Quitting smoking

[Miia]

I want my body to be healthy, vital and strong. I want to feel life surging through me and forget all those "I`m killing my body with smoking" fears. I know I have weak lungs (asthma) so smoking is stupid, to say the least... still I have done it since I was 18 (am 23 now).

Currently it`s my day 4 without a cigarette. But it`s not thanks to my miraculous will-power or anything like that...I became sick. I`ve got bronchitis. But I`m hoping that it will be easier to quit since I have been without cigarettes for a while now thanks to my illness. (I think that I got bronchitis because of smoking...but it`s just a guess..)

I`m telling you all these nasty little details because once I feel like smoking again, maybe someone will shout at me: what the hell are you thinking?!


I didn`t set a date, like "quit smoking for 3 weeks" or something like that because I want/need to quit forever... I`m not very sure yet though what`s the best strategy... any good ideas?

The main thing - I WILL ADDRES THIS ISSUE VERY CALMLY. I want it to be a no-big-deal... because when I make it a big deal to myself then I will get anxious and when I get anxious I need a cigarette. So, this is me just quitting smoking (I once tried to quit and came up with all these distractions and systems of replacement activities and strategies of avoiding people and places...the whole proccess was so energy-consuming that I ended up craving for a cigarette after planning those things.)

[Aleksander Krstic]

Good luck!

I believe trying it for a shorter ammount of time(2-4 weeks) would be a better idea since it would be easier to do than a whole lifetime.

But that's just an opinion.

[Miia]

Maybe you`re right....I`ll think about it Thanks!


A little about cravings: I have had many really short-term cravings (after drinking coffee and surviving a big family drama (we have a boiled potato glued to our kitchen window now - some people in my family have a strong potential to become good disk throwers (is that what they`re called in English?))... the drama didn`t last for a long time but everyone keeps discussing it...I should stop taking part of it because everytime someone brings it up I feel like reaching for my cigarette pack).
These two - coffee and emotionally hard situations- have been my biggest fears so far. I`m surprised and pleased that I have managed to deal with them without smoking. I know I can`t take all the credit, since I`m ill and the desire to smoke is naturally small. But still - coffe+intense emotions(negative) have been throughout all my smoking years the ONLY situations when I have actually felt that I´d rather die than go without a smoke.
I know there`s one more situation (for now) that I need to be aware of - I have developed a habit of taking my dog for long walks in the nature (I love nature) and smoking...not the whole time but it`s hard for me to imagine that I won`t smoke in that situation... I feel that I`m getting healthier by each passing hour(no fever, less cough, more energy, etc), and as I do so, I find myself glancing out of the window and wishing I could go out walking...and...NO. I WONT SMOKE. I WILL WALK IN THE NATURE FROM NOW ONE WITHOUT KILLING MY BODY.

(Sorry this sounds like my personal diary)

[Parthon]

Honestly, the first three to five days is physical withdrawl from the nicotine, all the rest is purely mental addictions and habits.

The best thing I've found is replacement techniques. Like everytime you feel like a cigarette, have a piece of your favorite vegetable, or do a set of 5 pushups. It keeps you busy and lets something else fill the hole.

As time goes on, triggers for smoking will lessen, and eventually vanish. It's not easy to give up only because the mind has many ways it tricks you back into the habit. It doesn't take willpower, just a strategy to cut it off before it can start.

[lifetimelearner]

hey Miia
I just wanted to say that you can do it !!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ2HcRl4wSk

[Gene]

Hang in there and be a non smoker in this moment. Even say to yourself, "I am a nonsmoker!" Make a list of all the reasons you have shosen to be a nonsmoker.

Congratulations on your decision to live a healthy life!

[Writertype]

Former smoker here, I quit last year when I was 23 as well. It is an extremely important decision, it's great that you are addressing it before it gets out of hand (emphysema, chronic bronchitis, atherosclerosis, potential lung cancer, on and on).

One story that helped me in my quit ran something like the following: A native American chief had been sitting for days on the outskirts of the village gazing into the distance. Finally one of the village elders decided to go ask him what he is doing. The chief replied, "there are two dogs battling for my soul, one white and one black. One will lie to me, cheat me, steal from me, attack me, and do anything to get what it wants. The other will stay loyal to me, help me, be a faithful companion throughout my life." The village elder asks the chief, "so, which dog wins?" The chief's answer?

