Do You Have Any Tips On How To Stop Smoking

Falling in love would be nice but not likely. I know I can do it. Tomrrow is the big preperation day, and then on Trukey day no smokes. Tahnkfully I will be at my Aunt's in Dallas and none of them smoke so the first day will probably go OK. It is the 2nd and 3rd that are critical I think.

5 days and much of the need is gone, go 2 week and the physical stuff is all behind you, the desire, sigh that takes a lot longer. Stick with it and the very best - BTW, you can have some of my love if it helps

Wow, thank you, your love is welcome.

Joanne...

A couple of years after I'd quit smoking, my father in law died. While he was in the hospital, the man sharing his room was dying of lung cancer...This was several years ago, but at the time the medication of choice for pain was morphine. This poor man never seemed to have enough in his system and the pain he suffered was awful. Watching his wife suffer in her own kind of pain while at his side was almost as bad. He died in the hospital within about a month, and left behind a couple of young but grown children and a very prestigious teaching job at a nearby university...I believe he was only in his 50's...

After all you've been through in your life, this should be one of the easier things that you'll have to do for yourself, and I know you can handle it. I know you can. Just keep yourself busy, especially your hands, and have something in mind to do at the times of day (& night) when you would normally have a smoke. Plan it out in advance so you won't get caught without your substitute activity. Drink lots of water...it helps.

Remember, you can do it!

And, have a good Thanksgiving!

I was smoking abt 10 a day for the last 15 yrs. It was only when I started getting completely out of breath after 45 mins of football, I decided to quit (or was it happening because I turned 30 ?)

I quit smoking this year in March - it was difficult. I used Nicotine lozenges and they really helped.

I still enjoy an occasional cigar though !!

I'm a reformed smoker as well. I used acupuncture, which worked remarkably well, but is a little bit expensive.

In Europe a couple of years ago, I took it up again. Sigh. What a mistake, but when I got home, after a few weeks, I just said, ENOUGH.

I'm sure I could take it up and start again with very little pressure, but I would worry about my health. My lungs are meant for singing, not smoking nasty cigarettes.

I thought the price of cigarettes would discourage most sane people to quit! FYI, I just returned from a cruise to South America, and they are selling five cartons of cigarettes for $67. If I knew cigarettes were not harmful, I would have bought it to give it to some people I know that still smokes, but..... It took me three cold-turkeys before I was able to quit for good. It's a nasty habit, and expensive too! c.i.

Matrix's story reminded me of a retired professor I met last year on a trip to Tanzania and Kenya. He quit some years ago, but now suffers from emphysema, and can't handle slight elevations where the oxygen is thinner. Short walks make him wheeze, and coughs are a normal condition. What surprises me more is that his wife, also a retired professor, still smokes. It's really sad. They invited me to join them for a trip to South Africa last April, so I was happy to join them. c.i.

Cost is a big factor for me. The cost and the smell and the inconvience of having to go without because most places are non-smoking now. And most of all I hate letting something as stupid as a ciegertte have so much control over me.

You've got the right idea Joanne!

I remember a man in a hospital, who had had a tracheotomy. He positioned the cigarette in the hole in his throat, in order to smoke.

Now that's addiction!

Eeeek, I cetainly do not want to go there.

I quit smoking "cold turkey" in 1986, which was about the only way to do it then.

Almost 17 years later, I still have the desire for a smoke. Nicotine is so highly addictive that I believe its remnants constantly serenade my brain.

I know, though, that one cigarette would lead me right back to a two-pack
a day habit. No thanks, especially since the price of cigarettes is staggering now compared with their cost in '86.

I had my last cigarette at 2 PM on 14 September 1999. What made me give them up was the sight of a 75 year old man, in hospital, who had so much fluid in his lungs that his arms, hands and legs were extremely swollen. He had to resort to an oxygen mask fairly often. He had a cough that made one ill to listen to. I asked what caused the fluid in his lungs and he told me that it was smoking. He told me he had stopped smoking 25 years before, when he was fifty. I immediately stopped smoking. He dies two months later of drowning in his own fluid. It was very difficult to stop and I could happily smoke one now. However, what you gain in saving money on not smoking is spent it on new clothes, as you gain weight.

Sorry, I should have said that the only way to stop smoking is to want to. No advertising gimmicks are effective if you have to resort to such means. Cold Turkey is the only way. A visit to the Geriatric Ward of you local hospital will provide a partial incentive.

Tommy- I went for Thanksgiving dinner to my sister-in-law's house. She smokes like a chimney. Her husband died of lung cancer.

She is the kind of person who refuses to go to the doctor. Because of her smoking, she looks older than my husband, who is actually over five years older than her.

I got into a discussion with HER daughter-in-law, with whom she is very close. It seems that my sister-in-law (who is skinny as a rail, and has skin like leather) is having trouble with her lungs, but she refuses to go to the doctor to take any tests. If you ask her how she is doing, all she will answer is, "fine".

I feel very sad about this, but since she is stubborn as a mule, there is really nothing that I can do about it!

Hey, Joanne...
How are you doing? We're still thinking about you here.

How grumpy am I, very. Do I feel better - I suppose so. This is pure agony.

All normal. It gets better...It really does! Just go with it. And, remember, we're all here, so if you need to bitch about something in order to keep from picking up another cigarette, then come here and do it...We'll all understand.

Mainly I am dealing with it by drinking a lot of water and sleeping. This is a very painful experience.

Drinking lots of water does help keep your body hydrated and flush all of the bad things away.

As for the "pain"...remember all that you've gone through so far if you get the urge to smoke, and then remember that if you start again, you'll have to go through all of this "pain" again to get where you are now...The first week or so is the worst, then you kind of get a little more used to it as the days and weeks go by. Just hang in there!

At first, the smell of fresh cigarette smoke drove me nuts, but now, I can't stand it. And, the smell of stale cigarette smoke makes me want to puke. It takes a little while, but after your body adjusts, you'll start noticing that foods actually taste better, and things like flowers really smell nicer than you thought they did when the smoke was masking their aromas. And, one of the best things is that you will end up having more energy and you will feel healthier. Plus you probably won't be as susceptible to catching colds once you quit smoking.

Believe in yourself, Joanne...You CAN do this!