Successfully quit smoking

[Zeke]

So far, almost 10 months here! The self-hypno experiment is a success: zero cravings whatsoever...there has been a very rare, errant trigger for a craving but within a split-second, it vanishes completely. No cigs since, and being too close to cig smoke registers as unpleasant, almost nauseating.

In April of 2022, I got very sick with flu: whenever I got that sick, the urge to smoke was gone and this illness was over a week. When it was done, I decided to try not smoking...and made it 11 months before major stress got the best of me and I went "back on the pack". So I tried that hypno in May '23...and was stunned to experience it working. Still am. SFSG.

I remember several people who took the break from cigarettes that they had accumulated due to sickness and built on that time away from their habit as a start to their quitting smoking. When I quit my 3-4 pack a day habit I had to remind myself to quit everyday and I kept telling myself if I had even 1 cigarette I hadn’t quit anymore. This was based on my experience of having quit several times before, once for 3 years, and getting started again by thinking I had it licked, that 1 cigarette wasn’t going to hurt me. Both of my parents smoked, as did many people in the ‘50s through the ‘70s, but they both were either trying to quit or had quit by the time I decided I was way too cool not to smoke at around age 14. It’s hard to believe that I was stupid enough to start smoking when both of my parents were putting so much effort into quitting at the same time.

 

[Kirisin]

Well, congratulations! I still smoke, so I know how hard it is to give up.

I’m curious, did you find that having to wear diapers, as an adult, make quitting easier, or, harder?

I occasionally get severe anxiety and have some other issues, so, for me, especially from a mental health standpoint, trying to accept I wear diapers now, and dealing with my diaper needs, has made even the thought of giving up cigarettes, totally overwhelming.

Diapers had no bearing or link to smoking. What makes quiting so hard is the 400+ chemicals your not giving your body anymore. Those chemicals are where all that dependence Comes from. Even quit for 15 years now I still hauk up a lung that. That stuff is so sticky. No I quit for my wife first and foremost. She has asthma so it's hard on her. I quit for me and we'll 100 bucks a carton was just to much. I was chain smoke 3 packs a day so you can see how 200 doller cost was just ridiculously expensive. If it gets harder then you can handle call 1-800-quit-no they will pay for Chantax then get the script from your doctor it helped me

 

[ben0510]

you need to be careful when you stop smoking. you tend to enjoy your food more and so slowly start to put on weight. its the same as any life style change. talk to others that have done the same, but above all talk to your doctor.

 

[BobbiSueEllen]

I remember several people who took the break from cigarettes that they had accumulated due to sickness and built on that time away from their habit as a start to their quitting smoking. When I quit my 3-4 pack a day habit I had to remind myself to quit everyday and I kept telling myself if I had even 1 cigarette I hadn’t quit anymore. This was based on my experience of having quit several times before, once for 3 years, and getting started again by thinking I had it licked, that 1 cigarette wasn’t going to hurt me. Both of my parents smoked, as did many people in the ‘50s through the ‘70s, but they both were either trying to quit or had quit by the time I decided I was way too cool not to smoke at around age 14. It’s hard to believe that I was stupid enough to start smoking when both of my parents were putting so much effort into quitting at the same time.

That's why I decided to try hypno: quitting smoking by the more-popular ways is a hard thing to do, I've tried. I see so much propaganda on TV about it, hear so much self-righteous influencing about it...I tried their ways...short or long, it never held. I got desperate.

And desperation isn't always a weakness; sometimes it can drive you to new options. By this time, I was in a corner: I was hating the taste but still lighting up. So...I went for broke, went outside, lit up, focused on a beautiful tree-ridge in Kentucky, played a dual role of doc/patient, finished up before that cig was done. Put the cig out. I was a yo-yo of "urge-hit/get-up/urge-gone/as-you-were" for over a week...after that it was done. That 5-to-7-minute fix ended up being the best fix in my life.

It works, if that's what you're daring enough to try. Not saying "daring" in a risky or not-kosher way but an "I'm tired of failing, I'm trying this next" kinda way. Zero temptation or hiccups since...and I don't remind myself everyday as to "why I quit", there's nothing to fight...it's over. My mind's free. It's the next best thing to commiting a major crime with a clear conscience afterward.