"Whichever one I feed the most."

Remember that the addiction you are fighting will lie to you, cheat you, steal from you, anything to regain control. Think of it as another part of your brain. It doesn't care about you or your health, it only cares about the next fix. It will come up with all kinds of great reasons why you should take that next hit, too.

"You made it three weeks! Congratulations! Have a smoke!"

"It will not be all the bad if you just have one after dinner, you always loved that one, it will not hurt anything!"

"Wasn't it so perfect to take those breaks, just you and your cigarette in the cold night air?"

"Look at how easy you stopped smoking when you were sick last week! You're not addicted, so there's no harm in smoking another!"

Remember that absolutely any choice to smoke feeds that addictive voice, and any choice to abstain feeds the part of you looking out for your own health. Trust me, in time the voice will die away to nothing more than the occasional rustle. You just have to feed that part of you that combats it. Just understand that in the beginning the addiction will say anything (heck, it will scream it!) to get what it wants. Ignore it.

[Writertype]

Originally Posted by Aleksander Krstic

I believe trying it for a shorter ammount of time(2-4 weeks) would be a better idea since it would be easier to do than a whole lifetime.

This is well-meaning advice, but it is straight out of the addictive voice's playbook. It's too hard to quit forever, right? Just do it a couple of weeks, and then start smoking again, and then... I don't know, it will work out in the end.

The more you draw it out, the worse it will be for you. I strongly advise you not to go back to smoking for any reason. You can do it if you stick with it, after several months it can even become easy when you really understand that you will not go back to smoking no matter what.

[Miia]

Thank you all for your support, it is REALLY important. I know that when I feel like breaking, I`ll have this thread to come to and hopefully it will help me remember what`s right.

Writertype, I wanted to let you know that the indian story is now written into my memory, f o r e v e r I have had 2 bigger cravings today and when I had them, I thought of that story and it helped! thanks.

I actually agree with your line of thought - "3-week" goals being the addictive approach to the issue.

day 5 without smoking.

Have a fantastic day/evening everyone

[klystr0n]

It is day 7, smoked my last cigarette last monday.

I read Allen Carr's book. He doesn't tell you why you should stop smoking. Anybody can give you those reasons. He tells you why you are smoking and at the same time dispels the illusions that smoking reduces stress, helps you relax etc etc.

When I tried quitting in the past it was always through the will power technique. On a bad day I would fail and go back to a cigarette because I felt that the cigarette reduced my stress, made me feel better, was my only true friend etc. etc. But after reading his book I realized that I don't need will power to quit. I just need to understand why I smoked in the first place.

May be you should read his book too.

[Miia]

Congratulations!

What you`re suggesting sounds very logical...

I need to realize that I don`t want to smoke. I need to desire NOT smoking as much as I desire(ed) smoking.
I have to turn this thing around in my head... I want to achive the mind state of a non-smoker who feels like throwing up at the idea of putting a cigarette to his lips (remember how disgusting smoking was at the beginning?).
And I`m slowly but surely understanding that I can relax and have a "break" without smoking. Just going outside and walking around the house for 5 minutes (without a cigarette) is actually possible, enjoyable and helps.

I have picked up Allen Carr`s book once, a few months ago. I didn`t finish it but I read enough to udnerstand that it is really really good. Why I didn`t finish it that time - it`s hard to explain but I`ve got this weird thing ... I need to be very calm and almost pay no attention to the fact that I am quitting, or I will get a craving instantly. On my way to school this morning I thought about the whole thing, how I am quitting and what it means, etc, and INSTANTLY had an enormous craving. I thought very seriously before starting this thread sice I was afraid that talking about quitting with you would put too much attention on it and I`d end up smoking - but it hasn`t. Somehow this thread is an exception.

I`ll try picking up Allen`s book once more though, I`ll just try

Good luck to you (though you probably don`t need it )

[klystr0n]

Thank you for the good luck, I still need it because my brain washing is not 100% reversed yet and there are smokers around me. But so far so good.

A big difference I notice this time around is that my urge to smoke is not as strong as it was some of the previous times I had "quit". If I have the urge to smoke I only have to tell myself that I was deluded into thinking that smoking was fun when it fact it wasn't. Thank you Allen.

