Stopping Smoking

[GabachaYucateca 0]

The two threads from long-time smokers have got me seriously thinking about quitting. Unfortunately, right now I have no health insurance and and no extra money to pay for Chantrix (no extra money??? what??? how much do you spend on ciggies????...yes, I know, this is stupid justification for not quittting).

But the main problem is, I LOVE to smoke! Sick and twisted, I know. But only recently have I started having twinges of thoughts about how annoying it is to be sitting in a meeting and daydreaming about breaking out for a smoke, and just generally being chained to it.

How do I make those twinges more frequent so that they start overwhelming my pleasure with smoking? How do I make myself WANT to quit?

I know that pregnancy will be a strong determining factor, but we're not planning on that for a bit. The money angle is attractive, too.

Any ideas?

[no name 1]

The two threads from long-time smokers have got me seriously thinking about quitting. Unfortunately, right now I have no health insurance and and no extra money to pay for Chantrix (no extra money??? what??? how much do you spend on ciggies????...yes, I know, this is stupid justification for not quittting).

But the main problem is, I LOVE to smoke! Sick and twisted, I know. But only recently have I started having twinges of thoughts about how annoying it is to be sitting in a meeting and daydreaming about breaking out for a smoke, and just generally being chained to it.

How do I make those twinges more frequent so that they start overwhelming my pleasure with smoking? How do I make myself WANT to quit?

I know that pregnancy will be a strong determining factor, but we're not planning on that for a bit. The money angle is attractive, too.

Any ideas?

Hypnosis.

[Amby 490]

Neil quit using the patches and chewing gum or sucking on dum dums or blow pops. He said for the first few days it was the worst. Try starting out with the strongest patches...he smoked a lot but those were too strong for him.

[Kevin and 10]

I used the nicotine gum. After the physical withdrawls stopped I ate jolly ranchers.

[Fandango 1,439]

Cold turkey.

It's way harder because you still have the desire to smoke, and you might occasionally fall off the wagon, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Good luck!!!!!

[Jasman0717 9]

Get prepared mentally and you won't need any aids. I smoked for over 40 years and finally came to the conclusion it was time to quit. That was over 3 1/2 years ago and am still tabacco free. If I can do it...Mr. Weak Fish I am....anyone should be able to do it

[GabachaYucateca 0]

I guess my question for you is: HOW did you come to the conclusion that it was time to quit?

That's the thing that I'm having the most trouble with. But I do know as soon as I make that decision, some of the websites and tricks mentioned on LisaD's thread will become staples for me!

[Sister Fracas 5]

Get prepared mentally and you won't need any aids. I smoked for over 40 years and finally came to the conclusion it was time to quit. That was over 3 1/2 years ago and am still tabacco free. If I can do it...Mr. Weak Fish I am....anyone should be able to do it

Sounds like my mum. She started smoking at 16, when it was cool to smoke...smoked for almost 20 years, then just gave up cold turkey, without any aids, without gaining weight and she's been smoke-free for almost 30 years now....

[AmericanGentleman 0]

Get prepared mentally and you won't need any aids. I smoked for over 40 years and finally came to the conclusion it was time to quit. That was over 3 1/2 years ago and am still tabacco free. If I can do it...Mr. Weak Fish I am....anyone should be able to do it

Same boat here. Smoked for 25 years and decided it was time. Cold turkey for 2 1/2 years now. Suffered real bad the first few months but decided to never put one in my mouth again for any reason. That is what you have to do, no matter what your brain tells you, you simply never put one in your mouth again. You dont need to convince yourself you dont need one, you dont need to take a pill that makes you crave one less, you simply never put one in your mouth again.

[Nessa 23]

I quit cold turkey for 3 years. My reason to start again was really stupid, I won't get into it. But it is possible. You have to make the decision you want to quit and it helps not hanging out with someone who smokes. If you're used to go outside smoke with a co-worker, that's an easy one, just don't go outside. If your SO smokes he/she can smoke outside the house, outside the car and not smoke in restaurants, etc. It's not too much to ask, just a little help that might make a difference.

Also if you think about it all the time, try having the gums available, not having them all the time as a replacement, but have them when you feel your will of power is not enough.

Maybe a support group, like the websites will be a good idea.

[eau_xplain 2]

It's still hard for me to believe that I've been smoke free for 3 years now ... after being "trapped" by the habit for about 20 years. I attribute it mainly to my husband. He wanted to quit and asked if I'd like to quit with him. We used the patch and each other's encouragement to finally stop.

Wanting to stop has to start from you. Your motivation should be strong enough to keep you slugging on. Until you are convinced you are ready to let go of the habit, you will be setting yourself up for failure and you might even be discouraged from trying again in the future. I hope you find something or someone that/who will be your motivation/inspiration to quit.