This is my (cigarette) quit date... not going so well

[Sgent]

I've wanted a smoke every minute of the day, and broke down and had 2 over the course of the day.

I was/am a heavy smoker (2+ packs/day), so I'm using chantix and a patch. They both help, but still not so easy...

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Kali]

1. that's pretty major - don't beat yourself up or stop trying!

I'm trying to quit eating - REALLY hard - they don't make a patch either:rofl:

I didn't check your profile, but I know there is a no-smoking hotline in Tucson - is there anything like that available in your community? or I'm sure there MUST be some on line support - hell, there is probably a DU group!

Good luck and the lounge is always here too.

[Arugula Latte]

2. Well, two cigs is a lot better than two packs!

If you can just hang in there eventually it will become easier, so they say. I've never smoked so I've never experienced the addiction, but think about how much less poison your body has to process every minute of every day if you quit.

[The Midway Rebel]

3. Take a walk.

Personally, I cannot say enough about exercise as the secret weapon against nicotine addiction.

Hang in there.

[tammywammy]

4. I'm trying to quit too

2 is much better than 2 packs! I was only half a pack a day, but I found if I drank a glass of water when I craved it seemed to stave it off. Oh and I tried the patch years ago...I had some messed up dreams if I wore it while sleeping.

Good luck!

[DoBotherMe]

5. I used to chew so many pieces

Of nicorette at once that I would get high and have heart palpitations! The patch gave me strange dreams (as Tammywammy said).When I got a craving I'd chew the gum. Dana ; )

[Bennyboy]

6. Learn to juggle!

Seriously. get some bean bags or balls and when you feel like smoking juggle. Or Hula Hoop or swing poi or something to take you mind off the ciggys.

[Sgent]

7. THANKS for the suggestions

I bought some sugar free gum, which is helping -- and that walk helped as well.

Fortunately I never smoked inside so I don't have any triggers from being on the computer etc.

Thanks for all the support!!!

[murielm99]

8. I quit in March.

I cheated today. It was a stressful day, but that was no excuse. Now I have a headache. I know I will pick myself up and get back on the wagon again tomorrow. Even if it is hard, I will do it. You can, too. I know you can beat this.

[LostinVA]

9. It gets better, it really does

I smoked 2 1/2 packs a day, and quit 14 years ago, cold turkey. The first day was horrible, as were the next two days. The first week was agony, and the first month kinda sucked alot. Then, it starts getting alot better.

After three days, it's just habit.

It's harder to kick than heroin.

I haven't smoked approximately 206,000 cigarettes.

HANG TOUGH!

Don't drink alcohol.

[LostinVA]

10. Just remember -- every time you smoke one, you are basically starting over

You can't smoke.

[Skittles]

11. tip for you, Sgent

those cravings are intense but they don't really last that long - try to do something to take your mind off it and see how fast the craving goes away - make it a game of you vs craving - try it

[struggle4progress]

12. (1) Try to change your daily routine as much as possible: what time you get up, when and

where you eat, anything you can change

(2) In my experience the horrid cravings come in cycles and have limited duration: teach yourself to say This craving for a ciggy will pass in three or four minutes -- because it will: another intense craving will eventually follow, of course, but it will pass too

(3) Start doing something new: say, take a yoga class twice a week and do some yoga for twenty minutes every night. Or take up swimming. Or something/anything to help convince yourself I'm changing

[Tikki]

22. This is great advice...

Maybe you could rearrange as much furniture as you can.
Wash or dry clean clothing and curtains..no need to add smell of cigarettes into the mix.
I even washed down the walls and cleaned the rugs.

Try to mix up your day so it feels like a different routine.


Tikki
smoke free for nearly 7 years...

[hibbing]

13. You can do it!!!

Hey,
Good luck, good advice from everyone. I was walking home from work one day puffing away and just said to myself what the heck am I doing? Stopped cold turkey. After 5 years, some days at work when I am ready to leave that feeling comes up on me, that is the only time the craving pops up, yes even after all these years. I wish you the best of luck, it is a brutal habit to break.

Peace

[Stardust]

14. Take a deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath next time the urge strikes.

And you may want to try e-cigarettes. I've heard great success stories about them. Good luck.

[yankeepants]

15. Get up. Go do something. A walk, dishes, sweep the floor, clean out the car

Whatever it takes to break the focus of the moment but please stay with it.