Please do keep us posted and if you slip don't be too hard on yourself. I've slipped before and really made myself miserable.

[Writertype]

I agree with the Allen Carr recommendation, he does a great job of helping you change the way you think about smoking. That makes it easier for you to beat the cravings.

To both klystr0n and Miia, keep with it! I would say it took me about two weeks to stop having pretty intense daily cravings and about three months for me to stop having regular cravings at all. These days (about a year out) I hardly ever even think about it. It gets easier, just give it time.

[Miia]

Hey, day X and still not smoking I stopped counting because I`m not thrilled about the idea of counting days until the end of my life

klystr0n, how are you doing?

(I probably shouldn´t say this because every time I say something like "it can`t get worse" or "I thought it would end up differently" etc, the thing changes it`s course SNAP and everything gets ugly.... but since I`m feeling brave this morning: quitting isn`t as hard as I thought it would be (for now))

[klystr0n]

Still going strong Miia. The urge is dying and the force is getting stronger.

I was wondering how we take things for granted. The value of clean cool air, I think ex-smokers notice and truly appreciate it. Atleast I do now.

[danstar]

definitely, definitely read Allen Carr's easyway to stop smoking. it psychologically undoes all the brainwashing that makes you THINK you desire & enjoy a cigarette when really you are just feeding a drug addiction. I've smoked for 15 years non stop...1st thing in the morning until last thing before i go to bed. i have had NO desire to have a cigarette since making a conscious decision & extinguishing the last one 3 days ago. it is absolutely amazing that I'm not craving a cigarette however I was just about to start a post about nicotine withdrawl. I feel completely delirious at the moment & just want to know more in depth about how long it takes to stop feeling like this & any natural vitamins/foods that can help alleviate this feeling.

I've tried to google but no one has anything intelligent to say...it all leads back to the ridiculous notion of nicotine replacement or prescription drugs & talking about stupid things like keeping your mind off smoking. Anyone that knows Allen Carr's stuff will know what I'm talking about.

I don't need any tips on what to do to stop craving a cigarette. I overcome this psychologically before I stopped but I would dearly love to know A. the approximate time range one can expect to feel delirious (for lack of a better word to describe it) for with nicotine withdrawl. and B. what can i do to alleviate this feeling naturally.

[Writertype]

danstar, do you mean mentally foggy? Delirium is a pretty serious medical condition that involves obtundation to stupor to coma, hopefully you are not delirious! At this point you might be having trouble sleeping, you might be downregulating overworked receptors, you might be anxious about the future, you might be feeling the lack of chemical release that usually came with each cigarette. Who really knows? I didn't smoke anywhere close to as much as you have, but if I were to guess I would think in one week you should be feeling closer to normal, certainly by two weeks.

If you really do feel like you are getting alteration of consciousness though you might want to check with a doctor. At any rate, don't go on a nicotine patch (you already know that), just make sure there is no physical problem underlying the altered mental status besides nicotine withdrawal.

[Lucky11]

Originally Posted by klystr0n

It is day 7, smoked my last cigarette last monday.

I read Allen Carr's book. He doesn't tell you why you should stop smoking. Anybody can give you those reasons. He tells you why you are smoking and at the same time dispels the illusions that smoking reduces stress, helps you relax etc etc.

When I tried quitting in the past it was always through the will power technique. On a bad day I would fail and go back to a cigarette because I felt that the cigarette reduced my stress, made me feel better, was my only true friend etc. etc. But after reading his book I realized that I don't need will power to quit. I just need to understand why I smoked in the first place.

May be you should read his book too.

You should DEFINITELY read the Easyway to Stop Smoking (Allen Carr). I read that book and stopped smoking two months ago, for life. I haven't experienced any cravings, moodiness or weight gain. I just smile ear to ear whenever I happen to think about it. It was the best $15 I ever spent !

If you're a smoker, or love one, get this book ! It makes stopping smoking "easy" !!

[Lioness]

Originally Posted by Parthon

Honestly, the first three to five days is physical withdrawl from the nicotine, all the rest is purely mental addictions and habits.

Agreed. The things I loved best about smoking were the flick of the lighter, the first inhale, the oh-so-sophistocated pose of cigarette between index and third finger, the comraderie of going out for a group smoke, the having something to do when bored, nervous, agitated etc. For me, it was really more like a pacifier habit more than nicotine addiction. The trappings were more addicting than the cigarettes themselves.

