Quitting cigarettes

[Caoimhghín]

I've been addicted to cigarettes for about a year.

If you have managed to quit smoking, how did you do it?

[Rakz]

Are you sure about this?

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I've never been addicted to smoking but hopefully someone can give you good advice on here.

[Malcolm]

I've been addicted to cigarettes for about a year.

If you have managed to quit smoking, how did you do it?

I decided to stop. Then I did stop (in 1989, after smoking for 13 years).

[Caoimhghín]

I've been addicted to cigarettes for about a year.

If you have managed to quit smoking, how did you do it?

I decided to stop. Then I did stop (in 1989, after smoking for 13 years).

Fair enough. Did any practical methods help you though? Did you use nicorette gum? Was it effective?

[Johnny Dangerous]

I've been addicted to cigarettes for about a year.

If you have managed to quit smoking, how did you do it?

Trying really hard, 13 or 14 times, over a period of many years (smoked for about 15 years).

In the end none of the nicotine replacements helped me at all, what helped was being unemployed long enough to kind of be a hermit and detox/get used to not smoking over a period of weeks.

One thing that did help with the psychological craving (physical craving is gone in like 3 days technically) was always having a pen or "fake cigarette" (literally rolled up paper with cotton I could fake smoke lol) around when I needed it. Gradually of course I gave that up too.

Don't engage in things that trigger you craving if you can avoid them, and make sure you change up your schedule in a way that disrupts patterns where you'd normally smoke.

Good luck man!

[Wayfarer]

The key thing to learn with nicotine cravings is that they last for about as long as it takes to smoke a cigarette. When they come on, they're very powerful, they will literally make you get up and search out a cigarette. If you can hold off for about a minute the craving will pass.

[emaho]

I smoked for about 20 years, I had started very early, my parents were both strong smokers so passively I was a smoker from the cradle.

I stopped smoking by establishing certain time zones and situations in which I wouldn't smoke. The first step was not to smoke before breakfast. Then I gradually extended these smoke-free time zones and situations, and also banned smoking from my apartment. What also helped greatly is that I switched to an organic tobacco brand. Call me paranoid but yes, I do believe that tobacco companies add all sorts of stuff to your cigarettes which enhance your addiction.

Another thing that helps is to ask your doctor for a list of foods to avoid. Foods like smoked bacon, potato chips, beer, salami etc. enhance your craving for a cigarette. (Unfortunately I've learned this only after I'd stopped.)

The key thing to learn with nicotine cravings is that they last for about as long as it takes to smoke a cigarette. When they come on, they're very powerful, they will literally make you get up and search out a cigarette. If you can hold off for about a minute the craving will pass.

This. And the other key thing to learn about them is that being a smoker you have cravings much more often than as an ex-smoker. Once the first couple of days are over the physical withdrawal symptoms are gone, but you will still experience cravings. If this happens, remind yourself of all the situations in your life as a smoker where you craved for a cigarette but couldn't smoke one, like at your workplace, in tedious hour long business meetings, on trains or airplanes etc. If you give in and start smoking again, you'll have to deal with cravings much more often. So don't. This is what helped me stay "clean" after three relapses. I haven't smoked for more than 17 years now. And I'm sure I won't ever again.

[Bristollad]

my former wife tried everthing to help her quit smoking - hypnosis, gum, patches, e-cigerettes, the medications (can't remember the names off-hand but they gave her weird dreams and nightmares - Champix maybe) and none of them worked for more than a couple of weeks.

Finally, she decided to stop smoking.

Then she stopped.

[Ayu]

.... Did any practical methods help you though?

1) I thought of 5 serious reasons, why I didn't want to consume nicotine anymore. I had to ponder about it thoroughly, the reasons had to be for myself. The opinion of other's were not accepted as reason for myself.

Those 5 points I wrote on a card and put it in my pants pocket. Whenever I felt an urge to smoke, I couldn't remember a single reason why not to smoke. So, I took out my 5-point-notes and was quickly and easily convinced to quit the bad idea.

2) I was smoking for several years and quit the habit often for some months or some years. The most interesting question arose: How not to start again never ever?
For me it was a process of understanding the reason for smoking is false and deluded:
One tries to suppress the urge by consuming... but by consuming the urge is feeded only. It becomes strong and mighty. By restraint also the urge becomes less. In my case it was always a period of two weeks suffering and then my body forgot about that urge to smoke.
Hence the ONLY possible measure to pacify that urge is to not indulge in it. At least for me it worked like that.

