want to quit smoking

[flacko5]

are there any successfull cigarette quiters on here ? if yes how have you done it? i try to quit but i feel like i need them every hour of my life especially when im stressed, cant sleep or when i wake up. I feel like they are an important aspect of my life but i want to change this, i have been trying for about a year now

[RoisinO1 Administrator 3 Years Smoke Free]

Welcome flacko5 , we do indeed have many successful cigarette quitters here in our community, varying in timescales from 1 day up to 10 years smoke free.🚭

I am over 3 years smoke free cold turkey and never looked back. I think the secret to success is to have 100% focus, determination and the want to never put another another cigarette into your mouth. Take it one day at time, embrace it and the new found healthier life you are gaining. You will never regret stopping

Have a read through the members posts and their stories, struggles, triumphs etc... and the pinned posts as knowledge is power 💪

Looking forward to your Day 1 post very soon

[Mummymonster 100 Days Smoke Free]

Hope I will be successful. 3 months so far. You need to do some work Flacko5. Did you grow up around smokers? What did you think about cigarettes as a child? Did you need them? Do you have children? Do they need them? How do they help? What do cigarettes do for you? Cigarettes kill 1 out of 2 smokers,are they worth it?

All the research suggests that smoking messes up our brain chemicals. Smokers are more stressed than non smokers. What other things could you do to cope with stress? I do swimming and mindfulness.

But it is a fierce addiction and it can be hard to stop. I used champix and found it very helpful. Other people have found their own routes out of the trap.

I went to the library and got all the books on stopping out. I read everything I could find online. And I stopped telling myself lies about it.so I have found it quite hard. Other people just seem to make up their minds one day and stop.

Best of luck with it. Hope you find your way

Mmx

[ladyinthelake 6 Months Smoke Free]

I think Alan Carr defines this well - anytime you are not smoking, you are a non-smoker, which means that you and all of us who smoke successfully quit many times per day. So the real question is whether we successfully choose to remain quit.

Semantics aside, I am on my 23rd day of being a non-smoker, and that feels very successful to me. For background, I am 42 and have been smoking more or less a pack a day since I was 14. All of us who have made it to the next day while choosing to continue remaining smoke-free can relate to your feelings ("I feel like I need them, especially when I am stressed"). But our minds often convince us that we need things that we don't. Ever had a toxic friend you couldn't let go of? If you have and been lucky enough to escape, you learn that you never did need them. Nor does your body need or want cigarettes. If your physical addiction is strong, consider trying Champix or nicotine patches to help you quit. For me, the mental addiction or habit is far more powerful, and I've had to change my routines significantly to avoid triggers. As an example, I smoke(d) a lot while driving. So I started taking the bus to work. I also tend to smoke more when I am at home alone at night, so I started reaching out more and making plans with non-smoking friends in the evenings. On weekends, I've been traveling to visit family or friends who support my decision to quit. And it's starting to get easier. I still think about them, but far less frequently. And when I do think about them, it's fleeting because the positives are so abundant. I don't have to worry that I reek of smoke when I get on an elevator. I don't spend half my morning at work thinking about my lunchtime cigarette. I don't have to take an extra shower before meeting up for a date with a non-smoker. It's hard to get past the hump, but when you do, you will start to realize how hard it is to be a smoker. You can do this. And we are here to help you.

[RoisinO1 Administrator 3 Years Smoke Free in reply to ladyinthelake]

Excellent and supportive reply ladyinthelake

[CocoaXChange Valued Contributor]

Welcome Flacko. There are many successful quitters here, some cold turkey and some with nicotine replacement. Different methods help different people. I think the common thread is you need to be committed, through the tough craves, knowing that it gets better.

Best of luck.

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Welcome Flacko I tried different ways of quitting without success I decided finally to take the medication and I’m now a no smoker for 20 months .

Flacko I will never smoke again and most important I don’t miss it .Never give up .One thing that stopped me from quitting was the idea I was always going to miss it .I was wrong ! Once nicotine it’s out of your system just distract your brain with something else ..and see how the addiction disappears .Never forget : one cigarrets initiates the next one ..

Smoking cigarrets it’s a consecutive action and specially a circle of dependence . Step out of that chained circle and choose clean air ..it seems difficult at first but once you control it .It will be the best desition of your life .

[RoisinO1 Administrator 3 Years Smoke Free]

Have you begun your journey flacko5 🚭?