Does this help to stop smoking?

ummm…MsP, will very interested to see the answer here. Would love to quit! Very good question my friend.

I used the patch, tootsie pops, and the fetal position. For the first week I spent 20 hours a day in my bed watching tv. It was the most insanely hard thing I have ever done. But it feels so good when you do pull it off.

Food taste better and the dating pool has expanded to non-smokers. I didn’t realize how bad I smelled.

Here is my question about quitting.

damn John, that is awesome! Talking about willpower…20 hours in the bed…sweating and gnashing of teeth, and all the above!

Well, would love to guit…and your comment about food scares me. I love it too much now. loll

I used sunflower seeds! Keeps the hands busy. It will be 5 years for me next Wednesday! My sister was in re-hab and they had those electric cigs and she hated it! She said it didn’t help at all!

@ShanEnri really…sunflower seeds! That is a first, but understand where you are coming from…well, regardless of how, it is about willpower!

Mulder is always right.~

I have a couple friends that are on that. THey say it works and it has dramatically cut down their need for real cigarettes. One of them has quit completely and is just smoking the electronic cig. They will soon be able to wean themselves off of that. Another friend can’t seem to quit but has really cut down his intake of actual cigarettes. Mind over matter seems to come into play when trying to quit.

@Tenpinmaster as Charlie Chan would have said, “very interesting!” Think i’ll look into this device. And, you would be correct, it is about will power! So far, i ain’t got it. loll After all, in this crazy life, a poor man only has a few things to look forward too…the first one, we all know! the second one, a good meal…and lastly, a good cup of coffee with my cig!

@BoBo1946 well I like to smoke because I never developed an addiction. I smoke once and a while. Sometimes I go a week or two in between cigarettes. To me its like having a desert. But a lot of my friends can’t quit so they have gone to the electric cigarette or other means. :) But your right, there are some things you just need to do without a safety net. Plus a few things to look forward to.. coffee and smokes! :)

My wife & I gave up the cancer sticks together 8yrs ago now.Cold turkey, it stings a little especially early on.Willpower &dedication to the cause sees you through.You benefit on every aspect,money,health,pride in what you’ve achieved, smell better, taste is magnified like you would’nt believe.Yes an extremely worthwhile vice to extinguish.Good luck.

@ShanEnri I used TicTacs. Still do in fact, and it has been 7 years for me. It helps to have something that takes the place of the cigarette, and you are right about keeping the hands busy. Now instead of having an ashtray breath I smell minty fresh!

@Tenpinmaster got’cha…once was that way also, but got hooked. But, this was after my divorce (almost 3 years ago), and really think that now, I’m ready to quit. Certainly need too!

This is the link for my question:-

http://www.nicocig.co.uk/

It certainly looks like a good idea

@ucme Yes it would seem that willpower is the only answer, thanks

@BoBo1946 I have provided a link for my question about NICOCIG. It seems like a good idea.
Oooops I am smoking while typing this answer

@ShanEnri So you wouldn’t recommend the nicocig then?

@partyparty It’s an achievable goal that can only do good.You’ll get there. It really is a defining moment.

@partyparty thank you my friend!

@ucme The VERY sad thing is I did give up smoking for eighteen months. Then out in the car one day my SO asked me to light a cigarette for him. The rest is history.

@partyparty Ouch!

I found that the urge to smoke will pass after about 3–5 minutes so if you can find a diversion to help get you through that urge your odds of not wanting to smoke goes up significantly.

This technique helped me get past those urges. Purse your lips like you do when you puff your ciggy and slowly inhale…inhale and fill up your lungs all the way…hold for a second then forcefully exhale again all the way until the last puff of air comes out. Repeat 10 x’s if you can or as many as you can string together. I bet you can’t make 5!

Do this every time you feel the urge and if you do you should not feel like smoking after you do this.

Every time I wanted a smoke, I got a glass of water. Fortunately, after about 4 or 5 months, I no longer had the urge at all. It was hard. Try reading the book Easyway by Allen Carr. That was the book that helped me to stop after 4 previous attempts via cold turkey, patches and Wellbutrin had failed.

I recently quit, I think in September, or the end od August. It’s all about the motivation. I had tried unsuccessfully the previous year, I went to a class and used the patch. Now, I admit that there were additional stressors in my life then, so…
But this time I was really motivated by money. I was spending $300.00 a month, or close to it. I smoked two packs a day, so do the math. When I left my SO in August, I still smoked, but money got a bit tight even working two jobs. And Christmas was coming up so… I got more patches, and partway through the step two I just stopped using those as well and I was done.
Of course, I’ve packed on about 40 pounds, but I’ll be taking that back off next, as I can afford a gym and don’t get winded doing exercises anymore. I knew when I quit that I’d be gaining some weight, and was prepared to accept that as a side effect. I’m much happier without the cigarettes ruling me, and make no mistake about it, they were the ones in charge.

