smoking. It has now been a week, and I can already feel the change in my health. This isn't the first time I have quit, but I hope it will be the last. Anyone else out there achieve this goal? Any advice would be appreciated.
Congrats, man!
Congratulations :) :thumbup:
Quote from: billdamn22 on April 03, 2009, 03:20:04 PM
Any advice would be appreciated.
Flavored sparkling water (unsweetened) and gum. You get these cravings just to taste something and in my case "sparkling lime" water killed those without any calories. That will keep you from gaining mad weight. For me quitting was not hard since I was never too addicted but it was hard to not replace the cigarrette void with snacks.
I "gave up" like 5 years ago but I still smoke when offered, like yesterday I had my first smoke in two months and it might be another two months before I have another one.Another funny thing: you will notice that you smoke in your dreams.
My uncle can tell you how many years, months, days, and hours since his last cigarette, which was some twenty-five yeares ago. He says it was years before he quit wanting one, but only a week or so before he quit feeling like he NEEDED one.
It's the single best thing anyone can do for their health. Good job.
Bravo Bill! Wish I had advice to offer but I've never smoked, unless you count that time I caught a fingernail on fire (a lot less dramatic and painful than it sounds). Still, good luck this time out.
Quote from: lugaru on April 03, 2009, 06:40:12 PM
Flavored sparkling water (unsweetened) and gum. You get these cravings just to taste something and in my case "sparkling lime" water killed those without any calories. That will keep you from gaining mad weight. For me quitting was not hard since I was never too addicted but it was hard to not replace the cigarrette void with snacks.
I have been eating a lot of sour cream and onion chips lately..... I will have to try the gum and water combo.
Thanks for the words of support everybody.
Gratz on quitting.
Incidentally, Wal-Mart has some nice flavored waters you might want to try if there's one near you. I like the Black Cherry, Key Lime and Mandarin Orange flavors myself.
Congrats, Bill! Good luck! And remember--even if you falter, never give up.
That's so awesome, Bill!
Try the flavored water thing. I heard that helps.
I quit just over three years ago, after smoking for 18 years or thereabouts, and numerous attempts to quit.
For whatever reason, reading "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr helped a lot.
I went through a bit of depression for the first few months, but that eventually lifted - just tell yourself its like the weather in your head, and that the feelings you are experiencing are not real, but the by-product of your brain chemistry adapting.
I read a lot during that time. I didn't have a lot of get up and go, but reading fiction seemed to help take me somewhere else away from the constant internal arguments.
Cigarettes are a great source of serotonin, your brain's balancing drug. You'll experience serotonin depletion, one of the best ways to comabt this is regular exercise. Sex, starchy foods, exercise and cigarettes - thats how we get serotonin. You've just lost one of the major sources there, concentrate on the others to fill the gap. Exercise is particular good because you get the feedback of feeling good and oxygenated ina way you're not used to, it sort of drives home the benfits of not smoking, I guess.
If you do fall off the wagon, dont give up. Regroup, and try again. Eventually it will stick.
Good luck.
Good luck! You can do it all the way :)
Good for you. Now if I could get some of my family members to stop... I too can breath clean air. ;)
Good Luck Bill. I can offer only one piece of advice on top of the gum and water ideas. Find something to do with your hands, rubberbands, stress ball, twirling pencils anything. This offers some distraction and a misdirection in your brain. If you get past the cravings and the boredom (idea in your brain) it makes quitting something easier.
I quit about 4 years ago - All I can say is Time is your friend - Every day that you wake up it's just a little easier to let it go :blink:
Congratulations! The doctor approves. I will tell you the statistics show that folks who finally quit take many/multiple serious attempts before quitting for good. If you can do it this time around, fabulous. If six weeks from now, though, you start again, realize that it is normal. Gather up your will, make your plan, and try again.
My advice - when you want a cigarette, and you know you're not going to make it, tell yourself you will go have one in 10 minutes. Then get busy doing something. If you can get truly distracted it will probably be more than ten minutes before you think of it again. Then push it another ten minutes, then another, and so on.
I quit smoking for three years, but recently smoked again due to the stress of losing a loved one. The only way I was able to quit.. and the only way I'll be able to quit again.. is going completely cold turkey. Once the nicotine withdrawal passed, the real battle was against the constant habit of wanting to smoke .. it remained all those three years, too. I wish it was easier, but with luck and determination, you'll pull through.
Good luck!
It is not the first time I've attempted, but I am positive it will be the last. The withdrawals have not been too bad, and I have used a lot of different distraction techniques to reduce cravings. I am remaining strong and I truly appreciate the support my family and my FR colleagues have given. Thank you so much.
Very well done Bil. As a non-smoker I can't give much direct advice but I can tell you that my brother managed it about two years ago, albeit not at the first attempt. In his case whenever he weakened and went back to smoking he didn't get too down about it and took the view that at least he benefitted from his time away from the cigs (i.e. it was better than smoking all the time). I was starting to fear he would use this approach to rationalise a continuing cycle of on-again off-again smoking and non-smoking. However with this sanguine approach he managed to increase the duration of his times spent away from smoking and reduced the duration of his times back on them and in the end he just ended up not smoking at all.
No problem, Billdamn. We're glad to offer any support we can.
If you're looking for distractions, I reccomend skinning whenever you feel a craving. ;)
Another reason this is big: me and my g.f. where talking the other about "imagine if we shared a pack a day" (since we both smoke like one a month but never buy). That would add up to at least $35 a week, $140 a month and $1680 a year. :blink:
Awesome, BillD! I've heard it's a very hard thing to quit, but you can do it it! You can do it!
Dana :thumbup: