Spiritually speaking.. How did you stop smoking?

Well, darling, two winters ago, I came down with an absolutely horrible cold that kept me inside my house, on the sofa, for three days (I didn't smoke in my house). By the time I was well enough to go outside to smoke, I knew that I was no longer physically addicted, and I thought "why bother?" so I didn't. I haven't had one since.

I didn't really suffer many cravings. I was just ready to stop and I took advantage of an opportunity. My beloved had confidence that I could quit - he didn't pressure me to quit, he just knew I could, which gave me confidence, too...and I didn't want to stumble in his eyes.

If you're motivated, you'll find a way. Don't judge yourself or let yourself panic that this is the "last cigarette." When you feel a craving, just think to yourself that you won't have one now. If you do stumble, well, it's just one - it doesn't mean that you're not still quitting.

Good luck, darling!!

(((Wren)))

Natural Quit Smoking Magic

Hi Wren

This is a good question. Smoking is both psychological and physical. Some people say stop doing the things that made you smoke. Well that's impossible, because we still have to work and live and do the things we always did before. I quit smoking by hypnosis. This takes care of the psychological part of the problem. I tried every way to quit before I took hypnosis. I mean everything, gum, patches, e-cigarattes you name it nothing worked. The only thing that did was Fresh Start program.

94% of everyone who has taken this program has quit in one hour, without cravings, without ever wanting to smoke again. 94%! And when I say “no cravings,” I mean you won’t crave smoking, you won’t feel struggle, you won’t crave food and gain weight, you won’t feel nervous or fidgety. You just plain will feel good, and you will not fail (again)! I know of no other plan, program, or product that has that track record.

Good luck Wren, check out the link below.

If you have pain in your chest when you smoke that is very helpful in keeping you on track. You may not have that pain, but keep thinking about the pain you do suffer, the coughing in the morning, or whatever. In other words, when you think about cigarettes think about the negative.

I did quit cold turkey, but that was the only choice back then.

One trick I found very helpful was to make a habit of not buying or carrying cigarettes, and if somehow I did get some throwing them away. (this works with liquor too). Obviously, you need to not be bumming cigarettes either. Think about how cheap and foolish you are to do that. The thing about not buying cigarettes is that the buying is at least a little painful so that is a good place to intervene if you start back up again. Likewise if you have started again and feel disgusted that is a good time to throw them in the stove (I have a wood stove) and then if you want more you would have to buy them. You just set up a steady negative wind...

Good luck! You'll be feeling a lot better in just a few months.

Nicotine patches, a three month course, stepping down in strength month by month.

It worked really well, except for one minor hiccup - Me. Within days of stopping the patches I was back smoking. Not a success story. I don't feel bad about it, it was a good break. My philosophical take on it is that I'm a smoker, it's what I do.

I've known a few people who have stopped with patches, and stopped, outright.

The only downside I found with them, apart from the sticking plaster rash, was the really vivid and intensely colourful dreams I had during the first month. Apparently that's the nicotine at work.

Other than that, I'd recommend them as an option, not necessarily as a solution, because everyone's different.

Good luck with the giving up, and if you do take a "backwards step", it's not the end of the world, it's a new opportunity to start again.

Keep a positive frame of mind.

:)

I had elevated blood pressure from smoking and using nicotine substitution, like gum or patches put me at serious risk for stroke so I couldn't use them. I did use chantix I don't know how much it helped.

The main thing for me is to remember, I will always want a cigarette. If I smoke one, in less than an hour I will want another. I will want one if I don't smoke as well but I know from experience that I go long times that I forget all about them. The time that I forget about them gets longer and longer.

If I use my atheist talent for logic, I know that this means the longer I don't smoke the less I want a cigarette. Then there is the excitement of extending my life with better health because as an atheist everything tells me that this is all I get and shortening it with smoking is the Atheistic equivalent of blasphemy. Even if your religious there are ways to use the same kind of principle to your advantage.

I have saved a ton of money too, but that means less than almost anything else, It is really about loving yourself enough to say no stinking tobacco company is going to do this to me! It helps to get a little angry and indignant about how you have been conned into sabotaging your own health.

But there is a fine line between seeing that and beating up on yourself for having been a dummy.

Remember that you are quitting for you because you are worth it.

And one last thing if it doesn't work this time try again, and remember that you will have to try again until you are successful, So if you hang on and do it this time so much the better.

Good Luck

I went out to the casino, got poop-faced, lost some money, came home, crashed, woke up, and quit cold-turkey.

The first few weeks were rough, especially when drinking. The hardest part was that I really do enjoy smoking. After a while it got easier. Now, I'll still have a nice cigar when the occasion calls for it, but habitual cigarette smoking is right out.

When I gave up smoking, I devised my own method of withdrawal, which involved at least two gallons of Vodka. What I did, was to steadily drink so much, that even if I happened to remember that I did smoke, I would be far too drunk to even roll myself a cigarette, let alone crawl down to the all night garage to buy some tobacco. And it worked really well.

For the first three hours. Then I managed to crawl on all fours, retching all the way, down to the all night garage, and (after a great deal of confusion, involving sign language, Police officers, and more vomiting) buy some more tobacco.

I never did quite manage to give up smoking, but that's OK, because I have larger fish to fry these days.

"My name's BadBeast, and I'm an Alcoholic"

I reduced the number I'd smoke per day by 1 each month. I quit back in September, and haven't smoked since. Also, I've found it helps to keep cigarettes in a place where they're not easy to get to. A craving can diminish after 15 minutes or so.

((((Wren))))

I went cold turkey.

Last September I had a really bad chest cold and when I smoked a cigarette it hurt worse then it ever hurt before so I decided that it was my last one. I had cravings just like everyone else but every time I craved a cigarette I remember the pain. Sometimes I look back and wonder how in the hell I stayed addicted for so long and how free I feel now that I'm not addicted. But everyone quits in their own way. For me cold turkey is what worked best but for someone else it might be too much for them to handle at once.

Good luck!