How were you able to quit?

[joe]

After a couple pm's from new members and being asked the same question, I thought I would post my "take on it" here and maybe get some input from others. I don't think it matters how long you have quit, we all have a "story" of how and why we got to where we are in our quit.

 

Early in your quit the addictions pull is the strongest. Each day and every crave you conquer, makes your quit that much stronger.

 

Don't bite off more than you can chew. :p taking it one day at a time is how you go forward.

 

What put me "over the hump" was the knowledge I got from all the material that is available about nicotine addiction.

 

Nicotine IS a drug, and I AM a drug addict! Plain and simple! Once my eyes were opened to that, I realized I DIDNT enjoy smoking....or get any pleasure from it... I did it, because I HAD to...I had to feed the addiction or face the withdrawals. ....Period.....

 

Once I accepted that, it was much easier to fight off the cravings. I saw them for what they are....withdrawals symptoms from being addicted to a drug.

 

The "moment" it hit me, was when me and my wife were sitting around one evening watching a TV show called "Intervention"... Basically a show where friends and family try to intervene in a drug addicts life and try to get them to seek help. We had seen the show before, and each time it spotlighted an addict that came from an affluent family and would show the addict spending thousands of dollars a week to feed an addiction that was literally killing them. The familys lived in a great neighborhood with great jobs while the addicts lived on the street and did whatever was nessasary to get enough money for their next "fix"... More than once I would comment that I just didn't understand how those "addicts" could throw away the life they could have(with their family), for the live they are choosing(for their drugs).....

 

Sound familiar to anyone?...not the show, but the situation?...

 

Yep, that was me.... It was then I realized I was doing the exact same thing.... Ok, my drug was legal, ...it was affordable, and is (somewhat) socially acceptable. But in the end, I was chosing smoking (nicotine) over my family and friends. I was spending money on an addiction that was killing me, that I could have used to do something more for my girls.

 

Coincidently , I had these "revelations" and thoughts of quitting at the same time I was comptemplating retiring..... Even though I had thought for many years that I needed to quit, I never attempted it before. So.... At age 52 I decided (approx) 35 years of smoking was (too many) enough..

 

Three weeks into my quit, I was really struggling. I got online and found a "quit smoking forum" and without a doubt, it was the single most important thing I done to aid in quitting. I was pointed to the resources available. I read whenever I could, and the knowledge I took away and the support from the people here (and a few from another site) was what makes my quit successful!

 

2 1/2 years later, I am still smoke free. I stick around here and try to pay it forward, and in reality, it helps to reinforce my quit. That's why my advice to new members is to become active on the board and post... Even if it is just to let others know how you are doing. When you post progress, we will give you a pat on the back, and sometimes that's all you need to go forward another day....other times when you post that you are struggling, we will sympathize with your situation (we have all been there) and offer up advice to get you through it.

 

Every quit is different, and everyone deals with situations different, so there is no methods to quitting that are set in stone to guarantee success. But, with the diversity of this membership offering up support, I feel everyone can find a way to get and stay nicotine free.

[BrandyWyne]

Great post Joe...that is really what everyone needs to understand to quit, it IS a drug addiction whether legal or not. Years ago when I read Allen Carrs book, that's when it really sank in (even though I relapsed later, the whole time knowing it was really an addiction.) I was talking with my mother and she was complaining about a "junkie" family member addicted to prescription drugs. I pointed out well we are addicts too, smoking isn't much different!

That made her so angry, that I would compare us smokers to a pill addict...she thought there was no we way WE were anything like THEM...well?? Different drug of choice, but it is all a waste of money and health, all to feed an addiction... End of story.

 

Thank you for your advice and words of wisdom Joe! That's awesome you are still here paying it forward and keeping your quit.

[Boo]

I quit cold turkey.  Took the time to educate myself about the addiction and I began to realize that every "reason" I gave for smoking was merely an attempt to rationalize my addiction.  Once you know that smoking is an exercise in futility that will most likely end up killing you, there is really no going back.  In spite of this newfound knowledge, during the first couple of weeks of my quit I turned to willpower and a willingness to fight the addiction.

