I quit smoking and need advice

pricklypear · May 18, 2005

May the force be with you, Medic2RN!! I don't have any advice for you, just friendly support!! There are lots of people on this board who have quit, or are in the process like you, you are not alone!!!! Good Luck :)

Jolie, BSN · May 18, 2005

No advice, either, but wanted to offer you a hearty CONGRATULATIONS!

hoppermom3 · May 18, 2005

I quit smoking 8 years ago. You CAN do it! The secret for me was to surround myself with non-smokers. I avoided bars and other social situations where others would be smoking, and allowed no smoking in my house or car. Most of all, don't beat yourself up for slip-ups.

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 18, 2005

Congratulations and good luck.

I think you know it's going to be tough. Just get through each moment as a nonsmoker. Then you can say, "well I made it through that moment, I can make it through the next". For each situation you don't smoke, remind yourself later "hey I made it through that phone call without lighting up". "I made it through that meal without lighting up afterwards", "I can certainly make it through lunch".

:)

NJLPN · May 18, 2005

I am smoking my last cigarette today. The hardest phase for me will be the psychological aspect. I have a plan in place, but need back up suggestions for getting through the endless stream of thoughts regarding wanting to light up another one. :stone I have categorized myself as a stress and social smoker. I am not in a "happy" place right now :angryfire
Any advice from people who have been there?
I appreciate any and all input!!
Thanks!
:balloons:

Congrats on taking the first step towards a healthy life. Have you joined quitnet.com? They are very helpfull and supportive. They track your progress on a daily basis when you join, which is encouraging.

Get rid of all ashtrays, lighters, matches, and of course ciggs from home. Avoid social situations where there are smokers. When cravings strike(and they will) practice deep breathing as if you are taking a drag from cigg. It really helps.

Best of luck to you!! You can do this, be positive. :yeah:

jtorres · May 18, 2005

Just remember that when we do some things in life that we have to try more than once to do them the way they should be done. Don't trick yourself into thinking that you can have "just one" when you are drinking, or "just one" when you are driving. Iv'e been there. I used to drink, smoke, and do whatever I wanted or what impulse was telling me to do at that moment. If this is a challenge that you are ready for than focus on this with 100% of your attention and then when you conquer this habit, some other challenge in your life will be revealed to you, just remember that you will not be given anything that you can not handle. So give yourself the best chance that you can, and allow yourself to succeed. The important part is that you know it is time to quit, some people never get there....and end up with the lungs to prove it. Being a non smoker now I can just smell smokers from a mile away, your taste, smell, skin, everything about you will improve, be strong enough to give yourself the benefit of feeling and looking good for yourself! Here's to you and your challenge, good luck@ stay strong. :stone ... :rolleyes:

markjrn · May 18, 2005

I am smoking my last cigarette today. The hardest phase for me will be the psychological aspect. I have a plan in place, but need back up suggestions for getting through the endless stream of thoughts regarding wanting to light up another one. :stone I have categorized myself as a stress and social smoker. I am not in a "happy" place right now :angryfire
Any advice from people who have been there?
I appreciate any and all input!!
Thanks!
:balloons:

We both quit cold turkey - no notice, no preparation. We used the patches for a week, and didn't bother buying more. No gum, no inhalers, etc.

I think distraction helps. Get involved doing something else so you forget about smoking. My wife used to inhale deeply when she had a craving, and said it really helped. She still does it on occasion.

Keep in mind that the cravings will become less, or at least have in our case. My brother quit 3-4 months ago and states the cravings are really strong, he has not noticed that he feels any better than when he was smoking and he struggles constantly. It's a very individual experience, I think.

Stick with it. Good luck!

gwenith, BSN, RN · May 18, 2005

Do something else - go hunting for a really interesting computer game to take your mind off of it:D

Nesher, BSN, RN · May 18, 2005

I know how hard it is for you right now.

But you have just taken the first step forwards towards a life without constantly being concerned,"can I smoke there?, Do I have cigarettes? Do I have a lighter or matches?" And all the other pesky aspects of maintaining a habit that in many parts of this country is looked upon with the utmost of distain.

June 25 will be 13 years of a smoke free life and I haven't looked back. In fact the most telling sign that I am done forever with cigarettes - besides not being able to stand the smell was a dream I had. In this dream my best friend from high school - the person who introduced me to the so called pleasures of smoking - offered me a cigarette - in the dream I replied" no thanks I quit."

So the practical aspects of quitting.

As other posters have suggested - clean out your house - ashtrays, etc gone. Go to the dentist and have your teeth cleaned - I'm serious. Wash your curtains, bed linens etc - have your car cleaned - spray frebreze of something to rid the car of the smoke smell. You can't smell it much at this point - but believe me it is there.

The biggest aspect to think about are your habits associated with smoking. When were the usual times you would have a cigarette? With coffee in the morning? Change to tea or go to a smoke free coffeeshop for your caffeine. Did having a cigarette at work allow you a chance to escape the craziness of the place where you work and give you a moment to think? Well - take your break in a different way - go to the gift shop and look through cards or magazines. The idea here is to break yourself of the ingrained habits you probably aren't even aware of. Identifiying them will allow you to change them and help loosen the hold cigarettes have on you.

When I quit - the next day I went hiking and spent several nights in the woods around a mirror calm lake at Mt Rainier. It was a wonderful distraction from the norm - plus doing something physical allowed me to sleep better at night. And of course no cigarettes around. Can you get away - once again to break the habits and try something different? Even a day trip? Open the car windows and breath deeply on a country road.

It won't be pretty for the first couple days - be aware of this and to help yourself out - as I said before get rid of the temptation. Yes you will have physical cravings - yes it is hard to resist the urge and thinking "oh I will only have one." This will be the downfall of any efforts you undertake. So keep busy and think about how wonderful your life is becoming as you free yourself from this horrid habit. While you are ridding yourself of the physical aspects keep working on the psychological aspects as well - that is what gets folks down the road when they have kicked the physical.

One thing I did when I quit was that I had picked a date to quit - It was Feb when I picked June 25th. But that gave me plenty of time to think about it and ready myself and on the last day I had wee ceremonies for each "last" cigarette - the last one at work the last one in the car, and finally the last one in the pack.

Every day you get through will be a another step towards freedom.

You can do it.

HONEYBEAR · May 18, 2005

I quit smoking for the New Year of 1997.....cold turkey and have not looked back......I was upto smoking 2 packs a day.....and I just said enough....I could not even walk up a flight of stairs w/o getting short of breath, and looking like :angryfire this ........It was hard, the cravings went away after a couple of weeks, I surrounded myself with non-smokers, I stopped drinking coffee......and I gained about 20#'s.......but I feel so much better......go for it, you will feel so much better. :rolleyes:

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 18, 2005

I quit smoking 8 years ago. You CAN do it! The secret for me was to surround myself with non-smokers. I avoided bars and other social situations where others would be smoking, and allowed no smoking in my house or car. Most of all, don't beat yourself up for slip-ups.

CONGRATULATION TO YOU TOO :roll

:yelclap: :yeah: :flowersfo :w00t: :icon_hug: