Community
Hi All, just want to say hi and that I have decided to quit smoking as I am 56, have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and that it's simply getting too expensive to smoke. I'm quitting gradually as I don't have the will-power to go cold turkey. I would love to get feedback from anyone else that quit by giving up gradually and succeeded. Thanks
Going cold turkey isn't as hard as some make it out to be I've done it with every time I've quit.i smoked for 22 years over a pack a day.it just takes will power and getting used to it.after a while it becomes normal not to smoke.at least it did for me.that part was easy to break
Congratulations on taking the first step....deciding to quit. I agree with everyone else, gradually does not work. As long as you are putting the nicotine in your system, you are not quitting. I used the Smoke Away program after 30 years of smoking (I'm 52 years old) and it worked wonders. It's homeopathic so there is no nicotine at all and nothing chemical. I feel amazing and only had major cravings in the first week. Also, I quit after losing my job which in itself is pretty crazy since I was stressed about not working. Good luck and keep coming back here anytime you need to. I found this website to be a HUGE help and the support system here is amazing.
Welcome to EX, you have come to the right place for support. Many of us have the freedom of not smoking. Quitting smoking is not easy. It is up to you to decide how you are going to do it. Willpower has very little to do with quitting. Willingness is the key along with educating yourself about nicotine addiction. Start at the beginning by having a plan, learning your triggers and what you will do when cravings and urges come. Quitting takes a commitment that no matter what happens in your life you will not use it as an EXcuse to smoke. Start at the beginning. My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX to learn to navigate around the site go to Community Help
Education is the key. Read Study Blog and stay close.
Welcome to our community!
The nicotine is mostly out of your system in about three days. Then it's your body adjusting to life without it, and, what I believe is the most difficult part, getting past all the triggers and associations you have built up over the years of smoking. Please do the reading I will recommend. It's important! You will understand after doing it why continuing to feed nicotine to the brain receptors will keep you an addict - even if you space each cigarette far apart.
I was not able to slowly reduce the amount I smoked. You CAN put each one off a little bit, but I found that trying to limit yourself to only a certain number a day keeps smoking in the forefront of your thoughts ALL the time. I found myself bargaining, "well, if I have an extra now while I'm stressed, I can have less this evening." It NEVER worked that way - and I always seemed to be having that internal dialog.
The most 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. Here's a link to a video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.
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, quitsmokingonline.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. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested in My Quit Plan http://www.becomeanex.org/my-quit-plan.php
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. 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. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three 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, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.
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-instead-of-smoke
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
Hi,
I just joined this site today. I'm also in my 50's and my most recent smoke was only 8 days ago. I've tried to stop a number of times but personally didn't have much luck with the gradual approach. I could never get my count down to 10 a day and knowing I could have more smokes the following day just didn't help the commitment factor. This time, I threw away the remaining pack as a last act before going to bed one night. I did make limited use of 2mg nicotine gum the following week. I stopped using them 3 days ago.
It hasn't been easy, but cold turkey on the cigarettes themselves and a pretty short wean on the nicotine has given me more success in a week than I ever achieved on previous attempts. Your mileage may vary since I haven't been free and clear for a month yet, much less 3, 6 or 12.
Squidy_
Well evidently it seems that in spite of numerous articles online that say that quitting gradually can also work, people in this forum/community disagree. while i respect those views I think I will quit my way.
i appreciate the input but it seems that this is not the community for me. Thank you
mark.de.wet wrote:
Well evidently it seems that in spite of numerous articles online that say that quitting gradually can also work, people in this forum/community disagree. while i respect those views I think I will quit my way.
i appreciate the input but it seems that this is not the community for me. Thank you
The beauty of a community is you get different perspectives. You'll then choose the approach that will work for you. As Squidy_ mentions, they were just sharing their experience. The goal is to support you in your quit. At the end of the day you should choose what works for you. Over time your perspective may change and what you view not working for you now may work for you in the future. Or it may not.
Some members around here use the phrase "take the best and leave the rest". If it doesn't work for you, ignore it but don't leave just because not everyone is in agreement. Any healthy support community will have a variety of opinions. Furthermore, there are a lot of experienced quitters here from a different places. No two quits are the same.
