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Help with stopping smoking
Posted: May 4, 2014
I've been on Wellbutrin for about a month. It helps some, but went ahead and got patches as well from my PCP. I have to pick a stop date due to not being able to smoke while wearing the patches. Any suggestions for staying away from urges??
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a few - sm
[ In Reply To ..]black licorice sticks. gives you something to do with your mouth and also leaves a rather ashy taste similar to cigarettes. Tell yourself the craving is a wave - like a labor pain - and you will just ride it out. Tell yourself every resistance to urge is 1 less urge you will have. Quit 20 years ago, was the hardest thing I ever did, but no temptation whatsoever to start back up. Also I read extensively on the effects of cigarettes and would recite the mantras when I had reached one, i.e., 14 hours and the cillae in my nose are no longer paralyzed, etc.
How great to be asked how I successfully quit - Now 2+ years
[ In Reply To ..]Most people don't want to hear it, you know.
You are correct, you cannot smoke while wearing patches. But I did alternate between cigarettes and increasingly long periods of no cigarettes, wearing patches. I did that probably for 4 weeks or so, then another 4 weeks on no cigarettes and 21 mg patches. I then went to 14 mg patches, and again used them for 4 weeks, and another 4 weeks on 7 mg patches. So the time I spent on patches was much longer than recommended, but it worked for me.
Target and Wal-Mart sell their own brand patches, which are much less expensive than brandname.
Actually, I've had a job change and now with MTSO and miserable, and I find myself again craving cigarettes. It's kind of surprised me, but now the cravings are there, but not that difficult to live with and not be tempted. Plus, my financial circumstances are now so awful, I'm so thankful to not be spending money on cigarettes.
Good luck to you !!! I'm pulling for you, and know you can do it.
Suggestions - I Quit 30 yrs ago
[ In Reply To ..]My first suggestion is to not deny the urge---which is not to say to give into it, by the way. Denying that you have an urge is just a big stress and causes you to focus on the urge. The more you try to not have an urge, the more you are focusing on it.
My next tidbit is not for everyone, but I can tell you it worked for me. Anytime I had an urge, I said to myself "I'll have a cigarette later." Of course, later never comes, but it took away that ominous feeling of never being able to have a cigarette again. I must have said, "I'll have it later" 35 times in a given hour.
For now, it's probably not a good idea to hang out with smokers, but don't expect them to not smoke just because you are trying to quit. It is our responsibilty to handle situations, not anybody else's.
If you have a particular routine that makes having a cigarette part of that routine, give up that routine the best you can. Mine was a cup of coffee in the morning. Had to have that cig after my morning coffee. If lighting up after a meal is one of your must-dos, well, you can't starve yourself, but you can perhaps eat the food in a different environment than you used to. Eat out on the front stoop if you have to.
I can't stress enough going back to my first thought here. Don't deny that you have urges! Yes, you will have urges, but urges don't mean you have to give into them! I say that about any bad habit we're trying to quit, including spending too much money, eating chocolate, anything.
Do some special things for yourself that are pleasurable. A hot bubble bath, apply a pretty perfume. Anything but a cigarette or anything else destructuive.
Best of luck to you. I truly feel for you! I don't forget my struggle 30 years ago, but I have to say I never turned a backward glance. And don't buy into that you can have just 2 cigs a day. If you were smoking at least a pack a day, your 2 cigs a day will grow into that pack before you know it.
I don't know if this next thing I'm going to say makes you feel better or worse, but I still get cravings here and there. But the thought of putting a cigarette in my mouth makes me want to throw up, and I am extremely offended by the smell of cigarette smoke.
I am one of those people who thinks that cig smoking is plain old habit, not so much nicotine craving. I took up counted cross stitch to keep my fingers busy. It really, really helped. You simply cannot smoke and concentrate on counted cross stitch at the same time!
Again, best to you. You belong to a large club!
Quit 20 years ago. (sm) - Rose
[ In Reply To ..]I took a class and finally succeeded in quitting. I recommend you do the same. You can call the Lung Association to find a class close to you. If you are unable to do a class, here are a few more tips...
Throw away everything related to cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, outside ashtrays and clean out your car ashtray and fill it with Potpourri. Most of your addiction is psychological rather than physical. If you attack the psychological part first it helps. Start using your non-dominant hand hold the cigarette and hold it between your ring and middle finger. It's awkward. Deny yourself a cigarette during trigger times, after meals, before bed, as soon as you get up, with coffee, on the phone, etc. Make yourself wait 15 more minutes to light up. Create an activity you will do when you are dying for a cigarette. This can be something like go for a walk, call a friend or something you need both hands for. Write this activity down. Don't smoke indoors or in your car. Make yourself do it outside. Make a list of the reasons you have to stop smoking. Keep a copy in your pocket, purse, car and on a wall at home. When weak, read this. Download a list of the physical changes that will happen when you quit smoking, i.e. quit coughing, no more cravings, money you will save, not have to take a break in a movie theater or while traveling with friends, how much better your breathing and health will be, etc. Make a quit date and tell all your family and friends about it, but not saboteurs, if you have any, like a smoking husband.
