i quit smoking once..

and i need to do it again..

i quit smoking new years eve 2 years ago.. however in august i went through a rough break up and started up again.. i don't smoke ALOT... except when im drinking, however, i want.. and need to quit again.

anyone else a smoker/ex-smoker?

I quit smoking November 5th, 2002. Now I do not think crave nicotine anymore. I was a die-hard I'll smoke if I want to, kind of a person.

I began saving money immediately, first to buy a dog (a breed I always wanted), and then to buy a car.

You can do it. Anything is possible--the impossible just takes a little longer...;o)

Best of luck.

 

Ex-smoker, I've quit twice.  The first time when I found out I was pregnant with my son - that period of non-smoking lasted a good 8 years or so and then I went through a stressful period and yes, maybe the smoke bone was connected to the drink bone,  and took it back up again for a year.  I finally quit for good on July 19, 1990 (I do know the day!) when I woke up one morning with my lungs and throat on fire, and I've never looked back.  Chewing gum helped.

You can do it.

I quit smoking in 2000.  Im so physically dependant on nicotine it scares me sometimes.  A diet last summer got me smoking unfortunately after 6 years clean but I quit.  A diet this summer that Ive stayed on brought back cravings but I didnt start again.  Thought the cravings would destroy me.  Ive a lengthy write up in my profile.  Im currently on the patch. 

Its great that your interested in stopping and I hope you are successful.  I hate the thought of anyone occasionally smoking ever getting as addicted as I am since I started out occasional.  Im happy to say havent smoked since last year and believe me I had moments where there didnt seem like any other choice when the cravings were tearing me up.  I just knew that I could only have progress by refusing it every time because if I didnt I was going to end up a relapse quitter, smoker, quitter, etc.  No offense to anyone who does that because its worth the fight but I felt that would be worse for me to cope with.

The patch does wonders for me.  Good luck  -

I quit 7 years ago. My biggest motivation was that smoking was so freaking hard to quit that there was no way in hell I wanted to have to do it more than once. I knew if I slipped and lit one up I would be a smoker again instantly. I really liked smoking but had promised myself I would quit by age 30. I work in a salon and have seen too many old ladies come in gagging and coughing with emphysema. Also, smoking makes you stink and it is rude to make other people inhale your poison, yuk.

I quit once when I was 22, then started up again at age 31 until 33 or so, but the second time was in secret from my wife and kids, so I didn't smoke as often as when I was younger.  Smoking was horrible for me, because rather than being an appetite suppressant, it actually made me MORE compulsive in my eating - like this "okay, I don't wanna smoke, so I'll eat this load of crap"  (next day)  "Okay, I don't wanna feel like a pig, so I'll smoke a lot instead"  (next day) "yuk, I feel dirty and hungry, I'll pig out and cut down on smoking".

 

I gained 30 lbs during the years I smoked, then gained even more in the 2 years after I quit, during which I was quite depressed.  I've lost all that now, and I will NEVER touch a cigarette again.

 

Unless there is like a massive nuclear war...  LOL 

Original Post by paintnmynails:

I quit 7 years ago. My biggest motivation was that smoking was so freaking hard to quit that there was no way in hell I wanted to have to do it more than once. I knew if I slipped and lit one up I would be a smoker again instantly. I really liked smoking but had promised myself I would quit by age 30. 

 I quit smoking 7/22/2005 I too am one who never ever wants to go thru that again and even though I have had a ton of stress in my life in the last 2 years I know I can not and will not smoke again no matter what the temptation craving or desire to do so is.

I was a chain smoker plus would chew nicotine gum when working or in places smoking wasn't allowed.  I quit cold turkey cuz I knew cutting down wasn't going to work for my addiction. 

I quit cold-turkey on May 9th 2004. I used quitnet.com to help me out. It's a lot like this site, but for smoking.

You can do it!

I smoked during college.  Maybe a pack every 3-4 days unless I was drinking...then more.

I literally woke up one morning and said...I don't wanna do this anymore...so I didn't and that was >4 years ago!
Good luck!

Everytime I see this I the subject line, I think:

I quit smoking once - worst 15 minutes of my life.

j/k

I am 29 and have been smoking for 13 years. Yikes! Cigarette tax increased here (Iowa) recently and I started rolling. I thought that might help me to at least cut down, but nope. Now I'm just really good at rolling.

My parents quit together 11 years ago, and I know they'd love to see me do the same. Especially my dad-he has pretty advanced emphysema (sp?).

But all the cool kids are doing it!

No, really, I NEED to quit also, just haven't been so moved yet.

I haven't smoked for 5 days now and am waiting to feel better! I'm enjoying the no smoking smell, but I'm having some trouble breathing (which I guess is somewhat normal because all of the crap has to clean out of the lungs). Can't wait to start running again.

I'm not having compulsive eating problems or even snacking problems. Drinking lots of water seems to keep a clean feeling in my mouth as I can't brush my teeth all of the time. I just keep focusing on all of the positive things rather than beating myself up for smoking for 10 years and thinking about all of the crappy things that have resulted from it.

