How to stop smoking?

[Ergroilnin]

Yo...

So I kind of have this DISGUSTING problem with being a smoker now.

It's actually kind of funny or ironic or whatever. I always hated smokers and smoking (but to be honest, I hated it only because I was bullied in the school all the time and all those who did bully me were in the "omfg we be so popular if we smoak!" club).

I never smoked a cigarette before around 20. Accidentally I dropped out for a year out of college around that time and with a lot of free time on my hands and depressed feelings I somehow started to punish myself with smoking. Fucking great idea I know.

Anyway, I am now 21 and month old and my smoking habits are usually around 5-10 cigarettes a day. I know it's stupid silly habit. It costs a lot of money, it is incredibly unhealthy, it isn't really sexy anymore and oh my god all that really bad smell from it.

The problem now though is that I am sort of unable to stop smoking. even though I've tried. If I want to, I can kind of easily go for around a week without a smoke at all so I think I am not really addicted (or at least not much yet) to the nicotine itself and thus I don't think nicotine badges would help me.

I actually think I am addicted to the ritual itself. Go out, lit the cigarette, don't really think about any current problems in my life and just relax or calmly think about stuff without any stress.

In the year and half I've been smoking I've also been four months clear of a smoke and it wasn't all that bad but in the end I couldn't keep it up, I started to have trouble sleeping and actually overdosed (not on purpose, I was just really desperate for sleep) on some pills to help me sleep which had some really unpleasant effects, not bad enough to danger my life or needing a professional help but I felt like shit for four days.

The problem is that most of my friends and half of the people I am IRL talking to do smoke and while they never encourage me to smoke with them, it just comes naturally and I do so.

I really don't know how to break this vicious cycle and I certainly don't want to keep this unhealthy and filthy habit any longer but I have really weak will to just say "this was my last cig, and that's it".


Does anyone else have similar experience with this? Any advices about what could I try or what could be a sure way to solve this for once and all?

[Shorty]

Is there a reason you think you're not addicted to the nicotine? I'm sure it's the ritual, but if you're smoking 5-10 cigarettes a day, it's probably also the nicotine.

I've heard that both the gum and the badges are good tools to help quit. Be prepared to spend a lot on gum (so quitting won't really save you money). I've heard that the chewing sort of nurses the need for an oral fixation in replacement of a cigarette. Other than that, I couldn't tell you. I've never been addicted to smoking or cigarettes. My sister has tried to quit a billion times but she as a weak will.

Or turn to an e-cigarette. I've heard it's worked wonders for quitting. (I love them.)

[Pumpkin]

I've had some addictions in the past and I always quit cold turkey. However, I realize this isn't necessarily the best way to go for some people. Something I know people have had success with is to try smoking one less cigarette a day. If that's too hard, try every two days.

Since you say its more the ritual, try replacing that "smoke break" with something else. Take a book outside for 10 minutes and don't smoke that time. Then gradually replace the smoke creaks with something else calming or soothing that helps you relax. Chew gum, play with a chinese finger trap, read, go for a short walk, pick some flowers, I dunno, whatever works for you.

Everyone is different so I have no idea if that will work for you but hopefully it can be somewhat helpful

[chionos]

I second e-cigarettes. Especially if it's about the ritual.

I've smoked on and off since high school. I don't really need them. I guess I'm a "smoke when I drink" kind of person, and for some reason I've never really developed a full-on addiction to them.

I understand the ritual aspect of it. I have several other "rituals" in my rotation, so the smoking hasn't ever come to dominate my life.

[Agent Proto]

My brothers are smokers. One successfully managed to quit smoking altogether, like cold turkey. The other is still trying to quit, but he found that smoking e-cigs is helping him curb his habit a bit. Anyway, I would suggest that if you can't quit cold turkey, then you should switch to e-cigarettes because it's a much safer alternative to the actual thing.

[Ergroilnin]

Well I worded it badly in my post. Obviously I am also addicted to the nicotine, one simply does not smoke for a year without getting addicted, but I mean that the habit of smoking for me is much bigger problem, something I have really hard time breaking.

I was also thinking about the e-cigs but then I am afraid that I would simply feel like, meh it's not so toxic, it doesn't even smell bad, why should I quit.