Struggling to stay fed is one thing: you need food...you don't need cigs and it shouldn't be a lifetime struggle to stay off. Get it 100% out of your mind. Think about this way...it's worth a shot.

 

[Kirisin]

I remember several people who took the break from cigarettes that they had accumulated due to sickness and built on that time away from their habit as a start to their quitting smoking. When I quit my 3-4 pack a day habit I had to remind myself to quit everyday and I kept telling myself if I had even 1 cigarette I hadn’t quit anymore. This was based on my experience of having quit several times before, once for 3 years, and getting started again by thinking I had it licked, that 1 cigarette wasn’t going to hurt me. Both of my parents smoked, as did many people in the ‘50s through the ‘70s, but they both were either trying to quit or had quit by the time I decided I was way too cool not to smoke at around age 14. It’s hard to believe that I was stupid enough to start smoking when both of my parents were putting so much effort into quitting at the same time.

Hay Zeke your 100% right. First off there is an old saying anyone can be a father but takes a special man to be a dad. I had such a dad. That may not sound right in this conversation but here it goes. Dad was an alcoholic. When he quit drinking they called him a recovering alcoholic. So when I quit using drugs they called me a recovering addict. The reason they used these terms was because it only takes 1 beer or one line or 1 hit. So when dad quit smoking we said he was a recovering smoker. This helped encourage him to keep going keep trying keep at it. He smoked for 60 years and is 10 kids watched him die from smoking. His last act of love was that thru his death he got us kids to quit to. Well 9 of us did. I guess what I'm saying here is you need a support line. Someone to talk to on those hard days or hard minutes. We used a counter that counted how many days we hadn't smoked. It would tell you how many cigarettes you havnt smoked how much money you saved and best of all how much life you saved. That helped encouraged me stay quit. Quintet is no longer active but I bet there is an app or a support group like ADISC somewhere. And hay honestly anyone who is or trying to quit sounds like there are a few here who have made it a battle to be a recovering smoker. Where all here to help. There is an app called Quit Tracker in play store you might try out.

 

[Zeke]

Hay Zeke your 100% right. First off there is an old saying anyone can be a father but takes a special man to be a dad. I had such a dad. That may not sound right in this conversation but here it goes. Dad was an alcoholic. When he quit drinking they called him a recovering alcoholic. So when I quit using drugs they called me a recovering addict. The reason they used these terms was because it only takes 1 beer or one line or 1 hit. So when dad quit smoking we said he was a recovering smoker. This helped encourage him to keep going keep trying keep at it. He smoked for 60 years and is 10 kids watched him die from smoking. His last act of love was that thru his death he got us kids to quit to. Well 9 of us did. I guess what I'm saying here is you need a support line. Someone to talk to on those hard days or hard minutes. We used a counter that counted how many days we hadn't smoked. It would tell you how many cigarettes you havnt smoked how much money you saved and best of all how much life you saved. That helped encouraged me stay quit. Quintet is no longer active but I bet there is an app or a support group like ADISC somewhere. And hay honestly anyone who is or trying to quit sounds like there are a few here who have made it a battle to be a recovering smoker. Where all here to help. There is an app called Quit Tracker in play store you might try out.

I had the ability to rationalize all kinds of reasons why I could have a cigarette without it hurting me, but I managed not to act on them. When I quit Memorial Day weekend 1985 I was driving truck long haul and had just completed an oversized load to Long Beach from Michigan with a another of our drivers. We had to shut down every night due to oversized restrictions and the other driver’s wife had gotten him a color TV for his truck for Christmas so we would drink a few beers and watch his TV every night. He would rag on me about my smoking being he was a “recovering smoker” and I would give him a hard time about all the tobacco he chewed. He chewed Skoal and all you could smell in his truck was the wintergreen that was added to the chewing tobacco. He had replaced one bad habit with another that was nearly as bad. We ended up getting out of California with two loads going to Texas and after having heard his bitching about my smoking for several days I finally decided to quit again. My daughter had just been born a little over a month earlier and I decided that I didn’t want her exposed to my second hand smoke and so I quit about half way across Arizona. I had quit for 2 days by the time he noticed that I wasn’t smoking anymore. Driving long haul in pre smartphone days I didn’t have an app or anyone to encourage me to stick to quitting, but still managed to remain committed to it. Now I’m one of those reformed smokers that drive those who are still smokers nuts with my constant nagging about their smoking. Your family did well for 9 out of 10 of your siblings to have freed themselves from the addiction of cigarettes.

