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That is such a wonderful goal and it's great that you and your FI can support each other. You really can do it!
Edit: My mom also used Chantix. It caused her to have weird dreams and made her a little crazy at times but she hasn't smoked in a couple years now.
My mom used Chantix to quit. She was over the Nicotine...she went back because "everybody else does it, too". Lame! But it got her over the cravings. She's tried everything--gum, patches, hypnosis, etc etc, but Chantix worked. Cigarettes became gross to her and she basically forced herself back into smoking. She did gain a little weight, but since you want to exercise, it'll be nil. She put on like, 5 pounds and freaked out.
Good for you =]. My parents smoke and it's really hard for me to be around them because I have such severe allergies. We eat at nasty smoky restaurants and everything. They go have one before they eat and sometimes I end up at the table all by myself just waiting. They kept taking smoke breaks during my wedding and we had to postpone things like the cake cutting because they were outside. It's not the nicest habit (or healthiest one) and you'll be grateful you quit once you're over the hump!
My ex-boss quit using the gum and patches in conjunction. She was a really heavy smoker though. She chewed a lot of gum and ate a lot of dum dum lollipops. She also started running around this time, and that made her not want to go back to smoking as well.
She said the hardest part was not smoking when she was out drinking/at the bar.
FI and I quit in 06. I'm not going to lie. It was hard. We quit three times in that year before it stuck and I still was occassionally having one (like 1 every month or two when I was drinking) until fall 08. Now, neither of us smokes at all and it doesn't even remotely smell or taste good anymore.
We didn't use any drugs, patches, or anything like that. I smoked ultra light cigarettes so I knew the patch would be too much and make me sick. I kept straws and Red Vines around to chew on. I drank about a gallon of water a day to flush out the nicotine. After about 3 days the cravings die down, the nicotine is gone, and you are left mostly with the physical habit to break.
One of the times that I quit in years prior, I went to an accupuncturist. They put little metal beads, like mini b-bs, in my ear, held in by tape. They have an effect on your taste buds and make the cigarette taste REALLY bad. It was working and I just couldn't smoke, but the beads fell out and I didn't go back to the accupuncturist like I should have. I highly recommend trying this as I think it would have worked if I had just gone back and had new beads placed.
Good luck! You have to be determined to quit, but I can't express how glad I am that we don't smoke anymore.
I've looked into Chantix and I'm not really sure it is right for me. I have pre-existing psychiatric conditions (anxiety, etc.) and I know that one of the major side effects of the drug is that it can exacerbate certain disorders. I would love to be able to make a medication but I think for me personally that might not be the best choice. Good to know other people have had success with it, though.
@arizonabride - A friend of mine who quit had good results with accupuncture. That is on my list of possible approaches.
Working out can motivate you to quit b/c it's very hard to develop lung capacity when you're a smoker! Also, just thinking about the physical aspects of it: the smell, the yellowing of the fingers and teeth, and the wrinkling of the skin around the mouth is enough for me.
However, if you're a serious smoker, you might need something more to get over the psychological cravings. As far as I know, the patches and gums are only really helpful for the first few days when going through nicotine withdrawal.
Good luck! Quitting smoking is a difficult decision to make, but if you really want to become a nonsmoker, you can do it!
My coworker is using Chantix, soda, candy and water to quit :) She's now addicted to smart water, lol. She says it's working great for her so far (3 months) the only thing that she's struggling with is keeping her hands occupied, because she said for her the comforting part of smoking had become having something in her hands and moving it from her side to her mouth - something about the motion was soothing. She said that having a straw or pen in her hand helps a lot. We're lucky b/c we work in a cancer hospital, which you might think is a hostile place for smokers, but there's tons and tons of support and you get smoking cessation materials (patch, chantix, gum, etc) for free. It's great that you and your fiance will be able to support each other! Good luck!
I did a couple things. First things first, I made the decision and I commited to sticking with it (I had tried so many times before). Second, I switched to ultra lights and cut back on my intake. I continued to cut back, and then added in the nicotene lozenges when the cravings got too rough. At that point, I was having issues with anxiety and the doctor put me on some meds for that. I literally stopped phsically needing cigarettes after that, the rest was just a habit. That was 2 years ago, and I'm not going back. I would talk to your doctor about your concerns with the medications. Good luck!! It is completely worth it.
Congrats on making such a healthy decision to try to quit!
I smoked pretty heavily for approx 4 years, quit for one, then went back for about 6 months. Now I've been completely off for over a year, but I will tell you, when I drink I really want to bum a smoke from other people. So the psychological desire doesn't really go away very quickly (or even at all, maybe!)
