quitting smoking cigarettes...

[mahojim]

I've done it before @ 10 years ago, but was sucked backed into it...
I'm 44 and 2/3rds years old. I've been smoking for @ 20 years total, and have got to quit. Anyone have any success stories/ remedies?
I enjoy it, but it doesn't enjoy me. Heck, I'm not getting any younger, and I need help. Used "The Patch System" years ago which kept me off them for around @ 2-3 years, but circumstances led me back to those damned ciggies...
Don't want to try Chantix because of the warnings of suicidal thoughts,and what-not, and that patch gave me the weirdest dreams and anxiety.
Hardest part might be that I'm a career bartender, working nights, and those cancer sticks are seemingly a great punctuation after most things, be they challenging or profitable- they keep me company.
Just have to be done with it.
Any advice is appreciated.
It just plain stinks in every way.
Thanks, and always-
Smiles-
MJ

[nikkiki]

My sister has been using a vaporizer with great results. She hasn't bought any cigarettes since she started, and the liquid supposedly allows you to step down the nicotine levels. She likes that she can still "smoke" with her friends, and she can keep an eye on her intake via the amount of liquid in the vaporizer. I have a friend that uses one as well and he swears it's helping him quit.

I also have a friend who is using an app on his phone - it shows him how long he's been without cigarettes, how much money he has saved, and how much tar and individual cigarettes he's passed on. It also has a section for the benefits, showing him how his body is recovering day by day. Seems like a good motivator!

Can't speak for it personally, but they seems like they are success stories in the making! Good luck!

[PaminMaine]

My dad had success with a small dose of valium to calm his nerves. Of course this was directly following his heart attack, so that was a great motivational factor as well!

[JJShaw]

I have used Wellbutrin with much success...I smoked for probably...25 to 30 yrs...and I can quit with it no problem as long as I use it, no cold turkey for me..someone might be missing body parts if I did that...I took it for 2 weeks and on the 15th day I quit and just made sure I was busy and I was fine then finished out the prescription and was good to go, I have all the faith in the world in it...but...the problem for me is...we started back after 3 yrs of quitting... I start back because I feel like I'm gaining weight... BUT..I know when I get ready...I can quit using wellbutrin...
Hope this helps..

[lprof]

I have no personal experience with quitting tobacco; I know that it is a tough thing for most folks. My husband is a life long user. He had his longest time free of smoking after taking the full program of Chantix. It gave him terrible nightmares.
He was able to totally stop smoking for about one year... until we were on Jost at Foxy's and the Cuban cigars were too tempting! He resumed the habit for 5 years until the first of this year when he tried (again) using only gum. He has smoked two or three cigars during this time period without falling back into the daily routine of several. He is still using more than the recommended amount of gum daily and alternates it with non-nicotine gum. He is not nicotine free, but I am "smoke" free.

I believe that you are wise to leave the tobacco behind, and I wish you every success in quitting as well in finding the program that takes you there!

[PA Girl]

My cousin and I were just discussing this topic over the weekend. He owns a bar/restaurant and yes, there is definitely a smoking culture in the biz. He is trying to quit as well and has a couple of months under his belt this time.

I smoked off and on for 20+ years. So did my husband. Like others mentioned, we were nicotine free for years and feel off the wagon a couple of times. Such an evil drug nicotine is that all it takes is a slip up on vacation (or at a party or a bar…) and you can be back to square one.

My two most successful attempts were with nicotine replacement therapy (more on that below) and Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin took enough of the withdraw edge off and the gum/patch was there when I needed a crutch.

My husband took Chantrix for a couple of weeks. At first he was fine and then I noticed a major shift in his personality seemingly overnight and asked him to stop taking it. Our family doctor thinks it is an extremely effective drug, almost a miracle drug for some people with the full warning the side effects must be monitored.