Good luck!

I quit many, many, many times!!! guess I was never really ready to follow through.  And then, in Jan 1999, MD raised the taxes and I declared 'no mas' -- they were already painfully expensive -- and I was a carton a week person.  I had smoked continuously for about 21 years.  Took me 2 weeks to actually have my last smoke, and two weeks on the patch (which was just as expensive, or more, than the cigs, so I gave them up early, also).  Haven't had a cig since Jan 11, 1999 (you love how we all know the exact day?)

Watching my father die of emphysema related complications, and my sister go through a double lung transplant (possibly, but not not confirmed COPD attributed to the smoking -- genes played a part there, also) made me more aware of the dangers, but did not convince me to quit...   

I did pretty well against the weight gain because I got back in the pool soon after, and the Air Force was making us do PT.  Actually gained far more weight years after I quit. 

I wish I had never started (come from a long line of smokers). 

I've been smoking for 24 years.  I've quit 3 times with the last time being about 10 years ago.  I know I need to give it up for good and will soon.  I'm taking baby steps: first the exercise thing (started 10/2/07), then the eating healthy thing (started 10/22/07), and when I know I'm ready I'll do the no-smoking thing.  I've talked to a lot of people who recently quit and they all used that new Chantix.  It's suppose to block the nicotine receptors or something to the like.  I heard it is expensive if your health insurance doesn't cover it but everyone says it is soooooo worth it.

It is sooo worth it!  Chantrix helps kill nic fits, and does block the nicotine receptors in the brain.  I quit by using it for just under two weeks once a day (I wasn't a very heavy smoker...1-2 packs a week if that). 

A doctor told a friend of mine to keep smoking during the first couple weeks, but within two she didn't even want to smoke anymore.

To kill the habit I used gum.  Every time I wanted to smoke, I chewed a piece of gum (doublemint, not quit-smoking gum).  The habit was actually the hard part for me...that and the fact that I really did enjoy smoking.

Good luck!

Original Post by mrnicho:

I quit cold-turkey on May 9th 2004. I used quitnet.com to help me out. It's a lot like this site, but for smoking.

You can do it!

 That site was my lifeline to sanity too for many months. It was because of quitnet that I found Calorie-count!!

quitting (and being finally ready for it) is the most amazing thing ever!

i can't imagine ever going back, but i also know to never get too cocky. i'm always one cigarette away.

i was THE most addicted person i knew. i smoked for every reason imaginable... boredom, anger, happiness, stress, fun, sadness, hunger, loneliness, driving, talking, drinking, after a meal, with coffee, blah blah blah.

quit about 14 months ago. the only thing that can truely get a person to quit is their resolve to do so. once that's 100% there, it's really not as bad as you will expect it to be. but it may take a few, or more, quit attempts to get there.

and it sounds like you're gonna have to quit drinking. at least for the initial period. i didn't allow myself a drink for... i don't know, maybe 4 months? and i haven't gotten ****faced yet, i'd probably smoke if i did. smoking bone is definately connected to the drinking bone.

I'm about six weeks into quitting.

So far, so good.

In the last 20 years, I quit once for eight weeks (basic training in the Army) but didn't want to quit, so started again the freaking second I could. I generally don't count that.

About eight years ago, I quit for three and a half months. I wanted to quit then, and felt like I had succeeded. I drug my wife kicking and screaming into quitting with me. We had a barbecue, where we were having a few drinks with the neighbors and I looked over and there she was smoking again. Not one to be out done, I had a cigarette too. So much for quitting... We were both up over a pack a day in under a week.

This time, I'm not pressuring my wife to quit, I did it myself and I did it for me. I realize as well that there will never be a time where I can 'just have one'. So though only time will tell, I feel like this time will be the one when it works. At least, I'm hoping.

Good luck to you.

i quit by using the patch and i even used a gineric patch that was 5 years ago and iom still smoke free of course i gained waite but thats why im here and that same resolve i used to quit smoking will get me through this

I quit smoking five years ago this month.  I quit cold turkey.  I had to avoid some social environments for about a month (bars and parties) because I knew I would crack, but after that it wasn't bad. 

Good Luck!

Wow, first of all I would say, stop now while you can! I was SO addicted that I was smoking three awful packs a day!

It took my loving daughter to get me to quit, she kept telling me that she loved me and asked me to stop. I did and have not had one cigarette since September 3, 1986.....................I know if I ever pick one up and light it, I am hooked again. It was very hard for me to quit, but I told everyone and asked for their support and sympathy when I became so "gritchy" they couldn't stand to be around me.

I went into a major depression  which my doctor explained was normal because I been so used to the  nicotine keeping me "up".  After several months on an anti- depressant and  ultimately a divorce (one of the main reasons I had to smoke-to keep sane) I became almost human again! No stinky smell, no hacking cough, no stained teeth, you know the rest! 

The hardest times were, yes when I was drinking, and with  the first cup of coffee in the morning!    To this day I still crave it, even though I DON"T miss it! 

Good luck, and pleeeeeze do try to quit!