I quit cold turkey. The physical symptoms were not so bad; was maybe a little crabby. It's honestly harder getting over the psychological 'need' to smoke. My father, who has smoked very heavily since he was probably 15 has tried all kinds of things, gum, patches, meds, and he's had the most success with cold turkey too (although he keeps going back, after having quit for months at a time!).
My biggest tip to you would be to stay away from places where you'll be tempted to smoke, at least for the first two to three months. That probably means no bars for a while. I had to change my lifestyle a bit too because normally I would take 'smoke breaks' with the coworkers, but while quitting it was def a no-no to even be around them....even now I don't take breaks with them because I don't want to be around the smoke. So just avoid situations that might 'trigger' your urge to smoke.
Good luck to the both of you!
Congratulations! You're making a great decision. One of my bridesmaids read this book called "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" and quit within a couple days. She said once you make the decision to quit, this book will solidify your decision for you and you won't look back. She had tried to quit a few times with patches and gum but she said for some reason, this book made sense to her and she just didn't want to smoke anymore. And she said it wasn't preachy or judgemental or filled with cancer stats or anything. Give it a shot!
I never smoked, my husband used to, I help him quit, well encouraged him anyway. Good for you, I'm sure you can do it. He did it cold turkey on vacation one year. He said it helped to be away from "normal" situations, like going to work and lighting up. Once we got back, he said it was really hard to not smoke, it took him 2 weeks to fight cravings. Once cravings stopped, he had a hard time breaking smoking associations. He said he thought about it constantly for about 1 year, but never did it. Now it's been like 3 and he only thinks about it every once in a while.
You can do it! I love to hear when people try to become healthier! You will feel so good!
Dude! You get lots of credit - it's one of the hardest things I ever did. It's even harder cuz nearly ALL of my friends & FI still smokes but he's cutting back. I didn't use anything because I heard the patches were too much nicotine & give you crazy dreams.
I started slowly by cutting back. At first I'd only allow myself X cigs in a day. Or if I went out - I only brought 3 with me, not the whole pack. No more ciggie breaks at work. The NY ban on smoking in bars helped too - I try not to go outside with the smokers but it's hard when I'm left alone in the bar. I'm at the point now where I don't allow myself to even buy them. If I want one, I have to be the one to bum off a friend and no one wants to be "that guy". I did start taking dance classes and walking/jogging so I'm not sitting on my couch after work & it distracts me from cravings.
Mostly my motivation was my gyno talking about being over 30 & on the pill. She looked me dead in the face & said that with my family history, "if you keep smoking you WILL get cancer". I dunno if she's right or was just trying to scare me - but it worked.
Good for you! My best friend quit smoking a few years ago and she said the best thing that worked for her was replacing the smoking habit with different habits. She said that every time she wanted a cigarette she did something good for herself instead like going on a walk or run, doing yoga or making a smoothie. She also quit drinking for a while because those habits were closely tied. It really worked for her and her reward was a super healthy body!
Also, my coworker has gone twice to a hypnotist to try to quit and she still smokes. It seems like she is looking for the easy way out and doesn't really want to quit all that much. I think you really have to convince yourself that you want to quit to make it work.
I have a family history of heart problems (my mom's side) and she smoked for many years and ended up getting bypass surgery at 48. There is a lot of motivation out there for me and I live with this horrible guilt about continuing to smoke as an intelligent person who knows the risks. It really makes me feel terrible about myself physically and emotionally but it's just really really hard to quit. I've never tried quitting before because I wanted to wait until I was 100% committed and I hadn't reached that point until now, so hopefully I will be able to do it. I'm not the best when it comes to will power.
@ Kittyachi My willpower = ZERO so I know you can do it too. It's been a few months for me. At first I would be at work and after no cig all day I'd get the shakes at 5pm. A cup of coffee fixed it. I might have replaced cigs with coffee during the day but for now that's ok with me. It's cliché but gum does help too (not nicotine gum, just regular trident or whatever).
I'm not gonna lie. Weekends are the hardest and I totally still have a few when I'm super stressed or really drunk on a Sat night. But I notice now that when I wake up the following morning I can feel it in my chest - it's a terrible feeling. And I find that sometimes the taste (which I used to Lurrrrrve) is gross to me. Usually when I light one up I have to pass it off to FI or one of my girlfriends because I can't even finish a whole one anymore.
Yeah I think it will probably be hardest when I'm drinking and when I'm driving.
Edit: Not at the same time! I just realized I phrased that terribly.
Oh yeah - that's another thing we did. I never smoked in the house & when we got the new car that was rule #1. My clothes smell way better & I don't have to Febreeze the car before my parents get in anymore. LOL
Feel free to PM me if you have any more Q's or need any advice.
