How did you quit smoking.....

[mdurette]

First, I ask....can this not be a thread about balcony smoking or what anyone considers inconsiderate smokers.....
I would like to simply find out, how did you quit smoking? Did you go cold turkey or did you supplement with a patch, gum, medication.....what was it like for you????

So, here it is. I am a closet smoker, always have been. Many of my closest friends don't even know it.
I told myself somewhere along the line I wanted to be done by the time I was 50 and I was at a weight I could handle the gain that came along with it.
Well....I turn 50 next week and because I have stayed on my diet for some months (thank you Covid for not throwing a vacation into my diet) I am actually below my weight goal for doing this.
(please don't tell me weight doesn't matter, I spent the majority of my adult life classified as obese and when I am not, that feels great/proud and something that makes me happy when I look in the mirror, so it does matter to me)

I'm sure with the age demographic of this forum there are a few of you "quitters" out there. Tell me about it...…..

 

[Bernie8245]

First, I ask....can this not be a thread about balcony smoking or what anyone considers inconsiderate smokers.....
I would like to simply find out, how did you quit smoking? Did you go cold turkey or did you supplement with a patch, gum, medication.....what was it like for you????

So, here it is. I am a closet smoker, always have been. Many of my closest friends don't even know it.
I told myself somewhere along the line I wanted to be done by the time I was 50 and I was at a weight I could handle the gain that came along with it.
Well....I turn 50 next week and because I have stayed on my diet for some months (thank you Covid for not throwing a vacation into my diet) I am actually below my weight goal for doing this.
(please don't tell me weight doesn't matter, I spent the majority of my adult life classified as obese and when I am not, that feels great/proud and something that makes me happy when I look in the mirror, so it does matter to me)

I'm sure with the age demographic of this forum there are a few of you "quitters" out there. Tell me about it...…..

I started smoking when I was 15 years old. I started smoking Kent filter cigarettes and eventually graduated to Camel non filters. I got married when I was 26 and my wife who was 20 years old smoked various brands of filtered cigarettes. She decided to quit at age 30 but I continued to smoke Camels. I always bought them by the carton and they would last me about a week. One Sunday I opened my last pack of Camels and I knew I would finish the pack at work the next day so I asked my wife if she would go up to the corner store and get me a carton of Camels. She replied " I'm not gonna make you quit but I'm not gonna go buy them for you either." I decided if I ran out the next day at work I could get a pack from the vending machine so I figured I'd just do that. Well I did run out of cigarettes around lunchtime and I decided I'd see how long I could go without a cigarette. That's the last cigarette I smoked. It wasn't easy but I am so glad I quit. I was 37 years old when I quit and am now 74.

 

[Luanne]

I was never a committed smoker. I could pick it up and stop with no problem. When I first met dd he was a very heavy smoker and so I smoked with him. This was back in 1985 when you could smoke anywhere. However, when I would get sick, like with a cold, I couldn't smoke. I couldn't smoke in cars, as I said not very committed. So at one point when I had a cold and stopped, I just never started back up.

Dh vowed to quit when I got pregnant. His dad had passed away right before we met and dh was convinced his smoking (his dad's) contributed. So, I got pregnant and he quit. He basically did it cold turkey. His sister suggested sucking on cloves, and that is the only thing he did. He was terrible! It got so that we weren't even speaking as the littlest thing would set him off. He finally came out of that. Then I miscarried. The first thing I remember saying to him was "You're not going to start smoking again are you?" He didn't and he hasn't had a cigarette since then (1987). We are now those reformed smokers that can't stand it when anyone else smokes around us. Luckily neither of our dds has even had the urge to start smoking.

 

[Passepartout]

Well, 29 years ago next month, I decided I was done. I was through wrecking clothes, making my house and car stink and my computer's screen and keyboard have a yellow sticky film. I got some over-the-counter tablets, and made up a couple of 'tricks' on myself. I threw ALL the smoking materials away. ALL. Then in the place where I kept my cigarettes, I made a simple 'ledger'. Just a folded card, really. And on one side, I listed the reasons I wanted to quit. Like to see kids grow up. To save money, to make food taste better, to be able to sit in ANY seat in a restaurant, etc. And on the other side, the reasons I liked to smoke. Relaxing, time to think, associations with friends, hard to imagine an after work/dinner/sex without a smoke, etc. Your list will be different than mine.

