Tips for quitting smoking?

Well you guys talked me into quitting. I havent been smoking as long as some of you but I feel the same about how hard it is to quit. I havent smoked a cig yet this morning, but my hand keeps reaching for them. Gunna get rid of everything after I finish this post.

I know that I can quit, its just that feeling of release not being there which worries me. Like in stressful situations, right at the peak of whatever is going on at that moment, reaching for a smoke, and allowing it to shield me/help me to calm down. I am dependant on smokes for that, because it's faster then anything else ehe. But I am seriously gunna try to quit. gah.. here we go..

Sounds like denial to me, One.

Lynnix,

You can use me as a gripe/whine buddy if you want!

Zana

The best way I know to stop smoking is to take a long walk off a short pier, but the reccomended solution is to STOP, DROP, AND ROLL.

You know why that is, right? It's because your lungs (well, your cilia) are working again, and getting all that nastiness out of your lungs.

Think about _that_ the next time you have a morning smoke to calm your cough.

Good luck to everyone quitting.


*whispers* I think she's talking about ess-eee-ex

Awsome suggestions, I got a few to add also.

I quit 3 times cold turkey and usually started back up because I either moved in with a smoker or someone I was living with refused to quit. Aside from that I probably would never have gone back.

Ananda I so love your suggestions. With her suggestions add these:

1) First and foremost I started chewing on Cinnamon sticks.
This occupied my hands and mouth and also gave that "burning sensation that smokes do"

2) You have to not only get rid of all smoking materials, you also have to clean, and clean alot. Everything in your house has smoke residue. It's the smell off of everything in the house that will give an extra boost to your cravings. Especially your car. First start with your cloths, one wash will not get rid of the smoke smell and also use a very strong flavor of laundry soap, and dryer sheets.

3) Look back and add up every penny spent on smoking, from the smokes themselves to the lighters, ash trays, and the cost of any other habit that smoking bolstered. Like if when you light up you also cracked open a beer (usually its the other way around here but ya get the point).

4) Don't hang out with people who smoke. Especially don't go to their house, or ride in their cars. (at least till you kick the initial bad cravings)

5) Stay constantly aware of the routines you do that you would normally light up without thinking about it. (This is where your cinnamon sticks come in handy) Try to keep them handy so that when you start a routine that you would normally light up you can have a stick before the craving starts. In this instance its usually the habit of having something in your hands and mouth that kicks in, not usually the addictive factor.

6) Related to #3. As you add up what you spent set aside the money you would normally spend on smokes. Like if you went to the store once a week and bought a carton, set aside this money. After a month/year or more you will have a nice nest egg as a reward for your progress.

BTW you may not want to add up how much you spent on smokes cuz you know its alot and don't want to see it. But believe me, it gives such an added boost to being disgusted with smoking. I added up my total just before the last time I quit and OMG I coulda had a nice down payment on a house or a new car. (Nice new car like a lexus).

Also told to me by a university scientist on chemical addictions and their psycological side effects: It is the first week where the cravings are the hardest, but it certainly don't end there. If you can kick the habit for at least 6 months you pretty much got it made as long as you are not around smokers too much. 6 months is when the psycological part wears off almost completely. 1 week or less for the physical part.

Good luck all

Great points,

One thing I would like to add that is universal to quitting anything and is really the only way never to go back again.

You have to truly and deeply believe that you don't want to start again. You can't feel like you miss them, you can't feel like you enjoyed them, you can't fantasize about them.

I quit Smoking Cigs, doing drugs, and drinking all at the same time.

I am still clean from drugs and alcohol for about 2.5 years now. I was able to do this without much of a program by just knowing that my life sucked when i did them. People I have seen relapse are usually the ones that talk about the old days, joke about the fun times, joke about how messed up they were. I know my life was bad then and I honestly have no interest in starting up again.

but I started smoking cigs again after quitting for 8 months. I had no cravings, no psychological cravings, but i did miss them. I truly enjoy smoking, the feel, the act, all of it. Because I enjoyed them even after the cravings were gone I went back and started again.

so in short you have to truly not want to do something again to be able to quit.

JV

Well said JV very true.

All the help and programs in the world won't work for someone who truely and deeply doesn't want to quit.
Or if they think they want to quit, but could be quitting for all the wrong reasons.

I opened a savings account and deposited money that I would've otherwise spent on cigs....

To give you an idea... my cigs averaged $6/pack, and I was around a pack/day.

$2190 PER YEAR!!!!

I smoked for 10+ years:

over $21,900!!!!!

*sigh* I could've been going to Europe almost every year... or paid for my car... or.....

All of these are great suggestions and I'm on day 4 now, with no cigs at all .

