For those who have quit smoking

[SeXy_AnGeL]

I quit and took up drinking more...I dont suggest that, but I just stopped smoking and when ever I NEEDED to smoke, I had a drink...Worked for me, made me a bit of a drunk but hey...gotta do what you gotta do

[CivRacer95]

So what are you going to do to quit drinking...?

[TexasF355F1]

Everyone I know that quit smoking successfully did it cold-turkey. A number of them tried the patch and it just didn't work.

[Oz]

I tried the patch and it worked.

[AlmostStock]

When I quit smoking cold turkey I also quit drinking for a while. For many people drinking only makes the urge to smoke greater. I also ate a lot more, slept a lot more, and was pretty much a grumpy asshole for a couple weeks. Life had no purpose without that nicotine fix. At first having a smoke is constantly on your mind. Slowly over time you think about it less and less. During the critical beginning period do not deny yourself anything besides cigarettes. Eat anything you want, do anything you want. Just don't smoke.

Reading about the effects of smoking and the stories of others who quit also helped me. Everyone is different. Something that helps one person may not help another. One thing is for sure, no one can quit until THEY decide they are ready to. Even then expect some relapses, just don't give up and start full time smoking just because you slipped and had one.

[96HondaCivic]

Thanks alot for evreyones input.

[ci5ic]

I am in the process of trying to quit. I am down from a pack a day (sometimes more) to 6 or so a day. It's really tough for me. I've been smoking for over 10 years, so my habit affects my whole life... It's not the chemical addiction that is hard to deal with. It's the routine you build around smoking that is difficult to break.

For instance, when I'm at work, I've basically programmed myself throughout the years that when it's break-time, I go outside with the rest of the smokers and smoke. It's difficult to break that habit because well, all the time I've spent on break, I've become friends with all the other smokers. So, if I don't go outside to smoke on break, who am I going to talk to? Sure, I'm friendly with other people at work, but it's just not the same, and you feel like you're missing out.

Like I mentioned above, I'm friends with all the smokers... which means that most of the people I'm friends with (even outside of work) are smokers, because I met most if not all of my friends in the workplace on breaks. So even hanging out with friends at night or on weekends presents the same problem of being around cigarettes alot.

I've also been programmed to smoke after meals... So when I eat, the first thing I want to do is to smoke. Another habit that is hard to break.

At this point, I've chosen to gradually reduce the amount that I smoke instead of going "cold turkey" (which I've tried, and I just don't have that much will power). Alot of times, I will smoke half a cigarette on breaks. So, although I have only reduced the NUMBER of times that I smoke in a day by half, my overall intake has dropped by almost 75%. It makes it easier to deal with. I've even gone so far as to open a fresh pack, pull all the smokes out and physically cut off half of each cigarette so that I can't be tempted to just finish the smoke once I've reached the halfway point.

I've also created some specific rules to help me.

For instance, no more smoking in the car. That goes for everyone, not just me... I used to light up on almost every car ride, but now, not at all.

Only smoke a MAXIMUM of ONE cigarette at each break, so where I used to smoke 3 during a half-hour lunch, I only smoke one.

I don't smoke in my apartment, or anyone elses house, I go outside... works better in the winter.

I also cut out smoking before bed... It used to be the last thing I'd do before going to bed, but lately, I've been able to say to myself "you don't need to smoke before bed... just go to sleep, and you'll forget about wanting one".

Aside from breaks at work, the other major issue I'm having is smoking while drinking at the bar (or at home). At the bar, everyone is smoking, and there's smoke everywhere, it's impossible to forget about, and even though I can limit how much I smoke (usually, I limit it to 2 smokes per pint), I find that I'll drink my pints faster so I can have another smoke... kinda cheating on my own rule.

I know it sounds cliche, but when I started smoking, I really thought it would be easy to quit, I could do it any time. I guess I just didn't realize how much of your life can be shaped by being a smoker, and that quitting smoking meant making some fairly significant changes in the other aspects of your life. So, although I don't have cancer or emphysema or anything (knock on wood), I truly realize now what a mistake it was to ever start. I've even signed all the petitions here in WA state to make all public places or bars/restaurants smoke free because even though it would irritate the hell out of me, I know it's better for me.

Hopefully, your friend can quit before it becomes too much a part of her life.