I tried Zyban and lets just say that it didn't go too well and I got off of it. Now im relying on nicotine gum, but I'm still ending up smoking despite not wanting to; I guess I just need to get it out of my head mentally and physically. It's hard to smoke with all of the triggers I have and especially those of you in Japan know that you can basically smoke just about anywhere you want which is harder for me to stop. Anyone have any good tips to try out to stop?
I heard they make a drug that helps you stop but you have to get it from your Doc. Its has to be prescribed. I know its hard, I to do as well.
Ooo, I'm not gonna bullshit you, but quitting smoking is one of the toughest thing a person can do. I consider myself lucky that due to my tobbaco alergy I had as a teenager smoking was out of the question at the time and now I just don't have any desire at all to try it. So I don't have any first hand knowledge on how to quit smoking. But I can tell you for certain that what works for one person, doesn't have to apply to you. That means that you will have to try various methods. What I think is important is for you to think about your reasons for quitting. My father stopped smoking 26 years ago. How? Well, he got a bout of coughing one day in front of our building and when he coughed up and spit out a pitch black phlegm, it was all that was needed for him throw the cigarette pack in the trashcan. This leads me to suggest trying to find medical pictures and descriptions of what smoking does to your body for starters (concentrate on lungs, larynx, mouth, throat area in general). If looking at gross pictures doesn't cut it, try something else. Try to find people who did quit smoking and talk to them about their experience.
I have no idea, I don't smoke. But whenever I need to not do something (eat too much junk, buy too many toys) I basically chastise myself by saying aloud, In the sweet aisle. 'You want that Fatty?' In the toy aisle. 'You want that poor person?' Unbelievably, it works. Passersby wonder if I have terrets, and I'm probably also well on my way to schiezophrenia, but hey! My point is, you have to be hard on yourself. Remember, smoking will kill you. Not now, but in 30 years time. When you're 60 odd and have an aneuyrsm or heart attack you'll want to bollock your younger self then.
Cold turkey. It's the only way to quit once and be done with it. Anyone who tells you impossible just doesn't have the willpower. I smoked a 1 1/2 packs a day for 14 years. And quit, cold turkey. It can be done. I'm not gonna lie, the first month, month and a half, WERE A BITCH. But if you can get over that hump, you will be in the clear. 5 years later and I haven't touched a cigarette. Don't want one.
The only people I know that quit forever did so by going COLD TURKEY!!! They just made up their minds to stop, and it was tough for a few weeks, even a couple of months. I've known others who tried the gum, the fake cigs, and even acupuncture..and all of them failed in the long run, some waited a few months but..each person picked up the cigs again. Can't say anything about the newer prescription drugs, haven't met anyone who's used them. Also, as you mentioned, you do live in a country where temptation will be everywhere, so it will be harder for you, but if you can replace a bad habit with a good one, that might help. I lost my Dad to lung cancer, due to smoking, so I know I'll never smoke, maybe you could talk to someone going thru chemo and radiation.."a Scared Straight" approach might help. Guess this is one of those habits you must have the willpower to overcome. It won't be easy but the bright side is how much better you'll feel and you'll have more $$ to spend on healthier addictions, like plastic crack. Good Luck to you!!
I just dropped it cold turkey when I was younger. It was stupid hard but it worked for me. I think the patches and all that crap are money sinks.
Leave the country When I lived in Japan I didn't even think of quitting - they are so cheap and like you say, everyone lights up everywhere. After several years in Australia and paying $10+ a packet every few days, I went cold turkey. Been a few years now and more money for the toys. I wish you good luck.
Thanks for all of the advice everyone it means a lot. I've tried various methods and I think I'm going to stick with cold turkey as I hate medication in general, and the ones I've used to stop smoking. I guess I'll just lock up and stay inside to avoid my triggers or anything that has to do with smoking to help me quit cold turkey. Again thanks everyone this is something I wish I had never gotten in, now I got to just gotta stop now.
Dude I'm almost 30 now, and i have been smoking since i was 12... Ugh. I have tried everything under the sun, but the only thing that work the best was Chantix. It gave me some really lucid dreams and what not and i quit for nearly 2 years, but the ex ran a muck on my life and i decided to pick up the habbit again.. ::stupid:: So try that. I mean my pops hasn't smoke for 5 years now thanks to chantix!