So I started the pills, and kept some lozenges for the 'bridge'. At first smoking was ALL I thought of. And after a few days, my sense of smell improved. And I could detect the stench on others. And then I'd notice that some few hours had passed without giving a cigarette a thought. Then I stumbled on a 'mind trick'. That if you don't smoke even one puff, you are a 'reformed' smoker, but if you cheat. Even bumming a puff from someone else's cigarette, in YOUR mind, YOU ARE SMOKING. SO the catch is that you don't have to worry about not smoking forever, all you need to do to be over it is to not have the NEXT smoke. That part was easy! I could smoke later or tomorrow if I want to, but FOR NOW, I'm not having THIS SMOKE.

But it takes time. I went for months staying out of favorite bars or hanging out with smoking pals. Then fairly gradually, I eased back into social circumstances where smoking occurred. I'm sure there are better medications and tactics, but this is how I did it.

Jim

 

[geekette]

I was going for cold turkey and "was lucky" to develop pneumonia just a few days after I quit. the urge remains for a long time, so give yourself a mantra (mine was "light up and die!" fear mongering to self) and distraction - I would do some kind of physical exercise or exertion when the urge struck to get myself past it. The other key for me was mind over matter - if the mind won't let the body drive to the place where the smokes are sold, you won't have any around. If there aren't any around, you can't smoke them. I would get gas at Costco ONLY so that I would not be stopped outside a gas station, where just inside I could buy cigs!

I established new routines, other things to have with coffee or after a meal. Replace the hard urge times with something else. I also found that having the short golf pencils around helped. I could walk around with that like I had a ciggie with me. Eating carrot sticks did absolutely nothing for me. Didn't replace any aspect of the smoking experience and not an effective distraction. Someone insisted I have carrots around because it helped them... sometimes I just play along so a person quits bugging me about trying their "genius solution"....

A friend of mine had great success with Wellbutrin. I have heard of some people doing well with Chantix, but also some people not doing well with Chantix side effects, so that's a crapshoot. I would personally not go with nicotine replacement, as you still have the addictive crap in your system, but, some people have done well with the patch or the gum. not for me, but, if whatever you first try doesn't work, try something else, and don't be hard on yourself if you fail a few times on your way to nonsmoker status. Addiction is tough and not easy to conquer.

good luck!!

 

[mcsteve]

I smoked for 35+ years. Tried patches, gums, pills, you name it and it all came down to I still smoked because I didn’t really have the desire to quit. I was trying because others wanted me to. In 2011 I came across a stop smoking seminar by a guy named Allen Carr. He didn’t tell you not to smoke, he simply explained the science behind how the chemicals in tobacco impacted your brain and how that was engineered by big tobacco. When I left his seminar, I decided that my motivation was to stop the control. That was April 11, 2011. I stopped cold turkey and have not smoked since. It was extremely difficult, i craved them for months and still find myself with a craving from time to time but I refuse to allow a chemical designed to control my actions back into my life.

You must find what your ultimate motivation is and use it to get you to stop. Use the tools available, be it gum, patches, pills, whatever to assist you but remember, these tools won’t make you quit only you can do that. These tools will simply help take the edge off the cravings.

 

[DaveNV]

I quit for the last time twenty years ago. I'd been a heavy smoker for years - the military at the time promoted smoking, by selling cigarettes at greatly discounted, tax-free prices. I was a nonsmoker in Boot Camp, but saw that the smokers got to take a break, while the nonsmokers had to keep working. It didn't take long till I figured out they wanted me to smoke, so I started. I was 18.

I quit a hundred times over the years, but I never felt like a nonsmoker. I always felt like I was just in between packs of cigarettes. There is a huge difference. And time and again, I started smoking again after a period of time. The final time I quit was when I reached the point that I truly didn't want to smoke anymore. I was tired of the expense, and the growing knowledge of what I was doing to my health.

The turning point for me was when it hit me, like a ton of bricks: I didn't have a smoking habit - I had a nicotine addiction. The distinction struck me very hard, and I got angry. I realized I was no better than any other addict. I also knew I was stronger than any addiction. And that was that. Every time I wanted a cigarette, I thought about being controlled by that addiction, and it renewed my anger. I haven't smoked since the late night prior to January 1, 2000.

