Stopping Smoking

Triton

I know there's a health forum but I thought this would get more readers here. Basically, my gf is trying to quit smoking. Any ideas what's the best way for her too?

angeldelight

Get her to go and talk to a pharmacist. Depending on how many she smokes, when worst cravings are, if she's tried before they'll recommend different products, also can give advice etc. Also my dad tried hypnotherapy after smoking 40 a day for over 20 years, came out 5 years ago and has never even wanted to smoke one since. That said my mum went to the same guy and smoked one in the car coming home! Partly I think cause she went in not believing it'd work. Anyways best of luck to her

Dimitri

There are a few links in pi but quitting is damn near impossible if you've nothing to replace it with i've tried a few times and failed miserably, i tried cold turkey, gum and the inhaler.

Sleepy

Cold Turkey is the best means of doing it judging from the successful ex-smokers I know. No matter what you try to replace it with, nothing beats old-fashioned willpower.

joejoem

There was a thread on this yesterday,


Im so happy I found out how to use a hyperlink

shellby

i'm reading a book by alan carr the only to quit smoking and so far it has been extremely effective, it shows that quitting isn't difficult that it's actually enjoyable.
thats why i don't like hearing people say that it "impossible" thats why so few try to quit and even less suceed
get her to read the book she can even smoke while she is reading so it is just reprogramming the way she looks at smoking and it works plenty of people i know have quit after reading it and have done so with out any cravings or willpower required

Oriel

I think there's a sticky on the PI thread.

Supercell

See http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=290226 , the Allen Carr book is the cheapest most effective way to quit imho, I just stopped after reading it ..was a heavy smoker for about 15 years or so.

Endurance Man

Good old willpower is the only way to do it in the end :rolleyes: .
HUGE warning, if she goes out drinking, that willpower just gets thrown right out the window, u have to be very strong to drink and not want a smoke, i think its actually impossible. I stopped going out for month and a half in order to stop, its crap but if u wanna be healthy .

AdMMM

I just used the old willpower technique. Although the fact that I had no disposable income at the time also helped!

pwd

I quit for months at a go several times and always went back on them.
Now I have quit since early 2003, with only very slight lapses.

Generally I would replace cigarettes with something. Food, sex, intense exercise, drink all work as substitutes I found. Using drink as a substitute is incredibly foolish though. A lot of people do start drinking a lot more when they give up so maybe it is something to watch.

Previously I started smoking again because I was very stressed and really wanted them, or because I was hanging around with a lot of people who smoked.

I have wanted them a fair bit recently for various reasons. This time I have started long-distance running with defined goals, and have put reasonable effort into raising my aerobic fitness. The knowledge that taking up smoking again will counteract my hard work strongly influences my decision and resolve to stay off them for good.

I also really hate those ads that say how hard it is to quit smoking. They make me want cigarettes more than ads for cigarettes themselves. It is better if you tell yourself that it is not hard to quit, for purely psychological reasons.

Quitting smoking is likely to turn you into a complete asshole for a couple of months, or leave you at something of an emotional flatline, so it is probably a good idea to choose your time to quit carefully.

Oriel

You only stop smoking if you really to want to stop. And that's when willpower comes into play.
I'm stopping at the moment. I've come to a compromise with myself - I only smoke when I drink now - even at that, it's usually only about 5 in the course of a night.
Then, when I've been doing this for a while, I'm going to cut down on my drinking...which I should probably do before the smoking...

S.

Pal

Allen Carr - successful for first time quitters. doesn't work so well after any relapse.

Cold Turkey - good luck if you can do it. very few can.

Gum/Patches - daft idea. Why would anybody prescribe the same drug you are addicted to.

Zyban - Highly effective but expensive.

Triton

She got Nicquitin CQ patches Tuesday and started yesterday morning. She's using lollipops to combat the need for something in her hands. She reckons she was grand until she got home last night and saw her friend in the house smoking.

She's planning to use the patches for a week and then try it for real. I'm a bit worried about Saturday night though because she's going to a 21st and all her friends smoke when drinking or smoke.

Its gonna be hard for her when she moves back to college too because she lives in a house with 7 girls and they all smoke.