I quit with a little help from the patch. But that only goes so far. The decision has to be made everytime you want a cigarette. the commitment to quit requires the sacrifice of smoking. So if you smoke that cigarette, you are only lying to yourself about quitting. I can tell you this, once you are on the quitter's side of the fence, you will ask yourself why you didn't do it sooner. You realize how filthy it is. You can taste your food better. Sex is better. You don't smell like an ash tray. Your teeth start to brighten up. You can breathe better. The quality of life is 10000% better. My father in-law has been smoking for 25 years. He spends the first 2hrs of his day coughing, can't even get a word out. Sometimes he throws up blood. That is called a smokers cough.
I've heard replacing the urge with something else is good in conjunction with using the patch and the gum. Basically, every time you feel like a smoke, go take a walk, or pound on a boxing bag or something. My mother smoked for years, but gave up on the patch if I remember right. Of course the stupid woman took it up again after a stressful period of time. Be strong, and want it. Want to quit like you have never wanted anything in the world.
Haha I use to smoke a 1 1/2 packs a day too. I quit cold turkey as well. How I quit was becoming a father. Can't smoke around a pregnant wife or child. That was motivation enough. Willpower man. All in the head.
Funny. I lived in Japan for 4 years but didn't smoke back then. I'm a heavy smoker now and they're banning smoking in public places everywhere here in Brazil. I guess I just need to move back to Japan.
It's a mental issue, but don't discount the drugs or other stop-smoking aids. They can help get you through intense cravings, but none of them will work until you've really decided that you want to quit. There's a lot of ways smokers rationalize "wanting to quit" without really meaning it. Not saying "yeah, it would be nice to quit" Not saying "I'll quit when it gets too expensive" Not saying "I'll quit if the drugs/patches/gum make it easy enough" I always had the last excuse - I figured there was a magic bullet out there somewhere that would make it easy, but nothing ever did. Truly wanting to quit means you've developed a different attitude, like "I hate myself when I smoke. I can't stand the fact that I'm tied to this habit." Lots of things can trigger that attitude - money, loved ones, health, etc. When you hit that mental point, you're ready. Then try the drugs, or the patch, or the gum (Commit lozenges worked for me). They'll probably work, once you have the mental attitude that you really want to quit and one of those things will help. If you just treat them as a substitute for cigarettes, they won't work - we all know better, there is no substitute for cigarettes, never will be. There is no easy way out, and there never will be. My doc told me long ago that it takes 3 days, 3 months, and 3 years: 3 days for the physical nicotine addiction - it takes 3 days to get it all out of your body. 3 months to abolish old habits and form new ones - anything you do regularly (or don't do) for 3 months straight will become a habit 3 years - statistically, relapse rates are highest between years 0-3. After 3 years, relapse rates are almost non-existent. My doc said it took 3 years to cure the psychological addiction, but who knows. I'm on month 2 of the second attempt. I made it 8 months before I started up again. It took about 4 months before I forgot all about smoking. The biggest danger you face in quitting is that once you make through those (unbelievably frustrating and hard) 3 days, and then go 3 months, you'll start to think that you could handle the addiction. One or two cigarettes occasionally won't hurt - you quit once, you can quit again. And then you'll be back at square one (like I am now) before you know it.
Chantix and an actual desire to quit. Chantix worked for me when I used it, but I lacked the desire to actually quit (it was kinda forced on me) and started again. Soon I will actually WANT to stop, and Chantix will solve the problem, no doubt.
Also, try and use toothpicks or something to chew on instead of smoking an actual cigarette. It might distract you from wanting a smoke.
You should use the old Uncle Buck method. Stop cigarettes, but allow yourself to smoke cigars to sort of taper you off - you'll smoke a lot less because you won't feel appropriate lighting up cigars unless you're in a private setting where no one can be offended by the smell. Then, you go to a pipe, which is a pain in the ass to keep clean and keep lit, so you just get tired of screwing with it and stop smoking altogether.