 

Then one day it happened.  I realized there was nothing to fight, accepted the fact that I am a nicotine addict, stopped wrestling it and in turn stopped giving it strength.  It was at that moment I realized quitting smoking is a simple matter of never putting a cigarette in my mouth and lighting it on fire.  S-I-M-P-L-E!  

[MarylandQuitter]

In early December 2012 I went to see my Dr. about something unrelated and before I left I decided to mention that I wanted to quit smoking but enjoyed it too much.  I told him that I could quit if I really wanted to, I just didn’t want to.  I told him that I wanted to quit smoking for my family because they meant everything to me and I knew that the cigarettes would eventually catch up with me if I didn’t quit for good.
 
In a nutshell, he told me I was full of shit.  He told me that my family wasn’t the most important thing in my life, cigarettes were.  He also went on to tell me that I was an addict to which I laughed and said “you’re telling me that I’m an addict because I’m smoking tobacco?  It’s not like I’m shooting heroin or snorting cocaine.”  He chuckled to himself and said “you’re the exact definition of an addict and the only reason why you’re not out on the streets stealing to feed your addiction is because cigarettes are legal.”  I was mad as I sat there.  How could this man say these things to me?  I really do enjoy smoking.  I sat and I listened.  He gave me a prescription for Wellbutrin XL to help me quit smoking.  I told him that I didn’t need any medication to quit smoking and he informed me that I had been smoking for nearly 28 years with several failed attempts at quitting and whatever I was doing was not working.
 
After about 5 days the medication started to work to the point that after 2 or 3 pulls on a cigarette, I would get sick to my stomach and be on the verge of puking.  Still, I lit one cigarette after another hoping that the nausea would not last, but it did and finally on December 17, 2012, I decided that I had enough and quit.  This time I stayed nicotine free for 9 months and was sure I would never smoke again.  I spent hour after hour, day after day reading everything I could about nicotine addiction.  I watched the documentaries about the evil tobacco companies (which are on this website and very good I might add), joined a support group online and was sure I had all the answers to staying quit for good.  But as things go, I relapsed again in September 2013 because of one reason; I still believed that the cigarette had something to offer me.
 
After all of the reading and learning about nicotine addiction, none of it mattered because somewhere in the back of my mind I still believed in the cigarette.  Thankfully, my relapse was short-lived and lasted only 1 week and 1 pack of cigarettes.  What a shame it was to light the first of some 20 odd cigarettes after being smoke-free for ~9 months. 
 
Those 9 months prior that I speak of, although smoke-free, I was still believing somewhere in the back of my mind that cigarettes could offer me something because of my triumphant reunion with them nearly two years prior.  It was all a big lie perpetuated by me.  When I bought that pack in October I thought it would help.  After reading Allen Carr’s book several times and being proactive for so many months, who was I kidding?  The only thing I got from it was emptiness.  It was at this moment and 19 cigarettes later that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that cigarettes could not do a damn thing for me.  It took a one week relapse for me to 100% believe that no matter what happens in life, no matter how crappy I feel, cigarettes will not do anything.
 
With each and every cigarette I analyzed how I felt.  From the very first pull on that cigarette I was ultra aware of how I was feeling.  I remembered Allen Carr.  I remembered the lies.  I remembered all the former smokers in the support group.  I recalled all I had read about this addiction.  I was still waiting for the enjoyment because I thought it really existed.  Not only did I not get one bit of enjoyment from any of it, but I also found out the hard way that there isn’t a single thing enjoyable about smoking.  It wasn’t until I truly understood that I got nothing from smoking that I willingly put the cigarettes down without any medication and without a second thought.

 

However, close to the end of that week of smoking I could feel the addiction coming on strong.  Had I not chosen to quit smoking on October 7th, 2013, I feel that I would have fallen back into a full blown nicotine addiction and smoking 30-40 cigarettes per day as that was my usual routine.  I was probably just a few cigarettes away from this happening and it was scary to relive those feelings of being physically and mentally addicted to smoking constantly needing to feed the throngs of nicotine withdrawal.  This is not a place that I ever want to revisit.
 
