Temerity Jane

59 Responses to “That’s it, I’m done.”

1. By Melissa on Jul 15, 2009

   Just ran across this medical report – hope it helps in your decision! GOOD LUCK!!

   http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Smoking/15036

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2. By Awlbiste on Jul 15, 2009

   More TJ for longer is excellent. I wish I could help you, and I totally would if I wasn’t one of those goodie two-shoes kids who has never smoked before.

   I truly wish you the best of luck though, if that counts.

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3. By Tami on Jul 15, 2009

   Being a non-smoker, I can only give second-hand advice. (see what I did there?)

   1) I had a friend who swears by the gum. Said she then got addicted to the GUM and then had to wean herself off that, but at least the gum didn’t come with lung tar.

   2) I had another friend who tried the patch and failed, but he had an interesting anecdote. They say not to wear the patch when sleeping, and he found that the two (and only two, he swore never to do it again) times he forgot to take it off, he had the absolute worst nightmares of his entire life, including jerking awake in a cold sweat.

   Good luck to both of you! I’ve heard more success stories of people quitting to save money than those quitting to save their health, so I believe lofty motivations are just pretty packaging.

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4. By TheWicked on Jul 15, 2009

   I’ve tried all three methods you listed for stopping smoking and here’s what I have found.

   1. The patch. I found that it does help immensely with the actual nicotine addiction but doesn’t help the habit of smoking at all. With the patch I didn’t feel like I needed nicotine but I still felt the urge to engage in the activity of having a cigarette.

   2. Cold Turkey. I tried this one a couple times. For me it worked… for a month or two. Inevitably some event would occur, my stress levels would skyrocket and before I knew it I had a cigarette in my hand and the rest of a pack in my pocket.

   3. Slow Reduction. Take how much you smoke a day now and reduce it by a third or a half. For the next two weeks only allow yourself to smoke that amount. The next two weeks reduce it by another third or half. Keep going until your down to about 2 or 3 cigarettes a day. At that point you can pretty much just drop it. You might have to ramp up your time frame if you’re looking to be done by September 1st though.

   Overall though you just gotta roll with what works for you. I still smoke. I enjoy it… and it’s my stress relief. I made my choice between lung cancer and an ulcer/aneurysm.

   I think the worst part to break isn’t the nicotine addiction it’s the actual habit.

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5. By the29th on Jul 15, 2009

   Have you heard of/tried those e-cigarettes? I don’t know anything about them really being a non-smoker and they have been argued to be or to not be an assistance for quitting, but just thought I’d throw that out there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette

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6. By Gauntlet on Jul 15, 2009

   Good luck!

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7. By Ylee on Jul 15, 2009

   I have tried all three methods myself, and here are my thoughts.

   1. The patch. I agree with TheWicked. It helps with the physical addition part, but not the actual part that is the worse. The habit part. The thing that is the hardest is when you do an activity where you usually smoke, you will want one right then and there because it is a habit for you. I.e. for me, driving in my truck was a pain, I always loved to smoke while driving. So whether you get the patch or not, it will not help with the behavior part of the addiction.

   2. Cold Turkey. This is exactly what I did. I finished my pack and never bought another. And never bummed off others. This worked well. I was a complete and total bitch for a while, but this is what I did.

   3. Reduction. The only thing this does is reduce your physical withdrawal when you finally quit. See behavior comments above. It will help you identify what behaviors you do where you feel you really want a smoke.

   Now, I really really enjoyed smoking so I know where you are coming from. But I just got to the point where I needed to quit or I was going to keep getting sick and die. (I was in my late 20s) And so I had to quit. The biggest issue for me was having something to do with my hands. So find something to do with your hands other than eating will help. I twirl pencils now. Stupid but it works!

   To deal with immediate cravings when I first quit, um, I had sex. That was the deal I had with my wife. I would quit, but I could have sex anytime I had a craving. And since both you and Phil are quitting……

   Now when that wasn’t possible, I ate ice. I would pick up the ice cube and put it in my mouth. So I had the hand to mouth motion I had while smoking. I swear those ice cubes were a life saver when I was at work!! But at home……. :D

   Anyway, good luck to you!! And remember, you can do this!

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8. By Luckedout on Jul 15, 2009

   Good luck! I can give you one of those ‘it’s tough but worth it’ Hallmark card responses, but I’m sure you’ve heard every one.

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9. By Roast on Jul 15, 2009

   While it’s not smoking, I do have experience quitting chewing tobacco. Several times. Obviously not successfully yet.

   I’d say one of the worst, WORST things about quitting tobacco is that it’s a fantastic appetite suppressant. After you quit, at least quit cold turkey (the way I normally have) you will be hungry. A LOT. Everybody I’ve ever known gains weight after they quit or try to. Maybe it’s an oral fixation thing, or just appetite, I don’t know. I’m no S. Freud. Anyway, my three big suggestions would be this:

   Have healthy snacks around you at all times. Something that you can literally eat all day long with no consequence. Trust me, you will want to have something in your hands and mouth or it’s going to get rough.

   Pay at the pump, and never, ever, EVER go into the gas station. It’s simplistic, but you can’t smoke if you don’t have cigs. You can’t buy cigs if you never go in the gas station. This also applies to using the check out lane in the grocery store that has all the tobacco behind it. As in DON’T. If every check out lane in your area has tobacco…well, you will be faced with temptation every time you shop. But if you remove yourself as far away from the temptation as you can, it’s easier. It’s much easier to say “I’d like a smoke, but damn, I’d have to drive all the way to the store for one, I’ll be strong” then it is to day “I’d like a smoke…and all I have to do is ask the cashier for it”.

   It gets easier after the first couple of weeks. If you can make it a month you will start to think about it less, and then you can tell your self “Hell, lets make it two months”. Then the cravings go away, but your mouth will water every time you see somebody light one up. Or at least that’s the way I was. Just remember that it’s an addiction, and it never really goes away. So don’t think “just this one time I’ll have a quick drag”. It will suck you back in quicker then you would ever think, but I’m sure you know that.

   The key to not starting up again is to not buy them, simple but true. I used these three basic principals and quit successfully for 6 years one time. I could list many reasons I started back up again, divorce, court battles, financial troubles, but in the end I started because it’s like drinking. It gives you a little escape from life. It’s an excellent crutch.

