# Qutting smoking altogether



## Jimminy_Billy_Bob (Nov 26, 2008)

I've managed to get down to about 2 cigarettes a day, but I wanna be free of them altogether. Tried the gum/patches and they dont help much at all. I know the smoking makes me more anxious let alone is bad for health, but I keep going back. Hard enough that where you work everyone smokes and your friends smoke when you go out. Anyone got any advice?


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## fictionz (Nov 18, 2006)

I realize quitting smoking is hard, as my friends wanted to stop but to no avail so far. Hope you find some way! Maybe try going around the net for more help on it, sorry I don't know much to give advice.


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## ~Jessie~ (Jan 22, 2007)

My mom and brother wanted to quit and they tried various methods over the last few years with no success til this year. 

My brother found a book about it and after reading it from front to back, he just stopped the following day. My mom did the same a week later. Neither have smoked for almost 2 1/2 months now. I never read it but it must have been a really good book. 

It was called "Easy Way To Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr.. maybe you could try that or something.


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## Pam (Feb 14, 2009)

I quit 1 1/2 yrs ago using Commit lozenges. If you are down to 2 a day, then I bet you're having more of a problem with the mental part (?) Have you trained yourself to hate cigarettes? To think they are disgusting & dirty? Or some other thoughts you believe so that it makes you really not want even one more? 

I got down to 5/day then had to use commits for the physical withdrawal. For the mental part, I made a list of reasons to avoid having "just one more". Even silly reasons, it didn't matter. So when i thought about having one, I'd draw on one of the reasons (one was, "Wasn't 184,000 cigarettes ENOUGH?" (I smoked for 24 yrs) and I would be disgusted by that #, so I'd tell myself "Yeah, I've had more than enough!") Keep avoiding the "one more" and watch the smoke free days add up!

You probably won't like this, but it'd be a lot easier if you hang around with non-smokers for at least a couple months. Being around the smoke is too tempting. Can't break an addiction when you're surrounded by the drug. Later when you are secure in your nonsmoker state, it might not bother you to be around smoke. 

Another thing I would do was put a commit in my mouth and really concentrate on a memory of me smoking a cigarette. Like visualize it and take deep breaths & blow out. It sounds stupid, but it helped a lot.

I had heard good things about the book by Allen Carr, and would have gotten around to reading it, but the Commits and my personalized list of reasons to not have "just one more" worked for me. 

Good luck!


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## jook (Nov 25, 2009)

Jesse thanks for the info on Alan Carr's book. The other celebs and especially Elen Degeneres testimonials sold me. I just ordered it!


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## mydoublelife (Dec 27, 2009)

ive tried the gums, lozenges, the whole nine yards. None of that stuff worked for me.

After coming to the realization that I've been spending 9 bucks a day for a pack of smokes for the last 8 years, I grabbed the half empty pack of smokes and crushed it with my foot, havent touched a cigarette since then.

That was 4 years ago.


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## ryobi (Jan 13, 2009)

I had to be realistic. I had said I'm never smoking again. That's it! Then, something would happen, and bam! I was smoking again.
What I said to myself, that helped me was I said, "every cigerette I smoke counts, and every cigerette I don't smoke counts" in time I wasn't smoking at all. I don't know if that makes sense?

I have had maybe, 5 cigerettes in the last year, and realistically, I know I will most likely have more, but it's just a matter of stopping when I do..."

everyone I smoke counts. everyone I don't smoke counts"

Wow kind of embarrasing, but if it helps someone


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## Cruiser (Jan 9, 2010)

I have been smoking since I was 14 years old, I managed to quit once, the way i did it was cold turkey and every time I had a craving I picked up a set of 20kg kettlebells and did out head lifts until I had beat the craving away, it worked and I managed to quit effectively but 7 months later I had a very bad day and I said to hell with is and grabbed a pack, but I tell you I was in the best shape of my life those 7 months, not only was I not smoking be I was doing so many overhead lifts that my shoulders were like cannon balls LOL I have tried the cutting down method and know many others who have tried it and I have at several point been down to 1 or 2 a day but eventually you simply just have to stop and gut it out I know when I started I was the hold out of all my friends I was the last to start and now they have all quit and I am the only one left LOL but I saw them all try ever trick but simply cold turkey and will power is the only way I have seen work and last over the long term.

Beware of Champix, as it has a side effect of causing anxiety, I tried using it but immediately noticed that it was making me very anxious and quit


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## jook (Nov 25, 2009)

*:time*
*Still waiting on my Alan Carr book*

*Cruiser, love this:*

*"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." ~ Mark Twain*


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## zonker1 (Nov 3, 2009)

*Worked for me..*

I smoked 2 packs of Winston for years - what helped me quit was to brush my teeth every time I wanted a cig - wore out a boatload of toothbrushes but it worked for me - seriously..


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## jook (Nov 25, 2009)

jook said:


> *:time*
> *Still waiting on my Alan Carr book*


I finally got my Alan Carr book and today makes 7 days of being smoke free! He gets you to think a different way about smoking and suggests repeatedly that quitting can be "enjoyable." That we've been brain-washed into thinking the addiction is stronger than it is. Anyway, in these seven days I have been rather stable and peaceful, since the first 3 days. I still think about smoking but I'm not preoccupied with it at all. There has been a shift in how I think about quitting that makes it seem not so bad after all. This is no scam. It works!


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## CeilingStarer (Dec 29, 2009)

Luckily I was able to just quit cold; willpower is one of my strengths. It's an ongoing battle however. The thought of that taste after the first draw, or the smell of a freshly opened pack, makes me salivate.

