much pressure from dad (he never knew...for 8 years-closet smoker) and me (Being asthmatic-and the fact dad brainwashed me-I felt it was best for mum to let go..) she quit.

It took her many many years-the gum and all of that failed.

WHat did work-was will power.


To just say "F*** THIS I WANT TO QUIT THIS CRAP" is a good start.

But there are a few ways to tackle as I seen.


1.Start slow-reduce cig intake-once you reach one a day your close

2.Find alternitives if it's stressed induced-I use video games XD

3.If it's because your just hooked...as hard as it is-try including some excersise (or more if you already do it) as then you'll realise that if you want to keep jogging longer or whatever...you'd need to qit.

4.If you got the guts-tell yourself to "quit" and do so on the spot.



I know from a few past friends-they somehow gave up smoking after approx 3 years.

Any longer and the last option will be difficult.

Get support and give it your best!


I hope you make some progress

 

I smoked for 2 years, i took me my first attempt and i never craved since.....no help or anything...
I guess im lucky or have a strong will.....but i no people out there are finding it harder then i did!!!...

One thing i will say is ,dont be dragged into all these programs, helplines,and scemes etc etc...there a scam and only want your money.

 

Started smoking when I was 12. Smoked for 7 years and quit January 1st, 2005; the day I got my DS. Quit cold turkey, and after the initial 2 weeks of coughing shit up and being irritable, I was fine.

All it takes is willpower, as I was up to around .75 to 1 pack a day before I quit.

If I, someone who has motivation issues, can do it, you can do it.

 

I've never smoked and never will but I would say find a hobby that is fun to you to get your mind of off cigarretes. Anything, Soccer,Surfing, Swimming, Skateboarding, fishing, or learn how to program or chroma key or like since you said you needed a better income worry about getting a better job so you can stress over that instead of cigs. And do you live in holland, where its legal to smoke... you know the marijuana? or do u do it illegally. Cuz if ur doing it illegally THATS BAD. JK JK. lol I dont judge

 

if people want to quit smoking they could DO IT as easy as a week.
"i have been trying to quit smoking for 10 years..blah blah blah"
but they DO smoke,dont they.
weak willpower.

 

johncarl, I urge you to remember that it is a physical addiction, with withdrawal symptoms like narcotics, alcohol, etc have.

Have you dealt with a physical addiction like that? It's not easy. I'm not excusing the person who claims to "try quitting" for 10 years, but it's not as simple as "get some willpower"; just like overcoming bipolarism and depression isn't as simple as "just go out, do something, and feel better". If you haven't gone through the experience, you really don't have credibility.

 

dude im going to try and go easy on this... you are 13, you have no personal experience, going by what your relatives, parents, or older friends might have said to you or whatever or what you have heard from others/tv whatever... extreme bs .. i started smoking at the age of 20 out of poor personal decisions, and i am now 23 and extremely addicted.. if i don't have one when i need one (and believe me your body physically craves the shit, to the point of pain and anger) i go ballistic, now i have an anger problem as it is but the shit is extremely addictive .. and you could go on for hours im sure talking about things like .. oh you shouldn't have got into it in the first place, but the point is.. whats done is done, its hard to quit.. some people have stronger willpower than others but god.. what you just said, im actually astounded by how misinformed you really are about cigarettes

 

Yeah mate,take away a kid of 13's mobile phone/gaming console and multiply that feeling they have by 100 and they might get a better idea of your situation.

 

^good point.

It`s day 22 without Cigarettes and still...I`m dying. Each and every time I`m finished with eating something...each and every time I make myself a Cappuccino...and each and every day I woke up. But I reached a point so far, that THE REST of the Time I`m not even thinking about it. ;D I had smoked 15 years.

well, I`ve stopped to bite Fingernails a couple of years ago (and that`s a really fu....g ugly thing if you`re female), why the hell should I not quit this one too?

 

its all in your mind...... just dont think about it......my friends stop like that......or just limit yourself smoke 1 cig less a day

 

going for a serious cold turkey quit in a couple days when i run out ..got like a pack and a half left, probably gonna try to curb the harshest cravings with some reggie bush.. we will see what happens :U

 

This is your second try this month, isn`t it, dear?

yeah, ähmmmmmmmmm.......cold turkey means no more cigarettes at all, am I right? (poor english as always )
That`s the only way it should be done I guess. To limit smoking isn`t an Option. Tried it SO many times and failed every time.
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I limited from 35-40 cigarettes (that was usual) to 10 and then downwards each day. But that made it only tougher.

 

to answer your first question yes that means quitting all together without any nicotine supplements or what not .. no patch no gum, that shit makes me sick anyway..

but yeah im generally a pack a day smoker so about 15-20 a day for me

 

Well good luck to both of you.

 

gracias :U