Quitting smoking was the best decision I ever made (besides deciding to marry my FI!). I quit about 4 years ago, I went from smoking every day to stopping cold-turkey with no drugs. I remember my last cigarette - I was in my cousins car and we were driving down to NC. We both lit up and I felt so disgusting. I didn't even like it.
Anyway, quitting cold turkey doesn't work for everyone. So don't be dissapointed if you try and it doesn't work. I think my situation is kind of rare. But here is what helped me: I had been wanting to quit for a very long time for various different obvious reasons. When I made the decision (for real) to stop, I had to literally force myself not to do it anymore when the cravings came. Which they did. Particularly in the morning while I was having coffee. I had to remind myself from scratch exactly why I wanted to quit with every craving. So basically my desire to stop was larger than the craving because I made it so.
Good luck and I know you can do it!
I've done it, and it was hard, but worth it! I quit when I started dating FI and his support was the biggest thing. I didn't want to let him down. I chewed gum a lot to keep my mouth busy but for me is was more of a hand fixation so I would twiddle with things a lot... I think taking up something mindless to do with your hands could help. For me, it was more the habit than the physical cravings, so I would really have to be strong after meals, while driving and when out at bars. It helped me to tell people I was quitting so they wouldn't let me smoke! One day, smoke will smell and taste awful to you and you'll wonder why you did it!!
Just remembered something that might help you. Since cravings can be brought on by anxiety and stress, you might look into taking a supplement like L-Theanine. It's an anti-anxiety amino acid. I call it my nutritional Prozac. It's very mild and does not cause sleepiness at all. The one I take is by Source Naturals and it's called Theanine Serene.
This is great advice since i am in the same boat too! We both smoke and are trying to quit... just when we go out to bar etc we get sucked back in and we give in... maybe too easily.. Good luck kittyachi!!!!
I have to say I smoked pretty heavily for 3 years, and quitting was an accident for me. I got really sick last October, like thought every time I coughed a lung was going to come out with it sick. And I stayed sick for over a month and a half. I felt so crappy, and smoking with a cough/sore throat, etc made me want to claw my eyes out instead, so I stopped buying cigarettes. Turns out I had bronchitis pretty badly, had to have breathing treatments every week, it was rough. After I got better, I tried to smoke, and it had been so long since I had one that it tasted nasty to me. I know this isn't really that helpful, since you don't plan on getting sick, etc.
I guess the only word of advice I really have is that working out when you're trying to quit would be a good idea. I gained quite a bit of weight after I quit. But I am so so much happier (so is my wallet!) now that I've quit. So I will be sending out good vibes to you and your FI!
Happy Quitting!
I was a smoker for five years before I quit. I think what worked best for me was starting a new job where no one knew I smoked. Obviously I am not saying you should find new jobs, but what they say about changing your habits really works! I used the Nicorette gum, but I am not sure if they actually helped the cravings, but it did take the edge off a little. I also like lollipops. Try to stay away from situations where you would want to smoke - for example I stopped drinking when I was trying to quit because I really could not drink without smoking. It also helped that my FI hated that I smoked, and I was hiding it from him for a little while. My parents both smoked all my life, and whenever they tried to quit at the same time, it was a disaster. It might be easier for one of you to quit first, and then help the other one quit.
I quit for about a year a couple of years ago and had been smoking since I was like 16. Ugh. FI smokes too, and I managed to quit for my New Year's resolution cold turkey! I think I read that same book PP mentioned and it helped SO much. I also found a website with message boards and a chat room, very similar to this one, all full of people quitting. That was THE BIGGEST HELP. I don't even remember which one it was now, but I feel like I got to it through about.com. You should really check that out. They kind of have "levels" too. A week without smoking you get a dot. After a month you get a star, and after a year you get a key! And you know how much we all like leveling up here - it was even more exciting to get those on there! I never quit smoking when I drank, but I just told myself that didn't count. 
Sad to say though, that when FI and I broke up (it only lasted for a few months) I went to the store and bought a 6 pack of beer and a pack of cigs and had at it on my front porch. That was last year. Then I quit again when I got sick this year for like 2 weeks, but started again. I think I'm just going to quit trying to quit until I get pregnant, and have no choice!
I'm not a smoker, but my brother who I am very close to is. He tried doing the quit plan and they gave him the gum but it didn't really work. Plus he never answered the phone when they would call to check up on him. He is trying again and he told me his new motivation is to be able to breathe again. I know it is so tough, especially when you are stressed. Hang in there though, you CAN do it. Willpower is an amazing thing. My mom and dad both quit cold turkey after smoking for years, so I know it can be done. Talking to your doctor would be a really great place to start. There is help availble, all you have to do is seek it out. I wish you all the best!