If you think that you enjoy smoking or that is somehow relaxes you, then you still think that smoking cigarettes can still offer you something of benefit.  This is romanticizing the cigarette, also known as junkie thinking, whether you want to believe it or not. Leaving this door open is dangerous because something will happen along the way that will allow the addiction to creep in and when you least expect it, you’ve relapsed.

 

Lastly, a relapse doesn’t happen without first romancing or allowing junkie thinking to creep in.  No situation, as bad as it may be, will force you to smoke unless you’re still believing that you can get something from the cigarette.  Quitting smoking takes no action, only non-action.  Don’t ever take another puff.  Remember “N.O.P.E.” each and every day and make it a priority over life and all of it’s ups and downs.  Never smoke again. Not one puff, ever (N.O.P.E.).

[BAT]

Cold Turkey and lots of Non-Smoking Cat's and Dog pics  :)

[Doreensfree]

Total FEAR and a promise...

I knew something really bad was happening...I spent the last few days of smoking,lighting up and crying the whole cigarette through..each ankle had a black band of bruising about 2 inches thick..I looked like I had been battered with a baseball bat...they had this heavy sore itch..I rubbed and scratched all day...and all night..

I had smoked for 52 years..and i was probally dying...I was very scared...

I eventually went to the doctor...he told me what I feared...carry on smoking and your feet will need to be amputated..

I made a promise to my daughter I would give it my best shot...

I read Allen Carr...then I bought his session on my I pod...and listened to it time after time...

Searching for any help on the internet...I came across these fabulous folks...

They made me believe I could do it...slogans ,support,daily nopes... I did it one day at a time...

I played my music loud on my I pod...I beat a pillow sometimes...

Repeating ..smoking is not on the table ..ever...no matter what...

The magic happened...

The thought of never smoking again...is much better than never having your feet again...

Never take another puff...you know it makes sense...xx

[Sirius]

My father died of smoking related causes and I wanted his death to mean something.   

 

Somewhere during my quit I had to adjust to the fact that I was quitting for myself as much as to continue a remembrance. 

[Sazerac]

I mildly realized I had a problem,
couldn't go minutes without a smoke.
Never mattered in my life until I traveled.

But, no worries !
I had an e cig and yummy nicotine !
Ended up jacking up to the sky my nicotine levels.
Then,  realized...I am a junkie.
Damn !
That was for 'other' people.
Not me !
No.
It was Me.
I am a Junkie.
I am an addict.

So, I made a bet with myself.
I said,  'You think you are a strong woman, you think you are So Cool'
"go on, baby....let's see what you can do"

It was grimy, moment by moment.
Grimy, as in Grime.
It wasn't pretty but, I wasn't letting Myself down 

Then, I found y'all. Ahhhh.
I Lurked and found Comfort.
After I joined here, I wasn't letting y'all down either.
Still...I have temptations.
Maybe, always will but, I know my friends here will help me through.

I lurk,
I NOPE,
I Love Y'all.

Addiction 'aint going away. 
It is who I am.
I made it happen,
I can make it Stop.
I am Free for almost three years,
and count every day, thanking You !
Y'all know what I'm talking about.
Your Friend,
Sally

 

Thank you Joe. 

SMae

[PorkandPancakes]

I smoked so many years that I don't remember not smoking. I would tell myself that I would quit one day. I lay awake every night hating myself and promising I would quit. I dreamt up schemes. "I won't smoke until 9am, 10am etc" "I will smoke 1 less each week" I downloaded an app after someone shared it on Facebook. I already bought a hypnosis dvd which didn't work. I had a box of NRT patches in the car I never used and I had an ecig in the kitchen. I had a houseful of reminders of how I never quit. for all those 'aids', I never even quit for a day.

 

This app sat on my phone for months. It was free and is Jason Vale's Stop smoking in 2 hours. I listened to the intro that said I needed 2 hours set aside. Eventually on 19th October 2015, I sat down in the morning to listen to it. Here's the thing though. I truly had no real intention or belief that I would or could quit. Listening to the audio is, I believe, incredibly similar to he Allan Carr In formation and likewise Joel's information.