I feel like I need to go the cold turkey way but since it's gonna be really hard on me, any idea how I can substitute for the cig when I go out? It may sound stupid but I was thinking about buying those small children lollipops, they take around same time to lick as to smoke a cig and it would be something to do with my mouth instead of thinking about cigarette :D Whatcha think.

[chionos]

Well I worded it badly in my post. Obviously I am also addicted to the nicotine, one simply does not smoke for a year without getting addicted, but I mean that the habit of smoking for me is much bigger problem, something I have really hard time breaking.

I was also thinking about the e-cigs but then I am afraid that I would simply feel like, meh it's not so toxic, it doesn't even smell bad, why should I quit.

I feel like I need to go the cold turkey way but since it's gonna be really hard on me, any idea how I can substitute for the cig when I go out? It may sound stupid but I was thinking about buying those small children lollipops, they take around same time to lick as to smoke a cig and it would be something to do with my mouth instead of thinking about cigarette :D Whatcha think.

It depends on what you mean by "when I go out."

First scenario:
You're sitting in a bar. There's this beautiful dark-haired girl sitting by herself (her friends are dancing) a few feet away. She glances at you twice. She smiles. You pull out your lolli and start licking on it. She grimaces, and then her boyfriend, Sven, gets back from the bathroom. You realize she only smiled at you to be nice because you were all alone. Sven takes you outside and teaches you a lesson about lolli-licking at someone else's girl. You drop your lolli in a puddle. It doesn't taste so good anymore. You really wish you had a cigarette to get the taste of blood and alley puddle out of your mouth.

Second scenario, same idea:
You pull up to a red light. You're going down on your lolli like a beast. You glance over and the woman in the car beside you is wide-eyed. She has her phone out videoing you. You and your lolli go viral. You achieve worldwide fame for your innuendo-filled candy eating videos.

So, you see, it just depends.

[Pheesh]

I have never been a smoker so I can't offer any advice except to say that I've known three people in my life who quit smoking and all three of them just stopped. No patches, gum, or replacements of any kind.

[AssassinDX]

I gave it up cold turkey. I started at 16 (which was the legal age at the time) and quit at 21. I'm 30 in a few weeks, so it's going well. Always makes me laugh when someone says "yeah I quit... three days ago."

I think what helped me was never making a conscious decision to quit as such, none of this "YEAH TODAY IS THE DAY!!" kind of thing because that adds unnecessary pressure to do so. My girlfriend also smokes, as does my dad and sister, so I never felt pressured to quit at any time so the decision and the journey was mine to make and take alone. With most things of course it helps having someone cheering you on, but with smoking that constant reminder is detrimental to your success. Honestly it's a hell of a lot easier to tell your friends and family simply not to say anything about giving up rather than willing you on - the same applies with e-cigs, patches, help groups and all the rest of it in my opinion, they may be good for some people but they're all constant reminders that by god, you want to smoke.

Again with the idea of not setting a date to quit, I did it when I was unwell with a cold during the month of February. I hated smoking when ill so I didn't at all for two weeks, and when I felt better I decided to see how long I could go without having a smoke as the urge to never came back (and to this day still hasn't). I never smoked in the house which is why quitting in February helped as well, I remember the weather being awful as is the norm in the UK so the idea of going outside to have a quick smoke in the rain didn't appeal to me either, so that factor helped me a lot as well.

[Mirage]

vaporizer pipe then gradually decrease the amount of nicotine or something, until you're basically smoking only water vapor.

[noxious.sunshine]

My parents struggled for many many many years with this.

They managed to quit at one point for like 7 years, though my mom would sneak and smoke when my dad was gone 'cuz she couldn't handle it.
My dad says at one point, he called home and my sister was like "DAD! PLEASE LET MOM SMOKE A CIGARETTE!" all in tears and stuff.

I threw a fit when they started back up and cried for days, I was so upset. They never really managed to quit before my mom died, and so now, of course, my dad smokes a lot more to deal with the pain of not having her.

Anywho, I just quit cold turkey both times I decided to quit smoking (or anything else I've been hooked on). I'm lucky enough that I don't get actual physical addictions or feel the pain of going without. The first time I quit (after having been a smoker for 11 years at that point) was when I found out I was pregnant. After that, I couldn't -stand- the smell of smoke. It drove me insane when my parents would smoke inside their RV or cabin after I had my baby.

This last time I quit, though, I realized how much we were spending on cigarettes (easily over $100/wk- cigarettes ain't cheap in NYC. They average about $12/pack) and just stopped. I'm making my bf quit too. Wasn't hard.

