quitting smoking!

[jazzypaul]

Okay folks, so I'm trying to quit smoking, and this is proving far more problematic than I thought. Especially when work is like a culture of smokers, and my dad is usually a prick to me if I can't bum him a menthol when I come to see him.

I've switched to cloves, which are so gross that I've automatically cut back, out of a sense of self-preservation, but I still get the urge just to get outside and smoke a few times a day.

So, any advice?

[jazzbo]

My advice, don't even smoke cloves. It seemed to me the dozen or so times I FAILED to quit smoking was that even one smoke just reinforces the urges and desires. I finally did quit, and it is nearly fifteen full years now that I have been not smoking, but I had to just cold turkey STOP. That was what I did. My wife helped me a lot. She put up with my stress and bitchiness and did a lot to relieve it. I owe her a big debt of gratitude.

So step one: don't satisfy any of your cravings to smoke if you really want to stop. I don't know anyone who really was successful by tapering off and/or substituting.

Another thing that helps: wash every scrap of your clothing or anything of fabric you can. Get the smell of smoke out of it. Smelling smoke cues in the urges and cravings. . . . Stay away from people who smoke as much as possible. I had to stay away from BARS. Now it's not so necessary as there are fewer bars that are filled with smoke; I know YOU can't stay away because of the gigging thing. I had just given up on the gigging thing so I didn't have that excuse and temptation.

[ralphie_boy]

Two words: Cold Turkey. Take it one day at at time and treat each day that you go without a smoke as a real achievemement.

..and you have to approach this like an alcoholic; you're always one cigarette away from smoking again, so make you're mind up that it's over with from the beginning. Good luck!

[sal]

I'm in agreement with the opinions stated thus far: you've gotta go cold turkey.

Try to cut down on drinking a bit as well. When an alcohol buzz kicks in, its hard to resist the craving.

[Daniel Andresen]

To tell the truth, I'm a non smoker (hate the smell), but I can tell you about my Grandfather (who died of a heart attacK):

He used to smoke three packs a day (around 60 cigarrettes), after his first heart attack he was told by his doctor to try to smoke 10 cigarrettes a day.

My Grandfather stopped smoking the day he was told to cut down...

What I am trying to say is: Don't think it is an impossible task - Just do it!!!

[BERIGAN]

My Mom was up to 3 packs a day when she quit in the late 70's. COLD TURKEY! (See a pattern here? ) For her, she had to replace the habit with something, so she took up heroin. Oh wait, no....chewing sunflower seeds. She had a huge bag in the car and munched on them all the time. It really did help. Expect to put on a few pounds at first, but better to be a few pounds overweight, than have lung Cancer. Good luck!

Edited May 3, 2005 by BERIGAN

[chris olivarez]

Here's another vote for Cold Turkey. That's how I did it-wasn't easy but I managed to quit smoking. Once you do it try not to pick up the habit again.

[Soul Stream]

I did it cold turkey as well. But one other bit of advice....

If you're really not ready to quit, don't. I've know people who are ALWAYS quitting. My advice is keep your attempts to as low as number as possible, hopefully one. A string of failures makes it easier and easier to breakdown in the middle of an attempt..."oh, I'll just try again when ___________(fill in the blank with an excuse: less stressed, feel better, ect)."

Don't be a lifelong smoking quitter. As Dennis Leary said so rightly in the 90's..."Goddamnit, make up your mind, be a smoker or don't. Just don't puff away and bitch about it."(paraphrasing)

[Noj]

I've got to agree, cold turkey is the only way. Once you have another one, you're still a smoker. Stop entirely and it's over.

[Brownian Motion]

If you're a coffee drinker, switch to tea. Don't get discouraged if you slip; start again.

[catesta]

No doubt!

You've got to tell yourself that you don't even enjoy it anymore, flick that last butt, and get on with it.

[catesta]

I did it cold turkey as well. But one other bit of advice....

If you're really not ready to quit, don't. I've know people who are ALWAYS quitting. My advice is keep your attempts to as low as number as possible, hopefully one. A string of failures makes it easier and easier to breakdown in the middle of an attempt..."oh, I'll just try again when ___________(fill in the blank with an excuse: less stressed, feel better, ect)."

