How did YOU stop smoking?

[JessicaH]

I quit smoking 3 1/2 months ago with the encouragement of a close friend and the help of Chantix. I know there are reports of rare and seriou side effects, but I figured the side effects from smoking were pretty much guaranteed as were the side effects of going cold turkey.

The Chantix was a bit pricey at $120 for a month supply but that is still far cheaper than a $5 a day habit. It is recommended to take for three months but I didn't refill my prescription after the first month and I did great. Overall, I give Chantix high marks for helping me quit!

[~RoadToTrista~]

By not starting. Closing myself off socially pays off I guess.

[fleshpull]

Chantix worked for me, almost 100 days clean.

[Kim 526]

I chose the patch. It acts like a touchstone for whenever I get an urge. 26 days &counting. Kim

[Mika]

Went broke. While I am avidly against punitive excise taxes for cigarettes, I don't miss spending $50/carton all the time. That's my income for a week as it stands, notwithstanding student loans...I'd rather eat lol. But I don't suggest going cold turkey like I did, it was miserable, however necessary it was for me since medical aids aren't free.

[Anatta]

Kia Ora,

By starting another more beneficial "HABIT" to replace the old one...In my case this was jogging...

Metta Zenda

[Janet_Girl]

Why spend money?  Do it for free.  Go to your public library and get a copy of Easyway™ to Stop Smoking.  It does work.

[Elijah3291]

I stopped smoking with nicotine patches, i called 1 800 QUIT NOW

http://www.nicodermcq.com/Quit.aspx?google=b_&rotation=934&banner=4171&kw=2571

all I had to do was call them and they sent me patches for free

[fleshpull]

Why spend money?  Do it for free.  Go to your public library and get a copy of Easyway™ to Stop Smoking.  It does work.

+1 for this, I made it a clear 3 months about a year ago after reading this book .. Quit cold turkey.

Also, and I won't just drop the URL, but a little searching of the internet can get you a PDF version of that book for free.

[Futura]

I cannot quit smoking. Nicotine is stronger than me...

I thought about alternatives such as snorting tobacco, but it doesn't work so well for me...

[mimpi]

Can't give up the ciggies. "->-bleeped-<-s" as we call them here in UK! Not exactly true, have quit twice with hypnosis but succumbed to social smoking and restarted.

Hypnosis worked twice for me, well to tell the truth it didn't but I was so enraged at the cost that I quit out of fury at the rip off.

Horrible addiction, allegedly cigarettes are more addictive than Heroin. I've known heroin addicts who, thank God, quit but they still smoked cigarettes.

[tekla]

I kept reminding myself about who makes money from it which is pretty much the worst corporations in the history of business run by some of the most horrible people on earth.  At one point I had a picture on the wall of my dorm with "Richard Nixon want's you to smoke - Henry K too." written on it. 

[JessicaH]

It's sad that in the US, the GOVT is the biggest profiteer on tobaco and they talk about all the healthcare costs ,blah, blah, blah, then stick their profits into the general fund. Why not subsidize people who want to quit with some of that money? I guess it's not partisan enough of an issue to buy some votes....

If you want to quit, dont give up! Even if you keep failing, just keep quiting. It takes a little practice and some failures for most people. Again, I can't recommend Chantix enough. After a week of Chantix, cigs tasted funny and I got NOTHING from them except a bad taste in the mouth. Heck, I'd probably have quit if someone was slipping me one of the pills everyday ...  lol

[AbraCadabra]

Quit cold turkey after going from  Bennies & Hennies super lights, to Lucky Strikes!

1/2 packet just gave me a good idea of the poison.
This was 5 months before starting HRT and HRT helped me to stick to nonsmoking.
A quadruple bypass sure did the rest :-)

Once you got a taste for it, it never seems to go, it's like alcohol.
You just got to stay uncompromisingly clean.

Axelle

[Futura]

Well, there are electronic cigarettes which allows you to safely consume a liquid nicotine solution...

I was dumb enough to try a tiny bit of that solution on my tongue. It made me a very sick...

[Amazon D]

1. I told people a certain date i would quit
2. I made lots of one sided bets where if i started i would owe a fortune to a lot of people
3. I chain smoked every second of the last day and didn't eat and i was so sick of them i couldn't even touch one for like 4 days
4. I had to stay off them because i was gonna owe a fortune..

it works

[annette]

I tried to quit.
3 month's I didn't smoke.
These were the three horrible month's I remember.
I was mad on the world, a bit depressive and my weight was increasing.
I was getting 12 kg, I think that's about 30 pounds more fat.
Finally after a big argument with my partner I made a restart.
The world did look a better place to live in, I wasn't angry or depressive anymore.
The weight never become the same, sadly.
So, I admit, I'm addicted, I'm weak, but I'm only human.

[dalebert]

I cannot quit smoking. Nicotine is stronger than me...

I thought about alternatives such as snorting tobacco, but it doesn't work so well for me...

I've watched a dozen of my friends quit tobacco and start vaping with e-cigs, (short for vaporizing). It's MASSIVELY cheaper than smoking, mostly because it's not taxed. It doesn't smell at all, doesn't bother non-smokers nearby, doesn't infect your clothes with that smell, and is 99% better for you. There's no tobacco or any of the chemical additives the cigarette companies put in cigarettes. Most of those additives are much worse than the actual tobacco. It's a cool little technical device that you inhale through and you get mostly water, a little glycerin-like substance (what they use in fog machines), some nicotine with varying levels of strength, and some cool flavors. They have tobacco flavors but most people seem to like the other flavors like cherry, vanilla, menthol.

The ex-smokers who I've talked to are thrilled for the alternative. They're LOVING the convenience of not having to leave and go outside constantly to smoke, especially here in NH where it gets FRIGGING COLD for a good chunk of the year. Restaurants and other places are familiar with them now and they never bother people about vaping in public places. From what I hear, the rate of successfully quitting smoking is overwhelmingly better than anything else-- gum, patches, cold turkey, etc. Apparently a big part of the addiction of cigarettes is the OCDness of it. People say they need "something to do" with their hands, or the oral fixation, or whatever.

I'm a non-smoker all my life and I recently tried them and like them. There just seems to be so little in terms of a downside. Now I'm an e-cig user myself and I love it. I've tried cherry and vanilla and I'm looking forward to trying menthol.

This is the brand I like for a number of reasons, but there are a LOT of choices out there which you can just do an Internet search for. Some of my really heavy ex-smoker friends like something like... uhm... eJo-T something or other.

[Janet_Girl]

E-cigarettes are illegal in Oregon.  You can not purchase them here.  They can not tax them like regular tobacco.

[dalebert]

Okay, sorry. It's eGo- T actually. Just dug up the email where a friend recommended it. Haven't tried these tho but this is the one that a few of my formerly REALLY heavy smoker friends seem to like. *shrug*

http://www.ego-t.com/