Need to quit smoking!

[Alfran]

i've quit a few times over the decade..... cold turkey.... usually last for months to over a year, then it slowly creeps back. my last was 31 dec 2014... have to fight it

 

[Gemma A]

I quit smoking over a year ago with help from e-cigs. I have had a couple of slip ups but none in the last six months. Now if I can only find a way to quit e-cigs I'd be sorted.

Lol yes me too

 

[pmutts]

Not a single puff . . . EVER!

i've quit a few times over the decade..... cold turkey.... usually last for months to over a year, then it slowly creeps back. my last was 31 dec 2014... have to fight it

I was a pack a day smoker from age 16 - 37. I quit for 4 years the first time.

It helps to have a quit buddy. In my case--the first time it was my mother. She quit cold turkey with no cessation aids and never took another puff for the rest of her life.

I knew I would need something to help me--and not the patch. I had my doctor write for Nicotrol Nasal Spray. I knew I was seriously addicted to nicotine and when I got a craving I would need an instant "hit" of that poison. That spray burned and it was so nasty. I would get a mild but brief headache immediately after using it. I only used it when I absolutely had to. I was off the spray within 3 months.

Then I met my significant other who was a smoker. It started with a puff and within a couple of weeks I bought a pack.

We quit together a couple of times once for nearly a year and once for about 4 months. I used the lozenges each of those times. Both times I took the first puff or bought a pack I was in a casino--go figure.

The first advice I would give anyone who is considering quitting is don't do it unless you are 100% fully committed to it. If you are not you will fail. You must quit for yourself and because you want to quit--not because a doctor told you to or your spouse is nagging you.

Everyone is different but personally I do not know of anyone who has truly benefited from Shantex or Zyban (Wellbutrin). I recommend the lozenges but you must read the directions and use them correctly. The same is true for the gum. The gum is not chewed like regular gum and the lozenge is not sucked on like a piece of candy. I do not recommend using them with nearly the frequency the pharmaceutical companies recommend. Use only when you absolutely must and wean yourself from them within 30 - 90 days max.

We quit again in March of last year so over 14 months now and I am determined to make certain this is the last time I will quit. There are times when I get cravings--often associated with gambling--losing to be specific. I know if I break down and smoke it will only make me a much bigger loser.

I go through all the reasons I want to be tobacco free. There are just so many! Of course there are the health issues and the expense. These are a given. For me though--it's deeper than that. As a smoker you are a SLAVE to your nasty expensive habit. I think about all the times I had to drive to the store at midnight because God forbid I didn't have a cigarette right out of bed with my coffee in the morning. I think about the hellish frustration of having a pack, especially while driving, but not having a damn light! I think about being in a movie theater anxious for the movie to be over so I can be a slave to my addiction. I think about being on a long flight and the irritation I must endure because I am a slave to my addiction. I think about all the times I spent my break at work--rushing to get on the elevator and get to the tiny designated smoking area outside the building in freezing cold or poring down rain just to be a slave to my addiction. And what about that first burn hole on the upholstery of your new sofa or worse, your car seat! I think about clothing I ruined over the years with tiny burn holes. These things get me through it.

I realized a long time ago that I really don't even particularly enjoy smoking and the only reason I did it was to feed a Nicotine and psychological addiction. This is obviously to my advantage because it is much easier to give up something you don't really enjoy than something you do.

Like so many of my posts, this is much longer than I intended it to be. I hope it gets read and very much hope that I have offered some advice that will help someone. It is such a difficult addiction to kick but you can do it if you are committed.

This is an old thread that Chayton started way back in 2009. Chayton is still very active on the site. I want to know how it went for you. Did you use anything to help you and are you currently tobacco free. I want to know how it has gone for you since November of 2009.

 

[Jasminebed]

You guys are the best.

I too wonder how Chayton is currently doing. It has been a relatively short time since the e-cig was available in Canada, and laws are rolling in province by province. Some cities have banned vape shops!

One of the more recent threads, she was using an e-cig, and so was her fella.

I do have nicorette lozenges, and I put the e-cig on the charger today. I will charge my back-up one tomorrow.

I like the suggestion of a strong mouthwash. I'll pick up a bottle today.

None of the cigarettes I have smoked today have given me pleasure. It is no longer a vice I enjoy.

I will look a little longer for a more recent thread.

 

[luckysox]

Hey has anyone quit smoking? If so, please let me know how you did it - did you use a patch or a pill or a crutch of any kind? I just found out that I need to have some pretty extensive surgery and the doctor wants me to quit smoking first. I've been smoking about a pack a day for like 30 years. urk.

