Hi,
Today I have decided to quit smoking cigarettes. I want to quit cold turkey and not pick up another cigarette. I obviously will have cravings from time to time and want to know if anyone has any tips on how to stop these cravings. If anyone has had success quitting cold turkey after years of smoking cigarettes, how did you go about it? Here are some of the things that
I have thought up so far and would like for others to add to the list:
Stay Busy
Chew Gum
Coffee
Exercise
Eat
Candy
Walking
Reading
Watching a favourite film
Cleaning
Good luck with your quit and make sure you use the forum whenever you need to 
People on here have helped me to get through some of my worst cravings so far, so it's well worth a rant if you're struggling!
stick with it
Hi,
Today I have decided to quit smoking cigarettes. I want to quit cold turkey and not pick up another cigarette. I obviously will have cravings from time to time and want to know if anyone has any tips on how to stop these cravings. If anyone has had success quitting cold turkey after years of smoking cigarettes, how did you go about it? Here are some of the things that
I have thought up so far and would like for others to add to the list:
Stay Busy
Chew Gum
Coffee
Exercise
Eat
Candy
Hia,
The best advice I can give is too believe in your quit and never stop believing, your cravings can not be stopped but you as a person are stronger than your cravings every time (you may not think it at the start but every time you get a craving they are getting weaker and weaker your getting stronger and stronger) In life nothing is for free we have to work at it (some people more than others) my quit was very easy and the reason behind that was because I truly and deeply wanted to quit. The first 3 days are a little difficult and then from there in it just got easier and easier, try changing your routine and don't think of quitting as being hard because its not. Get it out of your head that quitting is hard (lifting 500kg with one hand is hard) its NOT its just a long drawn out process.
Please please you must be 100% committed to your quit to succeed, if you want to pick my brains at anytime please feel free
PS the one thing that helped me quit and I must admit without it I would have probably failed is THIS FORUM its the best ever and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. So please please just keep typing and make some new quit buddy's GOOD LUCK
this may sound really silly but cuppa soups have really helped me lol.
they aren't too calorific, very quick to make and take a little while to get down with a teaspoon......quite filling as well!
i am now almost chain souping though and they don't do patches or gum for soup addicts !!
Hello No More,
My tips would be:
- Understand your addiction. It's no good deciding you'll have a 'day off' - quitting means no more cigs, ever. 'Just one won't hurt' is never an option - not one day, one week, or one year into your quit. It WILL put you back to day one; maybe not straight away, but give it a month and you'll be puffing away, same old same old. There are posts on here from people who 'slipped' and carried on with their quit - good for them, but I know for an absolute fact that I couldn't do that, having thrown one long-term quit away already. Would you really want to take that risk?
- Don't do it for anyone else but yourself. If you do it for someone else, you are making it harder for yourself because it feels like more of a sacrifice. Get your head in the right place - the biggest winner in this quit is YOU. Once you truly understand and accept that, everything else in terms of benefits for your nearest and dearest will follow on naturally.
- NEVER doubt your ability to beat this. Any long term quitter on this forum will probably tell you 'I never believed I could do this' - but they DID, and there's nothing special about them, they're just the same as you. They were on day one, just like you are now, then week one, month one etc. etc. - and you can be a long term quitter too, by doing exactly what they did - taking it a day, an hour, or a minute at a time, and remembering Not One Puff Ever (NOPE).
- You are embarking on a journey along a well trodden road. There is a wealth of experience contained in the archives of this forum, so don't just read current posts, delve back through the years and find all the hidden gems - there are plenty waiting to be found! Your quit should be the most important thing in your life in the coming weeks/months, and believe me, there is enough material on this forum to keep you reading solidly!
- It's your quit, what works for others may not work for you. Don't accept anything you read at face value; question it and just take away that which resonates with you. There are fundamental differences of opinion regarding different quit aids or CT - again, all that matters is what works for you.
- There is no end point. You can never say 'I've quit', only 'I'm quitting'. It can be very hard at first, but it gets massively easier. You will come to realise you are enjoying the journey
Nomorecigs your doing a good thing going cold turkey, get it all out of your systems in one go, i know other have their own way but i beleive in the way you are doing it is right, tips .... a few a stated these already im sure..... chewing gum, exercise is a must ( your doing this to get healthy so do it) because it controls weight, is good for yer health, it makes you feel good about yerself , it will boost yer energy and its satisfying , Listen to music, sing to yourself, talk to yourself, i know it sounds mad but at the same time you are taking your mind of the cigs (talk to yerself in private otherwise people will really think your mad 
) but tbh just do what ever you think will take your mind off smoking that cig that you dont want to smoke !!!!! Really at the end of the day it is easy, its your mind making it seem to hard, its your mind NOT Nico's so upto you to control it
Cold Turkey
I am on day 41 and have been going cold turkey to quit a 40 year habit!
My advice is remember you are an addict - cold turkey is tough and there is a medical element. Be nice to yourself - if you want to eat - eat, if you want to sleep - sleep, if you want to cry - cry. Don't punish yourself - pamper yourself.
This is a tough time and you need looking after! Ideal (though not always possible) is take a few days to yourself - and focus only on you - you are the central figure in this whole drama - go for it!
I wish you the very best of luck!
Remember the four Ds.