I stopped drinking a month ago too. I used to drink a 6 pack of beer virtually every night. It's sooo tough after a hard day at work to not have a beer.


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## jook (Nov 25, 2009)

CeilingStarer said:


> Luckily I was able to just quit cold; willpower is one of my strengths.


That's great if you were able to quit using willpower. Alan Carr teaches a method that doesn't involve willpower. He gives you information that helps you erase the desire to smoke. Several celebrities have endorsed this product like Elen Degeners, Anthony Hopkins, and Ashton Kutcher. I've been smoke-free for 9 days and I get fleeting thoughts of smoking but am able to dismiss them pretty easily most of the time.


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## jook (Nov 25, 2009)

It's been 12 days! and I don't even really miss it. Alan Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking is all that!


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## bowlingpins (Oct 18, 2008)

You could try a 12 week treatment of Chantix. I have heard lots of good stuff about its efficacy, especially in cases where nicotine gums and patches don't work. Then there's also Zyban. Either way, this is something you could discuss with your doc. Good luck. Smoking is one of the hardest habits to quit. I have a lot of respect for anyone who does.


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## Hello22 (Feb 10, 2010)

Well 2 cigarettes a day isnt that much - sorry i'm not helping here, im a smoker myself and i smoke more and i too would like to quit. But tbh i haven't tried, and i've alot of study/ projects on the go so i keep procrastinating by saying "when i finish this, then i will quit...." (i don't chain smoke btw). In order to quit maybe you should set out reasons why you want to quit, this shpuld get you motivated. We all have our own reasons, mine is the fact i've no money (no job), and I hate my teeth getting stained!


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## christ~in~me (Dec 18, 2008)

My best advise,dont cut down,quit cold turkey. everytime i "cut down" i smoked more,then when i quit cold turkey i never went back.


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## ryobi (Jan 13, 2009)

smoking is funny like that. the more you think about not doing it, the more you think about doing it...

I haven't had a cigerette in months. It doesn't make sense but I just took it one cigerette at a time...I know I will smoke again. just hopefully not much and not for long


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## shimmer1221 (Feb 18, 2010)

i actually just quit smoking! I quit cold turkey after a vacation trip ... i admit i cheated with two cigarettes in between but other than that,,, i've been smoke free since jan 27th this year! wooo me! 15 years of smoking... hopefully i can hang!


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## darkangel (Apr 19, 2005)

Congrats on your quitting! I recently tried to quit Jan 1st this year. I went 5 days and then caved. So I went on the patch, went 9 days. And then starting smoking on the patch, and then just took the patch off and here I am. Why does it have to be so hard hard hard! I don't know when I'll give it another try.

It's almost like I have no good reason to quit or something. I'd like to be able to run on my treadmill without dying, maybe go to the gym around here, but with SA I'm know I'm not going to do that anyway (and don't say kill 2 birds with 1 stone lol)


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## shimmer1221 (Feb 18, 2010)

i force myself to the gym. i have a trainer and i think that's what keeps me going. it pushes me. i think it's helping ... im focusing on getting myself into shape and hoping eventually my sa will fade. we'll see how it goes! I do find it much easier to talk online that's for sure! i feel like i can be myself online vs. being in person and having people look at you. anyway. im glad i quit smoking and replaced it with working out. :boogie


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## jook (Nov 25, 2009)

shimmer1221 said:


> i actually just quit smoking! I quit cold turkey after a vacation trip ... i admit i cheated with two cigarettes in between but other than that,,, i've been smoke free since jan 27th this year! wooo me! 15 years of smoking... hopefully i can hang!


Congratulations, Shimmer! 15 days for me now:boogie


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## Comatose (Feb 24, 2010)

I used to smoke socially, but it go to the point where I would smoke more and more until when I felt stressed I'd have a smoke. I used the same sort of method as shimmer, been going to the gym alot lately and that is a big motivation to quit entirely. I had my last cigarette ever 16 days ago. Its hard to avoid temptation especially when you have people smoking around you, but im determined not to kill myself slowly anymore


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## jook (Nov 25, 2009)

Comatose said:


> I had my last cigarette ever 16 days ago. Its hard to avoid temptation especially when you have people smoking around you, but im determined not to kill myself slowly anymore


Congratulations, *COMATOSE *... 17 days for me now, and listening to Alan Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking has made it easy. I have no strong urges, just fleeting moments of thinking about it that pass rather easily.


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## Nocturnal85 (Nov 21, 2009)

Jimminy_Billy_Bob said:


> I've managed to get down to about 2 cigarettes a day, but I wanna be free of them altogether. Tried the gum/patches and they dont help much at all. I know the smoking makes me more anxious let alone is bad for health, but I keep going back. Hard enough that where you work everyone smokes and your friends smoke when you go out. Anyone got any advice?


If you enjoy weightlifting, that's what helped me quit. Squatting in particular is a brutal exercise and you won't want to smoke if you are doing any exercise with challenging weights. After every squat session I wanted to hurl, or hurled. I knew that if I smoked it would just make life that much harder for me in my next trip to the gym. To conquer my addictions I try to put myself in situations where continuing the addictive behavior is very hard to do. I even live with a smoker now and I hate that he smokes in our house but can't get him to go outside but honestly now I despise ciggs.

So yea basically what Comatose said, if you dont like extremely sore legs for half the week then you can do cardio. That's probably a better route.


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## jook (Nov 25, 2009)

28 days and I don't miss it at all....Thank you Alan Carr!! In fact I didn't miss it after the first week.


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## flyinginside (Jan 19, 2010)

Man, I’m really glad I never started smoking! :yes


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