I quit cold turkey.It’s not easy,but can be done :)

My wife is trying to quit and got an e-cigarette, she went about a month before giving up entirely. If you truly want to quit, get gum or go cold turkey. The hardest part is getting out of the habit of smoking, and a fake cig is definitely not going to do anything to help you get over it.

@Tenpinmaster Thanks for that. I was hoping for an answer about the e-cigarette.
I know it takes a lot of willpower, but I thought these cigarettes might help.
@drClaw Has the e-cigarette helped her?
@Cruiser I must try your suggestion. Doesn’t it make you dizzy?
@aprilsimnel So just drinking water did it for you?
@Trillian So how much are a pack of cigarettes where you are? They are £6 here in the ‘UK.
@lucillelucillelucille Yes I did actually stop myself for eighteen months. So easy to get back into the habit again though. Well done you.

@partyparty Close to $5 a pack.

Yes! I haven’t smoked a cigarette since I started using the “Blu” e-cigarettes about a month ago. They can be a bit pricey, but you don’t have to spend as much as you did on cigs.

@Trillian…people on crack pay huge amount of money….i’ve this addiction and would love to quit. Oh, smoking..not crack…lol

@BoBo1946 haha. My ribs.~ ;-)

Kudos to everyone who has quit smoking cold turkey. If you never do anything else in your life, you will have accomplished possibly the hardest thing a human being can do (that doesn’t involve the illness or death of a loved one)

For me, patch didn’t work, gum didn’t work, buproprion (sp) didn’t work, Chantix didn’t work, seeing my newborn daughter’s face for the first time didn’t even work. I have a mostly managed depression plus my job forces me to hang around scumbag musicians who smoke, so I had those two things against me from the start.

That said, I haven’t had a cigarette in 3 months, 21 days. (at ~23 cigarettes a day at ~$6.25usd, that’s 2679 cigarettes not smoked and $803.70 not spent)

I started on the Joye 510 model e-cig about 6 months ago and was vaping and smoking concurrently until Oct 29th, when completely unplanned, I reached for a Camel Light and thought, “This isn’t what I want at all, I’d rather have a tasty 510 vape” (RY4 is my favorite flavor, btw)

Been that way ever since. My lungs have cleared out, food tastes better, sex is better, I don’t get winded pedaling uphill or chasing my daughter, my clothes and car don’t stink, etc, AND I can hang out with the smokers, drink coffee or whiskey (all big triggers) and don’t have that uncomfortable craving and fidgeting.

I don’t know about the Nicocig, but I have heard the Blu is kinda costly. Yes, it takes a little getting used to (atomizers will clog, batteries will die, etc..) but once you have it down, you really won’t miss ‘analogs’ at all. There are great information sites all over, but the one that got me started is e-cigarette-forum.com. Lots of FAQs, tips, model comparisons, vendors offering discounts. The startup cost is about $100usd and but after that it’s just buying ‘juice’ and occasionally an extra atty or battery.

I’ve gotten supplies from totallywicked, cignot, electronicstix and heavensgifts and haven’t had a bad ordering experience yet.

Best of luck!

Just cold turkey. Make it past the first 4 days and you are good to go.

@CaptainHarley Do they taste anything like a cigarette? How do they work?

@rhodes54 Your answer was the one I was hoping to receive, ie that they really do work. I am in the UK so perhaps I won’t be able to purchase the brands you are suggesting, but I will certainly try to track them down. Thanks sooooooooo very much!

@ChazMaz I just with there was some facility where we smokers could be locked up, and fed and watered when necessary, and kept away from cigarettes. I am sure it would work.

BUT I don’t think this will ever happen – governments earn such a huge revenue from taxes on the cigarettes.

Man up! ;-)

Come to my house for a week. I will get you t kick the habit.

it is a good invention because a lot of people are just addicted to smoking, not necessarily the nicotine (although this is a very broad statement, nicotine is highly addictive). The point I am making is a lot of people just have an oral fixation and that is why a product like this works.

Personally I have not tried it, but my friends have. Two of them could not bare it after a couple weeks and just went back to smoking. The nicotine withdrawal was too much.

I have one friend who has quit cold turkey. He got pneumonia and that was enough to scare him off of cigs, especially since he could not be smoking when sick. Very often than not, it will have to take something to scare you to get off of them because people make smoking a routine. You have to get into a routine without cigarettes and exercise and eat right and get more natural satisfaction from the natural chemicals that your body releases through laughter, certain foods, and of course exercise. Once you get that routine down without cigarettes, it will be a lot easier for you to not go back to your old habits. Obviously social support from ex smokers, friends, etc. is very important too

Sorry I can’t help you about the e-cig.

My Mom used to put the price of a cigarette into a jar every time she wanted one and then she and Dad went to Hawaii on the money she saved.

I remember going to the store with her so she could get change to put in the jar. The going rate in those days was 25 cents a pack, and she was a former 2 pack a day person. When I do the math, I can see that Dad helped out a lot with the Hawaii thing.

@partyparty look up totallywicked ( can’t remember the exact URL) they are a UK based company w US distribution and have good products, prices and customer service.

