Congratulations!!! It's not easy going cold turkey but it can be done. Just take it one day at a time. I quit Feb. 13th and am so glad I did. I used bupropian to help but have heard wonderful things about Chantix. The biggest thing is you have to want to do it. Yes get rid of all the smoking accessories and declare your home, car, etc smoke free! My mantra was "I won't smoke today". That urge to have one generally passes in a few moments so that is all you really have to resist. Just keep yourself busy. I had/have the cleanest house in town!!! Good luck and feel free to email me thru my page here if you need a buddy!
~Betsy

You and your SO are giving each other a wonderful gift.

I quit cold turkey on June 2, 1985. However, I was not a heavy smoker; maybe 5 a day, with my first one after lunch.

Cravings will be your problem; especially if either of you smoke within 1/2 hour of awakening.

Have you considered the lozenge, gum, or patch? Our local hospital puts patches on patients who are smokers prior to surgery so that they do not awaken with cravings. They have had great success with it, and the patients often quit totally by using the patch.

Good Luck!
Dee

Good for you! If I ever have money again, I'm going to try the Chantix. I have got, got, got to quit smoking. No way I'm gonna do it on my own.
Congratulations and GOOD LUCK!

Chantix is a miracle stop smoking pill. It will get you through all the physical cravings like magic, all you have to deal with are the mental cravings.

Deep breathing in and out when a craving hits really helps, and if you do that and time them, you will find that the craving only last a minute or two.
Also tons of water, ice water is best, but any will do.

I am 50 years old and smoked for 37 years. Up to 2 packs a day. Try Chantix, it really works. I know of several dozen people that have stopped using this method.

Trin

Congratulations!! DH and I both quit May 19th. We used Chantix and it does work.

Here's something I did, I cut a drinking straw into a cigarette size and put it into my ashtray, I smoked more when I was sitting on the couch knitting or watching tv. (Actually I burned more up than I smoked ;0)) I guess I needed something for my hands to do after smoking for 37 years lol, anyhow I "smoked" the straw once or twice but it helped me figure out I needed a deep breath more often than I was taking them because I was used to taking a deep drag on a cigarette.

That and twizzlers were my life savers lol. You really can't smoke anything when you are busy chewing on a twizzler. ;0)

Congrats, Mellbe! DH and I quit on October 28. We started quitting on October 15, actually we started taking Chantix on that date. It truly is a miracle to me, I am 54 and started smoking at age 18, I smoked 1 1/2-2 packs a day. I have no physical cravings but the mental ones hit me a few times a day. They are becoming fewer and fewr tho, and I am amazed how tied to those cigs I was. It is liberating not to have to carry them with me all the time, or worry that they will fit in my pocket or evening bag!

And everything smells so wonderful! WOW what a diference! I immediately cleaned the carpets and furniture, then washed the curtains!

Get rid of the ashtrays, wash them all and put them away. Keep some hard candies around, or grab a stalk of celery or carrot. And just think about how wonderful it is all going to be!

Wow! I love your testimonials! OK, I may be ready.

Gayle

Congrats and hang in there!! I quit about 9 years ago. I went to a hypnotist and even though I felt like that helped, the cravings were almost unbearable for me. I chewed on straws, followed peeps that were smoking just to get a whiff of the smoke...I was pathetic. DH quit a few months later and just sailed through it. Figures.

There are herbal cigarettes (still have the tar, but no nicotine and no tobacco) you can buy. The only place I've found them is on eBay. Some are made in China..the ones I bought were American made and are called 'Smokin Joes'. These are pretty strong, but definately help with any cravings. I like the cherry flavor. I bought some just a few months ago when my thyroid was going haywire..it really helped with the odd cravings I was having...but didn't make me want to take up smoking again like a "real" cigarette would have.

dh quit christmas 1985, cold turkey...because he finally WANTED TO!

he tried hypnosis, one piece of that aweful gum, and had countless co-workers encouraging him...but it was his resolve...

he made calls away from his own desk...avoided other smokers during lunch, walked (he still does) and yup, used that OLD rubber band thump on the wrist, lol...we cleaned out his car so it was fresh smelling...(didn't have to worry about the house, he wasn't allowed to smoke inside)it also helped he was coaching a lot of soccer and little league, and didn't want to be a "bad" example for the kids...

lots of diet hard candy...

and it's wonderful! in fact, he complains as did my mother, when smelling second-hand smoke...

