Giving up smoking.

[Jamesey1981]

Ok, so I'm not sure this belongs in this section, although freeing yourself from a pointless addiction is always a good plan from a prepper's perspective, I had my last fag (cigarette to any American members) on Thursday morning, and I'm about at the point where I always fail because my willpower cracks, the first few days are tough but easy in a way, it's hard but you still have the motivation to say no, I always find that it's after a week that it really kicks you, the willpower is going and your brain is telling you that one will be ok, it isn't though, any tips anyone?
Not looking for congratulations, I haven't done it yet, but if anyone has experienced it and has a tip or two to take the old mind off it then I'm willing to try it, I'm determined to do it for good this time, (how many addicts have said that over the years!)

[pseudonym]

Congratulations.

It will get better, it'll take some time, but it will.

Gave up cold turkey 5 years ago.

I told no one for the first month, said I had a cold when offered a ciggie, less pressure from smokers that way.

I had a glass bottle that I put the unspent fag money into. Watched it fill up, twice. Treated myself to some nice stuff.

Keep it up.

[Hamradioop]

It can be done I gave up 3 years ago, I found the mouth sprays helped me.

[nickdutch]

i went from smoking, to the ecig to NRT over about 5 years. After NRT then nothing as NRT doesn't give you much of a buzz and is frigging expensive.
been nicotine free over a month. It will be over 3 months by the Equinox. By then the brain chemistry will have re healed in theory.

[jeebus]

Well done on making the decision to quit. Something that helped me a lot was a book called "Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking". It has quite a good analogy of the body's addiction to nicotine. It tells you to imagine that there's a nicotine-hungry monster living inside you that gets bigger when it's fed, and smaller when it's not. This coupled with the NOPE (Not One Puff Ever) idea that the book suggests really helped me, as silly as it may sound.

[MissAnpassad]

When I quit smoking, I knitted scarf that ended up being several meters long. It's good to keep the hands busy. My mother uses it as a pillow in her car, it's a bit to long to be worn around the neck.

[Jamesey1981]

Cheers everyone.
I did use an electronic cigarette for a year or so, I was mixing my own fluid for it so I was gradually cutting down the nicotine, the nicotine doesn't seem to be the problem for me I think, my problem is the habit, I actually got down to zero nicotine with the ecig, but then it kept letting me down, I went through four or five different ones, not cheap ones either, and when it failed the last time I gave up on it and I started smoking real cigarettes again, at that point I'd had no nicotine for about three months, shame really but I just didn't have the willpower to break the habit.
I did give up by going cold turkey for 18 months a fair few years ago, I drank an awful lot though, I have had a few issues with drink in the past, I was a chef for many years and like a lot of chefs I drank far too much, (you really don't want to know quite how much) so that's something I try and be careful with these days, don't want to trade one problem for another, I do still drink, but at a sensible level so I want to keep it that way.
This time I'm trying it with gum and the horrible little mint things, they're not that pleasant so I don't think I'll have too much trouble stopping those when it's time, haven't cheated yet, have been pretty close though, keeping my hands busy does seem to help, I smoked rollies so I think the ritual of rolling a cigarette was part of it, so I went and collected some bits of wood and have carved a net needle and am working on a couple of spoons, I've also sharpened all my cutting tools, don't know about anyone else but I find sharpening things quite relaxing, does mean I now have bald bits on my arms from testing them though!

[featherstick]

Gum for me. Love the stuff. Haven't smoked for years, but regularly fall off the wagon with gum, specially when I'm tired.

But I'm not addicted, oh no. I could give up anytime....

Good luck, keep on trying.

[Britcit]

The day I quit (approx 6 years ago), I sent an email to all my workmates telling them I was going to try to quit. The email also included a preemptive apology for any grumpy moments over the next few weeks\months.

I found that I got quite a bit of support, even from the smokers.

I had tried a few times before but they had been rather halfhearted efforts and for the wrong reasons. I had tried to quit because my (now) exwife wanted me to, I had tried because of pressure from friends and I had tried for financial reasons. All failed for me.

What spurred my final attempt was beijng out of breath from walking up a flight of stairs in my mid thirties. When that happend something just clicked, and I quit the next day. 6 years ciggy free.

What helped me was not trying to quit forever, but just trying not to smoke today.
Each time I wanted a fag, I would say to myself 'I'll have one tommorow'.
The following day, I'd say 'I'll have one tommorow'. And so on.... It worked for me.

Good luck in trying to kick the habit. Don't forget, if you have a fag, you haven't failed. It's just a bump in the road. Smoke it, enjoy it and move on. Don't feel guilty.

[Decaff]

Keep your hands busy, I had a lump of blu-tack I would squish and roll out when at my desk, at home I would get up and do something as soon as that thought/feeling cane over me. I also had an addiction to mint imperials, clean fresh mouth helped me not want to be faggy breathed. Good luck! Breath through that minute of "want" and remember that the feeling passes and you can do this xx