 

[Tomtomthedl]

Me and the wife finally kicked the Habit about 10 years ago I guess now. Best decision we ever made. Definitely save you some extra cash at the end of the week. Congratulations on you quitting. Keep up the good job

 

[Tine]

I haven't had a craving for a cigarettes close to a year now with the exception at my best friend funeral last month and I didn't even wanted to finish it. I've try many times off and on over the years but I think I really did it this time. I think the biggest thing that helps was changing my work environment not only was there last smoker around me and second not really having time for smoke breaks. I got to say I am starting to feel healthier. I'm able to breather and I have a lot more stamina than I did before. I say the one down side is I've started to eat more so I've started to suck on Lifesavers to help carve my appetite. All and all I'm really proud of myself and really glad I was able to brack the habit before I gave myself lung cancer or something and not to mention the money I've saving.

Congratulations on kicking this especially tenacious habit Matt!
When I realized I was smoking cigarettes (As a teenager) because I wanted the chemical rush/high, rather than to just 'Look cool' like all the other guys, I immediately ended the cigarette I'd just lit, handed my mostly full pack to a friend, and ditched them entirely. All my friends thought I'd lost my mind, but I truly hated the lingering reek of cigarettes when around people who were addicted and smoked all the time, and even back in the early 80's the bad side effects and long term problems with this habit were known. I didn't want lung cancer, having seen numerous family members (Or those of my friends) die from that.
I will admit however, to being addicted to pipe smoking (Tobacco folks. I don't play with MJ (Another tossed teenage affection)). I don't smoke often, maybe once a week, a couple of bowls for a few days, and then I 'Retire' my pipe (Sometimes for years), only to return. I DO like the aroma of pipe smoke (This has to come from my grandfather(s), when I was a kid, as that's the only other time I remember seeing people smoke pipes), and it's something of a vanity I suppose, as holding a pipe, actually enjoying the aroma/flavor of the leaf just settles me in ways nothing else can.
Frankly, I don't know how anyone can afford cigarettes these days? From a quarter/pack, I nearly broke my lower jaw last time I was in the store, and saw individual packs selling for almost twnety dollars?! Insane!

 

[Kellycares]

Diapers had no bearing or link to smoking. What makes quiting so hard is the 400+ chemicals your not giving your body anymore. Those chemicals are where all that dependence Comes from. Even quit for 15 years now I still hauk up a lung that. That stuff is so sticky. No I quit for my wife first and foremost. She has asthma so it's hard on her. I quit for me and we'll 100 bucks a carton was just to much. I was chain smoke 3 packs a day so you can see how 200 doller cost was just ridiculously expensive. If it gets harder then you can handle call 1-800-quit-no they will pay for Chantax then get the script from your doctor it helped me

Well, thanks for the kind response and information. I know you mean well. I usually have great willpower and excellent self-discipline in all things. Except smoking. I have used up my life time allotment of “QuitPlan” programs with my health insurance long azgo, but I am still smoking. And, the side effects of the quit smoking aid you mentioned are far too real and strong for me.

Good thing you quit, based on just the cost alone. Cigarettes are now $120 a carton, and I have to buy 3, and occasionally 4, cartons a month. So, my cigarettes cost even 2-3 times as much now, as our adult diapers do. But, I still enjoy smoking, and for a number of other reasons, I’m going to continue to do so.

So,we will just have to “endeavor to perservere”, as mental health is important too.

 

[Andrewgdfw]

Cigarettes are now $120 a carton, and I have to buy 3, and occasionally 4, cartons a month. So, my cigarettes cost even 2-3 times as much now, as our adult diapers do.

I'm taken aback by those current cigarette costs you list. (I quit smoking long ago.):

Wow !! --- Inflation sucks loud !!

$120/carton @ 10 packs/carton = $12.00/pack @ 20 cigarettes/pack = $0.60/a smoke ???

Is my packaging count and factoring correct ?

I didn't even add regional and/or local taxes to the figures above. That could mean yet
another 10% to 15% cost increase to the consumer.