Treat quitting as one of the most important things that you have to do in your life.

10 years as a non-smoker. We are here for you.

[sarge43]

16. Don't give up.

I lost count of the number of times I fell off the wagon before I finally quit for good.

The other thing: Don't beat up on yourself because you have a setback. You're dealing with one of the nastiest addictions going. Be positive about yourself and your goal. You used to smoke 40 a day; you now smoked 2 one day. That's pretty damn good and real progress.

Hang in there :hug:

[Callalily]

17. You'll be able to beat this,

I just know it, because I'm talking from experience.

It does get easier and easier and soon you won't even be thinking cigarettes!

:hug:

[a kennedy]

18. Hang in there Sgent.....

go here: http://www.stopsmokingcenter.net/ this place really helped me..... I've been smokeless since May 2 2005. Best thing I've ever done, THE HARDEST TOO DO, but the best thing. It does get easier or less stressful, and I do at times still think I would enjoy a smoke. D*mn, I don't think I will ever be FREE of the urge, and I know that if I have even one puff, I'll be addicted again. But really Sgent, you WILL get through it....... *hugs*

[Inchworm]

19. Be strong, You can do it.

I hope you make it! :woohoo:

:hi:

[IBEWVET]

20. Deep breath!

As said above, it helps with the craving. Take a deep breath through your nose then exhale, it sure helped me. Don't give up, keep trying.

[Lil Missy]

21. You shouldn't be taking both Chantix and the patch. They work against each other.

Chantix blocks nicotine, so wearing a patch is counterproductive.

[Sgent]

27. The evidence shows different

look at the prescribing info for chantix, it shows the quit rate using both modalities was much higher than either one alone. The drawback is the side effect profile, but my physician encouraged me to try it given my heavy smoking habit.

[Lil Missy]

31. That is not true. Pfizer says combining the patch with Chantix is “not recommended."

They work against each other.

Good luck

[rubberducky]

23. 40-year smoker here, but quit in 1 day with e-cigs.

I`m using Cloud Nine brand. I`ve tried everything through the years, so I had pretty much given up on quitting. I started reading about the e-cigs and decided to try them. Since the day I got them 6 months ago I`ve had about 3 real cigs, but no desire for the real cigs over the plastic one. Now I call them my binky, I really don`t care if I ever get rid of this crutch because you can get them with no nicatine just flavor. Hope this helps you.

[zanana1]

29. Are they expensive? nt

[Inchworm]

30. Saw this. A "local" seller

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9474614

:hi:

[rubberducky]

32. About $50.00 for the kit. It was worth every penny for me.

I have found that as long as I have my little plastic ciggy with "smoke" coming out of it, I`m good to go. I truelly didn`t think I would ever quit, but I wouldn`t even consider going back to real cigs. Weight gain of about 15 pounds, but I figure I`ll worry about that some other time.

[zanana1]

41. I'm happy for you.

I know that people say that all the time, but I really mean it.

[joeybee12]

24. Feel free to vent...we're rooting for you!

:toast:

[mcollins]

25. I quit two years ago and I still find the urge to smoke.

If someone lights up next to me I really want one. In the past I sometimes gave in and did have one, but now I don't. The urge is still there- I am just stronger now.

[gratuitous]

26. Sounds like you're doing pretty good, actually

Not to be over-dramatic, but you’re in the fight of your life against the major league of addiction. You’re not going to bat 1.000, but you can do it. Use every trick you can think of, what works for one person might not work for you, but solicit advice and good luck. Enlist the help of people around you. They don’t have to knock a cigarette out of your hands, but people will want to help. “Come walk around the block with me, the cravings are really bad.”

If nothing else, think of the $5 per pack you’re not spending. Two packs a day? You will be saving three hundred dollars a month! Make yourself a deal for some kind of reward; there’s lots of nice things you could buy yourself for a hundred dollars. Bank the rest.

[zanana1]

28. Don't set unrealistic goals for yourself...

If you do, you're bound to fail. Best of luck; I know it's not easy. (Seven years and counting). I'm sending good vibes your way, Sgent. Please give yourself a pat on the back every once in a while.

[denverbill]

33. Just remember the urge to smoke will go away whether you smoke a cigarette or don't.

The only difference is if you smoke, the urge will just come back again sooner. If you don't smoke, eventually, the time between urges gets longer and longer and then goes away.

