I hate the smell of smoke and i hate the smell it leaves in my house, and car, its driving me crazy that i cant stop...

All of the people that I know who quit without meds or gum or patches did it on will power. It might sound far fetched, but it is not. They all had some kind of goal or reason as to keeping them going. Two of my friends stopped when someone they know got cancer. Two wanted kids. One was the fiancee's complaint. I hope you can find a strong reason for yourself to quit, and stay focused. Good luck!

I have several things I need to do and am not sure which order or the best way to do it. I need to do the following
Loose 50 lbs
Quit smoking
Quit taking Effexor.
I am not sure in which order I should do this. I KNOW quiting Effexor will be a long process. I have done this before and it took months. (Like 6)
For quiting smoking, I will be doing it cold turkey. I will not be using any of the quit smoking aids. (for financial reasons)
Does anyone have any advice for me as to the order I should work on this.
Thanks so much!!
Effexor dosage is 75 mg.
Thanks

go for losing weight first of all, maybe being a fitness fanatic will help you quit one of the other two, whatever you do, make sure you take medical advice first and do it safely
best of luck xxxx

Smoking is a bad habit that is very difficult to give up. It is not only dangerous to the smoker, himself, but to the people around him as well. Once a person becomes addicted, it becomes difficult for him to stop smoking. However, despite all the reminders regarding the bad effects of smoking to health, a lot of people are still drawn into the aroma of cigarette smoking.

People should not have started to smoke. Because as you all know, once you have become dependent on nicotine, it would be very difficult for you to eliminate it from your system. Advertisements have constantly reminded people that cigarette smoking is dangerous to health, yet it is as if they have not heard a single reminder. Well, people who do not admit that they are addicted to smoking have a really big problem.

Smokers who are trying to stop smoking can attest to the difficulty of the process of quitting. Determination and will power are needed in order for one to reach his goal of being a non-smoker.

Most people would say that a gradual cutting down of the cigarette smoking is a good method for quitting. Small steps are taken, one at a time to ensure that the process is going in the direction that is more beneficial to the smoker who plans on quitting.

Preparation Necessary to Stop Smoking

Preparation is necessary when you feel like stopping. Reflect on your reasons for smoking, and take note of when you usually smoke and how you typically go about it. You may want to deviate from your usual smoking habits, and try things that you son not usually do when smoking. For instance, you may want to try new things as a replacement for smoking, like when you are urged to smoke, you may just chew a gum or munch on healthy snacks. Or, if you really want to smoke, you may do so but not with the hand that you usually use when smoking. If you are used to holding the cigarette with your right hand, you may try your left hand instead.  You need to learn these things so that you can make a good plan that you can follow as you cut down the sticks you smoke.

The Beginning of the Actual Renouncement

Get rid of all the things that may remind you of smoking. You may want to keep your ash trays way from your view, or you may also, for the time being, avoid people who smoke. This way, you are not constantly reminded of your tendencies to smoke. Think of ways activities that can keep your mind off the idea of smoking. Give yourself a reward when you have not smoked for the whole day, this way your act of not smoking will be reinforced. You may also want to visit your dentist so that you can get your teeth cleaned from all the nicotine that may have stained them.

Living a Smoke-free Life

There may be times when you feel irritated or depressed; these may just be the withdrawal symptoms. You should learn to avoid smoking despite these symptoms. It may be difficult at first but as time passes by, you would realize that it gets easier and better. Think of all the benefits that you may have if you stop smoking - financially, physically and socially.

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i have stop smoking but am been chewing the gum for 5 days,and been very good,but i have allergy reaction which is a swollen jaw very pain full to chew one side and sore throat and swollen eyes lid,can i carry on using the gum?

Hi,

Sore jaw is a normal side effect especially if u are using alot of them.
Sore throat is also a side effect but may be because u have quit smoking because its normal to have a cough and sore throat for a few weeks after quiting, this is your bodies way of cleaning your lungs. Not sure about the eye lids I have never heard of this.

