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Quitting Smoking

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by rokara, Feb 10, 2017.

  1. rokara

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    Looking for some advice on quitting smoking for good. I plan on going cold turkey as I can't get anything to help that can be prescribed by a doctor (I do not have health insurance :icon_sad: ) and the laser treatments are too expensive for me, even tho it works (I know a couple people who were heavy smokers before the treatments).

    I haven't set a quit date as of yet, and past attempts at quitting have failed (longest i made it was ~4 days before work got me too stressed and I relapsed) but this time around I am definitely committed to quitting.

    Please share what worked for you, or someone you know, that helped stop this insanely inane, unhealthy and deplorable habit (not to mention expensive).

    Thanks :slight_smile:
     
  2. jaska

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    both my parents used to smoke, and quit a few years ago. It's hard to put into writing, but my dad said how he quit was that he realised that he could control his own actions, that his mind was stronger than he knew. He also took some mediation supplements or something but I can't remember what they were called. As for my mum, she gradually weened herself off with a lot of different stuff and it also helped her to be around friends who didn't smoke. I don't smoke, and I can't imagine how hard it must be but I wish you all the best :slight_smile:
     
  3. pinkpanther

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    There hasn't been a lot of research on laser therapy and there are two papers with conflicting results on it; at this point treat it as an expensive hoax. Also acupuncture isn't an approved FDA treatment for smoking cessation.

    From my experience, nicotine chewing gums help a lot if you find yourself in an emergency situation, so keep a pack of those close to you at all times. If you're a heavy smoker or feel like you're getting really down when you're not smoking buy a pack of nicotine patches and use them at the beginning. After the first week or so you'll start feeling better.

    Another option is to start going to the gym, or running, skiing, etc. Don't smoke all day long and then release all those emotions at the end of the day in the form of physical exercise. It helps a lot.

    Other than that, remember that it's not the end of the world if you light one up. Shit happens, so just continue with your program despite the setbacks.

    P.S. I forgot to mention that stress will play a significant role in the first several months, so try to avoid stressful situations that might trigger you. Smoking is a coping mechanism which means that if you get stressed you will be more tempted to light one up. If I were you I'd avoid those situations like the plague.
     
    #3 pinkpanther, Feb 11, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2017
  4. PianoKeys

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    Read Alan Carr, for me the first pages really helped, never finished the book though. It is a free PDF now , I have the book version. Made me think differently. It also says keep smoking while u read trough it :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: But hey, you could give it a go.

    Exercise helps alot because u can feel the process of getting healthier and better stamina quicker.
     
  5. killswitch0029

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    I bought a vape to help me quit. You can adjust the level of nicotine in the juice and eventually wean yourself off to the point where you no longer have the craving.
     
  6. Chip

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    Congrats on taking the steps to quit. You absolutely can succeed, it will just require some planning, focus, and preparation.

    The vape can be a possibility, but it's also easy enough to just transfer the addiction. Nicorette gum can be helpful. Ultimately, the physical addiction recovery time is pretty short... about 72 hours. After that, it's a combination of retraining your brain, and resetting habits.

    One tip that many holistic doctors recommend is getting naturally flavored black licorice sticks. The fennel used to flavor them is chemically similar to nicotine and helps to reduce the cravings, and having the licorice stick in your mouth helps solve the natural biorhythm of having the cigarette in your mouth.

    Plan in advance to disrupt your routine. If you normally smoke after breakfast, have breakfast at a different time, and plan some specific activity (going on a walk, exercising, meditation, whatever) to do right after breakfast. Do the same with any other times or circumstances associated with smoking.

    Also plan in advance to have strategies in place to handle the situations where you've used cigarettes in the past, for example, stress-inducing conversations or situations. It's at those moments, when you feel stressed, that you're most likely to reflexively go for a cigarette.

    Any time you get a craving to smoke, stop what you're doing and, for about 20-30 seconds, take a couple of long, slow, deep breaths. The craving itself only lasts a few seconds. Breathing will disrupt the anxiety contributing to the craving and help it to pass.
     