 

[DBabygirl2]

I'm taken aback by those current cigarette costs you list. (I quit smoking long ago.):

Wow !! --- Inflation sucks loud !!

$120/carton @ 10 packs/carton = $12.00/pack @ 20 cigarettes/pack = $0.60/a smoke ???

Is my packaging count and factoring correct ?

I didn't even add regional and/or local taxes to the figures above. That could mean yet
another 10% to 15% cost increase to the consumer.

Idk bc I don’t smoke anymore.

 

[Growler0128]

I haven't had a craving for a cigarettes close to a year now with the exception at my best friend funeral last month and I didn't even wanted to finish it. I've try many times off and on over the years but I think I really did it this time. I think the biggest thing that helps was changing my work environment not only was there last smoker around me and second not really having time for smoke breaks. I got to say I am starting to feel healthier. I'm able to breather and I have a lot more stamina than I did before. I say the one down side is I've started to eat more so I've started to suck on Lifesavers to help carve my appetite. All and all I'm really proud of myself and really glad I was able to brack the habit before I gave myself lung cancer or something and not to mention the money I've saving.

i stopped smoking close to 2pks a day with hypnosis. go to a professional who does this. the junk on tv/movies is not real. i quit and went to work and had folks blow smoke in my face..NO DESIRES. smoked hookah SAME RESULT. worth checking in too. i told the DR i didn't want withdrawals and had none.

 

[Pamperhead]

Congratulations on quitting! I am also a former smoker and had to have a heart attack before I could get myself to finally quit! But I do not have any desire to smoke now. The cost savings for me was around $300 per month. And that was living in the cradle of cigarette land- Richmond, Virginia. Home of Phillip Morris!! Home of the Marlboro Man.

Smoking was a part of my identity and part of my every day life. It was something that I liked and for a while I had no desire to even think about quitting. But one day I thought I would start to quit and then I went on for the next 25 YEARS struggling internally with the addiction to nicotine and smoking and trying to quit until as I mentioned above, I nearly went over the rainbow.

I feel for all that are trying their best to kick the habit. Keep trying!! It is soooo worth it!!!

 

[matt1989]

Congratulations on quitting! I am also a former smoker and had to have a heart attack before I could get myself to finally quit! But I do not have any desire to smoke now. The cost savings for me was around $300 per month. And that was living in the cradle of cigarette land- Richmond, Virginia. Home of Phillip Morris!! Home of the Marlboro Man.

Smoking was a part of my identity and part of my every day life. It was something that I liked and for a while I had no desire to even think about quitting. But one day I thought I would start to quit and then I went on for the next 25 YEARS struggling internally with the addiction to nicotine and smoking and trying to quit until as I mentioned above, I nearly went over the rainbow.

I feel for all that are trying their best to kick the habit. Keep trying!! It is soooo worth it!!!

It's a test of willpower I ain't going to lie. My biggest advice anybody is trying is don't give up. If you brake down and end up by another pack don't take it as defeat that goes the same for any addictions.

 

[Zeke]

I have been a smoker since I was about 16. That was a long time ago ..in the early 80s. Fast forward to last Friday, when my partner had to take me to the hospital, because I couldn't breathe. The interim diagnosis is COPD, and further tests on the 26th will show damage, and a plan for the future. One reality, is that I know smokes are a primary contributor...then there is my work in construction that makes it worse. Anyhow, I have reduced to about 5 a day (yeah .I. still stupid). But I am cutting one out every day. I know it's a necessity. Not an easy thing, but important. Kudos for quitting and staying away...I am on your heals, and looking forward to being smoke free by the end of this coming week.

Keep it up!!

Some people can quit ‘cold turkey’, many can’t but ANY WAY you manage to quit smoking is a great way. Even though many ex-smokers wouldn’t commend you for cutting down to 5 cigarettes a day it’s a start in the right direction. With all the quitting aids that are available today, the nicotine gum, hypnosis, pills combined with even a modicum of desire a person with an addiction prone nature as mind can quit. The withdrawal symptoms are easily managed it’s the habit that’s the hard part to deal with. We often associate smoking with an activity or the end of an activity and that habit of the hand and mouth movement of a cigarette can be every bit as bad to overcome as the nicotine addiction. The mouth stimulation cigarettes provide is why many find gum helpful.