Bonus: I saved the money I would have been spending on cigarettes, and four months later I bought a used car - for cash. THAT was a huge reality check, a side benefit of what quitting could do for me. And now I know I am truly a nonsmoker. I will never go back.

Good luck with your journey. It's a personal one only you can travel.

Dave

 

[Krteczech]

I became a smoker at 20 and finally quit at 44 after I tried to quit at least 15 times. My motivation was accelerated by prospect of international adoption and a very long overseas flight right after airlines banned smoking. I joined a support group at work an was one of few who never returned to smoking. As a reward I brought back healthy one year old, who will be turning 25 in fall. After I quit I immediately realized the change in my smell and taste receptacles, an unfortunately I also gradually gained 40 lb. if you guys can help me to shed 20 lb my doc and I will be forever grateful.

 

[Tank]

first you have to want too quite for YOU, nobody else.
I chewed for a long time, was pretty hard but I tried what worked for my mom with cigarettes.

My mom quite smoking and how she was able to do it made great since.
She did not quite at first , but she only bought one pack at a time. A different brand , never duplicated , Like when you bum a sig from a friend. her last pack was lucky strikes. Because not her “brand” she was aware of every puff. Not the sweet smooth great sensation Her brand gave her.
Asked herself What am I doing?
This worked for her
That just made great since to me and I quite chewing in the same way. Also gum helped

Not easy taking advice from mom, but it just made since!

Good luck

Dave

 

[b2bailey]

My 40 year old daughter recently quit with the help of a hypno-therapist. Only a few sessions and she was done.

 

[ausman]

My 40 year old daughter recently quit with the help of a hypno-therapist. Only a few sessions and she was done.

Me too, with the help of hypnosis. Previously I had quit with will power alone a number of times but always went back, sometime after years. This year is 30 years since I quit. I had smoked from age 15 to 39 with a few breaks.

 

[Brett]

I smoked a pipe for many years. About 25 years ago I just decided to quit cold turkey.
If I was quitting now I'd transition with nicotine lozenges /gum

 

[Bucky]

Well, it was really quite easy. I had three quick heart attacks and was admitted to the hospital where they did quintuple cardiac bypass. There were complications during the surgery (3 more MI’s) so they kept me asleep for a few days and in the hospital for 10 days. By the time I got out I was cured! LOL. But, in all fairness to disclosure, my wife and I stood in the parking lot before checking in and I literally had a cigarette in each hand! I knew if I lived I would never have another one. That was 27 years ago now smoke free.

 

[WVBaker]

Those who smoke know this deep down inside, but choose to ignore it or refuse to accept it. Smoking is suicide by installments and there is no "magical" way to stop.

No one can quit smoking for you, or make you want to change your life. No one can make you do anything that you don't want to do. You'll be a happy non-smoker only when being a smoker stops defining who you are.

Good luck and remember... One day at a time.

 

[AnnaS]

Hubby and I were smokers. Each time I was pregnant, we both stopped smoking. We both went back after each child was born - maybe 6-9 moths later. We did not smoke in the car or in the house - not that it makes a difference.

For my third pregnancy - Again, we both stopped. I knew that if I picked up a cigarette again anytime after my daughter was born (almost 28 years ago), that it would be very hard for me/us to quit down the road. We have not smoked since I became pregnant with her. Cold turkey for all three.

It was a bad habit. Just had to really distract myself and get away from that routine. Pick up a cigarette before I answered the phone. Light up as soon as I went outside. Light up after a meal. Light up when socializing. Not easy but it can be done.

Good luck!

 

[missyrcrews]

No advice to offer, as I've never smoked. But I DO want to say that I'm so proud of you. You can do it! Praying for success and an end to the addiction for you. Be well!

 

[Luanne]

I forgot to add in my post that in the early days after dh quit he would say that if he were told he only had a few months left he'd start smoking again. I haven't asked him that question in a long, lone time. It's been 30+ years since he quit this last time. I hope he doesn't feel the same way.

 

[AwayWeGo]

I was changing planes in Chicago en route home after army discharge. I was out of cigarettes. By hurrying, I had a chance to catch an earlier flight, so I ran straight to the gate without stopping to buy smokes. I caught the plane, but I was still out of Marlboros. After the flight home landed, I was so overjoyed at being reunited with my wife & our little boy that I never did get round to buying any more cigarettes, ever. That's how I got to be Tobacco-Free Since November 16, 1968. So far, so good.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
​

PS: If I ever get an irresistible craving for that smooth tobacco flavor or a compulsive urge for more of that rich tobacco taste, I can always go lick an ashtray.