Here are two blogs today that capture how this site has helped them.
Mark
EX Community Manager
We'll be right here if you change your mind.
I think most of us were simply sharing OUR experiences. I did not see anyone tell you that THEIR way was the only way to be successful.
Our motto around here truly is, "Take what you need and leave the rest." Just like no two people are exactly alike, so also are no two quit methods or journeys the same.
We only wish for ALL to be successful.
I hope you find the support you seek, however you choose to quit.
Nancy
My apologies, I didn't intend to offend. I was just telling what was working for me. I'm sure gradual does work for many others.
You don't have to quit cold turkey if that doesn't work for you. NRT replacement can be helpful for many. I used nicotrol inhalers, Welbutrin, smoking cessation, and the Ex. I did cut down. Maybe not the best way, but it worked for me this time. I took seven days and I added an hour in between cigarettes each day. First day - 1 an hour, 2nd day - 1 every two hours, etc. until I was down to 3 cigarettes the last day. Do I recommend this for everyone? Probably not, but it worked for me this time along with preparation, education and support-that's the key. I am a very scheduled oriented kind of person and never once deviated from the schedule. The bottom line is find what works for you. We all have our own journey to success.
5 months today!
Thank you so much Barbs the first person to actually respond to what I actually originally asked for. I am also a very schedule-orientated person and that is almost exactly what I am doing except that from 20 cigarettes I now take only 5 to work and what I do is go out, light up, have say 3 or 4 puffs, put it out and put it back in the box, go for at least an hour to an hour and a half then go out, light up the rest of that same cigarette and maybe finish it or have 3 to 4 more puffs then kill it and trash it.
Ditto to what Mark said. There are some wonderful people on this site and you've only met a few of them. They saved my quit several times. Give it a try. Nothing to lose and a good chance something to gain.
Barb
I was planning to quit gradually and doing research online. My home state's quit site suggested setting a quit date rather than risk losing motivation. I used to buy cigarettes by the carton and so I bought my last carton coming to the decision that that ought to be enough for me to get to my quit. This meant that over a period of about three weeks I cut back some each day--no science in it, no fixed counting. I just smoked according to the carton and my mindset. So yes, when I quit, I guess I quit cold turkey, but I walked slowly to that day based on the carton and what remained in it. I missed smoking once I quit and it took a while to adjust, but I did.
Can you succeed at quitting your way? I have no doubt you can, so long as you are serious about quitting being the end result.
No matter what method you use, I agree with Nancy about Carr's book. It really helped me to understand this addiction. That - plus the support here - made all the difference after smoking fro 40 years. You can do this and congrats on deciding to do it!
Hi all, let me start by saying I most humbly apologize for over-reacting to the replies. I guess that I feel that for me personally, the fact that I've decided to quit ( the decision was made a week ago) and that I immediately cut down from about 30 a day to 5 or 6 a day was a major achievement and I suppose I was looking for someone to acknowledge that.
Then, let me please explain why I chose this way to quit, I look at it from a logical point of view and my thinking is that if I take in LESS nicotine etc than I used to when I smoked 30 a day, surely I am then "training" my body and brain to accept that its going to get less and less nicotine etc each time. Then when my quit day comes (September 10, 2018), the withdrawal symptoms and the cravings MAY not be quite so drastic. Yes I do understand that ANY intake is bad but surely the fact that I've cut the AMOUNT (from 30 down to 5) that's going in, is logically going to be less. I'm also letting more time go by before I go for each of my partial cigarettes on a daily basis.
Just my thinking, believe me when I say I don't need to read anything to understand the addiction, as there is plenty online that explains it and I realize that a BIG part of the habit is just that, the HABIT, in other words that fact that I go out to smoke every day at a certain time or whatever, the triggers as some call them, are a big part of the problem and these triggers need to be eradicated.
So finally, thank you all for being here and letting me share my story and I will keep posting on my progress if that's acceptable.
Your idea makes sense if smoking was a logical thing, you are logical, but your addiction isn't. But kudos for trying. keep on trying. september 10 is a ways a way. You might give it up completely by then. have you tried before?
Hi karenjones, no I have not tried before, after I was told about my high blood pressure and the fact that smoking is a major contributor to it, I decide to quit.
