Anyone who quit smoking?

DH is trying to quit before our baby gets here in Sept and we were looking into acupuncture or other alternative ways to help him instead of taking med's for it.

Anyone have any success stories and if so if you can give me the info on where you went.

Thank you

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Sincerely good luck.

What works for some won't work for others, what works fast one day will be slow the next.

I was smoking since I was a pre-teen off and on then finally got really bad by college. I quit in 2000. But it was attempt #5 or so. I didn't do the gum or patch but the water, gum, lollipop thing.

It helped to STOP hanging around smokers. It meant you couldn't come to my house and smoke and I coudlnt go out with you for a drink cause you'd smoke. The hardest part by far was learning to stop the social smoking.

At work I planned a huge clean up project that literally kept me busy for months. I reogainized EVERYTHING. Made up new projects for myself, even rewrote files labels just because they had white out on them or the folder was worn out. Anything to keep me busy. So no smoke breaks. Once I could get through a work day without a cig I moved to the social stuff.

I started trying just not to smoke or hang out in places they had to go outside away from me. Honestly it didnt work. Finally I got to where I would spend short visits with the smoking friends. Just enough to talk, eat and then end our conversations and stuff before they needed a smoke.

You gotta get your friends on board. Everyone has to agree to help you stop smoking. I bummed cigarettes after my 'last pack' for about 4mo. Finally folks started to say no. Random men on the other hand.. hahaha Anyway, if your friends, smokers or not, help you it makes it a little easier.

Quiting smoking is very personal and to some very difficult. Since I've quit I am now one to NEVER judge a smoker for their efforts to quit and I am also very aware that its not 'simple' and may not always just work the first time. You really gotta keep up with it.

Best of luck!

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I just celebrated my one-year quit anniversary!

Unfortunately I have no useful tricks - I quit cold turkey. I knew I didn't want to be a smoker on my wedding day, so I quit in advance of that date, and haven't had one cig since.

I have heard Chantix works - one of my friends used it a few years back and is also smoke-free.

Good luck to your DH! It's a very tough thing to do.

Message edited 7/29/2010 12:16:29 PM.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I tried acupuncture and that was a joke....did nothing!

Ive tried EVERY method out there, and finally just went cold turkey and it became a battle of will power.

Also, you have to stay AWAY from triggers. For me, like drinking...going to bars....couldnt do either for MONTHS

Its SO hard....good luck to him.

Message edited 7/29/2010 12:20:07 PM.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Thank you

I quit cold turkey myself about 3 years ago and I told him that I don't expect him to be able to do it that way as well.

He tried Chantix and it did not agree with him at all, he said he hated the way it made him feel over all.

He thinks that once our baby is born he will be able to stop cold turkey and I hope he does, but I am not going to hold it against him if he can't because I know how hard it is for most.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

The thing which worked for me was just finally being serious about quitting. I quit cold turkey, it was HARD because your mind plays tricks on you, but you just have to stick it out.

I know a few people who used Chantix with success.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

i found that snacking on sunflower seeds, lollypops and candies helped....anything to keep my mouth busy and tired (i know that sounds aweful...hee hee). i would go to the bathroom and do some deep breathing to get me by....

it's so hard, but we all know it's worth it in the end!

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I quit cold turkey about 2 months before i got PG. But DH's cousin used accupuncture and he says for the most part it worked great. He had a couple of cravings but they went away pretty fast.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I know it doesn't work for everyone, but I just slowly cut back. I kept substracting a cigarette when I felt I could handle the number. I was able to get to 2-3 (one on the way home from work and 1-2 at night).

eventually I was down to one right after work.


DH's uncle had a heart attack at 47 and the dr told him to cut it down to 3 a day. (this is after his bypass).

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

as of april i am one year cigarette free i really think the only way to go is cold turkey it is hard but you really have to want it and have alot of will power.. it has been over a year and i still mentally want one when i get really upset or im sitting in traffic and see someone in another car smoking but i know i am healthier now its the first year i did not get broncchitus it helped that i had alot of support from my family and friends Good Luck!

