Healthbolt

993 opinions for What Happens to Your body if you stop smoking Right now?

• Tommy
  Jul 20, 2006 at 9:35 am

  I quit smoking. it’s been about 20 hours. So far my only tips are: get a bunch of straws. You’ve gotta stimulate that oral fixation. Also, don’t quit smoking, because it’s tough.

• Wade
  Jul 20, 2006 at 11:56 am

  I’ve also found sunflower seeds and an empty bottle for shells is a great oral fix.

• keister
  Jul 20, 2006 at 1:17 pm

  You guys are going to save so much money for booze!!

• tammera
  Oct 10, 2006 at 6:31 am

  sunflower seeds, water…lot’s of water, blowing up a balloon, eating an apple, sucking on a licorice stick…

• yoyogrrrl
  Oct 11, 2006 at 10:37 am

  I quit over six months ago, after trying gum, lozenges, nicotine nasal spray (clinical trial), group therapy, and cold turkey. Finally, my doctor suggested hypnotherapy. I went to someone (a PhD) at the local University hospital - not some sideshow performer. After the first session, I was down to 2 cigarettes a day. After the second session, I quit completely. I had one more session for a follow-up. I haven’t had a cigarette since. I’ve been in bars. I’ve been in Vegas. I’ve been in a lot of smoking situations. I’ve never wanted one. Maybe my great success is the exception, but it’s worth a try. I smoked for over 25 years, folks. 25 years. And one more thing - the oral substitution thing? I have a night guard I use at night so I don’t grind my teeth. I used that as my substitute. No calories! When I wanted a cigarette during those first couple of weeks, I just popped the guard into my mouth and sucked on it.

• Wade
  Oct 11, 2006 at 10:41 am

  That’s amazing! Good for you. I smoked a pack a day for fives years and just slowly weened myself off them over abuot 6 months, but I still find myself socially smoking, so it hasn’t been quite that effective.

• yoyogrrrl
  Oct 11, 2006 at 2:48 pm

  Thanks. It feels pretty good.

• keister
  Oct 11, 2006 at 4:35 pm

  Allright Wade, please the masses and do an article about what happens to your body when you quit drinking coka-cola! Or better yet, do an article about what happens to your body the minute you stop working out!

• Darren Hoyt
  Oct 11, 2006 at 8:20 pm

  In addition to regaining taste and smell senses, the cilia in your lungs begins to regenerate within a few days, sweeping the lungs of debris and protecting against mucus buildup. They are pretty resilient little fibers.

• Floydian
  Oct 11, 2006 at 10:29 pm

  I read an amazing book that was so helpful. I know at least 15 former smokers that found it insanely easy to quit after reading this short book. “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” by Allen Carr. Pick it up today and give it a quick read and I bet you never smoke again, I haven’t in over a year and with no withdrawals or desire whatsoever. It’s short, amazing, written by a smoker, and can help you defeat the nicotine addiction as well. Good luck!!

• gomengb
  Oct 12, 2006 at 12:48 am

  I too swear by Allen Carr’s book, and I have personally recommended it to people who have successfully used it to stop smoking.

• qtell2000
  Oct 12, 2006 at 8:11 am

  All are interesting suggestions, I love the one about the sunflower seeds. I was a 27 year smoker and was sort of at my wits end to quit. You know the most important thing is that you be ready!!! I found a treatment using lasers that I tried and has actually done the trick for me. I only needed one treatment and its been down hill all the away. I didn’t really know anything about it but it does work and it was painless.

• scottbird
  Oct 12, 2006 at 8:37 am

  I’m currently helping a friend to quit, and that’s the second time today I’ve heard someone recommend Allen Carr’s book - sounds great.

• trialanderror
  Oct 12, 2006 at 9:13 am

  Nice suggestions. Tried Allen Carr - found the book quite frankly annoying. Hypnotism was the only course that seemed to have any effect. For about three days after the session I actually found smoking unpleasant. Broke the effect though and am back up to 20-30 a day. Guess the key is wanting to quit…

• yoyogrrrl
  Oct 12, 2006 at 9:58 am

  Wanting to quit truly is the key, but don’t confuse wanting to quit with believing you can quit. I didn’t believe I could quit, but I wanted to. Also, I can only speak from my experience, but I’m betting that you should invest in more than one hypnotherapy session. Where I went, they did 3 sessions, and gave a discount if you pay for all three up front. I’m a photographer, and I’ve bought all sorts of equipment with my “cigarette money” since then, so if the cost of hypnosis is a concern, think of all you’ll save in the long run. Good luck, everyone!

• Mr.
  Oct 12, 2006 at 10:24 am

  Greetings: Research I was proud to be assoicated with indicated that ?10 years after quiting smoking the top of the throat returned to normal sensation. So the effects of smoking seem to wane with time. Of course, this research was done decades ago.
  Cheers

• rhea
  Oct 15, 2006 at 12:30 pm

  I quit cold turkey for 6 months just because I really didn’t want to smoke anymore. Unfortunately I did go back to it, but I found that the key to my quitting was that I no longer desired cigarettes. Smoking really just didn’t appeal to me and that was what help me quit the most. When you no longer want a cigarette for any reason, even when offered, that’s when you know you’re ready to quit. And I’m not saying that other methods don’t work but it’s much harder when you have to force yourself to say no to smoking than it is to just no longer desire to smoke. I think that if you can psych yourself out of liking your cigarettes then you won’t want to smoke anymore.

• pipulas
  Oct 16, 2006 at 11:01 pm

  I quit 5 days ago, i did not get the book “the easy way to stop smoking” but researched it. What convinced me to do it was reading that nicotine, when you crave it, creates a small sense of insecurity in you, thus making you want to smoke, then making you again insecure, so it is a vicious cycle created by the smokes, not you, there is nothing wrong with you, it is the stupid nicotine that makes you insecure!!!!!

  So now i feel revulsion for cigarettes, i do not want them or crave them, they just remind me how much i needed them, thinking something was wrong with me….

  i had been smoking for 20 years, some of them of 3 packs a day, lately a pack and a half a day, and only because i have children and would not smoke in the house or in the car with them. I was losing so much time smoking my life away!!!!!!!!!

  Stop smoking!!! I though i would never be able, but just knowing what i told you has done it for me. There is nothing wrong with you, the nicotine is creating the craving. Just stop it!!

• casanovagonewrong
  Oct 31, 2006 at 4:19 am

  I started smoking when I was 19, and stopped cold turkey when I became 27. For three years, I didnt even smoke a cigarette. I used gums for a couple of weeks but then I was getting depressed so a friend suggested running and I got hooked. lost something like 30 pounds, and even managed to run the marathon in 3:30 at the beginning of this year.

  Unfortunatley, september last year, I had a reunion with my university friends, and all of them being smokers, i smoked a bit with them…then after that holiday, i stopped again, but like 4 or 5 months ago, I started smoking socially, like 1 or 2 cigarettes when I go out…and i was getting stressed lately as I am finishing my phd thesis and started smoking almost everyday…each day I buy a pack, I smoke a few (the first one feels very nice, but the rest really makes me sick in the stomach, but I still keep doing it!) and then I get so mad at myself, and throw the pack away…i did that for a couple of weeks, and last monday, I vowed not to flirt with smoking again and quit. So far so good, I have felt a bit sleepy the first few days, but now it is ok. There is one problem though. I am gonna take my holiday in a couple of weeks and I am gonna hang out with the same friends I mentioned before for a week or so, and I am a bit scared that I might not be resist the temptation. Wish me luck! If I pass this test, then I dont think i will fail another…

• Rana
  Nov 5, 2006 at 12:27 pm

  i smoked for over 15 yrs, and then, while running up the steps to my apt last year, i felt that all was not good. i checked my pulse and found it to be over a 100 and i was gasping. i knew that a time had come to say goodbye to that wonderful white paper tube filled with tobacco that had kept me uneasy and unhealthy for so long. i also knew that there is no way that one can “cut down” on the #’s and leave it over a period of time. this was it - the ultimate test - leave or stay and suffer. that day, when i left the pack and the zippo lighter, i knew that i had done it. its been over a year now and there is no way that i’m going back to it. the one thing that i did learn from this is that the mind is an awesome instrument and capable of doing some extraordinary stuff (this includes giving the will power do and sustain what one wants to do). i feel better, do better and live better now, than i did then. give it up and u’ll see the difference in days not months.