My family doctor gave me a prescription for something called Champix but I haven't gotten it yet - it's fairly expensive (though not as expensive as cigarettes here in Canada) - has anyone tried that?

Any tips or advice? I have about a month....

Hey chayton!

I have smoked for many years and decided to stop once I realise that it was 2014 and I was smarter than poisoning myself every day. The way that I did it is that I stopped buying cigarettes. I would ask a friend of a colleague at work who were happy to supply me when needed but I quickly felt bad asking over and over again.
That made me ask less and skip the smokes more often.

When I went out to a bar, I would smoke as usual because a beer in the hand without the cigarette was strange. Since I smoked so much less at this point, I would get massive hangovers on the weekends from smoking two packs of cigarettes on a night out.

Then next step was to put out half of the cigarette every time, that got expensive quick and it just felt like a waste.

Basically, I stopped gradually by lowering my intake to the point where I could last for days and a week without nicotine. After that, it was only silly habit that kicked in and the cigarettes did not taste good, it was awful.

For me, the quitting process was long and slow, but a consent decision. Jesus, if you are sick and doctor says to stop smoking, google the effects of the tobacco and they should help you right away. If you do not like somebody stealing your money, then I am sure you should not like somebody stealing your days. Use the gum but don't overuse the gum because they can be strong and get you hooked on nicotine even more. Both the gum and the patch are strong, try the nicorete spray. I have tried the electrical cigarette too, it worked but it started getting my eyesight blurry on a daily basis so I dropped it.

Best of luck to you. If you really really want a smoke, PM me your phone number and I will call you to talk you out of it.

 

[fun4all]

luckysox you are one of the good guys!

E-cigs are good but beware of the nicotine overdose on them guys, did it to myself one time. Horrible feeling and it was only a very minor one.

 

[rena35]

I quit smoking for 3 weeks. This might sound weird but my blood pressure shot way up. I started back that day. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[luckysox]

I quit smoking for 3 weeks. This might sound weird but my blood pressure shot way up. I started back that day. I wish you the best of luck.

When you smoke, the nicotine and the other poison becomes the normal ingredient in your body. Your body adapts to function with these toxins. Once you stop smoking, the body is missing something it got used to so it reacts to a withdrawal - in your case high blood pressure, maybe simply from anxiety and missing the nicotine + toxins.

I am sure that there are other ways to manage high blood pressure; healthier ways!

 

[Googobucs]

My daughter just turned 30, and I would rather she did not have to bury me before her sons are teenagers.

She's got enough on her plate.

Having a goal and reason to quit is what worked for me. I went from 3 packs a day to 0 with no drugs or patches........ whenever I wanted a smoke, I just reminded myself of why I was quitting and that was enough for me to be my deterrent.

it's a noble and worthwhile goal to quit for your daughter. Use the passion to reach that goal to help you succeed.

 

[chayton]

Ok first off, I started this thread back when I wasn't really trying to quit smoking for good - just because I had a pretty heavy surgery coming up. I had to quit for a week or so and then during the time I was in the hospital they offered me patches but I didn't bother. Then when I was recuperating I was in enough pain and sick from drugs that I didn't feel like smoking anyhow. But then of course after a couple of months as soon as I could sit up I started smoking again.

So then fast forward to last year in May, Ray and I both decided that since we were buying this house, one of our expenses had to go. Since he was smoking maybe 5 packs a week and I was smoking a pack (plus) a day, we figured that we were spending appx $600/month on cigarettes! Which really was about what the mortgage payment was - stupid when you think about it. So we went out and bought some ecigs. The first ones we bought weren't good, we made the mistake of trying to find something that actually looked like a cigarette - or at least that shape and size. They burned out quickly and weren't very satisfying as far as feeling like a cigarette replacement.

Then we went to a slightly more expensive (and less traditional cig) model and that's when things started getting better. Of course I still had a pack of cigarettes around for emergencies, but at the same time I decided that IF I was going to smoke a real cigarette I had to go outside. I quit smoking in the house and that made a huge difference - now the thought of smoking inside is kinda sickening. Especially after washing all the nicotine from years past off the walls!

Anyhow as it stands now, Ray has quit real cigarettes completely for over a year. Considering he'd tried everything to quit before, it's a big deal. :notworthy I'm still smoking but it's way back - instead of a pack a day, it's a pack of 20 in about a week for me. Some weeks a bit more, and I have to admit that when I feel stressed out that I spend more time outside smoking. But the time is coming that I'll quit smoking real cigs too and actually - believe it or not - it will be the government that helps me do it. I smoke menthol cigarettes and they're going to be banned in Canada in September of this year.

