Quitting smoking is capital-h Hard, at least for several weeks and sometimes months after you initially throw out the cancer sticks. The intensity of the unpleasantness varies from person to person, and even from quit attempt to quit attempt, but in general it is never easy. As of today I haven’t smoked or had any form of nicotine in nearly two years (646 days, to be exact) but that was after some dozen failed attempts. As you might expect, the one that stuck was the one that, for whatever mysterious neurochemical reason, was the least unpleasant. I like to think the Zyban helped, but it is also likely that it just happened to be less painful that time.
Now, before anybody gets the wrong idea, I’m not here to preach. If you want to smoke, then by all means you should—I’m not here to debate whether that desire is just an addiction rationalization. And for the record, when talk of things like smoking bans comes up (we don’t yet have one where I live, but they’re trying really hard) I’m always against them, much to the chagrin of my nonsmoking friends. Freedom first and all that. But there are no doubt plenty of folks who want to quit but don’t think they can, or don’t know how. To those people, I offer the following suggestions:
• It bears repeating—it’s Hard! - Some people seem to think they can just throw a half-empty pack on top of the fridge at any time, say they’re finished with it, and never look back. Well, they’re fooling themselves. It doesn’t work that way, no matter what the smarmy douchebag who claims to have quit with no problem tries to make you believe. Some people have it easier than others, but anybody who claims it was easy and they “just never thought about it ever again” is probably lying; in any case, you shouldn’t expect it to be that easy for you,
• NRT is a scam. Seriously. - NRT is of course Nicotine Replacement Therapy; i.e., any of the jillions of available patches, gums, inhalers, and so forth, which are happy to offer you an alternative addiction delivery system. Avoid them if you really want to quit and stay quit. Their marketing folks claim that they can increase your chances of quitting “by 50%!” but these numbers are not backed up by any reputable studies, and the American Cancer Society studies that are out there indicate that your chances of quitting could actually dramatically decrease. Why?
Well, for one thing, nicotine withdrawal sucks, and once your body is accustomed to a certain blood nicotine level you are going to experience withdrawal unless you have that level of nicotine in your blood. There is no way around it. “Stepping down,” your dependency is a farce, they’re just getting you used to the feeling of withdrawal. So when you get on NRT and your blood nicotine level drops, you find yourself in a state of permanent mild withdrawal, which for most people is the very definition of misery.
When I tried the patch, I was able to do it for a few weeks before deciding that I would rather smoke than be all miserable; of course I didn’t realize at the time why I was so miserable. I figured, hey, I have the nicotine from this patch and I’m still miserable, so clearly not smoking is making me miserable! Stupid perhaps, but it made perfect sense at the time. In any case, giving an addict just enough drug to keep them addicted, but not enough to satisfy their cravings is rarely a viable treatment.
• Go cold turkey. It’s faster and less painful. - To many smokers, my former self included, this statement probably appears to be the height of ignorance but in reality it is the best option. Non-NRT treatments like Zybanare fine—or even acupuncture or hypnotism if that kind of thing works for you—but don’t expect them to be a magic bullet that makes the withdrawal easy and painless. It’s still going to be Hard and require effort. Fortunately, when you’re not using an NRT, you can expect the major withdrawal symptoms to be done in about 72 hours.
That’s right—around three days. Of course, they will feel like the longest three days of your life, but after the initial detox it just gets easier until, eventually, you don’t even think about it anymore.
• However you do it, know what to expect. - Knowledge is your most powerful ally in the battle of the nicodemon. Through all the cravings and withdrawal misery and attempts at rationalization (I’ll just go buy a pack to look at!), if you know what’s coming it’s a hell of a lot easier to fend off. It may also be a good idea to read up on brain chemistry, and how nicotine and withdrawal effect it, so you can at least attempt to say to yourself, “Ahh, that’s just my neuroreceptors rewiring themselves,” when you start having cravings. It worked for me, anyway. Tying into this nicely is the blood sugar factor.