• jff_light1
  Dec 11, 2006 at 4:47 am

  I smoked for around 10-12 years, even though i can’t believe it. I never thought i was one of those addicted smokers who couldn’t go without; i had a totally unrealistic view of myself and thought i could give up any time. i told myself that the only thing stopping me was that i actually enjoyed smoking, and that i had plenty of time to give up. anyway, i gave up around 3 years ago simply because i began to hate feeling physically less than 100% all the time, i was tried of smelling of smoke, my things smelling of smoke… i started to feel like a chump and a weak person for needing this thing that i had slowly started hating so much, and a second class citizen every time i lit up in public. So it was easy enough at first to give up as i felt so motivated and good about myself - believe me, giving up smoking makes you feel physically great. But as the months passed i started putting on weight and this mental well-being started to wear off. Strangely, i started to view smokers a lot more sympathetically; by the time around 2 years had passed i didn’t associate myself with them anymore, and went back to this feeling that I was a non-smoker. i thought i was out of danger at that point. Needless to say, a couple of cigarettes in the pub later, and now I’m back to 10-15 a day. Even though i exercise much, much less now that i did when i had quit, i dropped all the weight i had put on. But recently I’ve started feeling very badly about myself again for my weakness, and reading this article and your posts has brought back the idea that i really am addicted to them. i feel like I’ve come full circle so I’ve decided to give up again. i know what made me return to smoking, and I’m hoping i can maintain this dislike for it permanently this time. I’m also going to research the physical facts a lot more carefully this time to ensure I keep the weight off and manage the addiction a lot better.

• vitagreg
  Dec 12, 2006 at 11:37 am

  July 19 this year was last cigarette after smoking 54 years. Stopped for no other reason than it had become a pain in the neck; a large inconvenience.
  I heard of a new technique utilizing a low level laser.
  It worked well. I am known to be rather undisciplined and this system beat it.
  No cravings (not lasting anyway).
  I think it’s call StellarLaser center out of Houston.
  Wonderful

• isabella
  Dec 12, 2006 at 7:00 pm

  I was a 2 pack a day smoker for 20 years. I have now quit for 20 years. I found I had to “unlearn the habit” and I’ve been successful where friends of mine have failed. I stopped craving at the 3 month mark after I quit.

  I unlearned the habit by becoming conscious of how it formed in the first place. You or I were not born from our mother’s womb smoking a cigarette. We all learned how to do this. Think back to your first smoking experiences and how you learned to do this and reverse the steps.

  Also, smoking is an immediate gratification and the benefits when you stop smoking are not felt immediately or immediately apparent, but rather become so over the long term. That’s what makes it so difficult to succeed at. For any of you contemplating quitting smoking, just do it for one day at a time. If I had gone into it saying to myself I would never have another cigarette, I would not have made it. I said “just for today I will not smoke”. When one day had passed, I did the same thing the next day, and so on. Then at 5 days I said to myself “I’m one puff away from 2 packs a day” which got me over the temptation to just “try one”. When you succeed in being smoke-free for a few days, it is a shame to ruin your sobriety by trying just one puff.

• tigger5
  Dec 18, 2006 at 3:14 pm

  Just to add my 2¢….

  I have recently quite (Last smoke was Dec 10 2006 7:30pm) and thought I’d add some things that MAY help others as it did for me.
  I have been smoking for about 36 yrs. and in the last 2 to 3 yrs. smoking between 50 & 75 cigs a day.

  I have tried several times to quit, using the “Patch” and “Gum”…both methods failed. Also tried cold turkey…this was a disaster (in my case).
  This time though, I think (and hope) I found the right combination (though still too early to be sure, but the physical feeling this time IS different…calmer).

  As Isabella mentioned, its the “habit” part that needs to be broken. I myself started by analyzing when I smoked because I wanted it and when I smoked just for the sake of it. What I did then was NOT smoke at the regular times (with the morning coffee, after supper, etc etc) and try to go small stretched without. Then I would smoke a few consecutively and then again go a few hours without. This I did for a few weeks until I was comfortably past the “Habitual” smoking.

  I picked up nicotine gum and without actually choosing a date, just decided to try not to anymore. So far so good.

  When I get the urge to light up, I either quickly find something to occupy my mind, or chew on the “gum”. (Small note..I always carry regular gum and noticed that at times, this seems to do the trick now and again also..but not always).

  And whatever happens I WILL NOT LIGHT ONE UP….this would be the best way to end up starting all over again…no matter how bad the craving…it will pass in a few minutes.

  YES…I think about it still (and from what I hear, always will), but more and more it is becoming easier to not think of.
  YES..I still use the gum…but this too is being used less frequently.
  YES..I am eating more…but this is a small inconvenience which can be corrected/fixed later.

  I hope this isn’t too long winded and I wish those trying the best of luck.
  oh…and find what works for YOU..don’t be discouraged if you need a couple of tries.

• Krista
  Dec 21, 2006 at 8:19 pm

  did anyone start feeling crappy after they quit smoking? my grandma quit and got terrible canker sores and stomach aches- i’m assuming from nicotene withdrawl. i quit almost 2 weeks ago- cold turkey- and i’m so glad i did but i get a little woozy now and then. anyone else?

• bernernidodger
  Dec 22, 2006 at 3:29 pm

  In relation to your comment Krista,i’ve felt woozy the last few days too.Gave up smoking on monday and since last night ,I have started to feel the physical effects of the withdrawals.Hardly slept ,sweated immensely and today I’ve been experiencing sharp pains in my lungs and feeling dizzy.So if thats after 3 days ,can’t wait to see the extent of how my body’s going to punish me for abusing it for so long!

  But in saying all of that , I am feeling a little happier each day I go without nicotine. Smoked for 10 years but not too heavily (10 a day,sometimes 5) but now that I’m 27 ,I’m having some serious reality checks .Not a teenager anymore so coolness factor’s gone. Have always looked younger than my age but lately starting to look a little haggard.I’m a student so more broke than the average thanks to fags and I live on the west coast of Ireland in Galway which is so cold,wet and windy most of the year that I get colds all the time from standing out in the weather whilst trying to fry my lungs.

  All great reasons to give up and wading through countless websites like these to find some support from fellow ex smokers as most of my friends are “contented” smokers.Some good advice here and I’ll add my own bit .I read Alan Carr’s book and even though I found it to be helpful in some ways ,it’s quite contradictory and patronising (like most non-smokers tend to be towards smokers at times)which I found surprising considering he’s an ex 100- a- day smoker but still a helpful tool.

• JeremyN
  Dec 27, 2006 at 4:59 pm

  I started to read all of these comments some of them made me feel good, some of them made me feel bad, I only gave up nearly 48 hours ago now… I had an opportunity to quickly view “An Easy Way To Give Up Smoking”

  Now the dude sounds quite interesting at first, I am sure alot of people can sympathize with him, going on about the fear’s… of weight and all that jazz…

  Personally I have tried Zyban, Patches, Nicotine Gum, Hypnotherapy (did not work, because apparently I am not of the type so easily hypnotized).

  One thing has worked each time I have successfully given up (yes I have done this a few times). The Nicotine Gum did help me with some of the discomfort at first, but geez they tasted quite gross… and I will never use them again unless I was going out of my mind and was close by a chemist at the time.

  COLD TURKEY… for me is what worked… however I strongly suggest you take a few things into consideration first before you do this. It’s a huge strain on the body to go cold turkey, you could get things such as… Sweats, Tiredness, Irritibility, Temper Tantrums, Hyper Tension and alot of Anxiety.

  The key things here for doing cold turkey are as follows
  :
  Health - Health should be good at the time, if you have any current ailments or are quite elderly, you may want to reconsider this method.

  Stimulants - When craving nicotine, your body may crave other stimulants as a replacement, make sure you moniter intake of caffeine, chocolate or other substances.

  Excercise - If you are feeling bad, go run around the block as fast as you can or have a wrestle with a friend, play an intesive computer game… :-) This can immediately get your mind off of things(namely lighting up a smoke/fag)

  Relaxation - Grab a hot bath and or get a friend to rub your body down, your muscles tend to get overworked during withdrawals, relaxing your body can help to relieve tension, less tension means less problems sleeping.

  Holidays - Take note of opportune times for giving up smoking, such as… your birthday, christmas, new years resolutions and tell your friends all about it… Warn the people around you, that you are doing it and tell them it will require their help and understanding

  FINALLY…. remember you will save approximately $2,000 a year, medical problems, lets not forget it’s getting less popular to smoke so socially it’s becoming quite un-cool….

  Do not forget, you do not have to give up, if you want to smoke, just smoke…. Give up when your ready to do it… Give up because you want to… and don’t feel bad if you Mess Up, because I have given up a few times… and have failed….

