I cut way back over the course of a week...but too late for that for you now!
And I used gum, nicotine gum, to ease the drug withdrawal.
8 years ago....best thing I ever did! Think fo what I have saved....and the joy of not having to worry about where I can have my next smoke, worry about running out....burning holes in my clothes....not to mention the money!
After 2 days, it's much much better.....
You are no longer a smoker....just learn to identify with non smokers....we really are a good crew!
Good luck to ya! I won't say there is no pain....but it's worth it!
Linda C

I have heard that many have increased the chance of success by increasing the amount of fluid they take in. Especiailly good are lemonade and orange juice. The increased vitamin C seems to help. I think having something to sip on also breaks that habit of having something to do with the hands and mouth. Small things like this, while not a cure, certainly can make things easier.

If nothing else is handy, get some water down when you feel the urge. And stay away from your friends that are smokers. Making it through the first couple of weeks will be the hardest. Habits are hard to break. Nictotine dependancy is even harder. Combine the two and it can be rough. Tell your friends that you will see them in a couple of weeks. They might even decide that this is a good time for them to quit too!
Good Luck!!!!

Mary, congratulations on this important decision.

You might check your library or internet sources for help through this process. I know the American Lung Assn. has a book called "7 Steps to a Smoke-Free Life" which might be helpful (I even saw it on ebay). You could check it out and maybe at your local bookstore or Amazon for something to guide you.

My heartfelt best wishes for success. Why don't you keep us posted here on how you are doing?

Thinking of you today.

Hi everyone, well I have taken the first step. Havent had one since almost midnight last night after supper with hubby. He works 2nd shift so we eat then. I made that last one last for awhile. So its been about 14 hours now of freedom.
I have heard about increasing the fluid is helpful and have made 3 bottles of water in fridge. Cant do the lemonade or orange juice due to stomach problems but take vitamin C. I will keep all posted if your interested. Feel free to email me some tips if you like.

Breath smells better hubby says...LOL

Mary

Good, Mary. Do continue to keep us posted on your progress.

How are you doing?
I have been quit for 1 Year, 2 Weeks, 5 Days, 6 hours and 12 minutes (384 days). I have saved $1,537.03 by not smoking 7,685 cigarettes. I have saved 3 Weeks, 5 Days, 16 hours and 25 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 3/27/2006 12:00 PM

I did it by going to Laser Concepts......I did not have, you know, the *I CAN'T TAKE IT, I AM GOING TO GO BUY SOME CIGS!!*......LOL...You THOUGHT about them, but didn't get jitters....

I wish you luck.....drink lots of water.....:-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Quit Meter

Hi everyone..well I have to admit that I have cheated. Hubby and I got in to a BIG fight..So I decided to try it a different way. The fight was so bad I throught I would in up killing him..seriously. Won't go into the details but I will try a new way of quiting.
I have permitted myself a total of 10 Smokes a day for about 2-3 weeks. Then will cut that in half for 2-3 weeks. A friend said it worked for her so going to try that. Thats from 2 packs a day. Still drinking lots of water and brushing my teeth...LOL. That seems to help ALOT. I have been spacing the smokes out to letting myself have 1 every 2 hours but before I do I brush my teeth and drink a BIG glass of water and try to find something to do to keep my mind off of it. Sometimes it works sometimes not. Sometimes I have one drag and think...damn thats nasty and put it out. Then I have to wait 2 more hours. But what ever works right?
I'm thinking now that the weather is getting nice I can spend more time on my gardens and crafts and that will help alot.

Lucygoose Thanks for the link for the Quit Meter. I have D/Led it and will use it when I completely quit. Laser Concepts sounds like a great idea but I dont have the extra $$ for that.

I will keep you all posted and let you know how things are going for me.

Mary

Hi Mary!

Your right, whatever works.....:-) We also quit smoking in the house for that winter before we quit......so, by the time I went to laser concepts, we were cut back on the amount we smoked....

Good Luck!!

LucyGoose :-)

DH and I quit smoking 3 1/2 years ago by going to a hypnotist. It was the easiest thing in the world. Absolutely no pain and no wanting to kill each other. :) I had smoked for 30 years, two packs a day, to give you an idea of just how addicted to nicotine I was. So I can assure you that if I could quit with hypnosis, ANYONE could quit. The hypnotist recorded a CD of my session that I had to listen to for 21 days. It was just a form of relaxation and reinforced the habit of quitting. I promise, it was painless. When I felt the urge for a cigarette, I just did a breathing technique that the hypnotist taught me, and repeated "Relax, Relax, Relax", and the urge disappeared instantly. The cost was minimal too, only $80. The hypnotist guaranteed it. If you didn't quit with one session, he would hypnotize you again for free until it worked for you. My husband and I only needed one session each to quit. I highly recommend it. But go to an individual hypnosis session. I don't believe those group sessions work.

I have been smoke free for over 8 years now. I truely believe that the addiction is 60% habit and 40% addiction. Ifyou can break your habits then your already winning. When you have been a smoker for so many years like i was, you dont know what to do with yourself at work on break, on the phone, after a full meal, while having a cocktail. Back when i quit i was newly married and my husband was a NAG. I couldnt smoke in our apartment, i had to listen to him nag if i smoked in the car, and it became irritating to listen to him(which was a good thing). I quit the day a gave birth to my first child. All those new responsibilities were overwhelming. I remember keeping that last pack of smokes for 2 months. I never smoked again. I stay home with the kids and sometimes i wonder that if i was to go back to work, what would i do on my breaks. I have never had a job and not been a smoker. Best of of luck to you. It is hard habit to break. You can do it!