Congrats and try to find something to do with your hands - crochet, knit, crafts... Go for a walk if you like to walk... Also understand that if you are not able to quit this time, it is NOT a negative thing - you just weren't ready. You'll quit when YOU are ready. My DD used a hypnotist six months and is STILL smoke free! Good luck to you and only deal with one day or even an hour at a time...

If you need crutch such as the patch, gum, or whatever, go for it. I used Nicorette about 21 years ago, and quitting was not too bad.

Just remember you are a puff away from a pack a day - NO CHEATING!
And the more times you try to quit, the more likely you will be successful.

I could never have quit cold turkey cuz I was totally addicted. It was before Chantix, so I used the patch for a week, then used the Nicotrol Inhalers. The inhalers are great because you "inhale" to get a small amount of nicotine.

I haven't "quit"--I'm just on vacation from smoking. My last cigarette was 2 years, 10 months, 1 day ago...my next cigarette will be in November 2027--on my 80th birthday (assuming, of course, that I still want one).

Good luck, and take it one day at a time.

Ang, a month's supply of Chantix costs about as much as a week's supply of cigarettes. I know because I just got a bottle for DH. He hasn't started taking them yet because there's always a reason (lame excuse) to smoke one more day or one more week....

Thanks all for the words of encouragement, I really appreciate it.

I do have a supply of Nicorrette gum that I may use. I agree with susanjf, it tastes awful!!

Couple of questions about Chantix. I've never heard of it before. Is it a prescription drug or over the counter?? Is it similar to Zyban? I did try Zyban once and found that it severly intereferred with my sleep, a very common side effect. This will be Chantix will be something that I look into.

Thanks, Again, All!

Change your routine, that is how I finally quit. If you always had a cigarette after dinner, find something else to do at that time, take a walk, visit with neighbors, something completely different. If you had a cigarette and coffee, then change that routine - take your coffee outside or have tea instead. You get the idea. Good luck!

No suggestions, just wishing you well.

Wanda - doc won't give me a prescription until I get a full physical and cardio workup (I have heart disease) because I'm over two years overdue now. Can't remember how much it was last time I went in, but it was in the thousands of dollars and took me almost two years to pay off and the stress just about sent me over the edge.
I've been trying and trying to find "reasonable" insurance. I can't even find "unreasonable" insurance because of my history.
Now I've gotten myself all worked up again. Grrrrrr

Hi. I'm new here, after being absent for several years. Just wanted to tell you how my DH did it cold turkey. He took toothpicks and soaked them in flavorings, vanilla, strawberry, coconut, etc. Then laid them out separately to dry. When dried, he put them in a little cup. When he felt that need for something to do with his hand or having something in his mouth, he'd get a toothpick and chew on it, continuing to keep his hand busy with it. He hasn't smoked since that day, 8 years ago. Good luck. Lynn

I will link to a book that may help you. It is very powerful. MILLIONS of people have quit simply by reading this book!

Not to be negative or to discourage you from trying it, but Chantix is not a miracle drug for everyone. Like the patches, pill, sprays, gum, whatever else - you have to be ready to quit. I am not preaching, as I've been smoking for 35 years... *sigh* But the Chantix made me nauseous when it came time to "up" the dosage. I kept the pills and may try again, though.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Easy Way

I will celebrate one year smoke free on Feb. 11 2008. If I can do it, anyone can. I smoked about 1-1 1/2 packs a day since I was 16. I am now 53. I used the patch for 8 weeks and it was an enormous help to me.
Change some of your routines. If you reach for a smoke when you drink coffee, switch to tea or hot chocolate or better yet water. Drinking lots of water helps to tame the cravings that you will have. Exercise helps too. Try going for a brisk walk when you can. The cravings soon go away. Promise yourself that no matter how bad a craving is, you will allow yourself 15 minutes to get over it before reaching for a smoke. Trust me, after the 15 minutes the craving will have passed.
Yes, I still get the odd craving, but now I can control how I handle it. The smokes no longer control me!
It was the best gift I've ever given myself! You can do this!

