How to quit smoking

Hi guys,

I have been trying to quit smoking since the past 4 months. I smoke atleast 20 cigarettes a day. The maximum that I have been without smoking is 1 week, but after that the urge gets unbearable. I am aware about champix, but I am afraid to try it due to the side effects. Please help guys.

The best and easiest way to stop smoking is to simply stop it! In my family everyone stopped at their own pace, one day when they had enough, cold turkey. That includes my greatgrandmother who stopped at 85 after smoking 60 years (she lived to 100) and my dad who smoked a pack of heavy, unfiltered sigarettes a day. One day he went for a checkup to the cardiologist, got scared, quit, never looked back. My greatgrandma just opened the trashcan on her 85th birthday, said "I"m to old to smoke" and threw the cigarettes out. She did the same with her liquor on her 95th birthday.

This whole "its so hard to stop smoking"ruse is something you can choose to believe in or not. Often it's just used as an excuse to sneak a smoke after a while. Don't.... If you choose so, you can smoke a cigarette if you like, an occasional pleasure. I still smoke about 5 a year, with no coughing or ill effects, and with no recurring addiction afterwards.

Do or do not, there is no try (Yoda)

That said: you can ween yourself off slowly by first moving from commercial tobacco to organic of homegrown tobacco, and then to other herbs. See this site for a recipe (or to order the herbs): http://dutchspirit.info/?page_id=277

If you want to get off nicotine, it really helps to understand what you are up against. Or in the words of Sun Tsu, "know your enemy".

I recommend the videos and articles at http://www.whyquit.com

I have not had a puff in over 18 months, thanks to Joel Spitzer and the rest of the dedicated staff there.


Start with this article titled Nicotine 101.
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/linksaaddiction.html

I quit smoking in May of 1984...I used to know the exact date, hour and minute. My husband had stopped five years before with no problem but I needed a crutch to getover the hump There are probably other things to do but I used nicotine gum for a few months and sat on my hands a lot. And I had friends who did not let me have a cigarette after a couple beers at a party. I think everyone has a different experience quitting...for some it is easy and they think that is the case for all...I can tell you it was one of the most difficult things I have done and I am not a wimp. I kept wondering why everyone around me got so irritating when I was the one who had quit smoking! I had to change how I looked at things but it was one of the smartest things I have done (the dumbest was starting in the first place). I have never had another cig. but I still have an occasional dream where I am smoking and I wake up feeling guilty. What was wonderful was the smells and tastes that came back soon after quitting. We smoked Bugler so the cost wasn't what it is today but still a savings without that expense. Even the weight gain was worth it and gone soon. Good Luck...you can do it...just find YOUR way.

Hi Dave , No man is an island. I suggest you find a group of quitters to associate with. Smokers Anonymous or other 12-step type program. The freindship and support is needed. Accountability is important because your mind plays tricks. PET scans show that brains addicted to substances light up way more than nonaddicts when exposed to the addictive substance. It is the part of the brain that says "More" when it should be sated. Whether it is food or heroin or tobacco your mind will find a way to talk you into getting more. Hanging out with folks who have been through it is the key to success. I disagree with 12- steps theory that once an addict , always an addict but it is a great start. Besides $1800.00 a year can be a land payment for your permie farm. Substituting one bad addiction for a healthy addiction is a good plan.

Wow, that is a long time and lots of cigarettes! If cold-turkey doesn't work, look into smoking herbs. Mullein is good as a base, and Lobelia has many of the same effects but NOT addictive! See others:

http://www.botanicalstudies.net/herbalism/smoking.php

http://smokeplants.com/ (Read sample pages online)

Herbs to drink in tea would be calming herbs that help build, not deteriorate, nerves - Wild/Milky Oats (Avena sativa) is great! You can also look at Skullcap, Lemon Balm, Catnip, Chamomile and Passionflower (and maybe a bit of Valerian). These mix well with Spearmint. If you need gentle stimulants, consider cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger - or use garlic, onions, turmeric and cayenne. Experiment.

Also, consider flower essences when under stress like Rescue Remedy, and perhaps look into ACUPUNCTURE. Many have reported after acupuncture that they never need a cigarette ever again.

