quitting smoking

I am having the hardest time. I will quit for 3-4 days at a time and not want one at all... Then out of nowhere I just cave and smoke one.

I am just so frustrated I really do want to stop.

Kind of a vent more than a question.
Wish me luck!

(I should say "wish me luck, again"... I quit NYE 3 years ago.. and started back up this August after a lot of personal issues.. DUMBEST idea I ever had).

Good luck!!!  You can do it!!! 

I smoked for over 30 years and quit just over a year ago.  It's hard, but you just have to push on through.  For me it was remembering that when I tried to quit before one moment of weakness would mean having to start all over. 

One thing that worked for me was  realizing that if I waited 5 minutes the craving would usually go away.  I also stopped going to some of the places I used to go where I could smoke for a while because they made it too easy -- now I go to those places and don't even think about it.  I still have occasional dreams about smoking and after a couple of drinks I remember the craving, but I can honestly say "I don't want one" now.  It took about 3 months to be able to say it, but I'm way past that now. 

 

I just quit a few months ago, which is part of the reason i put on some weight, it is TOUGH not to eat as a replacement to smoking.  I used the patches for three months, and they HELPED a lot, but you have to see the cravings through.

Also, some nic. gum helps in those times as well.  After a few weeks, the patch isn't neccesary.

I'm considering quitting I'm coughing alot after one now and I have a chest infection currently so I really CANT smoke at this time...

what works the best? im low on money being a student, gum is cheap but goes fast patches are expensive but how long do they last?

I'm coming up on 11 months now.  The first few weeks are the hardest.  I still occassionaly get the craving.  You have to mentally be stronger than it.  Find some things that you want more than smoking.  For me it was getting in better shape.  When I combined it with exercise and eating right, I started losing weight and feeling better.  Then when I got the cravings I knew that would screw up those results if I caved in so it was enough to overcome the mental craving I was having at that moment.

You can do it!

I used to say the same thing about the patches being too expensive, but if you stop an think about it they end up being WAY less expensive in the long run than the cigarettes.  I was spending $3.00 a day on cigs at a pack a day (actually double that because my husband was smoking too), so roughly  $45 every 2 weeks.  I think that's about what the patches cost.  I remember getting the store brand at Walgreen's and they worked pretty well.  Also, when I started cutting down I cut the "full strength" ones in half and they lasted twice as long. 

For me the patch lasted all day.  I took them off about an hour before bed because they gave me nightmares.  My husband wore his 24/7 -- he would put a fresh one on in the morning, but after a while he would forget to put on a new one and go 2 days with one.  Also, you know that "nicotine hangover" feeling?  After smoking a lot the day before -- maybe out drinking or playing cards or something?  The patches made me feel that way a lot, so I was able to switch to the lower dosage pretty quickly. 

The physiological cravings of nicotine actually only last for about a week, maybe a bit more, if you go cold turkey. I started with the patches myself, but went on a trip over a long weekend early in my quitting. I knew I was going to be very busy and would not have time to smoke even if I wanted to. I forgot to bring my patches and thus went cold turkey all weekend.

I came home and decided to stick with being totally off of nicotine after reading that I could break the physiological addiction to it quicker that way. It only takes about 7-10 days to fully break that physical addiction. I ended up carrying around a patch in my wallet. That was just in case I started caving in I would slap it on. Never did. Actually still have it in my wallet today (probably should throw it away).

Not endorsing this as a method of quitting, but it is what I did. The more quickly you can break the nicotine physical addiction the better. Everything after that is purely mental. You have to find what works for you to mentally beat it. It is all in the head ultimately. The patches do help wean you off the nicotine addiction over a longer period in a more gentle way by slowly lowering the dosage.

If you are spending money on smokes you have the money to spend on the patches. In fact, if money is a challenge you may be able to get the patches for free (at least in the States). I know in our state you can get them through the state government. Regardless, you should be able to find a way to get them if you want to do this bad enough.

Best of luck to any and all who start down this road. It is not easy, but is well worth the effort.

I quit 5 years ago, using the Allen Carr - Easyway To Stop Smoking method.  It's a book which you can buy on amazon.  I actually went to a 1/2 day seminar, but that was in Dublin, Ireland, and I'm not sure if they do them in the US.  There is a tremendous success rate and I would advise getting your hands on the book if you can.  Good luck, Ax

Thanks aoifek. :) I found a place where you can get a copy of the book  in pdf format. Gonna check it out.

If you're interested.

Rach1 - it's the right web site, but I'm not sure if that's the correct book in PDF format.  Allen Carr himself sadly died of lung cancer himself last year (he was a heavy smoker until he was in his 40's).  There is no trickery or magic to his method.  He simply said that nicotine addiction came in 2 parts - a physical addiction and a psychological one.  He believed that the psychological addition is by far the most powerful one, and by addressing that, he could help people quit.  He didn't do horror stories, or gruesome pictures, he just logically addressed the nature of addiction.

I smoked about 30 cigarettes a day, and had been smoking for 12 years the day I attended his course.  I walked out and never smoked again, and never had the urge to since - no patches, no gum, no substitutes. And I've lost weight, and never gained it since I quit.  I'm a happy  non smoker, and truly believe that I owe Allen Carr my life.  Many of my friends have used the book too, and it's worked for all but one of them.  I sound like an advertisement, but I'm not at all - I just know that quitting was the best thing I ever did, and after all my efforts which ended in failure, if finally was so easy.....

Good luck Ax

I have really been thinking about quitting lately too! The other night my dad pointed out how dumb it is for me to be eating healthy, working out, and then lighting up a cigarette. I've gone a month and a half cold turkey and then when I get stressed thats what I run to. So does anyone that quit have any good ways to deal with stress while quiting? My life has just been so insanely stressful lately. I think I am going to order the book! Its worth a try right!?!

The other night my dad pointed out how dumb it is for me to be eating healthy, working out, and then lighting up a cigarette.

 This made me laugh..! I am always getting on peoples cases about that. I think it's great that you guys are thinking of quiting and want you to know there are tons and tons of resources to help you. www.cancer.org is the American cancer society's web site and they have lots of good info also if you are in the US you can call 1-800-Quit-Now ( 800-784-8669 ) and that will get you to your local quit line where they can usually help you with free services like counseling, medication, or just information to help you quit.   I totally agree that if you can afford  to buy a pack of cigs you can afford to buy quit smoking aids but to be fair the quitlines are run with money from the tobacco settlements ( all the millions they where sued for) so if you can get the patches or gum for free hey why not!!

Great post  scjf!!