Quitting smoking, advice?

[NCA]

I helped run a lot of ACS smoking-related events on campus, the main one being The Great American Smokeout. Don't quit cold turkey, instead get in touch with a local ACS chapter and they'll help you plan it out. They'll also hook you up with a support group (which significantly raises your chances of success) and give you a quit smoking kit.

Asides:

* Keep yourself busy. An idle mind will bring your attention back to your cravings.
* Substitute nicotine with caffeine (coffee, tea), chewing gum, mint or anything else that r0x0rs your b0x0rs.
* Smoking isn't just about an addiction to nicotine. There is also a psychological factor involved. There is a certain je ne sais quoi about the physical act of smoking. A straw, toothpick or the e-cigarette thingy will go a long way as substitutes.

 

[Kamon]

Sunflower seeds are a decent replacement craving, I've found.

 

[Flippy the Squirrel]

...Don't quit cold turkey, instead get in touch with a local ACS chapter and they'll help you plan it out....

I both do and don't agree with this, and you have to find your own way. Quitting cold turkey was the only way I could stop smoking, as any other way found me in a position where it was too easy to rationalize dragging out the process to where I never actually quit.

The key is finding something that works for you.

 

[iEye Captain]

I've never had to quit smoking because I never started, but I have a little piece of advice on willpower...

Never get discouraged by setbacks, realize that your task is going to be difficult and don't kick yourself if you don't succeed the first time. Like some of the others said in the thread, it might take a while, but if you focus on the end, you shouldn't let the means knock you down.

 

[Sexy Beast]

Well according to Wikipedia: "In many studies (Nicotine) has been shown to be more addictive than cocaine and heroin, though chronic treatment has an opposite effect on reward thresholds." [citation needed]

So basically it's addictive as hell and there really isn't much tolerances build up. Of course the citation needed tag mean that it could just be BS.

 

[shadows5631]

More than those drugs? Wow, I had no idea it was that bad.

And thanks NCA and the rest of you for the links and info

 

[c-whit?]

Well according to Wikipedia: "In many studies (Nicotine) has been shown to be more addictive than cocaine and heroin, though chronic treatment has an opposite effect on reward thresholds." [citation needed]

So basically it's addictive as hell and there really isn't much tolerances build up. Of course the citation needed tag mean that it could just be BS.

actually that is a true fact. nicotine is definitely more addictive than cocaine and heroin. Of course, most studies are a bit biased as more people smoke nicotine than do cocaine or heroin. But overall, yes nicotine is a highly addictive substance and most people don't even realize they are addicted always citing that they can "quit at any time".

just fyi, you all heard of the damaging effects of nicotine to your body, but it's found that if you stop smoking, slowly those effects reverse. So i guess, if you can, the moral of the story would be to stop smoking as soon as you can.

 

[Maj.Emish]

hope it goes well for you

 

[The Yeti]

I can tell you what doesn't work! lol. My advice is to throw away all of your lighters. Also, when you buy gas, use your card, that way you don't have to go in reducing the temptation to buy cigarettes and/or lighters.

Also, you can try (it sounds dumb) but try not to wear jackets with pockets in them. I know my friends always keep their cigarettes in their jacket pockets, if you don't have the pockets you'd have to carry your cigs around or keep them in your car, reducing the frequency.

^And that's the key. Reduce the frequency. If you can cut out 1 per day every week, that's a good steady rate. If you're smoking a pack a day, you'll be completely done with smoking in 20 weeks.

Remember, it's just like with anger management, instead of participating in the unfavorable behavior, do something productive/constructive. So when you take out a cigarette from you schedule, try doing something with that time. My girlfriend would clean for the 5 minutes that she would normally have that cigarette, for example.

 

[Random Hero]

Damn only 17? I started when I was 18 (22 now) but I haven't smoked in about almost a year (Year on Feb. 22nd) What I did was just start working out. Got rid of the stress cravings etc. Cold Turkey is the best way honestly.

 

[billy victory]

I started when I was 14 (almost 9 yrs now). Cigarettes can really get a hold on you. But I firmly believe that the best way to quit is cold turkey. Having needed to quit other things, I can tell you that once you are able to beat it by will alone, it will not have power over you again. Word of advice- find something to do with your hands. When I haven't had a smoke for a long time, my hands get all twitchy and I don't know what to do with them, so figure out something for that. From what I hear the hardest part to kick isn't the nicotine withdrawal, it's the psychological dependency. You get used to smoking, and you get used to smoking while doing _____. You have to get used to not smoking while doing _____.