Don't be a lifelong smoking quitter. As Dennis Leary said so rightly in the 90's..."Goddamnit, make up your mind, be a smoker or don't. Just don't puff away and bitch about it."(paraphrasing)

This is some solid advice right here.

[Brownian Motion]

I did it cold turkey as well.  But one other bit of advice....

If you're really not ready to quit, don't.  I've know people who are ALWAYS quitting.  My advice is keep your attempts to as low as number as possible, hopefully one.  A string of failures makes it easier and easier to breakdown in the middle of an attempt..."oh, I'll just try again when ___________(fill in the blank with an excuse: less stressed, feel better, ect)."

Don't be a lifelong smoking quitter.  As Dennis Leary said so rightly in the 90's..."Goddamnit, make up your mind, be a smoker or don't.  Just don't puff away and bitch about it."(paraphrasing)

This is some solid advice right here.

I disagree strongly. If you're inclined to quit, try to do it. I had several false starts, where I was able to quit for months at a time, but eventually went back to it, usually in a social situation. I finally quit for good 23 years ago, but it seems obvious to me that I'm better off having quit intermittently for a total of two years or so than I would be had I smoked straight through these aborted attempts.

Edited May 3, 2005 by Brownian Motion

[jazzypaul]

This is the problem: I've got a girlfriend who doesn't smoke, and doesn't want me to smoke, I've got two parents that have both had multiple heart attacks, and I've seen all of the bad effects of smoking. So I've got enough reasons to quit.

But I really don't want to. But I want to. But not because I want to. Uggh. So, I'm trying to find ways to convince myself to quit (nasty ass cloves, they smell bad, etc, etc, etc). I admit, this makes things much, much, much tougher.

Uggh.

Thanks for the advice, and I think that I'm just going to have to do the cold turkey thing, bitch about it a lot for a week or two and just be done with it.

Again, thanks everyone for all of the advice and well-wishes!

[Soul Stream]

I'm not saying constant quitting doesn't work for everybody. I'm sure, like you, there are many who have quit after many aborted attempts. I'm just generalizing from my own observational and personal experience. We all know lifelong smokers and quitters. Two of my sisters and my mother are lifelong "quitters" it's just a running joke at this point.

[Noj]

One of the biggest problems with quitting smoking is the effect it has on the digestive system. I think that's where it digs in with the physical addiction. After meals and while drinking alcohol are the times when the craving is strongest, at least it was so for me when I quit several years ago. If you can beat those toughest moments, jazzypaul, you can break the addiction.

[maren]

I might just add a warning from my own experience to STAY AWAY FROM THE NICOTINE PATCH. I think they must be owned by tobacco companies! It's like mainlining nicotine 24/7! It only INTENSIFIED my habit and the feeling that my brain doesn't function without that drug!

[Free For All]

First and most important you've got to want to quit. Someone telling you that you should quit will not be motivation enough IMHO.

I used Zyban (prescription) when I quit- you take it and continue smoking for another week or so and then stop. The drug kills the nicotine rush so that those last few cigs do nothing for you, making it easier to quit. I have to say it really worked for me- three years and not one puff, and the temptation is less each day.

One of the most important things is your attitude- you can't quit for a week or month or year and then reward yourself by having a cig. You must change your attitude and reject smoking forever! It's the same as when you diet- you have to change your overall habits. You can't starve yourself and then reward yourself by going on a binge.

I play in smoky clubs frequently (as I'm sure you do, jp- like the Green Mill), so I really had to be sure I wanted to quit. For me first.

Good luck bro!

[Jazzmoose]

Okay, here's my take, because I defintely disagree with some of the advice you've received here. The thing is, these pronouncements that there is only one way to do it are wrong, wrong, wrong. There are many ways to quit; you have to find the one that works for you.

First of all, you're not going to make it, not in your present state. Unless you WANT TO QUIT, you're wasting your time. If you really want to, it's easy. Not painless, but easy.