 

I basically had a two hour introduction to the myths, beliefs and core foundations of smoking which, importantly, I had never heard before. It quit at the end of that audio.

 

3 days later I found the forum. I didn't pledge and I didn't struggle day in and out with craves but what I did do is grab hold of my quit as soon ad I hot it going because I was (and am) terrified that I will wake up and this was a good dream. Quitting seemed like an impossible feat yet I did it without any real stress. Sure, I had moments.(don't drink and quit folks) bit on the whole, I got this quit from nothing and I am So grateful I could cry. In fact I did cry in the beginning.

 

Seven months down the line with 3 'near misses' I feel proud. I'm a quitter and I could sing it from the rooftops. Happy hunting gents.

[bakon]

Cold turkey

NOPE

 

And these window lickers helped a lot

 

Education on nicotine addiction and the selfies from the chicks

[bakon]

http://www.quittrain.com/topic/2765-starting-now/?fromsearch=1

[cigarettekills]

As probably most I "tried" few times. Finally I decided to really quit. No particular reason just decided enough is enough.This time I approached it systematically. I worked on my attitude, on my motivation and prepared myself while continuing to smoke. 

 

Most important step was to look into reasons why I was smoking. Not why I was quitting but I should continue to smoke. Wrote down what I thought I was getting from smoking and next to it wrote why that's not true. For example, I really felt that smoking helped me relax but that's completely wrong. Smoking just temporarily calms withdrawal symptoms that smoking itself is causing. 

 

Every time I smoked I made myself to ask myself "why should you smoke?" and every inhale I made myself to think and feel the horrible taste of smoke, imagine how that filthy smoke goes inside me and pollutes my lungs.

 

When it finally came time to put down cigarette for good - it was very easy because at that point I had difficulty making myself to smoke :D

 

Another step was starting a blog about quitting smoking :) http://www.cigarettekills.com/how-to-quit-smoking-cigarettes-permanently.html

[I can do this]

I had quit smoking twice before because of pregnancy. Relapsed both times, the quit was way to easy and I thought I could handle being a social smoker. WRONG!

 

This time, we bought a pack on New Years Eve and hubs and I decided it would be the last pack we bought. He had wanted to quit for a while, but I didn't. He quit that night, I finished the pack and had my last cig on 1/3. We bought an e-cig but it tasted gross and was awkward and clunky. So about 2 weeks later we were done with that too.

 

This was a hard quit for me. It sucked, BAD. I struggled a lot. Still have the occasional crave- maybe on a Friday after work or with alcohol but nothing like those first 2 or 3 months. But I feel pretty secure lately. But not cocky, I'll never let myself get cocky about it again. One motivator to stay quit is that after years of high blood pressure even with medication, my bp reading was in the lower normal range at my last visit.

 

Sometimes I enjoy smelling a burning cigarette. But not the nasty after effects that stick to people long after they've put it out. I can't believe I used to smell like that. So gross. I can't believe I thought I could hide it from people.

 

I'm happy I found this forum. Even though I don't post often, I do read and it kept me from slipping in those early months when my quit was so fragile. Quitting is one of the things I'm most proud of right now.

[Cristóbal]

I have had only one quit. I never tried to quit before, and smoked for about 30 years, about 2 packs a year for most years, since I was a teenager.

 

My friends and family thought I never would quit smoking. I smoked everywhere, all the time, every day. Smoking defined who I was. I just did not smoke cigarettes, I was a *SMOKER*.

 

I quit cold turkey on a whim.

 

Without any education (that came later), I had made a commitment to myself to never take another puff, and just walked away from the garbage.

 

That is all a person really needs to do to quit smoking. NRT, Champix/Chantix, Wellbutrin, hypnosis, vaping, all the other "aids" that are promoted, are not necessary.

 

The only things that *ARE* necessary are:

 

 

1. Make your personal commitment to never take another puff.

 

2. And understand that you can never take another puff !!!

 

 

 

Cristóbal

[Still winning]

Strangely I was only talking about this last night as I discussed with a smoker how no, it wasn't about "the right time" or anything like that and how it's easier not to smoke anyway as you actually don't need to do anything other then not set fire to anything near your face!

