I Have Tried Everything To Quit Smoking And Nothing...
I have tried gum, mints,patch… I end up smoking instead. I feel like it is a battle within myself like the good part of me wants to quit so bad but the bad part of me just takes over and sabotages everything. You would not BELIEVE the things I have done to try to quit. I even made myself smoke at a cemetary to show myself where I would end up. That didn’t work. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9 Responses to “I Have Tried Everything To Quit Smoking And Nothing Works. How Do I Stop The “behavior” And The “decision” ?”
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September 23rd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Hi Lady43,
take a look at this discussion forum thread. Maybe electronic cigarettes are something for you.
Some say that using electronic cigarettes can help you quit smoking. Currently there is no scientific evidence for or against it. One option is to gradually lower the level of nicotine in your cartridges to become nicotine and tobacco free.
The other option is to smoke electronic cigarettes with zero nicotine cartridges while applying nicotine patches. That way you separate addiction and habit.
Good Luck! It’s not easy …
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
If you are just interested in avoiding the adverse health effects you could try an e-cigarette. They deliver the flavor, sensation, and nicotine of a cigarette but without the carcinogens and mutagens in the cigarette smoke. Also, the “smoke” does not really smell, and they don’t leave any lingering oder. A Japanese friend of mine tried one for kicks and pretty much never went back to regular smoking (1 year+). I think they are also a lot less expensive in the long run. If you want to get away from nicotine entirely you can also gradually taper down to less concentrated cartridges. Before you commit to that though, you should probably read up on the actual heath impacts of nicotine. So far it looks like other than being addictive, its adverse health impacts are pretty minimal.
It also turns out that different kinds of traditional smoking have different effects on the body. For example, there was a large study of twins in Europe that showed a positive correlation between pipe smoking and longevity. There’s no guarantee that friends and family were not adversely impacted, but the pipe smokers did outlive the non-pipe smoking twins.
I tried out smoking years ago. I mainly smoked cigars and pipes. Last year I tried my friends e-cigarette for a couple of days. Currently I don’t smoke.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:27 pm
One thing is for sure, quiting smoking is not easy, however it can be done, and it may just save your life. You have to truly want to quit smoking, and decide you are important enough to not hurt yourself by smoking! You can do it! I know you can. My best friend is in the Fort Wayne hospital right now with a type of kidney cancer that they say was from smoking cigs. The thing is, deep in our minds we always think it will not happen to us. Quit for yourself,your family, friends, kids, and pets ect. As secondhand smoke kills also! You can do it!
September 24th, 2009 at 4:15 am
i just quit smoking on may 28,2009 well i had no choice but to quit i came down with this flu and while having the flu i also came down with bronchitus which took me 13 days to get better and i mean i was in and out of the hospital and to be honest i feel that i was sick for so long cause i been a smoker since the age of 17 and now im 34 and when all this happen something just hit me and made me realize that im wasting my life and if i didnt shape up i wasnt going to make it far so i decided to quit and have no regrets i get the urge every now and then but then i start to think how sick i was and how i thought at that time how i wasnt going to make it alive and so i have to thank god for giving me the will power that he gave me amen …and i dont want to sound like a preacher
September 24th, 2009 at 5:03 am
You have to be strong and just go cold turkey. All the tricks and fooling yourself do not work. I quit 9 years ago and you are the one who must do it. Remember this, a craving only last one or two minutes and each one gets farther and farther apart as time goes by. Keep at it and you will win, do not give up.
September 24th, 2009 at 7:53 am
THis is a program I just got for my mom after turning to it as a last resort. I know it seems stupid and maybe too good to be true but I want to help you. Give it a tryhttp://a6b1b7p507um4mam321r1dog-j.hop.cl…
September 24th, 2009 at 9:38 am
i have been struggling for the past several years with both of my parents and a friend, trying to get them to quit smoking. both of my parents wanted to quit so badly and i could tell they really did want to. they tried everything from the gum to the patches, to stupid self help programs and all that. i never wanted to give up on them but after a while, it really is just up to somebody whether they want something bad enough. i know that is different than wanting to lose weight and things like that because your body has a chemical dependency but there has got to be some breaking point where you hit rock bottom and realize what youre doing and that you will do ANYTHING it takes to quit. my father basically was about to go off the deep end because it killed his father too and he knew where he was headed and it was basically more of a stressful thing to smoke than it was a stress reliever. so we made a final attempt and went online and found a program that he used. he stuck to it and thank god, it worked. my mom hast tried it but we’re gonna force her to. im gonna give you the link and i really recommend you give it a try. it helped my dad so much and hes finally happy, not struggling with that crap everyday. here is ithttp://product-reviews-online.com/quit_s…
i really hope that something works for you and that your life can change. there has got to be a way for you. try to get family and friend support, also, because that could be a real boost. i know my dad says that my siblings and i were a good kick in the *** and his biggest motivator and support! good luck!