I also know some people who said homeopathy helps if you find a good homeopath. Found remedies that help, perhaps the 30c strength can be implemented, moving toward 200c when needed: Lachesis, Staphysagria, Calcarea phosphorica, Natrum Muriaticum and Nux vomica. Only use ONE of these, and I would try to research personalities and/or constitutions (and/or dowse if you know how) to see which one matches you before trying any of them.

I have been successful, not smoked a single cigg. since this post! I just stopped it! Not even one! From my experience, all you have to do is:
1. Avoid friends who smoke.
2. Dont go near anything that reminds you gor a cigg.
3. Get a hobby.
4. Get yourself engrossed in something when you get the urge to smoke.
5. Also stop going to Quit smoking forums! Browsing through this forum is giving me an urge but I will control it

Hi Dave,

Let me start by saying congratulations on avoiding using nicotine! However you manage to quit, the most important thing is that you are no longer ingesting one of the most addictive chemicals known to man.

I want to caution you, however, that you will not be able to avoid all of your triggers forever. Your brain has been conditioned to expect the reward of nicotine in certain situations and around certain people. Avoiding those situations and people is working for you, and that is great, but it is a short term fix. Eventually one will sneak up on you. New cravings will hit as the seasons change, as you wander back to places you haven't been for a while, or bump into someone you know, or hit a stressful situation, and so on... so it is best to be prepared for them.

The good news is that the average nicotine craving lasts only 3 minutes, and that is all you really have to resist them for. If you can go for three minutes without giving in, you can be nicotine free for the rest of your life. The even better news is that you can re-program your cravings in just one or two tries. If you don't feed your craving this time, it is very likely that it won't even be there next time. You may have many thousands of individual triggers that cause a nicotine craving, but you only have to go through each one once or twice. It can be like winning a game each time you beat a craving. It also means that you CAN hang out with your friends and go wherever you want, the only thing that has to change in your life is that you are no longer consuming nicotine in those places and around those people.

I hope this helps, but it is just my own thoughts based on my own experience. You would do much better to hear it from the highly qualified experts at whyquit.com, who have decades of experience helping all types of people in all types of situations. They also have these cool widgets that you can download to keep track of your quit stats.

http://www.whyquit.com

Joe - Free and Healing for One Year, Ten Months, Thirteen Days, 23 Hours and 39 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 71 Days and 5 Hours, by avoiding the use of 20520 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $8,453.48.

I figured that I should also mention that whyquit is an informational site only. There are no obligations or cost to use the site, the only registration is if you chose to join the forum.

I quit smoking about 34 years ago. I know how long because I quit because a rather cute woman told me I didn't have the will power to quit. We have been married now for more than 33 years. It is easy to quit, what is hard is to not restart. Since she is allergic to smoke, it has been easy for me to not be tempted to restart.

You really have to think of yourself as a non-smoker, and even if you make mistake, you are going to go right back to not smoking. Otherwise, the temptation to give in will become unbearable.

Eventually it is going to get down to will power and decision. All the aids can help you get over the hump, but with a firm decision, you will be right back to smoking in a short time.

Fred, even after 34 years you still have millions of extra neural receptors in your brain for Nicotine. They are dormant now, which is why you don't have to deal with constant cravings. A single hit off a cigarette could be enough to bring them out of domrancy and start demanding to be fed, even after decades of non use. You might think that you can get away with it, or that you have the addiction under control after so long, but within a few days of that puff, your nicotine receptors will be screaming for more. Since they affect the part of our brains that is concerned with survival, the urge can be compelling in a way that I think true non-smokers will never understand. It's right up there with the urge to breathe or with badly needing to relieve your bladder, in that it does not seem like a choice at all. Then your only two options are to go through that lovely first 72 hours of chemical withdrawl again, or to go back to your old level of consumption.

This is the harsh truth about nicotine addiction. I am a nicotine addict, and will be for the rest of my life. The ONLY way to keep control of my addiction is to keep nicotine out of my bloodstream in any form.

NTAP - Never Take Another Puff

Common Plantain grows most everywhere as a common weed in your lawn, but it's much more than that, see what I mean...

Plantain Herb Helps Smokers Kick the Habit

A weed that you’ve probably trampled on more than a few times could help you butt out. The North American wild herb, plantain (Plantago major), helps reduce cravings for cigarettes. That could be one of the main reasons it is being used in many commercial smoking cessation products.