I quit on March 15, 2007, using the prescription medication CHANTIX. It started working right from the start, and within a week, I didn't even THINK about cigarettes - it is a WONDERFUL drug which I would highly recommend.

I want to second the praise for Champix. I smoked over 46 years and nothing worked for me to quit. Champix is new in Canada and my doctor suggested it to me. I am smoke free one week today. But I can't believe it. I am not having cravings, just a few little thoughts, and I swish them away. This is the first important step in changing my life.

I am also on Chantix, been on about 6=7 days now, and for the first time, I didn't buy any when I was out today, That's not saying I won't, but I'll try not to.

Here's the way I quit and it won't cost you a dime. Do you believe in God? This is what I did. When I found myself looking for a old burned out butt, I said a prayer right away. PLEASE GOD HELP ME!!! In a few seconds the urge was gone. Try it, it worked for me, that was over 20 years ago.

I used the Chantix too! It was nothing next to a miracle.

Chantix is a prescription drug (a pill) that your doctor can prescribe. A friend recommended it to me after she quit her habit of 30 + years.

I started taking the Chantix pill and didn't even think about quitting smoking. I did smoke less without even thinking about it. On day 12 I was getting ready for bed and I realized, "hey, I didn't smoke at ALL today!" I can't tell you how great that felt. Each day after that I didn't smoke and it didn't seem like I was being deprived or white knuckeling it!

I continued taking the pills for a few more weeks when I decided that I just wasn't going to smoke, pill or no pill anymore. It is now over 6 months for me.

The prescription did cause me to have some really wacky dreams! It is a psychological drug, so I think if you are having depression or other mental issues it may not be for you. Someone commited suicide while on Chantix so they got a lot of bad publicity. But personally I feel that person PROBABLY had some underlying issues beforehand.

I have recommeneded it to long time smokers without trying to be preachy (just because I'd like them to feel the power I feel by not being saddled by cigarettes!) Many of them said they would never put a prescription in their systerm to quit! Yet on a daily basis they are lighting up and putting known carcenogens into their body, so I figure they are just making an excuse.

Ladyofdirt, if you are reading this and you still need a method to quit I would encourage you to try the Chantix. Best wishes to you!

I quit smoking on Apr. 24/07 using Chantix. Yes, it is a drug with side effects but not enough to stop me from using it. I am so happy I got off smoking...it is a very hard thing to do and I owe my success to a friend and Chantix.
Jean

I quit after 40 yrs. It will be 2 yrs in Oct for me. Its hard and I still crave them and miss them like a best friend. I still chew a lot of gum or I would go nuts. Not much works, just a good frame of mind. I didn't plan on quitting, I took 2 days, about 5 cigs per day then just stopped. I was coughing so much that after not smoking just 1 day I noticed a big difference, after 2 days I about stopped coughing so I just continued not smoking. Good luck & keep it up. Don't go back.

Here is a link that might be useful: how to quit

COLD TURKEY for me 6 months ago.I wasted 50 bucks on the patch only to use it once and decide it made me feel worse then nothing at all.
I didnt leave my house the first week unless I had to.I cut back on anything that might stress me out (a big factor in me wanting to smoke)I allowed myself to nibble (low fat)stuff like lollipops,twizzlers,mints,gum,carrot sticks,pickles,celery and little pieces of chocolate for the really hard times.
I put on 7 pounds,started exercising (hence the screen name) and lost 13! I also lost two inches around my waist and an inch around each thigh.
Exercising helps the most because it gets the heart pumping,blood flowing,and gets that crap out of your lungs.
You start having more energy and looking better too.

Ladyofdirt,did you ever quit? This was posted back in '07?
How about an update.

For some people quitting is so bad that going to the doctor and getting on an anti-depressant for a while helps alot too. Since quitting can cause anxiety,depression and a number of other ailments,it can help ease the pain immensely.Then in a few months when you are feeling no more withdrawls and feeling better you can ween off of the anti-depressants.

I quit 2 years, almost 5 months ago.....I went to the Laser Concepts.....I do not even want one....they stink to me so bad now....I can't believe it took me 30 years of smoking these nasty things to finally be free of them....I wanted to quit really bad, so when a friend used this and e-mailed me on it, I decided to try it.....it is $299 but hey....that might be part of why you quit, too....LOL....who knows....LOL...I just know I did not have the *It's been 4 hours and I HAVE to go buy a pack*.....LOL....I THOUGHT of them 24/7 at first.....but that was it.....I just thought about them...Like getting in the car, I always smoked in the car....you just do not EVER light another one....you are like.....wow, it's been 4 days, then .....wow.....it's been 2 weeks.....this isn't that bad....then wow, 2 years....LOL....I am so proud.....they really do stink bad to us now.....

Good Luck to you all.....If I can do it, you can too!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Laser Concepts

I had a dream that I had lung cancer. I woke up and thanked God. I was a smoker from age 13 and quit when I was 65. I am now 91.