How did you quit smoking?

stephmw24 · September 2011

Here's the deal...I do want to quit. It's expensive, bad for me...I know all of this. But I deal with jerks all day at work and it just relaxes me.
I'm just looking for some advice, some encouragement.
How did you kick the habit?

[Deleted User] · September 2011

steph - good for you for making a healthy choice! I've never smoked, but I do have a neighbor who quit about a year ago. She took a pill (I can ask her tonight what it was if you'd like) that suppressed her nicotine cravings. She also mentioned that she changed her habits. She changed her driving route to/from work, switched break times at the office, etc. She said switching up her routine helped her to not unconsciously light up.

Hopefully this is helpful. I know it's hard to get started...but the health benefits will be so wonderful if you can stick with it. We're here to support you any way we can! You can do this!!!

lunarsongbird · September 2011

I also had an ex that had a lot of luck with the patch.

Good Luck!

stephmw24 · September 2011

I was thinking about trying the patch or gum, but I think my problem is I LIKE smoking. I'm trying to think of how to explain it...but I have about an hour drive to and from work and driving without smoking just feels...off. What I have noticed I can do though ( as weird as it sounds) is hold a pen like a cigarette while I'm driving so I have something in my hand. It's just become second nature to me. If I'm eating something while driving, I don't have that compulsion to smoke. I guess I need to keep my hands busy.
I definitely don't want to replace smoking with constant snacking though either.
Ugh...my BF says to just start small. No cold turkey and just start cutting back.

lunarsongbird · September 2011

That doesn't sound weird...iit sounds a bit like an oral fixation. I would try some low calorie hard candies.

Swazzle · September 2011

I quit cold turkey. November will be 3 years!

Changing my habits helped me big time. In the morning I would smoke on my walk to work, I'd go down around 10am, then around 2pm, and my most favorite was my after-work one. So instead I took the train to work, at 10 & 2 I'd make sure I was super busy & had lots of gum to chew, & the after-work cig was the hardest (I just basically had to tell myself no at that point).

Also, drinking was a killer for me. I also smoked a ton more than normal when I was drinking. I took a brief break from alcohol when I quit smoking for that reason. Also, a week after I quit, I had a drag of my friend's cigarette & it made me throw up. My body was so sick of it I guess!

GOOD LUCK! Stick with it, you will be so so grateful that you did. The first couple weeks are the hardest. Take it one day at a time. Reward yourself for making it one day, then two days, then 5 days, then a week & so on. Also, I really suggest becoming active because I gained a ton of weight when I quit & I wish I had picked up running or something (which also might help you stick with it!).

CCO2012 · September 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_did-quit-smoking?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:891caaad-7662-43f3-87ae-796eb5a7c2ddPost:4dffc161-9175-4d3a-b885-ae1ab6770b3d">Re: How did you quit smoking?</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>I quit cold turkey.</strong> November will be 3 years! Changing my habits helped me big time. In the morning I would smoke on my walk to work, I'd go down around 10am, then around 2pm, and my most favorite was my after-work one. So instead I took the train to work, at 10 & 2 I'd make sure I was super busy & had lots of gum to chew, & the after-work cig was the hardest (I just basically had to tell myself no at that point). Also, drinking was a killer for me. I also smoked a ton more than normal when I was drinking. I took a brief break from alcohol when I quit smoking for that reason. Also, a week after I quit, I had a drag of my friend's cigarette & it made me throw up. My body was so sick of it I guess! GOOD LUCK! Stick with it, you will be so so grateful that you did. The first couple weeks are the hardest. Take it one day at a time. Reward yourself for making it one day, then two days, then 5 days, then a week & so on. Also, I really suggest becoming active because I gained a ton of weight when I quit & I wish I had picked up running or something (which also might help you stick with it!).
Posted by rdr716[/QUOTE]

I also quit cold turkey a year ago this past July. :)

Good luck!

NurseyK · September 2011

If it's an oral fixation, try drinking out of a straw when you get a craving... I have a friend who that worked for.

Even though I haven't been where you are, I just wanted to wish you a good luck! You can do this! Your body will thank you in the years to come!

vsgal · September 2011

I quit 6 years ago cold turkey. I am not going to lie, it was the hardest thing I did.

Know what your triggers are. When do you want to smoke?

My triggers were in the car, after a good meal, at work on my break and when I was out drinking. When I quit, I had a plan for all of these triggers.

In the car: I cranked the Beatles White Album as loud as I could and sang along so I would be mortified to roll my windows down.

After a good meal: I drank decaf coffee or hot tea and talk on the phone. Don't know why this helped but the heat curbed my cravings

On my break: This was the hardest one. I worked as a store manager in retail, so there was always stress. I just told myself that no problem was worth me getting lung cancer or emphysema. I was better than that.

Drinking: I gave it up for a month. No bars, no shows. My H is a drummer and we used to go out all the time. He gave up drinking with me for a month to help me.

