Stress relievers for someone who's quitting smoking?

Okay, first you and your fiance need to know that nicotine addiction is not just a physical addiction it is an psychological one also, so there's many fronts to deal with on the fight against smoking. Stress relief is just a portion of what he'll need to do to actually quit and the new way he learns to cope with stress will be a growing process not just something someone can suggest. It can be anything from physical exertion to keeping a journal, but it will be unique to him and him alone. Mine was to go back to college, go figure. The stress of mid-terms or finals were a piece of cake compared to being a single parent raising 4 kids that I thought was the stressors that made me smoke. Studying took my mind off cigarettes, that's for sure. Of course my way of quitting was a little unique too.

I quit at least 80 times, but staying quit was the hard part and it wasn't until I had my throat slit from ear to ear to remove the cancerous tumor in my throat that was going to kill me within days, that I was able to quit, and no one wants to take that route to quit. But even then I had to work at staying quit, for I smoked right up to doors of the hospital even knowing it was killing me and they had to medicate me through my withdrawals. That's how addictive it is.

The reason I tell you that is that I am almost 9 years post operative and there are times when I still have the urge to smoke, even though the smell of it makes me nauseous. The addiction is that strong and evil.

It takes approximately 3 days for the nicotine itself to leave the blood system but stress will always be in our lives and smoking is a mental crutch that we turn to and so round and round the cycle goes.

The medicine you mentioned has had some good sucess but again, the person has to WANT to quit or it will fail and it will not be the medicines fault.

The best thing I have found in helping friends and relatives quit is:

1) To remind them what they have special in their lives to live for and some people have put the picture of their loved ones inside the cellophane of the cigarette pack, on both sides, to remind them that with every cigarette they smoke, they risk losing them and so much more. They have to look at this as a mental war.

2) Help them to understand that smoking doesn't always KILL you, it can leave you alive but can cause major damage to your body, mostly the head and neck region,and that your quality of life may be severely limited. I know people that have lost half their face to cancer from tobacco but still live.

3) But most of all, the biggest thing is to remember we are stronger than the cigarette itself and all it represents. It is the only legal substance sold in the world that's sole purpose is to kill you and that's why it targets the younger generation so heavily, they need to replenish their customer base as the older users die. Sad thing is, the younger generations are reaping the ill effects earlier and earlier due to additives that are not regulated by law for the tobacco industry but if you have them in your garage, it's a federal crime, for they are known carcinogens and toxic ( Acetone, arsenic are just a couple to name, though there's over 3000. One is used to remove nail polish or paint, the other is rat poision, but you can legally inhale it through a cigarette). Not long after my surgery, a 22 year old young man had to have the same surgery I did and he had only started smoking at 16.

That's why the tobacco industry has pushed a massive marketing campaign in Asia and other countries as our laws in the USA get stronger. So be stronger than the cigarette that is only hurting the smoker and lining someone elses pocket.

4) If they still need motivation other than their loved ones or their health, let them know that the money saved from buying cigarettes will astound them. I kept a ledger of any money coming in and out of my house for I was a waitress and had to track my tips for taxes, and I went back after my surgery in 1999, and found that even though a pack only cost about $2.50 back then, I was spending over $3,000 a year on something that just went up in smoke and almost cost me my life. I was blessed to only lose my voice, teeth, smell, taste and the inability to swallow anything larger than the size of the letter "a" on this page. I lost other things, but enough details on that subject. But I hope I made my point.

Oh, and the tobacco company will not pay your medical bills which will mount in the 6-7 figure range, and most health insurances are not covering any illness that may be related to tobacco more and more and getting away with it.

5) Do not nag the person trying to quit!! Be a cheerleader instead. They more than likely will fail a couple of times, but don't get mad at them, just let them know you believe in them and they'll do better the next day.

I am a walking example of what I speak of and I talk to school kids around my state about tobacco and it's effects for when they see me, I look just like their mom or aunt or even their neighbor when I walk on stage, for I was only 37 when I lost everything to tobacco. They think "ho hum, another stupid assembly", until I start talking with a machine that has only a monotone sound and explain about why I breathe through a hole in the base of my throat. They sit up and listen then. I tell them the same thing when they ask how to get mom, grandma, uncle, etc. to quit smoking for they see my little girl (she was 4 when I lost my voice) and realize it could be them whose mother got cancer from smoking. I tell them to be a cheerleader and then I explain to them it's like when your mom nags you to clean your room (we nag our smokers to quit), so you clean by pushing everything under the bed or in the closet (smokers will sneak a smoke when they think no one will know) just to stop the nagging. But if your mom finds out you didn't really clean your room (smoke leaves a smell on the clothes, etc.), and instead of yelling and nagging, she sits you down and lets you know that she loves you and that she knows you can do a better job next time and when you do, you'll be rewarded is many ways (you have to do the same with smokers if you catch them sneaking a smoke or find out they smoked), but it may take you a number of times to clean your room (quit smoking) correctly. Eventually they clean their rooms right with a little extra effort (smokers can quit with effort!).

Okay, it's sounds juvenile, but that's the analogy I use for kids and it goes for kids and adults.

Gum, lollipops, patches etc. can help, but it's the mental attitude that's going to get you through the days and night to the freedom from nicotine. I never thought I could live without a cigarette, even after my mother died in my arms of lung cancer, now I'm amazed that I ever smoked for 23 whole years.

It is a good idea to limit coffee and alcohol while trying to quit though, if those were triggers that made smoking a little more pleasureable. I had to for a while, even though the very thought of having to put the cigarette up to the hole in my neck to even inhale make me sick to my stomach, but now I can drink coffee and alcohol and not crave a cigarette.

So far, my brother and my aunt have quit cold turkey, and one day at the grocery store, a young man was bagging my groceries but when he heard my machine, he stopped and told me that he remembered me coming to a night detention class for the hard core kids to talk about my experience with tobacco and it's effects and that I made such an impact on him, with my little girl by my side, that he never touched another cigarette from that day forward.

So I hope this helps even that littlest bit as it helped him.

Stay strong and makes sure to tell your fiance to be stronger than the cigarette and keep cheering him on.

Congratulations on your impending nuptials and I hope you both get the ultimate wedding gift- a long, happy and tobacco free life together.

PS-Sorry, I always seem to write novels when I answer a question regarding this subject but it is a subject near and dear to my heart and I really hope you and your fiance have success in this endeavor.

well actually stress balls do work. My cousin recently quit smoking and she had a stress ball with her at all times. She also chewed gum constantly. Not the nicotine stuff but regular gum. It had something to do with keeping herself busy I think. I dunno but it worked.

Withdrawl is gonna suck so the tips are for you... be patient on him. He'll be super cranky all the time.

Best of luck to him! : )

My husband smoked for 18 years and right after we married he decided to quit (first of all your finance has to do it for himself not you). He used the patch and tried to stay busy as not to think about it. He said that candy and lollipops helped and then he decided to build model airplanes to keep his hands busy. That is the key to quitting is keeping the hands busy as they were used to holding a cigarette even if they didn't always smoke it all the way. The only way you can help is to encourage him and if he slips and lights one up say nothing and remind him tomorrow is a new day to stop again. Try to be very patient with him as this is very hard to do. He can do this with your help and help from family. Soon the cigarettes wont even taste good any more. Try not to bring beer in the home or go to a bar as this was hard on us cause we used to go out and he said that cigarettes and beer go together. Good Luck