Help with going cold turkey
Hi all, I just want to thank everyone who posts on this site. I am not one to usually join forums or sites but after browsing here I feel more empowered than ever to try and quit- and that in fact I just may be able to do this!
The reason I am here is I NEED HELP. My post is long and thank you in advance to take the time to read it. It's therapy in itself writing it. It hit me today more than ever after I told my 10 year old daughter she couldn't choose the $90 pair of cool shoes she wanted because they were too expensive and I couldn't afford them, yet 20 minutes later at the supermarket I paid $150 for a carton of cigarettes that would only last me a week and didn't bat an eyelid. Although I already new this deep down inside, it hit me what a slave I am to this horrible addiction. In fact, it was at her age I started smoking :(
There are a lot of positive quit stories on here and hope this isn't a downer as that's not my intention, in fact I hope it gets other people that are planning to quit and are feeling similar talking.
There are all the typical reasons I fear quitting that I think we all suffer, but my main fear of quitting comes from past attempts (longest quit time being 4 days) and the constant anguish which felt was mental torture to convince myself every 30 seconds that 'I've quit and can't have a cigarette'. By the end of day 3 I was exhausted and gave in the next day. The thought that this feeling would go on for weeks, days or ongoing was enough to start again and feel it's not worth it [quitting]. I am generally a positive thinker and a rational person. I understand that it is important that the wording of 'I can't have a cigarette, boo hoo' and 'I can do this- I am now a non smoker' are 2 very different ways of thinking but with all my might and power, the frustration and mental pain threw any common sense or rational thinking out the window and turned to anger and resentment to quitting. I became a child throwing a constant tantrum in my head.
I've tried hypnosis, NRT, Zyban and Champix without success. Unfortunately I did suffer 'bad thoughts' and some depression on Champix and started getting severe short term memory loss (dr said this was normal, however 6 months on I'm still recovering) I hadn't even quit yet and was only on day 8 of taking them. I am not against champix as it worked wonders for my sister and partner, it's just not for me.
Next attempt I am planning cold turkey and would love some advice from others who have gone this route. Ways to calm the brain and also experiences of how you got through the first weeks if you suffered the mental struggles I am talking about. The physical side effects I suffered I can get through. I am inspired by all the success stories but I guess by reading short stories I'm not getting the full picture and I am searching to hear that it's 'normal' to feel what I'm feeling, just to hear from someone that this is part of it and they got through it.
Many thanks again and hope my next post is a 'how I succeeded story' :)
Hi Wrennis! I quit smoking Coldturkey 8 wks ago( I smoked for 20 yrs )Quitting smokimg is the Best Feeling in the world! I am very happy with myself now that I am a Non SMOKER. During the first week just keep yourself busy......and be In charge of yourself. To be honest....getting rid of Nicotine is quiet Easy. I was very determined to quit smoking. I was not enjoying smoking any longer and I want to be healthy. I walk and workout everyday. Its good to be FREE from nicotine. Good luck to you! If I can do it, you can do it too.
Hi wrennis, I really feel for you, I know exactly how you feel - I guess we all do. It's so hard when logically you know that there is nothing good about smoking, when you want more than anything to be a non smoker and yet, getting there is a whole other story. I smoked for 35 years, was always a guilty smoker but loved it and the thought of quitting really made me feel I would never enjoy life again! I tried to quit a million times. This time I did it, but for me it was Champix. But don't lose faith, I do know alot of people who have done it cold turkey. You may find that reducing your cigarettes gradually might help you, but you have to be diligent about it, you can't cheat yourself :).i am 130 days smoke free, haven't used Champix for a couple of months now and I still have to fight those urges occasionally. I really do believe that the ecig got me thru the really tough times, so you mite want to try that as well. Anyway, no matter how you look at it, it's hard but look at all the people on this site who are doing it......you can do it, develop a plan, get excited about it and then start! We are all here to help you. I wish you all the best!
Hey I'm nearing 1 year of no smoking and gave it away cold turkey after many many many attempts. It sounds obvious but the trick that worked for me was to treat giving up as purely a physical addiction (I.e The physical act of placing a cigarette in your mouth). You don't need to do it. You have a choice. The other trick that helped me was to take up some form of exercise. Walking, running, boxing, whatever. I can't stress enough how much this helped me with quitting. Good luck and keep us posted with your progress.
Hey,
After 30 yrs of smoking, I am today 130 days without smoke. I tried a few times in the past and could only manage upto a week, a month max.
This time I decided to go cold turkey and was determined to succeed. Lot of considerations -
age - I have crossed the age (50 now) where the cells in my body has slowed down the regeneration process.
health - After 30 years of smoking, I am still healthy. I thought I would be foolish to give away my blessings by remaining a slave to my craving to all these hazardous chemicals which I smoke in.
money - more than 2000$ per year I spend on smoking, where as I couldn't go a decent holiday for the last 15 yrs !! What am I doing.
I was not sure, when I started on cold turkey. First few days were hard enough, almost slipped back into it. But stayed smoke free with whatever will power I could muster. Nicotine gums ( 2mg ) helped just to keep me engaged.
Week 2 was tough. Luckily I stumbled upon a mindfulness app on the internet - which was free to download. That was the game changer for me. I started to focus on the benefits of quitting, started to look inside me, try to reason with me why I should quit.
I started to busy myself up ( I was a habitual smoker to kill boredom). started to wake up early, did my mindfulness meditation for 20-30 mins, cooked breakfast for family, off to work, studied few new things while at work, cut coffee, switched to green tea. Ate vegetarian lunches most of the days. Started walking in the park for an hour in the evening. Ate dinner early, read books, spend more time with family and kids. Went to bed early.
I started to forget my cravings and started to realize the benefits. My cough stopped, I could jog/run with ease, colour of my teeth improved. My clothes, backyard all started smelling better. I started to have less effects associated with spring season hay fever.
With money saved I bought a pair of good quality sun glasses, invested new new TV, bought new books enjoyed lot of time with family guilt free.
I would say the mindfulness app helped me a lot..