Not [really] Wedding Related: Quitting

temerityjane · August 2009

No long story: Our wedding budget relies heavily on both of us quitting smoking. It's the right time. He got Chantix because the AF has a smoking cessation program. I am not in the AF and have no medical insurance, so no prescription for me. As of today, he is not smoking at all. I am struggling. Have you any good tips for quitting smoking? Bonus points if you have good tips that will also prevent me trashing my diet.

J&K10910 · August 2009

Chew gum? Drink a lot of water. When you get a craving, do something else to distract yourself if you can. Call a friend, take a shower, whatever.

salt78 · August 2009

I quit with no drugs. I did chew a lot of gum and kept reminding myself that my body was thanking me for what I was doing.

melishka716 · August 2009

Cut off just a little bit of all of your cigs. Pretty soon, you won't notice you're smoking less, hopefully. GL

angelandlibby · August 2009

Tell yourself you are strong enough to do this.

julezlee · August 2009

Unfortunately, I don't have any magic tips. Using the patch or the lozenges made me really sick so I ended up quitting basically cold turkey. One good thing going for you is that Buddy is quitting too. I always found it so hard to stay quit if I was around other people who smoked. I also tried to avoid drinking much whenever I was quitting b/c I loved me some cigs after some booze. If you have any triggers like that (people, booze) then I would suggest avoiding them as much as possible.

KA2 · August 2009

no tips here - but best of luck - Like the pp it's good your have a support system in your FI.

[Deleted User] · August 2009

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J&K10910 · August 2009

Oh, and if you haven't already--get rid of any that might be in your house, car, etc. If you really want one and don't have any, you're at least a little bit less likely to go out and buy them than to smoke your safety cigarette hiding in your desk drawer.

temerityjane · August 2009

I intend on combining everything everyone says into one giant ball of anti-smoking strategy. So far I've been kind of slapdash. Kind of cutting down, kind of forcing myself to wait for cravings to pass before I go grab a smoke, telling myself that after the carton in the freezer is gone, no more will be purchased. And along with salt's "My body is thanking me for this," I will also mentally include "Three hundred fuucking dollars a fuucking month!"

agk0125 · August 2009

This is what I learned from watching FI quit:1. Don't go cold turkey. You probably have points in the day when you always smoke. Just slowly cut one of those out. Maybe one a week. In the end the only one FI had left was his morning walking to the train smoke. That was the hardest one for him to get rid of, but eventually he did it.2. Find a new oral fixation! For FI it was Tea Tree Oil toothpicks. Weird, but it worked. They have an interesting flavor and make your lips feel a little weird if you chew on them long enough. He LOVED those things. Other good ones are straws and lollipops.Hmm..I guess I just have two suggestions. Just remember that your life will improve once you quit! GL!

J&K10910 · August 2009

Take your 300 dollars a month and make a list of all the things you can buy or do with your money with that extra cash. Wedding related things, a fun weekend trip, whatever. Keep it visible so you can remind yourself how much money you're saving and all the cool things you can do with it when you're craving a cig.

Pirata13 · August 2009

Good luck, stay strong! Honestly when I quit, within a couple weeks I couldn't stand the smell of it. Try gum like salt said, also carrot sticks. Like pp said, lots of water and avoid alcohol if that increases the urge to smoke. Go out for a walk or do some cardio. It'll rev you up and make you feel good.

agk0125 · August 2009

Don't go cold turkey. You probably have points in the day when you always smoke. Just slowly cut one of those out. Maybe one a week.Sorry that may not make sense. I meant cut one off your regular smoking times out, not one cigarette. If you always smoke after lunch try stopping that one this week. Then next week tack on the one you smoke before you go to bed..I hope that makes it clearer. The organization of it seemed to help FI ween off them.

oxerny · August 2009

I was an extremely heavy smoker for 6 years. I decided I wanted to quit, but was unable to do so for longer than a few weeks. I read "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" By Allen Carrhttp://www.amazon.com/Easy-Way-Stop-Smoking-Non-Smokers/dp/1402718616I have not smoked in 4 years.I know it sounds hard to believe that a book could help you stop, but it did for me and a couple of friends. I only know of 1 (out of maybe 5) people who read it and were unable to quit.Best of luck!

tidetravel · August 2009

Congrats on deciding to quit! I wish DH would stop - he keeps saying that he wants to and "tries" but doesn't get very far. I think the biggest thing that you have to help you is the fact that your FI has stopped smoking. He's not smoking around you, so it should cut down on wanting one, simply because he wants one. I would just keep in mind that whenever you smoke in his presence, it probably makes it that much harder for him to stay away from it.

[Deleted User] · August 2009

My dad was hypnotized to stop smoking and he hasn't picked one up in 2 years. He said it was really easy to stop too.