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I did it when my niece was born. I was 24 and had been smoking since I was about 12:ace: So I went out to manhattan with friends one night smoked so much that I felt like I could not breath. I planned to quit and decided this was the right time.

My secret. Lollipops. Tons of them. Eveytime I got in the car where I normally smoked I had a lollipop instead. I skipped the bar seen for a while too because it was too hard to be there with no cigarettes. I found that I related certain places and activities, even friends, to smoking. THerefore I had to brace myself for these things, and remain armed with lollipops. LOL

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I quit pretty much cold turkey five years ago. Like previous posters said, have your DH cut out triggers and the places he is able to smoke.

I did not allow myself to smoke in my car or house, so if I wanted to smoke I had to stand outside. Also, at bars when my friends would go outside for a cigarette I would stay inside. If I went out with them I would inevitably smoke. Having gum and hard candies helped just to have something to do, ya know? Good luck to your DH, it is not easy.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I used the patch AND gum.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

DH successfully quit by using lozenges. He used the CVS store brand and followed the dosage and time line. He was done with the lozenges and not smoking within 3 months.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I quit cold turkey and then about 3 weeks later I was thinking of starting up again. So I went on the patch. I was so petrified of smoking with the patch b/c it could cause a nicotine overdose (i was told, or read, or something) that I didnt smoke with it on. It worked for me.

Good luck to your Dh.

one thing I have learned is that once I quit for good, that was it, I could never even have just 1 or I would completely go back.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Message edited 11/27/2011 1:53:24 PM.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Smoking is the worst habit to have aver picked up and I kick myself in the a$$ everyday for it. Its so hard to quit and I give props to everyone who has quit successfully. DH and I quit with chantix a year or so ago...but once the weather got nicer we began smoking again. Now DH is back to smoking and I am trying to keep it under 3 a day. But I definitely think chantix is the way to go. Its annoying bc you must always take it on a full stomach but it really got rid of the nicotine urges.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Good luck!

I think it is dependant on his frame of mind. I quit cold turkey (admittedly, it was my 3rd attmept). I was a heavy smoker for 13 years. Never looked back. I chewed gum and kept a huge bag of blow pops on me at all times!

DH is on his 10th attmept or so, was supposed to quit when we got married, when we were TTC, when DS 1 was born, when DC 2 was born, when a friend died of lung cancer, when another developed emphysema..etc..
He is still smoking ALOT and has done everything, including the meds.

He is now going to a Psychiatrist to find out why he is so addicted.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I too quit sort of "cold turkey"....so I don't know how much help I can be, but what worked for me was eliminating one smoking spot at a time...

First, I wouldn't allow myself to smoke at home. Then when I was good there, I stopped smoking at work....then, finally, I stopped smoking inn the car....

I'd say once I'd stopped BUYING cigarettes, I smoked 2-3 times after that when out with a friend, then I was done...

ets - the car was definitely the hardest for me....I made sure I always had a nice cold bottle of water with me, some gum and sometimes some hard candy...

Message edited 7/30/2010 12:19:50 PM.

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

I joined becomeanex.org and started training for a half marathon! I definitely slipped up on nights out but running really helped me stay off of them- and my BFP that I got in Feb!

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Cold Turkey, smoke free since 1/27! I just had to stop playing games with myself - i'd always buy a pack "just in case" and wind up smoking the whole pack. Then i stopped buying once and for all, got rid of everything from my car & bag (matches, lighters, ashes) and kept busy! As crazy as it sounds, I still think about smoking but have no more cravings and I just don't do it! I really had to set my mind to it

Re: Anyone who quit smoking?

Hey Bar..

They have FREE patches thru the NYS Smokers Quit line. Totally helped me. My mom quit using the electronic cigarette.. Good luck