   I’ve thought about quitting as well, because it’s getting ridiculously expensive, especially for life insurance. But in the end I basically love it so much, it’s freaking awesome, and nothing goes better with a drink after work then a nice dip in the lip.

   Anyway, good luck!

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10. By Ebby on Jul 15, 2009

    My suggestion is baby carrots or those fake Popeye cigs (if they still exist). I’ve never smoked, but I used baby carrots to wean myself off of chewing pens. ¬_¬

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11. By Pablo on Jul 15, 2009

    The only advice I have is that my father-in-law uses a cut off length of a soda straw as a cigarette stand-in. It seems to work okay for him and helps with the habitual part of smoking. I haven’t caught him trying to either light one or flick the ashes off of it yet, but he uses it for all the other ‘cool smoker moves’.

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12. By Capitalism on Jul 15, 2009

    I smoked for 20 years. I’ve tried them all.

    Patches are epidermal cigarettes. They won’t help.

    Cold Turkey sux. Never seen it work

    Chantix works. Period. It is amazing.

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13. By Chris on Jul 15, 2009

    Tj there are many many outlets available to you to help ease the cost of quitting smoking. I would invest some down time to google and try to find a way of getting some financial help. My older brother and I have tried for two years to get my mother to stop smoking but she will cut back then one day just pick up where she left off weeks before. The last time he took money from his pocket and helped her pay for a prescription and found some sites that would offer aid to her. She seemed real happy to do this until she just decided to just stop tring and picked up where she left off.

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14. By Louise on Jul 15, 2009

    When I was studying addictions as part of psychology degree (UK) they told us that the more times you attempt to stop smoking the more likely you are to succeed (permanently). So basically keep trying:-) Hope that helps you or someone else. I remembered it because it intrigued me, on the one hand I guess it makes sense, in that the more times you try the more opportunities there are for success but on the other hand we tend to think if we don’t succeed at something the first (or maybe second) time, then we won’t. What they actually reckoned was that each attempt makes you stronger for the next one. That was over 10 years ago though, so I guess they may know more stuff by now?

    PS I’m not a smoker but I know friends who have quit always found it hardest when they went out for the evening and were relaxing around other smokers.

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15. By Marylin/Softi on Jul 15, 2009

    Well, the day I found out I was pregnant with Zack I threw out my cigarettes and hadn’t had any till about a week ago when the hubby decided he was leaving me and the boys. That’s more from my “he’s relinquishing all his responsibilities and I need to do *something* irresponsible while I deal with all the fallout” sort of reasoning going on in my head right now.

    I hadn’t smoked in almost 5 years and, like you really love smoking. It was hard but just had to be done – I couldn’t do that to my baby, so I didn’t.

    I’m sure whatever way you choose will work. You seem to be the sort of person who, once you’ve decided something, will stick to it. ((hugs)) ;)

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16. By StJlMMY on Jul 15, 2009

    I’ve never smoked by I know people who did and they used the state programs to help you quit, they’re usually free. After a quick google i found this http://www.ashline.org/ Hopefully they can help!

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17. By Louise on Jul 15, 2009

    By the way, like lots of people above I’ve heard one of the worst things is finding something to do with your hands, which made me think of these:
    http://www.tanglecreations.com/

    One of my friends had one of these in her pocket and mostly in her hands for other reasons for years so I got used to seeing it around and people around her would be interested in it and chat and have a go with it etc so it was a distraction in other ways too.

    I couldn’t remember what it was called and when I found it on the UK website they actually have a section for smokers, so other people must use it for that too:
    http://www.thetangleshop.co.uk/page8.htm

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18. By Raistiff on Jul 15, 2009

    I quit Cold turkey along with my fiance 14 years ago after loosing my Uncle. Quiting cold turkey is as hard as you make it IMO, I kept myself busy, I paid attention to those times where I would always light up and made sure I had something else to focus on. It also helped that we were quitting together(support group)

    Honestly I dont think it matters the way you go about quitting, what makes the difference of whether or not you succeed is how important your reasons to quit are.

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19. By Grimmtooth on Jul 15, 2009

    People that say “just do it” are usually missing some perspective. I try not to be grumpy at them but it’s really hard to avoid it. Same for those that say “I just quit cold turkey, so you can too!” It’s not that simple in either case. It’s a complex thing, with different factors working for different people.

    For example, Nicotine: works directly on the dopamine receptors in the brain that fire when you complete a task. That’s the part of your brain that rewards you for a job well done. The sense of accomplishment that you get after you’re done mowing the lawn, releasing a software product, or finalizing a blog entry. That’s pretty damned insidious, and for some people it’s the hardest part to break. For those people, a substitute is an absolute must (i.e. gum, patches, etc).

    Other people are triggered by circumstance. I have a friend that doesn’t smoke unless he goes out bar hopping, for example – that’s the trigger.

    So there’s no 100% effective advice anyone can give except for this: DON’T GET DISCOURAGED. You may need multiple tries to get the approach that works for you. Patches worked for me. Welbutrin worked for my friend at work, and the gum for another. One guy I know quit cold turkey but at least he’s not smug about it :)

    I’ll be pulling for you :)

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20. By Grimmtooth on Jul 15, 2009

    @Softi: I’m so sorry that happened to you! :( That would probably knock me right off the wagon too.

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21. By Doodlebug on Jul 15, 2009

    I will be three years of not smoking in October. I quit cold turkey. I used a very simplistic mnemonic device: “I don’t smoke.” If I wanted to have a cigarette I’d say “I’d totally go outside and have a cigarette now, except I don’t smoke.”

    It wasn’t easy by any means, but it worked for me. NOT going outside, NOT having that ‘just got in the car’ cigarette… changing the patterns of smoking was also extremely helpful.

    Gonna sound trite… but you can do it! TOTALLY.

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22. By Garrett on Jul 15, 2009

    First of all, I’ve never smoked, but I do have 5 or 6 friends that have quit smoking successfully, and a couple more that have quit and picked it back up.

    I used to work in HR at a hospital that went completely smoke-free while I was working there. I did a lot of informing others about our smoking cessation options.