I quit 2 weeks ago. I smoked a pack a day. I used Wellbutrin (Zyban) to help.
I've cheated a couple of times when I've been with my smoking friends.
Otherwise, I'm doing just fine.
You have to want to... there are no sure fired "tricks".

Congratulations. This is the best thing you can do for yourself. Think about how wonderful it will be not to be a slave to an inanimate object that disappears into ash. Good luck to you. You can do it. P.S. I quit 30 yrs. ago with the help of a hypnotist.

Hi mellbee,

Congratulations on a very wise decision.

Having an alternative something, e.g. celery, carrot stick, toothpick, drinking straw or whatever to put into your mouth when craving comes has been helpful for many.

Have a good look at your routines, and when you regularly smoked. Change those parts of your routine.

Try to find something positive to do that will keep you busy, especially something that you can do in little chunks of time at a time.

Teach yourself to walk away from yourself, turn around, and, looking you in the eye, ask some tough questions about what's going on when you have a craving.

Many have found a great deal of help while sharing with others on the forums at www.quitnet.org. Quite a few say that they couldn't have quit without the empathy, advice, support and encouragement that they found there at any time of the day or night.

I am glad that you have a buddy to carry on the journey along with you.

Might be a good idea to look for some others who want to quit, as well, and would join you.

It's a help if some of the quitters agree that someone else having a craving can call them at any hour of the day or night - sort of like the A A folks do.

Have you ever heard the rather dry-witted comedian of a number of years ago, Bob Newhart, who impersonated the leaders in the head office in London when Walter Raleigh, calling home from the New World, tried to explain how cigarettes would work? And the sceptical laughter that it induced?

See whether you can find someone who has it, for it might be helpful.

There is no way on earth that I'd want to be a slave to another person.

Much less would I want to be a slave to a little white paper tube filled with dead leaves.

Come talk here whenever you feel like it - the folks here want you to succeed in this worthwhile (could be life-aving) task.

Good wishes as you proceed with your Quit.

ole joyful

Mellbee, Chantix is Rx only and it is not cheap and not covered by most Rx plans. The monthly pack costs us $120 per pack, so about the same we would be spending on cigs. We tried the Zyban, I had to stop taking it but hubby did okay on it. Neither of us seem to be having trouble with the Chantix, tho my dreams are more vivid.

I did have some nausea with them, but that didn't stop me, my med for diabetes causes it too so it is something I am used to....and anything that will deter me from eating more is great! LOL!!

Thanks Again All for the words of encouragement. Yesterday was fine, however the evening was a little rough. I did cheat and have one cigarette. But only one!! Today's Goal: Zero!!

I've changed my routine to avoid cravings. I think that last night was one of the most productive evenings that I've had in a long time. My house is spotless, laundry is all washed, folded, and put away. I'm beginning to think that I should have quit along time ago. Quitting is getting me motivated to do all the other things that I usually procrastinate.

Say Goodbye to the evil nicotine monster....
Days without Smoking: 2

Congratulations!!

I quit in February 1993 cold turkey. I did what lynnm77's DH did except without the flavoring. I just chewed on toothpicks. It gave me something to put in my mouth and do with my hands which was the hardest part for me. Most of the nicotine craving went away in about three to five days but I really needed something to "play" with. I did, however, have to get over the feeling that chewing on a toothpick was unladylike. (and smoking is??)

No matter how you do it, you will never regret quitting.

Good luck.

Give me a couple of days and I may join you. I've stopped before but caved when my mom got sick. I had a very close friend have a stroke at my house - lung and brain CA. He lived for almost another year but the brain tumors kept growing. His heart finally stopped. I almost stopped then because of the shock of it all. I changed jobs and there are several people that smoke during the day - that didn't help my habit of not smoking at work. I actually started back to a pack a day. That is very depressing. So now, I'm seriously thinking about ways to stop, if for no other reason than health. Plus there is always the cosmetic reason - the smell and discoloration of everything. I'm getting tired of that. So, like I said, give me a couple of days and I'll join you.

Best of luck to you!!

gng