  7. Miaplacidus

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    Careful with the natural licorice because it raises blood pressure. But it might work.
     
  8. Jacob D

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    Congratulations on your desire of wanting to quit. I'm not a smoker but I am proud to see that you plan on becoming smoke free. Good luck :slight_smile:
     
  9. YeahpIdk

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    I used to smoke. i even started pretty young, like 14, and had an eating disorder - so I was smoking in the place of eating a lot of the time. Hello chain smoking! I've actually always been pretty enthusiastic during those periods. Like even if I hadn't done it for a few months or almost a year, the second I had one, I just wanted to continually have it in my hands and in my mouth all the time. The reason I haven't smoked as of late, even though I'm always a very on again off again smoker (actually pretty good at shutting it off), is because I got really sick and wound up damaging my nose after getting upper respiratory infections and then using a nasal spray for too long. It pains me to think that a lot of the reason I went onto a nasal spray so quickly is because I was smoking like a fiend RIGHT after being sick without a break. I was questioning my sexuality and stressed to the nines. Anyway, that's a short little tale about how addicted I usually am to smoking and how they probably fascilitated in the demise of my normal life. And it's just my nose. Imagine all the other crap you can get from smoking that could ruin the habit for you!

    My advice is: just quit. People can give you a million things to do in the mean time, but you just need to know and acknowledge that you're going to want one. Really badly. But you don't need it to live. In fact, you need to not need them to live. The above things to put in place of your cravings are definitely helpful - I knew someone who cut up straws and would "smoke" (obviously not lit up) those just to have the inhale/exhale sensation that most people actually crave. The having something in your fingers and sucking in and out. They seemed to work for her.

    I also don't think a vape is such a bad idea. They're delicious if you get the right flavors, and can totally get you off of wanting to taste tobacco. The last thing I ever smoked was a vape, and I'd much rather taste Berry Blaze than menthol tobacco in my mouth now. BUT, who knows what kind of damage they'll find vapes to do in ten years from now? I heard something about pop corn lung that didn't sound too pleasant, but for a few months or weeks to come off of cigarettes, I don't think it's a horrible idea.

    In the end, you just have to accept that you'll want a cig much of the time. Accept it. And move on, even though those little addiction things in your brain will be throwing a huge temper tantrum. Let your reasons for quitting be bigger than your want for smoking.

    Rooting for you!!
     
  10. rokara

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    Thanks for all the advice and encouragement, everyone! I've even kinda started the process of not smoking and breaking habits by not smoking as soon as I got up this morning! :grin:

    I have a strong feeling that I will be setting a concrete quit date this week as I have an appointment with a neuro opthamologist(sp?) Tuesday afternoon. I plan to ask them if my smoking habit has contributed to my vision issues (I have cataracts and my peripheral vision is horrid) and if quitting will help make things even a little bit better.

    Either way, I just want to be done, and am ready to be done. I'm tired of not being able to keep up with my 4 nephews and the habit/routine I've gotten into of smoking 3-4 cigarettes in a couple hour periods I have during various parts of the day (it centers around the youngest one's sleep schedule. I basically only get a chance to smoke before he wakes up, during his nap (which as he turns 2 in less than a month will come to an end) and after he goes to bed).

    I will try some of the things you all have mentioned and keep everyone updated! :slight_smile:
     
  11. PianoKeys

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    : D Wooohoow well good luck !!!!

    Hey is your name connected to smoking rokara ? haha rokok in Indonesian is smoking I think and roken in Dutch is, so perhaps ?
     
  12. HM03

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    Good luck with it!

    My mom used to smoke. I think what motivated her through quitting was my brother's health (super unfair to get health complications through second hand smoke) and for her own health (so she could stick around as long as possible for her kids).
     
  13. drownsoda

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    I've also smoked off and on. I get urges to do so when I'm really upset about something.

    You've probably heard it before and it's most likely annoying, but I think that cold turkey is simply the best way to go. You just have to decide that you're done and not pick up a pack. I decided one day that I didn't need to smoke, so I just stopped buying them.

    Like I said, I still get urges on occasion, but I haven't smoked in six months now.