I have tried EVERYTHING and still can’t quit

[NDC_Team]

If this title resonates with you and you feel that you have tried countless times to quit and/or countless methods to quit and still haven’t found the right approach, don’t worry there may be other options. Also, if this title speaks to you then you are someone that doesn’t give up and you keep on making efforts to quit! Most people are not successful the first time they attempt to quit (actually the last research article I read said 30 or more times before being successful) So keeping that in mind- Don’t give up! Perhaps the next time will be the ONE that WORKS!!

Have you considered the following:

1. Individual counseling with a TTS (tobacco treatment specialist) – They are all over the country
2. Combination medications- meaning using at least 1 long acting medication (#nicotine_patch, #chantix or #bupropion ) & using at least 1 short acting medication (#nicotine_gum, #nicotine_lozenge, #nasal_spray or “puffer”) together- I have had patients that use all 7 meds at the same time (most people uses 2, 3 or 4, but whatever it takes to remain tobacco free)
3. Doing both #1 & #2 simultaneously
4. Becoming more involved here on the EX Community (having support is key)
5. Join NicA (Nicotine Anonymous)- Contact your local meeting to see their beliefs on using nicotine products some believe in abstinence some are open to all.
6. An In-patient treatment program that solely focuses on quitting smoking

If you have ever thought- I just need to be “locked up” to be able to quit, then #6 might be a great option for you. Our in-patient treatment program does not actually lock you up; instead you spend a week in a hotel like setting with other individuals (6-10) that are trying to become tobacco free. Mayo Clinic offers an excellent program in Rochester, MN that I invite you to look into if you have tried EVERYTHING and still struggle with remaining tobacco free.

Laura McConahey

NDC Counselor/CTTS

[anaussiemom]

Thank You.

[JACKIE1-25-15]

 All those things you listed are great options. Thank you for offering them.  They may save a life. Yes, the title of your blog truly resonated with me.  It took me back to this blog that I wrote just shy of my one-year milestone.  I think it is in the best of EX now.  lol https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex/blog/2016/01/21/i-tried-everything 

[Thomas3.20.2010]

Whatever it takes - find your Freedom Journey!

[Barbscloud]

I used a combination approach this time.  Welbutrin, smoking cessation class, nicotol inhalers and the Ex.  This is the first time I've been successful. I do attribute much of it to discovering the Ex.  Support and sharing with others has made such a difference.

[indingrl]

Thanks for sharing Laura YOUR good points. Gentle hug.

[elvan]

When I saw that title...the first thing that popped into my mind was...your FIRST mistake was TRIED.  This is something you have to do. I say that as someone who had countless failed quits.  It makes me sad to think of the time I lost smoking and BECAUSE of smoking. I quit cold turkey but I was so sick that there was absolutely no choice.  I HAD to quit, I couldn't BREATHE.  It's not like it was the first time I got sick during the time that I smoked, I had pneumonia several times...I do not have anything against using NRT's, I think that if it works...use it, just DON'T SMOKE.  In the past, when I recovered from being ill, that was my most vulnerable time because I would listen to the voice of the addiction telling me that it wasn't smoking that caused it...I did not want to think my addiction was that strong. It was and it took a near death experience to convince me that it was OVER.  I have to live with the damage but I am not smoking over it!

Ellen

[Chantiyah01]

I think cold turkey is the best.  Everyone is scared of cravings when I smoked I had at least 20 cravings a day that made me reach for a cigarette to only get another craving within an hour sometimes less.  I have been off of all nicotine for 2 weeks now.  I sti get cravings but it's not nearly as bad as when I was smoking. I get 3-4 cravings a day lasting anywhere between 1-10 mins with an average of 3 mins.  Quitting is hard especially when you are going through hard times but I must always remember it can be worse.  I can be going through hard times and be sick with some God awful smoking related disease.  Smoking does not make things better but it sure can make life a whole lot worse

[elvan]

Chantiyah01‌ CONGRATULATIONS, what a great quit you have started!

[Giulia]

Perseverance pays off.  Education and support are what did the trick for me.  Once I understood the nature of the beast, and had people who knew the path and gave me the map, I was able to conquer it.  

Thanks for those suggestions.