The first ten years of being smoke-free, I sometimes felt an attraction but I didn't indulge. After ten years I think my body and mind were finally free from it.
Now I don't smoke since 21 years. Every time I see people standing outside in the cold with a cigarette and everytime I smell this ugly smell, I'm so very glad I took these two weeks of suffering to overcome that urge. Not smoking is simply wonderful.

[justsit]

I smoked for 14 years. My last cigarette was in 1982. I quit on a bet.

Cold turkey was the only method that worked for me. Trying to "cut back" was a joke. Also, I was highly motivated, as I was coughing up pieces of lung, and there was a pretty big chunk of change riding on my quitting.

The most important factor in quitting is actually wanting to quit.. If you think you "should quit," you never will.
Doing it for health, or a partner, or just because you think you should has never worked for anyone I know.
If you don't want to quit, you won't.

That being said, when you do decide you really, really want to quit, you're disgusted with the whole thing, you have to replace the hand-to-mouth habit with something else. Unfortunately, that usually involves food, so be careful what you choose, you'll tend to gain weight anyway. I was working in a bar when I quit, so I would grab a drink straw and chew on it. Occasionally I used hard candy.

Get rid of all your cigarettes. Try not to go places others smoke. Wash your clothes/bedding etc. to get the smell out.

Drink lots of water to begin flushing the nicotine out of your system. Also, you will get constipated - a morning cup of coffee and a cigarette is an amazing laxative - so add foods to your diet to help you go, like bran, flax seed, green veggies, etc.

I found it took about two weeks to get past the worst of the cravings.

You can also do some mentally imagery, such as licking an ashtray. And when you come right down to it, the only thing you really have to do is not touch a cigarette.

Remember - nicotine is as addicting as heroin, so if you don't kick it the first time, try again. Make a list of whatever triggers your relapse so you don't fall for that the next time.

Good luck!

[amanitamusc]

I smoked on and off for 25 yrs less than a pack a day.5 yrs ago I kept getting bronchitis every month and was knocking it out with antibiotics.


The 3rd month I was given a lung xray.They said I had several cm sized tumors on one of my lungs.

I new I had to quit.I started a regimen of ashwagandha and the bronchitis never came back.I never followed up the on the tumors

until another chest xray 2 yrs later.My lungs were clear.

This experience did remind me of impermanence and how precious life is.I no longer partake of that poison.

[narhwal90]

I smoked for 10-15 years, 1st try to quit didn't work the second did. I ended up getting tired of the stink all over everything, and how bad my lungs felt. Tapering never worked for me, I had to go cold-turkey and suck it up. I became very grouchy from the frustrated habit and cravings- it was the habit that was hardest break- smoking while driving etc. It didn't take too long to be free though once I got used to not smoking and the cravings subsided, but it was pretty miserable in the meantime. Years later I was on a project that I got way too involved with and picked up for a while from the stress, but quit for good after a few months- lungs started feeling bad again, I didn't have cravings that time just relief which was an interesting variation.

over the last few years I've been working on getting into better shape, no way I would pick up again and throw away the cardio and lung health- it sure feels nice to breeze up a few flights of stairs or sprint with my daughter and walk away laughing about it.

[Karinos]

I smoked for 20 years, I managed to quit 6 years ago using combination of methods:

1. Strong motivation - I was about to start Ngondro practice - I was thinking is there a sense to do prostrations to clear your channels but smoke at the same time?
2. One of my Lama said that people who smoke have some sort of "aura" around them which scares off all spirits - also good ones like protectors - but that's just matter of believe I guess. Nevertheless since I quit I don't have depressing moods almost at all.
3. I went to GP and ask for light psychotropics to help with cravings - there are many sort of medicines to help quit,
4. I've changed my life style - for example - I don;t drink beer anymore (beer = cigarette) etc etc
5. After I quit I've noticed I don't have to eat that much - as my body doesn't need so many proteins to regenerate lungs (additional savings on top of cigarette costs)

all above worked for me, but every person is individual. GP can help too with that

[Malcolm]

I've been addicted to cigarettes for about a year.

If you have managed to quit smoking, how did you do it?

I decided to stop. Then I did stop (in 1989, after smoking for 13 years).

Fair enough. Did any practical methods help you though? Did you use nicorette gum? Was it effective?

I just stopped. As a support, I drank a lot of water, avoided coffee and alcohol for a few weeks, and other people who smoked.