Growing on lawns, between sidewalk cracks, and in wild spaces alike, plantain is regularly killed by grass aficionados in search of lawn perfection. This is not the same plant that produces banana-like fruit also known as plantain found in tropical destinations.

Not only does plantain reduce cravings for cigarettes, it also reduces lung inflammation and helps to clean out the lungs. Available as a tea, tincture (alcohol extract), a quit-smoking spray, or as a dried herb in many health food stores, it is easy to take advantage of its health-promoting properties.

If you choose the dried herb, simply add one teaspoon to a cup of boiling water, steep for at least 10 minutes then drink before you reach for a cigarette. Many people find they’ll be butting out soon afterward since the craving is gone. You may also feel like you’ve had enough before you finish that cigarette.

Plantain is also used by natural medicine practitioners to reduce bronchial congestion, laryngitis, lung irritations, coughs, toothaches, ulcers, digestive complaints, gout, and kidney infections.

Josef Theisen wrote:Fred, even after 34 years you still have millions of extra neural receptors in your brain for Nicotine. They are dormant now, which is why you don't have to deal with constant cravings. A single hit off a cigarette could be enough to bring them out of domrancy and start demanding to be fed, even after decades of non use. You might think that you can get away with it, or that you have the addiction under control after so long, but within a few days of that puff, your nicotine receptors will be screaming for more. Since they affect the part of our brains that is concerned with survival, the urge can be compelling in a way that I think true non-smokers will never understand. It's right up there with the urge to breathe or with badly needing to relieve your bladder, in that it does not seem like a choice at all. Then your only two options are to go through that lovely first 72 hours of chemical withdrawl again, or to go back to your old level of consumption.

This is the harsh truth about nicotine addiction. I am a nicotine addict, and will be for the rest of my life. The ONLY way to keep control of my addiction is to keep nicotine out of my bloodstream in any form.

NTAP - Never Take Another Puff

I never indulge, no desire ever to go through that again. It took me nearly 15 years before I was truly free of thinking about smoking.

It's all in your head, remember that. Only go cold turkey, with no medication or patches or gum.

I started smoking at 12 or 13, smoked a pack and a half a day since before I was 18. Tried every way of quitting (besides chantix, thats bad stuff) and once I quit for 2 years and had 1 moment of weakness and started smoking again for a month until I came to my senses (that was also right before my wedding so I was stressed and freaking out). But it is only as hard as you make it. Just say to yourself every time you have an urge "nope, can never have nicotine again, doesnt do anything for me" As long as you look at it as "I am never going to have nicotine again" it makes it much easier to succeed. Make it 1 month, then 2, then 3, and after that, urges and impulses to reach for your pack are very minuscule. I can be in the same car as a smoker now days, and i just smile because I know I won, and that I succeeded, and that I am no slave, no more.

Plus if you look as cool as I do (lol not at all true), then you are turning children into smokers from a young age, even if they just watch you driving by with a cig hanging out of your mouth, that seed is being planted. They already have candy cigs... If you quit, you can help many others quit too.

Good luck buddy, just remember, its entirely in your head, and YOU are the master of your own mind. Not some stupid chemical.

Dave Millersuraj wrote:Hi guys,

I have been trying to quit smoking since the past 4 months. I smoke atleast 20 cigarettes a day. The maximum that I have been without smoking is 1 week, but after that the urge gets unbearable. I am aware about champix, but I am afraid to try it due to the side effects. Please help guys.

The first step to stop smoking is to want to stop more than you want to continue...a lot more. Until you get to that point, nothing can or will change. Willpower plays a key role in breaking any habit, and nicotine addiction is a most powerful habit. You can make breaking this addiction less painful though.  I quit about 15 years ago. My method was gradual, nearly painless, as far as withdrawal goes, but very inconvenient (in that lies its strength). It requires you to go out of your way, take the longer tiresome route, and be more stubborn than the habit. If you decide to try it you will need:
1. kinnikinnik herbal tobacco. About 8 oz.
2.Cigarette rolling machine
3. 2 boxes of empty cigarette tubes /w filters (enough for about 400 cigs)
4. Two cartons of whatever brand of cigarettes you most like.
5 One box of loose tobacco

