Need Advice from EX-smokers

[Sadat13]

This was a real struggle for me also. I used to smoke full flavor menthol. I started out by cutting out the menthol first. Once that was out of my system I started going down to lights and then ultra-lights. This was all over a couple months time. I then started cutting down how many a day. My hardest times where after meals, so I stopped smoking right after meals to get used to that. After two weeks of cutting down on the ultra-lights I stopped completely. In order to stop the craving of having something in my mouth I got coffee stir sticks and chewed on them during the day when I was thinking about smoking. I know this sounds like a long drawn out process, but it was the only one that worked for me after struggling for years with it. I also agree with previous posts about cutting out caffeine intake and drinking lots of water to flush your system. I had been on Wellbutrin at one time but they made me more of a nervous wreck than helped me. I know that they do help some people though. I have sympathy for your struggle, it is a hard one. I pray that you will have success in quiting.

God Bless You

Stacy

[>> Hannah <<]

this might sound like really bad advice and i have tried it once before and it really helped....

smoke cigarette after cigarette after cigarette, this could be pointless if u already do that lol

ill give you the advice anyway...

so smoke cigarette after cigarette after cigarette, keep smoking until u feel sick, it might only take 5 or it could take 30, but just keep smoking cigarette after cigarette... n wen u feel really sick.... this is hoping it has that effect.... have one more just to push you that further...

than leave it a few hours, do something to keep u busy, go for a walk, paint (keeps fingers busy), come on worthy...

(wen i did it i smoked about 16 one after the other before i felt really ill n then i had to lie down cos i felt so sick.... )

so leave it a few hours then spark up a cigarette (really want to say fag lol im english and common)

N hopefully the cigareete will make u feel sick... whether it be psychological or not im sure... (but if its works how cool is that)

n the hope is that everytime u want to smoke it makes u feel sick... n in the end u just avoid smoking...

i thought up the idea from when i use to do drugs and i had a really bad experience after a session once, n once i had recovered a few days later i got offered some more and it made me feel so sick...

im not sure if its just me... n how my body reacts cos the same happened with drinking vodka

i guess its up to you whether u try it....

you dont want lecturing.. im not lecturing you.. loads of people are gona think this is really bad advice..

sorry if i upset anyone

let me know how it goes...

ill be praying for you, god bless

H xxx

[Smalcald]

Hi Giaour,

I was not able to quite until I came to the realization and acceptance that there were no good or painless ways to quite, that I was in for some pain until I was over the first hump of physical withdrawal, the withdrawal is not fun. You know I tried the usual things, gum, etc, but that didn't do it for me, there was no good way to get over the physical withdrawal, accept to hunker down and realize that it would hurt and I was going to be sick and in a bad mood for about two or three weeks. The patch was not around when I quite, maybe that would help?

But once those first three weeks were over, it was easier, although still a struggle but easier. Today I have no desire at all and find the smell of cigg smoke disgusting, so it will happen for you, but it will not be fun, and it is worth it, I don't know if you have kids, but think of them, and if you don't have kids think of your future kids and their well being.

[Guest jckduboise]

I'm trying AGAIN to quit smoking.

I could use som advice from EX-smokers on how they beat the habit.

Please don't lecture me on the "evils" of smoking.

I just want some helpful hints like chewing gum etc....

Giaour,

I am a smoker and have not had the inkling to quit yet, but I have quit drinking alcohol and smoking crack cocaine.

What the Lord has taught me about myself (I put it this way because I feel that we have individual relationships with the Lord and He deals with us differently) is that I can only handle so much at a time. It took years of Him working in my life to get me to the point that I did not need to cling to those crutches/addictions anylonger. I went through a plethera of emotions that made it harder for me to quit. But when God did break those chains He did it in a manner that was slow and painless. But I had to keep calling on Him and asking for him to break the bondages. They are strong, God is stronger.

My advice to quitting any addiction is pray, pray and pray. When you've finished praying, pray some more.

The Lord never gives us more than we can handle.

Heavenly Father,

I am lifting Giaour to you in prayer. Lord Giaour wants to quit smoking but has not found a way to do it successfully. Lord provide a way for Giaour to do this in a peaceful way that puts as little stress on life for them as possible. Lord you know that breaking these chains of bondage is sometimes a process. Give Giaour what it takes to be patient with your process. Give Giaour peace in knowing that you have already won this battle and now it is simply time to wait on you.

I pray this in the name of your precious son Jesus

Amen

[Littlelite]

I appreciate the advice, I really do.

I have the motivation.

I have the support.

I pray about it.

What I don't have is the hints for curbing the actual physical craving and withdrawl symptoms.

I have smoked for 27 years, there is an actual physical addiction here.