I also bought myself gifts at milestones. Small at first. Like an alcoholic gets coins for their milestones. If I smoked again, I had to give the gifts to friends and family and I tell the people that I gave them to why they were getting them. Not something I wanted to own up to, so that was good motivation.

It takes 48 hours for nicotene to get out of your system. It took me about a week to not have physical cravings. I still wanted one for about a month. When I hit 3 months, the smell would make me sick.

Good luck to you. Use the resources that are available to you. The Cancer society has some good programs.

stephmw24 · September 2011

I tried cold turkey on Saturday, knowing I had two days off work, so I had hoped the fact that I could be at home and not at work stressed would make it a little easier. I made it until about 6pm on Sunday. I was proud of myself, but felt so defeated when I caved.
On the plus, I've slowed down, so I'm trying to be proud of myself for that.
Baby steps...

stephmw24 · September 2011

My best friend calculated how much a month & year I spend on cigarettes and we had fun thinking of what all that money could buy. It's an interesting motivator. It really made me look at how much money I'm throwing away on something that's killing me anyways.

AnneR15 · September 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_did-quit-smoking?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:891caaad-7662-43f3-87ae-796eb5a7c2ddPost:401b58fb-3dd6-4ecd-8ec3-12e65e4c9ec8">Re: How did you quit smoking?</a>:
[QUOTE]My best friend calculated how much a month & year I spend on cigarettes and we had fun thinking of what all that money could buy. It's an interesting motivator.<strong> It really made me look at how much money I'm throwing away on something that's killing me anyways.
</strong>Posted by stephmw24[/QUOTE]

I really wish I could get some of my friends who smoke to look at it this way.

Have you looked into e-cigarettes? I don't know much about them, but it seems like it could be a way to mimic the feeling you like (like with the pen in the car) without the negative effects of tobacco.

lennonkdc · September 2011

I quit about 3 years ago. It was difficult and I have slipped up here and there, but I have stuck with it. I suggest changing one habit at a time, first stop smoking in your car- try suckers or gum or holding a pen if that works for you. Give that a week or two to settle in, then cut out breaks at work; then after dinner; then while drinking. If you slip up don't give up and start smoking again, just get back on the wagon and keep working at it. Its difficult but you can do it!!!!!

Ollie08 · September 2011

I quit about 6 months ago. I had tried cold turkey, the patch etc and nothing worked for me. I always gave in. I blamed it on the stress etc. I finally went to my Dr. and asked for Chantix (the pill referenced above). It worked amazingly well. By day 3 I had cut my cigarettes in half. By day 7 I had given them up completely. The pill made even the thought of the cigarette so repulsing. I stopped taking the pill after 28 days because I didn't feel like I needed it any more. I ended up having lots of side effects after stopping the pill (nothing serious, just mood problems were heightened). I can say for certain though that I would still be smoking right now if it weren't for the pill. And for me, the side effects were worth it.

stephmw24 · September 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_did-quit-smoking?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:891caaad-7662-43f3-87ae-796eb5a7c2ddPost:427014f7-4cc4-42b9-a078-90eecec7e489">Re: How did you quit smoking?</a>:
[QUOTE]I quit about 6 months ago. I had tried cold turkey, the patch etc and nothing worked for me. I always gave in. I blamed it on the stress etc. I finally went to my Dr. and asked for Chantix (the pill referenced above). It worked amazingly well. By day 3 I had cut my cigarettes in half. By day 7 I had given them up completely. The pill made even the thought of the cigarette so repulsing. I stopped taking the pill after 28 days because I didn't feel like I needed it any more. I ended up having lots of side effects after stopping the pill (nothing serious, just mood problems were heightened). I can say for certain though that I would still be smoking right now if it weren't for the pill. And for me, the side effects were worth it.
Posted by Ollie08[/QUOTE]

How long was it recommended for you to take the pill? I've had friends who have taken it and experienced such bad side effects (night terrors, drastic mood swings, intense headaches) that I've been scared to even look at it as an option. I'm starting to reconsider though, it may be worth a try.

bsidebella · September 2011

My FI has had great luck with the patch, too! He quit for a whole 3 weeks (and then ran out of patches and never got more, so he's back to smoking at least 1 cig a day). But he said it was the best out of all the methods.

Also, my mother used e-cigs to quit. She uses Vapor King (you can google it if you want). I use e-cigs myself, but I use 0% tobacco cartridges in mine

Bumbles18 · September 2011

I gave up completely 3 years ago this week! Although I had been cutting down over the 2 years before that and when I gave up only smoked about 20 a week.

I found giving up much easier than I thought it would be, haven't had one since and now can't stand it. My friend was diagnosed with cancer which had spread to his lungs and that gave me the final push to give up and never to have one again. He had never smoked a day in his life, he was 23 and ended up dying of lung cancer. At that point I thought how selfish I was to be actively choosing to do something which could kill me. When I'm really stressed and get an urge for a reliever (when I would have smoked) I have a glas of wine! Although there is the risk you become an alcoholic!

How did you quit smoking?

Re: How did you quit smoking?

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