Stop Smoking: Secrets of Successful Quitters

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I've been smoke free for 1 year and 3 months after, smoking for about 8 years. I was sick and lit up one day and gagged. I gagged so bad that I stopped cold turkey that day, and have not gone back since then. I get the urge to smoke once in a while, then think about how I save so much money and don't smell. In my opinion, it's all about how much will power you have to not smoke after you quit.

Chad of IL 12:07PM January 01, 2009

i want to quit, but everytime i start ,i start back i need help

juanita Breedlove of FL 10:20PM December 23, 2008

When I started,56 years ago at age 14,the pressure to do it was absolutely overwhelming. Very simply,if you wanted to be or appear an adult,you should light up.My paternal grandfather smoked strong Toscano cigars till his death,at age 84.My maternal grandmother, did not smoke but inhaled powdered tobacco in the fashion of old people of the austro-hungaric empire.My father stopped smoking at age 45 and resumed it,albeit in a lighter way,at age 75 after confessing to have felt the urge during his 30 years of abstinence.He died 85 years of age.My mother ceased to consume cigarettes ay age 87 and till today at 96 when I smoke around her she claims she loves the smell and she would like to light up,but she resists.My children,one 38 and one 17,they both abhor the habit and scold me.I stopped smoking for one year,at 49,cold turkey because at the time I felt pissed on depending on the habit.For one year I felt naked, going out and patting my pockets and missing both the package and the lighter that were supposed to be there,but were'nt.After one year I congratuled my self,at my 50th birthday party, for my behaviour and decided to reward myself,you guessed,with a cigarette.Back in no time to a 2 pack a day.No remorse. 3 dearest friends with lung cancer,2 died,one survives till today.I am aware of dangers and damages,I do not derive any ideology out of my family's experience.I only would like for science and sociologists to look at this phenomenon- indeed the comparison with heroin addiction came to my mind 30 years ago- in a deeper way.Life is complicated after all,more then we can imagine.

Piero Longo of FL 9:49AM December 20, 2008

I had smoked for 25 years and thought about quitting often, but always had an excuse to keep on smoking. I seriously made the effort to quit in 2000 and relapsed many times over. I tried the cutting back way, I tried nicotine patches and I even went cold turkey many times. I would at times have 6 months under my belt and think.. Oh.. I can have just one cigarette while I was hanging out with friends, but it always led back to full time smoking (at least a pack a day). After fives years of this, I was tired of being disappointed and ashamed of myself for failing. I did not want to be disappointed in myself anymore. I wanted to feel better, smell better, have more money in my pocket. I was absolutely disgusted with the control that nicotine had over me. November 21, 2005 I put down the cigarettes cold turkey and told myself that I would never disappoint myself again..one minute, one hour then 1 day at a time. I just hit my 3 year mark of being nicotine free! I am so proud of myself and I feel wonderful, I smell wonderful, my house smells wonderful and I have money in my pocket. I will be honest with though... its been hard, but definitely worth it. Its a constant mind game I have to play with myself. I will have long periods of time now that I don't think about a cigarette and then all of a sudden one day...my brain will think about a cigarette. That scares me to think that my brain will pull up old memories of how much I used to enjoy smoking, but then I remind myself of the misery I endured during my smoking life. OH yes.. I also utilitzed the internet site www.whyquit.com. Great motivational reading and support from others who are going through the same thing as you. Also stories from people who lost their lives to nicotine. That was motivation in itself! Be strong and never take another puff! v

Sandra Barnhart of TX 10:03AM December 19, 2008

I had smoked for 25 years and thought about quitting often, but always had an excuse to keep on smoking. I seriously made the effort to quit in 2000 and relapsed many times over. I tried the cutting back way, I tried nicotine patches and I even went cold turkey many times. I would at times have 6 months under my belt and think.. Oh.. I can have just one cigarette while I was hanging out with friends, but it always led back to full time smoking (at least a pack a day). After fives years of this, I was tired of being disappointed and ashamed of myself for failing. I did not want to be disappointed in myself anymore. I wanted to feel better, smell better, have more money in my pocket. I was absolutely disgusted with the control that nicotine had over me. November 21, 2005 I put down the cigarettes cold turkey and told myself that I would never disappoint myself again..one minute, one hour then 1 day at a time. I just hit my 3 year mark of being nicotine free! I am so proud of myself and I feel wonderful, I smell wonderful, my house smells wonderful and I have money in my pocket. I will be honest with though... its been hard, but definitely worth it. Its a constant mind game I have to play with myself. I will have long periods of time now that I don't think about a cigarette and then all of a sudden one day...my brain will think about a cigarette. That scares me to think that my brain will pull up old memories of how much I used to enjoy smoking, but then I remind myself of the misery I endured during my smoking life. OH yes.. I also utilitzed the internet site www.whyquit.com. Great motivational reading and support from others who are going through the same thing as you. Also stories from people who lost their lives to nicotine. That was motivation in itself! Be strong and never take another puff! v