Important: You must have extreme excitement as well as stress out of your life as much as possible before quitting. Don't quit after buying a new car, starting a new job, moving, etc. Don't allow people around you who may be argumentative or otherwise cause stress.
This final thing is not something I can recommend, but it is what enabled me to finally quit after 6 failed attempts: I bough non-nicotine cigarettes. I got these online cheap (although 20 years ago). They were only about $3.50 a pack and had filters. They were made of cloves or other non-addicting substances. They tasted and smelled horrible but felt just like a real cigarette when inhaling. It got me through those times I HAD to have one. I continued having 1 or 2 of these daily for several months and finally was able to stop. Warning: many of these "non-nicotine" cigarettes are made in foreign countries that do not have the label requirements they do in the US. So you can buy "clove cigarettes" that DO have nicotine in them. Be careful if you buy these.
Before your quit date there is another way you can break the psychological addition before tackling the physical: Roll your own cigarettes with pipe tobacco. Nothing is more disgusting. They are harsh and not at all enjoyable. They ONLY satisfy the physical addiction, not the psychological. You will automatically only smoke when you have the physical urge, so this cuts the psychological addiction. You will be so anxious to quit all together that it will be a lot easier without the psychological triggers. That is when I start using the patch.
When you have been off cigarettes for a few weeks to a month, take some deep breaths and listen to your lungs. It is the most amazing experience to no longer hear those crackles and wheezes! It's good to download a list of the physical changes that occur and at what week or day you can expect those changes. This will help keep you moving toward your goal.
Good for you for quitting and good luck to you!
most of your addiction is psychological? - wrong
[ In Reply To ..]Nicotine is MORE addictive than heroin. The most addictive substance there is. Research.
Cold turkey - josieb
[ In Reply To ..]worked for me...I quit almost 30 years ago.... I started exercising like crazy when I had an urge to smoke (at work I would take a walk or walk up and down the stairs). I actually lost weight once I quit!...but you have to have it in your head this is what you want otherwise all the suggestions in the world will not help you. Good luck! You CAN do it!
nice alternative view - true the key
[ In Reply To ..]factor is the determination to quit. Friends have gone the convoluted route, clove cigs, classes, medications, etc., but failed because they really did not believe they could quit. I think the more techniques and props you insert between yourself and the end of the habit can sometimes be harmful by prolonging the ordeal.
sauna - help
[ In Reply To ..]I've read that if you go to the sauna 3 days in a row, you sweat out all the nicotine. Don't know if this is true, however.
help quitting smoking - porcher
[ In Reply To ..]I found something on the internet for people trying to quit smoking. It said to mix these three things: 1/2 cup of quality orange juice(fresh squeezed best) and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar (from the spice section in grocery store) and drink this before going to bed. It says it is supposed to flush the nicotine from your body making it easier to quit. I do know that my FIL has smoked for almost 60 years and this cut his smoking habit in half. Look it up on the net. I hope it helps you.
Stopping smoking - This was my plan
[ In Reply To ..]I cut down each week until I got to 5 a day. I stayed at 5 a day for about 2 months before I stopped. I had the withdrawals at 5 so I was still smoking when I was having withdrawals because I was used to smoking more. What I learned about the whole thing was you have to find out why you smoke and face that before you can quit. People smoke for different reasons. It is not just a physical addiction for some people, but also a psychological addiction. Cold turkey did not work for me. If I could stop smoking, anyone can. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but never went back. I wish you luck and hope you succeed. You can do it.
Bronchitis works wonders. :) - Never smoked again.
[ In Reply To ..]I stopped cold turkey went I got bronchitis and haven't been tempted to smoke since. But then, I have a strong dislike for being uncomfortable.
I stopped smoking - about 21 years ago
[ In Reply To ..]when I had my wisdom teeth taken out. It was a miserable ordeal for me and I had been wanting to quit. I found out later that my brother had also quit when he had his wisdom teeth taken out. I haven't had a cigarette since. I don't know if I would have trouble quitting again, and as it is now, I can't afford to smoke anyway. I never had any cravings, but I did have plenty of dreams in which I was smoking all night long, but no cravings when I woke.
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