@partyparty

Rather than my trying to explain them, let me direct you to their site:
http://www.blucigs.com/

A friend of mine recently started selling e-cigs, so I did some research on them, and from what I read they are still dangerous.

I’ve quit smoking twice, the first time for 3 years and the second time for about 6 months. Both times I quit cold-turkey.. but I do have a pretty strong will-power. The only reason I ‘relapsed’ the first time is because I began doing drugs again which, of course, impairs your judgement… and the second time I only quit because my fiance said she wanted to quit but couldn’t if I was still smoking, but after 6 months I found out she had been smoking behind my back all along.

I’m quitting again now, cold-turkey once again, and haven’t smoked for about a week. The fact that I literally don’t have the money for cigarettes really helps. I have to make the choice between paying rent or buying cigarettes.

@stemnyjones Well you should be extremely proud of yourself. Hope it works out for you. Do you think you are over the worst part of the cravings?

@partyparty I recommend whatever works best for you! It didn’t work for my sister, doesn’t mean it will not work for you or someone else! My grandmother used ice water, a glass every time she wanted a cigarette and my step father used star light mints. Like I said, whatever you find that works for you. And of course willpower is a must!

@ShanEnri Yes thanks for your comments. I just had heard that the e-cigarettes were really good, and wanted to know if anyone else had tried them and what the results were. I love the idea of iced water, thanks

@partyparty Yes of course it can. If you get dizzy IMO you are doing it too quickly and try slowing down and extened the interval between breaths. The key here is to get past the urge. The breathing as I remember it was a painful reminder of the damage I did to my lungs. Even today it is hard to do the 10 breaths without coughing.

@stemnyjones perhaps you could share some of your research indicating that e-cigs are “still dangerous”. I just hope this research didn’t come from a biased source like Big Tobacco or their friends at the FDA, both of whom I suspect have a vested interest in negative publicity for the electronic cigarette.

@partyparty I am definitely over the worst part of the cravings, but right now is a very stressful time for me (I have a new baby, trouble in my relationship, financial issues, etc) so I’m still wanting one every now and then. I actually just made a joke to my girlfriend that next time the people downstairs from us start fighting, I’m going to go down there and tell them that I won’t call the police if they give me a cigarette.

@rhodes54 I didn’t save any of the links, but I’m sure if you google “are e-cigs dangerous” or “why are e-cigs dangerous” you’ll see the same things I did. Really, whichever way you look at it, anything that you’re inhaling that comes from chemicals isn’t good for you in some way. I don’t care to argue about it – if you want to risk hurting your body, that’s your business – I just make it my business to not risk it. With cancer and heart disease in the family, my goal is to stop smoking period, not start smoking something else.

@partyparty yeah I tried the ice water, but couldn’t make it last long enough! lol…She liked it because in her words “I’m too old to be getting fat!” If you’re in the process of quitting then GOOD LUCK!!! It is hard, but hang in there, it does get better and easier.

BTW, the MOST important part is not being in a household with smokers, and having the support of all of your family and friends to quit.

I hadn’t smoked for a little while, but a friend of my girlfriend owes us money and today my girlfriend told her she could just buy me some cigarettes since she didn’t have cash. Now, with two packs in my hands, I’ve already started again.

@stemnyjones Yes, it’s so very very easy to start smoking again isn’t it?

@partyparty & @stemnyjones I bought a pack of cigarettes about a month ago in a fit of temper, but I never opened them! I knew I would be very disappointed in myself if i started again no matter what the reason would be! Those cigarettes sat in this house for a month and I finally gave them to my brother. The temptation was there, but I just remembered how bad I always felt when smoking!

@ShanEnri Wow good for you!! You must have great willpower.

Not so much willpower as knowing how I’m going to feel if I give in! I was not even quit for a year when I tried a cigarette, afterward I felt like dying! I was sick and came close to passing out, and I broke out into a sweat from head to toe (literally) you could see sweat beading up on my legs! After that I swore no more and I meant it!

@stemnyjones Yes my SO also smokes, so it really isn’t easy at all.

Of all of the things that are on the market today to help people quit smoking, e-cigarettes come the closest to really helping smokers change their habit and routines. It takes 21 days to break a habit and e cigarettes are not going to help you quit smoking, but they will help to assist you in starting to change your habit.

There is a lot more to the smoking habit than just the delivery of nicotine. There are the behaviors, routines, mind set , how to deal with stress and emotions, how to reward yourself, what do you do after meals, first thing in the morning etc.

Smoking and chewing is a very multifaceted habit. It needs to be deal with on many different levels.

I have been teaching people how to stop smoking ever since I stopped smoking in 1978. [Link removed by Fluther]

Let me know if I can answer any questions about stopping smoking and e cigarettes.

@easeout Wow you are obviously well informed on the subject! Are you allowed to put further advice on here?
By the way welcome to Fluther :)

@partyparty thank you for your compliment ..I am new so I didn’t realize that I could not put a link to my website! Yes I can answer any questions that you would like.

I have the link to my program in my profile. I really love fluther…..getting addicted…. he he