Ask Me Help Desk - Do you know any method on how to stop smoking?

I'm trying to stop smoking now but I have no idea on how to do it. So I'm trying to search ways and I want know if anyone has this kind of experience. Please tell me your method.

You stop.

You do not buy another pack, you do not light another smoke.

You suffer for a little while, but you just stop.

It is all a matter of will power and if you really want to or not.

Two of my family members quit and a third has tried and failed for years. My Dad and brother both tell me they had a fleeting thought they should quit and they each did in that respective moment. Neither waited until the next day or Monday. My dad quit in the middle if a cigarette. They threw them all away and decided not to buy or bum any from anyone. When cravings came, my brother visualized it as a cloud drifting by. He let it drift and distracted himself by putting in a load of laundry, fixing a loose cabinet door or anything he could think of that needed to be done. Not only did he quit smoking, but by scrubbing a shower, shoveling snow off the walk or other distractions, he solved another problem by getting his home in order.

Another friend took up knitting. It's hard to smoke and knit at the same time and it worked for her. Woodworking, painting, scrap booking... A thing that occupies your hands would work. I do stuff like this when I am dieting ...it's also hard to eat and knit at the same time.

My sister , on the other hand, has tried picking the perfect quit date, using gum , pills, hypnotism and every other gimmick. She gives herself a million outs. She will justify starting up again because unemployment is stressful. She started a new job and kept smoking because the job is stressful. Or she will have an argument with someone and will use that as excuse to start again. Or she will decide she can't quit before a vacation, or has to only quit on vacation. Never works because she makes too big of a deal out of it, and has a mindset that she can't quit while normal life continues.

The best trick is no trick at all. Just throw them away now, don't buy more. Don't borrow any. If there is a craving, do something productive while you let it drift away. If it's uncomfortable, be willing to be uncomfortable. It will get easier with time.

I quit on January 7th, 2004 so it's been a little over 10 years now. I smoked a pack a day or more for over 18 years. Numerous times I tried quitting...I will start on such and such day....I will cut down from a pack to half a pack, then to only 5 and then none...Things like that don't work. You decide to quit and you do it. No excuses, no if's or when's.

The hardest part about quitting was the habit itself. The nicotine addiction that everyone tries to convince you that you have so you need to buy gum and whatever is BS. The actual nicotine craving that I experienced lasted for MAYBE 3 days. The habit was the killer. You get used to smoking after a meal or when driving or when standing in line or whatever....and that's where the big roadblock comes into play. You do those things that you are used to having a cigarette while doing them and now your mind is telling you that you're not doing it right because the cigarette is missing. Water. Bottled water. That was my answer. I kept bottled water with me and when my hands were looking for something to do, I would hold the water and drink it.

It's not that hard if you put your mind to it.

As a side note- Back in the 90's I was good friends with someone that was trying to quit. She got the patch and wore that. Problem though, was that she still wanted to smoke and did so even while wearing the patch because it wasn't helping her habit. She got sick and started turning a pale yellow over time. Finally, the doctor said she was poisoning herself by using the patch and still smoking (she actually used more than one patch at a time too!). He told her if she wasn't serious about quitting that she was better off to just smoke rather than smoking while wearing the patch. So there is a story about someone who just wanted an easy answer and went through the motions without actually truly wanting to quit...because if you truly want to...you can and will.

I can only speak from my own experience. The old adage that you quit and for no matter how long you avoid smoking, light up one cigarette and you are right back where you started--was not true for me. I quit and everyone around me knew that I had quit, but once in a while I would sneak a smoke. After that one sneak occasionally, I would quit again. I had to - to save my pride and not let anyone know that I had failed. Then I realized that people would smell the smoke on me, so I had to sneak the smokes very carefully, staying out of the smoke and washing up after each smoke etc etc. to get the smell neutralized. I then had to make a choice of stopping completely or letting everyone know I had failed. Sneaking wasn't an option (too complicated) and giving up my pride was not an answer either. But based on my own experience I would say-- if you slip and have to have one, don't just throw in the towel and go back to a pack or two a day. That is true in the case of some alcoholics (I knew one very well), one drink and it off to the races even if it is years since the last drink, but it was not true with nicotine for me. Make it well known- I quit smoking!--- then, realize that your options are very limited.

It is hard to find a good method. I know because I used to do it. I kept searching on the web until I found a funny site. It has many methods on how to stop smoking. You should check this Quit-smoking community site. I think it will be helpful.
URL : Top Page | Quit Smoking Community

When I quit it took me at least 3 months to do it. I quit smoking cold turkey. I ate better exercised and when I fell into temptation and had a smoke I started right back on the quitting. I did not allow myself to finish the pack and then quit again. It is hard, it will require will power, it also requires you to use skills.
Never give up and take it one minute at a time if you have to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mogrann

When I quit it took me at least 3 months to do it. I quit smoking cold turkey. I ate better exercised and when I fell into temptation and had a smoke I started right back on the quitting. I did not allow myself to finish the pack and then quit again. It is hard, it will require will power, it also requires you to use skills.
Never give up and take it one minute at a time if you have to.

I agree mogrann. That's what I was trying to say too. Many folks have one cigarette after they quit and figure- that's it, and wimp out and go back to their old smoking pattern because that is the easiest path to take. Best to quit all over again as you have said, and build on what you have accomplished so far. If you made it for two weeks and stumbled, you know by that time you can do two weeks without nicotine, now see how far you can go this next time. When you get off smoking for a while and sneak one, you can smell the smoke on your hands and clothes which you probably couldn't notice while you were smoking regularly. Convince yourself that you don't want to be identified by that odor and it will get tougher and tougher to have a smoke because it gets to be too dam*ed much work.