Here are links you can look over:
http://www.myworldhut.com/products/Kinnick-Kinnick-Traditional-Native-Herbal-Smoking-Blend-Bulk.html
https://www.amazon.com/TOP-Filter-Cigarette-Injector-Machine/dp/B0035DUYFU
http://www.thesmokingstore.com/cigarette-machines-injectors/
https://www.bestgrinder.net/the-4-best-cigarette-rolling-machines/

The process begins with you opening one carton of cigs, and divide the packs into two even piles. First pile you chain smoke until you feel sick. First pack of the second pile: for every 5 cigarettes you smoke you have to roll and smoke one kinnikinnik cig. Second pack: for every 4 cigs you smoke you have to smoke 1 kinnikinnik. Third pack: for every 3 cigs you smoke you have to smoke 1 kinnikinnik. This process continues until you are smoking 1 kinnikinnik for every cig. Continue doing this until you have smoked the very last cigarette. Stage two begins.

Mix three parts loose tobacco to one part kinnikinnik, and roll out enough cigs to fill up three empty packs of cigs. When those are gone, mix two part tobacco to one part kinnikinnik, and roll those up to fill three empty packs. When those are gone, mix equal parts tobacco and kinnikinnik to fill up six empty cigarette packs. When that is gone mix two parts kinnikinnik to one part tobacco, and roll up enough cigs to fill three empty packs.  If you stick with this method you will reach a point where you are smoking only kinnikinnik. As it takes about three months for the nicotine hold to break, you will continue to smoke the kinnikinnik for that long. After which, you should be able to quit smoking entirely.

Good system Martin!  I realize I posted on this 4 years ago and in the meantime, I learned of another way and my man stopped smoking cigarettes, after doing so for around a decade.

I don't recall exactly which herbalists were involved in a conversation online somewhere, but I remember Darcy Blue French in Tucson, AZ area had mentioned the Native American purpose of Tobacco.  Within that cultural framework, Tobacco is a master plant, a teacher.  He is "grandfather" and the plant is burned and smoked, but also offered at times without burning, and the purpose was twofold: prayer for what you would like, and being thankful for all you already have.  So, as you come into a place of "right use" in your own "practice," your space and your energy shifts.  There was a mention also that folks that choose to smoke are balancing (or attempting to balance) their own energies with father and grandfather archetypes - as loving authority, as provider, a leader.  They need focus, direction - and the smoke metaphorically can block out distractions and get stuff done, which is great, until there is a backlog of what is blocked out.  Most of the time, the backlog is emotional processing that needs to be done.  Our society doesn't honor this process, and instead honors being busy doing stuff and productive and tangible results to show for it.

So, the usual way people smoke is they are stressed out, and as they smoke they think about ALL the stuff they're stressed about.  But then, if you think about it, it is like PRAYING for that, you get more stressful events or situations and therefore more stress!  And the cycle keeps going!

Try this instead:  On your smoke breaks (or whenever you smoke), light up and say in your own words, "Thank you Spirit of Grandfather Tobacco for all the blessings I have!  (If you can name your blessings and say thank you, even better, no matter how small - you can be thankful you found a penny on the sidewalk and the gratitude can be the same as winning a car, or getting a new job, it doesn't matter what it is - what matters is in your heart feeling GRATEFUL for the penny just as much as finding the love of your life or excellent health or a 7-digit bank account!).  Really feel your thankfulness as you smoke!

Then, you may ask Grandfather Tobacco Spirit for the things you WANT in your life.  If you wish for a raise, or a new job, or a well-matched life partner, or good health, a beautiful home, to travel - whatever it is that you truly desire.  You can ask for solutions to a problem as well, and see it being solved or just gone.  While you're at it, ask for broader things, like a balanced life where you own your power and make good decisions that help you and others.  Just as incense smoke carries prayers, Tobacco smoke can too.

By the end of the cigarette when you are putting it out to do whatever you are doing (like walking back as many smoke outdoors nowadays), THANK Tobacco AGAIN, this time for all you have and all you SHALL have, and know that the prayers are heard and that Spirit is working hard to figure out how to deliver your wishes, and you just allow it.  Act as though your "check is in the mail" and it is only a matter of time.  And remain happy and light in your heart as much as possible, and even if hurt happens (and you are allowed to acknowledge that), don't forget all the blessings right now, as well as future blessings that will be a big surprise when they come!

