[HaRLoS]

Okay so, I want to quit smoking, the thing is, I smoke when I am bored, so to quit smoking I would need to find soemthing else to do with my hands instead of smoking. A friend of mine, she quit smoking and now she eats when she is bored. I don't want to eat all the time... I think I need a hobby like a puzzle or even grapes to snack on when I am bored.

Has anyone else successfully quit smoking cold turkey and stuck to it?
If so, how did you do it?
I really want to quit, and I'm smoking as I type this because I find the internet boring...

I live with my mom and step dad, they smoke, so does my boyfriend, and so do all my friends, which would have a lot to do with me not being able to quit smoking cause I'm around it all the time. I've asked my mom to smoke outside but my step dad won't.. They just LOVE supporting me on quitting my bad habits hey? My boyfriend says he will quit with me. We just need a good process and things to do like say, after we eat, or after intercourse, I EVEN SMOKE WHEN I'M gettingr eadt in the morning, I find getting ready fun.. sometimes it mostly just a force of habit to smoke after you eat or after you complete a task, like doing your make-up. Everyone at my school smokes too.

So I guess I really don't have very much will power in this particular subject. But I honestly DO want to quit!

[jrb252000]

It will be tough with everyone around you smoking. My husband went cold turkey when we started dating because if he smoked and wanted to start kissing me I would make him shower, and scrub the heck out of his mouth. Needless to say my moaning and complaining about his health and how gross it was helped.
You can go to the american lung association web site they have some good tips. I think a step down program is better so you don't have withdrawl as bad.
Carrot and celery sticks work well as a replacement tool.
Some other ideas would be:
Print pictures of people with tongue caner and lung cancer if those pictures don't make you want to stop smoking nothing will.
The money you spend on smokes place in a separate jar and see how much money you are saving.
I wish you the best of luck. Stay strong you can do it

[Wondergirl]

My uncle quit cold turkey and sucked on sugarless fruit-flavored candy when he got the urge for a cigarette. Smoking is a tough addiction to break, and with everyone around you smoking, it will be even tougher. But think of the money you can save!!

[startover22]

Harlos, I have to say I have quit 4 or 5 times cold turkey. I am on a roll with the smokies so I bought a pack tonight, my friend was in town and blah blah blah, my will power did not hold out. Let me tell you though, when I did quit, the people here held me high, like the highest branch on a tree. I felt free and able to control my urges. I made great friends, they help me keep myself in line. You just tell me when you are going to quit and I will see if I have the urge to do it with you. It has been 2 weeks with the smokies and I think I will half way finish this pack and then be done with them. It sure is a hard week after you decide to do it but it sure feels great, almost like the STRONGEST PERSON EVER!! I have to get ready for a marathon here in Eugene Oregon so I need to do something fast... What do you say? You ready? Just in case you don't know there are a lot of people on here who have quit and will follow suit to help... they have great advice and who knows what will happen... You may surprise yourself sweet! Hugs to you, Start

[HaRLoS]

Thanks! You guys are so great:) But, I won't save any money if I quit cause... and don't judge, my mom supports my habit, I'm only 17, I don't know why she does it.. but I won't be saving any money so that idea won't help:( I used to buy my own.. but I lost my job cause the place I was working closed down, and its almost impossible to find a job here, I'vwe applied everywhere, I've tried boxing to get me in shape and to have something to do when I did quit to get rid of the urges, but my friends baby needs to be babysat during the day while she was at work, and I had to go to school at night, so that rules out boxing.. And I've also noticed that when I go for walks now and take my dog out or go swimming I end up wheezing and hae shortness of breath, I also cough my lungs out every morning when I wake up. But if my mom and step dad won't smoke outside, I'll still be getting second hand smoke, which is supposedly worse than first hand.

[startover22]

Harlos, Do you want to quit? You have to be up for the challenge. Going up the stairs makes me feel like I am running a marathon, now don't laugh at me! Tell me when you are ready... I will be waiting. I will go with you! It is definitely going to be hard. Hugs sweet...

[macksmom]

All the previous posts are great advice :)

It will make it a lot easier if your boyfriend is willing to quit with you! Building a support system helps a lot! Although its nice to quit "cold turkey" it's a lot easier to start cutting back. But then again, you are only 17, it may be easier to quit cold turkey now, than 5 years down the road.

My husband and I have been smoking since we were like 14... we are 25 and 26... I tried before quitting cold turkey, I uses sugar free candy, gum, and suckers when I got the urge... smoking is kind or an oral fixation... so finding something to do in place of smoking helps. Also my husband and I had good success when we cut back together. We picked a day and bought one pack of cigarettes. (he and I usually smoke a pack a day each) We put the cigarettes in an odd location... like a shelf in the basement... somewhere where you actually have to get up, and walk to go get them... somewhere where they were not easily accessible. Doing that, you are making a conscience choice to go out of you way to get a smoke... most of the time we wouldn't make it all the way to the smokes because along the walk we thought about it. We would set a limit of smokes a day... like 3-4... one after every meal, and one for the evening. This method works quite well. Eventually you will get used to hardly smoking, that then quitting cold turkey from there will not be as harsh.

GOOD LUCK!

[HaRLoS]

I'm quitting today.. I started this morning.. yay me! I'm going to wal-mart later to buy a puzzle and some other craft stuff to elp with it..

[GlindaofOz]

Just to let you know I was able to quit cold turkey by getting B12 injections. There has been some studies done that link B12 to reducing cravings and nicotine withdrawals and I have to say that is true. It made me never want a cigarette and it was so easy to keep not smoking. I also picked up knitting and started doing that at night instead of smoking while I was watching TV. I also started running and that really helped. Good luck!

[startover22]

I'm quitting today.. i started this morning.. yay me! im going to wal-mart later to buy a puzzle and some other craft stuff to elp with it..

Wow, really? Great!! It helps to take deep breaths along the way, whe I feel like having one, I take the deepest longest breath so it feels like I am taking a drag. I know it makes no sense, but it helps, gum, suckers, anything... I have a very clean house when I am not smoking, clean clean clean, wash the car. Good luck honey, keep us posted.

[HaRLoS]

So everything was going good, than a phone called that told me that one of my friends drowned in buffalo pound last night.. so.. I need to go buy smokes

[startover22]

Ok, I understand completely.