    Chantix is generally seen as a last resort due to the fact that the whole idea of it is insane, but for some people it works great. Best of luck to Phil!

    Dealing with cravings:
    You didn’t mention the gum, but some people like the gum because they say it helps with the oral fixation. The gum is expensive, but the benefit is that you can chew a piece whenever you have a craving.

    The weight gain sucks, but one of the best ways to fight cravings is to regularly exercise. Exercise is like the opposite of smoking. It helps with weight, self esteem, anxiety, depression, general feeling of well-being, sleeping, blahblahblah you know what exercise does. The point is, it’s even more helpful when going through something like quitting smoking.

    Stuff to keep around the house:
    YUMMY FOOD! Again with the oral fixation, it can sometimes help to have a food that creates a lot of sensation in the mouth for whenever you get a craving. Crunchy foods work best (e.g. carrots, not yogurt).

    If you always smoke after/before/during a certain activity or at a certain time, change up your schedule so you’re not where you usually are at the time, or so you no longer do that activity (unless it’s something like…showering…you don’t smoke in the shower, do you? one hand in your Never-Nude Mitten and one smoking? no that wouldn’t work…unless you have a loofah attachment for your mitten).

    Theres like a thousand health-related reasons to quit, but if you need more motivation, just think how much healthier and happier Brinkley will be once you’re healthier and happier. good luck!

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23. By Jesse on Jul 15, 2009

    I’d recommend cutting back before quiting. I’ve never smoked more than a few cigarettes a day, and have few problems when I feel like quiting for awhile. Snacks do help, but there is the weight gain problem. Maybe rice cakes or some other healthy snack.

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24. By Joseph on Jul 15, 2009

    Rage, you have to have enough rage against the addiction to have any hope of stopping it. I’m almost there also me and my wife will be quitting in the next few days when the current supply runs dry. Whichever method its not quick or easy, There will be times you would do anything for a cig but those will be fewer and further apart with time. The hardest part will be the first 3 days probably after time it seems like I get over the hump, I quit for 5 years the first time and like an idiot wound up back on them as addicted as ever. Good luck there is probably noting that will be as good for you and save as much money as quitting smoking. Rage, start building the rage.

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25. By Dan on Jul 15, 2009

    I quit like 5 or 6 years ago after trying many times. I think that there is a “click” when you decide that this time is for real – so whatever motivation you have, make sure that you have it fixed in your mind that this is the real one.

    I used lozenges for the nicotine withdrawals and I found them helpful – I ended up using much less than they recommended for my level of smoking and finishing them up earlier – plus every time I picked up a packet the pharmacist would cheer me on and give me encouragement.

    One thing that made it easier for me I think is that because my hub is asthmatic, I never smoked at home and so basically would have days at a time not smoking while still being a smoker if that makes sense. It was like I had practice. Since then I have wondered whether cutting down would work better with discrete smoking and non smoking (ie don’t smoke during the day but can smoke in the evening) would be better than having fewer cigarettes and just spacing them out.

    I would recommend whatever you do to start it immediately. If you are definitely going to quit, then why wait? Otherwise you begin by procrastinating and/or making bargains with yourself and that is asking for trouble.

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26. By slayerboy on Jul 15, 2009

    I have tried quitting many times before. Like you, I actually really like smoking. I gave up drinking except for rare social events. I gave up World of Warcraft. I’m trying to eat healthier. Smoking is the last bad habit I have, well at least the last major one.

    I tried the patch in 2000 for a couple of weeks. It was weird. The first few days I was not exactly feeling well at all because of the rush of nicotine. I smoke a pack a day, but it’s spread out. The nicotine patch is practically streaming nicotine the whole time it’s on.

    A couple of times I quit for a week or a couple of days and something would always come up and I’d start right back up again.

    The last time I tried quitting, I did it cold turkey. The first week was insanely hard. The cravings were horrible. Very similar to when you quit drinking soda and the sugar cravings, only worse. Every once in a while the withdrawals of nicotine would almost bring me to my knees it was so bad. But I stuck through it for a year and a half. I replaced smoking with working out. Then the crap hit the fan and stress was too much and I started up again.

    The biggest problem for me is the habit and stress. Obviously i haven’t found a way around it, as I’m smoking still. I wish you guys luck. It’s not going to be an easy fight. Maybe the key will be to have someone there with you encouraging you along. That’s the only thing I can think of, as for the better part of 15 years I hid my habit from my family. Now that it’s all out in the open, support from those closest might be the key.

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27. By DougE on Jul 15, 2009

    http://www.quitcounter.com/quitsmoking.php

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28. By Watermist on Jul 15, 2009

    Well, I don’t know anything about it, but I know that my uncle quit cold turkey five years ago and stayed clean ever since. If you think you could do it, try cold turkey. Any methods you’re using, I wish you luck! :)

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29. By Evea on Jul 16, 2009

    Well the best thing i can recommend, after watching 3 people quit, is find something that replaces your smoking time. People use carrot sticks, pretzels or other cigarette shaped food, but really thats just replacing one bad habit with another not so good
    one… so go for a good habit, exercise. Replace your 10 min smoke break with 10 mins of stretching, or sit ups, or jumping jacks. Not only will you get in better shape, have more energy, it will take your mind off the want. And it being only 10 mins or so.. its not like your going to exhaust your self doing it.

    Good luck!

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30. By jay on Jul 16, 2009

    Cutting down was not an option for me when I quit five years ago. Nicotine is a Drug. The brain wants it regularly and in increasing amounts.

    Drink LOTS of water. Flushing the nicotine out of your system is beneficial and is accomplished in three or four days.

    Pablo suggested the cut-off soda straw – and I used that approach. Gives you something to draw on and something to do with your hands that mimics the mechanics of smoking.

    Got an urge? Go for a walk; brush your teeth; wash your hands/dishes/dog; scrub the inside of your car – you won’t want to foul it once it’s clean and smelling sweet.

    Tape a dollar bill to every mirror in the house. Put the cost of a pack of cigarettes in a jar everytime you DON’T buy one.
    Remind yourself that the urge will pass and become less frequent over time.

    Try any of these strategies; all of these strategies; strategies of your own. (What works for you may not work for Phil.)

