to the people that quit smoking... what are your best tactics to reduce or eliminate a smoking habit?
142710
It needs “will & wish” primarily!\nThen a long treatment with some nicotine stickers (in any drug store) helps further. I advice it indeed!\nFor great smokers it’s hard, and it’s useful to change some habit too. Try to suck a sweet every time the cigarettes need comes.\nCalm, strong, firmness and will are indispensable.
384205
You Can Quit Smoking\n\nA 5-Day Plan To Get Ready\n\nThe first step to quitting smoking is to decide to quit. Next, make an appointment with your health care provider, or contact a smoking cessation clinic to discuss your options for treatment. Set a quit date.\n\n\nQuit Day Minus 5\nList all of your reasons for quitting and tell your friends and family about your plan. Stop buying cartons of cigarettes.\n\n\nQuit Day Minus 4\nPay attention to when and why you smoke. Think of new ways to relax or things to hold in your hand instead of a cigarette. Think of habits or routines you may want to change. Make a list to use when you quit.\n\n\nQuit Day Minus 3\nMake a list of the things you could do with the extra money you will save by not buying cigarettes. Think of who to reach out to when you need help, like a smoking support group.\n\n\nQuit Day Minus 2\nBuy the over-the-counter nicotine patch or nicotine gum, or get a prescription for the nicotine inhaler, nasal spray, or the non-nicotine pill, bupropion SR. Clean your clothes to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke.\n\n\nQuit Day Minus 1\nThink of a reward you will get yourself after you quit. Make an appointment with your dentist to have your teeth cleaned. At the end of the day, throw away all cigarettes and matches. Put away lighters and ashtrays.\n\n\nQuit Day\nKeep very busy. Change your routine when possible, and do things out of the ordinary that don’t remind you of smoking. Remind family, friends, and coworkers that this is your quit day, and ask them to help and support you. Avoid alcohol. Buy yourself a treat, or do something to celebrate.\n\n\nQuit Day Plus 1\nCongratulate yourself. When cravings hit, do something else that isn’t connected with smoking, like taking a walk, drinking a glass of water, or taking some deep breaths. Call your support network. Find things to snack on, like carrots, sugarless gum, or air-popped popcorn.
53569
First and foremost, you have to really want to quit for good; and you have to actually quit—not just cut back.  Set a date a couple of weeks in advance and mentally prepare yourself for it. \n\nMake a list of reasons why you want to stop smoking and keep it with you.\n\nIt helps to realize that most cravings last for less than four minutes.  If you can fight through the first few days, then the first few weeks (using toothpicks, peppermints, etc), you'll begin to notice days and even whole weeks without a craving.\n\nI would advise AGAINST the patch and the gum.  The long term success rate of those is extremely low.\n\nI've found Wellbutrin (Zyban is the same thing) to be the most effective craving control method.  After 6-12 weeks on that, I didn't need it anymore.\n\n16 months smoke free.\n\n//
351419
Set a goal each day to make it through without smoking. The key is to take one day at a time. \n\nStay away from your triggers: Coffee, tea and alcohol are well-known triggers for smokers.\n\nReward yourself!\n\nThere are plenty of websites that offer tips and support for those trying to quit.
279719
Cold turkey.\n\nPlease visit http://www.whyquit.com and read about nicotine replacement therapy (gum, patch, etc.) to see why it doesn't work well.\n\nRead a few sections of "Why do people smoke?" and "How to quit smoking."  The site even tells you what to expect (accurately) during the surprisingly short physical withdrawal period and how to minimize the symptoms.\n\nVisit http://www.whyquit.com\n\nIt is really quite eye opening.
90494
Agreeing with the rest, cold turkey is the best. If you have the will to quit, and really don't want to smoke......don't.
873695
I think you know very well that how to give up cigarette. i.e. strong will power.\nStrong will power..just spread your finger when you hold cigarette it will fall down..hahah..If you want any medical help try a nicotine chewing gum, definitely it would assist to give up smoking but it also required strong will power.
162643
First, I cut down to about 6 per day. Then I just stopped cold turkey. I didn't tell anyone I was quitting until weeks after my last cigarette. That way, I wasn't constantly reminded of it. I worked in restaurants, so I acted really busy when the other people in the kitchen went out for smoke breaks. No one asked me about it for three weeks. Quitting was so much easier than I ever thought it would be. It's been two years. I haven't cheated, and I don't want to. I get sick much less often now, and when I do get a cold, it just lasts a couple days. I really support the cold turkey method, but you have to find a way to get cigarettes off your mind while you're quitting. Good luck. Someday soon, you'll be happy to know you're a nonsmoker.
