Anybody here have any experience with getting acupuncture treatment to stop

[Mist]

smoking? I've been very sick lately, and unable to smoke, but still feel cravings. I've heard there's acupuncture to help with addiction problems, and would love to hear if anyone here knows about it firsthand.

[Metta]

1. What helped me.

... don't know if you want to try this. I had a cigarette that I rolled from Bugler cigarette tobacco which, as it turned out, had way too much nicotene for me and I wound up with a nicotene overdose. I had all I could do to drag myself to bed and crash. Haven't had a cigarette in 45 years. You may want to consult your doctor before trying this.

[Metta]

2. What helped me.

... don't know if you want to try this. I had a cigarette that I rolled from Bugler cigarette tobacco which, as it turned out, had way too much nicotene for me and I wound up with a nicotene overdose. I had all I could do to drag myself to bed and crash. Haven't had a cigarette in 45 years. You may want to consult your doctor before trying this.

[MagickMuffin]

3. I've been using my Will Power

First off, I'm sorry you're so sick. But this can be somewhat of a blessing.

Here's my deal. I started smoking as a teenager. Then I would quit, but some where down the road I would start again. Repeat the process several more times.

I have always relied on my Will Power to quit. The first two days are always the hardest for me. After that it seems to be less stressful. This last time which has only been a month or so has been the most stressful where I'm still craving a smoke. However, my lungs are feeling better, I'm not having the horrible cough throughout the day.


So, my suggestions would be talk yourself out of wanting one.

Think about ALL the negative objectives of not picking up that next cigarette, think about ALL the chemicals they put in cigarettes (this was how I quit once, I had read that they spray uranium on the plants as a bug repellent, YIKES) or the pollution you're no longer adding to your house, car or wherever else you smoked.

Then think of ALL the positive objectives of not smoking. Your lungs will start regenerating and repairing themselves, how much money you're saving (maybe start a quit smoking jar and fill it with the money you are NOT spending on cigarettes and buy something you've been dreaming about), how you don't smell of tobacco, your teeth will thank you as well. So on and so forth.


I'll gladly send you Healing Light and Love to 1. get to feeling better and 2. to help you to stop suffering from the cravings.


Sorry about not having an answer to your direct question, but I've always quit as mentioned above. And yes it is a struggle, but this time I'm not going to let that inside voice tell me that I LIKE smoking, which I do; no you don't; yes I do; NO you DON"T. It can be quite a fun game of challenging myself and to see which side of my brain wins out. NO YOU DON"T LIKE SMOKING TOBACCO :puke:


Good Luck Mist :hug:

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. If none of the above help

there is Nicotine Anonymous. Don't feel bad if you find you have to go to them for help-- it's the only Anonymous group I've yet seen with chips for 30 minutes (!)

(Chips are tokens given to celebrate time free from the particular addiction...AA for example has a 1-29 day chip for newcomers, but 30 days is the regular "first" chip. NA is a serious program for a truly serious addiction.)

Hope you feel better :(

[Kookaburra]

5. Some friends have had success with hypnosis

I don't know anything about acupuncture, though. Sorry.

[Cleita]

6. I quit cold turkey and had in addition to deal with someone around me

who was still smoking. I never found anything like hypnotism, which I tried, to work. I never did try acupuncture. What did work for me was playing little mind tricks on myself. If I wanted a cigarette I postponed it for an hour by doing something that required my attention and occupied my hands like crocheting. I found that I got past that craving by keeping my mind and my hands occupied elsewhere. I did this to myself for what seemed a long time but I did get over the craving eventually and in between the cravings were fewer and fewer.

Since you have been unable to smoke you are already weaning yourself of the addiction. The problem now is to keep your mind off cigarettes. Try not to be around people who are smoking or in places where smoking is permitted. In time you will appreciate your freedom from the cigs and the fact that you don't have to plan your activities around when you can smoke.

Best of luck and I'm pulling for you. I hope you start feeling better from what is making you sick as well.

[Sienna86]

7. I tried accupuncture

I wanted it to work, but I can't say it had any effect on me. I found hypnosis more helpful, but I still needed to use the patches to quit. This is my second time quitting and I'm doing a good job working my way down the patches. I'm on the 14 mg now. The first few days are a challenge, but it makes it easier. Nicotine is a strong addiction. I think I could quit on my own if there was zero stress in my life and if I was on a deserted island. Good luck to you. You can do it.

[BlueIris]

8. If you're not interested in/not a candidate for medication,

(Welbutrin, or whatever your doc recommends for smoking cessation) I suggest these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECecI8_Eb_s&feature=channel

Made by our very own Celebration, they are excellent.

I also recommend Almond essence from Spirit in Nature (also known as "the addiction essence)

http://www.spirit-in-nature.com/free-online-essences-book/Almond-Flower-Essence.php

Or Morning Glory essence from Flower Essence Services:

http://www.fesflowers.com/fes-store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_72&products_id=160

I think of Morning Glory as the premier essences for substance abuse recovery and I wish I could get all recovering addicts to add it to their therapeutic regimen.

[murielm99]

9. I used cold laser therapy.

The place I went to does acupuncture as well. But they claim great success with cold laser therapy. It is working for me. I don't know why, but it is working.

Actually, I should say "helping," not "working." Nothing works. There is no magic pill. The person has to do the actual work.

I have quit four times in four years. I could not use the patch. It gave me a wildly irregular heartbeat. I became very ill with Wellbutrin. I still have scars from the hives it gave me. Chantix turned me into a hideous insane person. It was worse when I discontinued the drug!

See if there is a place near you that offers cold laser therapy. Usually, it will be a holistic medical practice.

You will find something. You will be a nonsmoker.

[arikara]

10. I tried a laser thing

that was based on the acupuncture points in the ears. It didn't work. What finally did work was a form of self hypnosis. I picked a date a couple months in the future and in the meantime changed my smoking habits. I never smoked in the house even though it was miserable out. So every time I had one I'd stand in the wind and rain telling myself how much I hated smoking, how bad it stunk, how it was so bad for my health etc etc. When I finished I'd go in and scrub my hands and rinse out my mouth. A couple things made this process easier, I'd accidentally thrown my car ashtray into a big dumpster when I went to empty it, and they brought in no-smoking bylaws in the city so it was harder to find a place to sit to have a coffee and smoke.

Anyhow, it worked and by the time the quit date came I was down to about 3 a day if that. It was a relief to be finished with them and I haven't wanted one since. That was over 10 years ago.