But yeah, try an e-cig like Shorty suggested.

[~*~Celes~*~]

i know quite a few people who have quit using ecigs. the beauty of it is, there are some flavored liquids you can get that have no nicotine, according to my dad! he has quit using them, at least two friends from work have, my younger brother has...it's great.

[Ergroilnin]

Yeah in the end I decided to go the e-cig route since even if I don't quit totally, it's still much healthier variant. It should be there on tuesday, I am really curious since that will be my first time with those at all.

[Dat Matt]

I can't offer any advice on how to quit, but one advantage you could work towards is knowing how much money you will save, and use it to take up a hobby to take you mind off smoking. Like joining a gym or something.

My late grandmother used to smoke, and she would spend about £30-£35 a week on cigarettes, but only lived off £65 a week on pension. Probably could have used the money for anything else.

[Shlup]

The trick to not smoking is to not smoke.

Feel like having a smoke? Don't. Thinking "I was good today; I'll just have one"? Don't.

Sounds like I'm oversimplifying but that's how I quit. You can come up with all the little tricks you want but it all boils down to not doing that thing.

[Ergroilnin]

So I just got my e-cig today and I am very pleasantly surprised by it.

The taste is really nice, kinda sweet and overall doesn't burn my mouth like normal cigs do. Sure I am still taking in the really unhealthy Nicotine but hey at least I am not inhaling other 5000 dangerous chemicals, I don't smell, it's cheaper and I don't have to deal with the cig butts and ash.

Not to mention I don't have to smoke for like 5 minutes because I can't really stop the cig from burning and don't want to waste it. I can just take a puff when I feel like it.

Overall I am pretty happy about it. I am going to lower the dose of nicotine each month by 0.2 so in about a year I should be more or less nicotine free and that's fast enough for me :x

[Loony BoB]

I just want to say that seriously wanting to quit is the first step towards quitting, as many people I know didn't seem to have their heart in it, they weren't comitted to the goal. If you do manage to quit, then you've shown a bit of willpower and determination and that's a sign of strong character. Good on you.

[Ergroilnin]

You know, I actually had quit for 4 months earlier this year but I had some serious insomnia, headache and so on and I didn't have money for nicotine badges at the time (they are REALLY expensive here), so instead of manning it out, I got back into it.

I think my problem is that I do want quit smoking, but at the time I don't have THAT muh of reason why. Like if I had GF who hated it, I would quit. That's the sort of willpower I have.

[Loony BoB]

Just think of the girlfriend you could have if she wasn't put off by seeing you smoking a cigarette. :smash:

[Ergroilnin]

Hard to imagine when I am shutdown at home :D

[Yar]

The trick to not smoking is to not smoke.

Feel like having a smoke? Don't. Thinking "I was good today; I'll just have one"? Don't.

Sounds like I'm oversimplifying but that's how I quit. You can come up with all the little tricks you want but it all boils down to not doing that thing.

This.

I've been a non-smoker for about six months now.

Quitting is hard.. but it's not that hard. Just don't smoke. At all. If you relapse, admit to yourself that it was a mistake and just start over. Just because you cheat with one that one time does not mean "welp I might as well go back to smoking like always." Forgive yourself and move on.

Also allow yourself to go through the bitchy mood swings (or however it makes you feel). Don't try to "be nice" because, as I experienced, it just frustrates you more and you'll smoke as an excuse to fix it. Just be a bitch and don't give a smurf! After a month or two you will me more emotionally stable anyway.

Try to replace your smoking with another habit or hobby. Initially, I replaced it with... drinking... :| I became a bit of an alkey but eventually I replaced the drinking with running and exercise. Basically try to focus that energy into something productive.

I know you say you don't think the nicotene is getting to you, but if you're smoking 5-10 a day, I'd say it is.


I've tried to smoke here and there after I quit but now it's just so stinky and gross that I'm like ugh why did I ever do this and I can't finish the cig. You'll get to that point too if you stick with it.

[Shiny]

I would think the ever-growing price of a pack of cigarettes alone is enough to make people want to quit.

[Aelitalily]

It is true you really have to -want- it. I smoked for 5 years and even though I knew it was a bad habit I always thought it would take something bad to happen to make me want to quit. Luckily for me I was planning to go overseas and I knew I wouldn't be able to afford so I was able to quit.

