any advise on giving up smoking?
340437
I am 42 years old.When I was in my late teens, I asked myself two things.\n#1-What are the good things about smoking.\n#2-What are the bad things about smoking.\n\nYou probably know what the answers were! Anyway, I can only tell you how I Quit.\n\nUntil the day comes that you know for sure that you have quit, always keep them on you and always keep a backup pack in your room.\nWhy? This way, you never have to think about,( Where am I going to get a cigarette? ) This way, you don't have to worry if you have enough money for them or can I get to the store before they close, or ask ( Do you have a cigarette? )\nThe only thing stopping you at this point, is you!\n\nNow you're ready. Every time you get ready to smoke, all you have to think about is ( Do I really have to smoke one this very second? )\n\nThis way, seconds gradually turn into minutes, minutes turns hours and so forth. If you stick to this plan, one day you will ask yourself, ( Why am I carrying these cigarettes around with me for? ) When the day comes that you can't answer that question, ( You have quit smoking! )\n\nGood Luck
4547
I like FirstL's answer.  I found some tips:\nhttp://www.insuremylife.org/quitsmoking.html
860870
Hey Wizzle. I'm going to tell it like it is. I smoked for 20 years. I quit once for 9 months and now for 13 years. There's only one way to quit smoking. JUST DON'T DO IT ANYMORE. All this crap about cutting down and drug treatments. That's for weaklings and people who don't really want to quit. It's a total mind game. You against it.\n\nHere's your biggest obstacle. The people around you. There will be people in your life who want you to fail. Some will do it on purpose. Most don't even know they're doing it. They'll get you drunk. Take you to places where people smoke. Even offer you a cigarette. Just know in advance these things will happen. That's when you have to be strong. Also, the craving for a cigarette will go away in a few minutes. Just fight it off til the next craving. You're addicted to the act of smoking as well as the nicotine.\nThe first 100 days are the hardest. I'm not gonna say it's easy. "Just don't smoke". Simple as that.\n.
1090223
This is a favorite question of mine as I struggled with it for years before finally successfully quitting.\nI have a few suggestions of what not to do to start with....\n1. Do not get a patch or gum program. All that does is continue the addiction to nicotine. You will then be addicted to the gum or patch. How is that progress? It is just another way for big business to keep you hooked, it does not work. Trust me, I speak from experience.\n2. Do not have an "emergency" pack of cigarettes, just in case. If you leave the option open you will find a reason to smoke them.\n3. Stay away from road trips and smoky bars just for the first few weeks. It will get easier.\n\nNow things that did work for me....\n1. Cold Turkey. I know it hurts like hell but its like taking off a band-aid. The pain is shorter than a lifetime of addiction. \n2. Pick a quit date and taper off as you get closer. Try to get down to about three cigarettes or less a day. It makes it much easier when you quit if you have practice putting  off your addiction.\n3. Just like alcoholics, take it one day at a time. When I first quit is was one hour at a time. I thought to myself " I just have to make it one hour, then I will smoke" of course I thought the same thing every hour so I never actually smoked. Pretty soon I could set my goal to be a whole day, "I will smoke tomorrow" Those small goals got me through the torture of those first couple weeks. If you mess up, don't give in and buy a pack. Start over re-commit to improving your life and health every day no matter what you did yesterday. \n4. Once you gate past the first week the majority of the physical addiction has begun to pass. You will still obsess rather than crave. On obsession lasts about 90seconds. Sometimes they line up a bunch in a row, but it is still only 90 seconds. So when you start to obsess and really want a smoke, look at watch and decide, 90 seconds of pain or the rest of my life? Then count to 90, you may find it has passed. However if you break down and smoke you will have to go through the hard physiacl withdrawal time again. The cravings are harder. See the difference between a craving and an obsession?\n\nAll I thought about was how much I wanted a cigarette for what felt like years. It was the hardest substance I have ever had to quit, and I am an ex junkie! I had a hard time holding up my end of conversations because I was so distracted my the obsession. IT WAS WORTH IT! I pissed off a lot of people while I went through my rage period, it is normal. Anyone who knows you will be glad you are doing such an important thing for yourself, they will forgive your anger. Just keep thinking of the big picture, temporary misery for freedom from addiction. It will get easier.....