    And should you fall of the wagon, forgive yourself and move on!

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31. By twww on Jul 16, 2009

    Tried cold turkey and the first full day I was having extremely homicidal thoughts, which is completely unlike me. Within an hour of my getting home from work, my husband (who very much wanted me to quit) went out, bought me a pack of cigarettes and ordered me to smoke them. Apparently I was unpleasant :)

    Started the patch when the weekend rolled around and, as others have said, the nicotine craving was gone. It made quitting a much more pleasant experience for both of us.

    I must reiterate what others have said: find something to keep your hands busy at times when you would normally be smoking.
    The habit is the hardest thing to break and I would find myself reaching for my purse while driving, even two years later, because I had smoked a lot while driving. It wasn’t because I had a craving for a cigarette but because it was just what i used to do.

    Good luck with whichever method you choose!

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32. By SebP on Jul 16, 2009

    Hey there TJ, been lurking for a while but decided to mention this.

    Like some people have said, the need to do something with the hands seems to be a big deal with trying to stop smoking. Well I’ve been seeing a commercial on TV lately for these:

    http://www.nicorette.ca/stop-smoking/products/inhaler.aspx

    Apparently they’re a quit smoking aid that you basically handle like a cigarette. Maybe they would help?

    Anyways, I’m one of those people who has never smoked, but I also respect those that try to quit. I’ve seen people do it. I don’t want to be one of them. It’ll be hard but, seeing the people that visit you here, I’m sure you’ll have all the support you could ever need! ;)

    Congrats on the engagement and good luck with the September 1 goal! :D

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33. By Jane on Jul 16, 2009

    Don’t discount the value of rewarding yourself. For every day you are successful, do something special that makes you feel good. Star on the calendar. Whatever. Have a record of your accomplishment that you can point to with pride. Give yourself bigger rewards at the weekly and monthly intervals. Have Phil reward you and you reward him. We all like recognition for our efforts and respond to the positive.

    When I was in college, my boyfriend tried to quit smoking by having me negatively reward him (i.e., no sex). So I was punished by his failures and it made me into a nag about smoking! This is NOT the way to go. This particular attempt to stop smoking was unsuccessful, although later he was able to kick the habit by going cold turkey.

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34. By Caroline on Jul 16, 2009

    Whenever I’ve quit, it’s been cold turkey. Generally this is due to me running out of money, then getting past the nicotine addiction before I have more money for cigarettes. I would get jittery until I got over the nicotine, but it was much harder to get past the actual act of smoking. (What am I going to do when I’m driving/on breaks from work/etc?) I also didn’t smoke a ton.
    I had a roommate who smoked more than me and used the patch. She tried cold turkey first, but she was so irritable that I gave her some of my cigarettes :) The patch wasn’t cheap, but it was about the same amount that she was paying in cigarettes so it wasn’t a huge deal for her.
    Cutting down gradually is pretty easy to cheat on, imho, but I’ve seen it work for people.
    Your most cost effective option is really going to be whatever works for you. No sense in buying patches if it doesn’t work.
    The best time to start? Don’t go cold turkey or on the patch while Phil is still smoking. If going cold turkey, know when you buy the pack that it’s your last pack, so you can psych yourself up for it.

    My best suggestions are to
    1) find something that will replace your smoking time. Did you use smoke breaks to break up your day? Do something else, like read a few pages of a book or taking the dog for quick walk.
    2) Reward yourself for successes, whether it’s daily, when you cut back half a pack, whatever.

    If you really want this, your chances of quitting are so much higher than the average. It’s still not easy, but I think that those numbers that say most people start smoking again include a large number of people who really didn’t want to quit in the first place.

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35. By Aximand on Jul 16, 2009

    First off, great decision, I’m sure Phil appreciates the support and solidarity as well.

    When my wife quit smoking, she ended up going through a weight gain despite keeping the same eating and excercise habits. It was like the parasite keeping her weight down was gone, and the pounds started showing. Her general physique and eating habits were pretty close to your own self descriptions these past months (ex: I rarely came home from work without a Diet Coke for her).

    The reason I mention this is because you want to fit into a wedding dress in October. I recommend accelerating your quitting schedule so as not to concern yourself with the possibility of dress alterations as the big day approacheth.

    I know, bummer, but necessity is always a bitch.

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36. By Aboo on Jul 16, 2009

    I am a smoker and like you I enjoy the hell out of it. I don’t blame it on stress. (I don’t believe in external stress, but that’s another discussion completely.) I don’t blame it on anything. It’s a choice that I’ve made.

    I have, however, quit twice. Once when my wife was prego. She stopped cold turkey when she found out she was pregnant, so I did as well. 3 months after the baby was born I started again.

    The second time was for medical reasons. I’m diabetic and I have horrible issues with circulation and my eyes. My doctor told me to quit or I’d go blind in a year. So I quit, for 4 years. Again, cold turkey.

    Then people started suing the tabacco companies and the government started “banning” smoking. And it pissed me off. So I started again. And guess what, the doctor was LYING. I’ve been smoking for 4 years now and my eyes have gotten better, not worse.

    ANYWAY. That’s my history. Here is my advice.

    1.) Chantrix, the patch, whatever, will not make a long-term effective fix. It helps you deal with the actual addiction to nicotine which lasts for all of 72 hours (!!!) and the side-effects of such. Mostly the side-effects. No one I’ve ever known has quit permanently using an aid. Not saying that it can’t be done, just saying that I wouldn’t pay the money for it.

    2.) Cold Turkey – IMHO this is the only way to go. Yes, it sucks the first week. And when you go cold turkey you need to do a few things. One: Avoid anyone who smokes and any situations in which you KNOW you’ll be mentally weakened and prone to lapse. I.E. Don’t drink, for at least a month. Most people who start smoking again do it due to stress or “I was at a party and…” situations. Two: Invest in a box of drinking straws. A LARGE box. I chew pencils, pens, straws, etc… even when I’m at work. It may sound silly, but it helps a lot.

    A lot of other folks have said it, and they’re right. The actual HABIT of smoking is what’s hard to break. So, use a straw or a pencil or something to put in your mouth.