Ofc it was hard as hell but I felt like I had to quit, so that made it easier.

I have also heard amazing things about the e-cig, glad to hear you have one now! I hope you stick with it and I am sure as time goes by you will find more reasons not to smoke then to smoke, which will help too! :3

[Ergroilnin]

Well the e-cig is definitely good enough for the nicotine intake and I also enjoy the taste way more so I am sure I at least won't go back to classics so while still not healthy, it's definitely healthier which is something I say!

[chionos]

Well yeah, the e-cig is WAY better for you. And infinitely better for the people around you. Not switching to the e-cig because "it's still bad for you," is like an overweight person not switching from junk food to nuts and fruits because "they still have fat and carbs in them."

The e-cig is better for the smoker. It's better for the people around the smoker. It's WAY better for the environment. It's better for the smoker's romantic prospects. It's better for the smoker's wallet. I really don't see the downside.

[Iceglow]

Quite possibly going to sound like a massive arsehole here but hey it's GC and even if it was EoEo I'd not change my response.

The simple fact that you haven't stopped smoking is 1) you are addicted, both to the nicotine and the self punishment you derive from denying yourself the nicotine for your bouts of absistence. If you weren't addicted to the nicotine, you'd simply stop and never go back. 2) you don't have the desire to yet for whatever sub-concious reason. It's that simple.

Well, how do you quit you ask, it's equally a simple answer, you have to 1) want to quit completely and totally and 2) bite the bullet hard. No half measures, get rid of your smokes completely, give them away if you don't like throwing cash away and definitely, absolutely no; e-cigs, patches, no nicotine gum. "Quitting aides" as they call them aren't aides, they're simply another way for the tobacco industry to keep you hooked. They all contain nicotine and the companies behind them, are generally the same or have major shareholders that are the same as the tobacco industry. Every aide you use, is you dangling from their fishing hook.

The next paragraph is pretty related to how this works but feel free to skip ahead as I'm indulging a tangent and a rant.

It's like how we could probably cure a lot of diseases/allergies but there's more money for the pharmacy companies to make in treating the symptoms rather than preventing them in the first place, take Hayfever as a classic example. Your average Hayfever sufferer will need to take tablets from as early as late Feb through to late September. That's like 6 months. 6 months is rounded up 180 days, or 26 weeks. Hayfever tablets cost roughly £3 a pack for a 7 day supply. That's £76.50 for the season. They also have to buy a nasal spray which will cost almost £10 for a decent one, they'll need at least 3 of those. And some will still require eyedrops or other medication. Some people myself included will require both Loratadine and Citrizine tablets. All in all your average bill excluding the inevitably required tissues for Hayfever is around £150 per year per sufferer minimum to the pharmacies. But for £10 you can get a shot which will in 95% of people mean that you experience not even one symptom of Hayfever and that it can last up to 2 years per dose? That's a massive dent in the pharmacies pocket. So much so that in the UK they decided there were "risks" involved and you cannot get it but the rest of the world what has it has dispelled the concerns raised still not available.

So essentially, the only way to do it is to go cold turkey. It won't be fun, you will not enjoy it when the craving kicks in, hell you may even experience headaches, tiredness, sleep deprivation, weight gain, depression, mood swings and for some people they say there's physical pain too (aside from the headaches).

That being said, when you've done it, you'll know what it is to truly quit something hard and tell the tale. You'll be able to enjoy a smoke on a special occasion such as a cigar on NYE without wanting to smoke again or needing to. You'll feel better and tougher in a mental sense and you'll know yourself far better than most people do. You may ask yourself "Who the hell is he to be this flippant and blunt about this, he doesn't smoke!" But I did once, and I went from 20 Marlborough Reds a day plus at least what Americans would call a Dime Bag of weed every couple of days to not smoking weed or tobacco in a snap decision simultaneously 9 years ago. I'd been smoking tobacco at that point for around 5 - 6 years.

I'm not saying I haven't treated myself to the odd smoke now and then, I've been known to indulge but, I've never once had a craving for a smoke in almost 10 years. I haven't allowed myself to smoke weed since quitting, not because I distrust myself but because I don't like the effects any more, I stopped enjoying being high and that's why I don't do it.

So yeah do it, go cold turkey bro!!

[CheriBerry]

I remember when I first started smoking in college. I quit though but the main reason was its cost.