help me stop smoking

[don code]

I really wanna stop smoking although I have run into a few problems.

1) I constantly think about smoking.
2) I feel it does something to my confidence when I dont smoke for example when I talk to people especially beautiful women I get all hot and flustered the way wussys do.


I want to know if the hot flusterdness passes or its gonna stick with me for as long as I dont smoke.
Please advise
thankyou

 

[CableLight]

This site helped me...

 

[AverageFC]

take all your cigarrettes and flush them. Stop hanging out with friends who smoke too.

Once you make 3 days cigarrette-free it's nothing. From what I hear. I've never smoked a cigarrette but do enjoy the odd cigar. Last time I had a cigar was...september I believe, although that was never an addiction I'm considering stopping cigars altogether because I've discovered when I smoke a cigar and drink alcohol, it's a bad combination.

 

[CableLight]

No, no, no...After three days your body is nicotine free, but if you've smoked for a while your body will still crave it for another week or possibly two. It gets a little easier when you finally get to day 3 simply because your body starts healing and whatnot, but you'll possibly still get craves for a little while after that.

 

[diablo]

I used to smoke about a pack a day.. there's nothing anybody is going to be able to do or say to help you out. I had my friends take away my cigs, but as soon as I could I'd either bum one off of someone else or buy another pack. It all comes down to willpower - when I finally quit I realized that it was pointless and expensive; cigarettes are a crutch. It sounds like you already realize that by saying you feel like you have to have one whenever you talk to a girl or you aren't confident... you don't sound like a gimp (no offense to any handicapped people), so toss off your crutches and make your own feet support you.

 

[Phoenix_of_the_ashes]

Its just plain tough man, there is easy way. Its like stopping to scratch your head when it itches.

 

[diablo]

Originally posted by Phoenix_of_the_ashes
Its just plain tough man, there is easy way. Its like stopping to scratch your head when it itches.

Don't you mean that there is no easy way? That it's comparable to not stopping and scratching your head when it itches?

You're just going to have to be a man about it. If you can't find the willpower within yourself to conquer this then you're just a pathetic excuse for a male... I won't even say that you're a man, because you aren't. Not until you've beaten this. A better word for it is sissy. That's what it comes down to, plain and simple. Sure, you can think about smoking all you want. I think about boning the hot girl who I see checking me out at the grocery store. Does this mean I'm going to throw her onto the rotating counter and start conjugating more than verbs? Didn't think so... so, either be a self-effacing spineless loser who can't even make himself control what his body does (in terms of giving in to the craving and lighting up) or be a real man and realize that the feelings you're having are transitory, that they won't last forever and in a week or two you won't even be thinking about cigarettes anymore. Choice is up to you now, what's it going to be? Spark up that cigarette or follow through with the promise you've made yourself...

 

[Levex]

Understand that you will have to quit eventually, be it tomorrow, in 5, or even 30 years,because more likely than not it will catch up with your health,and you'll have a choice to continue smoking and die a painful death, or stop smoking and basically prolong your suffering, because most lung/respiratory problems will lead to death anyway. I'm sure that is not a choice you or anyone else would want to face.
Think about how hard it is to quit now, now imagine how hard it will be after smoking for 20 years.

Sure there are still people in their 80's who puffed pack a day for 60 years and are still kicking, but those are exceptions. Most smokers have either quit, died or are living on a respirator. And if you think "hey i dont wanna be old and wrinkly, so i'll live it up to the fullest and die younger"...do you really want to go out suffering for years to catch every breath and coughing up blood knowing that you will die soon?...


I smoked myself for several years and i know how good it feels to have a beer with friends, relax, and light up a cig. If you can manage to only smoke occasionally, by all means go for it. But over 90% of people get addicted and thats when smoking becomes a potential problem.

 

[CableLight]

I wouldn't even advocate smoking on irregular terms, unless your definition of such is something like New Years or your birthday (both the last two times I've smoked - cigar, btw).

Take it from a person who tried and failed a few times before finally succeeding - Nicotine is such an addicting drug, that even a few months after you stop smoking and decide "Oh, what the hell?" and light up that you're going to get a craving again. In all honesty, I stopped smoking and never touched the stuff again for about six months (my birthday) and about five months after that (New Years). I had quit before and waited about a month or so before having a pipe-full or something and soon-after found myself driving to a gas station for "just a couple of smokes." That "just a couple" soon turns back into your daily habit once again.

I would definately stay away from the stuff - If you are truly, truly serious about quitting - for at least a few months before you burn one down at a unique celebration (and no, Tax Return Day is not a "unique" celebration). You'll have to use your good judgement on this such thing, but I only smoked for about a year and a half before I quit. I probably could have lit up earlier than I did and still be fine, but there would have been no point (not saying my two indulgences were truly "meaningful" but more of a celebration).

 

[Capt.Jack Sparrow]

Ima quit but in a year hopefully. I just started this august and I've gone from 2 cigs to 5-6 a day. Pretty soon it'll get worse but ima stop. I swear it. If not they can throw me in prision with a guy named bubba. Pretty bad to be starting at my age..i'll be 16 next week :-\ goes to show its kinda addicting the first few months.. its especially bad for me because I've had pneumonia when i was younger..

