Giving up Smoking (again)

[ukcop2]

About 2 years ago I posted a very similar question (sadly it didn't work that time)

Anyway, last week I was 30 years old. I woke that morning and noticed that my stomach had grown, my breath was shorter than normal and I had lost 3 inches from my hairline!
As I tucked into a fried bacon roll I could feel the crap clinging to my veins and my blood pressure increase. My first cigarette of the day was good but I felt I coughed a bit more and my first coffee of the day made me shake just a little extra than I remembered.

The upshot of this is, I am getting older and it is time to look after myself more. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not unfit. I run 10 - 20 miles a week and bounce myself around a gym at least 3 times every seven days. BUT I have to give to smoking.

I have tried the lot in the past - patches, micro tabs, chewing gum, nicotine sweets, needles stuck in my eyes in some dodgy chinese sweatshop (clinic), willpower alone (that was fun) and being put in a trance. Nothing has worked.
As they say, GIVING UP SMOKING IS EASY, I HAVE DONE IT 12 TIMES !

How did all you ex-smokers do it ?

Better go now, I'm dying for a cigarette.

Cheers

Uk <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

[Bill R]

I tried many times, finally my doctor prescribed Welbutrin (Zyban). My last cigarette was in November. Good luck!

[Choppy]

Quitting smoking is a very difficult thing to do. I'm a grad student (during the day) and I work in a cancer centre. Every day I see people dying from lung cancer that still haven't quit smoking.

The good news is that by quitting you can dramatically reduce the damage that smoking does to your body.

Quitting smoking involves a change in lifestyle. Look at where and when you smoke and switch up your daily routine to sabbotage the opportunities. Talk to your doctor. I'm sure there are stronger medications than those you've tried. Identify stimuli that make you crave cigarettes (stress, social enviroments, etc.) and avoid them (even if only temporarily). Spend more time with nonsmokers.

[Fastie]

I've quit a few times... LOL... it seemed to get harder each time... I did the cold turkey and carried an unopened pack around in case I absolutely couldn't stand it.. of course I never opened the pack. The last time I quit I started smoking the lowest nictotine cigarettes around.. at first it seemed horrible, smoking air.. but I got used to it and gradually cut down to just a couple a day.. the final thing that helped was being in the hospital for sugery and afterwards not being able to inhale deeply for awhile so I just quit. It was easy that time and that was the last time, 5 years ago. I'm more careful now around cigarettes and don't want to start again. It's really easy to start again so I think it's important to be extra careful after quitting. Even a couple of cigarettes can put you back to a pack a day if you're not careful (that's what happened to me, I had quit for close to 10 years).

The zyban thing works for some people and not for others. Most insurance won't cover it but if you ask your doctor to write it as wellbutrin (same exact stuff), it's an anti-depressant and usually covered. Even if the zyban doesn't work you're bound to at least be a little happier.. so no real harm done...

Good Luck, if you want it bad enough you'll do it and succeed!!! and then be proud, I've heard it's one of the strongest addictions to break, worse than heroin. I can't comment on the heroin, no personal experience there!!!

[BunnyFoo-Foo]

Well, here goes.....
My mother-in -law died of lung cancer the year before we were married....there have been 3 grandchildren born since then who will never know their Nana! She was under heavy sedation in the end because the steroids were not even helping the pain anymore...she died in my sister in laws' arms. My husband says a part of him died, too. That is my cigarette story.
Please, do anything you can to quit.....stay away from smokers....do what others advise..find out what will work for you.
Good luck! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[jellybean40]

I found that cutting back slowly worked for me, even if it takes a month to cut all the way back. I was down to a half a cigarette on the way to work, and saved the stinky half for the ride home! But each person has to find his own way to do it. I used that method twice...the reason i started back the first time was by choice, and enjoyment. But now i've quit permanently (it's been about 9 years since i've had a cig).

Good luck!

[Don]

I smoked cigars (almost exclusively) off and on since 17. I did quit for three years once before, and really had one hell of a rough time with it for several months after quiting.

Then, like a damn fool, started again at about 30. Smoked up until last December. Quit cold turkey, and really had very little problem with it. I guess the time was just right.

I've known many people who have died of lung cancer, including my own brother. It did not slow me down at all.

I'll probably never know WHAT exactly it was that made the difference, but I do know that when I quit, it was because I was the one who wanted me to quit. For years I've had everybody else in the world tell me that I should.

But until I got damn good and ready to, I just ignored it. The only problem that I noticed from it was a marked increase in weight, which is now coming off.

Remember that no matter what kind of plan you may use, unless YOU are really and truely ready to, in your own mind you are going to have a pretty rough time.

Good luck with this, I wish you well!