Have you quit smoking? ***UPDATE IN POST #24***

[katieyj]

I know I need to stop smoking, but it's not easy. I've been smoking for 36 years. Has anyone used Chantax to quit? What about the patches or gum? I thought I liked the idea of Chantax because my doctor said I would wake up one day after taking it for a few weeks and not want another cigarette. But there are a lot of warnings out there for it. I've also been on a strict diet due to high cholosterol (sp) and have lost 24lbs, I don't want to put that back on.

If you've quit please share what method you used and how it worked for you. I'm really interested in any feed back on Chantax too.

TIA

[Jen1]

i quit cold turkey after smoking for about 10 years. The last 3-5 years I would sometimes smoke up for 2 packs a day if I was at the bar. I removed the bar aspect, and just quit. My dad had died a couple years before of cancer, and this was a large reason to just do it.

I always tell people - you have to WANT to quit. Alot of for me was habit - waking up in the morning - needed a cig. to get my day started (wrong); break time @ work-time to cram in as many as I could in 15 minutes, then @ noon - needed to hurry up and eat so I could smoke...the cycle continued. My life revolved around the cigerettes.

Think of how much $$$ you will save! :)

I've now been smoke free for 12 years! :)

[shelleyf]

I will pray that you are able to quit. They say smoking is harder to quit than any other thing. I do not recommend the Chantix though. I know 3 people that tried it and ALL 3 of them felt suicidal and one almost did it until they realized it was the Chantix. I guess it helps some people but it is a very dangerous drug. All 3 of them have now quit for a year (my husband's sister, brother-in-law and his Mother and live together so they support each other) BUT they all gained alot of weight. One of them gained 50 lbs., another gained 45 lbs. and the other gained 60 pounds and they were heavy to begin with. But I know you can do this so I will be praying for you to have the willpower and strength to do it and not gain weight. Congrats on the 24 lbs. lost, that is an achievement.

[mcscheatzle]

WOW, good thoughts to you. I quit 6 years ago. After trying some of the meds available then, (not chantix), I was ready to give up. You have to change habits.

I quit cold turkey. I helped myself by joining a gym. You have to have somewhere to take out your frustrations. You will be edgy and grumpy. Even a jog or long walk will help. I also stopped spending lengths of time with my smoking friends. I also took a water bottle with me every time I got into a car. I thought about where my triggers were. I used the water as a tool for the hand and mouth satisfaction. I hope that makes sense.

One last thing that was recommended to me and truly made the difference is
whyquit dot com.

This site has a wealth of information. The stories are heart breaking. Especially the one about Deborah. She is not that much older than I am. I think that is what made such an impact on me.

My mother-in-law quit by hypnosis. She had smoked for 40 years and just stopped cold turkey after her session.

You have to be ready. It is not something you can do for others. It will be hard. But you can do it.

[mcscheatzle]

i quit cold turkey after smoking for about 10 years. The last 3-5 years I would sometimes smoke up for 2 packs a day if I was at the bar. I removed the bar aspect, and just quit. My dad had died a couple years before of cancer, and this was a large reason to just do it.

I always tell people - you have to WANT to quit. Alot of for me was habit - waking up in the morning - needed a cig. to get my day started (wrong); break time @ work-time to cram in as many as I could in 15 minutes, then @ noon - needed to hurry up and eat so I could smoke...the cycle continued. My life revolved around the cigerettes.

Think of how much $$$ you will save! :)

I've now been smoke free for 12 years! :)

My issue was I needed a cig w/ coffee to get going. I stopped drinking coffee for a while. Try OJ instead. Like you said you have to eliminate the associations w/ cigarettes. If you like to have a cig after dinner, go on a walk instead. Change the routine of things that will help.

[hrdlckwmn]

April 15, 2012 will be 4 years that I have been smoke free. I still have moments where I want a cigarette for stress relief, but then I remind myself how much for fun it is to laugh for a looooong period of time without coughing to the point that I see stars and turn bright red in the face. I actually was critically ill, off and on a ventilator for almost two weeks. The day that I finally came off the machine, I just didn't think about a cigarette. It was almost as if the cravings had disappeared. I really would NOT recommend that method at all. I did try wellbutrin prior and that just didn't help at all.

If you want to do this, you can. Just like pp, you need to do something different at the times associated with smoking. Drink water, walk, write, draw, call a friend, something....... Also, if you have one after deciding to stop, don't beat yourself up!! Just start over again.

[jluper7297]

I quit by using an electronic cigarette. Not one of those crappy ones you see on the TV commercial. Those are a waste of money and expensive. But it does help because you can gradually step down your nicotine with the liquid that you use. I still use the e-cig, because I like the flavors, but I stepped down my nicotine to almost zero.

[meggers]

I quit 6 & 1/2 years ago, cold turkey. Well, minus the vast supply of Dum Dums. I gained plenty of weight, but I was heavy before that.

Gaining weight doesn't have to come with quitting though & you won't gain any if you're determined not to. I seem to think that heavier people gain, while smaller people usually don't. I have nothing to back that up. I'm just going by my own experience. I gave up one addiction & doubled up on another one. I honestly believe that, had I been in the process of actively losing weight when I quit, I wouldn't have gained any. So, take that confidence you have from losing 24 pounds & go for it!

[bali1228]

I would echo what everyone else has stated, You really really have to want to quit. Not just kinda-sorta-gee-wouldn't-it-be-great, but really truly ready to be a non-smoker. I quit for good over 6 years ago, but it was my fourth(?) attempt to do so. I tried cold turkey, the patch, catching pneumonia (don't recommend that one), and what finally worked for me was Nicotrol.

It's an inhalant nicotine replacement. I hated the patch, because when I was smoking I didn't have a steady stream of nicotine, so it didn't make sense to have it with the patch. The Nicotrol inhaler allowed me to be able to just take a "drag" when I really truly was ready to kill someone, and needed a cigarette. The first time I took a "drag" I actually rolled the car window down to blow out non-existent smoke.

I know two people that took Chantix, and neither one of them were able to quit, so you may want to weigh that against the side effects. Quitting is hard work, there really is no "magic pill". It's been 6 years and I still want a cigarette almost every single day, but I know if I so much as take one drag, I'm done. I'll smoke a pack if I smoke one.

Also, I used my new house as a reason to quit. It was brand new and I didn't want it getting stunk up w/ smoke, so I would walk out to the road to have a smoke....that got old fast lol.

I did gain weight, but I think that had more to do with having a baby and then becoming hypothyroid and unable to exercise. A lot of people that smoke are orally fixated. If they aren't smoking they're eating, or biting their nails. So you need to find something else to do with your mouth and hands. I had an hour commute and thought for sure I wouldn't be able to do the ride w/out cigarettes. I found that having a large drink w/a straw to suck on took care of that. My MIL took up knitting, and lollipops/gum are a good stand-by.

Best of luck to you, I hope you join the ranks of the smoke free very soon. I lost my mother to cancer, and after seeing the pain she endured, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[Jen1]

My issue was I needed a cig w/ coffee to get going. I stopped drinking coffee for a while. Try OJ instead. Like you said you have to eliminate the associations w/ cigarettes. If you like to have a cig after dinner, go on a walk instead. Change the routine of things that will help.

Sometimes I still find myself trying to hold a pencil or pretzels like a cigerette! Now that kids are school age - and learning about drugs/alcohol/nicotine - when I tell them I used to smoke, reasons I had started, and why I quit....the look on their faces is enough to make me never want to smoke again.

You can do it! Mnay hospitals also now offer a quit smoking group - sometimes free! If nto free, then most insurance covers cost.

Good luck!