So my advice to you Jazzy is this: First off, good on you for deciding to quit - deciding to do it and admitting that you don't enjoy it anyhow is a great first step. Second, I'd definitely stay away from any of the prescription medications, the side effects can be just awful. Third...the e-cigs are a great way to do it, they seem to work for a lot of people when a lot of other things don't. I can send you links to some places where you can buy cigs and e-juice online from Canada if you don't have anything locally. You can ease into it if you're still experimenting with ecigs, but some people try vaping and chuck their real cigarettes out the first day.

One more thing that I personally find helpful - set yourself up a place - like outside on a balcony or outside your back door that will be your smoking area. Decide to quit smoking everywhere else, and if you feel like you REALLY need a real cigarette, you have to go to that place to smoke it. And you don't want it to be too comfortable - just a place to stand and an ashtray. And this is the important bit, you can't do anything else while you're having that cigarette. No visiting with friends, no talking on the phone, no reading a book, no cup of coffee or glass of wine. If you put yourself in the mindset that you have to STOP everything else that you're doing to go have that cigarette, it breaks the association of having a cigarette as part of something that you enjoy. When you're smoking that cigarette that's the ONLY thing you can do. You'll find that you'll get bored and won't want a full cigarette if smoking is all you're doing.

Anyhow I wish you the best of luck with it and even though I'm not a poster-child for quitting (since I haven't actually quit yet) I've gone down the same road and I know how hard it is. The important thing is that you're doing it for yourself. Good going girl!

 

[gagamel]

Stopped smoking 103 days ago with e-cigs and I feel a lot healthier now. I smoked 2 packs a day.

Yesterday I bought a rowing machine to work on my cardio from the money I safed .

It was a lot of work to quit but I feel a little bit proud and a lot more healthier.

 

[Mnx42]

I quit smoking a few years back as I generally felt unwell. I found it really easy as I had made my mind up fully that that was it for me and cigarettes. Best thing I have ever done. You really have to want/need to do it in my opinion. That's all that's holding you back. Good luck to anyone who decides to give it a go.

 

[secret2]

I quit smoking almost 2 years ago. And the way I did it was by using e-cigs.

I thought that if the e-cig feels and operates like a real cigarette, i.e the 'draw' and the real feel of 'smoke' when puffing, then why would I use a real cigarette?

But, I am cutting back on the e-cig, too.

Congrats! and good luck.

 

[Flyingslotsman]

Quit for 2 years and 3 months

Like this thread!

I have stopped smoking now for 2 years and 3 months through the use of vaping! But I've become obsessed with vaping now, but I don't mind at all I love it. I started on the small ego type batteries but have come a long way since then. I'm now on a variable wattage battery (itaste v3.0) and sub ohming at 6mg, I started at 24mg, so have come a long way, although the money saved isn't massive due to continual purchases of new toys, I'm still proud to say I don't smoke cigarettes. There's lots of sites I use, which I'll list and some good flavours in case anyone is interested:

Outdated URL (Invalid) - cheapest on net for products

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- vast choice of premium iuquids

Liquids I like:
mr good vape - karma cream
hedons bite
relentless - jungle fever

These are my top 3 flavours but I also mix my own stuff up which is actually pretty simple

VAPE ON!

 

[Jasminebed]

Thanks lucky sox, chayton's thread was from 2009. I did find (with a little help from she who can't resist sneaking a peak in from time to time ) find this thread https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/61413?t=61413. I had forgotten who the OP was.

The one I was trying to find was this one from Webcaz. https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/66048/

I will take the time to re-reread that one also.

Since I talked at you last, I also asked a real life buddy to be my quit buddy. He quit for a few months vaping, bought me one because he'd like to keep me around a little longer also. While I only lasted about a week, and there were a few cheats in that week, it showed me I could do it. He also relapsed and has been moaning for the past month about how he needs to quit again, so I asked if he could make it now to try again, in order to help me out.

It also showed me I cannot limit myself if they are available to me. Nicotine is quite possibly not the only quality in cigarettes that is addictive.

I had to laugh though, lucky,

The way that I did it is that I stopped buying cigarettes.

. You would think that would be a given, but I know what you mean. Around here it joked that there are two stages to quitting... Yours and Other People's.