• Blood sugar, blood sugar, blood sugar. - Withdrawal does suck, but you can make it suck a lot less if you understand one fundamental fact: getting off nicotine can wreak havoc with your blood sugar. When you initially quit, your blood sugar will quite probably drop like mad, resulting in various symptoms such as headache, difficulty concentrating, time distortions, dizziness, and a general feeling that reality is just not quite right. This can be exacerbated by the fact that your brain is getting more oxygen than it is used to. Like a car’s motor, your brain needs sugar and oxygen in the right proportions to operate correctly; with oxygen up and sugar down, you could be said to be, “running lean,” although of course this analogy is flawed for a dozen reasons.
The best solution I’ve heard is to drink fruit juice in the morning and eat plenty of small meals throughout the day for the first several days. Eventually everything should more or less even out, but even so your eating needs as a nonsmoker will probably be different than they were when you were smoking. Nicotine acts on your body to increase your blood sugar and suppress not only your appetite but your brain’s need for food. As a smoker you may have eaten one meal a day in the evening, but you may find that you need to eat more like a normal person as a nonsmoker.
• You can never smoke again. - This is the sticker for a lot of people, who don’t want to smoke at their current level (which they presumably feel is excessive), but they don’t want to give up smoking entirely, either. To those people I say, either smoke full time or let it go. The sad truth is, for the vast majority of people the scenario where you just smoke casually once in a while is an impossible dream that serves only to tease and taunt with its yellow-toothed grin. Once nicotine addiction has rewired your brain chemistry to expect a certain amount of nicotine, your chances of getting away with less than that and avoiding withdrawal are virtually zero.
Yes, we all know a Tim or Joe or whomever who claims to have been successful converting to part-time smoker, and in rare cases perhaps they have, but overwhelmingly even Tim and Joe eventually go back to full time smoking sooner or later (whether they tell you about it or not). In my opinion, it’s not worth the pain and misery of putting yourself through repeated cycles of binge and purge, addiction and withdrawal, just so you can smoke once in a while at a party. Evidence suggests it might not be very good for your body either, perhaps even worse than just giving in and smoking full time. So don’t do it.
20 Responses to “Smoking Cessation: Tips From a Quitter”
- 1 Trackback on Nov 29th, 2006 at 10:58 pm
I’ve read in a book that one of the symptoms of nicotine-withdrawal feels similar to being thirsty. So I used to drink lots of water (~3 liters a day), which is healthy anyway… It helped. I started again though, but will be quitting again soon ;-)
Cold Turkey…embrace it.
Also, tell all your friends that you are quitting. Let them know that if they see you smoke, or try to bum one (no matter how pitifully), they can kick you in the balls.
Don’t go out at first: bars, quickie marts, CVS. It’s like sending a pedophile to a Hello Kitty store. Sure nothing might happen, but why tempt fate?
And you know what? Quitting gives you about a month of being an asshole, completely guilt-free. Enjoy it. Go on vulgar tirades, storm out of rooms, destroy disposable relationships in explosive arguments. Doing that as an alcoholic makes you a horrible person. Doing it while quitting makes you a heroic trooper.
I quit 4 times.
First time I managed to stay off the cigarette for 9 months.
Second time 3 and a half years
Third time 17 months.
Last time (now) is one and a half year and counting!
What I remember most of this time, is the ease of quitting. And that made me somewhat scared, for they say ‘easy come easy go’.
Still, it’s going OK until now.
Also, the last time I quit was by giving away my cigarettes and lighter to a friend.
And that was really all there was to it: I gave them away and never looked back!
For now, I stay quit but I know it will not be for ever. On the other hand, if it turns out that I never started again that’s OK as well!
I have quite twice, with my longest time off cigarettes was 1 year and a few months. It was amazing how I felt after the initial withdrawals. But a traumatic event in my life plunged me back into smoking, first slowly because the initial buzz was very strong. By the following 2-3 months, I was smoking like I was before that 1 year reprieve. I am stillsmoking now, but I went to Doc who prescriobed Chantix. You have to be strict about when you take the pills, and I wasn’t and I started smoking again. Chantix blocks the “reward” neuroreceptors that feed on nicotine. No reward, no need to smoke. After taking the initial pills for 3 days I really felt that the buzz was going away and the cigarette was doing nothing for me. But again you have to take the medication as prescribed. I am going to try again in a few days. This will be my 4th try, I will make it.
i quit for a week a couple months ago, and, having a girlfriend who smokes, it was gross. i finally realized what its like for a non-smoker to make-out with a smoker. sickness.
haven’t had a cig today, think i’m gonna quit. just don’t like spending the money. don’t care about smelling, or health risks, or anything, just sick of spending $5-$6/pack every day or every other day. i’d rather drink or eat with that loot.