If you want my advise stop using the gum visit www.whyquit.org and start reading up. They give free advise and support for quitters and if you educate yourself about smoking you are way more likely to stay smoke free. In my opinion NRT just prolongs the process of quitting and makes it more difficult. Thats just my opinion, but please check out that site it will deffo improve your chance of staying clean.

Good luck and best wishes

Hi there,
I have been trying to quit for a while but have had some success with a 'cut down and quit' approach. Every time I feel like having a cigarette I get up and do something else as soon as the craving starts. I will have a glass of water, put a load of washing on, wash my face or ANYTHING in general to keep my hands busy. Doing it this way I am able to abstain from having one for up to three hours at a time. It is really hard to go cold turkey as there are certain receptors in your brain that go crazy when you don't deliver their precious nicotine. If you slowly cut out half your cigs a day over one week then the next week you do the same again and so on and so on. I myself am now down to about 6 - 8 a day and that is coming down from a pack of 50's a day!!! Good luck and keep in touch to let me know how you go. Also remember to kee calm and even just chew normal gum to get the saliva going in your mouth. Deep breaths are the key and saying "I can do this, you are my enemy (to the cigs), I don't need you controlling my life....." something to that effect.
Cheers!!!

In January I will have been an ex smoker for four years. I used Nicorette mint gum. I liked it because I could chew it whenever I wanted a cigarette. And I would chew a piece for 30 minutes sometime. It really helped with the craving and the oral need. I drank a lot of water, cleaned house and washed the nicotine smell out of my clothes.
Previously, I had tried to quit but I was too nervous not to have "emergency" cigarettes on hand. The successful time, I took what I had in a pack (about 6) and wrapped tape around the pack, sealing the cigarettes inside. I put the wrapped up pack in the back of a cabinet in the laundry room. I knew if I had a total meltdown, I had emergency cigarettes around.
I could also not be around people who were smoking for about the first year. If people really care about you they want you to quit and will encourage you.
My partner died of pneumonia aggravated by his smoking. Another friend of mine had a lung removed before she quit. I did not want to die like that.
Good luck.

I just started using Chantix yesterday. I'll tell ya, I'm still smoking as usual today. For those who have tried Chantix, how were you after your first week?
Yeah, I smoke about a pack a day. I've tried patches and gum. I'm giving this a try, but if the side effects prove to be too much, I will try something else.
Agreed. I didn't sleep worth a crap last night. Maybe a tylenol PM will assist in that.

It's good. The reports on it's causing suicidal tendencies might reveal something deeper in the person that may need to get therapy for which alot of people who have mild mental health problems neglect looking into. But the first day I slept 15 hours. whew. the next day everything went back to normal. I would hate to think that this desiese people put on their lips and suck on to smoke which is going to kill you anyway wouldn't make people at least try it . after a couple of days I didn't have any cravings for a cigg. I just lit up due to habit. but i'm on day 10 and it's going great. I could hold a cigg in my hand when I want to first lite up and for like two days now I just stick it in my ear and wait like two hours before I actually light up that morning cigg because the craveing is not there anymore and since my target day is less then a week away I am sure I'll dump those stinky ciggs and see things brighter . Belive me.. when you quit you're going to know just how horrible it smells on people on clothes in cars and just walking by a smoker if you get a wiff of it will make you vomit. This is my fifth try and this is the best. Nicotene gums and patches just give you a nice overdose of nicotene at a premium. for that just smoke twice as much to save money for the same cause. Goodluck man. Heck you don't really need luck with chantix. I am sure you can do it.

You have decided for whatever reason that it's now the right time in your life for you to quit smoking.

