What Method Of Quitting Smoking Was Most Successful For You?

[MAJIC]

I have just ordered some Electronic Cigarettes, with yet another attempt at quitting the smoking habit (hopefully for good this time)

and I was wondering with all the helpful remedies available,which ones have the best chance of success,I realise that this may be a small Poll,and lots of Members will have tried to give up at various times and more than one method,but I thought it might be interesting to know which method has been most helpful?

Of course you may have tried something not on my list,but I'm sure many members would like to hear what did it for you? and even what was a waste of time and money.

Almost forgot to mention I have given up for a couple of 3 month periods,thought I had cracked it,had one cigarette and promptly started again,vainly thinking I still had the addiction under control.........

Edited June 27, 2013 by MAJIC

[sustento]

Hypnosis. One 55 minute session and I was done. Haven't smoked for 20 years now.

[MAJIC]

Hypnosis. One 55 minute session and I was done. Haven't smoked for 20 years now.

Wow amazing! I tried it for 2 x1 hour sessions the Hypnotist most certainly had me under the influence,but the cost of it many years ago (£30 per hour) put me off going indefinately.Maybe I should have carried on with it,regardless of the cost.

[theblether]

One of my pals went to a hypnotist in Feb and it didn't work. She admitted that she wasn't committed to the process before she started and was only trying to please her husband.

Another pal of mine has a business selling the electronic lighters, he reports good results, and he has a steady customer base, a mutual friend of ours buys from him and he hasn't smoked since November last year, another friend here in CM is doing very well with the electronic cigarettes.

My Mum quit after a heart attack, before that she went down from 20 to 5 a day, in her words, the one's she enjoyed. To go from 5 to zero wasn't a major problem for her in the end.

So you could go cold turkey, or use the electronics, or use a combination of electronics and the one's you enjoy, up to you. The most important thing though is that you need to want it, as my first pal proved.

[poanoi]

I can say Chantix really works, even if you aren't committed,

the desire or even thought to have a sig goes away.

But as the medicine is finished, i kept smokin.

I cant make up my mind if i want stop smoke or die

[sustento]

I had a friend who was a clinical psychologist who used hypnosis in his work and he taught me how to self-hypnotise (which is what all hypnosis really is) so I didn't have any doubts about its effectiveness. I'd also promised my Mum, who was suffering from lung cancer at the time, that I'd give up.

[jcgodber]

I first used the biggest nicotine patch I could get and the slowly tapered down. I fell "off the wagon" twice but finally stopped for good. Now stopped for 15 years

[pattayadingo]

Hypnosis. One 55 minute session and I was done. Haven't smoked for 20 years now.

I could not be hypnotised, but I did try.

[theblether]

I had a friend who was a clinical psychologist who used hypnosis in his work and he taught me how to self-hypnotise (which is what all hypnosis really is) so I didn't have any doubts about its effectiveness. I'd also promised my Mum, who was suffering from lung cancer at the time, that I'd give up.

That emotional key is very important, many people I know quit due to an emotional key, only yesterday Mercedes Girl was saying she quit because she picked up her baby one day and could smell smoke on his head. My ex wife quit for exactly the same reason.

You can't underplay the effect of emotion when it comes to quitting.

[MAJIC]

One of my pals went to a hypnotist in Feb and it didn't work. She admitted that she wasn't committed to the process before she started and was only trying to please her husband.

Another pal of mine has a business selling the electronic lighters, he reports good results, and he has a steady customer base, a mutual friend of ours buys from him and he hasn't smoked since November last year, another friend here in CM is doing very well with the electronic cigarettes.

My Mum quit after a heart attack, before that she went down from 20 to 5 a day, in her words, the one's she enjoyed. To go from 5 to zero wasn't a major problem for her in the end.

So you could go cold turkey, or use the electronics, or use a combination of electronics and the one's you enjoy, up to you. The most important thing though is that you need to want it, as my first pal proved.

Many thanks,some things to consider.

[Nowhereman60]

The patch and willpower to quit.

[MAJIC]

I can say Chantix really works, even if you aren't committed, the desire or even thought to have a sig goes away. But as the medicine is finished, i kept smokin. I cant make up my mind if i want stop smoke or die

I have never heard of Chantix,is it something like Zyban?

I hope you are joking on your last line!

Edited June 27, 2013 by MAJIC

[MAJIC]

I first used the biggest nicotine patch I could get and the slowly tapered down. I fell "off the wagon" twice but finally stopped for good. Now stopped for 15 years

Never give up,giving up! seems to be part of the answer.

[rubberduck]

None of the given choices. I decided to stop in ONE day and never smoked any since, simply because I suddenly started to hate myself. No other choice then to quit immediately, simple.

YOU decide ! (most smokers who want to quit don't know this)

You want to stop ? Then stop. (otherwise you don't really want to stop just fool yourself)

No need no fukkin therapist for this.