Cold turkey is the ONLY way to quit.
Here’s what I learned on April 17th, 1995 at 8:15 PM (the time and date of my last cigarette):
Four days in, you will be almost 100% free of physical nicotine addiction. Anyone who can’t go four lousy days deserves cancer and stinky clothes. ;)
Fully half of smoking is the ritual. Pre-plan a replacement. I chose intricately-prepared gourmet coffees I had to brew myself and gum. SO MUCH GUM. Just regular, sugar-free gum. I like Extra winterfresh personally. Some people use salted sunflower seed, because it gives you a strong taste in your mouth plus you have the process of putting them in your mouth, cracking them, spitting them out, etc.
Did I mention the ritual? Because it’s important. The clacking of my trusty, scarred-but-always-there Zippo. The tapping and unwrapping of a fresh pack. That first drag. You have to replace these things with something, or you will eat.
Don’t go to New Orleans on the last step of your NRT! I ripped off my second to last patch and bummed a smoke after about three hours there. I suppose that advice would go for any place that seems to encourage smoking (Vegas, Europe, China).
Cold turkey is the only way to go. I am cig free for over 2 years now, and glad to be so. I still enjoy being around smokers, getting some second hand cancer every now and them, but I have no cravings to smoke.
The tips the other guys have offered are great, and certainly helped me to some degree. I wanted to offer one quick addition, that I greatly credit for my success.
Set a date. Really simple, but effective.
I always found committing to starting quitting (?) really difficult. Pick an important date to you…. birthday, significant other’s birthday, holiday… something so that you can easily monitor your progress down the road.
Picking a date was also nice for me because I had a month long cigarette orgy in the days leading up to it. I doubled (at least) my normal consumption, which was delicious, but also grossed me out enough to where when zero hour hit, I was kinda ready for a break anyway.
Only thing that comes to mind besides that would to be really ready to quit all the way. People that want to cut down, rarely do. Addictive behaviors don’t really lend themselves to moderation, it’s just the way it is.
I’ve quit cold turkey a couple of times with mixed success. So far, the technique that works best for me has been to take a short sabbatical from partying. I take about three months off from drinking, I work out religiously and diet during that time. I also try to go out as little as possible during that time. I explain it to my friends and they seem to understand, no one gets mad ’cause they think I’m blowing them off. I’m currently smoking again, I always seem to fall back into it when I fall into prolonged high stress situations, but I plan to quit again right after New Years using my usual technique.
I have to agree with the cold turkey method. I got the patches from the VA, but never used them. My biggest motivation was my seven year-old asking me why I smoked. Try to explain that one to a kid with out saying something like “because I like it” or “because I want to”. That was 10 months ago, and knock on wood, hopefully I will stay in control of my urges. I started with a cigar every couple of weeks. Just make them expensive enough that you really appreciate it.
Another thing that helps is the smoking ban in most bars and restaurants here in Florida. Not smoking and drinking was something I mastered before I actually quit smoking.
A little new age-y but very useful tip…. when you stop (cold turkey is the only way to fly), for the next few days try stopping what your doing and taking 10 long slow deep breaths every hour, on the hour. It gets oxygen into your system, it makes you relax and is a pretty effective surrogate for that first big drag and exhale that is part of the joy of smoking.
Worked for me.
I tried quiting 1000 times until I was introduced to laser acupuncture. I immediately took away the craving naturally. If anything I could get hook on the feeling you get from the laser treatment because it hleps your body release endorphins naturally versus with nicotine
Cold Turkey for certain.
Having quit for 6 years now, I can certainly say that cigs disgust me.
However, there are those couple of times a year when all my (still smoking) friends and I get together and imbibe copious amounts of alcohol: 4th of July, Halloween, New Years Eve. I must confess that with increased intoxication, my disgust is severely decreased, and my heretofore totally forgotten cravings for nicotine return with a vengeance. Often I am able to fight them off, but sometimes I lose.
The next morning comes with the requisite hangover, worsened by the fact that my mouth tastes like a grubby ashtray.
