Smokers: If I can do it, you can, too!

[cynatnite]

As of today I am smoke free for TWO years.

When I smoked I was upwards of two packs a day. I was too afraid to even try to quit because I didn't want to fail. I know the reasoning is screwed up, but that's how it was.

The first few weeks were the hardest. I kept three things in mind...

1) Every craving passes. EVERY ONE OF THEM. No matter how bad they might feel, they will pass. Remember that.

2) If you have one hour of being smoke free behind you, why screw it up by smoking? If you have 24 hours smoke free, do you want to screw that up by smoking? Two days...a week? The more time you get behind you smoke free, the more unwilling you should be to screw up that time by lighting up.

3) If you quit and then start again...that's okay. Don't hate yourself and don't chastise yourself for not being able to stick it out. Remember that failing only means that it's another opportunity to try again. NEVER feel badly that you failed at quitting. Feeling so badly about failing gets in the way of making the steps to quit. Refuse to feel guilty for failing and your next time will be much easier.

Anyway, to celebrate these two years as an ex-smoker I wanted to pass on what worked for me. I hope it helps you.

[AndyA]

1. Congratulations. I'm sure you feel better, and you're doing something

good for yourself as well as those who love you.

:thumbsup:

[Subdivisions]

2. Congrats! I've been cigarette-free for about 12 years now. Best thing I ever did. n/t

[valerief]

5. OMG. We're a minute apart and our subject lines are almost the same. See #3. nt

[Subdivisions]

22. LOL! =). n/t

[valerief]

3. Congrats! I quit years and years ago. Best thing I ever did. It's really not

as hard as teevee tells us, especially if you avoid other smokers.

I had to learn to hate cigarettes. Once I did, it was uphill for me. Still hate the things.

[Nickster]

4. I'm about 7 months down that road myself. Sometimes the cravings pop up

really bad, but it gets easier and easier to ignore them. The thing that helped me the most was using the patch and cutting back on my caffeine intake.

[KittyWampus]

9. are there particular times those cravings pop that you can surmise? I found them occuring

only when I was working on a project. My customary smoke as I'd stand back and survey progress.

Now, many years later, the smell of most smoke makes me ill.

[Nickster]

43. It's during the stress of work. I always used to step away and have a smoke to think about things

and then go back at it. I'm having extra stress lately, so the cravings are amping up, it's all mental, so I can get past it. No biggie, but darn I remember......:-)

[cynatnite]

12. The cravings have pretty much passed, but on occasion I do miss lighting up...

fortunately it's so rare now that I can acknowledge it and move on. I actually laugh about it. Also, I figured out what made me want to smoke more and changed my activities. It's all helped.

I wouldn't go back for anything.

Now, I'm afraid to light up because if I do, I won't stop this time around.

You're doing it!

[ZombieHorde]

6. I had a really hard time quiting, so I bought some marijuana, and then I had a much easier time. nt

[PassingFair]

7. I quit when I was 42....by promising myself that I could start again when I was 65....

I turned 50 2 weeks ago, so I still have THAT to
look forward to....

I can't see myself smoking again, but at the time,
it helped to make the deal with myself that I could
still go back to it someday....

[lamp_shade]

8. Big K&R from someone who needs encouragement. Thanks.

I emailed your post to myself. Thanks for sharing this.

[BlooInBloo]

10. How many times did you quit?

I vaguely recall hearing that the average number of times a person quits, before it actually sticks is like 6 or 7.

[cynatnite]

13. Two times before...

This last time I was in the hospital for a heart problem. The cardiologist came in and made me cry. I never touched another smoke after that.

[sandnsea]

11. Congrats! 4 1/2 years here

Nobody but nobody would intentionally stick their head in a chimney just to breathe in the smoke. The only reason anybody breathes in the smoke off a cigarette is because of nictine addiction.

That's what got me through, and lozenges and even a couple weeks of prozac.

Glad I'm smoke free.

[bergie321]

14. Congrats

1 year 4 months here.

[lunatica]

15. 15 years or so. Not a day goes by that I'm not happy about quitting

I smoked for 30 years and was up to 3 packs a day the last few years. I got help with what used to be called Wellbutrin and it worked after attempting and failing many times.

[noiretextatique]

16. quitting this weekend

going on the patch. thanks for the tips, and encouragement, and congratulations!

[NoSheep]

34. Good for you. Good luck.

[pipi_k]

17. 13 years smoke free...I hate the smell of them but sometimes I still want one

Sometimes I have dreams where I'm smoking and I'll wake up and swear that I actually DID smoke sometime during the night.

The other time I quit was during the early 80s...for five years till I got real stressed out and decided to have a smoke. Oops. wrong move. I can never have "just one" ever again.

Congratulations to all who have managed to stop. It really does make sense to take it one day at a time. Don't even think about tomorrow or five minutes from now. Concentrate on not smoking NOW. That's about the only thing that worked for me.

[endless october]

18. 17 months here.

glad to be shut of the habit.