 

[mbh]

My wife quit cold turkey 34 years ago. She was hypnotized. A one shot session.

 

[JanT]

I applaud you for wanting to take this huge step to better health. I understand both the smoking and weight issue as I too struggle with my weight.

I had smoked for 15 years when I quit. When I met my now husband, I smoked. He didn't. I knew he didn't like it that I smoked but he was pretty religious and honestly, I think there was a side of him that liked that he was with "the bad girl who smoked and drank." LoL After we married, we relocated because of his job and I knew he wanted me to quit. I didn't really want to but I had made a promise to him that I would. So, I bought nicotine patches and set about using them. The first week I used a whole patch and the 2nd week I cut them in half and used a half patch each day. By the end of the 2nd week I had quit. Now, I could credit a lot of things but here is what I truly believe helped me quit. Every morning I got on my knees and prayed that God will help me get through the day without smoking and at the end of every day when I'd made it through the day without smoking I got on my knees and thanked Him. I never picked up another cigarette.

I used to enjoy smoking the most when I was in Las Vegas at a blackjack table or slot machine. I'd sit there drinking, smoking, and having tons of fun (usually). Whenever I go to Vegas now, I get a craving to smoke and drink and play blackjack. I don't do it (smoke or drink) but the feeling is there and I haven't had a cigarette in 25 years. It's the only place I can go where I walk in, smell cigarette smoke, and take a deep inhale and say, "Ahhhh....Vegas. Ya gotta love it." It brings back a lot of fun memories but quitting smoking was the best thing I could ever have done for myself. I'm working on the weight issue but that's a constant battle I win but generally only for short periods of time.

If it is ok with you mdurette, I will pray for you to have the strength to quit. It's not easy but I promise you, you will be glad you did.

 

[geoand]

I quit in 1977. I was introduced to my future wife by a friend. He told me that she really disliked smoking. I was a 10 year pack or 2 a day Marlboro smoker. I called her to ask her to dinner. She accepted & the rest is history. Cold turkey has never tasted as good as it did the day we married.

 

[Rjbeach2003]

I smoked, really played around with smoking, for the first few years of college. I finally became a full fledged smoker at 20. I smoked a pack a day for awhile, then went in the army and raised that, they were cheap at the PX. When I went to Vietnam they were 15cents a pack and I was up to a couple packs a day. I smoked for a year after discharge, but quit for a weekend spent with my parents, because even though they knew I smoked I didn't want to smoke around them.
I just kept going. Like everyone else I had quit many times before.
What finally got it for me was a method used by a lot of my friends in the early 70's. When I got an overwhelming yearning for a cigarette, I would smoke a joint. That was my reward for skipping tobacco.
That worked. I did smoke cigar some, but quit that easily, and I haven't smoked a cigarette since March 1973. I haven't smoke a joint for nearly 40 years either. Now it's a beer or a glass of wine.

 

[Big Matt]

I'll start by saying that my story really sucks. I was an athlete in college, but my sport, baseball, came with chewing tobacco and dip. I got hooked on that which IMO can be even worse than smoking due to oral cancer. Long story short, I started smoking when I got out of school socially and got hooked. I was about 30-35 smokes a day. It was socially acceptable back then, but as smoking sections in restaurants and my friends weren't smoking, I woke up and realized I had to quit even though I really enjoyed it. By then I had an infant son, and I didn't want him to remember me as a smoker. I had to go to the doctor for a prescription for the patch, and I he gave me one that started with the big patch and went to the small patch and then to the real small one. My wife had a conference at a resort that didn't allow smoking for four days. I figured that would be a great opportunity to quit. I woke up, took a shower, put on the patch and drove 6 hours to the conference. That was 25 years ago. I haven't had one since. Smoking was by far the dumbest thing I ever did in my life, and I wish I could do it over again. I don't have any health issues as a result, but I hate that I smoked for that long. The problem is that I really, really liked smoking. Like another poster, I still love the smell of it, and thoughts of a dark and smoky bar with couple of drinks and some loud music. I know it sounds crazy, but that's the addiction part.