And that’s enough to make sure I don’t touch another cigarrette for a long, long time.
Here’s a trick I used.
One of the biggest things for me was thinking about all the activities I used to do while smoking, and the fact that I would have to do them alone now (alone is the way I looked at it). Everything from doing the dishes to poker night with my friends seemed an impossible chore.
So one day I decide to quit cold turkey. I lasted about 3 days. Two days later, I went cold turkey again, this time lasting about 5 days. A week later, I tried again and l only lasted 2 days, but this time I noticed something. The impossible chores were beginning to normalize. Doing things without smoking still was no walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination, but I was improving. Not only that, but the feeling of being in withdrawal was now something that, while still uncomfortable, I was getting somehow used to.
Thinking I was on to somthing, I put myself on a one month schedule. For one month, I would try (pretty hard) to quit, and I had to make it at least two days. After two days, if I wanted to smoke again, I could. But at the end of the month, I had to really quit. This worked initially because I was promising myself I could smoke again in 2 days. It worked in the end because I had acclimated myself to life without smoking, and I was sick and tired by that time of the constant quitting and was ready for it to be for good.
I think everyone needs to find their own way, but if you are having trouble with other methods, give this one a try.
i have been smoking for about a year and a half now…got sick at least once a month got tired of it tried quiting numerous times but i belive this is the last time i have to quit because now the smell makes me want to vomit i have been smoke-free for a day now 2 days ago i tried only smoking 1 to cutt down worked then the second day i smoked 2 so i was smoking more than usall so then i turned to GOD and prayed and he got me through it….He is a miracle working GOD belive me because idon’t have half the symtoms i did have the first couple times i tried to quit and now im going strong feeling stronger with the Lord by my side belive me out there when you think there is no way to quit well im here to tell you ladies and geltelmen if u take 2 minutes out of your day atleast he will help you!! if you need any advice or want someone to talk to email me at hotmustang54@yahoo.com
Ok here it is. If you want to pray to God, thats your perrogative. When you come to a discussion such as this and spout that GOD helped you quit smoking you sound kindof crackpot. How are you ever going to spread your MEM’s without evidence? SURE I WANNA BE CONVERTED LET ME EMAIL YOU RIGHT NOW.
“…Habitually utilizing typical rituals
With false pretense in attempts to be spiritual
TO individuals who believe in biblical miracles
Instead of themselves, because they’re not thinking original”
-Immortal Technique
GOD exists, I won’t debate anything like that anyway. Do you think you are more qualified to spread the so-called “word of god” more than anyone else? In your silly book it says GOd never changes (ezekial i think)… no reference to L.A. being sickly similiar to Sodom or Gamora.(spelling?) Also GOD knew every hair on your head before you were born did he not? How could he Damn you to hell for being the way you are during your life? He knew how you would RESPOND to your so-called “word of god” even before you were a dirty thought in your daddy’s mind. He cannot sentance you to eternal damnation for merely being what he created you to be…or grant you unlimited treasures up in heaven for that matter either. Would that be a “fair and just god”? Example… I draw a picture, so it can be said I create a picture, the picture doesnt reflect what I wanted to portray. Do I A)punish it for ever and ever or B)snap my finger and make it dissappear? There is no GOD=LOVE that could damn you to hell before you were born. If your going to say that you still have “free will” to choose, then explain to me how GOD can know how your going to be when he creates you and still create you if he knows your going to fail ? The GOD that I believe in is so big that he tells me to listen to my heart. He also tells me that everyone hears him daily and its impossible to ignore him. There is no such thing as a “devil” or “satan”. Do you think GOD is so small he has to COMPETE for your attention? Your mind has been closed by MONEY hungary pastors and deacons. KEEP YOUR MONEY you work for it. OPEN YOUR MIND and CLOSE YOUR BIBLE or better yet… throw it away.
IF YOU QUIT SMOKING … GOD is unchanged. GOD GAVE YOU THE GIFT OF LIFE and to think that GOD WANTS YOU TO BE AN INDIAN GIVER IS A FARCE. Your one of those weirdos that thinks you OWE God…what use is it to OWE someone who needs and wants after nothing? God doesnt want anything. God needs and wants nothing. God allows you to exist, but he allows you to smoke or to quit or to never start. quit trying to use everything as a way to feel good about yourself. MISERY loves COMPANY and the CURRENT BRAIN VIRUS coming from the church and its brainwashed zombies are always looking to make themselves feel good by thinking they are GOD gift to save the world. God doesnt need your help.