Just think about the tobacco company executives. None of them smoke because they don't want to die young. But they have no problem coercing you into smoking and selling you a dangerous product to make themselves rich. And to make sure that CEO salary never dies, they contribute heavily to the Republican party. Every cig you smoke is contributing to conservative causes.

On edit, 2 pack a day smoker for 15 years. Quit May, 2003! Screw tobacco company execs and their pals in the Republican party.

[myrna minx]

34. This is great advice.

My Quit date was January 25 and I can't believe I've almost made it to 7 months. I remember the first 3 days were excruciating, but I lived through it remembering that the urge will go away no matter what I do, so I might as well hang in there. All my best support and best wishes for all who are going through the quit. It does get better - especially after the 3 month mark.

:grouphug:

[denverbill]

36. To me, quitting smoking was essentially practicing resisting urges.

Every urge you beat is an exercise, and each time you do it, your ability to resist the next urge increases and the time between urges increases. I agree it was probably 3 months before I was pretty comfortable not smoking, but all during that time the duration and frequency of the urges got less and less. The first day it seemed like I did nothing BUT think about smoking. Then it got to the point where I thought about it once an hour, then two or three hours. Then it got down to the occasional ones, like after dinner or after completing a big chore. And I'd get really strong urges at times, but just keeping the thought process that the urge will go away whether you smoke or not really helped me get past it.

Congrats on your 7 months!

[zanana1]

42. I love what you said!

I plan to use it often.

[Roon]

35. Don't give up!!

I quit 5 years ago and I am very pleased. Trust me, it's worth it! It's so nice to not be a slave to cigarettes. Go buy yourself something with the money you save from not smoking.

[madrchsod]

37. you are just keeping the smoke out of your lungs

by using the patch you are not breaking the nicotine habit and as soon as you lit back up you`re back to sq one. remember nicotine leaves your system with in a week or so but the habits you acquired that made you smoke is the real problem. i quit in 1981 and have`t smoked since. i changed a lot of the situations and habits that i did when i was smoking and been successful. you can do the same..think about what you are doing when you light up...then figure out a way to deal with that situation without a cigarette.

it takes a lot of hard work and determination but you`ll feel so much better and your senses will pay you back. the only drawback is that you`ll know just how back cigarettes really smell.


you know you can do it don`t you!

[AsahinaKimi]

38. keep up the good work ..you are trying!

Ganbarimasu!! Do your best!

[applegrove]

39. I quit using chantix. I went for a walk whenever I had a crave and bough a popsicle.

The chantix really separated the act of smoking from the pleasure center in my brain. Then when I was totally off cigarettes and Chantix I smoked a few packs of herbal cigarettes which were vile. Now whenever I think of smoking I remember only the vile taste of herbal smokes. I haven't had a really big crave since. I also feel sorry for those who smoke. Been quit two years and going strong.

There is a website called the quitnet.com It is the place to go during a crave where other quitters will talk you down. They also have lots of intel on quitting. Good luck to you.

[valerief]

40. Quitting was by far THE BEST thing I've ever done for myself.

Stop punishing yourself. Love yourself. Quit, baby, quit.

BTW, I smoked for decades and it's been many years since I've quit. I have NOT had a cigarette since. Not even tempted. Even when I have a cocktail. No desire. I'm FREE!!!!!!!

[TK421]

43. If you had 2 over the course of the day and were smoking 2 packs a day

I would say that is a significant improvement....shit, I tried going cold turkey and ended up smoking half a pack ( compared to a bit better than a pack )

You deserve credit

[OmahaBlueDog]

44. Go to the local C-Store, and while trying to resist buying a pack, do this:

Buy the mega-gulp mug -- preferably one with a built in straw. Otherwise, grab a bunch of straws.

AT ALL TIMES keep this thing filled with either water or your favorite non-alcoholic beverage of choice.

Every time you want to take a drag, suck on the straw instead. This helps ease the hand/mouth thing, and also helps cleanse the nicotine from your system.

Good luck!

[Redstone]

45. Nicotine is the only drug we administer to ourselves 100 times a day...

Good luck to you. I'm going to have to face that fight myself sometime soon. Quitting the alcohol wasn't easy, but the the nicotine fight looks to be even harder.

Redstone