In my husband’s case, he hadn’t smoked in 10+ weeks and Chantrix got him through the first hard weeks. I know people who have taken it with no issues (and were successful in quitting) and others that had similar mind-altering (and not in a good way) effects like my husband.

There is a danger with the gum or e-cigs of becoming as addicted to those as cigarettes, which is what happened to me. I replaced a pack a day smoking habit with a serious gum habit, well exceeding the recommended usage. In the end, I was able to get off the gum but it took me a good year or two, maybe longer.

The gum helped me quit smoking but all I did was replace one delivery system for another. I would recommend trying to go cold turkey with the nicotine if you can handle it. Talk to your doc about Wellbutrin.

[GidgetPicklebrain]

I just deleted a very long post detailing my smoking history of 46 years and my qutting, methods used and relapse history of 39 years. It was depressing and hopeless-sounding.

Instead I will tell you what I have learned from my personal experience:

Don't put it to your mouth, don't light it and you will succeed. Decide to have "just one" and you will relapse. Maybe not right away, each "just one" will come sooner than the lst auntil one day you discover you are right back where you started.

You can't have one because it is a special occasion. You can't have one to celebrate how long you've gone without. You can't have one because you've been quit for so long you are no longer addicted and can handle "just one" now and then. You can't have one because soem tragic event has occured and you need "just one" to cope.

No matter how long you have been soke-free, there will still be times when you want one. You can't have one. Ever. Accept it and move on. Don't be surprised when it happens. Recognize it as a phantom of your former life, dismiss it and move on.

There is no such thing as "just one". Ever.

My father quit at age 79 after 60 years of smoking. If he could do it I can too. And so can you.

Today I have completed 5 days quit. I will not smoke tomorrow. I will continue not to smoke, one day at a time.

Rules for Quitting:

1. Don't smoke.
2. See rule 1.

Follow rule one and you can not fail to succeed.

[PA Girl]

Good luck Gidget! And MahoJim! I am on my longest stretch yet (3.5 years) and resisting "just one" is why I have made it this far, this time. The "Just One" was always my downfall.

[chicagoans]

My aunt quit after a few decades of smoking. She used hypnosis and it worked very well for her. (It may have helped that she was the only one in our extended family who smoked, with the exception of one beloved uncle who died of emphysema. How's that for motivation?)

She gained a bit of weight after quitting but decided it was well worth it, and lost the weight through diet and exercise. This was about 20 years ago and she is going smoke-free strong today.

Smoking is now banned in bars and restaurants here, but maybe not where you are? I can imagine it would be especially tough to quit if you're exposed to it on a regular basis.

Best of luck to you and may your lungs be free and clear next time you take a deep breath of Caribbean air!

[SusanNJ]

I'd like to chime in here.... as of last Tuesday I smoked my last cigarette (hopefully). I have been probably smoking for about 20 years. I only have a few a day, but on weekends when I drink they go hand and hand.... so that's the tough part. I purchased a vaporizer that is nicotine free mint flavored. I find that it helps while I am having a few drinks and get that "urge". Good luck to everyone! I know its hard but I am determined

[KatieH]

I smoked for 16 years and tried to quit on a few ocassions. Each time I was drinking/socializing, I would start again, and then I seemed to make up for lost time. When I found out I was pregnant (18 years ago this month ) I decided I HAD to quit for the health of my baby. (Apparently my own health was not a consideration ).

Here's what made it easier... I couldn't drink, so my willpower wasn't compromised. I avoided talking on the phone (another trigger) and found other activities that brought me comfort/distraction because in addition to the habit and physical addiction, I was also emotionally addicted. 9 months went by and when my son was born I realized that
1. starting again would only add one more thing to do during my crazy sleep deprived days and nights (have to go outside and have a cigarette)
2. I was only going to have 1 child and if I started again, I might never quit.


So while getting pregnant isn't an option for you, changing your routines and finding some other comforting activities may help. Along with Nicorette and friends. Good luck - you can do this!