I need to stop smoking. I have tried with no results. Any suggestions that really work?
By vickie guy from Earle, AR
Go online and find how much tar is in the various cigarettes, and find out where your brand is on the list. Start smoking a brand that is lower in tar than yours. At first they will be too mild, but before long they will taste normal to you. Keep going down and down in tar this way until you are smoking the ones with the lowest tar.
At the same time you are cutting down on tar and nicotine, make it difficult to smoke by making some rules for yourself that (in your own mind) you "must" follow. Use a piece of typing paper to wrap a pack of cigarettes (gift wrap style), but don't use any tape. Instead, put a rubber band going up and down and one going crosswise. Place the pack of cigarettes in a rarely-used room in an inconvenient place, and place the only ash tray you are allowed to use in a different room in an inconvenient place. Place a cigarette lighter in a different room in an inconvenient place. Next, only allow yourself to smoke in a certain room, a room where the wrapped cigarettes, ash tray, and lighter are not. It should be a room where there is no TV, radio, computer, phone, etc. and no one to talk to. Only allow yourself to smoke standing up.
Each time you want to smoke, the rule is you must go get one cigarette, you can only use the smokes that are in the wrapped pack. You must remove the rubber bands, take off the typing paper, get out your smoke, then re-wrap and put the rubber bands back on. If it is the last cigarette in the pack, before you can smoke it, you must get a fresh pack (from a different room), wrap it and put on the rubber bands. Next, you get your ash tray from the inconvenient place, then get the lighter, then you smoke the cigarette in your boring room. When you are finished smoking, you must replace the ash tray and lighter before you do anything else.
This routine makes smoking such a pain in the rear and so boring that lots of times when you want a cigarette, you'll just say heck on it, it's too much work, and that craving will pass. If you stick with it, this will work. Make your own rules for when you are at work, when you are at someone's house, when you are in the car, etc.
My brother-in-law quit smoking by poking a hole with a safety pin in each smoke, right under, but not in the filter. When he got use to that, he poked 2 holes, etc. No fair covering the holes with your finger. (04/23/2009)
By Joy
I smoked for over 30 years. A friend told me about someone quitting with Smokeaway. I tried it and quit for good, haven't smoked for over 3 years with very minimal cravings. Believe me this really does work.
The website is smokeaway.net
Good luck, Audrie
(04/29/2009)
By audrie12
I quit smoking by using positive thoughts, ideas, and one affirmation. What I had done was go to Google pictures and downloaded all the positive non smoking pictures I could fine. I put them on my bulletin board by my desk and looked at it every day. I also had some of these posts on my bathroom mirror, bedroom door, and the fridge.
Karyn (04/29/2009)
By Karyn
When I decided to stop smoking, my oldest daughter didn't believe I could do it. I had smoked 2 packs a day for 36 years. I told her that if I ever smoked a cigarette I would pay her one thousand dollars. I made rules for myself, like I could only smoke outside, no matter what the weather. The cigarettes were ones I did not like. It has been 9 years since I had a cigarette. I will not pay her that thousand dollars for something I don't need to be doing. I hope you find what works for you. Cravings only last a short time, find something to do. Good luck. (04/29/2009)
Go online and check out "Electronic Cigarettes". It gives you "hand to mouth habit relief" and also a little burst of nicotine. Then just try really hard to cut down even putting one (electronic ciggie) in your mouth at all as quickly as possible so you don't end up having to pay for the nicotine cartridges forever and a day. Not only because of the cost, but also because you need to get the nicotine out of your system. You might want to Google what nicotine is and does.
My advice also is to think about what's going to happen if you don't quit. I was hospitalized for COPD at the beginning of this month. Although in my case the primary cause for COPD was because of working with or being around chemicals for most of my life, I would not have gotten this sick at only 55 years old had I never smoked. I'll tell you that it's a pretty darn scary thing to not remember even getting to the emergency room. I couldn't breathe and then found out when reading the hospital reports later that my blood pressure was 180/118 and oxygen saturation 84 when admitted to hospital.
And now I have to go through six months to a year of rehabilitation minimum and re-train for a new career and can never even be exposed to cleaning chemicals like Windex again. Google about blood pressure, oxygen concentration and COPD if you don't already know about them, too.
All the Googling might be incentive enough to quit immediately without a nicotine aid. Best of luck to you and please let us know how you do. (04/29/2009)
By Deeli
One of my co-workers and his wife both went for acupressure or acupuncture treatments and it worked. (04/29/2009)
By Maryeileen
I quit after 27 years, 16 years ago. When I quit, I was smoking 3 packs a day, on a "good" day. I was greatly motivated, because my very favorite aunt was dying of lung cancer and I had the very worst case of bronchitis I ever had.
I used the patch, but nobody else in the house smoked. I had such support from my family, too. I used nice, dry bread sticks and coffee for a while. It gave the same feeling as cigarettes. I remember the first day I quit. It was really difficult, and the next several days got worse and worse. But after that it was getting easier, and I did it. I cannot tell you the thrill of the first breath of fresh, clean, wonderful lungful of Ohio spring air.
Please keep trying. If I could quit, anyone can. (04/29/2009)
By Margie1950
When I finally quit smoking for good (and I do mean "Good"), I did it by using behavior modification. I wore a rubber band on my left wrist and, when I started craving a cigarette, I would pop that rubber band with my other hand. Believe it or not, it worked. Good luck and God bless you. (04/29/2009)
By Pat Giles
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