    I don’t know what to say about gaining weight. I don’t know anyone who’s ever quit smoking who didn’t gain at least 10 pounds. Maybe start an exercise program at the same time you quit? It would have the added benefit of giving you something else to think about.

    And I don’t envy you the coughing fits. I’ve re-started smoking twice because I got sick of the coughing. I know the feeling.

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37. By KT on Jul 16, 2009

    I felt the same way as you, actually, I LIKED smoking. I really liked it. But I also quit and haven’t lapsed at all for almost four years now. This was after several times of quitting and returning. One time it just stuck and … it was easy.

    The first key was not really being around other people that smoked. The less temptation, the easier not to think about it all the time. The other was having a strict deadline that made sense. A time when your lifestyle is going to change works particularly well.

    I made mine for after I took the bar exam. It was the most stressful time of my life prior to that and I gave myself permission to smoke then. Once it was over, though, that was it. I smoked my last cigarette when I came out of the exam on the third day and that was it.

    Another thing that’s good is to read “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” by Allen Carr. It’s not magical or anything, but it explains the mechanisms behind your addiction and really helps you pick it apart, which I think helps you STAY quit, once you’ve done it, because you can see through the tricks your mind plays on you.

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38. By GHOSTKID on Jul 16, 2009

    There have been a great deal of awesome tips mentioned already, but It’s my duty as a quitter to pipe up and give you my 2 copper.

    I quit cold turkey because the patch was pricey, and I didn’t want to be addicted to the patch.

    For about the price of a pack of smokes you can get a case of sugarless chewing gum at Costco or Sam’s Club. This keeps your mouth busy.

    I chewed gum constantly. When I needed the hand to mouth sensation I would get rid of my gum, eat some kind of raw vegetable that was in my drawer at work, and get another piece of gum to keep my mouth busy until my next meal.

    This kept me from gaining too much weight, and occupied my physical habit time.

    I have kids, so I had a trick there to. I’l adapt it to you a bit:

    Since you are not going to procreate any time soon, imagine Brinkley is watching you buy your next pack of cigarettes. He is watching you, and he is ashamed of you.

    Best of luck!

    [Reply]

39. By jay on Jul 16, 2009

    Straws are good – BIC is better…
    Take a white BIC ballpoint pen. In this instance, cheap is good.
    Pry off the little colored cap on the top of the pen.
    Now, pull off the business end and remove all guts.
    NOW – measure your BIC to the length of the cigarette you usually smoke and cut it to measure.
    You can carry this in your pocket or purse and whip it out any time you feel the habit surging.
    The deep inhale of clean air will also help to evacuate the crap that’s in your lungs and Bob’s your uncle! you’re a non-smoker.

    [Reply]

40. By Riverter on Jul 16, 2009

    My two cents here, I smoked for close to 15 years, and I started when I was 14 to boot. Now after I got married and my wife and I was expecting our first child I quit cold turkey, I decided one day after I had finished the last one in the pack I put down my lighter and never picked it back up. You will get past the actual physical addiction in about a week or so it becomes more of a challenge breaking the habit of lighting up after a meal or sex (assuming you do that?) anyway it’s breaking the actual mental addiction which was harder to me. I haven’t smoked in over 11 years now but even now when I get real stressed at work or life I crave one so bad and I’m lucky because no one around me smokes so I can’t bum one or I’m sure I would have started back a time or two by now.

    Bottom line from what I have extracted from your writing you seem to be a very strong willed young lady. Just channel that strength into quiting and you won’t need patches, or any of that other crap, because all your doing is swapping one addiction for another. Just walk away and you will not have anything to break after quiting the coffin nails.

    [Reply]

41. By Dechion on Jul 17, 2009

    Ok, the comment grew to the point it became its own post. You can find it on my non-wow blog here
    http://deceptivelyrandom.wordpress.com/2009/07/17/and-they-say-quitters-never-win/

    Best of luck to you both.

    [Reply]

42. By berna on Jul 17, 2009

    I’ve tried quitting 4 times total and I’ve been smoking for 10 years & ~20 cigarettes a day. So here are my experiences.

    1. Patches were helping great with Nicotine gums, however they failed at breaking the habit of holding a cigarette.
    2. Quitting cold turkey never worked for me, but my grandmother quit that way because my cousin told her that she was stinking bad ;) It requires a great motivation for that one.
    3. That is sorta what I am doing right now. Works well for me and it doesn’t put me in a lot of stress.

    Like you, I’ve always thought how much I’d be missing smoking. Pathetic but I even cried because of that after two days of non-smoking.
    What I am doing right now is something tailored according to my smoking habits. I used to smoke after meals, when drinking diet soda/beer and mostly when I was spending time in front of computer. I was fed up with the smell of it and saw my own pictures with a very healthy skin taken 8 years ago. So first I did quit smoking when spending time in front of computer, and stayed away from diet soda and beer for a while. I was smoking after meals and on other occasions though. That has reduced my smoking amount like 50%. After that I’ve quit smoking anywhere but the office. And on office hours I have to walk a great deal to go out of the building and smoke. I’m still at that stage for now. But planning to quit overall in two months time by reducing the amount from 5-6 cigarettes daily to 0. Changing habits is the hardest part imo, nicotine cravings are much more easier to handle. I usually go out and walk or start using my exercise bike when I’m at home in the evenings/weekends and start to crave for a smoke. By the time I’ve seen that my sleeps and my skin color became better which is a good motivation as well.
    I also use chewing gums to keep my mouth occupied and not to eat and knit or play computer games to keep my brain and hands occupied. Free time is the worst enemy in this issue :)

    [Reply]

43. By Curtis on Jul 17, 2009

    One way to quit smoking, is to start chewing tabacco. I know… It’s gross. But it really works. Doing it the way I did saves a ton of money. The cost of the patch or gum is a deterrent to quitting. At least, that’s way I saw it. With chewing tabacco, you get more nicotine in your system than you would with either the patch or smoking and therefore, the amount of time your body can go without needing its fix is longer. With tobacco pouches, there’s 20 to a tin for less than a pack of cigarettes. For the cost of 2 or 3 tins, you can easily wean yourself off cigarettes for good.
    I know…it’s kinda like fighting fire with fire, but it works, trust me.