Endurance Man

Its impossible , i went out last nite with some m8's (first time in a while since stopping), and i couldnt resist while i was drunk . I only had 3 but woke up and wanted to kick myself in the head.
Doesnt mean im starting again though .

maeve49

Willpower is defiantely the key, I gave up a year and a half ago and I have never looked back. Basically I had to say to myself I couldn't afford to smoke anymore (had just got a mortgage) so that was a really big motivational factor. You have to reward yourself for not smoking and take each day at a time, congratulate yourself for everyday that you don't smoke and keep some reward in mind. It is tough but keep going with it you will fall off the wagon every now and again, but keep going with it. I did find I drank a lot more initially after quitting so you need to watch that too!! :rolleyes:

Flukey

Definitely a bit of will power and common sense. The first bit of common sense is to realise that it is the smoking that gives you the craving, not the not smoking. If you have a real craving for a cigarette the best way to get rid of it is not to smoke. Smoking just restarts the craving all over again, not get rid of it. It'll be hard and the craving will get bad, but if she really wants to get rid of it, and she definitely will, then the way to do it is not to have that cigarette. Just keep reminding her of that.

loopyloo

Alan Carr.

i read the book for a laugh with no intentions of giving them up.
i ended up throwing away 18 fags and now i get sick if is smell smoke.
i had no withdrawal symptoms and had no desire to go back on them that was 3 years ago.

newgrange

When she wants to, she will be able to. No amount of cajoling will help - it's up to her.
I found this prog helpful when I felt like I might be wavering:
http://mwilden.com/QuitTime/
5y 8m 1w 4d 19:02 smoke-free
104,086 cigs not smoked
€18,215.05 saved (this is prob underestimated as it's based on the price when I quit)
11m 3w 6d 09:50 life saved

The other thing to remember is it's like being an alcoholic once you're off them, there is no 'I'll just have one' option.

Triton

When she wants to, she will be able to. No amount of cajoling will help - it's up to her.
I found this prog helpful when I felt like I might be wavering:
http://mwilden.com/QuitTime/
5y 8m 1w 4d 19:02 smoke-free
104,086 cigs not smoked
€18,215.05 saved (this is prob underestimated as it's based on the price when I quit)
11m 3w 6d 09:50 life saved

I shocked her the other day alright by telling her to calculate how much she's wasted on cigarettes. She said she'd smoke about ten a day at €3.25 so that means she wastes about €1200 a year on them. That means she's wasted €3600 since she started smoking three years ago. She couldn't believe it.

Tonight will be the test though, we're going to a 21st and all her friends will be smoking. She reckons she's up to it. Hopefully she is.

fayvirtue

You have to be very supportive and try to get her into a exercise class or some other group that is health conscience. You can also show her photos of what those harmful chemicals are doing to her.

SEPT 23 1989

put something else in her mouth

howamidifferent

I'd say after 9 years she probably has it down by now... :pac:

BeerWolf

My mother has been a notorious smoker ever since she was a young adult in her 20s. She's gone cold turkey on smoking completely, substituting the habit if needed either chewing on gum or sucking on a lollipop - and it seems to be working, she's not smoked since May.

kjl

I'm surprised nobody has suggested electronic cigarettes.

It's a great healthy replacement for smoking tobacco.

J Mysterio

E-cig

Uncle Ruckus

Lapin

kjl wrote: »

I'm surprised nobody has suggested electronic cigarettes.

Probably something to do with them not being invented when this thread began.


For what its worth I recommend Champix. They're the dog's bollox.

Worked for me.


How did she GF get on OP?

Did she manage to quit?

Are ye still together?

Dayum

In my experience the patches and the gum don't work because the act of holding the cigarette and putting it towards your lips is a critical part of the habit...

Three friends of mine have successfully changed over to those e-cigs. They may not be perfect but they're a damn sight better than cigarettes. They don't have the thousands of chemicals and they don't stink out a room or your clothes. Go with the strongest and then gradually level off them by going with less doses.

Before you even begin a quitting plan you need to ask yourself the most crucial question though - do you really want to give up cigarettes? It might sound ridiculous, but a lot of people regardless of whatever support they have or whatever tools they have (e-cigs etc) just don't have that drive, that determination, that motivation to actually stop and usually it ends up being just a phase and they're back on cigarettes within a month.

Pumpkinseeds

It's about mindset and willpower. I was a very heavy smoker for about 18 years, but I needed major surgery and had to quit before hand in order to help the skin grafts take. I'd tried going cold turkey over the years and it never worked, but once I got my mind set on stopping and got some nicotine patches I'd quit within a couple of weeks and didn't need the patches.

She'd need to find the right products for her as the patches don't suit everyone. My husband found them too strong for him and used an E cigarette for a while to help him quit. I haven't smoked for 6 years and my husband stopped smoking 5 years ago.

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