Aaaarghh its been 2 days now and i think that i am seeing things.Someone said try the patches but i think there only any good if u put them over ure mouth.
Do any ex-smokers have any advice or tips that helped them stop
thanks a lot.

It's easy to quit smoking.Just think of cigarettes as "Cancer sticks" because that's really what they are.From now on,do not refer to them as cigarettes,think of them as "CANCER STICKS".

Ask yourself,do you really wanna spend your money on a pack of "cancer sticks"? Do you really wanna take a "cancer stick" break at your job? Do you really want to smoke something called a "cancer stick"?

Try this for a few weeks.I'm not a smoker myself,but my co-worker is doing this and it's working for him.

I'd been smoking daily for ten years when I quit this february. But to be honest I haven't quit completely since I still smoke a few when I drink alcohol. The only thing that helped me through the abstinence is "snus" (or snuff in brittish countries, I think). I don't think it's available in other places than scandinavia though. Snus is a form of tobacco that you put under your lip. It contains nicotine which gets rid of the worst abstinence, but still it is a drug. almost all of my smoking friends have quit, by starting to use snus instead. The danger of snus is minimal compared to cigarettes (you dont get lungcancer for instance). The problem is that you will continue to be a nicotine addict when using snus but the risks with snus are a million times lower than cigarettes.

Cancer sticks...nice idea. I'd go even further. think of cigarettes and 'shit sticks'. Imagine that this is shit, rolled up nicely. now would you put shit in your mouth and light it up? I think not!

I gave up a few years ago with the help of acupuncture which really did work for me. They didn't put needles in my ear but used seeds which I could press if I felt a craving during the day.

My partner's trying to give up at the moment and life has become hell. Any day now I'm going to buy him a packet ...

But, to get back to the point, you can do this muirdo. Just remember that the craving will only last for five minutes. If you can think of the cravings in terms of being a habit rather than a dependency, you're half-way there. Initially, why not try to replace your smoking habit with another one - go for a short walk, chew some gum, do something that's a little healthier for you rather than reach for the ciggies. Take your mind off it. Surf the net. Anything so long as you can get past that initial 5 minutes. Then forget about it until the next craving hits.

One other thing - I found when I gave up (and before, when I'd tried and been unsuccessful) that the first two weeks were the worst. Once I got past that, I had massive cravings at 6 weeks, then again at 3 months and again at 6 months. I don't know if this is usual, but the time between seems to more or less double each time. Anyway, once you've got past the first two weeks, things should get a little easier ...

Finally, good luck! ... this is so worth it - it's so nice to be able to exercise without needing oxygen (!) and to wake up each morning without that horrible smokers cough ... not to mention the amount of money cigs cost in Britain!.

I said "finally" up there, but I have one last point. Don't just start smoking again because you can't handle not smoking. If you feel you're gonna reach for the ciggies, orgnote me, or call someone, or email a friend ... you know that craving's gonna pass, even if it's a bad one ... and you've already gone 2 days, so you know that you can easily do another 5 minutes ... and that's all it takes ... just lots of little bunches of 5 mins.

xxx

Mark Twain once said, "It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it several times."

Liquorice (Danish) worked for me!

muirdo said:

Fighting cravings is a losing battle...go ahead and recognize the cravings, no matter how intense they are, but then recognize that it is your body that is craving the drug, while your mind contains the free will. The reason your body wants a cigarette is plain and simple--the body wants pleasure. The mind knows better. Dissociate yourself from your body's cravings...it wants a cigarette. But you do not. Too bad for it. The phsyical discomfort ends after only a few days, but you'll need to make the distinction between the mind and the body for many months.

This technique works on alcholism as well.

Buy a pack, take one out, cover the butt end with poo, and smoke it.

Poo on the lips and all.

You'll never want another one again.

Honestly,

Drink water and take hot showers.

The third day is the worst. But it get's better after that.

tommysoul said:

The risk is lower with that. My dad was a huge fan of snuff... "Copenhagen" was is brand for years. He quit because he got mouth cancer from it under his lip.

I quit a month or so ago. How did I finally do it? I made a promise to someone that I love (IceNine) that I would quit if he went to the doctor... and I don't make it a habit of breaking promises. It is a very difficult thing to quit. I still have cravings, but I've found that sucking on straws helps out a bit and keeping myself occupied in other ways.

Good luck to you! You can do it and you will, when you are ready!

Also, a thing that helped a family member of mine was putting a picture of an x-ray of his lungs in the front of his cigarette pack. He would see how years of smoking had damaged his lungs each time he reached for them and would decide not to do it. He didn't quit in time.

It really is hard to stop. I have had so many family members die from cancer because of smoking and not even that was enough to get me to quit. Sad really.