    [Reply]

44. By Arcsis on Jul 18, 2009

    When my mom was still smoking, she always hated the taste of peppermint with her cigarettes. So what she did when she decided to quit was buy a 5lb bag of plain old peppermints. Every time she had an urge for a cig, she’d eat one, and the thought of putting them together helped quell the cravings. Luckily peppermints weren’t horrible as far as weight maintainability goes. Luckily her thing was hard candy not cheeseburgers or something. :P

    Good luck~!

    [Reply]

45. By therealbman on Jul 18, 2009

    I quit smoking a little over a month ago. I had tried maybe 5 or 6 times before to quit and failed every time. Finally me and one of my friends decided to quit at the same time and made a bet about it. Whoever smoked first would have to pay the other 10$. After I finished my last pack I bought some Quest Nicotine Free cigarettes. This allowed me to “smoke” every time I had a craving but also didn’t have any significant amount of nicotine. After I finished 2 packs of those I was able to stop completely. Another benefit to Quest is that they’re dirt cheap. I can get them for 3.09$ where I live when most cigarettes are almost 6$ a pack.

    [Reply]

46. By Mister Bunny on Jul 18, 2009

    My husband used
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette to quit. The first day he used one was the last time he smoked a cigarette. It’s been almost five months, and he tapered the juice down to no nicotine, and then stopped using the E cigarette entirely. He had tried chantrix, gum, patches, all that crap, and nothing worked. This did. I really urge you to give it a shot.

    Don’t displace the activity to chewing or snouse or some other junk like that, try these. He was horribly addicted, and now it’s gone.

    [Reply]

47. By Ellie on Jul 18, 2009

    Lets say we are doing this tomorrow, July 19, 2009.
    In my opinion, cutting down works decently. Cutting down too slowly won’t work very well though.
    If you can figure out an estimate of how much you smoke per day, in packs or in seperate cigs, that helps. Lets say you smoke a pack per day. Try cutting that down to 10 per day. Do that for maybe a week, or less. That puts you at July 25th. The next week, since i’m sure it will be harder, cut down to only 7 cigs a day for a week. Now it is August 1st. Next will be 5 until about August 8th. From there you can decide to cut down more until Sept 1st, or just stop smoking there. I know I’ve read many places that after stopping completely, there is a 3 day bump to get over. The sites say those 3 days are the hardest, but after them, it becomes easier and easier. Of course you may smoke more or less than my example but if you do try the cutting-down method, try going along with my example. So far that’s what I’m doing. Also, try gum. Pick your favorite flavor ever. If you start to get a craving, pop a piece in. Since it’s your favorite flavor, you won’t want to spit it back out to start a smoke, hopefully.
    I wish you the best of luck quitting, and you’ve given me even more motivation to stop. :)

    [Reply]

48. By Patti on Jul 18, 2009

    I’ve tried the patch and didn’t like it because my skin is sensitive to the adhesive (band aids too), so that was out. Tried the lozenge, burned like hell when I parked it. The gum was good for getting rid of that initial OMG-I-need-nicotine.

    Cold turkey was an epic fail for me.

    The only gradual cutting down I did was to stop smoking my favourites cigs of the day. Mine happen to be post meal ciggies and that first smoke of the day.

    Set a quit date, it’s important. Tell everybody you know…ignore the eyerolls. Mark it on the calendar in your favourite coloured marker.

    I used suckers/lollipops. You can get the sugar free ones, and after I finished the sucker I usually held onto the stick for a bit.

    I made a list of the benefits of quitting smoking, I found one that listed them by the hours/days of quitting. I also found a free online forum to help me quit. Check your Lung Association…not sure what the url is in the US.

    Remember that if you stumble and have one, it is not failure. You had one, or two. Don’t beat yourself up, and you are not starting over…you just tripped up a bit.

    Reward yourself, the first 3 days are the hardest. Reward yourself after those first 3 days, after that weekly for a month and then monthly. You don’t have to buy anything, but DO something for yourself.

    [Reply]

49. By Catastrophe on Jul 20, 2009

    My mam stopped smoking after smoking for 30+ years.

    I believe she cold turkey’d it. Maybe using some gum at one time?

    An important rule is: DO NOT BUY CIGARETTES – DO NOT KEEP ANY IN THE HOUSE.

    This makes it troublesome to Smoke even if you feel an uncontrollable urge.

    [Reply]

50. By Neena on Jul 20, 2009

    I smoked for 13 years, and just saying that bothers me! I think you and I are about the same age. Knowing how young I was when I started makes me want to kick myself. Anyway, I quit. It wasn’t easy and you can ask my friends what a raging BITCH I was for the first few weeks…but that subsided. Here are some things that worked for me:

    1. To wean yourself off smoking, set a time of day, say 10:00 pm, after which you are not allowed to smoke under any circumstances. Do that for a week. Week two, make it 9:00 pm for a week. Week three: 8:00 pm…etc. It’s something that you could start now and wean yourself, slowly, over the next few weeks. I was done smoking by the time I’d reached Noon. But the “under no circumstances” is a very important part of the equation. If you let yourself smoke on the weekends, or only when you’re drinking, or only when your best friend’s cousin’s cat died, then you’re just screwed. You sit there and find reasons to smoke. It certainly helps that you WANT to quit.

    2. Weight gain was not an option for me either. I knew I’d add a few pounds, but I actually started working out more while I was quitting (more as a way to spend evening hours when I wasn’t allowed to smoke than anything), and that helped. But, it helped to have baby carrots and frozen grapes in the fridge. I’d take then in the car with me too, since being alone in the car was my favorite time to smoke and I needed something to fill that void. My friend swears by sunflower seeds. It gives you something to do with your hands and your mouth! She always had a bag (and a cup for the shells) in her car, one in her purse, one in the office, etc. Sunflower seeds aren’t the best for you, but they’re not the worst either!

    3. Having a partner makes a big difference too. It’s great that Phil is quitting at the same time. I’m sure that you will help each other tremendously!

    Good luck and congratulations on your decision!!

    [Reply]

51. By Greg (shifttusk) on Jul 21, 2009

    As a long time smoker (15 to 26) I can tell you a few things that do not work.