291132
I don't know what the best way is....but I can tell you what worked for me.......\n\nI started using the patch at first.....and although it didn't lower my cravings very much.....it did help because I didn't want to get sick from ridiculously high nicotine intake.  When I put the patch on in the morning it was a commitment for me not to smoke that day....it was more a psychological tool then a real one I guess.  After about a week and a half, I stopped using the patch....and by that time it became a little easier to resist the urges.  Every time I wanted a cigarette...or thought I'll just have one....I told myself I was a pu**y with no self discipline if I gave into the urges.  I also did NOT change my social life at all...knowing that if I avoided bars or restaurants or smoking friends at first....I wouldn't be over the social addiction when I encountered it later.  Good luck man.....quitting is easier then you think......although very difficult.  People make it sound harder then it is to rationalize their lack of will power...and the tobacco companies promote this belief to discourage quitting and make relapse more acceptable/rationalized.  Just make the commitment.  I'll tell you this...I'm just about on my second cigarette free year....and I feel a LOT healthier...I even feel better about myself.  I save the money I used to spend on cigarettes on myself now.....a New CD every now and then....etc etc.  It is hard...but the rewards are huge.
34522
Quit smoking?  The best is to cut down at first.... only smoke when you drink or if you are stressed-out or something.  You soon begin to realize you don’t need it. \nIf you want to quit cold-turkey - all at once - it's something you need to DECIDE to do.  Chew on some pencils and play with a rubber band.  If you are really physically addicted, the best is a nicatrol in haler.  It is something to do with your hands, feels like smoking (almost) and you get the nicotine.\nQuitting smoking is mostly mental.  You have to decide to do it and just do it.
642398
Cold turkey is the only way.  Cigarettes have been proven to be more addictive than heroine but you can quit.  I did--10 years ago after smoking for 26 years and my husband also did after smoking for 34 years.  For me, I realized that I was more addicted to the oral fixation part.  I simply quit lighting the cigarettes.  This way, I could go through the motions of smoking (holding, puffing, flicking pretend ashes and blowing no smoke out) and still get rid of the addiction.  It was weird in a way because people would ask me if I needed a light and I would say, "No thanks, I don't smoke." even though I had the cigarette in my hand.  It took a year (the carton lasted that long) but I have no desire to smoke anymore.  My husband, on the other hand, went to a religious convention one weekend and purposely left his cigarettes at home.  He never smoked again.\n\nWhich brings me to a second point--it really helps to be seriously motivated and include prayer in your struggle.  Both of us did this and feel it would have been much harder (maybe impossible) if we hadn't.
642276
giving up smoking is HARD.  I have done it several times, this last time for several years.  I am still smoke free, but it's kind of like being a alcoholic.  You need to just quit cold turkey.  No patches, no gum, no tapering off.  It's nonsense.  Just don't light a cigarette.  You will need something to replace it with.  People will tell you exercise, walking, etc.  People are crazy.  You aren't ready for that.  I recommend baby carrots.  No, i'm not kidding.  Eat a baby carrot everytime you want a cigarette.  They take about the same amount of time to eat and they will give you something to do.  Baby carrots cost about 1.50 for a plastic bag of them.  It's cheaper than cigarettes and no one ever got fat eating carrots.  And they are even healthy.  I quit for my son too.  I want to hold my grandchildren someday.  You CAN do it.  Congrats on your decision.
799599
First of all, You have to be ready to quit. It doesn't matter if everyone wants you to, but you aren't ready.\n\nWhat worked for me was to set a target date. Cut back on daily intake until that day, then get rid of all items related to smoking. I found a hypnotherapy and meditation system about quitting and used it as I approached my target date. I found some tea tree oil chewing sticks to chew on to give my mouth something to do besides eat. I also made sure I had plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables available so I did not gain tons of weight.\n\nAnother highly effective thing was that I did not smoke inside the house, so I did not have the lingering smell to contend with. If you have been smoking inside, you will want to wash your walls and floors and possibly even paint to remove the odor, which will help reduce the cravings.\n\nFinally be patient with yourself. It often takes more than one attempt to sucessfully quit.