The best thing I've found is replacement techniques.

There is this new product being advertisized. It's a realistic-looking fake cig that you can inhale and it puffs out water-vapor. Sorry, I don't recall the name but you can do the Google thing.

Personally, I quit cold-turkey. I found if I withstood the cravings for a mere 2 minutes, they would pass and diminish pretty fast. I would take deep breaths to mimick the inhale, blow out luxuriously as with real smoke, and it worked, so give this a try. There are also free Smoke-Enders type programs modeled after AA, so you can find many resources if you find that you need help to stay off the cancer-sticks!

[Lucky11]

Originally Posted by danstar

definitely, definitely read Allen Carr's easyway to stop smoking. it psychologically undoes all the brainwashing that makes you THINK you desire & enjoy a cigarette when really you are just feeding a drug addiction. I've smoked for 15 years non stop...1st thing in the morning until last thing before i go to bed. i have had NO desire to have a cigarette since making a conscious decision & extinguishing the last one 3 days ago. it is absolutely amazing that I'm not craving a cigarette however I was just about to start a post about nicotine withdrawl. I feel completely delirious at the moment & just want to know more in depth about how long it takes to stop feeling like this & any natural vitamins/foods that can help alleviate this feeling.

I've tried to google but no one has anything intelligent to say...it all leads back to the ridiculous notion of nicotine replacement or prescription drugs & talking about stupid things like keeping your mind off smoking. Anyone that knows Allen Carr's stuff will know what I'm talking about.

I don't need any tips on what to do to stop craving a cigarette. I overcome this psychologically before I stopped but I would dearly love to know A. the approximate time range one can expect to feel delirious (for lack of a better word to describe it) for with nicotine withdrawl. and B. what can i do to alleviate this feeling naturally.

Hi there. I finished Allen's book on Aug 21st, so it's been like two months for me now. No weight gain; no mood swings; no cravings; no muss; no fuss.

Speaking for myself, I know I felt 'disoriented' for 2-3 days after I stopped smoking, but that was it. Is that what you meant? I'm still smiling ear-to-ear about it ! I feel better than I have in years. Allen Carr is definitely my "Stop Smoking God for Life" !!

[Miia]

I just wanted to update and report - day X and still not smoking. Had an intense craving on Saturday (while trying to write an essay) but managed to control it .


klystr0n how are you doing?

And danstar, how are you feeling? Better?

[Cristal Lilly]

Originally Posted by Lucky11

Allen Carr is definitely my "Stop Smoking God for Life" !!

I just wanted to wholeheartedly second this.. I think that book is the single most valuable tool you can have working for you in this decision you made. it helped me and I've passed it around and have seen it work for other people too (some even who have tried to quit more times than they can remember and thought that they were one of the hopeless). I just really appreciate the humane approach he uses in the book and he just really gets what smoking is about and all the traps your addicted part of the brain sets out for you and how you basically scare yourself into giving in once again. that used to be the worst part for me, that inner dialogue I kept having with myself that used to trap me into a maze of my own fears.

I'm really glad you picked the book up again, good for you! and good for you for making this decision! congratulations for your bravery and I just want to reassure you that you can be a nonsmoker for the rest of your life.

in short, you go girl!

[Mogget]

Getting sick is a great way to quit - I quit earlier this year after a bout of pneumonia. And don't sicount your willpower under the circumstances, plenty of hard smokers keep on smoking through all kinds of horrific illnesses. Try listenign to Paul McKenna's Stop Smoking CD's - quite good.

[Smartass]

Good. You don't go breaking your word again..

[Rebecca800]

Getting sick is an excellent way to quit smoking! I had tonsillitis and tried to smoke anyway and it hurt so much.... so I physically could not smoke for three days. It was an excellent kick start!!

I also read Alan Carrs "Easy Way to Quit Smoking" and it's awesome. I definitely recommend this book to ANY smoker.

I have been smoke free for nearly 4 years now, after smoking for 5 years, and looking back its ALL about psychology. There is little (if anything) physiological to it. Alan Carr will help you there. Plus, if you're determined to stop harming your body and start respecting it, you will just know you can never become a smoker again. I never, ever, ever crave it because of that.

Good luck and hope you're enjoying life as a non-smoker