I decided to quit last week when I found out my dad most likely has throat cancer (we're still waiting on the biopsy) and he's only been smoking for 10 years. I have no idea why he would decide to *start* smoking at age 40 (who knows) but he did. He went immediately to three packs a day and was a relatively big drinker in addition. It turns out that this kind of cancer is almost exclusively caused by drinking and smoking at the same time, a lot. I'm glad I never was much of a drinker (I really don't like to drink at all, unless I psyche myself up for it, like a special occasion or something) because I do have my Dad's genes. But I do have to quit smoking if I don't want to eventually end up where he is -- and also if I want to have kids any time soon (which I do -- darn my husband's traveling job! ). But I don't really *want* to quit -- I just know that it's time and thinking about my dad, well, that's a major incentive.

At the same time, I do miss them. There's a comfort in smoking that is hard to explain. We'll see if I manage to make it 7 days. I think if I can do that, I will be able to do it.

*crosses fingers*

Zana

Congrats Zana!!!

Keep up the good work. You'll make it!

Create a savings jar... every day you *dont* smoke, put the equivalent $$$ you would've spent on cigs into it.. You'll be amazed at how much you save, not even counting your health!

Keep it up.. I'll be watching this thread!

Trade it for another addiction maybe. I love Tazo Vanilla with Silk Vanilla soy milk. I consume three glasses of this in a day, easily. I definitely have to have it. If I go more than 18 hours without I get a headache and other withdrawal symptoms. It's so great to pour this over ice and take a sip and get that taste in my mouth. Nectar of the gods. >:)

Trading addictions might seem silly. However, caffeine is a lot easier to kick than nicotine, and people who are addicted to caffeine are less likely to commit suicide. (Dunno whether it's coincidental or causal but it's nice to know.)

I did manage to quit drinking chai last year for a good six months, as it got to the point where I was drinking so much of it that I'd get drowsy right after. I think my liver was getting pissed off and going berzerk trying to clean it out of my bloodstream. Eventually, I started drinking it again, but now I moderate the dose so I'm not completely juiced up all the time.

As for getting pissed at people while you are driving, that is another addiction in and of itself. :)

ooh sweet sweet candy, she is a vile temptress indeed

Hi Zana, I've never smoked, but as you may or may not remember, I've been trying to shed over 100lbs of excess weight, and having great success: lost 40 already!
I found that keeping a blog about it helped immensely in the beginning. I recorded my daily progress, and even got a few friends to read it. Having to report your behavior every day helps you be responsible, especially if your friends are there to encourage you.
These days, I'm pretty much used to eating less, and losing about 2-2.5 lbs a week with zero effort, so I dont update my blog very often, only about once a week.

*GAG!*

Lordy, Zana, just fill up the gas tank and you wont have any money left for cigarettes! Seriously, the easiest way to stop smoking is to avoid smokers. If your husband is still smoking there are "ways" to make him stop too, since he might as well be miserable with you. Just think about all the money you will have saved up at the end of the year by not smoking!

My husband doesn't smoke. My dad does. My dad is the one with the mouth cancer. My husband has no bad habits at all except gambling on pool and that's pretty minor. My hubby doesn't even drink coffee!! Hehe.

But it's day 8 now. And I've cheated about five times. But for me, that's really good and I don't feel guilty because I haven't yet chucked the whole notion. I'm already feeling better. We shall see .

Zana

That's great! Just think how clean your hair and breath smell now, and how much more you will enjoy food and wine and how much more pleasant smmoochin will be for your hubby! In RL I tend to avoid smokers as much as I can, since even smelling their clothes makes me nauseous, now. This is going to happen to you, too soon; it's why reformed smokers become such zealots.

You ever watch someone die from lung cancer? Takes about a year. Or it did for the person I knew. That alone should be some motivation.

Hello.. I have been reading all the forums now since I started SL, always wanted to jump in and post.. guess this is the best thread to start with
I have smoked for.. err over 30 years *gasps at the realization* (yes started realllll young ) Mainly its always been around a pack a day.. certain days more, others less.. OMG I would be a millionare
In this time I have attempted to quit on a few occasions, my longest success rate was 9 months.. and that was done by just going cold turkey.. just really wanted to quit! My downfall at that time was a RL crisis, and one of those times you say "Oh damn, I just really need a smoke" and I went and bought a pack.. oh well
Other times I had quit for a month or so.. using patches or nicotine gum *gags*
A few tricks I used for these times (and even now when in a place for extended times with no smoking allowed) is always keep a supply of black licorice on hand.. not sure what it is, but it has something that just eases the tense times, also gives you something to do with your hands and mouth action.
other little tricks I tried, is IF you have to smoke (cheat) make sure its a brand/type you DO NOT like, ie: like those little white straws, in a menthol perhaps *makes a awful face* it will satisfy those little downfall times, without really wanting to go back to smoking on a perm basis (yeah right)
as long as someone you knows doesn't throw a pack of marb lights at you stating "if your gonna smoke.. smoke right, I can't handle that face you make when you smoke those"
I appreciate all the tips I have seen here today.. and will hopefully try them... and I can see that *if I decide to quit again* there will be a support group avail

Thanks all