Sandra Barnhart of TX 10:02AM December 19, 2008

I really think that most stop smoking advertising campaigns in general, and the methods employed by the American Cancer Society in particular, are condescending, insulting, simplistic, ineffective and ultimately worthless. Little more than "feel good" actions that allow them to feel morally superior.
When I decided to quit smoking, my health insurance at the time would pay for Wellbutrin as a treatment for depression, but not for the same drug, Zyban, used to help with smoking cessation. Indeed, preventative medicine is not well-covered by insurance companies in the U.S. My personal physician at the time told a little white lie and claimed that I suffered from mild depression because otherwise my health insurance plan would not pay for the drug. He justified the lie by saying that my quitting smoking would save the health insurance a lot of money down the line and that it was a lot cheaper than treatment for emphysema or for lung or throat cancer.
Through a course of therapy that involved taking Wellbutrin for a period of approximately 9 months combined with talk therapy with a psychologist I was finally able to quit smoking and it has now been over ten years since I last smoked. Even after all this time, I still have cravings and miss smoking, although I have not ever fallen back and smoked, even once.

John M of CO 3:06AM December 19, 2008

Success depends on the real reason youREALLY WANT TO QUIT! Iwent skiing at age 41 ,at 12000 feet icould not breathe,Mynose was bleeding,headache was severe. etc. I quit cold Turkey for 6 monthsmthen a small problem was brought to my attention,]. A major personality change!! More of a horses ass than normal. Family threatened to leave and all 60 employees were quiting!1
I did not have a clue!! So went back to 6 packs of Camels /day.
Skiing again,same thing I thought I would die from lack of O2.
This time to a psychologist,hypnosis ,QUESTION was why do you want to stop? I WANT TO LIVE!Best reason of all!! One session,hour, five days later another.A tape was made and listened to daily for 30 days, Desire was gone!! No withdrawal syptoms,no weight gain!!I understand why people smoke.I enjoyed it!But I have had no desire to resume and it has been 35 years.
I had done 2000 posts up to that time so had seen it all,it did not affect me.Diferent when YOU can not breathe.

Jerry of IL 12:08AM December 19, 2008

One person's experience.Don't have that first cigarette in the morning. If you do you cant quit .Get by that first day. Then start over. DONT HAVE THAT FIRST CIGARETTE IN TH MORNING!! After a few days you begin to have a fresh mouth, breathing is cleaner, taste comes back and you begin to wonder why you could have been so dumb. This experience occurred back when it first became known that lung cancer was directly linked to smoking.You'll never regret your decision.

Lowell M. Bond of FL 10:16PM December 18, 2008

I quit smoking 5 months ago using Chantix after smoking for 29 years. I did not really want to quit but my husband did and felt he could not be successful with me still smoking, so I agreed to quit. It is probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my life or at least way up there on the list. What was helpful to me was: 1. my best friend quit 1 1/2 years before me using Chantix and was able to give me tips and support, 2. my Mom quit 6 months before cold turkey because she had lesions in her mouth from smoking which really scared her,and she was able to give me support, 3. I was able to keep myself away from my smoker friends for a little while which is very hard, 4. before starting the medicine, I tried to change some little things regarding when I had cigarettes, for instance, I would not have one as soon as I woke up, I would not have one after I finished eating, when I got into the car,... To this day and I am sure for sometime I will crave cigarettes but the times between cravings gets longer and longer. I am determined not to go back to smoking - I don't want to go through trying to quit again - it was just so hard and I couldn't see how much it controlled me.
Good luck to all.

Cyn of NJ 7:14PM December 18, 2008