Nicotine Withdrawal + Shopping = Bad Idea

[tollbaby]

Good for you on wanting to give it up. Word of advice, don't give up smoking cold turkey. Friend of mine just did it, and she's been 56 days without a cigarette by sticking to the gum. The gum is designed to slowly wean your body of its "need" for the nicotine.

Incidentally, using a smoking cessation aid, such as the gum, is not considered quitting cold turkey :P

I'm extremely lucky that, while it's very easy for me to get addicted to things, it's usually not that hard for me to quit once I put my mind to it. I quit drinking on my 19th birthday (after realizing that I was drinking WAYYYYYYY too much and that I couldn't stop myself once I started - Now I can have the occasional few sips of wine, and that's all I drink... like once every several months maybe). I started smoking when I was 18, quit when I was 19. Then started up again when I was 22. When I got pregnant with my son six months later, I quit immediately (cold turkey both times). But then I was never a very heavy smoker. I'd usually smoke half a pack per day. Four weeks ago, I quit caffeine. It's difficult, because I have to adapt myself to actually getting enough sleep, and the first week was HORRIBLE (I was falling asleep all over the place, and ye gads, the headaches!). Now I feel a lot better, my body is more hydrated (because I'm drinking water instead of diet coke), and my digestion is a lot easier - I have chronic heartburn and a hiatal hernia that gives me reflux problems, but that's been reduced drastically since cutting out the caffeine

I suppose you could say I quit tv as well... I don't watch tv, and haven't since I moved out of the house I shared with my now-ex-husband. I'm just not interested. I watch movies (on DVD... I rarely watch tv movies, because i never know what's on), and my kids watch cartoons before bed, but when they're asleep or at their dad's house, the tv is turned off (except I check the weather channel before I leave the house every morning). I've tried watching tv a few times in the last three years, but it almost feels like my brain is dying when I do LOL I can do it if I'm also knitting or reading or working on cross-stitch, but I can't just watch tv.

Good luck quitting smoking the day you decide you WANT to quit (as opposed to you SHOULD quit), it will be MUCH easier. That's why my ex keeps failing at it. He knows he should, but he really LIKES smoking and doesn't want to give it up.

[garth1]

Incidentally, using a smoking cessation aid, such as the gum, is not considered quitting cold turkey :P

Has anybody thought of it this way; "once you stubbed out that butt, you have already quit, the question is, do I want to START again?

[Becks]

And he used to go through a lighter a day.

I didn't think that was possible.

[tollbaby]

I didn't think that was possible.

My ex-husband does it occasionally.... but he has a tendency to misplace our CHILDREN on occasion, so losing lighters is nothing special He doesn't EMPTY one in a day though.

[draftermatt]

I didn't think that was possible.

Riding in the car with this man was an adventure. Every couple of minutes you would hear the lighter flick. When he tried to quit (before the heart attack) his kids would beg him to start again he was being such a jerk.

[blas]

Last winter, one of the "cliques" in the inspection department 3rd shift decided to quit smoking. I think part of the reason is because it was nearly 30 below for a week straight with the windchill every night.

They were already crotchety angry bitter old bastards......them without their cigarettes made them a hundred times more crotchety, more angry, more bastardly bitter old fucks.....

One of my coworkers got a prescription for Wellbutrin (it's an anti depressant but has been shown to help quit smoking) and hasn't touched a cigarette since April.

[Becks]

My ex-husband does it occasionally.... but he has a tendency to misplace our CHILDREN on occasion, so losing lighters is nothing special He doesn't EMPTY one in a day though.

Oh, LOSING lighters. OK. That I can understand.

[Mark Healey]

One of my coworkers got a prescription for Wellbutrin (it's an anti depressant but has been shown to help quit smoking) and hasn't touched a cigarette since April.

Zyban is Wellbutrin, just rebranded. What sucks about it is that it only works on 1/3 of the population and there is no telling who is in that 1/3 until they try it. I'm not in that third and when I started it I smoked 5 packs on the first day.

[Banrion]

From what I know of the Chantix, a) it actally blocks the nicotine before absorbtion vs wellbutrin which prevents the uptake of the dopamine created by the nicotine receptors, b) they allow you to smoke for the first week so that you learn firsthand that smoking no longer works for what you get out of it (ie relaxation, stress relief, mild high). There is also a counciling and support program built into it which you can do online through the drug manufacturer or with a Dr. or other qualified personnel. 44% of chantix users stayed smoke free for a year after treatment vs 29% for bupropion (wellbutrin).