  However each time was different, I gave up for a year last time and have been smoking about a year since then…. and have been smoking on and off for about 10 years now….

  I know that a smoke here and there or out of rebellion has got me going again, but I do know that people who keep trying to give up, and don’t feel bad if they never got it right the first time are more likely to kick the habit permanently.

  I do feel though it is quite important to have the time for the first few days to be away from your normal circumstances… or environment if you can so that you can relax and get over the intial 72 hours of your body flipping out because it can’t get the toxic crap you been filling it with for so long :-)

  So now I will have to find a replacement of rebellion when I am feeling stressed or angry at someone… maybe some kind of gym will help.. geez it’s cheaper to go to gym now than it is to smoke…

  Anyhow I am laying back on my laptop right now… sweating, feeling tense…im angry at everyone…. but I know it’s just nicotine running out of my body crying for it’s last bit of help for me to go and buy some… and if I did… as I know from past experiences, it would taste grosse, give temporal relief and then I would feel grosse…

  The truth about other things such as gum’s or patches is they work on one addiction at a time, firstly the phsycological addiction… so then you can work on the physical addiction… If you where elderly or had some other thing going on which affects your immune system I’d suggest that may be the best place to start.

  Hope this helps a little for some people… Right now I would love to go and ask for a refund for the $20,000 plus I have wasted on tobacoo companies that have caused me nothing but anxiety, bad health and social embarrassment… Or maybe simply a blow up doll of each CEO of the cigarette companies so I can punch and kick them whilst I go through these crappy withdrawal symptoms… hehe

  Goodluck to those of you who take that harder path, it will be rewarding eventually I hope… :-D

• Balti
  Jan 3, 2007 at 5:35 am

  I’ve found that lollies help with the oral fixation thing. So what if you look like Kojak all the time. I found it most useful when I was driving as I always smoked when driving to and from work.

• Freeworld
  Jan 8, 2007 at 7:49 am

  i quit smoking the 1st time around 10 years ago and managed to stay off them for two years until my sister in law came to stay, she smoked, and was staying for a couple of months, 1 days she offered me a smoke and i accepted, big mistake, i was hooked again, i quit for the second time in january 2006 so its round a year now and im happy to say this time there is no way i would accept again, friends of mine smoke but i would never be tempted to go back…..sure i gained a little weight but im gonna lose that over the next few months i hope, then again even if i cant its still preferably to smoking…..

  the key i found to quiting is to convince yourself before you quit that

  A> you no longer enjoy the taste

  B>Accepting that its a habit that can be broken

  C> going “Cold Turkey” no patches or gum

  you have to convince yourself that this is what you want to do and do it without second thoughts or doubts.

  1 year on i have no desire at all to smoke… :)

• Millie
  Jan 17, 2007 at 6:50 pm

  I’ve quit smoking at least 10 times. I quit again today. Normally I use herbally remedies such as SmokeAway and find they really work. This time I opted for the patch, at least for a couple weeks, since I’ve got lots of stressful events going on right now, selling my house moving 2800 miles away, little stuff like that. I am finding it easier this time..after quitting so many times, I have realized I don’t have to be irritable without the things, so I’m just going with the flow and taking it one minute at a time.

  What I really wanted to say, is to all of you ex-smokers who have quit, only to be offered a cigarette for some smoker, then you end up taking it and BAM!, just like that you are a smoker again. So sad! I know, I’ve done it. Now if someone, who knows, I have quit and knows I want to stay quit offers me a cigarette, I will say, “Yes, thank you” , then I will politely take it from their hand and crumple it up real good, throw it on the ground and say, “Thanks, I really needed that” :) That will stop this particular person from ever offering you a cigarette again. Hahahahaha! Smokers only do that to ex-smokers because they are jealous and they do not want to see you succeed at being smoke free.

  Good luck to you all, and good luck to me too!

  Millie

• Diane
  Jan 18, 2007 at 10:15 pm

  Interesting chatter about how a person quits smoking.
  I’ve tried it about 10 times if not more. Krista, I understand your Grandma there.
  Everytime I quit, within about 2 weeks I get sores in the mouth. Not sure if it’s from stress. Or if it’s from chewing more gum and sucking on candy. I’ve never craved smoking first thing when getting up in the morning, but I do have certain times of day that I want one. I’ll be in the mood to quit again. Hopefully one of these times I’ll succeed!!

  Diane

• Amazing
  Jan 20, 2007 at 5:54 am

  I quit smoking when I had what I thought was a sore throat but in fact had tonsilitis and went into hospital over christmas. I was in a lot of shock as had never been ill ever in my life and I stopped smoking just a few days after I could barely swallow assumming it was the sore throat!.

  Being in hospital and surrounded by very ill and dying people was enough to make me want to give up and I could feel and taste the nicotine swirling around in my mouth even after just a few days of stopping. I felt ill and not just because of the tonsilitis but due to the fact that my body was now rejecting the poision I was sticking inside of it. I have smoked for 11 years since I was 22 and have now not smoked for three weeks and gave up cold-turkey.

  I think that the body and not just the mind has to want to give up smoking and you will come to do it naturally once you become more aware of why you smoke too. It supresses appettite but also difficult emotions many people do not want to feel and deal with when they are so addictted to smoking as way of disconnecting them from things they would rather not face up to. You can only really and successfully quit once you begin to like yourself more and want to take control of aspects of yourself and life that so far you have spent so long punishing yourself with posionous cigarettes.

  Patches and all that are great, but they do not deal with the underlying causes of why a smoker smokes.

• mattblack04
  Jan 21, 2007 at 5:15 am

  so at what hour does the ‘i need to smoke a cigarette or I will kill myself’ thing start? and when does it end?

  Honestly, if you can’t quit on your own will power, then don’t even try. So long as you rely on something else to take care of it for you, odds are you will start up again very soon afterward.

• dbabich
  Jan 23, 2007 at 8:03 pm

  There is finally a new Rx drug on the market called Chantix. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try to quit smoking. I was a pack a day smoker for 35+ years until just recently when I started Chantix. Just prior to this I was prepared to anti-anxiety drugs, nicotine patches, gum or whatever it took. With Chantix none of these are needed as the pleasure in smoking is diminished within a week. The mental addiction, the habitual part of smoking, is then left for you to substitute other things besides smoking. This is much easier to deal with the affects of Chantix and you can keep focused on the goal of quitting smoking forever. Chantix also does not have the usual long list of side effectis either as some other drugs. My fiance, a two-pack-a-day smoker, chose to quit this year with me and ended up with this new drug Chantix one week before I was able to, and he is now smoke free and has been for three weeks. He has even cut his desire for coffee in half. Chantix also diminishes the appetite so it makes it easy to not be fighting eating as well as smoking. My only decision now will whether I will feel comfortable off of Chantix after the month supply, or would I rather have another month to reinforce my new smoke-free life. I will know in one more week. This is not a magic pill. Quitting smoking requires much effort and a committment to do so like anything else, but Chantix has definitely made it easier for me.

• RossGRay
  Jan 26, 2007 at 1:44 am

  Hello all, i thought id share my input too, i have decided to give up smoking, i dont smoke as much as most on thsi site, but still, its a habbit id rather loose, unfortunately i have hit some problems, ive been quit for about 48 hours now, but i am seriously having trouble sleeping, really bad, i went to bed at 7pm, and kept waking up 15 mins after id finally gotten to sleep, also im starting to get serious sweatons, its as if ive run around the block for about 2 hours the amount im sweating, also i am haveing dizzy spells, quite bad, ikeep loosing my balance and im having problems hearing, i thought originally it could be a cold of some sort with working outside in this weather, but its definately not that, my blood pressure is all over the place, and my heartbeat is about 120/min, surely thats not good ?, i thought that your blood pressure was only high when you were smoking ?, but please someone give me some sort of advice, and someone please tell me there feeling this too, but on a good note, im not actually craving a cigarette at the moment, but well see how this one goes, thanks to all whom reply :)

• sarito
  Feb 7, 2007 at 9:35 pm

  If you’re ready to quit, Alan Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking PLUS Chantix might work for you — it worked for me — after a half dozen serious attempts, using everything from nicotine replacement patches (I still smoked) to nicotine gum/mints (made me sick) to hypnosis (worked for about 20 minutes) to Zyban (it flattened out everything, couldn’t even enjoy a good bar of chocolate! who needs it??) …

  I figured out the following, for me and how I work, at least –

  Alan Carr is right — people make much too much of a big deal about the “sacrifice” and difficulty of giving up cigarettes. Nicotine withdrawal is relatively mild… it’s only the moping about it that makes you suffer, and unfortunately virtually every “smoking cessation” support program — including that offered alongside Chantix, by the way — reinforces this idea that it’s agony and suffering and sacrifice to stop smoking. IT IS NOT!! and Alan Carr’s book really helps you get over that crippling idea.

