Ex smokers. How did you quit?

[Ghxst]

Keep away from your triggers, coffee/alcohol/stripclubs, and all that. Also keep in mind you are taking away days at a time with each pack and instead of just dying of old age you will probably have a slow and agonizing death with copd or lung cancer. I tried to quit several times, even told myself in 2012 if I didn't quit the works would end lol. I did that for 18 months then sure enough hung out with smokers and tried to prove I could have one. As you read above you can't and fought it on and off until a year ago. I just had to muster the will power to take my life back. Googling images of smoking effects (lungs, body, ways to die, trach tubes) also helps. You can do this. It will also help your reef tank by keeping out unwanted chemicals, just like second hand smoke effects kids.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I quit twice, both times cold turkey and both times were when I found I was pregnant. With my son, I was cigarette-free for about 2.5 years. Then, I had ONE at a wedding and within a few months I was back at it. I never went back to smoking heavily like before my son...I had something like 5-7 per day. When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter I went cold turkey again.

That was fall 2014, and I'm still holding strong. I won't have even one, I actually can't stand the smell now. My husband has been trying to quit for a while too, but he's only made it for a few months at a time. He works construction so everyone he works with smokes. I keep complaining about how bad it stinks and hope he will finally kick it too.

It's all willpower, you can do it!

 

[120reefkeeper]

Smoked for 12 years one pack a day.

Went to the doctor and told him I wanted to quit and needed help.

He prescribed Zyban.

Two weeks later I was done. That was in 1999. Haven't smoked since.

[emoji6]

 

[Valkyrie]

Chantix and ecig

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Vape. 3mg. Find a flavor you like. Get a menthol too. After 2 weeks the crave is all in your head. Then switch to zero mg. You'll then see the crave is all in your head.

 

[tyler1503]

Thanks for the comments everyone!
I'm feeling pretty confident about it this time. It's just a matter of distracting me when I feel a craving coming on I think. I won't be too hard on myself when I take a step backwards, it's all a work in progress.
The gum is really effective, too bad it tastes horrible.

Congratulations on everyone else who has been able to quit! You're all an inspiration :)

 

[Gargamell]

I went cigs > Dip > Nicotine Lozenges > Altoids > 5 years since last nicotine. Also stopped drinking so that made it way easier.

I went Cigs to Dip to Nicotine Lozenges to Mentos

 

[Drakonis]

Cold turkey, being so broke at the time choosing food over cigs helped. never touched one again no desire to

 

[Seth Goldberg]

Hello R2R!
I'm doing my best to quit smoking, but it's so hard! I'm chewing the gum when I can, but I work in the food manufacturing industry so I can't chew it at work. I'm sort of half doing it with the nicotine gum and half cold turkey. I went 2 weeks without a smoke cracked and bought a pouch of tobacco.
Just wondering how some of the ex smokers here quit? How many times did you try to quit before you actually did?
I need some encouragement [emoji23]

I quit smoking by vaping. There are allot of good options now and it's very easy to start with a high nic and work your way down. And no I'm not one of those giant cloud blowers. PM me if you have questions about it

 

[mrnovember]

Smoked 15 years. Quit using the patch, very liberally, like two at a time. This may sound crazy, but how I proved to myself I was capable of quitting was I kept a pack in my car for 2-3 years. After going that long without smoking them I knew I didn't need it anymore. Good luck!

 

[donnievaz]

I tried Chantix, none of the bad side effects for me. Seven days later I did not want to smoke. I quit for six years, then I started hanging out with someone that smoked. It's time to get another prescription and not be around other people that smoke. My insurance offers a lot of incentives to quit, they even sent me a big box of nicotine patches to try.

I used chantix with no crazy side effects.

Consider yourselves lucky, I had the worst side effects from that stuff... Seriously messed with my head. It works though. I think I quit for 7 months that time. I'm thinking about looking into Wellbutrin. My biggest fear about quitting is getting fat, it's somewhat of a struggle to keep weight off with the cigs, it's a major struggle without.

 

[Coronus]

My father was just diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He smoked for 50 years. He was given 3 months to live with no treatment, and maybe triple that with treatment. My dad is going to die from cigarettes. I smoked for 25 years and quit the minute I found out. I haven't smoked since. It's been 3 months and 12 days. I did it cold turkey from smoking 1.5 packs a day.
Even if I lose my health from it, I won't let it beat me.
Save yourself and quit. The first few days are tough, but it gets easier each day. I don't crave at all. I also did not trade one addiction for another....vaping, gum, patches.... I wanted it to truly be over. So far it is.
I was scared straight......good luck. Cold turkey is the best way. IMO

 

[cracker]

Thanks for the inspiration . My Doc just told me I need to see a cardiologist. So It's not an option for me .

 

[NanaReefer]

After 30yrs smoking, first time ever quitting I used the patch. 21mg daily for 2wks, 14mg for 4 days. Been smoke free for 15yrs!!
Oh and I went through a LOT of Star Burst suckers-lol. They have the plastic sticks, chewed the heck out of them.

My sis had heart surgery she's now a non-smoker too. It takes more for some to get to the quitting stage, while some never do, we lost 2 sisters to cancer.

Just don't give up!!

 

[ritter6788]

2o+ year smoker, quit cold turkey for 4 years and for some reason picked it back up again. I started on a vape and can't stand a cig anymore. I make my own juice and have been cutting back slowly on the nicotine. I started at 12mg and now I'm down to 1. Once I get to 0 I'll hopefully put this thing down. It sure taste better and doesn't make you feel bad/smell bad like cigs.

 

[Kyuss414]

Cold turkey here as well after 25 years, been 6 months since I had a cig. Definitely got to keep busy. Once my sense of smell & taste started improving it helped as well. It's amazing how much smoking affected both and they became a big motivator to stay away.

 

[Centerline]

E-cig. Worked like a charm and they are certainty not going to kill you like the real thing.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Started smoking in high school, bumming cigarettes from someone on the ride to the vocational school or managing to find someone they'll sell them to me underaged. Never was hooked then tho as I don't remember "craving" a cigarette. I might have managed to get my hands on a pack every other month. Tech school is where I got hooked. Few packs a week hooked. I studied auto mechanics in tech school and we'd take whole class smoke breaks because every instructor smoked. I was hooked for 12 solid years and at most I was smoking a pack a day. A few years ago I started to get bad heartburn after smoking but u was still hooked. That turned into a mental reaction every time I smelled a cigarette my nose flared as if you smelled something you didn't like. I told myself on my 30th birthday I wouldn't smoke anymore. A few days before schedule I was out of cigarettes and as I only had a few days until my birthday, at the rate I had cut myself back to, I wouldn't finish a whole pack so I didn't want to waste the money. July 29th 2015 was the last day I smoked a cigarette, there have been several times since then when I wanted one and I took one drag off of one a few weeks after I quit and it tasted like I just licked the inside of my fireplace. The craving is still there, but only when I'm drinking in a bar that allows smoking. You have to want to quit, and stay quit. Have courage tho, it can be done.

 

[Reef man 89]

Been smoking for 10 years and would love to quit but I am a truck driver. driving and smoking comes hand and hand. I have tryed but just driving all day long is not easy without butts.

 

[__Jreef__]

I've smoked for about 10 years - about 10 cigs a day. I use to work in retail management and was a good excuse to step out and catch a break.
4 years ago I move to a new role and I went Cold Turkey was very hard at first and when I got the craivings I decide to vape instead.
I still vape from time to time but keeps me away from the cigs and I use low nicotine.