To stop smoking is not difficult. Not starting again is difficult.
Keep busy ,that's a good remedy. For example don't join your smoking co-workers at the break at work. Find yourself some distraction?.
Take fruit instead of cigarettes.
Be strong for yourself and don't let the addiction control you if you don't want to. JUST DON'T DO IT.
Good luck.

sojourner said:

VERY good advice!

XTRA advice.
Allan Car (or what his name is) has written a book about smoking and all side effects. Seems to fright every smoker so much that he stops smoking at least for the time reading the book.

Hang in there Muirdo. My husband and I quit smoking 7 weeks ago. We swear we will never put another disgusting cigarette in our mouths again. We both smoked almost a pack a day for 20 years. We just made up our mind not to do it anymore and besides, they are almost $8.00 a pack here in Canada. We were spending $400 a month on cigarettes. Too much eh?? Don't light up Muirdo. Let it go for good. You'll thank yourself for it in the long run.

13 weeks today for me! phew! it's damn hard...no way around that...but like raspberry said...the first 2 weeks are the hardest. I kept telling myself I was stronger than my habit. If you have a partner who still smokes...good luck to ya...cause I could not have quit untill me and my husband both quit at the same time.
Even after 13 weeks I still feel like...damn it...I want to smoke! but...it only last for like a second now and it's more of a I just wish I could type comment more than an actual craving. I am really enjoying the energy I have now more than anything. Good luck, be strong,.you are stronger than your habit.

2 days is really good, actually! it is so f'n hard to quit. I have not had a smoke since July/August (can't remember if it was the end of July or the beginning of August). It gets so much easier. Just remind yourself that you really don't want to smoke, even when you think you DO want to smoke. You'll count days and be proud of yourself, then you'll forget to count days and every once in a while remember...wow, i don;t smoke anymore...this just happened to me last nite a bowie concert...my first time at a concert with no cigarette in years...and i forgot completely that i even used to smoke. Good luck! Remember, you want to enjoy this life for as long as you can!

Read a lot off of this site.
Look at some of the galleries

http://www.thetruth.com/

yamomma said:

ROFL!!!

Here are some reasons:




1. Hair Loss

Smoking weakens the immune system, leaving the body more vulnerable to diseases such as lupus erythematosus, which can cause hair loss, ulcerations in the mouth and rashes on the face, scalp, and hands.

2. Cataracts

Smoking is believed to cause or worsen several eye conditions. Those who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day are twice as likely to develop cataracts, a clouding of the eye's lens that blocks light and may lead to blindness. Smoke causes cataracts in two ways: By irritating the eyes and by releasing chemicals into the lungs that then travel up the bloodstream to the eyes.

3. Wrinkling

Smoking prematurely ages skin by wearing away proteins that give it elasticity, depleting it of vitamin A and restricting blood flow. Smokers' skin is dry, leathery and etched with tiny lines, especially around the lips, and eyes: In one study, smokers in their 40s had facial wrinkles similar to those of nonsmokers 20 years older.

4. Hearing Loss

Because smoking creates plaque on blood vessel walls, decreasing blood flow to the inner ear, smokers can lose their hearing earlier than nonsmokers (up to 16 years sooner, according to one study) and are more susceptible to hearing loss caused by ear infections or loud noise.

5. Skin cancer

Smoking does not cause melanoma (a sometimes deadly form of skin cancer), but it does increase your chances of dying from it (this may be because smoking impairs the immune system). And smokers have a 50 percent greater risk of contracting squamous cell carcinoma--a cancer that leaves scaly, reddish eruptions on the skin.

6. Tooth decay

Smoking interferes with the mouth's chemistry, creating excess plaque, yellowing teeth and contributing to tooth decay. Smokers are one and a half times more likely to lose their teeth.

7. Lung ailments

In the former Soviet bloc, 88,000 smokers die each year from debilitating lung conditions other than lung cancer. Emphysema, a swelling and rupturing of the lung's air sacs, reduces the lungs' capacity to take in oxygen (and expel carbon dioxide). In extreme cases, a tracheotomy helps patients breathe: An opening is cut in the windpipe, allowing a ventilator to force air into the lungs (see image). Chronic bronchitis (not shown) creates a build-up of pus-filled mucus, resulting in a painful cough and breathing difficulties.

8. Osteoporosis

Carbon monoxide, the main poisonous gas in car exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke, binds to blood much more readily than oxygen, cutting the oxygen-carrying power of heavy smokers' blood by as much as 15 percent. As a result, smokers' bones lose density, fracture more easily and take up to 80 percent longer to heal. Those who smoke more than one pack per day are also more susceptible to back problems: One study shows that industrial workers who smoke are 5 times as likely to experience back pain after an injury.