Now - I can imagine the Kinnickinnick method can also be implemented because this is also designed for gratefulness and prayer!

My guy didn't need to go this far as he only smoked 2 or 3 cigarettes a day, so JUST by doing the above, without an expectation of when he would stop; one day he just didn't need to anymore (and in his case, it was weeks, not months or years, but do what works).  Blessings were coming in!  Now, we have organic loose tobacco that is not smoked but a pinch offered at the foot of a tree when we go hiking nearby.  The same method can be implemented.

I hope this helps some of you who are curious about the deeper emotional reasons, for which when they become known, it can make quitting tremendously easier. While tobacco may have a physical addiction aspect, I believe freeing the emotional addicting aspect can contribute greatly toward making the physical part well within one's ability to conquer!  I watched it work, and it is worth sharing!

Quitting tobacco smoking was so much fun, I did it four times!

Seriously, though, I started halfway through high school and quit my fourth time within that same decade.

I advocate for cold turkey. My dad, who has been a smoker since before I was born, has tried to wean himself off a bit with vaping, but it apart from cutting out a few smokes a day, it doesn't really do much.

As I understand it, as long as you're intaking nicotine, in whatever form, you are paralysing the body's mechanism for cleaning out the lungs. Your body can't clean out the toxic mess until the cilia in the lungs regain function.

The real reason to go cold turkey, though, is because at the end of the day, all the crutches are really obstacles. Nobody is going to market a product that will cheaply and efficiently break you of the nicotine habit because there's no profit in that; it's just trading one monkey for another.

I think the thing that gets most people is that they don't want quitting to be uncomfortable. Well, bully for them. We addict ourselves to nicotine, sugar, alcohol, escapist programming or literature, you name it. All these things are bad for us, some regardless of how much moderation is employed. To rid ourselves of our weakness, we need to make ourselves strong.

In earlier times, the message would be to "man up." I like the memes and t-shirts that use ovarian imagery with traditionally testicular messaging, so if it applies, I would include "woman up" too. And as we are inclusive, I think it prudent to include a suggestion to "person up" or "individual up."

Willpower is the way to go. Herbal remedies might help a little, but it will be mostly psychosomatic. The key is not to be soft on yourself. Don't let yourself "get away" with anything. The only person you're cheating when you do so is yourself.

-CK

While everyone experiences are different, my physical addiction to nicotine was very strong. I was a heavy smoker, 2 1/2 packs a day, and trying to quit cold turkey made me violently ill, nausea & vomiting, dizziness to the extent that I couldn't walk. I had previously tried the patches and didn't find them helpful, then my doctor pointed out that they weren't designed for a heavy smoker like me, and told me to double up on them, and wean down that way. It worked wonders, dealt with all the physical withdrawal symptoms, so I could focus on restructuring my life.

The rest of it was really a habit. I used cigarettes like a little reward, a way to structure my day, motivate chores. So some of that got replaced with other rewards, like sitting down and checking something out on the internet, or having a cup of coffee. And some of it was just a lot less breaks, keep busy.

But, I think it's important to remember that we are not all the same. Nicotine was a heavy physical addiction to me, but caffeine has no physical effect on me. It's not just some people are addiction types and others aren't, our bodies are different.

Stacy Witscher wrote:While everyone experiences are different, my physical addiction to nicotine was very strong. I was a heavy smoker, 2 1/2 packs a day, and trying to quit cold turkey made me violently ill, nausea & vomiting, dizziness to the extent that I couldn't walk. I had previously tried the patches and didn't find them helpful, then my doctor pointed out that they weren't designed for a heavy smoker like me, and told me to double up on them, and wean down that way. It worked wonders, dealt with all the physical withdrawal symptoms, so I could focus on restructuring my life.

The rest of it was really a habit. I used cigarettes like a little reward, a way to structure my day, motivate chores. So some of that got replaced with other rewards, like sitting down and checking something out on the internet, or having a cup of coffee. And some of it was just a lot less breaks, keep busy.

But, I think it's important to remember that we are not all the same. Nicotine was a heavy physical addiction to me, but caffeine has no physical effect on me. It's not just some people are addiction types and others aren't, our bodies are different.

