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Trying to quit smoking..

Posted: Sep 9, 2011

I've been an active smoker for 15 years. I grew up in a smoker's household, so I don't know what it's like to live without cigarettes around. I've tried to quit a few times, but never could get past the three-day hump. I've realized though, that I smoke to self-medicate ADD and depression, so I think that will make a difference this time.

Any one have any advice/suggestions? I don't want to go to the Dr. and get medications for the ADD/depression--to me, that's replacing one drug habit with another.

;

quitting - ruby

[ In Reply To ..]
Learn progressive relaxation, easy. Then when you start to smoke, tell yourself you are a nonsmoker, and enjoy the cig every time! I did this, very stress free. The second time I went to buy cigs and forgot to get them I was done. The key is after you state this you reinforce with relaxation or enjoying the smoking.
But a couple of years later I started again.
The relaxation technique can take you to where yogis go in no time at all, helpful in not getting stressed. You can also tell yourself you are a nonsmoker and then relax for reinforcement.

huh? - XanaX

[ In Reply To ..]
is anyone else confused?

that is by far the most confusing, conflicting, strange grouping of words straggled together that i have ever seen.

oh, sweetie, - MissAnthrope

[ In Reply To ..]
First of all, depression is real. We all self-medicate to some extent. If you are truly clinically depressed, medications basically re-align your brain chemistry -- nothing in cigarettes can do that. See your physician about depression. Anti-depressants are not addictive.

Second, it's good that you've quit smoking before. Every time it gets easier. I had smoked for 20 yrs, having quit at least a dozen times. The first time I quit was horrible. Seriously, I was writhing on the floor throwing a temper tantrum -- just bizarre. Every time I quit after that it was a little easier. I always used the nicotine gum to get me through and keep me from murdering anyone. And drink tons of water! -- really flushes the junk out of your system. The trick is never quit quitting.

What finally drove it home for me this last time, the time quitting really stuck (to the point where the thought of one makes me want to gag), was an out-of-nowhere asthma attack. About 8 months ago, I couldn't breathe, which lasted for about a week before I went to the ER gasping for air. I feel this was truly a blessing, like a flash-forward to what it's like to die from lung cancer. I'm 50, have a 10yo boy, and I want to live to be a grandma. I don't want to die gasping for breath like my father did. My kid deserves better. I am so, so thankful for that asthma attack.

Good luck, love yourself, and forgive yourself....M

I agree. - Here's what I did.

[ In Reply To ..]
with the advice about depression meds. I battled with depression for many years thinking meds were a cop-out I would never surrender to. I finally just got sick and tired of being sick and tired and around the time pharmacology advanced the more effective nonaddictive preparations beyond brand name patents and into the generics market, I gave in. I began to change my attitude by reminding myself how risky and potentally dangerous it would be for a brittle diabetic to stop medications and try controlling the disease with a changing lifestyle only approach. My life has been so much better ever since, I cannot begin to tell you.

Zyban (bupropion, generic Wellbutrin) was originally marketed as a stop smoking aid but it has remarkably side-effect-free anti-depressant qualities (without the weight gain that some others may induce). It's what I take and has worked wonders for me. I cannot even tell I am taking a medication. It just helps me feel more "normal." If you do decide to give them a try, keep in mind that any antidepressant requires about 4-5 weeks to build up in your system and if one kind doesn't work, try another until you find one you like.

Some other tips from my end on quitting would include a few the other poster gave you. The mindset is a powerful tool. Wake up one morning and tell yourself you used to be heavy smoker and remind yourself how glad you are that you are putting it behind you. Keep in mind that the urge is usually a fleeting sensation that rarely lasts more than a few minutes, tops. Stress management techniques help. I used biofeedback and lots and lots of distraction. I identified activities in my routine when I typically do not smoke and whenever the urge came over me, I would jump up and start doing those things that keep my hands occupied. Some suggestions would be cooking, chopping vegetbles, washing dishes, scrubbing the tub, and various sundry household chores. A good reinforcing distraction is to do a detail cleanup of the smoke build-up on your venetian blinds, mirrors, windows, picture farmes, car interior, etc. Start an ongong project dedicated to this purpose that you can leave and resume over time like cleaning out all the drawers in your house, reorganizing your closet or garage, sewing or some type of satisfying craft activity. Journaling suits this purpose well and can be supportive of the overall effort to boot.

Try setting small goals and taking gradual steps like targeting habits when you typically smoke and work on eliminating smoking from those activities one-by-one. For me, some of those were smoking while driving, reading, computing, talking on the phone or after eating. The biggest challenge was and still is drinking coffee. Replace the old light-up routine with another routine, like making a phone call, doing your shoppping list, planning a meal or reading a magazine. ALWAYS reward yourself when you pass from one threshold to the next and for time interval milestones (weeks, months) and do not spend ANY time whatsoever punishing yourself for cheating. Like weight loss dieting, forgiveness, patience and perseverance is where it's at.