[Phoenix79]

I quit cold turkey on August 21, 2006.

It's my birthday, and I decided a couple of weeks before that day that I was going to quit smoking. I had planned on buying the patch, but when the date rolled around I was broke. Soooo, I quit anyway!!

I was a terrible witch for about three weeks (thank goodness for a loving husband!). What kept me from smoking when I would get a craving was reminding myself that it only takes one drag to start the withdrawal process all over again. I only want to deal with that kind of frustration once in my lifetime, thank you very much!!

Before I quit, I was smoking a pack a day. After about two months, I didn't really get cravings often at all. Now that it's been almost a year . . . I honestly don't get cravings for a ciggie unless something stressful happens.

Keep trying . . . you'll get there eventually!!

Phoenix

[ArenaBoy]

My dad quit smoking not too long ago. He said he was getting sick of wasting money and sick of sitting in his office doing nothing but that. I am glad that I moved out before he quit; he quit cold turkey and he has a rather short temper and while he didn't freak out my mom and sister had to tread very carefully.

Good luck by the way! A thing my dad did was keep a jar of the money he would've spent on cigs. He was surprised.

[Shabo]

A thing my dad did was keep a jar of the money he would've spent on cigs. He was surprised.

I tried to convince someone to quit smoking. She was complaining about how she never had any money to buy clothes, and I told her that since she smoked 2 packs a week, at about $5 per pack, that's $10 per week, or $40 per month. Which is enough for 2-3 shirts, depending on where you go, or a pair of jeans. Her response? "I don't really feel like quitting, so I won't." *cue sarcasm* This wonderful human being is now my sister in law. */sarcasm* And yes, my brother smokes too.

[Bagga]

Giving up smoking...

A friend of mine managed to give up smoking by sucking a Victory V lozenge every time she wanted a cigarette. Victory V lozenges taste weird, like cough medicine with creosote added. In the end she started smoking again because she realised that she was eating 6 to 8 ounces of the lozenges every day, which was probably far worse for her than smoking.

[Der Cute]

My mom was a long term smoker...she tried to quit, many times, but using Nicorette (when it first was script only!) she just kept on the gum.

She then tried to substitute regular chewing gum for the Nicorette, but that wasn't so helpful....I remember bunches of little wrappers and gum packs all over the house lol.

What finally did the trick was hypnosis. She said she is not sure exactly WHAT the hypnotist replaced smoking with, but when she wants a cig, the want "flicks off" right after it starts.

I think that's just neato.

Some people are easier than others to hypnotize. I'm one of the not easys.

Hon, have you looked into your current health insurance? Lately there's a lot of assistance with quitting smoking and changing smoking habits in insurance packages. Also contact your HR and ask, there might be a 3rd party support group/program that's funded by work but not built into insurance.

Also start asking yourself: WHY do I have to stick a ciggy in my mouth? What exactly am I doing? Am I soothing an anger? Stopping hunger? I am dealing with something, what is it....get to the root.

Create lots and lots of skinny stick things to put in mouth; NOT CHIPS! Carrot stix, celery, cucumber slicings.... chew on a pencil....fiddle with in hand.....chew on gum...

From reading I remember that almost every smoker is about 8 # underweight: due to sticking a ciggy in instead of food.

You may gain weight. Understand this. Prep for your battle, and have the veggies there. Also work on your vitamins - if you've been smoking this damn long, you probably are somewhat off on vitamins. Make yourself as healthy as possible during the quit so that you feel X times better than just stopping smoking.

Good Luck, and we're right behind you, inhaling that nice clean air.

Cutenoob

[Boozy]

Thank you, Cutenoob! That's some really good advice.

I quit smoking before, cold turkey. I had one puff about six months ago and was instantly addicted again. I couldn't believe it. I didn't mean to take it up again, but after that one drag, I kept telling myself, "I'm facing withdrawal again. I can't do it again. It was too hard the first time."

So I'll know better next time. As far as weight gain, I could stand to gain about ten or fifteen pounds. In fact, my husband's looking forward to it.