[gratuitous]

19. Good for you!

Of course, every person is different with their own peculiar blend of physical and psychological proclivities for addiction. But yes indeed, try every trick in the book: carrot stick substitutes; rubber band on the wrist; resolve to not smoke for a minute, then a half hour, then an hour; whatever it takes. This is one of the major league addictions, and if one thing doesn't work try something else. Enlist a friend, consult a hypnotist, chew the gum, wear the patch.

Congratulations!

[Turbineguy]

20. Quitting is hard.

So don't quit, just don't smoke. Keep the fond memories of enjoying cigarettes.

Your lungs will never know the difference.

[rfranklin]

21. I smoked for more than 20 years...it took me 5 years to quit...

I went to Smokenders three times. By the last time I was disgusted with myself to have to be in a room with all those other smokers. Staying off the cigarettes was difficult because I would say, "Just one...and it always turned into a pack a day." I have been clean for about 25 years now.

If I could do it anyone can...have faith!

[madville]

23. Haven't had a cigarette since Saturday here

I have quit for months before but always started back slowly by just having one or two while drinking and before I knew it I would be back to a pack a day. I'm fine with quitting until I have a drink or beer and then the craving and my alcohol-diluted will power factor in lol. I feel so much better though when not smoking and don't stink like an ashtray, I'm doing it for good this time, especially since I don't drink much anymore either.

[Speck Tater]

24. WOOT! Way to go! I'm only at 261 days, but I'll catch up to you eventually. :) nt

[CTyankee]

25. Congrats! I stopped in 1981. Now I don't know how I ever COULD smoke.

Consider this: you were not really addicted. I wasn't. So don't worry.

[rocktivity]

26. That's kind of like what they tell the alcoholics

If the idea of never drinking again makes you so anxious you want a drink, reduce it to the idea of not drinking for the rest of the month...or week...or day...or hour...


rocktivity

[TK421]

27. It is extremely difficult to describe to a non-smoker why it is hard to quit

believe me, I've tried...I'm glad you were successful, though.

As stressed-out as I am right now, however, that is not on my list of priorities....when ( or if ) I find a job again, perhaps that will alleviate some of the pressure I'm feeling right now; when I wake up in the morning and have that cup of coffee, the cigarette must follow or nothing's right that day.

I quit for about a month once.....I've found that I may just need something else to aid me in quitting altogether.

[Tuvok Obama]

29. PMS

When I described what I was going through during the period after I quit, a woman told me I was describing something very similar to PMS.

[TK421]

32. Not able to experience PMS, I would have to agree after hearing accounts of it

but I get the shakes, have even gotten nauseous after not having one for after a couple of days. I've been around PMS plenty of times....I would take that any day over someone who is having a nic-fit climbing the walls

[Tuvok Obama]

28. WATER IN, WATER OUT

For those trying to quit smoking, I can't stress this enough. The best way to kill nicotine cravings is to "drown" them the way you'd drown hiccups. Drink water until you're full, and you'll find the cravings have subsided. When the cravings return, drink more water.

Also, wash your hands and face frequently. It helps, for some reason.

Water in, water out. I quit cold turkey in 1998 using this method, and haven't smoked a single one since.

(Also, it's better to keep quitting and failing than to not even try to quit, because you're at least lessening the number of cigarettes you smoke during all the periods of abstinence.)

[Bobbie Jo]

30. Wow! Congratulations!

:applause:

[Mari333]

31. I quit in June this yr

so far so good. Im addicted to Nicorettes but who cares. I wont start up again unless some trauma hits. otherwise, no.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Cass]

35. Congratulations, Cynatnite! It's been 3 years for me.

It's the best thing I ever did. Now I can't believe I ever did smoke, it feels like a totally foreign concept now.

There's some good advice in your post for those thinking about quitting.

[invictus]

36. Congratulations!

[kiva]

37. Congrats - two months here.

Thanks to Welbutrin and finally deciding I'd had enough...tough, but so far so good.

[DearAbby]

38. Congrats, proud of you

very difficult to do.

[K8-EEE]

39. scented candles, bath stuff and the like is great for quitting

I spent my cig money on it and lit candles and washed my hair when I had REALLY bad cravings.....YOU CAN'T SMOKE IN THE SHOWER! And who wants to mess up beautiful scented stuff by lighting a stinky old cig? Things smell AND taste so much better without the damn things!

[unhappycamper]

40. March 6, 2009 was the day I quit.

I had been smoking a pack every other day or so. I ran out of butts on a Friday evening & I said 'Ahhh. To hell with it. I'll get more butts tomorrow.' The next morning I went to the corner store to get a pack & the price (taxes) was $8.55 for a lousy pack of butts.

I quit on the spot.

[distantearlywarning]

41. I quit in August, 2000, after smoking 10 years.

It took me at least 3 or 4 tries that year before I finally did it for good in August. The first year after that was very hard, and I "snuck" a few on occasion. But mostly it was just cold-turkey and eventually I stopped altogether.

Now I rarely want a cigarette and even when I do the craving is less than an average food craving.

If I can do it, anyone can!

[susanr516]

42. Smokefree since March 2, 2009

[Jeroen]

44. Thank you and congratulations! n/t