  HOWEVER — Alan Carr does not acknowledge that in fact there IS a little “reward” buzz that comes along with smoking. He insists there is absolutely nothing to give up, and while he might be right in the ultimate sense, in the biological / chemical sense he is in denial about the little dopamine kick that comes along with a cigarette.

  CHANTIX deals with that very nicely, “deprogramming” the connection between the cigarette and the actual, biochemical “reward” that comes with it.

  I created my own program and it has worked spectacularly — and believe me, I am NOT an easy case.

  1) Read Alan Carr. Ignore the Englishness and the over-the-top aspects of his language and approach and listen to the man… he is 95 percent right about it being ridiculously easy to quit smoking.

  2) get a “starter” prescription for Chantix. Keep on smoking as long as you’re taking the pills. Even when you don’t feel like smoking anymore because you aren’t getting anything out of it, keep on smoking. Re-read the Alan Carr book while you’re at it.

  3) Set your “quit date” to be the day when you run out of your month’s supply of Chantix.

  Don’t mope about it, rejoice.

• martk
  Feb 8, 2007 at 5:21 pm

  This might be quite long but I want to share my story and I hope to help others out there. First of all you really have to want to quit. I unfortenetly had health reasons to make me quit, or else I would not have quit. I enjoyed it to much. I am 32 years old smoked a pack a day maybe more maybe less depending on the day for about 13 years. I loved my cigarettes and I loved smoking however in Aug. after a stressful time I started smoking alittle to much and became out of breath, I could not take deep breaths anymore. I ran to the DR. who told me I might have emphezyma. Ok I got scared but not enough to quit only to cut down. Ofcourse depending on the day I could not breath again. I kept smoking and now, I have ER inhalotors and I am on meds for ASTHMA. I have GERD too (which by the way smoking could be a cause) I am only 110LBS and I do not eat alot, and everytime I smoked with coffee, in the morning my GERD got so aggrivated and then the GERD would aggrivate the asthma. I did not stop, untill last week when I had a full blown asthma attack and got so scared not knowing why I could not breathe as I was officially diagnosed as “alittle asthmatic”.
  I quit on Monday after cutting down and not smoking with my smoking triggers, which really helped. Meaning NO coffee and cig, not on the telephone and cig, not stressed and cig…I smoked when I wanted to and I controlled it because I was really so angry at what it had done to me and why I had chosen to let it.
  I quit, and now for five days I have been in bed, because I can not breathe, because my asthma is bad and I have to let the meds hopefully get me better, I have no energy of what I went through and although the first three days were good, the fourth day (today) I had major anxiety. I hope tomorrow is better but u know what? I am not going back to smoking. Please quit, it is not good for u as much as I loved it, wow what a difference in food! and taste and smell! yes the symptoms of nicotine leaving me are not that great but I will soon forget them.
  The book (carr’s) has helped me realize how dumb smoking is. I do not know if he helped me with the symptoms because I have them. There should be more information on what a body goes through when they quit, Like sore gums? coughing but my coughing is dry is that a good thing or bad? things like that, there is nothing out there.
  Anyway TAKE control back, this is your life, not the cigarettes as far as I was a smoker I did not own my body.

• dvora
  Feb 17, 2007 at 9:57 am

  Here it is, 24 hours, easy, but I can make it a week, no prob. I quit every day! Seriously, I don’t smoke all day, and then at night I buy a pack and relax on my balcony garden smoking. It’s a form of meditation and companionship. Then I fall asleep thinking, “okay, no more tomorrow. I WILL quit.” And I throw the pack in the trash in the morning. I feel a void if I don’t have this little ritual. If I’m busy with work or projects etc I completely forget I’m smoker. People are shocked when/if they find out I smoke! I practice yoga, swim, trek, etc. It seems no one understands that due to my gypsy life and being ’single” for so long (most of the time), smoking is really like a friend. The only time I quit long-term (4 years) was when I was married. I did it for min, not me. Does it mean I odn’t love myself? No. It means I’ve tolerate dmy own idiosyncracies. But, reality is, after 24 years of smoking, it’s catching up with me and the fear isn’t worth the ritual and companionship anymore. I look fine on the outside ( excessive wrinkly eyes, which I know will clear if I can stay quit), but I get odd pains here and there, and I hardly even notice the subtle morning cough or harsher cough when I ‘m overtired; it’s just part of my life. So, I’ve prepared myself this weekend with carrots and tortilla chips, and a big batch of homemade soup and good dvds and lots of art projects and I’m just not going out on my balcony. I agree that it’s stupid to smoke, but I really think I need to honor the value it had for me and find some other little ritual or way to replace the time I used to so enjoy out in my little garden, unraveling the day with the twirling smoke wisps. I’ve decided to try sitting on my cushions at my “altar” which is usually reserved for the morning. I’ll stare at the candle, burn incesne, do SOMETHING to fill that space until the clenching feeling subsists in my chest. Resist. The only symptoms I ever have when I quit (a hundred times probably) is extreme energy boost to the point that I need a container to put myself in, leadin gme to belive that smoking has also been a way to slef-medicate– to calm my excessive energy levels. And, of course, my coughing gets WORSE as the lungs clean themselves and all the old crap comes up. I hate that stage– that’s when I usually start up again– to keep the crap down. This time, I’ll get thru it. I really WANT to– that’s the difference from the hundred other times. Thi time it’s for ME, because I have a lot of stuff I still want to accomplish in life so it might be a good idea to prolong it as much as possible.

• noprob
  Feb 27, 2007 at 1:56 am

  I have read all the above comments and realize I really do not care to be a smoker.
  I have been smoking since age 17 (pack a day give or take a few cigs) which puts me at 33 years smoking not including between the age 13 to 16,quit a year.(go figure?)
  My wife has stated interest in quiting and her doctor has prescribed her the meds (Chantix) to assist in this endevor.
  I really appreciate all persons who have placed their comments here and I hope the desire to truely quit/stop smoking stays with me.
  Thank You all!

  Glen aka noprob

• Ali
  Feb 27, 2007 at 5:03 pm

  When I stopped smoking I felt as if I could breathe again (I could run for a bus without having a heart attack)

  Initially I struggled with the cigarettes that I smoked on the way to the train, bus, lunchtime etc

  but truly now I don’t miss it and I wouldn’t smoke a cigarette if you paid me £1 million - honest

• LKD
  Mar 18, 2007 at 9:56 am

  I’ve only been smoking for 3 1/2 years or so but last night I started coughing up blood and tar. I’m worried about my health and it seems as if I should stop smoking. I’m almost sure that physically this would not be a problem. I easily stop smoking for weeks at a time when at family functions, or am removed for any reason from my usual residence/situation. However, I don’t WANT to quit smoking. All I’ve read so far insists that if you don’t want to quit, you won’t be able to. Well, I’m one of those people who loves to smoke, and believes it improves the quality of my every day life. In a sense, I’m not ready to quit. Coughing up blood and tar, though, is frightening. I’m assuming that this is related to smoking, but I’m not positive. If anyone has any suggestions/ideas…

• nsuresh_rasr
  Mar 23, 2007 at 8:48 am

  Dear LKD,
  Yeah you are right, the coughing up blood and tar is not due to smoking….. its related to something else…….
  There is a proverb in my language,
  you can wake up a guy who is really sleeping, but can never wake up a guy who pretends to sleep…….

  Enjoy your smoke….. have fun…..
  Take Care,
  nsuresh_rasr

• Joni
  Apr 19, 2007 at 11:06 pm

  Today is my 10th day without a cigarette. I am 52 and been smoking since I was 15……I never tried to quit before, didn’t want to, I loved to smoke. I made the decison to stop on my birthday and I JUST DID IT. I am using the gum but only chewing about 3 pieces a day. I think the trick to quitting is really wanting to do it. I’ve been taking one day at a time. I feel like this is the first time I am the one who is in total control, I chose not to smoke. Yes, I have to remind myself of that a few times a day but its working. …

• martk
  Apr 28, 2007 at 10:34 pm

  I quit 83 days ago and now I can breathe better. I wrote my first post on here when I was a few days quit and yes its been hard but I never want to smoke. The other thing is I dont want to be in denial either. Quit smoking, be free.

• miss kitty
  Apr 30, 2007 at 7:57 am

  That’s great, Mark. Thanks for coming back and letting us know how you’re doing!