1065696
.\nFriend\nWe get into a habit easily and then the habit controls us.... once it becomes a habit, it destroys our Will Power\n\nThere are numerous web sites offering help in a professional manner..... there must be some help you could get in your town as well\n\nI have tried to find some helpful websites for you\n\nHope you soon get rid of this habit and find your health and happiness\n\nhttp://www.nicotine-anonymous.org/\nhttps://www.stopsmoking.ucsf.edu/index.aspx?src=GIndiaOnline&gclid=CKTzkJHgtIUCFQKIIgodVBKU0Q\nhttp://www.quit-smoking-guide.com/quit-smoking-product-reviews.htm\nhttp://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm\nhttp://www.ash.org.uk/html/factsheets/html/fact24.html\n.\n\nI found 12 useful TIPS\n\n1--- Get professional help\n\n2--- Prepare mentally\n\n3--- Understand what to expect… Most people find the first few days difficult and for some it can be a long struggle, but things will typically start to get better after the third or fourth day.  Nicotine withdrawal may make you restless, irritable, frustrated, sleepless, or accident prone - but these things will pass and you will quickly start to feel the benefits.\n\n4--- Make a list of reasons why you want to stop smoking\n\n5--- Consider the money spent on smoking\n\n6--- Set a date…  Some people make a New Year’s Day resolution, others pick their birthday \n\n7--- Involve friends or family…  If you live with someone else who smokes, it will be much easier to quit if you do it together.\n\n8--- Deal with nicotine withdrawal.... you can roughly double the chances of successfully quitting smoking by using nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, lozenges, inhalers, and/or gum.  The idea is to come off nicotine gradually by using a low nicotine dose to take the edge off the cravings\n\n9--- Other treatments may help… Hypnosis, acupuncture or other treatments\n\n10--- Find a (temporary) substitute habit…It might be an idea to use chewing gum, drink more water, fruit juice or tea,  or to chew or eat something\n\n11--- Avoid temptation… In the difficult first few days you can change your routine to avoid situations where you would usually smoke. \n\n12--- Watch out for relapse… You will need to be on your guard especially in the first few days and weeks...You could lose everything you've achieved just in a momentary lapse.\n.
404178
I smoked for 5 years, and quit cold-turkey.  Use someone you care about as your motivation.
901575
Don't give in to them!  I found it helped me get through by telling myself that I could smoke as many as I wanted tomorrow and that I just had to get through today.  When tomorrow came I would say the same thing.  It was really hard to start with and so tempting to just have a cigarette, but after a few weeks the cravings had gone completely.  \n\nI found that counting days, then weeks and finally months gave me a mental milestone to say I'd reached.  I have not smoked for 16 months now, but I still tell myself that I can have another cigarette 'another day' if I really want one.  \n\nI know it's dreadful at the moment but if you stick with it it will be worth it. Just one little piece of advice that you can ignore if you like...try not to replace gigs with food or alcohol.  I did this to start with and put on over 14lbs!  I've lost it again now, but if someone had told me that advice 16 months ago I'd have been grateful!\n\nGood luck!
482720
Quitting smoking is the hardest thing to do.  I quit 4 months ago.  I smoked 2-4 packs a day for over 40 years.  I never considered quitting until they took me to the hospital by ambulance.  I have 1st stage emphysema which is a miracle but will live with the consequences of smoking for the rest of my life.  I wish you well.  I can not imagine smoking one cigarette a day.  It seems a bit ridiculous.  However, if you smoke one cigarette a day, it seems that would not necessarily be bad for you.  Tobacco is an herb and has medicinal properties, but you would have to grow the tobacco yourself, since each cigarette produced by our huge tobacco companies has been enhanced with over an hundred chemicals which go directly to the brain and cause the craving and addiction which has proven too difficult for some people to quit even to the point of death.  I loved smoking for most of my life but have been devastated at the horror of coming "off" of this drug for the last 4 months but am determined to remain smoke free.  I have tried the commit lozenges, nicotrol gum, a nicotrol inhaler and the patch and am using the gum right now.  Hopefully, I will be able to get off of all nicotine by the end of this year but in any case, I am no longer polluting my environment and causing grave harm to my health.  There is a huge pool of resources available to "quitters".  I have used them all, even down to a counselor that I got by calling 1-800-nobutts.  Again, I wish you well.