9. Heart Disease

Smoking-related cardiovascular disease kills more than 600,000 people each year (or about the population of Toronto) in the world's developed countries. Smoking makes the heart beat faster, raises blood pressure and increases the risk of hypertension and clogged arteries.

10. Stomach ulcers

Smoking reduces resistance to the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers. It also impairs the stomach's ability neutralize acid after a meal, leaving the acid to eat away at the stomach lining. Ulcers in smokers are harder to treat and more likely to reoccur.

11. Discolored fingers

The tar in cigarette smoke collects on the fingers and fingernails, staining them a yellowish-brown.

12. Cervical cancer

Besides increasing the risk of cervical and uterine cancer, smoking can create fertility problems for women and complications during pregnancy and childbirth. And smoking lowers estrogen levels, speeding up menopause.

13. Deformed sperm

Smoking can deform sperm and damage its DNA, causing miscarriage or birth defects. In fact, men who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day have an extra 42 percent chance of fathering a child who contracts cancer. Smoking also diminishes sperm count and reduces the blood flow to the penis, sometimes causing impotence.

14. Psoriasis

Smokers two to three times as likely to develop psoriasis, a non-contagious inflammatory skin condition that leaves itchy, oozing red patches all over the body. While researchers are not sure how smoking aggravates psoriasis, they hypothesize that smoking may alter white blood cells or release high levels of toxic chemicals.

15. Buerger's Disease

Smoking can damage blood vessel walls, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood to the extremities. In serious cases, Buerger's Disease can lead to gangrene (the death of body tissue) and even the amputation of a limb.

16. Cancer

At least 60 elements in tobacco smoke have been shown to cause cancer, according to Action on Smoking and Health, an antismoking group in the UK. Male smokers are 22 times more likely to develop lung cancer 16a than nonsmokers. And according to a number of studies, the longer one smokes, the greater the risk of developing a number of other cancers, including cancer of the nose (two times greater)

16b; tongue

16c, mouth, salivary gland and pharynx (six times for women; 27 times for men); throat (12 times); esophagus (eight to ten times); kidneys (five times)

16d; penis (two to three times); pancreas (two to five times)

16e; and anus (eight to nine times). The link between smoking and breast cancer

16f is perhaps the most controversial: While some evidence suggest smoking increases a woman's risk of developing the cancer, other evidence indicates that, by lowering estrogen levels, smoking actually reduces the risk.

Now would you like a Marlboro or a Camel?
Newport?



[This message was edited Tue Oct 22 17:10:26 PDT 2002 by yamomma]

thanks everyone
i will use each and every point to help me get through
this.
I am really looking forward to a new healthy lifestyle
without the cigs
thanks again everyone
ps i'll hold u to that raspberry

i just quit...it was 4 months on the 20 october...
cigs make u stinky...now when i smell someone who smokes, after just coming in from break (we have to smoke outside at work) i think 'oh my god...did i smell like that...ewww' and i did!!! plus after seeing that pic yamomma posted...i don't think i'll EVER smoke again!!


it does get easier




'u don't have 2 b beautiful to turn me on...'

yamomma! that'll do the trick! I don't want to smoke I don't want to smoke I don't want to smoke (looks at that pic again) I really don't want to smoke I really don't want to smoke.
now that's some advice, damn!

Shorty I thought you did quit?

I really have to try. I've been smoking more than ever lately and it's not good.

All smokers print that photo out and keep it with you.


Maybe it might help...

CarrieLee said:

I did! in my first post I said that I still want to though...and then yamomma posted that horrible pick and I was like I don't wanna I don't wanna.
get it? got it? good

Ahhh ok, gotcha. I didn't read your first post girlie.

i used the patch..full term...plus a lotta hard candy..lifesavers, tootsie pops..something to occupy your mouth...

..i finally got mad that i had no control over the craving...i mean i had given up eating meat..but for some reason i couldn't give up smoking? when i started to look at the power it had over me, it started to piss me off...

..also you can trick yourself by keeping em around and saying...okay..i'll have one later if i absolutely have to...then keep putting it off...

...if i am ever tempted to smoke again i think of the hell i went thru trying to quit..so far that's worked for a couple years...i still miss it tho..especially when i'm driving...

look at it this way..there isn't really one good reason to smoke..there are plenty of reasons not to...
it doesn't do anything for you...takes the edge off?...but 'the edge' is only there cos you're craving nicotene, so...

the main thing is making up your mind..to do it for you..don't try to do it for a boyfriend/girlfriend and don't try to quit with anyone, in my experience that never works...you have to quit when you are ready...