657018
The following will work for him. He doesn't even need good luck.\nLocal hospitals offer week-long programs to make you quit smoking. Then you'll need this trick to not go back to it: Don't have that one cigarette for the rest of your life!\nPeople buckle under the intense urge for a cigarette and think that their problem will go away with one cigarette. But that just makes the problem go away temporarily, only to come back with a higher intensity.\nQuitting smoking feels like a loss of a loved one because to the brain it is just that - a loved one. So be prepared for the longing and the pain. Just endure it. It won't kill you. Actually, it will make you live longer.\nAdapt a new lifestyle i.e. eat fruits, go jogging, etc. Do whatever, but once you have gone through the week-long quit-smoking program, DON'T HAVE THAT ONE CIGARETTE NO MATTER WHAT. If you have that one cigarette, you fail and if you don't then you succeed. It is that simple. You do need that week-long program to launch yourself into the wonderful world of non-smoking though. \nOne more thing: you may need to keep the company of non-smokers for a while i.e. at least one year.
275935
Yes!  Go to a website called WHYQUIT.COM  I smoked for over ten years and I really wasn't even ready to quit.  I met someone who was a smoker and he had used that website and shared it with me.  It is not easy; I tried gum, celery, chewing on straws, everything...you have to WANT to quit.  Go to the website and read it!!!  It is true and inspiring and helpful!  \n\nIt is worth saving your life!!!  Good luck!
363606
Dear Friend, \n\nGood on you that you want to quit. YOU CAN DO IT!!! Can a smoker overcome the physical addiction and habitual behaviors of tobacco use? The answer is a resounding yes. Not only is quitting possible, but it is also highly beneficial. It is never too late to stop using tobacco. Quitting at any age and in any state of health improves one’s health.\nBecause no single condition leads to tobacco dependence, no single solution cures smokers of their dependence on cigarettes. Some people are able to quit smoking easily, while some find quitting so difficult that they do not quit even when facing tobacco’s serious health problems. Smokers who believe that quitting smoking will be easy or that God will make it easy for them may become disillusioned if they experience the normal withdrawal symptoms or if they relapse back to smoking. Therefore, it is wise for smokers to take time to plan this important change carefully and prayerfully.\n\nSuccessful treatment can include at least three components: (1) counseling and advice from a skilled, knowledgeable professional, with a focus on developing problem-solving skills, overcoming barriers to quitting, and preventing relapse; (2) support from friends and family members; and (3) the possible correct, careful use of legal stop-smoking medications, including nicotine replacement and other drugs tested for safety and effectiveness.\n\nA local hospital or clinic may offer a stop-smoking group, and a health professional may be able to provide expert advice about medications that can help ease the physical and emotional discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. A nicotine replacement medication helps control withdrawal symptoms over a period of weeks or months while the ex-smoker gradually becomes accustomed to living without tobacco. 11 Nicotine replacement products are not designed to replace nicotine permanently; rather, the ex-smoker tapers off the nicotine replacement medication over a period of weeks.\n\nThe least successful way to stop smoking is to try to quit all at once, or “cold turkey,” without any kind of help. Quitting this way may seem like a good idea at the time, but statistics show that only a very small percentage of those who attempt to quit this way will still be smoke-free a year later. The work of quitting smoking involves not only the initial actions of becoming tobacco-free, but also the lifetime task of remaining tobacco-free.\n\nCheers
557115
stop smoking without it \nyou don't need that  ,just be strong
15841
Do you mean quit smoking?  If so, you can quit cold turkey by just stopping smoking.  Or you can try nicotine gum or the patch for your cravings.  Good luck and stay strong!