Second, as Yoda said about the force, there is no try. Either quit or don't. You don't "try to quit". If you're putting your lighter and ash trays away "just in case", you're not quiting, you're just jacking off.

Third, this is a serious lifestyle change, and you need to make it as easy as possible when you do quit. Dad gets grumpy when you don't have ciggies for him? Tell him "sorry, Dad; I won't be seeing you for about three months." Same with your friends who smoke, the areas where you normally smoke, the activities you associate with smoking, etc. I had to quit hanging with friends for three months, quit drinking for three months, even give up my morning cup of coffee for a month (that was tough; I loved that first cigarette and cupa joe!!) It's not like you're saying adios forever, just until you're off the drug.

Now, as to how, I disagree with Lon's advice, as for me, substitution worked fine. What substitution does is this: it seperates the smoking habit from the nicotine addiction. I went with Nicorette gum (I wouldn't use that patch either; don't see how it can possibly work as it's completely passive. Yet, for some it has.) By using nicotine gum, I was able to work on giving up my smoking habit without having to deal with my drug addiction at the same time. At first, screw the instructions; whenever a craving hits, pop that gum! Once you get used to the idea of not hitting the smoking area, not having a ciggie after your meal, etc., THEN you can start tapering off the gum until you're weaned off the nicotine.

The gum isn't the only way to do it, it's just the way that worked for me. I don't know if it will work for you or not. But before you start, whichever approach you decide to go with, you've got to WANT to quit and you've got to get that "try" word out of your head. Good luck!

[catesta]

But I really don't want to. But I want to. But not because I want to. Uggh. So, I'm trying to find ways to convince myself to quit (nasty ass cloves, they smell bad, etc, etc, etc). I admit, this makes things much, much, much tougher.

That's a problem.

[Noj]

It's true--I quit smoking because I didn't like cigarettes anymore and definitely WANTED to quit.

[kinuta]

The most important factor is that you have to want to quit, Anything less than 100% commitment is going to end in failure. Stop dead, all attempts at cutting back, gradually reducing the numbers of cigarettes is a waste of time.

Practical tips are

1 Drink plenty of water

2 Clean your teeth after every meal and snack, even if this means carrying toothbrush and paste around with you.

3 Don't eat sweets or chew gum. Anything that leaves a sweetish taste in you mouth sets off craving. You should aim at a sterile mouth.

4 No booze. That's the reason many fail. Alcohol sets off craving like nothing else. Strictly no alcohol.

5 Exercise and plenty of it. When I stopped after many, many failed attempts I suddenly had a compulsion to walk, run, do sit ups , any kind of physical activity seems to be of great help. I don't know why but in my case at least it really did help.

6 Be prepared for irritation, bad temper, moodiness and anger. It will last up to three weeks. You are a junkie and you are going to experience withdrawal misery.After three weeks all the physical symptoms will vanish but you will feel like smoking on and off for a year or two. Eventually the smell and sight of cigs will repel you.

Good luck. Remember you must be 110% commited and failure is not an option.

[Soul Stream]

The main motivation for me to quit was envisioning a lot of rich tobacco company executives profiting off of my death, ill health, or just general enslavement to their product.

Seriously, I refused to be a victim of their greed.

[Jazzmoose]

Good points, kinuta! I'd forgotten how much the teethbrushing and exercise helped!

[PHILLYQ]

I was motivated to quit when my wife was pregnant, but I knew I couldn't just quit cold turkey. I needed some aid to help me quit, and this was before the patches, gums, etc. My solution was acupuncture- I went for three sessions as a human pincushion in a week, and the acupuncture did a lot to greatly reduce the physical cravings. There is also a tea called 'Smoker's tea' that has lobelia root in it. Lobelia root is supposed to be chemically similar to nicotine, so it satisfies some aspect of craving without creating another addiction. I had my last smoke on 2/12/92, so I'm a little over 13 years now.

JP, whatever works for you to quit is worth it. If you have any financial interests, put enough money into a jar every day that represents what you spend per day on smokes and think of that whenever you want to light up. GOOD LUCK!