General Chat / Craving Nicotine

Hey All...
I'm attempting to give up smoking. Yeah, I know, it's a damn nasty habit which I never should've started to begin with, but it's too late for that kind of talk now.
I agree with alot of people when they say giving up an addiction is "in the mind". I believe you have to WANT to give up before you actually can... anyway...
I can seem to go for atleast a day and a half before I tend to get streesed/angry/irritated, and give in to my cravings. It's upsetting me now, because even though I do believe I have the willpower, It's not really working.
Can anyone make some suggestions on how I could get through this just a little easier???

Figure out an activity that will keep your mind off of it, probably something like running or swimming laps or some other physical exercise. Wouldn't really know what to tell you for something during the night time hours.

I really don't know what to tell you other than you'll thank yourself after you kick the habbit. Good luck, man.

well, if getting stressed/angry/irritated is what makes you crave cigarettes, find something to do that will calm you down, get rid of the stress/anger/irritation.

I've heard that chewing gum helps somewhat.

But obviously take you mind off of it. Play RCT or something.

Yeah, I guess playing RCT for hours on end DOES help....

Are there any re-formed smokers out there?

i quit for 8 months and just bought a pack again yesterday.

soooooo good.

keep it up.

Thanx for the enlightening encouragement

Like most things,if u have the will power just say no to yourself and dont do it.Its really not that hard.

I smoked a pack a day for a decade, and I've now gone one whole month without a single cigarette, and I don't intend on ever having one again.

First of all, you really do have to want to quit. It's really, really hard and there's no simple solution. If you're not serious then don't even try. If you form a pattern of quitting and starting it will just be that much harder to quit when you're serious.

Keep in mind that it's an addiction, and a serious one, not that far off from being an alcoholic or heroin addict. Your mind is going to fuck with you. The part of you that wants to smoke is not really you, it's the addiction talking. Fight that shit.

Remember that no matter how pissed off or jittery you get, no single moment of a craving is in itself unendurable. You can get through it. Sometimes it's ok to just sit there and want.

Cold turkey is essential if you're a serious smoker. Your brain will try to trick you into thinking you can just have one now and still quit. That doesn't work. It's a very steep and slippery slope back to smoking full-time.

Avoid drinking for the first couple of weeks. Your drunk self doesn't give a shit if you have one or two, but you know where that'll lead you.

Eat light and crunchy snacks to fight the mouth fix. I like pretzels.

Make parks.

Eventually you WILL get to a point when you no longer want to smoke. Cravings drop off gradually until you suddenly notice you haven't thought about smoking in days.

Good luck.

well said cBass. I pretty much went thru that same process when I quit 3 yrs ago. I smoked for 9 years.

Cold turkey is really the only effective route to quiting that I know of. Patches and gums are ok i guess, but don't seem as effective and are a really expensive alternative to some old-fashioned willpower.

Good luck on your quitage...

[font="arial"]Im also trying to quit, i figure if i cut it down every day untill im on like 2-3 a day it should be easy to quit that way.

Wish me luck.[/font]

Smoking is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, so I applaud those of you who are trying earnestly to quit. And I didn't realize that some of the big names here smoked. It really IS a ton of willpower, though it's not easy. My dad smoked for some twenty odd years, quit for nearly a decade, but recently resumed again because of stress.

It's something you'll have to battle for the rest of your life, but your life will be better off if you do quit.

I'm not a smoker, so obviously I can't really give solid advice, but everything cBass, JKay, and some of the others have suggested is on par with what I've heard. Do something to occupy your mind. Maybe chew on fruits instead or something. Turn it into something healthy, ya know? But mainly, you find something that works for you (besides actually smoking ).

I wish all of you luck in quitting. It really is a nasty habit and a huge turn off (for me anyway). Not that any of you are girls, but all the same, I tend to think a little less of smokers, even if they're my friends.

It really is a nasty habit and a huge turn off (for me anyway). Not that any of you are girls, but all the same, I tend to think a little less of smokers, even if they're my friends.

Agreed.

I really applaud you for trying to kick this bad habit, and for those of you that have or are working on it now, congrats. It's very respectable, and when you do stop the cravings (remember to stay confident), you'll be a much better person for it. Friends of mine that have quit say it's the best thing they've done in their lives, hopefully it'll be the same for you.

Again, good luck.

I kinda have conflicting views. On the one hand i'm all for people being allowed to smoke outdoors/in their own homes (ie reducing passive smoking), but on the other hand...it really does stink. Smoking is only ever attractive on tv/in films

Good luck quitting - even if it nearly kills you, it'll no longer be draining your bank balance.

I should clarify that just because you smoke doesn't mean I'm gonna hate you or start preaching. But it does annoy me, and I tend to move away from people who are smoking.

I've just found out that patches are probably not the best way to go.
I'm addicted to the nicotine, sure... but I think it's a relatively social thing to me aswell. For instance, when I wake up in the morning, me and my other half have a coffee and a cig outside. I agree with you cBass on not drinking for awhile. I did that on the weekend and my "breaking-the-habit" routine fell thru the floor.
I'm on day two now, without a single cancer-stick. It may not seem like much of an effort, being only two days, but it's made me realise how hard this is actually gonna be. I can also see why people put on weight when giving up... which ain't a bad thing for me. More weight would actually be a blessing.

It's been said by people who have quit that if you can go cold turkey for 3 weeks, your body will have gotten rid of all the nicotine that's left in the fatty tissue, muscles, etc.

Just aim for those 3 weeks, 'cuz once you're past that, you can go as long as you want without another cigarette.

Best of luck.

Aérôglòbe

I've smoked off and on for about 7 years now, and i've quit for as long as 6 months at a time, but gone back to it basically cause I'm "weak-willed". You have to REALLLY want to quit, cause I believe in the power of mind over matter, assuming the mind is determined. You should ask yourself how badly you want to quit...