Stop-smoking question

[davidblk]

Hi,
I hope I'm posting on the right section...
Anyway, I have a question with regards to smoking - I had a long debate the other day if it is easier to stop smoking at once or gradually.
All the fellows I know that stopped smoking did it at once, but friend insists that at-once is harder and he's trying to stop smoking gradually.
What do you think?

-
David
cardiofiles

[swanso5]

without ever smoking i woodn't no but it all comes down to how bad u want to quit...if ur life is in danger it shoodn't b 2 hard but even sum don't stop then...if u don't think u go cold turkey then gradual decrerases r definately the way to go...i've got a client who's on the patches but only using half them at a time by cutting them in half which is a good idea

[PsychoSpike]

Well i can tell you, as far as i know:

i've been smoking for the last 7 years now, i've just quit smoking (and another bad habit, i won't discuss here) very recently (i'm up to day 8 now)
i quit cold turkey, it was a bit hard first few days (stomach), yeah but what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger right?

I guess you just have to flip the switch in your head... it's bad for you, other people around you, costs money, actually is disgusting... what works for you.

-buying a stressball helps when you have to work the computer a lot...
-i started running too, in our nearest forest(taking it easy). that actually is giving a lot of satisfaction.
-getting your friends involved helps too, let them know what you're doing. if they love you they'll help.
-for example i got msn, in tag, i let everybody know i was quitting,
now i change tag every day, now it's: "Day 8: Rage against nicotine"

i don't doubt i will have trouble in the future (nicotine cravings), but when that happens i'll just try see the positive side of not smoking, and all the negatives of smoking.

hope this helps.

[rallaire]

I quit smoking 8-1/2 years ago now. I am really addicted to smoking. I used the patch then to quit smoking and followed their program of so many weeks on one step until I was down to nothing.

Three years ago I started smoking again for 4 months. I went right back into old habits of a pack a day within a few weeks. It took me the entire time to quit smoking again. I was allergic to the new adhesive that was in the patch and was unable to use it. I used a drug called Zyban and finally quit within 4 weeks. It made me feel jittery on it, so I only took half the dose.

But it still comes down to will power, whether you want to REALLY quit or not. Keep busy and eat well and you can beat it!

[jdx1589]

Both parents were smoking since they were young, and what worked best for them was different. dad quit right away, and aparently he was extremely sick and had bad withdrawals. mom quit, and used butterscotch candy to help her cravins. However, this made her put on a lot of weight, and she just started working out to stay healthy. Both parents have not smoked a single cigarrette for about 10 years now.

dads motivation to stop i think was the fact that he wanted to be a good role model for me, his son, and what made mom stop was one day when i was a little kid, she was walking me to the bustop, and ran out of breath after a block. She didnt feel like she was going to make it. She promised to herself that if she could make it to the bustop and back safely, that she would never smoke anothe cigarrette ever again. And as of today, she hasnt.

[viper]

I know its not the same, however I was very hooked on pop. One day I just suddenly quit drinking. It was easy for me b/c I have strong will power. So it really depends on how much you want to quit.

[ayman697]

Let me tell you exepreince ,I am 23 ,I have been a steady a pack a day smoker since i was 16 ,I started hitting the gym 4 days a week for 2 months now .I quit smoking 4 days ago (so still in the process) ,and I dont tihkn i am ever going back to it agian ...a day b4 quiting day ,i bought last pack of smokes , last pepsi can ,2 packs of gum ,a pack of nicotine patches ,and a protien powder ...oh yah ,and cleaned car that smells usually like an ashtree
next morning take a shower put the patch on ,have nig protien shake and head to work ..I tell ya the first 2 days ,all i could think about was ciggarettes ,and everytime i do ,i tell myself ,dude u have ur patch on ,u dont need nicotien ,u are just missing the disgusting habit that u have had for years ,i actually went over to smoker freind's place after i warned them to not give me even a puff ,i sat there for like 3 hours,no smoking !

I think all you have to do is to prepare ur self with whatever works for you ,gum ,food ,nuts...etc ,and have your mind set that you arent a smoker anymore....wanna see the results? hit the cardio machines and u'll see the difference

[mantis18]

Go buy this book and give it a try "Allen Carr's - The Easy Way to Stop Smoking." I read that book, along with roommate, and we both went from a pack a day (for the last 5 years) to zero a day with no cravings at all. The next step is NEVER EVER EVER smoking a cig again because after that first puff you will have nicotine in your system again and therefore the cravings will come back. I can't really say why the book worked for me or all the others, but it does a good job or reverse brainwashing you back into not wanting one. description of the book is a repetitive, positive, brainwashing. Can't say the $18 price tag hurt the pocket book either lol. Compared to the $85 i was spending a month for cigs. Hope this helps ya out.

[Mon86]

I don't smoke, hate it, cover nose and hold breath when I walk by someone doing it, and it's very unhealthy, and should be ban. I rather breathe air rather than smoke. I don't get why Tobacco is not banned and weed/other drugs are. It is just as unhealthy as the other drugs, in opinion a worse smell. I can stand smell of weed, but not smell of tobacco.

On the other hand, I think it is all about motivation and how motivated you are. I am trying to get mom to stop, but she doesnt feel motivated enough. I told her about exercising, but I think she is just lazy. I am happy that she doesn't smoke a pack a day and she only smokes like 2-3 cigs a day. If Tobacco was banned, the world would be happy and air free except for those who can careless about their lives and have nothing better to do.

Remember to always think positive and no matter what happens, you can do anything you put your heart into. Keep trying and never give up. You have full control over your body, brain, and what it tells you. You make the decisions. If your body tells you to smoke, tell it no.

For example - You meet someone in one of your classes at school and start to hang out. The person talks too much and talks bad about you behind your back. You find out and then you stop hanging with that person. That person now becomes your bully and starts making fun of you over and over. You feel worse and worse because your letting that person get to you and is not doing anything about it. Finally, after a while you are tired of the person doing this to you and you start to ignore the person. After a while, the person gets bored and eventually goes away.

This is just like an addiction because you are trying to quit and the niccotine keeps attacking you. Then you get sick of it and am really motivated to ignore the cravings. After a while, it will go away.

[luvr29]

Gradually never works because it just keeps putting off the inevitable.

[mrmyrtle1]

I quit once for 5 years using the patch and when I was going thru divorce I started again, it only took one.

That was two years ago and tried a few times to quit again but 2 weeks ago I went in a store and found out they raised the prices again and something snapped in head......I told the people no I think I will just quit and went and got some patches......I havent smoked a ciggerette since then.....get a counter they help actually because everytime you have to reset it due to failure it sucks.....

I have been quit for 2 Weeks, 14 hours, 50 minutes and 46 seconds (14 days). I have saved $115.10 by not smoking 613 cigarettes. I have saved 2 Days, 3 hours and 5 minutes of life. Quit Date: 1/2/2007 6:00 AM

I have used every bit of the money saved on weights and a bench....I am looking forward to the number getting bigger so I can buy some more gear to work out with.

I think it is all in your brain and if you dont wanna quit nothing will make you not even death.......will u know what I mean!

[freedom]

On february 20th I will have quit for one year!! I tried many times before by gradually cutting down. That never worked for me, I realized I needed help so I used Zyban...not too bad made stomache upset for a couple weeks but here I am still not smoking! I still get cravings til I smell one and then I feel nauseous...sucky but it works!!! Good luck!!!