I'm sure that I will be of minimal help here, but I quit cold turkey. I came down with a cold (I don't think it was a terrible one, but enough to make me stuffy enough to not want to smoke) and I didn't smoke for 3 or 4 days so I just decided that it was a good time to quit. So far, so good, it will be 2 years soon!
~Megan
That's awesome! You guys can do it! I heard something about cream of tartar but the thing my friends have said was the hardest is occupying the time. She used to smoke in between classes at school and when she quit, she started grabbing a snack between classes, which led to weight gain. :(
I smoked for 7 years and tried to quit quite a few times. What finally worked for me was doing it cold turkey and not cheating even a little bit. That meant staying out of bars and smoking restaurants until they passed the law that you could no longer smoke inside. Smoking while drinking was my hardest habit to break, and I would always sneak one here one there until I started buying my own packs again. I ended up having to stay out of bars for almost 2 years, which was honestly fine by me, and its been 4 years since I've touched a cigarette. It actually makes me ill to be around it, so I stay far away from anyone who smokes.
It doesn't work for everyone, but cold turkey was the only way I could do it.
I got really, really sick with a horrible case of strep throat last year that simply would NOT go away because I smoked. Oh, AND I also have asthma. AND I work out 4+ days a week. My life itself was just general motivation to quit, besides that cancer that runs in my family.It was really hard, mostly because I worked somewhere where we would all literally FIGHT over smoke breaks. It was insane. Out of 30 people, there wasn't a single non-smoker...so it was a bit like a competition. ("I got 2 smoke breaks today...haha you only got 1!" ... I KNOW ...)
I tried cold turkey, but that didn't totally work for me. I tried throwing away all of my cigarettes, but ended up craving them within a week. Honestly though, I was smoking a pack a day, and I cut it down to ONE cigarette. Just one. Within about 3 weeks, I didn't want them anymore. I'm soo happy that I can run better, taste things better, and none of my stuff smells like smoke anymore! Like some of the other girls here, I get absolutely nauseated and headaches when I am within 10 feet of smoke now. BUT, I'd take that over another cigarette!
GOOD LUCK!! :)
This was my last years resolution and I've been almost a year now as a non-smoker. Really, I just did it. I just decided I was going to do it, and I did it. I smoked for almost 16 years and I just wanted to stop. You have to really want it - REALLY WANT IT. If you're doing it for any reason other than that, you're probably not going to have an easy go of it. I didn't use anything to help, but I did change my behaviors - no more bar hopping with friends (I don't drink, but I'd go and smoke), no more long phone conversations outside with a cig, no more hanging out on patios with other smokers... it really takes a behavioral change. And that's hard, because that's your life - but your life has to change. I went to a smokey bar with friends a few months ago, had a miserable go of it, had a sore throat, stopped up nose and smelled like crud the day after. Plus, I didn't want to smoke in my wedding dress... it just seemed.. trashy. I won't say good luck, because it doesn't take luck to quit, it takes will. So I wish you a very strong will! :)
Congratulations on your decision to try and quit smoking. I am a non-smoker but I work with patients who are undergoing pulmonary rehab...therefore are in the process of quitting or have recently quit.
As everyone has mentioned, different people = different methods. Some of the heaviest smokers I've spoken to SWEAR on this new laser thing. Not too sure about it so I won't go there.
Have you ever considered nicotine replacement inhalers? They sound and look absolutely weird but I think it might help. It's like any other nicotine replacement methods but it gives you some physical satisfaction. Since you mentioned anticipating having problems while driving (lol and drinking), it might not be a bad idea having one in hand. Good luck, you can do it!
i've heard Chantix works great, just be careful of the nightmares it can give you.
My FI struggles A LOT with this. He's been smoking on and off for a while, but what I found has been successful for him is when he went in and got treated for anxiety. They put him on some medication, but he smokes and drinks less, his anxiety caused him to do both more often.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
so, I've never smoked, but my pysch teacher says the best way to stop is to have slowly one less per day (or if needed per week)...most people can't do cold turkey then never start again
So, if you smoke 7 per day, can you smoke 6 tomorrow w/o it bothering you? then, 5 the next day?
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Let me preface this by saying that I'm looking for constructive advice and support here so for those of you who tend to be judgy about smokers or who want to spout cancer statistics at me, take it elsewhere because those kinds of comments are not what I'm looking for.
My FI and I are both smokers and we've been talking a lot about quitting lately as a New Years Resolution along with just generally eating better, exercising more, etc. We've both been smokers for a long time and don't really know where to begin. For those ex-smokers out there, what did you do to kick the habit? What worked for you and what didn't?