Edited June 27, 2013 by rubberduck

[Skint]

I just gave them up one day, i used normal chewing gum went through 2-3 packs a day. When i went back to the gym i didnt smoke as much so this also helped. I had always said id give up when ciggys reached £5 when i started they were 70p.

[wooloomooloo]

My wife says I don't love myself.

She has a point.

[MAJIC]

I just gave them up one day, i used normal chewing gum went through 2-3 packs a day. When i went back to the gym i didnt smoke as much so this also helped. I had always said id give up when ciggys reached £5 when i started they were 70p.

Yes I said the same,give up at £5 a packet,when it got there: £5 a packet didn't seem a lot of money.kidding myself of course.Now the good quality Cigs are relentlessly heading for £10 a packet.

[NeverSure]

OK. Nicotine is an addictive substance, but not that bad. It is the lie - the false belief that the cigarette is your friend that make it hard.

Within 8 hours of quitting, the carbon monoxide is gone and you breath easier. Within 72 hours the nicotine is gone from your body and within another 72 hours the physical craving is gone. Your blood sugar, assuming you don't substitute with sweets, is back to normal. It's all gone.

What's left is the lie that it's your friend and that you need it. That lie will stay with you the rest of your life until you reject it and admit that it isn't your friend but rather is detrimental to your health. Who would have a friend that was killing him?

Now, if nicotine addiction was that bad, you couldn't sleep through the night without missing it. You'd be up every few hours getting a smoke. But the opposite is true. When you're asleep you don't miss it. When I smoked, I got up and went "P" and then made coffee so it would be ready. Only then did I have a smoke, So If you can go ten hours without a smoke while sleeping and getting up, then it's obvious that much of it is psychological.

Do you wake up sick in the morning from a lack of nicotine? Of course not. So it's all in your subconscious mind. It's not a very powerful drug.

All nicotine substitutes from electronic cigs to gum to patches keep you addicted. The only way to quit is to put them down and say "no." 72 hours and it's gone. One way nicotine keeps you addicted is that it messes with your blood sugar. It causes a blood sugar rush when you smoke, and then insulin comes in and drives it down, putting you into craving mode.

In 72 hours your body has flushed all nicotine, and in just 6 days your blood sugar has leveled off for good and you have no more physical "need" for a smoke.

That's the answer, the only answer, and look at how many people in the poll are saying the cold turkey was the answer. Get tough. You won't feel as bad as you would with a bad case of the flu. It's simply not that powerful of a drug, physically. You won't be very uncomfortable if your mind is made up.

Good luck and be bigger than some stinking little weed. Did we talk about money saved?

Just do it.

[MAJIC]

OK. Nicotine is an addictive substance, but not that bad. It is the lie - the false belief that the cigarette is your friend that make it hard.

Within 8 hours of quitting, the carbon monoxide is gone and you breath easier. Within 72 hours the nicotine is gone from your body and within another 72 hours the physical craving is gone. Your blood sugar, assuming you don't substitute with sweets, is back to normal. It's all gone.

What's left is the lie that it's your friend and that you need it. That lie will stay with you the rest of your life until you reject it and admit that it isn't your friend but rather is detrimental to your health. Who would have a friend that was killing him?

Now, if nicotine addiction was that bad, you couldn't sleep through the night without missing it. You'd be up every few hours getting a smoke. But the opposite is true. When you're asleep you don't miss it. When I smoked, I got up and went "P" and then made coffee so it would be ready. Only then did I have a smoke, So If you can go ten hours without a smoke while sleeping and getting up, then it's obvious that much of it is psychological.

Do you wake up sick in the morning from a lack of nicotine? Of course not. So it's all in your subconscious mind. It's not a very powerful drug.

All nicotine substitutes from electronic cigs to gum to patches keep you addicted. The only way to quit is to put them down and say "no." 72 hours and it's gone. One way nicotine keeps you addicted is that it messes with your blood sugar. It causes a blood sugar rush when you smoke, and then insulin comes in and drives it down, putting you into craving mode.

In 72 hours your body has flushed all nicotine, and in just 6 days your blood sugar has leveled off for good and you have no more physical "need" for a smoke.

That's the answer, the only answer, and look at how many people in the poll are saying the cold turkey was the answer. Get tough. You won't feel as bad as you would with a bad case of the flu. It's simply not that powerful of a drug, physically. You won't be very uncomfortable if your mind is made up.

Good luck and be bigger than some stinking little weed. Did we talk about money saved?

Just do it.

Yes it certainly comes back to a mental problem,rather than the body craving aspect,which was what Zyban was designed to address: the mind. You hit the nail on the head with your first line "the false belief that the cigarette is your friend" which is very true,albeit subconsciously!

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

The first time I gave up I simply stopped and used will power and determination. It was a close run thing but I was successful. The craving lasted about three weeks. I found chewing fruit sweets helpful. Twenty years later I started again when I accepted the offer of a cigarette at a Christmas party. It took another four years to become abstinent although on this second occasion I gradually reduced my cigarette intake over several weeks until I got it down to two a day ,before quitting completely. On reflection I think that stopping abruptly was easier but both attempts were difficult. I celebrated my 25th anniversary of abstinence in February this year. I read somewhere that after 25 years of abstinence your life expectancy will revert to the same age as a non smoker of comparable age.