 

[I-am-someone]

Ahh... smoking
I smoked 1 to 2 packs every day for two years. Fortunatly, I have a lot of willpower and just quit one day and never looked back. I smoke one cig each night I go out, and that's the max. You'll get a craving but it's the lightest possible craving you can have. However, enough about my story.

There's a book out there called "Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking". Personally, I haven't read it because I had plenty of willpower. For you however, I would suggest buying and reading the book. You can find some more information about the book as well as being able to buy it on Amazon.com.

 

[Master_baiter]

i have been smoking for a couple of years, and i have to totally disagree with
I-am-someone, one a night is all well and good, but having been addicted how can you honestly say that your one an evening wont lead to a total relapse. i think that unless its totally out of your system its something that youre still vulnerable to

 

[CableLight]

^ I think he's saying the nights he goes out...Not like every night (unles thats what "going out" equates to).

Else I would agree...Don't get into the "Oh, I'll just have one" phase, or else it'll become "Hm, that wasn't bad...It should be okay to have another." You see where ithis is going...

 

[I-am-someone]

I only smoke one when I go out, indeed, which is 3 times a week at best, usually 2. I'm not at all worried that I'm going into a total relapse, because I still don't smoke. I actually don't like the smoking because of the addictive feeling I get afterwards and the fact that it messes up your breath. Therefor I usually don't smoke one at all, unless it's all turned into a nice social event.

 

[don code]

I know im a ***** for not just stopping but its not that easy man. The major problem i have is when i stop and talk to a stranger i get sorta nearvous like a mental patient. I dunno if this will pass or not because this happened to me a few years back at times when i was in an enclosed space or in a one to one basis with some1 i didnt know / trust what i wanna know if this is a quitting smoking related symtom and also will it pass? I work with the public and deal with 100s of strangers every day and im fine if i have been smoking but when i havnt had a ciggie i get kinda nearvous.

 

[I-am-someone]

Duh, ofcourse it will pass... it's not the question of whether or not it will pass, it's a question of when it will pass...
The physical addiction can last for as much as two weeks. After that it's all mental. Don't worry about getting that strange behaviour back, I've had it as well but it passed within a day.
You just have to realize that you're still the same person as when you didn't smoke. Actually, no, you're not the same person. You're better than you were before, because you proved the world that your will is stronger than your body, but apart from that you are still exactly the same person as before. If you get all flustered around a woman, just tell her you've been smoking for a long time and are currently doing all you can to quit. Maybe she can help you by taking your mind off of it .

 

[CableLight]

Don - A lot of it is a mental/chemical game. Your mind and body are used to getting their doses of "feel good" so when you try to take it away from them they're going to get a little aggitated.

It's very, very normal for a person to be nervous, irritated, etc when they're trying to quit. What really helped me do it was that I found other things to do - Go to the gym (run, exercise), go buy some stuff for yourself at the mall, read a book, play video games if you're into 'em, that kinda stuff. Do things that don't depend on intricate details you have to really sweat out to do right; do things that are stress-free.

What really sucks is going to work and making it through the day. I think that was my biggest challenge. Therefore, I planned out my quit so Friday would be Day One and I'd get a few relaxing weekend days infront of me to get off to the right start.

Also, that website I linked to a few posts back has a lot of good stuff on there that I would suggest you read if you haven't yet.

 

[George Gordon]

Allen Carr's "The Only Way To Stop Smoking Permanently"

As I-am-someone suggested, consider Allen Carr's book. It's helped a bunch of my ex-smoking friends stop. My girlfriend just read it last week, and has stopped without a craving. This was a day before New Year's Eve too! And she didn't feel like smoking at her party. She was a smoker for over 5 years. I was a smoker for over 7 years. Years back, if I'd have tried to quit the day before a New Year's party, good luck George!

The ONLY reason anyone smokes is because smoking is an ADDICTION! Any other reason is an excuse to justify their stupidity. I was one of the stupidest smokers out there.

Did you know that tobacco companies tried to invent a nicotine-free cigarette? They stopped. Do you know why? It dawned on them that nicotine wasn't a negative effect of smoking, it was THE ONLY REASON FOR SMOKING!

If you smoke, you're an addict. And did you know that nicotine has killed more people in one generation than all the wars of history combined? We like to believe that we smoke out of choice, but we don't. Anyone who's smoked for a long period can tell you that. When I was young, when I started, I thought I could take them or leave them. I know now the older smoker's knew exactly where I was at.

This might help: http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=55786

!GEORGE!

 

[don code]

Thanks guys im so happy i found this site it has helped me achieve so much in life and hopefully help me give up smoking i will keep you all posted thanks for all your comments / tips.

 

[don code]

I decided to do whatever it took to give up smoking. I have now been clean for almost 2 weeks on sunday. I belive this site inspired me to quit so i suppose it helped save my life. I hope i dont relapse. Now ive stopped im more confident because i done it have more money in my pocket to go out and meet more people ... and now im a lean mean women loving ****ing machine.