September 24th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Smoking is a behavior. It is an action. We all do many actions and perform many behaviors. When you get down to the root of all behavior, I believe we are motivated by two things; pleasure and pain.
If you truly want to start or stop ANY behavior, take this action:
Set some time aside for yourself, grab paper and pen, and make two lists. The first list is headed PLEASURE. In this list imagine and write down all the things that would give you pleasure if you forgot about smoking cigarettes. Write this list in the present tense! You may write things like:
My clothes smell better, and I feel good that others are not smelling cigarettes on me.
My partner likes to kiss me more because I don’t have smoker’s breath.
I can breath more easily and I feel good about my health.
I have more money in my bank account.
Ect… What ever would gives YOU pleasure about not taking the action of smoking.
Now make another list and head it PAIN. Write down all the things about smoking that cause you pain, And write it in the past tense!
I hated to go outside to smoke.
Smoking took so much time out of my day.
I felt that craving and gave in to it soo many times!
My apartment used to smell like smoke.
I had staines on my hands and teeth.
Ect…you get the picture. You really have to feel these feelings of pleasure and pain as you write your lists. As you write, put yourself in that moment and see the sights, feel the feelings, hear the sounds, smell the smells. Use all your senses as you imagine your personal pleasure and pain.
Now last step. Look to your future and imagine a time not to distant, and notice the changes in your life since you no longer smoke. Step out even further, years maybe and notice how the changes have caused other things to happen for you. Now go way into your future and imagine looking back on your life and feel the feelings of gratefulness that you took action, and made the decision to change your life.
Do this often. Every day for 30 days minimum review your list and feel the feelings as you did the day you wrote it out. Do the mental exercises. It takes 30 days for a habit to stick well. So maintain your focus. You are worth it!
JLSimpson
September 24th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
No one engages in a behavior that does not give them a payoff.
Figure out exactly what your payoff is. Why exactly do you smoke?
Second, our behavior is driven by our beliefs. Somewhere along the line you have a belief about smoking. Figure out what you believe about smoking. I’m not talking about the usual stuff like,”I believe smoking is bad for me,” etc. I’m talking about a deep belief you have about smoking as it relates specifically to you. Maybe it’s a belief that you internalized when you were a lot younger, like “Wow, smoking makes me look grown up”. Even though you may be grown up now that belief could still be driving your behavior.
You have to take some time to really face yourself regarding what the payoff is and what you believe about your smoking.
Once you’ve gotten a true understanding of those two things then you will have an awareness you didn’t have before. Awareness is the first step to change.
Once you know what is driving your smoking behavior you can do lots of self-talk to change your belief about smoking. You have to be diligent in catching yourself when you’re tempted to go back to the old way of thinking.
Stay away from negative self-talk such as “I won’t smoke anymore, I’m not going to smoke any more.” Instead use positive self-talk such as, “I really feel great that I haven’t had a cigarette in a whole hour.” and, “I’m really starting to enjoy the taste of my food more now that I don’t smoke so much.”
It takes a while to change our thinking. With constant vigilance and awareness it’s possible to bring about a change in our beliefs and therefore, our behavior in about four or five months. Sometimes it will seem like one step forward and two steps back but keep going, don’t give up, it gets easier each time you do it.
And be gentle with yourself, don’t beat yourself up. Beating yourself up causes stress which in turn drives us to seek our usual comforts which in your case would be a cigarette. So go easy on yourself and start changing your thinking. When your thinking changes your behavior will change.
You can do it. One step at a time.
I just read the post below mine, the one from Gerald S. He’s given you some great advice there. I think with what I’ve written and he’s written you’re well on your way to becoming a former smoker.