 

That wasn't my quit story though. In no particular order I used...

 

-Champix

-Blogging and quit forum

-Guilt from children

-Dalmation Jasper crystal necklace and palm stone

-The energy of a full moon (5 days out but the closest I could get without waiting)

-The nope shuffle which includes switching from foot to foot while shouting nope

-A ton of cleaning products

-A ton of tissues 

 

It was a crazy time as I tried to go from up to 40 per day (normal day for me) to nothing while everyone around me continued to puff away. Many relapses under my belt and many quit attempts with NRT. 5 days into my quit I abandoned the champix too and freestyled the cold turkey route.  

I made it pretty tough on myself for about 7 weeks until I "got it" and realized that all I needed to do was just not smoke. 

 

I love hearing others quit journeys, no two ever seem to be identical but there are so many eureka moments and education is the crucial key for sure.

 

Wish I had of realized I could do this much sooner so I could have limited the damage a  bit more but greatful every day for the freedom from smoking.

 

x

[Sazerac]

There are some powerful testimonials here,   I invite you to add yours.

Our collection of personal stories is so important, 

you never know what will encourage a quitter,  what will inspire someone to quit, what will help someone keep their quit.

When I was lurking,  early in my quit, I thought,

'wow, these are regular folks like me and they quit, I betcha I can quit too'.

Now, I know that in addition to being regular folks,  we are also heroes to ourselves.

[JB 883]

No real grand event. Just a bunch of small BS that added up and i finally said "Enough!" Neither finances nor social problems were the reason.

 

What triggered it finally was a pretty bad cold. I was gonna quit Oct 2nd but that lasted four hours. Yep, I puffed and wheezed me cancer sticks. It was down to three a day. But that Oct 2nd day i said, "screw it, post pone the quit til friday". Oct 6th at 5:30 AM was my final puff.  Back around 2004 or 05 I had "quit" for three weeks due to a serious cold. Then "just one". No way I am losing my Quit this time.

 

The accumulations of BS that made me quit -

 

I have a relative who is hooked on Ambien. One day we were talking about something and she said, "... but I have GOT to have my Ambien". I thought, "Am I that pathetic and addicted to tobacco?" I felt ashamed.

 

I am kind of particular about my outfits. I would wear something new and nice the first time and it would stench of cigarettes that same day. It pissed me off. Like here is this "once in a lifetime find" of a new skirt or top and I already stank it up with my habit.

 

I got tired of stupid cigarette ashes all over my car. My car is very clean even for being an old junker. But then cigarette ashes everywhere, hell no, ain't havin it.

 

One day i broke out the Clorox Clean-up to scrub my dresser, vanity, and night stand. They went from nasty yellow smoke color to bright white.

 

GYOD THIS SMOKING SCREWS UP EVERYTHING! Stankin-ass smoke, ashes, butts, disgusting. When i went to the gym, my sweat drenched clothing would smell like someone ate out of an ash tray then puked.

 

I was afraid what if a stray ash caught something on fire. I smoked roll-your-owns and the cherry was not always stable.

 

I only spent about $40 a month to smoke (rollies are cheap) but then thought, 'i could buy more clothes/LPs/Pepsi/whatever with that $40.

 

It was just gross. Everything stank, it was wasteful, and honestly even in my early 40's I am actually thinking "What if all this stupid stuff I do actually ends up killing me?"

So tobacco and i had to cut ties. I told it "Get yo stankin ass on outta here."

 

So right now I have one of my favorite outfits. And it don;t stink of tobacco smoke.

[Jryan19982]

This, my sticky quit, i did cold turkey.  I had tried previous ways and methods none of which stuck.  

 

The biggest thing to note is I had to WANT to quit.  I had to want it.  Secondly, I had to keep myself busy and change my routine especially things I did while smoking.  For instance I stopped drinking because that was a big trigger for me.  I also kept my mind occupied.  I suggest picking up a new hobbyao that when the thrill of quitting is gone you have the thrill of the new hobby.  Finally, I used people on these boards as a crutch. 