Night_Sprite · August 2009

Maybe clean your house? If the house is all clean and fresh and smoke free you'll not want to get it icky again? I'm talking everything. Sheets, towels, curtains. It'll keep you busy, too.

temerityjane · August 2009

These are all awesome tips, and I am so not skeptical of reading a book to quit smoking. Like I said, I am going to do every single thing possible to make it successful, hell, I'd try hypnosis if it was free.I think that PPs are right in saying the fact that he's quit should make it easier for me, though I am a bit bitter that he had the support of medication and I won't. The other thing I really have going for me is that I sincerely want to quit. The fact that I get winded easily, the expense, the smell, the annoyance of having to go smoke and the upcoming wedding all combined to just make it make sense right now.My biggest concern is how much I pre-emptively miss smoking. I am worried that I am really just going to MISS it.

Night_Sprite · August 2009

Tide, maybe help DH with "You will not smoke around our baby"?

missy68 · August 2009

Temerity, one of FI's cycling buddies is in the process of quitting, and he carried a pack of toothpicks with him on a big ride they did. Whenever he got the urge to smoke (I saw him do it a couple of times when I was hanging out with them), he popped out a toothpick and chewed on it instead. He'd gone a couple of months, I think. This particular week was a real test - it involved basically a rolling party, and many options for temptations. I didn't get a chance to see him at the end of the week to see how he did, but up to that point, it was working well. I know someone else had already mentioned toothpicks; just thought I'd second that recommendation.....

J&K10910 · August 2009

My biggest concern is how much I pre-emptively miss smoking. I am worried that I am really just going to MISS it.Replace it with a different habit. you know, heavy drinking, illegal drugs. Or really, a GOOD for you habit. Like walking/working out, or something of the sort. Also, reward yourself for not smoking. But not with food (because you don't want to trash your diet). New shoes? A new book? Something you like. Set a goal and when you reach it, reward yourself and set a new goal.

ricksang · August 2009

I wish my mom would quit. She has COPD, constant bronchitis, and she can't take two steps without getting out of breathe. She will not quit. Here is a medical thought that might help you think about WHAT cigarettes can do to your lungs. You have tiny hair-like structures in your lungs called cilla. Cilla sweep harmful particles out of your lungs. The smoke destroys the cilla and they do not grow back. Now that that cleansing mechanism is gone, tar can coat the lungs and cause cancer. Also, my mom is constantly coughing, which I think is due to the destruction of the cilla.

mocha beans · August 2009

One of the residents at my old job did this to help him quit smoking.Keep a tally on your fridge of how much money you've saved everyday by not smoking. Take cash out of the bank that would equal the amount of cigs you would have bought that day or week, put that in a glass jar in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, wherever is easiest to see. If you must buy a pack, take money out of the jar, not the bank. That might help reinforce that smoking is going backwards, not smoking is going forwards.Friend of mine was on Chantix for awhile, he got some nasty nightmares, so just keep an eye out.

tidetravel · August 2009

Sprite - he's actually really good about not smoking around me. He doesn't smoke in the house or in the new car, but it's still expensive as heck at almost $7 a pack!

J&K10910 · August 2009

Also, my mom is constantly coughing, which I think is due to the destruction of the cilla.Yes, because the cilia aren't removing the crap like they're supposed to, so she has to cough to get it out instead.

AmoroAgain · August 2009

8 years ago, when I was a sophomore in college (oh Jesus that sounds like a long time ago!!!!) my dad once said to me, "I really wish I could help you pay for college. I'm so impressed with how hard you work, and I wish i could make that easier on you."I sat down and figured out how much it cost to keep him with cigarettes by day, week, month, year. At the time, he smoked 4 packs a day (groooooooosss) and it cost $4000 a year. That would have paid for one full semester at MSU. He didn't like my recommendation. lolIf the financial aspect is an important reason why you're quitting, make sure you tally up, in a noticeable way, how much the two of you are saving by not smoking. That alone will make you feel empowered to keep going!

ricksang · August 2009

I know how hard it is to quit an addiction, Jane. You can do it though!

mandysmear · August 2009

In Alberta cigarettes are almost $13/pack. We're taxed up the tailpipe.

AmoroAgain · August 2009

Or, if you're visual, try this.Left, healthy lungs. Right, um.. not so healthy.

[Deleted User] · August 2009

Another thing to consider is, like J&K said, don't replace smoking with another bad habit. When my dad was hypnotized they encouraged them all to cut back on coffee and caffeine as well. He did ok with this actually, and drinks coffee now but he didn't OD on coffee just because he couldn't smoke ya know. Just something to consider. Good luck!

Not [really] Wedding Related: Quitting

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