So you now sit around and try and decide precisely how you're going to start. You know the deep within you are in for a long hard road, but simultaneously, you truly want to stop for good. The concept of giving up several times is not tasty to you, so you are left with the job of creating a plan of attack which will work, and work best. You are probably going to find this much tougher than anything more you've ever tried to do in your life, and for excellent reasons. The amount of people who fail at attempting to give up smoking every year is amazing. While millions try to give up, there are still others who are beginning to smoke. Wherever you look there are smokers who are unintentionally tantalizing you to smoke again as well which makes it even tougher for yourself. Attempting to overcome these challenges is essential, because without having the ability to overcome these issues you'll be fully unable to give up for good. Beginning with a great plan is critical and this starts with deciding precisely why you wish to stop smoking. The rationale actually doesn't matter, but you have to know your reason. What is important is you also should believe strongly in your reason, if you just pull the reason some other person has give up that you don't trust in your experience attempting to give up will be intensely rocky and full of issues. What you'll need to do is spend a huge period of time making an attempt to truthfully decide why you wish to give up smoking so you have a reason. Once your reason is selected, the remainder of the method should be far easier to handle. What you don't always find straight away clear is having a sound excuse to give up can function as a massive incentive factor. If you're just giving up to give up, you are likely to slide up on your goals, cheat and fall into smoking extremely quickly. The rest of the jobs like making a schedule, and even attempting to find the supportive direction of buddies and family will all be an easy breeze.

You're going to need to work energetically to maintain your commitment. This suggests attempting to avoid places and eventualities where you'll get tempted to smoke. This means avoid the smoking areas of restaurants and bars, no going to tobacco stores, and actually clearing the cigarettes out of your home. If you can find somebody to help give up who has an interest in giving up themselves you'll have a massive advantage. While not everybody does great with the chum system, it's a useful tool to use as you can hold one another responsible. This level of liability can be quite beneficial in making sure you're truly working to give up for good. So many folk work to stop smoking and only finish up beginning up again once it gets troublesome.

A buddy who is also attempting to give up can act as a fantastic way to truly avoid the temptation since neither of you'll wish to slip up first.

Use this to your benefit and watch your success grow while your fitness improves and cigarettes become a thing of the past.

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Unfortunately, I still smoke. I have tried to quit on my own a couple of times but, I become a basket case. I hate that I am so addicted to the damn things but, I guess my will power is not quite strong enough. Anyways...my daughter has an overnight field trip coming up soon, she wants me to chaperone (as I have on all her field trips). I just don't want to be a big crab because I cannot have a smoke. My question is...Can I use the gum or lozenges to ease my cravings for those two days and still have a smoke when I do get home? (if I feel I need one) I don't know if it will make me sick or something. I really need help on this one. Thanks in advance!

I still smoke too. I have tried the Patch (gives me a rash), the gums and commit lozenges, they do help....but after awhile they started effecting my heart, palpitations and erratic heart beat. It almost killed my dad, it did the same thing to him, only he had a heart attack.

You can use them to ease your cravings, but use them as directed, but even that didn't work for me, I had to be taken off of them after I had to wear a halter monitor to see how this was reacting on my heart.

I'm different than you, just make sure you're not taking too many and monitor yourself for differences..OK, Just be careful.

No one told me this, I had to find out the hard way.

hi hallettjames..

as a matter of fact,most states have a quit line.. phone 1-800-QUIT NOW the often have counselors, as well as free aids.. if your state is not among those participating, try your local health department, good luck there is simply no wrong way to quit..

also there is free suppport online with daily meetings available..

the good news is that i now have been quit for over 5 years.. i quit trying to quit alone, and joined a support group.. i attend nicotine anonymous meetings both locally and on line.. on line voice meetings are he as close as your computer, and you can attend while still smoking, before actually attempting a quit.. however you decide to quit good luck, there is simply no wrong way to quit!!

Nicotine Anonymous is a Non-Profit 12 Step Fellowship of men and women helping each other live nicotine-free lives. Nicotine Anonymous welcomes all those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction, including those using cessation programs and nicotine withdrawal aids. The primary purpose of Nicotine Anonymous is to help all those who would like to cease using tobacco and nicotine products in any form. The Fellowship offers group support and recovery using the 12 Steps as adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous to achieve abstinence from nicotine.