Stopping smoking - need advice!?

[tinow]

im on my 9th day, i found the best thing was the inhalator, ur twitchy cos ur hands are idle and ur breaking a habit which has become a way of life

the nicotine is well on its way outa ur system, u just need something to do with ur hands now

just warn people ur quitting smoking an that ul be a stroppy git for a few weeks....its better to be a moan whilst stopping at least uv got an excuse lol

gud luck xx

[Deadfoot]

I have decided to stop smoking after more than 20yrs.
My chosen method of stopping it is "Cold Turkey"

I already feel the grumps coming on and I'm a bit snappy - its only 24hrs since my last smoke... will I get through this without help?
Is this the best way? or would I be better off using those patches or gum?

Any advice would be great....

[mLilyBabym]

Well Ive been a smoker for 5 years.. when i gave up.. i just went cold turkey too. i found its the best way to go about it.. yes you will feel a bit snappy, but trust me its well worth it adn it will get better over time, i felt fresh, clean, and full of energy..
Good luck..x

[DosCentavos]

This is a long one so bear with me. I went down this same road 3 times and failed miserably.

You could try what everyone else does. Make promises to quit, have nic fits, stop, start, backslide, nicoderm patches, gain weight due to oral fixations, become irritable and essentially have to build a tower of iron will to fight the urgest to avoid a 90% recidivism rate.

How to REALLY QUIT SMOKING. Start thinking like an athlete. It isn't recommended by the surgeon general. it IS recommended by Runner's World. Doctors are afraid everyone will have heart attacks and sue. If you do this right you will hate smoking, get fit, get addicted to exercise, live longer, reduce stress, improve your eyesight, clean out your lungs and have a good time along with bragging rights.

Sign up for an athletic event such as a 10K or a half marathon. Preparing for the event becomes the goal, and quitting smoking, losing weight, being healthy happen along the way with no conscious effort on your part. Just train to finish that race.

Start running an EASY 30 minutes, 3-4 times a week. (heart rate in the 137-144 BPM range). Increase the time you run by no more that 10% per week. In 12 weeks you're running for an hour and a half -- that's at least 8 miles each time. If you can run 8 miles at conversational pace (zone 2 above) then you can certainly finish a 13 mile half marathon. In 16 weeks you'll be capable of doing a sub 4 hour marathon.
(You can get a heart rate monitor for $40 that should do the trick and there are articles about "training in zone 2" all over the internet.) To avoid injury, take 2 days off a week. If something starts to hurt (besides your lungs and your sides) below the waist, slow down or walk.

Now after the first 5 days and 18 hard miles later you can run 30 minutes non-stop. You want a cigarette -- there is nothing to stop you except that 1 cigarette will wipe out 10% of your conditioning for the week. Smoke 10 and you wasted the entire week of exercise and your ability to run 3 miles/30 minutes non-stop has been washed down the tubes. If you want a cigarette, go find your running shoes and run till the feeling goes away if you can. If you can't run, remind yourself that you're going to destroy your conditioning very quickly if you even put a hand on that cigarette. My guess is that if you have success in running the first week and you are actually of the mind that you are training for a race in lets say 12 weeks, SMOKING is the LAST thing you'll be considering.

By the way you can do cycling or swimming instead but not all people have access to a bike or pool and there are fewer of those events to enter. There's a 5K, or 10K race every Saturday within 10 miles of anyone.

To help you get started, check out "Chi running" by Danny Dryer or check videos of people that practice Chi Running. For swimming check out Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin.

After you've been running for a while you have waaay too much to lose, and if you take a drag from a cigarette I guarantee, you'll start to puke up your gatorade.

[evilglbo]

i used a nicotine inhaler it toke four months to ween myself off but then it two years to stop wanting a fag now it been over three years i don't give it a second thought its not easy but its worth it in the end cold turkey is not the best way make an appointment at the doctors they helped me its best to take advantage of whats available to you