• sjbillas
  Apr 30, 2007 at 8:42 am

  New to Healthbolt, but had to join, mainly to reiterate a post written in Oct 2006, which I believe to be incredibly important. If you want to give up smoking there is only one way - ‘Allen Carr’s EasyWay to stop smoking’. Read and understand this book and you will instantly remove all smoking dependence without ANY withdrawal symptoms. This book should also be read by those who still have withdrawal pangs. I have been free for 3 months and have not had a single gag - whether you believe me or not it must be worth a try! (you are even encouraged to smoke whilst reading the book)

• shellken
  May 6, 2007 at 6:45 am

  havnt smoked in 8hrs… ive finally decided to quit. smoking significantly weakened my libido and it is affecting my overall performance in bed. im in my early 20s and ive been smoking for 7 years, 20-25 a day within the last 3 years… it also made me anxious and sweat a lot if i dont have one when i need it most. i cough alot and my roommate constantly bugs me about it and i sound like an old man. my eyes darkened significantly due to poor sleep (smoking excited me), my skins rough and my mouth smells like shite all the time. on top of that im trying to get lean and in shape and smoking isnt helping much in that factor either because it undermines muscle growth…i can list a million other reasons but these are enough to jumpstart my engine. im actually sweating a bit now and i feel somewhat tense… im going to pull through this i dont need a bunch of unhealthy chemicals in my body in order to feel good.

• Johnny12
  May 6, 2007 at 9:24 pm

  I have been a 2 pack a day smoker for about 20 years. I am currently free for 4 months, with no cheating. I used Lozenges for 3 months (about 4 daily when they recommended as many as 9-20), and seemed to be doing well. I stopped using them after the recommended time, but for the past 4 weeks I have seriously struggled. I have gained over 20 lbs in 4 weeks time, and can not seem to slow down. I thought I would be past both the mental and physical addiction at this point, or at least well on my way. I still think about smoking often, and it does go away quickly, but I believe I am starting to get depressed. Moping around, can’t seem to have fun, don’t want to participate in anything. I do not want to start smoking again, although I do miss it greatly and associate so much pleasure with it. I have not seen any of the benefits that I hear are common. Food tasting better, more energy, etc. The one thing I can say has changed is the amount of coughing I do at night. I feel that many of the tactics spoken of here, are beneficial if you are just getting ready to quit or just starting to quit (Chantix, Allan Carr’s Book, etc). Anyone have similar experience 4 months into quitting? Any suggestions? Is this normal? I am not really a work out or running guy, and have a hard time staying busy. I have thought about Zyban, but I am afraid to start taking anti-depressants for fear I may become reliant on them. I hope the depression, if that is what I am experiencing, will fade away soon, without the need for meds, once I don’t want to smoke so much. Right now, I feel that even if I do successfully quit, a year from now, I will not be happy to have done so. Any feedback is appreciated.

• sjbillas
  May 7, 2007 at 3:09 am

  Johnny,

  I can’t fully empathise with your situation as I have been quit after only 4 years of 20-a-day. However I really cannot recommend Allen Carr’s book enough. He basically puts forward the argument that smoking is not enjoyable and creates the void you feel when ‘deprived’ of a fag. I can already tell by your rhetoric that you think you are being deprived of a pleasure – there is no genuine pleasure, it really is an illusion. However I don’t want to lecture you, I’ll leave Allen Carr to convince you. There are also group sessions you can visit if the book doesn’t seem to work - often those who fail on the book fail to grasp the fundamental points behind his methods. I know there are a lot of Allen Carr skeptics out there, however there is nothing to lose by reading it (apart from £8, not a bad investment if it saves you the £2k you’d spend on fags in a year). Allen Carr does not lecture about health risks and no scare tactics are used. Often smokers are perceived as weak willed and are often harassed into quitting by the ’self righteous non-smoker’ – these are not methods used by Allen Carr. You are in a perfect position to use the book as well, as you are determined and actually want to give up. NRT will only make the problem worse, people who use NRT may give up, but it is in spite of and not because of NRT - the choice is use NRT/willpower and go through life believing that you are being constantly deprived or read Allen Carr in the hope that you can be free AND be glad to be free. Let me know how it goes, I have recommended this book to a few friends recently and they are doing well. I wish you well.

• sjbillas
  May 7, 2007 at 3:48 am

  p.s. visit this link for more info on his method:
  http://allencarr.com/central/article/36/the-allen-carr-method

  I would also recommend browsing his site

• Johnny12
  May 7, 2007 at 11:17 pm

  Thank you very much sjbillas, I am feeling better today, and hopefully will continue to feel better each day. I appreciate your candor and astute observation regarding my feelings of being deprived of pleasure, it is true that I feel that way. I am going to look at the website and will try reading the book also. It sounds like what he writes about will be helpful for the exact feelings I am experiencing. Thanks again.

• Kathy Ann
  May 9, 2007 at 6:23 am

  I have been smoke free for 51 hours , cold turkey , I have smoked for 23 years , I just decided it is time I am healthy and want to stay that way , why tempt fate? First night was equal I think to hell , has become easier . The way I am getting thru is everytime I want one I say you’ll smoke then you will want to quit and then you will have to go thru this all over again!!!
  No Thanks!!!! Good luck to us all

• bermudalass
  Jun 2, 2007 at 9:36 am

  Just thought i’d let you know, my hubby and i are both on Chantix at the moment. Brilliant stuff - can’t recommend it highly enough. Expensive but worth it. We’ve both quit before and it was agony as it would just take one of us to say, sod it i want a cigarette and we’d both be back on them but the Chantix reallly does take away the cravings and yes, cravings for coffee as well - although i seem to be eating the same amount. Warning though - must be taken with food - i felt so ill taking them on an empty stomach and it was an effort not to throw up - especially knowing how much those little pills cost me. If you’ve tried everything else and havne’t managed i would definately recommend Chantix.

• spitfire
  Jun 2, 2007 at 2:30 pm

  I quit a pack-a-day habit after 30 years. I started and stayed with Marlboro reds, moved to 100’s, then to lights. I quit a couple times, the longest for 2 years (due to lack of spending money). Then, I took up Djarums (cloves). Dang I loved these. They were a conversation starter, chick magnet, and tasted better than anything else other than the illegal stuff. But alas, after 12 years of djarums at ~$6 usd a day, my lungs started to revolt. I mean really hurt if I breathed in deeply. So I stopped breathing in deeply altogether. It got worse. So, I quit cold-turkey, no drugs (I had tried welbutrin - yuck) on the 1st day of spring 2006. It’s now pushing summer 2007 and my lungs no longer hurt. In fact, my coughing stopped completely and I no longer have the ’sniffles’.

  The thing is the depression. I quit smoking because I wanted to live. Now that I’ve quit, I want to f*ing kill myself.

• venus
  Jun 3, 2007 at 1:28 am

  I’ve been smoking ten years. Tried to quit many times, cold turkey, patches and gum. Nothing worked.
  Mainly because I was happy smoking, I enjoyed it alot.
  2 weeks ago I had a nightmare that I died of heart disease because of my smoking, I remember the feeling I had in my dream of not having enough time left and how selfish I had been. Stupid I know, but when I woke up I was that terrified of the “not enough time” left feeling that I had in my dream, I decided I didn’t want to smoke anymore.

  Friday I had 3 and a half cigs. Yesterday I had 1. Today I have had none.
  I went to my friends today and actually went as far as rolling a smoke and had a smoke and lighter in each hand, but after I smelt hers it kinda put me off and I just put the smoke and lighter down and it didn’t actually bother me that much.

  I’ve been chewing a 1000mg vitamin c tab about 3 or 4 times a day

  Also drinking bottles of water with about 3 tbspns of orange juice and 3 tbspns of aloe vera juice mixed in.
  Drinking about 5 750ml bottles a day.

  I’m actually feeling really great, the vitamin c has helped alot I reckon.

  Also, have gone through a few packets of chewing gum (not nicorette, just normal gum) I find the stongest mintiest flavour the best, they are gross, but the shock of them in ya mouth puts me off a smoke.

  I’ve been snacking on fruit heaps too.

• Sergey Biryukov
  Jun 4, 2007 at 10:15 pm

  I’d like to translate this post into Russian for my blog. Is it possible? :-)

• Wade Meredith
  Jun 5, 2007 at 5:22 am

  Sure, just click on the white, blue, and red flag in the upper right hand corner, above the search box. It isn’t perfect, but it should do.