A friend of mine used many different methods over a period of twenty years and failed on every occasion. Finally, she used a hypnosis tape and stopped without much difficulty.

Edited June 27, 2013 by Rajab Al Zarahni

[MrRealDeal]

Do some research into your increased chances of getting cancer from quitting smoking and you might not want to quit ! .... Check it out before you comment please , even though it's mostly in jest

I have quit 10 times either I am an expert or a failure take your choice ..... I like to smoke and quit for about 2 years every 5 or so as a compromise between smoking and health ..... or a rationalization as most say.

However I have found the initial 4 months or so where it's really hard has not been any easier with or without the numerous products claiming it is .... I have tried most of them

I find what makes it easier is to think about all the things I do that I am in the habit of lighting one up over , a cup of coffee , first sitting at the computer , after a meal , and so on , before I quit and it helps remind me that it's really just a habit I am in as much as it is addictive , I try and reduce the things I can like coffee at the beginning to make it easier for myself. I know it's addictive but I really believe and it helps me quit even if it's not true , that it's more of just a habit than an actual need because of the addiction .... I realize that's not especially true but I tell myself it is and it helps !

If you have problems quitting the first step that will really help is to stop buying them and become a bum , if you have any self respect at all it becomes pretty hard to keep bumming them off your friends for much more than a few times each. After that you have reduced your addiction just enough to make it a little easier if you have trouble stopping all at once, and have seriously changed the habit part because you bum them off your friends in an entirely different manner than just doing it habitually. I have moved beyond even that and now when I quit only take a butt out of an ashtray from strangers ..... being so nasty and possibly dangerous that lasts about 4-5 times before you realize it's so absurd and frankly embarrassing that you just can't bring yourself to do it again and quit.

Ps I have found the theory of stopping by buying single ones when you really need one as you can in Thailand to be a complete waste of time and effort don't buy any or you will just end up buying a pack eventually.

Edited June 27, 2013 by MrRealDeal

[nottocus]

My wife having our baby was enough to get me to quit after 28 years.

[Loptr]

I have tried everything from Chantix to hypnosis to acupuncture. All without success. The best I can do is get down to 10 cigarettes a day without wanting to rip someone's head off. The next thing to try is to be air dropped onto a deserted island for 21 days as that is how long it takes to get the nicotine out of your system

[MrRealDeal]

If you really wanted to I am sure you could find a 21 day wilderness adventure vacation tour that would be a lot of fun where they would not be available .... Like a canoe trip in Canada for example as opposed to climbing Mt Everest ! ..... their are a lot of not so difficult adventures you could enjoy that would cost less than smoking for 5 years.

[BookMan]

The first time I gave up I simply stopped and used will power and determination. It was a close run thing but I was successful. The craving lasted about three weeks. I found chewing fruit sweets helpful. Twenty years later I started again when I accepted the offer of a cigarette at a Christmas party. It took another four years to become abstinent although on this second occasion I gradually reduced my cigarette intake over several weeks until I got it down to two a day ,before quitting completely. On reflection I think that stopping abruptly was easier but both attempts were difficult. I celebrated my 25th anniversary of abstinence in February this year. I read somewhere that after 25 years of abstinence your life expectancy will revert to the same age as a non smoker of comparable age.

A friend of mine used many different methods over a period of twenty years and failed on every occasion. Finally, she used a hypnosis tape and stopped without much difficulty.

A 20 year break...then took it up again....remarkable

[BookMan]

I quit cold turkey.

I was waking up with heavy mucus in the back of my throat each morning and a cough had started. I realised I had been smoking for almost 15 years.

I thought I enjoyed smoking; enjoyed different flavours of tobacco. I thought cigarettes gave me a relaxing moment through the day. I thought I would miss a cigarette, that it would be difficult not having one with my morning coffee, not having one at the pub with a Cider. I was wrong on all counts

I didn't smoke the last of my packs or anything. Threw them out and that was that.

That was about 10 years back. Felt like one a few times initially but not since.

[yourauntbob]

I bought a good e cig last week in the EU and have gone from 10 down to 1 or 2 a day over night. i dont think i could cold turkey. i have tried using the crappy e cigs from pattaya but they dont woek well. i know others that have had similiar experience. good luck

[Naam]

tried a dozen methods, no success

[Colonel_Mustard]

Champix. It's very easy but can have side effects for some people. I had no problems but a couple friends did (it still helped them quit though).

I went from 60 a day to having absolutely no desire to smoke in a week.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Colonel_Mustard

[mickjn]

When someones comes around I can have a beer and a smoke.That day or night I will smoke a packet of smokes.No one comes around much because that is the way I like it. I might smoke a packet very 2 or 3 months.I could never smoke again would not worry me but I like to have a smoke with a drink occassionally