Yep, this was what it took for me to quit except I used  nicotine gum instead of patches.  It's been 35 years now and so difficult early on that I was never tempted after the first month or so because I knew I never wanted to go through that again....the gum took the edge off while I found something else to do with my hands.

My husband quit five years before me, just cold turkey and that worked for him but not me...as Stacy says, we are not all the same.
It's not a sign of weakness to use something to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.


Edit..I went back a ways in this thread and found my old post...I thought this thread  looked familiar

I didn't mean to suggest that everyone that doesn't go cold turkey is unnecessarily babying themselves, although there's probably a little to that in every case. I think that the industry that has grown up around selling smoking cessation products relies on that want for an easy way out, though.

As to herbal aids for relief of withdrawal symptoms, my two favourites were chamomile tea and an herbal butter extraction in coffee.

-CK

look at all these successful quitters!! that's fabulous!

My husband quit cold turkey one day, bam. It made me furious.
I had to get to a place where I was able to, and it only happened when I got rid of the chances/triggers/etc. For YEARS I smoked one cigarette a day. I stopped commuting, so there went smoking in the car. Also, kids. Once my daughter got old enough to smoke there was no way in hell I could ever smoke again without that giving her a pure green light, so that gave me the last push I need.

About 10 years later, I still love the smell of smoke, and I still dream about smoking. I don't take this as a sign of weakness. I still dream about people I haven't seen in 30 years, too. You spend enough time with something so intimately and I don't think it's realistic to never think about it again.

Did the original poster quit? I hope so!

Robert Mayers wrote:I couldn`t quit for a few years so you can understand that I have tried a lot of different techniques which should work but they don`t... I read that Tereza`s husband quit cold turkey one day. And I understand it is not the best for me. So I bought a box mod and started to vape liquids with nicotine.
The transition was really hard I must say, also I have read an educational article about how to quit correctly on Vapingdaily https://vapingdaily.com/quit-smoking/. I found it very useful for myself.
Also, I read about anti-nicotine gums. But I have to say it didn`t work for me. I think I would like to smoke more because of that.
Hope the author has quit)

I hate how much negative press the vape option gets.  I switched from cigs to gum but couldn't wean myself from the gum so I chewed it as a smoking replacement for a few years.  Generic gum was cheaper than buying cigs, and my lungs started feeling better right away.  Eventually got sick of the cost and tried a basic refillable vape setup.  Mixing my own liquid and careful shopping kept this new nicotine habit under 50 cents per day easily.  After a couple years of just getting nicotine without all the other cigarette crap I was able to just stop vaping one day, didn't want it any more.  I've had a couple cigs since with no urge to start up again.  When I'm going thru a really difficult time I may toy with the idea of buying a new vaping set up but it's been more than two years.  I always recommend vaping as the easiest way to quit.

After smoking 20 yrs and trying to quit multiple times,  I finally had just had it and quit COLD TURKEY on New Years Eve at a party, 1992.     Lots of drinking and other smokers there so after midnight I bummed one cigarette,   then bummed another one at work at about the 3 day mark and then never looked back.    3 months is another hurdle so the first requirement is   COMMITMENT.    Visualize the choice,   what do you love and hate about being a smoker and CHOOSE who you want to be.    COMMITMENT.   Everytime you have a craving instead of obsessing about cigarettes, go back to that decision and consciously decide you don't want to be a smoker anymore.    COMMITMENT.

A good strategy for changing any habit is to think of something you can do as an alternative.  Memorize it as a mantra that you instantly go to in your mind when you have a craving.   Smoking is usually associated with sitting, so reduce the amount of time sitting and become more active.   Whenever you have a craving, stand up from your desk at work and do toe touch bends while deep breathing,   do 5 jumping jacks, or just go to another room and get a glass of water, or go outside and weed the garden or walk upstairs at the office to a different bathroom.   Change your morning routine so you don't get your coffee and sit down with a cigarette with the newspaper or TV.   Instead when you get out of bed, throw on some clothes and go walking, or do chores.

Oh, and scrub your car on D-Day and any place in your house where you smoked frequently.  Smokers don't have a good sense of smell but the tar and nicotine and dirty ashtrays still could trigger cravings.