    1) huge expenditures on pills/months of patches/gum. The stop smoking aids are all based on nicotine or substitute stimulants and are really only there to help curb the cravings. if you don’t step down rapidly you’re just keeping your chemical addiciton going using a different delivery.

    2) Just cold turkeying. I guess maybe if you have nerves of steel or maybe just a low level of responsibility where you have nothing to worry about you could do this. But when I tried to cold turkey, something would stress me out and puff puff puff.

    That being said I’m 9 months into being a successful quitter. Heres what worked for me:

    1) Patches for the first week to keep me from killing anyone :0 I used 3 days of the 20+ then 4 days of the 10+ granted i wasted some money but whatever.

    2) Not removing things you like. I LIKE going down to hang out with coworkers for a break. Being that they all are smokers I go down and hang with them when I smoke. Adding something else to piss you off such as not seeing your friends is pretty ass.

    3) Do something that lets you see the benefit of your not smoking so its not all “omg i have to quit” and you get some “yay i can xxx now easily”. It could be something stupid.. like picking people up in your car that doesnt smell like crap. Or running or being less winded in the bedroom.

    Oh yea, if you’re not going to change your eating habits or exercise habits at the same time avoid the scale quitting does add some poinds.

    [Reply]

52. By Turai on Jul 21, 2009

    Well, Im one of those horrible non smokin people you hear so much about, but my dad was a smoker, and one day he forgot to buy ciggaretes on his way to work, so when he was gonna take a smoke break and noticed he didnt have any he was like :
    “Fuck this , Im quittin” ..think he been clean about 7 years now.

    Quittin cold turkey ftw ;)

    [Reply]

53. By Grimm on Jul 22, 2009

    … as a former smoker? Let me offer you this advice:

    Stop now. You don’t need mental prep time, you don’t need all of this preplanning, and you don’t need the patch or the gum or /whatever/.

    All of the excuses and planning and all the rest? It’s a sort of fear – fear that you won’t be able to, fear about big life changes. It’s the addict in you talking, proffering up little excuses so that you can put off quitting.

    Just.. quit.

    Take the cigarettes you have, and give them to someone you consider a friend or authority who will be dissapointed if you fall back. Tell them you’re quitting. Give your smokes to them, tell them you don’t want them back. Add in your lighter. Don’t smoke them out – stop /now/, and don’t use that as an excuse. What’s the difference between ‘smoking what you have left’ and getting rid of the darned things? One day? Two? Just get rid of ‘em.

    And then don’t buy any. Don’t bum any. You’ll want them, you’ll have two weeks of flu-like symptoms (chills, fever, irritability) as the nicotene withdrawal kicks in – and then you’re done.

    As for staying clean?

    1) Never carry a lighter. Don’t have one on you, in the house, or anywhere you’ll put your paws on it. Buy cheap wooden matches and use them for candles or whatever – but never carry firemakers on your person.

    Why?

    Well – first, they’re a reminder of smoking. They are ‘paraphanalia’, and you’ve got an association between lighters and cigarettes. Plus, it’s just one more thing you have to have to light up again.

    (I took the lighters out of my cars, as well. It helped.)

    2) Follow the rule religiously: never buy another pack, and never bum. If you’re hanging with a smoker, /tell them you’ve quit/. If they try to tempt you, even jokingly, don’t hang with ‘em anymore. Good friends will help you by not letting you bum smokes.

    3) You will always want to smoke. It isn’t willpower to stop – it’s just a conscious choice to stop because you truly do want to stop. Now that you’ve had an addiction, it’ll always -lurk-. The point being: you can quit, if you simply decide to quit, and make it through the d/ts. And when you /have/ made it through? Remember what it felt like.

    Best advice I can give you. No excuses. No ‘preambles’, no crutches, no pre-built reasons to fail.

    I smoked for 10 years, starting at 18 – I quit at 28, at a pack-and-a-half a day habit. I’ve been clean for six years now, and still get cravings, but just.. don’t smoke.

    [Reply]

54. By Smokefree on Jul 22, 2009

    The patch never worked for me. Would never stay in that place I put it. Cold turkey might work but never tired. And I knew I didn’t want to try that. Bought the gum didn’t like the taste. So after having a spot noticed on a x-ray from having to go to the hospital for shortness of breathe. Decided it was time to quit.

    Well I got Chantix from my doctor. But it does have some side effects. It can cause suicidal thoughts in some people. It only made me feel a bit off. But that passed by the second week. It tells you that you can smoke the first week of use but to completely quit by the start of the second week. I held out as long as I could before I needed that smoke fix. Most times it was only 2 or 3 cigs a day if that. But I stopped completely by the second week.

    Its very expensive, paid 130.00 per month. And its wasn’t covered by my health insurance. So all out of pocket. But was money well spent. And some people may need 6 months or more to quit. But by the middle of the second month I had started to forget about taking/needing the pills. So I stopped taking them and havent touched a cigarette since quitting. Now smoke free for one year this month. After you have quit smoking the money saved from cigarettes will have paid for the pills and then some.

    And if you feel the urge to smoke which you from time to time. Find something to take your mind off it. I eat sunflower seeds which work wonders for me at work. But you will have to find your own thing. Oh and the second x-ray came back clean.

    [Reply]

55. By Nej on Jul 31, 2009

    Find out if the patches expire…and start buying them now. Then…you can still mentally prepare to use them, by purchasing them now.

    [Reply]

56. By Steve on Aug 4, 2009

    I’ve quit 3 times now (just starting on my 4th now). I got my first taste when I was about 8, I found and ancient (at least I assume it was ancient) pack in a draw at home so I took them to school and me and a mate tried it out one lunch time in the classroom, not too bright back then, needless to say the teacher smelt it after lunch and it wasn’t long before we were in the headmistresses office awaiting parents arrival and large amounts of brown and sticky raining from a great height :)

    Anyway started properly at about 18 I guess and smoked for 3 or 4 years, probably a little under a pack a day at the end. I quit that time cold turkey with really not too much difficulty, I’m not even sure the gum was available back then. I started again a year or so later, a few months after breaking up with a girlfriend and after troublesome time at work, bummed one and a couple of days later bought a pack, within a week or two I was back to a little under a pack a day. It was probably almost 10 years before I quit again. I tried cold turkey again, but couldn’t do it and after a few abortive attempts I tried the gum but that didn’t work for me either so then I tried the patches and after a miserable few months I was clean again, for about 4 years. Then in a moment of weakness I had one and was back on the slippery slope.