Just noticed this - sorry!
I was on medication for high blood pressure when I quit - it took two years - but my BP came down to the point I am no longer on it.
Hope you find the same!!
Nancy
You seem like a good candidate for Smokenders, which is how I stopped. The program trains you to get out of habit smoking by gradually decreasing available windows during which you can smoke. For example, after meals you'll wait 15-minutes the first week, increase to 30-minutes the next week, 45-minutes, and finally an hour. Same with mornings and before bed. I was smoking 22-cigarettes when I started the program and was down to 8-cigarettes my last week. Car-smoking stops in the first two weeks. I found the morning of my quit day I didn't crave or want a cigarette. I've had my moments since stopping, but they really haven't been awful. I think your method can work for you, but obviously it isn't right for all. Best of luck.
Sean - 100 DOF today
Changing up your routines, no matter how you go about it, is key to the trigger/association part of the addiction.
Congrats on 100 days - and welcome to the TDC (Triple Digit Club)!!
Nancy
Thank you nancy!!
Mark,
Did you sign up for text messages from the Ex? Based on your quit date, they send you messages every day helping you prepare for your quit. I don't see anyone mention this too often, but I found them very helpful.
Barb
Barbscloud wrote:
Mark,
Did you sign up for text messages from the Ex? Based on your quit date, they send you messages every day helping you prepare for your quit. I don't see anyone mention this too often, but I found them very helpful.
Barb
Great suggestion however the text message option is only for people who are in the US. Unfortunately they don't send to South Africa.
Mark
EX Community Manager
This sounds like a better idea than what I tried - which was trying to limit myself to a diminishing number each day. It lays out in more detail what is mentioned here on the site - to put each cigarette off a bit leading up to your quit.
Thanks for saying more about how you are going about your quit. Keep working it, and you are sure to get to where you want to be. Breaking the habits of smoking is one way to kick the butts out the door. I'm a big fan of building a solid foundation--it just helps to build a strong sense of I'm done, no matter what.
Hey Mark. Province!!!!
Welcome to EX. Please stay a while and get to know the phenomenal people on the site who all give of their personal time to encourage us. Each successful quitter reached their goal in their own way, in their own time, using the tools that worked for them. The one thing the successful EX smokers have in common is that they took the time to educate themselves and prepare for their quits. We realise at some point that we don’t know everything (if anything) about nicotine addiction. And we never stop learning.
So....when we welcome and support new members, we enjoy sharing our own journeys and hope to inspire new or future quitters who have joined the site. All we want is for each member to be successful, no matter how they get there. Learn, prepare and read what the long time quitters share with you (the Elders) in their old posts - some from years ago!.
Take the best, leave the rest.
And please give my Mountain a wave. Pretoria is just too far away.
Blessings and strength
Bree
Hi Bree, thanks for the reply and will definitely say hello to The Table for you!!! Appreciate the sentiments and believe me when I say I am most determined to quit!!!
Gradual quitting is kind of torturing yourself. Read this link from whyquit.com Quit Smoking Cold Turkey!
Cold Turkey seems hard, but really the toughest days are the first 5 and then things start to get better. Everyone is different though. I would recommend trying cold turkey.
My gradual quit lasted twenty years until the successful quit of cold turkey. Our addiction loves withdrawal, convincing us to use our drug to avoid the discomfort of our dis-ease when not using. As soon as we stop using we are in withdrawal till we use again. The vicious cycle. The merry go round of addiction. Stop the torture and insanity of repeating the same behaviors expecting different results. As difficult as it can be, no matter what, the only solution is to just quit using the drug. We found a new freedom conquering this challenge, empowering us to face the cravings and emotional facets of addiction now ahead for us. The battle of addiction takes us on a daring adventure to better know ourselves, doing many other things in life we never could have thought possible. You can do this too!
Never quit quitting! Not One Puff Ever! J.R.
Quitting gradually almost never works, because that's not how nicotine works. You're addicted to nicotine, and the receptors for it in your brain will scream bloody murder every time you try to cut down, keeping you in perpetual withdrawal. Cold turkey does not take will power. It only takes not smoking. The physical withdrawal is hard, but it is absolutely doable!