All these people here ARE miricles for using willpower or wit to quit smoking. You simply wish to sound like you have access to something that you can SHARE with us. This is a classic example of a psychological problem. Use ur brain…. why do you think the bible has so many authors? If YOU NEEDED a BOOK TO GO TO HEAVEN you would be BORN with IT !
At the risk of being called a “smarmy douchebag” by the article’s author, I believe it is important to include some input from the population of smokers out there who are never represented in these discussions. I have always believed, and it has been confirmed by many, that there are at least two types of smokers; those who are truly nicotine addicted, and those who are habit-driven only. The most obvious distinctions are measurable; the nicotine addicted person craves the cigarette, and will go out of their way to have one. They will leave their daughter’s play, slip out of a wedding reception or movie to grab a smoke, or even brave the cold on the back porch just to have that “hit.” Then there are those for whom smoking is merely something they get used to doing at certain times. With the morning coffee…after a meal….driving in the car….watching tv…on the computer. Often cigarettes will burn down unsmoked because these people find comfort in their BEING there, more than in the actual smoking of them. Going for hours on end without a cigarette is barely noticed by these smokers; it wouldn’t even occur to them to leave work, or a meeting, or a movie or any event to have a cigarette, and yet they will habitually light one when the opportunity is once again present.
I smoked this way for 32 years. I was up to a pack and a half a day. I smoked through four pregnancies (full term, all over seven pounds). I smoked while nursing three of the four babies; all are healthy, no respiratory problems, no health problems. All are now non-smoking, healthy adults between the ages of 19 and 25. My husband has smoked all these years, and still does.
Last week, I was feeling a bit under the weather. I had a sore throat and started coughing. I felt a tightness in my chest I didn’t like. I decided that I didn’t want to smoke that day. I left my pack, with two cigarettes left, on the counter. Each hour that went by, I was even more surprised that I didn’t desire a cigarette. In all fairness, I have never tried to quit before; I have always been anti “the next big thing” and therefore all the societal urging to quit was merely extending my habit.
It has been four days. I do not miss cigarettes. I already know they are no longer a part of my life. I find the smell oddly repulsive when my husband lights one now; I make sure he doesn’t see my displeasure.(There is NOTHING more obnoxious than a reformed smoker) I haven’t told anyone; I figure eventually my kids and hubby will notice I’m not smoking. I’ll deal with the “fuss” (god, I dread it) then. I have not had ONE withdrawal symptom. I am not sleepier…I am not more nervous; I am not edgy or cranky. I am also not breathing better or smelling more clearly or tasting more fully, so there goes THAT theory; nor am i snacking more, for those who worry about weight gain. I cannot afford to substitute food for smokes, because I was already watching my weight and i refuse to sabotage it in that way.
It seems, and frankly I am annoyed because had I known this I might have done it a LOT sooner, that for SOME, stopping smoking can be as simple as deciding it is no longer a part of you…it somehow no longer fits who you are, and needs to be left behind.
I am well aware that for the nicotine addicted smoker, this process is nowhere NEAR as easy, and can be quite a struggle, but there ARE those smokers out there for whom letting go is a whole different experience.
I quit smoking ten days ago after 43 years of smoking. I have quit 3 or 4 other times in the last twenty years without any success. This time i MEAN IT! I am taking the new medication and I am not really sure it is working because I still have some serious cravings. My main deal has been that I feel so sad. I feel like I lost a friend. I have to constantly be finding distractions. It is hard can’t wait for it to get easier. I feel that I will be able to stay quit because I don’t want to smoke anymore. I have noticed these things though : my sense of smell is heightened, I’m hungry all the time, I crave chocolate, I wake up earlier,and my brain seems more alert.
I quit smoking about a year or so ago and i swear it was easy all it is If you want to quit bad enough! you have to WANT to QUIT!! if you dont want to then you probably fail at quitting. If your Gunna Quit then Quit no excuses! it may be rough but the first few days if you can make it through it then your Free of the nicotine habit ! Good Luck