    Quit again for year about 2 years ago, again with the patch and now just started trying again with the patch.

    OK so that’s my history now for my advice… really what worked for me, YMMV

    I didn’t find it necessary to set a date to stop but I did tell myself it was going to be ‘this week’, I found I had to get myself comfortable with the idea that I wasn’t going to be doing it anymore, like most people I really do like smoking, I enjoy it, it makes me feel better. BTW ‘this week’ ended up actually being a couple of months this time around before I was actually ready to stop again.

    If you can change your normal routine to avoid the periods of most want, that will help a lot… well it did for me anyway.

    Most importantly you will probably have to come to terms with the fact that you are addicted, there is actually no ‘giving up’… ever… There is just not smoking anymore, it’s a difficult distinction to explain. All the times I have given up, even the longest period of about 4 years I would often still want one, especially with a beer at the pub. Those times get less frequent but but I always have to be on my guard for them and I’ve failed a few times.

    Unlike others that have posted here I never found the first week to be the real problem, the real hard part for me was at about 3 months when I thought I’d cracked it and cravings would pop up at some really odd times. You just have to try and be strong. Once I;m done with the patches this time around I think I’ll get some of the nicotine sweeties to keep in the car just in case.

    Right, back to your questions. Obviously quitting cold turkey is the cheapest way to go and if you think you can do it then try that… maybe have a practice for 1 day, then 2 or 3 days before your August 31 deadline to see if it might work for you. If it goes well at 3 days maybe just try and push it out another day… and then another and if you’re still stopped at August 31 then just stay stopped.

    I think I already covered some of my experience with the patch and that seems to have worked the best for me but as someone else has said don’t keep it on overnight, you don’t smoke when you’re asleep do you? Do put a new one on as soon as you wake up (or after a shower if you do that very first thing) but certainly have it on a good 15 mins before that ‘first cup of coffee’ danger point as you don’t get that instant hit from the patch, it’s just a slow trickle manages to take the edge of the ‘need’ and leaves you just with a ‘want’ to deal with. I’d also suggest the Niquitin CQ patches as they are a lot more like the early patches and you can cut them to whatever size you like to reduce the dose as you think you can handle. I’m pretty sure it says don’t do that in the instructions but I can’t come up with a compelling reason not to do that, so this time I’m going to drop to 21mg (Step1) cut in half (10.5mg) after my first 2 weeks on the 14mg (Step2). I’m going to do that because I think it’ll work for me and it’ll cost me half as much. Last time around I was on the ‘Walgreens own brand’ and they were an odd sort of sealed construction that I didn’t feel comfortable cutting but the CQ ones I got this time are just a simple square with a sort of sticky gel covering the whole surface on the active side, as were the ones I used the very first time I stopped with the help of the patch (I did the same thing then of cutting higher dose patches in half and it didn’t kill me).

    Cold turkey did work for me the first time, but I wasn’t strong enough to do that again, I needed the help with the nicotine so I could just work on the habit the other times I stopped.

    Gradual cutting down to nothing was absolutely not an option for me, tried it a few times, didn’t work at all, just got cross when I wanted another one the days budget was already done. So it has be a smoke or don’t smoke deal for me.

    Bearing in mind that wedding planning is possibly the single most stressful thing you will ever do in your life, it’s not going to be easy. Moving house comes close I think. In fact it was re-locating from the UK to the US and sorting out the Visa that got me started again the time before last now that I think about it :)… Good luck.

    I didn’t have a problem with weight gain any time I’ve stopped, but then I’ve never been much of a snacker, but if you think that might be a problem I’d suggest always keeping some baby carrots and sticks of celery all ready to eat in the fridge, just remember to lay off the blue cheese dressing ;)

    Finally… don’t get disheartened if you have few moments of weakness, if you’ve been smoking a long time it isn’t easy for most people. Just start stopping again the next day.

    Good luck

    [Reply]

57. By Steve on Aug 5, 2009

    Ooops… The patch I have this time is not NiquitinCQ, it’s NicodermCQ. I just noticed when I stuck it on this morning :)

    [Reply]

58. By Jeff on Aug 9, 2009

    Your attitude is perfect. Quit because *you* want to. I smoked 2.5 packs a day for a long time. I quit 14 times. The last one stuck mainly because I got my attitude sorted out (like you have done) and I found what my triggers were and I eliminated those. Triggers can be friends, places, times in places, etc. You have to replace routine and triggers. For me smoking, drinking and coffee were all three tightly linked. I quit when I gave them all up together. Plus the patch helped a LOT. Gum never worked that great for me but you do need an alternative to putting a cigarette in your mouth. Another trigger is the smell of smoky houses, clothes and cars… get that cleaned ASAP. Partly because after a week or two you are going to be able to smell normally again. (You also will regain the ability to really taste food again – YAY!) As you regain your ability to smell things, the smell of smoke may be a trigger for you.

    Good luck. Good Attitude, Eliminate Triggers, Replace Habits.

    Oh, and as a warning, most people I know that have quit (me too) have had ‘walls’ they have hit. There is one at 2-3 days – that is the worst – be prepared for it and you can do it. There is one at 2-3 weeks. For some this is even worse and can almost be psychotic – be prepared for it and have an alternative activity you love and friends that don’t smoke around. If in this first 3 week period, you are around friends that smoke you will smoke. Well, from my limited sample the failure rate is 100%. Get away from smokers and stay away at least until the second month. Some people also have trouble the third month. But you should have techniques to handle that by the time you get here.

    Last piece of advice… You will ALWAYS be a smoker. Once you quit – if you want to stay quit, never have even one. Again, from my limited sample I and anyone else who has quit and said “oh, just this one” has been back to their original level within a week. 100% of the time. A good friend had quit for 3 years and had one smoke over a business lunch (when you could do that) and was back up to 3 packs in four days. He was not happy.

    Good Luck.

    [Reply]

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