I was a smoker for 25 yrs. When I realized that smoking was hurting me physically and that when I became a born again christian, it was the Lord that showed me what I looked like with a cigarette in my mouth witnessing for him. So I prayed about it and asked the Lord to help me with my addiction, and that I wanted to be smoke free for Him. So I set a date for quitting, and the Lord showed me ways of overcoming the cravings. After I ate I would get up and start with the dishes, or I would go outside and take in deep breaths of clean air, I drank alot of water. I broke the pattern of what triggers a cigarette with non-smoking habits. Like when the phone rang, I got me a doodle pad, and a real pretty pen and put it beside the phone, instead of smoking, I doodled. I got me a real pretty mug and glass for drinking water, and juice and I still drank coffee, I went to new places at work for break, and that was with non-smokers, everytime I saw a no smoking sign I said amen, thank you Lord, I am smoke free. every brand new morning that the Lord has given me, I always say Thank you Lord for this smoke free day. I have been smoke free now for 10 yrs. I hope this helps you some YSIC Littlelite

[traveller]

I am a smoker and have not had the inkling to quit yet, but I have quit drinking alcohol and smoking crack cocaine.

Praise the Lord, jckduboise! That's wonderful!

Giaour,

Ok, here's my story, and I hope you're not going to take it as a lecture because it's totally not. I just love telling it!

I smoked for 30 years. By the time I quit I was close to 3 packs a day. 'Course, I told everyone that at least a pack burnt up in the ashtray. I think we all have said that one. Anyway, I had made several past attempts to quit, but was terribly unsuccessful. The longest I could go was a few days at best.

For the umpteenth time it began to really nag at me to quit. This time, I prayed about it, like jckduboise says, a lot. But, I continued to smoke. Slowly, my prayers changed from "deliver me from this" to "convict me of this and please help me to understand why I should not be doing it. Help me to come into agreement with you as to why it's wrong for me." wow. Did He ever.

I started researching the origins of smoking. Don't know why, just figured I'd better have a look. The more I searched, the more I wanted to search. It suddenly became important to me as to why a person would want to take smoke into their lungs in the first place. I mean, in the very beginning of smoking they weren't doing it for peer pressure, because no one was doing it at all. So, why did it start?

The answer I came upon shocked me and made me angry. The more I thought of it, the angrier I became. I finally saw it as a sin for me. And let me repeat that - for me. That night I came to agreement with the Father that I should not be doing it. I prayed about it, asked His forgiveness over it, and asked for special strength to do what I thought must be done.

That night I had a dream, but did not recall it until I was sitting there with my morning coffee, and lit a cigarette. When I lit it, the dream flooded back into my memory. All of it, all at once. The dream was very simple, and nothing scary or life altering. But, somehow it spoke volumes to my spirit. I put the cigarette out and have never smoked another. That was several years ago, 4-6 years, I lost count.

I went through a couple of days of minor withdrawal, and on the 3rd day was on easy street. All I did was drink extra juices for the antioxidants. The Lord did the rest. He delivered me from the bad cravings and worse witthdrawals. I walked away free as a bird, and I owe it ALL to HIM.

It never ceases to amaze me. He is so good. All those times I tried to quit on my own strength was useless.

I dont really understand why some of us end up walking away from it like that and others really suffer in the initial stages. Thats why I told you my story. Perhaps it will help. I will pray for you though. I know how rough it is.

Drink lots of juice! "Specially pomegranite and cranberry. Eat lots of raw veggies. Detox, detox, detox.

[Giaour]

Good suggestions, thank you.

I have been eating sunflower seeds like crazy.

It gives me a substitute for the hand to mouth habit.

Drinking tons of water.

Chewing on straws and taking deep breaths.

I havent told anyone in my family and they havent even noticed that I'm not smoking.

I have disappointed them enough in the past, not going to do it again.

I do have the stongest urge to rip the heads off of people who dont use turn signals.

I wonder when the hostility goes away.

[Scarletprayers]

I do have the stongest urge to rip the heads off of people who dont use turn signals.

I wonder when the hostility goes away.

Oh no.................and you live in Florida...........maybe you should just give up driving for awhile!

[WayneB]

Stay away from Caffeine, Alcohol, and too much sugar and salt.

Don't be around people when they are smoking.

Change your way of doing things throughout the day. If you smoked after meals, or watching tv, etc, change that routine for new ones. Keep your mind, and hands busy on something that requires full concentration, like bicycling, weight lifting, or other mental & physical challenging stuff.

It would do quite well for you to stay away from stressful situations for at least a few weeks, as stress is the prime motivator for smoking.

Drink lots of water, and make sure you get your daily full supply of vits, lacking certain vitamins or minerals can be defeating in trying to stop smoking.

God Bless!

I quit back in 1995 doing exacting (something like) this. The KEY? Avoid the triggers that make you want a cigarette. Change your routine and you that way you won't have anything to associate with a cigarette (ie cup of coffee, newspaper and a cigarette in the morning before work...gotta give it all up.)

...AND P*R*A*Y for God to remove the desire to smoke.

[WayneB]

Good suggestions, thank you.

I have been eating sunflower seeds like crazy.

It gives me a substitute for the hand to mouth habit.

Drinking tons of water.

Chewing on straws and taking deep breaths.

I havent told anyone in my family and they havent even noticed that I'm not smoking.

I have disappointed them enough in the past, not going to do it again.

I do have the stongest urge to rip the heads off of people who dont use turn signals.

I wonder when the hostility goes away.

Sounds like you are on the road to success. After a week, supposedly the physical addiction is conquered and it's just a mental game after that. You can beat it!!! ...by the GRACE of God you will.