231004
1. decide you want to quit\n2. get patches, they work 8-10 week program\n3. alter behaviour and watch for triggers, (things which make you really want a cigarette)\n4. take it a day sometimes an hour at a time\n5 set up reward system\n6. Do some research on what transpires in a body even in the first 12 hours of stopping the smokes.  \nFinally:  The body and systems are very forgiving and rejuvenate themselves towards healing.  It is amazing to smell, taste, and not stink,,,,\n\none who knows,,,
95815
Stop now while you are young.  My mother killed herself by smoking. She was only 43 years old. It is a hard way to die. I just stopped myself. Do what ever works for you. Don't give up. The mind is very powerful. Maybe telling yourself that " i am a nonsmoker" will help. Keep your goal in mind and keep pushing for it
95093
You have to TRULY want to stop to be able to succeed and then you need WILLPOWER.\n\nI used to smoke 40 a day and had been smoking for around 16 years. \n\nI had tried cutting down but that didn't work for me as I found myself getting desperate for the next "fix",,, and ended up pinching rations from the next days ciggies!\nDecided I wanted to stop cold turkey and I set a time and date for doing so. \nLast ciggie to be at 10pm Friday two weeks away. I then psyched (sp) myself up by saying, each time I smoked that I didn't really want this ciggie, it tasted awful, It made me smell...etc\n10pm that Friday I had my last ciggie....no more in the house and I have never smoked since....that was in 1982.\n\nI did read somewhere that drinking fresh orange juice helps to flush the nicotine from your body so I drank loads of that and also had some carrots to chomp on when I felt I wanted a ciggie, though in all honesty I didn't have that many.\n\nDoing it this way worked for me, it may not work for everyone, but I'm glad I did it. \n\nI wish you good luck which ever way you try....it can only be good for your health and your finances.
774402
try not to worry about anything straight away stress will only make you feel worse but you do need to go to the lung specialist and take it from there , im not going to tell you to give up the cigs because i smoke myself it would be good if we could all give up , but good luck i hope it goes well .
162846
cold turkey. make your last cigarette be just that. your last. consider yourself a non-smoker from that moment on. \n\nyour lungs will thank you. not to mention, your heart, your hair, your teeth, your taste buds, your skin, your clothes, and those around you.\n\nhappy breathing! being alive smells so good! :)
316642
Put the cigarettes down, throw away everything pertaining to them, and then walk away. Do not gravitate towards people who do smoke, don't have long fantasizing conversations about how you used to smoke, and do not give in to the urge to smoke. Just say NO!\n\nThink of it this way: When you put a cigarette in your mouth and start to smoke, and then after a while you get the urge to do it again, and you can't control that urge, who is really in charge of your life? A little rolled up ball of tobacco? Give me a break, I used to smoke and I could never stop until I decided to walk away. It was a life changing moment, and between me and God, I told Him I would not smoke any more. That was over 6 years ago, no patches, classes, gum or anything! Every time I saw a smoke, I told my self "You will not smoke that." \nI can honestly say that it did take a few months for the thought of smoking to go away, but it was nothing I could not handle, and after 6 months I realized I do not even like the smell of smokers around me. And I haven't considered picking up that nasty habit since. Thank God!
1088438
I smoked 30yrs.ago and i decided i was going to quit....I would eat peeled carrots when i wanted to smoke and it did help some...But the way i ended up quiting was,COLD TURKEY....Your really have to what to quit to get through this and don't start eating to make up for not smoking....Set your mind that you are going to do this no matter what....It really work for me....You know i can't stand to be around anyone smoking,it's a dirty nasty habit and the smoke just stinks and hurts my nose....And the second hand smoke is killing people all the time...Thats another good reason to quit and the cost,i can't believe it....I can remember when a pack was $.25.....Be strong and quit,you will feel alot better and you won't smell of cig. anymore......GOOD LUCK......\n Clowmy
764293
It is worth a try, especially since you have a money back policy. Anything to help you quit smoking is worth a try.  \n\nDon't be disappointed if it doesn't work though, for you or your fiancee. It might work for one of you and not the other. If you are in this together you can support each other through it all.\n\nIt takes the average person 7 attempts to quit. There are lots of resources out there to help you quit if this doesn't work. You can try calling your public health department for other tips.\n\nQuitting smoking isn't always easy, but it is definitely worth it in the end. You should also learn more to be prepared for the symptoms of withdrawl and the changes that your body will make as it adjusts to a smoke-free life.