Smokers and ex-smokers

[stormy]

I am a non-smoker.  I can say that now.  Though i've quit hundreds of times, i've never made it longer than a few days.  As of May 4th of this year, I am smoke free for one year.  I walked away from a 23 year, 2 pack a day, addiction.

Don't get me wrong.  It was not easy. Luckily, I discovered Chantix.  Let me say there have been reports of individuals having negative side effects.  Fortunately I was not one of them.

If you are an ex-smoker, how long ago did you quit, what was your reason for quitting, and what method(s) did you use?

Now, there are some smokers that enjoy smoking and have no intentions of quitting.  Are you one of them?  How long have you been smoking, and how often?  Can you think of anything that would prompt you to want to give it up?

[Dianna]

Very interesting topic and one that has not been brought up before. I was a smoker from 92 til New Years this past year and quit that night. I went on the patch at first and had the lovely dreamed that are reported by many, I stopped that about two weeks into it. I did slip up for about a week but it was during an extremely stressful time in my life (and only for afew days did I go back to the old habits). I know another that has had great success with the lozenges too. My sister quit about 1 1/2 yr ago using Chantix so I know from her experience besides others it does work well, and there are some that have odd experiences from it like you mentioned. The sis had smoked for about 30 years, myself only about 1/2 of that. I quit since it was finally time. A smoker never fully quits until they are ready and I know that all too well.

[Skitchen]

I'm in the middle of quitting right now, and it's a total pain. I've been trying to quit for a few months now, and I usually do pretty well for about a week and a half. After nine or ten days I tend to relapse. When I do, I'll smoke a pack over the course of a week or so and quit again. I get far enough along in quitting to think that I've kicked the habit, and then I find myself at the counter of a gas station getting a new pack.

I'm quitting because my girlfriend wants me to, not because I feel like I need to. I think that's why I'm having more trouble quitting than I should. My new goal is to be done entirely by July 1.

[Dianna]

Its good to set goals, just remember we can all slip just don't fall.

[MissScribe]

I gave up smoking nearly 4 years ago.  I didn't want to give up but I just couldn't afford it any more  :-\  I joined a site called QuitNet, not for the support or anything because I'm better off doing stuff like that on my own; joining clubs to give something up would have me forever thinking about what I was giving up and I'd relapse!  No, I joined QuitNet because they have a little gizmo where you can put in how many cigarettes you smoke, and how much a packet costs you.  Every couple of months you get sent an email and this tells you not only how many cigarettes you now haven't smoked (over 4 years you can imagine the cigarette mountain I would have amassed if I'd continue to smoke!) but more importantly for me it tells me how much money I've saved.  The fact that I've added a few months to my life in the process is just a bonus!

In 4 years I've saved over £4,000 (approximately $8,000) and I wasn't a heavy smoker!  If I'd been able to afford the cigarettes in the first place, I could have put that money aside (instead of buying a pack of cigarettes I could have put the money into a savings account or something) and now I'd be able to afford all sorts of stuff    But then, if I'd continued to smoke, I'd be dirt poor now!

To all those trying to give up .... take one day at a time.  Don't talk about it, fret about it or look upon it as some sort of bereavement - fill your hours with hobbies or whatever takes your mind off cigarettes.  That little white stick is a bully - don't give in to Mr Nick O'Tine and one day you will be 4 years down the line like me. Perfect in every way!