• ingey1968
  Jun 10, 2007 at 4:04 pm

  is this true for all ages? i am 38 and have smoked for around 20 years

• sunny
  Jun 11, 2007 at 1:13 pm

  Hi guys,Forget about using patches and other nicotine gimmicks.The ONLY WAY to quit is the Allen Carrs “EASY WAY”….im 32 years young and have been smoking for 15years.Itried quitting many times and went through hell.Ifinally got the Allen Carr cd and listened to it with an open mind,I havent smoked nor wanted to smoke since and life is pure bliss since and it gets better every day.PLEASE give it a listen to,its about five hours long..magic..you have nothing to lose and so much to gain..mail me and let me know how you get on….ztisunny1@gmail.com

• Miss Julie
  Jul 3, 2007 at 11:22 am

  I also read “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” by Allen Carr. I just loved the book. Before reading it, I was convinced that there was no way that I would ever consider going cold turkey, since I imagined morphing into this angry, irritable monster who would drive away all my friends and family. I’m 28 and smoked for about 12 years up until three days ago! I’m amazed to say that I’ve done it cold turkey, and while the withdrawals can be unpleasant at times, it has not been nearly as traumatic as I’d originally anticipated.

  Last night, for example, I had somewhat of a breakdown. My computer stopped working, and I couldn’t log into my e-mail, and I suddenly became aware of the nicotine withdrawals occurring simultaneously, and I had a little temper tantrum for a few minutes. That’s the thing about withdrawals: little minor things seem worse than they really are. I wanted to give in and go smoke, thinking I’d feel better, but I just called a friend, went out on my balcony and talked it out. It’s really true that after a few minutes, those little urges to smoke really do pass.

  I’d recommend “The Easy Way To Stop Smoking” by Allen Carr. What I liked the most was the fact that he was a former heavy smoker, himself, so he can obviously relate. Also, he encourages you to keep smoking throughout the book, up until the end. He helps you help yourself, and he helps you look at smoking from a new perspective. He talks you through the process and really does prove that success is all in the mind.

• lee
  Jul 3, 2007 at 12:37 pm

  ive smoked since 15 yrs old now 34 started with patches 2 days ago doing ok lots better than gum doing it for me and my son

• col
  Jul 3, 2007 at 8:23 pm

  im 22 years old and smoked from the time i was 17. its pretty sad to think that i once thought of myself as “cool” for doing it. i quit three months ago and believe me .. its worth the cravings the tention and the short temper. it is the most liberating feeling to wake in the morning and not reach for the pack. tyring to find time in inbetween classes to run to the garden for a quicky. i quit because i wanted to not because society says its bad but because i knew if i countine down this road i will be weezing and coughing for the rest of my life. the one thing that helps you threw is to always remember the coughing and weezing and know its behind you and you are never goin back, if you do not quit you will continue to get unhealthy, its impossible to get better without quitting for good. we all get one shot at life and wasting it by being chained to a pack of smokes is just stupit. as i say if i can quit anyone can. i smoked 45 a day and quit cold turkey it was hard………but so woth it!

• Sandy
  Jul 13, 2007 at 9:37 pm

  i would like to thank everyone for all of there comments…they truely help. I have been a non-smoker now for 20 days and loving everyminute of it. I started smoking a a teenager and continued smoking for 30 years. I started becoming short of breath and very low energy..I then realized i was slowly killing my self…I read the Allen Carr book and set a quit date to start…It is easy to quit…enjoy the journey and see the freedom you will receive..I could take deep breaths the first day i quit and I could think clearly..I went cold turkey and so can you…Blessings and congratulations to everyone.
  Sandy

• Dingo
  Jul 20, 2007 at 8:22 pm

  I’ve been a smoker for a relatively (and thankfully) small 2 years, the second year of which I was on around 30 a day. I’ve now been cold turkey for about 8 days. I’ve surprised myself at how little I’m bothered about not lighting up, no temptation there at all, and I’m looking forward to feeling the benefits, but I’VE ACTUALLY FELT A LOT WORSE SINCE QUITTING!

  I’ve been sweating profusely, and I’m coughing all day long… ALL day - from the second I’m awake, to the second I sleep, for about 3-4 days now. My appetite has also plummetted, which is strange, considering that, usually, one’s appetite increases after quitting. The thing that bothers me most of all, though, is the coughing… It’s definitely phlegm, and I can get it out when I try to, so, fair enough - my body’s getting rid of all the crap in my lungs for me… thanks, body. BUT the constant coughing gets in the way of everything. It’s even difficult to hold a conversation with someone, trying to get words in between the coughs etc. My throat feels perpetually irritated & tickly. I’ve tried cough syrups, throat lozenges, the lot… with no great success. I can’t even breathe in too deeply, because I end up with huge pain in my chest & back, as if there’s a vice clamped around me.

  Does anyone know how I can put an end to this agony, or do I just have to see it through ’til the last bit of crap is out of my body?

• y
  Jul 24, 2007 at 10:50 pm

  Drink lots of water. Avoid dairy products (these increase mucus production). Have smaller meals (reduces the chances of GERD). Avoid cough suppressants. They’ll only provide temporary relief and prolong your cough. No alcohol, period. Avoid thinking/bitchin about it. It’ll be bad for a week or two. Blame that on karma.

• Catalin
  Jul 25, 2007 at 7:38 am

  I started out smoking when I was 14 years old and smoked for aprox. 3 1/2 years. When I was 17 I had my first attempt to quit smoking and I lasted for about 2 months then I just couldn’t resist and I started smoking again and when I did I started to have a feeling of guilty of what I was doing, and I just couldn’t get rid of the guilt so I decided to stop smoking once and for all. And so I did, I’ve been a non-smoker for 3 years and counting and I never used any methods to quit smoking just my will which I’m surprised how strong it was in that period.

• Martine
  Jul 26, 2007 at 7:36 am

  I’m 36, been smoking since i was 14. Tried to give up so many times, did the hypnotherapy, the patches, the gum, the books, the accupuncture, the drugs etc etc, one day I woke upand thought ” Bloody hell, this is a pile of shit and tastes like crap”. my children knew what I was doing, my 4 year old told me it made my blood go funny….(he had the general idea) and begged me to stop - that was the turning point for me. I decided enough, smoked my last fag, threw the lighter away and then went to bed, woke up the next day and told myself over and over I was a non smoker, kept busy, ironed, cleaned, shopped etc etc….its worked, been 9 weeks now and don’t crave anything, actually found the transition relatively easy. The key is telling your brain you want to stop, enough, no more…once you get into that mindset you can do it…trust me. Occassionally you get the odd urge, it last no more than about 5 minutes. I’m loving not smoking, I smell good all of the time, dont have to wash my hair every day, I excersise more than I ever have before as it keeps my mind occupied and I no longer wheeze…..thats the main thing, no tightness of the chest, coughing etc…you know what I mean. It’s great, do it today and live longer…..xxx

• Martine
  Jul 26, 2007 at 7:43 am

  I just wanted to answer Dingo’s comment - things get worse when you stop smoking, the cough is crap, the sore throat is shit, the irratibility is bollocks….but hey, you have to see it through, it does go away and then you no longer get those feelings of an 80 yr old polish soilder that knows no better!!! ( I know this personally as my uncle is an ex polish soldier and started smoking at 9….as you do!!!) May the force be with you and STAY OFF THE FAGs!! xx

• Jen
  Jul 28, 2007 at 7:26 am

  I quit 3 weeks ago today and it gets better everyday. Good luck everyone.

• Damian
  Jul 30, 2007 at 9:54 pm

  HI everyone

  Its end of my 3rd day without cigarette. I am 28 years old, smoked since I was 15. I tried to quit probably 10 times already, my best was 10 days. I dont take gums or patches, I just woke up and said lets quit. Let see what happens.

• Damian
  Jul 31, 2007 at 10:55 pm

  end of 4th day…. still ok

• sandy
  Aug 1, 2007 at 9:03 am

  Up to 5weeks and 3 days now…It does get easier…Hang in everyone..Your energy will increase. also no weight gain either.

• Kelly
  Aug 1, 2007 at 10:02 am

  I quit 4 years ago today. I had thought about quitting for a year. I was tired of the way I smelled, of having to go outside to smoke (being an outcast basically), spending the money, the shortness of breath, et al….So, I think I was mentally prepared. Decided right before work in the parking lot that I was going to try and make this be my last cigarette. It was. I did use Nicorette and that was my lifesaver. In fact, used the Wal-Mart brand (works just as well). I smoked for about 23 years. Don’t give up. You may gain a little weight, but realize you can concentrate on losing that when you win the battle of not smoking. Good luck to all of you.