[Cbdave]

Gday

A really bad chest infection saw me change from antibiotics to champix. The difining day was at 0830 am on 10 oct 2015. I didn't have that first cigarette it was the first of many I didn't smoke. I took my remaining smokes and spare pack and drowned them

unsmokable in the sink. I refuse to celebrate my last cigerette in any way. 

I learnt the hate. A heathy hate of smokings going to see me smoke free for life. I'm nicotine addicted and NOPE is tattooed on my sole.

And, I might add, I could not be happier. 

Chris

 

[onthemark]

The key difference for me this time is that I learned to stick with my quit instead of throwing it away. Getting diagnosed, symptom free, with lung cancer, a few months after I quit, as a result of a random xray for a physical that I asked for, well if that isn't enough to keep the quit, I really don't know what else would do it. I don't recommend this particular path but it does sober one up real quick about the downsides of smoking.

[Tyme2B]

5 hours ago, onthemark said:

The key difference for me this time is that I learned to stick with my quit instead of throwing it away. Getting diagnosed, symptom free, with lung cancer, a few months after I quit, as a result of a random xray for a physical that I asked for, well if that isn't enough to keep the quit, I really don't know what else would do it. I don't recommend this particular path but it does sober one up real quick about the downsides of smoking.

 

Thanks so much for sharing O. I’m so sorry your Quit was followed by such shitty news and I think your story hits home for many of us. We have read stories similar to yours before & you would think that would be reason to Quit immediately. I hope so much you are treatable as you are symptom free & it was caught early. I am so glad you are keeping that Quit...I wish you only the very best. ?

[JB 883]

6 hours ago, onthemark said:

The key difference for me this time is that I learned to stick with my quit instead of throwing it away. Getting diagnosed, symptom free, with lung cancer, a few months after I quit, as a result of a random xray for a physical that I asked for, well if that isn't enough to keep the quit, I really don't know what else would do it. I don't recommend this particular path but it does sober one up real quick about the downsides of smoking.

 

So what is the prognosis of it? If you are not smoking at all now will it not get worse? There are all the stories about someone who is diagnosed but keeps smoking but if someone has quit, then what?

[Sazerac]

If someone has quit, they have stopped further damage.

At the very least, they won't be requiring having someone help them get out of their hospital bed, give up their oxygen

and assist them to drag their IV to the smoking section.

Or, smoke from a hole in their throat.

Or, lay in bed having a nic fit.

 

Edited April 16, 2018 by Sazerac

[onthemark]

Hey Tyme2B and JetBlack. I had surgery and chemo and am presently "NED" which is "NO evidence of disease. Lung cancer is sneaky and it can come back even years later. I am so glad I wasn't laying in my hospital bed going through nicotine withdrawal. I quit july 2015 and had surgery Jan 2016 with chemo in March-June 2016. It a lot more fun to go through nicotine withdrawal than contemplate your early death from a totally preventable cause. i get regular scans for now and am hoping for the best. Of course it helps to quit smoking if you have any serious illness.

[JB 883]

Well, while it is possible that it could come back, at least there is a better chance that you will be fine in the long haul.

Think of this like i said in some other thread -

My step-dad almost died of smoking when he was like 46, he quit, and just had his 80th B-day.

 

And plus, though I am no medical expert, sometimes i think doctors blow things out of proportion just to make a buck off scared people. That is why so many kids are labeled ADHD, most older folks have COPD, and most of America is overweight. Consider this - not everyone who gets lung cancer even smoked and maybe never was around tobacco smoke.

 

There is also what Sazerac mentioned -

6 hours ago, Sazerac said:

If someone has quit, they have stopped further damage.

At the very least, they won't be requiring having someone help them get out of their hospital bed, give up their oxygen

and assist them to drag their IV to the smoking section. Or, smoke from a hole in their throat. Or, lay in bed having a nic fit.

 

 

Just how addicted would someone need to be in order to go through that mess for a cigarette? There comes a turning point for EVERY smoker when we say, "Ok this sucks, time to put them away".