Another tool in my box is that I am spending every last available cent on gambling and alcohol so I have zero money for the rest of the month.

I'm not sure what I will do if I win! Tomorrow's day includes a trip by bus with two of my best girlfriends to Casino Rama. If the amount is relatively small, but too much to blow back, I will have no problem spending it all Saturday.

If it it is the 43 Million Lotto Max, I cannot collect it until Monday anyway. I will check myself into some swanky rehab centre. I am sure that there must be one that treats nicotine addiction. I can also have the time to research and decide how I am going to give most of it away.

I have tried almost everything out there at one point or another, except laser, acupuncture and Champix. I am a mental health consumer, and Champix is way too scary for me to even try.

For the first time in a number of years, I am having to take medication for depression again. But for me, that medication in Wellbutrin, aka Zyban. It's a good fit for me as an antidepressant and for my SAD, and somewhat helps with my ADHD. So a bit of a plus that it is also used to help quit smoking.

Now I am off to pack my casino bag for the bus. I will put my workbook for quitting smoking in it to read on the bus.

I think they are banning flavours for the e-liquid too. Laws seem to vary from province to province, I am glad Ontario has not banned them, but their use is limited to places you can smoke, which is basically your home and in the middle of a field (not a park though).

 

[syntynyt]

after 11 years of smoking i succeeded to leave them behind about 3 weeks ago. last years i was through marlboro red, benson&hedges red and winchester til the last moment, nothing satisfying the hardness i needed so i had to smoke more frequently surpassing 1 pack per day with 3-4 more cigs. since we've been accepted in EU in 2007 the price for cigs simply exploded and continued to get pricey each month. financially became a disaster so i thoguht lets try to give them up.

however, i didn't planned to do. i brought food, some stuff i needed in house and i was with the rest of the money at beach forgetting to leave em at home. now these short pants didnt had zippers so i lost them all while crossing Danube river with ferryboat, by mistake, by pick pocketing or somewhere on the beach. didn't had to use the money since a friend brought the drinks so realised too late. after swearing all the way back since was an important sum for me, i realized i didnt brought the cigs. so i borrowed several from friends to pass the harsh day. however, i decided to not borrow money since i brought food and everything i needed, minus cigs. this is how i succeeded, staying at home with no money and no cigs. first two days was hell. the following two i coughed my lungs out.. i was very very close to give up to this plan. i sucked candies til i damaged that flesh from roof of the month

these are te changes: new and different tastes, different smells. now smelling smoke is not pleasant. i became non smoker and was unreal, like learning how to walk again(and this happens to me too after riding for around 2 hours with my bycycle with no pauses, and when all finish my feet forget how to walk for few seconds lmao). i still have the apetite if i watch others. i can't talk about cigs, see them or anything as the dark passenger is right there provoking me so this thread was the exception, now i need one cig lol.

 

[swampwitch]

Up until the middle of February I smoked 2 packs a day of menthol light 120s. Yes, 2. I admit it. I tried quitting a few times, but by day two I would be ready to climb a tower with a high powered rifle. So to save the lives of others I'd go back. Tried the e-cigs a couple of times. Couldn't stand the feel or the taste. So back I'd go.
In the meantime a couple of years ago my son decided to try the vaping thing. To me it looked heavy and silly. But in over two years he hasn't had one cigarette. He's become one of those guys who buys the latest rig and any e-juice that taste like breakfast cereal. The e-juice he buys is 3mg nicotine. Even with all the rigs and having to buy new coils etc and e-juice, he has saved a ton of money.
So one day last February he shows up here with a brand new Eleaf with a Nautilus Mini tank, a pack of extra coils, a bottle of menthol 6mg nic, and a bottle of something called Bloo Moo 6mg nic. He starts a whole lecture, he loves me, I'm his only living parent, he'd kinda like to have me around, blah blah blah. OK, he got to me. I tried it. Haven't had a cig since February and have no desire to. Not one iota of desire. No one has been harmed. I love my little Eleaf. I love saving so much money. I love that when I cough it's because I'm sick and not because I'm awake. I'm down to 3mg nic and sometimes 0.
I really believe that a lot my addiction had to do with doing something with my hands. Vaping lets me control my nicotine intake and gives my hands something to do. And it's fun trying the different flavors. I'm done with cigarettes. However, I'm proud that I haven't become one of those cigarette quitters who come down hard on smokers. I didn't really want to quit. I liked, no loved, smoking. But truly for me vaping is so much more fun. Thank goodness.