• Courtney B
  Aug 2, 2007 at 11:06 am

  Hello, i quit smoking 4 days ago…its been hell, but im doing ok. :)
  Anyway, my skin has broken out something serious and im wondering if anyone else has had this problem…im thinking maybe from all of the impurities comming out…well if anyone can comfort me on this horrid outbreak, please do! Thanks!

• Jinggomin
  Aug 3, 2007 at 1:06 am

  Quit smoking could be hard or easy but we need ‘Quitsmokingcard’ to help us quit smoking or healthy smoking..
  What is smoking card? You might get more info at:
  http://quitsmokingcards.wordpress.com

• lee
  Aug 3, 2007 at 1:44 pm

  still not smoking been about 5 weeks now stopped counting took the patches 4 two weeks till i got used 2 not havin a fag after meals do feel much better 4 it can even have a beer without a smoke dont really need them just think u do

• jim sands
  Aug 5, 2007 at 8:49 am

  im 59 yrs old,i been smoking from about age of 10,is it really going to help me this late to stop smoking,

• Sandy
  Aug 7, 2007 at 3:17 pm

  Hey Jime Apposolutely it will help you if you quit now. My uncle quit at 69 and is still going strong now at 82. Also your lungs will be back to normal within two years and within the first year you lessen your chances of heart and stroke disease. Gift it a try you will be quite amazed on how you feel after you have quit for a few days.

• Sandy
  Aug 7, 2007 at 3:20 pm

  Just wondering how Damian is doing?

• Joan
  Aug 8, 2007 at 1:26 pm

  I’m grateful for the comments. They’re helpful. I started on Chantix last week, and I stopped smoking yesterday. I’ve tried everything in the past: hypnosis, 12-step program, cold turkey, cutting down, patches, gum. I think this is going to work this time. I feel really good about it.

• Matthias
  Aug 10, 2007 at 12:22 pm

  Ive been smoking since i was 14 years old…..its been almost five years now and in the last half year ive been smoking at least 2 packs a day. when i would go out and drink it would be at least 3 or nore. I was a chain smoker. I havent smoked in the last 36 hours and have never ever felt so shitty in my life. If it doesnt work out at least ive gone down from 2 packs a day.

• Sean
  Aug 17, 2007 at 3:37 pm

  hello every1. i have been smoking for 14 years and had decided that once i was ready to have a kid with my wife i would immediately stop smoking. as i just found out 2 weeks ago that im gonna be a father i threw my lighters **finished my last pack of cigarretes**lol and havent looked at one since then and to tell you the truth i dont miss it either. i have been working out and seems like i am able to do things now without going out of breath. i think the best to way quit smoking is really wanting to do it. i had tried to stop before but started few hours later because i had no reason to do it. but now i can honestly say its the easiest thing to do if you put your mind to it.

  Thanks.. i ll post a month or so from now letting your all know how im doing.
  Sean

• Lance
  Aug 20, 2007 at 2:45 pm

  It has been 7 days since I quit and I know it sounds cliche’ but the way I’ve done it is to carry a picture of my 4 month old daughter with me. Everytime I crave a ciggerette I just pull out her picture and think about all the fun stuff we’re going to be doing as I watch her grow into a woman. First day of school, first sports team, first homecoming dance, her first boyfriend, me threatening her first boyfriend, her wedding…

  I want to be around for all of that and I use that as a self motivation tool. I still go outside and take “smoke breaks” with all of the smokers in my office and it reminds me of how much I’m glad that I quit.

  It is possible and to all those who quit…congrats! For those of you who think it’s impossible, it’s not. It is tough and a long road but well worth it in the long run!

• Vicky
  Aug 24, 2007 at 12:54 pm

  It’s been 30 hours since I smoked a cigarette. I quit because I couldn’t breathe anymore.. and I’m only going to be 25 on Aug 27th! I found out I had asthma and If I didnt quit, I’d be on oxygen…I guess my body finally had enough after smoking HEAVILY for over 11 years! I have been eating alot more because I feel ” insecure, bored, and bummed” because NOT having any cigarettes laying around to “comfort” me. My advice to anyone who is trying to quit.. keep telling yourself NO MORE-I’m sick of being a slave to nicotine!..buy candy that makes your tastebuds “jump” from its tartness.. that keps satisfy the oral part of it. 90% of the fix will be YOU.. YOU cannot let a cigarette control your life! There will always be smokers and people that will offer you cigarettes.. just say NO thanks and think about ALL of the GOOD health benefits you will have. In my case, It was almost a life or death situation because asthma CAN BE life threatening. Id rather live than die, especially at 25 years old! NAother “mental” picture you could keep in your head is ( and this is pretty graphic) picture a dead person with their body gutted out and those guts are BLACK- b/c thats what a cigarette will get you- it KILLS LITERALLY every part of your body inside and out, top to bottom.. why would you want to smoke??

• joe
  Aug 24, 2007 at 2:49 pm

  i had tried gum, and patches but no luck. i quit cold turkey a few weeks ago and it was pretty easy. i bet another smoker 1000 bucks. it has been great motivation. i still kind of want one when i am drunk in a bar but don’t want to go through the withdraws again. I smoked like 5 packs in 2 days before i quit and the withdraws are horrible. kind of scares me away from wanting smoke. funny thing is i started smoking betting a guy i could smoke a whole pack of smokes and never smoke again. I was trying to convince him to quit. failed that one. haha damn i am dumb

• Hillary
  Aug 24, 2007 at 11:40 pm

  hochu vodki!r

• Kristin
  Aug 25, 2007 at 2:28 am

  Omg.. I really wanna quit smoking. Im only 15 and i’ve been smoking since i was 7, well its like on and off, now im really addicted to it..

• Greg
  Aug 25, 2007 at 10:40 pm

  I have quit for about two weeks now(2 packs a day for 13 years) and at its hardest I would say it was only SLIGHTLY difficult. My cravings are gone as soon as I realize what I am missing. I recommend to anyone who is quitting to get a copy of Allen Carr’s The Easy Way to Quit Smoking
  This book is amazing!! It takes care of the mental aspect, while I am also using chantix for the physical
  part.
  Had I known it was this easy I would of quit years ago!!

  Btw no substitutes( gum, straws, candy etc…) required

• Bill
  Aug 28, 2007 at 11:30 am

  Been smoking for 47 years 3 plus packs a day!
  Today is day 3 and my body is going through hell!
  Dizzy and feel like I truly want to die.
  But, I know if I do not quit I will die, plain and simple.
  Want to live? Quit.
  Want to die? Keep smoking, that is the cold hard facts!

• glenn
  Aug 31, 2007 at 12:21 am

  been 2 months today without having a smoke. to everybody trying to quit…. do not give up… be strong. i feel great!!! so much more energy, dont feel so sluggish anymore. do it for yourself, do it for your kids and / or future children….

• Pete
  Aug 31, 2007 at 6:03 am

  Hello! I started chewing tobacco when I was 12, and smoking when I was 14. I am now 36. I have told myself that I “enjoy” smoking, but I really don’t. All I have are negative feelings about it. I had my last cigarette on the 29th, just for the hell of it. I just put it down, and haven’t picked it back up. I’ve read about C.O.P.D., and how cigarette smoking affects the body, and I truly believe that anyone who knows these things and yet continues to smoke is a fool. I know how tough things are, but I also know (thanks to Allen Carr) that alot of what goes through your head is either made up or misinformation. The mind is a powerful tool; use it to your advantage! Bill, that dizzy feeling you’re dealing with is your body getting used to oxygen again. It’s like when you used to hypervetilate as a kid. It’s nothing bad, although it might seem that way, because you’ve been told that all these “bad” things are going to happen, so that’s what you expect! Your body is just learning how to breath again! Good luck to everyone! We can do it!

• Jen
  Sep 1, 2007 at 2:00 am

  It’s been 3 days now without my smokes - so far so good. I am a 37 year old mother of 3 and have smoked for 20 years, quit several times, only to light up again as if I never quit in the first place. It’s scary how very easy it is to fall back into that trap and start again. It took my 4 year old son saying “mommy, I don’t want you to smoke anymore” to make me stop and think about what a very selfish, stupid, totally avoidable thing I was doing to myself and my children, slowly but surely killing myself and then what? I love my kids more than anything (even cigs) and they deserve to have a mommy around to help them grow up and grow old. Technically I have no nicotine in my system now, or so I’ve read, so it’s all a big mind game from here on out. I have been very preoccupied with thoughts of “God, I really want a smoke” but I only think I do, I know that if I do it will taste like crap, smell like crap and then all of the hard work I’ve done over the last 3 days will be down the drain - my heart goes out to you all, thank you for all of the posts that I read that helped me get through another few hours of not smoking. It’s DAMN hard to quit but oh so worth it - stay strong and don’t let anything or anyone sway you to start again. Commit to LIVING!!!

