wanna be smoke free

[Floridays]

I absolutely HATE needles, but I have tried everything to quit smoking, with no luck. Some co-workers and customers have used acupuncture to quit...they claim that it works. Hmmm.

What is your take on the idea? Any experiences to share?

 

[el Guapo]

I quit about 20 times before it worked. My problem was I thought I could handle one or two every now and then. Once I took the AA approach and realized I was a cig junkie it got better. Good luck. I've been smoke free for about 4 years now and I KNOW I'll never go back.

 

[Planderella]

It took my mom a 4-day hospital stay and an emphysema scare (turned out to be a case of severe asthma) to quit smoking after 20+ years. As for me, I've never had the will or desire to smoke.

 

[BKM]

At least you are seriously trying. I've never really tried to stop MY addictions. Good Luck!

 

[Rumpy Tunanator]

All this talk about smoking is making me want to smoke one now 8-!

I've thought about quitting but they way things are going it may be a while before I get around to it. Vitamin N and A and C go hand in hand.

If you want to quit anything, do it cold turkey by going to some remote location for a week where none of your vices can be found.

 

[Gedunker]

I promised my son I'd quit before my 44th birthday, in about 3-1/2 months.

Every time I've tried in the past, that headache/woosiness that sets in with the first few hours nic-free drove me up a wall. Now I'm going to use the mantra "$4.00 a pack, $4.00 a pack, $4.00 a pack" and see if that works. ;-)

I personally cannot handle any type of needle, so acupuncture is not an option for me. Whatever you choose, good luck.

 

[nerudite]

I love acupuncture.... never been a ciggy smoker though, so I couldn't tell you about that. I have a fear of needles (like syringes) as well... the acupuncture stuff isn't really needles it's incredibly thin wire-like pins that you can't really feel. I love acupuncture now, but was totally afraid of it when I started.

 

[Maister]

I haven't personally had to deal with any struggle with nicotine addicition. The only cigarettes I've ever given up were, shall we say....unfiltered. So take it for what its worth. However, a good friend of mine recently gave up smoking after years of abortive half-hearted attempts to quit and he finally succeeded using that nicotine gum whenever he got the urge. I must have seen him with 20 packs of gumaround - 5 in the car, 5 in the kitchen, 5 at his desk, 5 at the office.

 

[michaelskis]

Acupuncture would freak me out… I never got into the smoking thing, but I can say that I would try to quit cold turkey on a regular day. Instead of waiting till Monday start right away. I once heard some one ask When is NOW a good time? I think that if you just do it and not wait for anything to stop, then go about your day, at the end of the day you can step back, and look at all that you have succeeded with out a cigarette. Also, set a Goal = prize / Slipping = Punishment plan. If you can go x number of days without a smoke, you will do something that you would otherwise not do, but if you slip, not only do you not get your prize and have to start all over, you would have to do something that is not so fun. I would recommend having to volunteer to work at a hospital in the emphysema ward. Seeing what problems smoking could cause to people might just scare it out of you. (click here) I would also suggest that you sit down, and figure out how much money goes into paying for cigarettes, and setup a direct deposit (of that amount per pay period) into a new account at a credit union. It may not be a lot right off the start, but you will soon see all the money you are saving, and you will have the ability to use it for your prize (such as going to a playoff hockey game or something cool like that. BUT if you slip, you have to spend ALL of that money on a donation to the emphysema ward of your local hospital.


Also drink a ton of water! (every time you crave, drink 3 glasses of water)

 

[GeogPlanner]

Also drink a ton of water! (every time you crave, drink 3 glasses of water)

Yeah, you'll be so busy taking a splash, you won't have time to light up!

 

[giff57]

I had a friend that tried everything, and quit by using Zyban. It has the plus of being an anidepressant as well. Good luck