Way off base topic: Tobacco

[BuzzKillington]

Anyone here quit? How? Specific products?

When I first started smoking it took a long while before I knew it was actually addicting. I fell for it...

I've tried quitting cold turkey but the second I get stressed out I'm ready to rip someone's face off, it's like a panic attack.

Any advice from personal experience?

[Omega]

I quit cold turkey about two months back when I came down with a bad cold and that combined with the obvious reduced lung capacity from smoking made it hard to breathe. Especially during... relations... with my girlfriend, which sucked. Being unable to perform because you're gasping for breath straight up sucks.

In all seriousness though, probably the "best" way is just to wean yourself off of it. Doesn't involve buying patches or gum or anything, you still get the nicotine, and just work yourself down.

Alternatively, you could buy an e-cigarette, that way you're still doing the physical motions but you're not lining your lungs with tar and ****. and the nicotine is still nice, but it's a lot better than actually smoking.

[crenn]

My adopted uncle quite smoking fairly recently, he got medication from a doctor to quit. It was then just breaking the habit.

[slaveofconvention]

I managed to quit ridiculously easily using Champix, a prescription drug. I was stupid and then started again and I'm now on the Champix again but it seems to be a lot less effective this time. Before that I'd failed spectacularly with patches, gum, inhalators and lozenges not to mention cold turkey.

Try Champix if you can, but whatever you do, once you get off them, don't have a "I can have one and it won't hurt" moment because in my experience (confirmed by my nurse) is that it's a lot harder if you have to try a second time

[farlo]

i used e-cigarettes to quit. you get the nic, but can lower the dosage with the juice. plus you're eliminating the carcinogens. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ is a good place to get information.

[Omega]

i used e-cigarettes to quit. you get the nic, but can lower the dosage with the juice. plus you're eliminating the carcinogens. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ is a good place to get information.

This is what I was talking about.

You can also get ones with varying amounts of nicotine but instead of burning something and getting a ****load of carcinogens, tar, and other bad stuff with the nicotine, all you get is nicotine + water vapor. I don't want to tell people that it's completely safe because the effects of straight nicotine on the body haven't really been tested, but it's a good step down. Even if nothing else, you're no longer getting the carcinogens, tar, or the smell.

edit\\

another idea that I forgot about was having somebody else help you ie: a significant other. my girlfriend smoked and wanted help quitting so every time I would see cigarettes in her purse/car/etc i would just flush them. I would also grab them from her when she was smoking and put them out if she smoked around me. She managed to quit within about two weeks because it was getting to the point where she was tired of wasting money and whatnot and decided to just stop.

[OvRiDe]

I smoked for about 22 years. Towards the end I was smoking between a pack and a half and 2 packs a day. I tried several different methods of quitting over the years.

I tried cold turkey, but couldn't over come the habit. My wife smoked too so that didn't help. Since she smoked we still had cigarettes in the house, so all the temptations were there. Almost all of my colleagues at work smoked too, so it was easy to bum one here and there. I would like to say my will power is strong, but it definitely wasn't strong enough. I would "cheat" with one here and there, which was just dragging it out. I ended up feeling worse and worse about my weakness and frustration, I just finally gave in and started smoking full time again.

About 8 years ago I started researching other methods, mainly hypnosis. I was extremely skeptical about it. I worked with a guy for quite a while, that I never knew had smoked. We were chatting one day and the topic of smoking came up, where he told me that he smoked for years and years before he got hypnotized and quit that moment. I about fell out of my chair, because you just have to know him. He is the most skeptical, glass is half empty kind of person. So I gave it a shot, and it worked. Don't let anyone kid you, and of course YMMV, it wasn't some magical event that wiped cigarettes from my mind. It's similar to cold turkey but it gave me a way to deal with cravings that really helped. I was smoke free for about 6 months that year. After a couple of rough days about six months in I had a cigarette. I would like to say it was from pressures of the job, or the fact that I was around people that smoke, etc etc, but looking back those were feeble excuses at the time. But that's all it took, psychologically I gave my subconscious permission to smoke and I basically undid all the hypnosis in the time it takes to smoke 1 cigarette. Before I knew it I was back up to smoking a pack a day or more. I also tried to justify that I improved because before I was smoking full strength Camels and when I started back up I was smoking Marlboro ultra-lights. What a crock, right?

So several years pass and enters the e-cig. I did a little research and decided I would like to try, but the initial cost was a little steep in my opinion. I came across a "disposable" one at one of the local gas stations for about 11 bucks so I bought it. It was absolutely HORRIBLE. Extremely disappointed I figured that I was just doomed to smoke. Not long after that I ran into some one at work that was using one, and I stopped to talk to him about it. I shared my experience with him, and he told me that he really liked his. We discussed the details a bit and he let me try his. It was TOTALLY different then the "disposable". It tasted enough like a cigarette, there was the same throat hit that a smoke produced, and exhaling the vapor felt pretty satisfying. I will say that its not EXACTLY like a cigarette that alot of smokers want to hear, but it was pretty close to me. I asked him where he purchased it and started my research.

I found the ECF that farlo mentioned and dug in. First thing I discovered that cheap e cigs suck, and its worth the investment to buy quality products. I ordered a Joye 510 unit. That was 16 months ago yesterday, and I haven't had a cigarette since. I had a pack on my desk with 3 or 4 cigarettes on my desk at the time as a backup. I ended up throwing them away after 2 months. After about 4 months in I did take a drag off of a cigarette and it was terrible. I can say I have no desire to pick up another one.

I couldn't be happier with the ecig. It has completely changed my life. I don't wake up coughing anymore. I used to make excuses to my self saying that it was pollen, allergies, or whatever. I feel way better, and don't find my self fatigued (as much ) during strenuous activities. I can smell things much better, and food tastes better as well. There is way more to it then just the symptoms I listed, it also changed my routines and life style. I no longer stop what I am doing to go outside to smoke. I don't plan my activities around where I can smoke and cannot smoke.

I know this has been a long read but I hope this helps. If you have any questions about e cigs, I will be happy to offer advise. I have tried several different brands and styles. One thing that isn't apparent here. Price does NOT equate to quality in many instances when it comes to e-cigarettes. There are alot of websites offering very mediocre equipment at astronomical prices.

Good luck and I truly hope it helps.

(What an awesome way to use my 4000th post! )

LOL.. I found this video from last years CES that has me in as one of the testimonials...

[d_stilgar]

This thread makes me happy I've never smoked. I wish you the best in trying to quit Buzz. Take it from these guys though, once you are an addict, you'll always be one. That doesn't mean that you can't quit, but the temptation and desire will always be there somewhere.

[AmEv]

D and I are in the same boat.

Besides, if I was, it'd have been highly illegal

[farlo]

the Joye510 that ovride recommends is the one i got after i got a cheap one. it is a worlds of difference between the cheap and the others. Also the ejuice will make a difference, but there are some good sites i trust for quality, freedomsmokeusa, and totalywicked e-liquid. most sell sample kits which really is probably the best way to find a variety you like. the bonus is a sample bottle of 3ml is around $3.50 and will last at least a week of regular vaping.