DELAY - put off acting on the urge to smoke, just keep telling yourself 'not right now' - and the craving will pass eventually.
DEEP BREATHS - it really does help to calm you down.
DRINK WATER - small sips, cold water.
DISTRACTION - find something, anything, to take your mind off it. People have variously tried knitting, computer games, obsessively long walks, hot baths, snacks, baking, exercise - whatever you like to do, but do something.
Mostly, remember that every crave does go away, that no matter how it feels on a bad day it DOES GET BETTER, and that you are most definitely stronger than a plant.
It's not easy, but it is totally worth it.
H
Thank you everyone for your support and suggestions.
There were some really great tips that you guys provided me that I may never have thought of. I made it through yesterday easier than I expected and hope that the process remains this easy. I will definitely utilize the suggestions that you guys gave me if I ever get a craving. If anyone has anything else to add, I would appreciate as many tips as possible and keep trying new things and I am sure others will benefit from these as well.
I nearly forgot another great acronym: HALT. It stands for Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?
It could be that a massive crave for a cigarette is triggered by another need. If you try and identify and meet that need - have some food, or take a nap, or whatever - you may find that you no longer crave so badly. It worked for me a few times!
Helen
I nearly forgot another great acronym: HALT. It stands for Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?
It could be that a massive crave for a cigarette is triggered by another need. If you try and identify and meet that need - have some food, or take a nap, or whatever - you may find that you no longer crave so badly. It worked for me a few times!
Helen
Thank you Helen. I really like this acronym and will definitely remember it.
I have quit for one week now and am feeling great.
Things will probably continue to get harder but I honestly feel healthier each day and that is a great motivating factor when I am feeling improvements in my health.
I have quit for one week now and am feeling great.
Things will probably continue to get harder but I honestly feel healthier each day and that is a great motivating factor when I am feeling improvements in my health.
Well done!! A whole week and you sound really positive, which is great.
There's no need for things to get harder, as long as you continue to carry around this positiveness that you have at the moment! I wish I'd been more positive and had faith in myself in the beginning, as I think I'd have found it much easier!
Look forward to seeing you post into week 2!!
I just wanted to let everyone know that things are still going good. If anyone is thinking about quitting, I would recommend just quitting cold turkey and looking into other alternatives down the road if you are having problems. I feel healthier each day and that is a great motivating factor for me
Brilliant news nomore... it is fab when you start to feel real benefits from quitting. Keep that positive attitude, and remember that if a bad day comes along just ride it out and it will pass, just keep choosing not to smoke for today. You'll be racking up the months and years before you know it.
H
A good way to quit is to find something you like more then smoking itself! For me it was cardio (walking, jogging, running). It took me a while to finally lay down the smokes, but once I realize I would never achieve my long distance jogging and running goals if I kept smoking, I stopped and never looked back! For me the smoking contradicted with a goal more important to me so I just quit!
I have smoked daily for 40 years. In the past week, my coughing went out of control where I couldn't get any air in, and only coughing out. It was so bad, I did not sleep for 4 days, I cracked two ribs, and was in the Urgent Care Center from 5 am until my doctor came in at 10 on Monday morning. He gave me some expensive cough medicine and steroids.
I told him I had quit the day before (Sunday) which made Monday my first 24 hrs.
Taking the medicine, raising the end of my bed, and resting ( I felt run over with a truck) I woke up today (Tuesday) having slept all night with not a wheeze even!
Being 32 years sober from another drug, walking away from NICOKILL is the hardest thing I've ever done.
But I have tricks: I say "NO!" the second a thought of one crosses my mind, I get busy, go to a meeting, and just remember this is the worst legal drug ever put on the market.
God bless you all and best wishes and many prayers for your success!
Welcome BadAss and wishing you a speedy recovery and every success in your quit, I too quit due to waking up in the middle of the night, coughing and couldn't get my breath, very scary and put out my last cigarette that night and never looked back, I am now 124 days smoke free (just over 4 months). You can do this, strongs!
Welcome BadAss Yup we were serious bad asses and never believed it until you see the X ray of your "F/upped' lungs and visualize yourself pulling a trolly with a oxygen bottle.... Then we want to quit and put ourselves through this agony... But yes... only ourselves to blame to be hooked lock stock and barrel on this potent legal drug.
On 7 months clean I am comfortable and get goose bumps reading the week 1 to 6 posts....Ouch !!!!
Stay strong and positive and you will be able to kick Nicokill's ass....!!
Hey everyone,
I have been tobacco/nicotine free for 21 days now. I honestly don't know how I got this far but I feel so much better. Breathing is better,skin and teeth look healthier and I don't smell anymore. I've had cravings off and on throughout the days but they have gotten less intense as time went on. Drinking doesn't help with my cravings so I've cut that down a little(still like a nice bourbon or beer at the end of the day). I've just decided in my head that I'm not going to be a smoker anymore and when I do want one I just tell myself the craving will only last a few minutes then be gone. I can't wait til I don't have cravings anymore.
21 days! That's great - keep it up and stay strong It gets easier and easier over those first few months - you've got this
Welcome Mr Bean and huge congratulations on reaching 21 days, mental battle has begun now so will need to keep your guard up at all times but it does get easier especially after reaching the 1 month milestone and time too passes by very quickly. Keep up the good work!
Day 1 for me and cold turkey!