[Admin_PC]

I was very rarely a daily smoker. I smoked when I drank alcohol. Quitting alcohol for me was the best way to quit smoking, but quitting 2 things at once is not all that easy to maintain. I tried cold turkey, nicotine gums, patches, non-refillable e-cigarettes, the grapefruit juice method, all sorts of things. Cold turkey probably worked the best of those. I'd go months at a time, but I'd have a bad day or just be overwhelmed with cravings and I'd want to let off some steam - which would lead to a drink and a few smokes. I'd get back on the wagon for a few weeks or a month and then fall off again. It would keep going like that until I was doing both every weekend.

The method that has surprised me the most has been vaping. As soon as I vaped, I lost complete interest in cigarettes. Within a month, cigarettes smelled bad. Vaping is roughly 95% less damaging than cigarettes (yes, I know all about the dangers of diacetyl, "popcorn lung", and all that - they can be avoided by choosing liquids based on their ingredients or mixing your own). No more stink. No more 2nd-hand. No more burning stuff. Greatly reduced risk of fires or kids burning down the house (about as dangerous as anything else with a lithium battery). No problems with losing cardiovascular endurance (my gym performance has never been better). Used vaping to stop smoking & drinking. Having a way to blow off some steam (no pun intended) without getting drunk, was nothing short of revolutionary for me. You start with a comparable dose of nicotine to your normal cigarettes. From there, you just step down your nicotine levels (12mg - 9mg - 6mg - 3mg) until you hit 0 nicotine, at which point chemical cravings cease and you can either put it down entirely or just cloud chase if you're into that kind of thing. At that point "blowing off some steam" may mean reading a good book, playing some video games, going for a walk, or whatever you like to do. Finding that final coping mechanism can be tough, so it helps to start shopping around early.

EDIT: A note on non-refillable e-cigarettes - These have been total garbage in my experience. For starters, they really didn't address cravings. Also, many are made by the companies behind the cigarette industry and are loaded with crazy chemicals just like cigarettes. They're meant to be a more high tech way of maintaining an addiction and don't have the same benefits as vaping.

[binocular]

The most important factor in quitting is actually wanting to quit.. If you think you "should quit," you never will.
Doing it for health, or a partner, or just because you think you should has never worked for anyone I know.
If you don't want to quit, you won't.

I am cautious about this. Waiting to get the motivation, the desire to really -- really -- quit can take too long. Chances are that as long as you are in the grip of addiction, the desire to quit will never be strong enough.

If, in a calm hour, you see that something just isn't good for you, you should take strategic steps to quit it, regardless whether the motivation to quit is there or not.

Desire/motivation is, after all, something that is generated, developed, it's not something that just either is there or isn't.

[justsit]

Chances are that as long as you are in the grip of addiction, the desire to quit will never be strong enough.

Worked for me. As I mentioned, no one that I know personally ever quit for good without actually having that desire as the basis.

YMMV, of course.

[binocular]

Worked for me. As I mentioned, no one that I know personally ever quit for good without actually having that desire as the basis.
YMMV, of course.

I'm saying that waiting for the happy time when the desire to quit will become strong enough may take too long, and your addiction could kill you in the meantime, or cause irrepairable damage.

Clearly, having a strong desire to quit is very helpful, but I don't think it is necessary. Coolheadedness and strategy can make up for not having a strong desire. IOW, just because you don't have a strong desire to quit doesn't mean you're doomed to your addiction.

[A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha]

i have absolutely NO desire to smoke during the day.
only when i get home from work & weekends (mostly weekends when i'm on the internet)
i've smoked 100% pure tobacco (American Spirit) about 20 years ( the past 10 years light yellow pack/lights)
the only time i quit was when i got sick (some virus), for about 4 months
and when i was madly in love with a non-smoker...
i will quit when i fall in love with a non-smoker...
love (for me) is healing..
but it's ignoring me....
maybe i don't exist....
and love ...is just an illusive butterfly...


i also take LOTS of antioxidants & vitamins , and drink massive amounts of GREEN TEA to combat the negative effects !

[justsit]

Clearly, having a strong desire to quit is very helpful, but I don't think it is necessary.

Others beside me think otherwise:"The single, most important factor in successfully quitting smoking is the strength of the prospective quitter’s motivation to quit – when the motivation is strong and they understand, and are prepared to deal with, the challenges involved, success rates are much higher ."

-http://www.tobacco-cessation.org/PDFs/B ... FSheet.pdf

Just curious -do you smoke cigarettes now, or did you ever smoke?