If cold turkey is a no-go, start by buying one less pack per week, then one pack every other day, twice a week, etc. Pocket the money you save (I used a special piggy bank) and buy a special treat for you and only you when the spirit moves you. Compete with yourself by watching the clock to see how long you can go before the next cigarette. Try smoking one less cigarette per day, per morning and afternoon, then per hour, etc. Cut your time intervals more by lighting up and only taking a puff or two, then extinguish it and next time, smoke the remainder of the same cigarette. This worked as kind of an adversion therapy since each time I lit up the "butt" it was stronger and less desirable. Another adversion technique is to "gross yourself out" over the habit. Take a spent butt from the trash and light it up (the bottom of the pits, I know, but a real turn-off). Let the cigarette butts build up in the ashtray. Don't wash the ashtrays and let the tar and nicotine build-up in the bottom be the first thing you look at when lighting up. Keep lighters in a separate place from the pack, like in the car, so lighting up is inconvenient and do not keep your cigarettes next to you. I used to keep mine on the top shelf in the pantry so I had to use a step ladder to get to them.

A long time ago, when a friend of mine quit she actually held a "farewell" ceremony where she spent a few days "saying goodbye" to her longtime old friend and constant companion! It sounded crazy to me at the time but it worked beautifully for her. Find what works for you. Another thing I found really helpful was to focus on other aspects of my health at the same time such as eating more vegetable and fiber, 3 squares a day, eliminating processed foods and sugars, etc. The most effective antidote to smoking urges (during and after) was exercise, exercise and more exercise, like stretching (helps with stress), low-impact aerobics, long walks, swimming and biking.

Smoke-free for 9 months, 10 days and 13.5 hours after 42 pack years, I'm happy to say. It's never too late. Good luck with this and don't give up...ever.

After all this long ramble there are 2 things I need to add! - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
The reason I have instant recall on my experience is because it is still a work in progress. If I did not continue to reinforce these urge measures I fear I would take up the habit again.

The last thing is, in my case, without the antidepressant, I would have never been able to place the required focus needed to even know how to begin, to plan, invent and reinvent the steps and tools, or to stay with it. I would still be sitting around beating myself up for being apathetic, disengaged and depressed over not being able to kick the habit, and focusing on failure rather than success. I relly hope you find this long-winded recount helpful!

I quit with Wellbutrin SR - xl

[ In Reply To ..]
My doc gave me Wellbutrin SR, and it really truly took away the physical craving. Without the craving I was surprised how easy it was to overcome the mental or habitual aspect. I smoked fairly heavily for 27 years. Maybe you could take it for a few weeks, just until you are confident you have quit and then discontinue.

I do agree with MissA regarding clinical depression meds. They are definitely worth looking into.

Quit smoking - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
Get active, ride bike, join a gym. Change some habits that go with the times you smoke. I did a simple thing like stopped putting sweetener in my coffee and that changed my craving for cigs. Chew gum, does not have to be Nicorette but any gum. I still to this day chew about 10 pieces of gum a day. My fav is Eclipse Polar Ice. Also if you do continue to smoke for awhile, make a designated smoking area -- outside - notice how the air in your house is so much clearer and your cloths do not all smell like ashtrays. Anyway, this is how I quit. Good luck.

How several of us quit - shipwrecked

[ In Reply To ..]
Over a year ago there was a thread on this forum about electronic cigarettes, (vaping), and a couple of us were successful in quitting using these. Check out ECF.com (electronic cigarette forum) for lots of information. Do not buy e-cigarettes from the mall or TV ads, they're ridiculously expensive and poor quality.

I went from 2+ packs per day for many years down to 4 cigarettes the first day. With the e-cigs, you don't have any withdrawal since the liquid (juice) you buy contains nicotine, but none of the harmful chemicals that real cigarettes (analogs) have.

Good luck!

Shipwrecked: I put ecf.com in and nothing - showed up. NM

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Never mind Shipwrecked. I found it - NM

[ In Reply To ..]
x

I quit with Chantix - 4 years ago

[ In Reply To ..]
Althought with depression, I think you would still need an antidepressant with it because Chantix can cause depression. So, if you go this route, speak openly with doc.

It did work for both me and my husband. He was up to 2 packs a day and quit about 3 months after me. I smoked a pack a day.

It truly was the best thing I ever did for myself. My parents both smoked over 2 packs a day each and so I had always been around it too.

I never knew how bad I smelled until I didnt smoke!

This sounds silly, but how I quit - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
with red licorice (sp?). I replaced the cigarette with a piece of licorices. I was so used to holding a cigarette it didn't feel right not to have one. It silly, but it actually worked. Ate a lot of red licorice but DH said he'd rather me be fat than smoking.

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