• Courtney
  Sep 1, 2007 at 7:13 am

  I’m a 30 year old mother of 2 and I quit smoking 3 days before I found out I was pregnant with my daughter - that was 3 years ago ( I was about a 3-5 cigerettes a day when not drinking). 6 weeks after she was born, I was drinking wine with a friend and lit up a few. I felt so awful the next morning and beat myself up mentally for allowing myself to smoke. I really hated myself and told myself that I was weak and going to die. However, I would find myself doing the social smoking thing once or twice a month. I was rarely smoking more then 5 cigs a month, so I convinced myself it was no big deal, and I had it under control. Maybe I did because smoking has never returned to a daily, weekly, or even monthly habit. I got pregnant with my son last May and never looked back at smoking my 5 a month. However, this summer I started doing a drag here and there when I’m drinking (yes - I know this is my trigger), and here I am again smoking my ‘5′ a month and HATING myself for it. Which really begs the question, why on earth do I do this to myself?

  Will I die from this? maybe not, but if I’m not addicted, not dependant, and loath myself the next day for the occasional indulgence, and before I lit up I tell myself how I’m going to feel later, why can’t I just NOT DO IT? Is there anyone out there that does the same thing? Logically, I just need to not ever drink, but I really love having a glass or two…sometimes three of wine and I can’t invision myself never doing that again.

  I know some of you are kicking a much larger habit, and maybe think I’m a bit neurotic (and rightly so), but I need to know I’m not alone in my feelings. I’ve read many past posts and I feel a deeper understanding of the psychological hold this habit has on many of us, regardless of how much we indulge.

  So, anyone out there like me????

• David
  Sep 7, 2007 at 12:44 pm

  That is incredible. The last line is very true.

  “So, you have more immediate things to look forward to if you quit now besides just freaking out about not being able to smoke.”

  Touché.

• Ron
  Sep 7, 2007 at 6:06 pm

  I am on my Third day and it is Killing me, ten minuets more will be three days. I have to stop like a lot of you have given reasons, the light of my life ( My Grandaughter came up to me an said PLEASE DONT SMOKE PA PA, I want you here with all of us.) Litterly broke this 61 year old man up. I started smoking when I was SIX (6) years old, smoked through High School and Three Wars, I hace Ashma, Copd, and now they tell me emphaseama. FOUR DAYS ago I came down with a SEVER ATTACK, Couldent breath, went crazy trying to get a breath, actually wanted to die to get it over with. I have now passed my third day writing this Blog, but By Golly it actually helped me get through day three.
  Good luck to all that are sincerly quiting. I hope and pray I will be with you. Mean time going NUTS in Phoenix.

• Wanda
  Sep 7, 2007 at 6:20 pm

  I smoked for approximately 40 years and Chantix was my solution to quit; I used it for a month and had my last cigarette on July 24th I think it was, doesn’t really matter what the date was to me, it just matters that I feel so good about not wanting another one..
  I’d previously tried the “patch” “hypnosis” and “cold turkey”..
  I hope everyone that has quit finds peace each day to make it through another day of not smoking and no matter what method works for you, I just hope it works for you.

• self help hypnosis
  Sep 8, 2007 at 6:38 am

  There are so many tools to help quit smoking now. I quit a couple of years ago and have never felt better - and that was after 25 years of smoking a pack a day. If I can do it anyone can!

• Paula
  Sep 11, 2007 at 8:02 am

  The Chantix works. I’m a pack a day smoker since I was 21 (I’m now 41). 20 years of abusing my lungs.
  I have two children. My motivation is to be here for them. I don’t want to be one of those people who smokes and enjoys every cigarette, knowing they SHOULD quit but they don’t until the doctor calls them and says “we need to see you in the office about your test results”.
  My brother in law is 41 too, and he smoked over a pack a day for about 20 years, like me. Just found out about 6 mo ago he has stage 2 lung cancer. He was always a thin guy but he’s now 6′4″ weighing 120 lbs, a walking skeleton, and his 3 boys are literally watching Tom waste away at home while Tom cries in his bed for the regrets he has. It’s just not worth it. You will die faster as a smoker. We’re all going to die, but cigarettes are just nails in the coffin. If cancer doesn’t get you, heart disease will. Or emphesema, take your pick. I want to feel good in my older years. I want to take cruises, feel active, try new recipes, see my family and be there for them. I don’t want to be carting around an oxygen tank.
  I love smoking, but I love my life more.
  try the Chantix; it’s helping me.

• julia
  Sep 12, 2007 at 5:03 pm

  qwll i havent smoke, but for english i need to do a report on smoking so well i entered this web site. Is pretty cool thanks for the people that had stoped smoking. i guess some people have teh ability to stop smoking, well not my mother she died a few months ago. I feel pretty bad but that’s why im interested on this special information. Somethimes i think that if i knew about this a few months ago my mom would me alive… Its just the future. No matter what you do people would never listen to a kid im just an 11 year old girl its really sad to lose a mom right now.. So 4 u ppl that are smoking stop doing it because you would heart pople if you continue!

• june
  Sep 12, 2007 at 5:13 pm

  you are soooooooooooo gonna died!

• kay
  Sep 13, 2007 at 10:08 am

  is anyone got off cigs & got hooked on nicorette gum besides me?

• varenicline
  Sep 13, 2007 at 6:25 pm

  I’m on day one and honestly feel okay for the most part. Champix/Chantix really does seem to be working for me which is a huge relief as I’m allergic to nicotine (So NRT isn’t an option) and yes, despite this I smoked for 10 years - not smart.

  Good luck to everyone else and if anyone else is keeping a daily diary post links so we can all rally around each other :)

• Karen
  Sep 14, 2007 at 5:05 am

  Having been a heavy smoker for 45 years, I’ve just been diagnosed with emphysema. I stopped smoking 4 days and 8 hours ago - cold turkey at first but now have chantix to help. I have not caved and one way or another will not smoke again. However, I am scared to death. Anyone out there who can talk about the effects of emphysema with me?

• maefarre
  Sep 17, 2007 at 12:16 pm

  I am 28 years old, smoked a pack a day for the past 10 years or so. I have been smoke free for 2 days now. I read the Alan Carr book, I thought it would be a joke when my coworker suggested it, but it truly help put things in perspective. Also, I just got engaged and in the midst of planning a wedding decided I didn’t want to be the bride who has to keep running out of her wedding and reception for a cigarette. So good luck to those who are quitting.

• Denise
  Sep 17, 2007 at 2:58 pm

  I have smoked for 34 years and am almost 47 yrs old, I tried everything but thanks to Chantix no mor wanting or cravings for them I still do the same things I did when I smoked and still no desire for cigarettes.

• Tom
  Sep 18, 2007 at 6:00 pm

  I also did the chantix way and it’s been great. I have smoked since I was 16 and I’m almost 50. No cravings just thinking about smoking but it goes away as soon as you think about it. We will see and will write back as soon as it’s been 6 months cause I have never quit for that long before

• Brian
  Sep 19, 2007 at 8:25 am

  I have been attempting to quit for the two months after 10 years of smoking (the last 3-4 yrs @ a pack a day); I began smoking at age 14. I usually end up being around a smoking family member or a friend on the weekend (my days off) and will, unable to resist, begin smoking cigarettes again; my smoking usually ceases during the weekday. The longest I have lasted without a cigarette is 13 days.

  I have concluded (it took a while to convice myself of this) that the craving (physical and mental) declines with time spent not smoking, and that cessation becomes less of a struggle.

  I have also concluded that No-Matter-What, current smokers do not care if you are quiting. They will continue to smoke around you, bum you a cigarrette, and even offer you ciggarettes; smoking is misery and misery loves company. My goal is to stay far away from smokers till I am certain I will not light up around them.

  Oh yeah, and exercise really helps with withdrawl and cravings.

  This is day two of not smoking again. If I listen to what I’ve written above I can certainly stop smoking for good. The hardest part is breaking ties with the smoking culture I am a part of - purposely avoiding friends and family.

  Congrats to those who have finally (?) quit. And for those attempting to quit, good luck. For those who, for whatever reason, continue to smoke: Fuck You.

• scott
  Sep 20, 2007 at 12:47 pm

  I have smoked for over 30 years and I have not had a cigarette in 28 hours and I think I would rather die then not smoke. I’m going to get me a pack, cause I’m losing my mind.

• Hillary