[bjh_68]

Hi, I am new here. I too have quit about 3 times before. One time I quit for about 3 months. I used only the patch but I had to rid of everything, ash trays, any reminder of cigarettes! I got stuck at my son's house and got a cigarette and there I went again smoking. I have a quit date set for about 18 days or something like that and I am trying to get ready by tapering way off. I am already trying to go smoke free and had some slips...I hope I am successful this time. I hope I quit to stay quit, but if I will succeed I do not know...I am even going to try prayer also. I do wish you the best of luck and much success at your attempt to quit!

[elvan]

I am going to ask YoungAtHeart‌ to share her welcome blog with you.  I also suggest that you read a blog by JonesCarpeDiem‌  /blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months   Stay close to this site, read blogs, pay attention to what is working for others and KNOW that education about nicotine addiction, support from others, and your own commitment CAN make you have a successful quit.  Make a plan My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX  read blogs on Best of EX  and KNOW that quitting is NOT an event, it is a journey, one day at a time and when that seems too long, it is one MOMENT at a time.  I used the mantra I got from here when I quit...NOPE, Not One Puff Ever.  I came to this site every morning and every evening and I read blogs and commented and paid attention to others.  You need to approach your quit KNOWING that you can do it, not HOPING and not TRYING but DOING.  Seriously, you have to have confidence that you can do this because you absolutely CAN.

Welcome to EX

Ellen

[Giulia]

Welcome bjh_68‌!  Elvan (Ellen) above me has given you some great pointers and links.  Please follow them.  You don't have to "hope" you'll be successful this time, can CAN be  as long as you educate yourself about this addiction and your particular relationship to it.  /blogs/Giulia-blog/2018/03/01/quitting-is-a-skill-that-can-be-learned?sr=search&searchId=f51e7f89-fe...‌    I've lost two (or was it 3?) quits at the 3 month mark.  I find that a particularly dangerous time.  That's an area of what we call NML (No Man's Land).  And yes, it is imperative that we get rid of all our smoking paraphernalia when we quit.  Those are just reminders and triggers that remind us of something we don't want to do any more.  Stick around and read as much as you can.  Glad you've joined our group.  We'll walk this walk with you.  Reach out when you need help. 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

To begin, you might try thinking about this differently.  You don't TRY, you DO!  If you only try, you are not 100% committed, and that's important.  Make up your mind that you will not smoke another cigarette NO MATTER WHAT.  Then - don't argue with yourself about it - you have already made the decision.  The first couple of days are the most difficult, then it gets easier a bit at a time.

The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site.
 
 After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract.   I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion,  3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire and 4) you can become addicted to that and it has not yet been proven safe .
 

 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
 Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

 Nancy

[bjh_68]

Thank you, yes I CAN suceed at this.

[DonnaMarie]

I never knew there were inpatient treatment centers! 

As it happens, I was hospitalized for 24 hours for something completely different in December and when I left, I just didn't light up ever again. 

I'm all for being 'locked up!'

Donna

Day 103

[virgomama]

Facing the fact that I could not BEAT this on my own, that I needed help. Got me started on what I'm pretty sure is my final quit.  I started searching online for information, support, therapies.  I was even willing to pay for it if need be.  I stumbled upon this EX community and here is where I found what I needed.  Support and knowledge from those who have actually walked the walk.  I absolutely attribute my success to the information and strong support of this community.  Including these Mayo Clinic blogs.  

I used patches to begin my quit and found it really helpful.  It took care of the nicotine cravings while I worked on the smoking triggers/habit end of it.  It was a successful combination for me.

Whatever works.  Do your research, make your plan and STICK TO IT.

Cindy

[Dennisfalbo]

The resident program at NDC was the best thing I ever have done. The eight days a controlled environment allowed me to stay focused on the addiction, identifying the withdrawl symptoms, why I was a user, as well as building strong relationships with the fellow inmates and the staff. This was not a maximium security facility but instead a place to be free from the stressors of life. A perfect Utopia where you are able to focus on you getting better  and learning how to cope with the battles that are inevitable. Forty-six days into my journey of not killing myself  with cigarettes and now entering the No Man Zone where I have experienced the strongest thoughts of giving into temptation. I am currently on Bupropion, Chantix, and the Nicotine nasal spray. With such a strong support group I have confidence I will be a non smoker for the rest of my life. 

I swear by this program at Mayo Clinic and strongly suggest if you have failed too quit so many times give in and ask for help!

Regards,

Dennis