Stop Smoking Hints

[carry guy]

If your resolve is really there, you can do it. I did after smoking more than a pack a day for over forty years.

Most of smoking cigarettes is just habitual. I used to light up answering a phone call, with morning coffee, after a meal, when I got in a car to drive, and so on. The real physical urges only last a couple of minutes when they come up, and they lessen greatly after three to four days. After a couple of weeks they are non-existent physically and only exist psychologically. I'd recommend trying to do something physical when the urge hits you if you can.

There's also a book I'd recommend called The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, by Allen Carr. The guy smoked beyond belief. It's a humorous read that deals with his experiences and really was a help to me. He emphasizes that thinking of smoking as a physical addiction is overblown --- that we don't wake up in the middle of the night just to feed our bodies nicotine. He doesn't recommend nicotine gum or patches, as he thinks those things just condition your mind to think of quitting as more of a challenge than it really is.

That said, whatever works for you is fine. Don't get discouraged if you slip up and smoke again. The next time you try to quit may be the time it works.

 

[pinkhamr]

I thank you for all of the postings ...... they gave me a lot to consider ....

 

[chr_edw]

it does but remember it's an anti depressant and you also get the side effects from such drugs. A better alternative is Tabex (Cytisine)

Yes there are. I had some pretty serious dreams for about the 1st week then was good. I didn't know there was an alternative out there. I tried to quit a bunch of ways and nothing seemed to work. Did the chantix and quitting was no big deal. I did however slip up about 6 months later thinking I could just have one or 2 and I was wrong. I re-started for a few months and will now be quitting again next week.

 

[hanson405]

I know statistics do NOTHING to help anyone quit smoking, but here's one I found interesting.

You reduce your chances of getting cancer by 50% within a month of quitting.

No "last cigarette" no "Last pack" just QUIT. The hardest part is breaking the "oral fixation." You will want something in your mouth (I'm really not attempting to be crude...). Chew gum, toothpicks, soda straws, just don't substitute one nasty habit for another.