I read a book called Stop Smoking The Easy Way by Allen Car. I finished the book last June and haven't smoked since. I "loved" smoking more than anyone I know so if I can do it, anyone can. The one sentence that sticks with me that I personally found the most helpful was that nicotine withdrawals are not physically painful. Smoking is very psychological and this book helps to remove that part of the addiction so you can deal with cravings much easier. Good luck to the future non-smokers!!! - 3/4/2013   11:27:05 PM

Well today is Day 16 for me being a non-smoker as like many of you I quit because I did not like the way I was feeling, being out of breathe going up a couple flights of stairs, my chest hurting so bad I wanted to scream. But I was really ready before I talked to my Doctor I had started changing my habits like they talk about in this article. Instead of going for a smoke after dinner I would do the dishes first, sweep the floor and feed the dogs then I would go. I did this routine for 2 weeks before I went to the doctor when ever I felt the craving for a smoke I would wait it out even if it was only 15 mins I refused to give in to the craving right away. Then I went to the doctor and said I was ready to quit he gave me Champix(Canadian version of Chantix) I am feeling better and better every day about make the choice to be a non smoker. I was spending $184.00 Cdn every month on cigarettes how pathetic is that!!!!! So now I take half of what I would have spent on smokes each payday and it goes into a savings fund for a vacation, the other half I spend it on me. It gives me a sense of a reward every pay day for making the most important decision in my life Being a Non-Smoker. No not everyday is easy I was a Stress Smoker too every time something happened to stress me out or have those feelings I went for a smoke thinking it made things so much better but the fact was the stressors were still there but for me it felt like at the time they were easier to deal with if I had that smoke. I still have those moments but I think with the help of Champix it is easier for me to work through those intense moments But I will say all the reasons I quit out weigh the reasons to start again so TODAY I CHOOSE TO STAY SMOKE FREE! - 2/3/2013   2:14:49 PM

Yeah smoking cessation tools are great If you can use them! I have a serious GERD problem (gastronomy esophogeal reflux disease) which causes horrible heartburn from the nicotine replacement gums, lozenges etc. I thew up the last time I tried one. I can't go on chantix because I'm on so many meds. I have sensitive skin and have an allergic reaction to the patches. I break out in a rash under the patch and get water blisters that leave scars. So I am stuck cutting down in my own way. I cig at a time. In 2 months I went from 1.5 packs of cigarettes to 14 a day. I am very proud of that. FEBRUARY'S. goal is to get down to 12 cigarettes a day. I have people who support me which helps but all in all it's completely up to me. Every site I read about quitting smoking mentions drugs and nicotine replacements which doesn't help me at all. - 2/1/2013   8:00:04 AM

I took my last puff just over one year ago! I did it by first admitting that I was an addict on nicotine. Becomeanex com was what enabled me to overcome that addiction. What worked for me was first earning about and understanding addiction. Knowing what to expect while I went through withdrawals. When I understood the the only thing I would be was uncomfortable during the detox, the rest was easy! - 1/29/2013   11:40:59 PM

No joke, I ran out of cigs and decided that was it. I smoked on & off for 36 yrs. Luckily I had nicotine lozenges in the cabinet--just the 2mgs. The first 2-3 days I was grabbing for another lozenge almost before the first was disolved. They leave such a nasty chalky coating in your mouth that soon I used them less and less often and after around a week I'd pretty much forgotten about them.

If you'e made your mind up, follow through. Then, give yourself no excuses. They'll always be alluring, but having quit before I accept that one will always lead to another. Don't have the one. You will be fine without them. - 1/29/2013   11:28:51 PM

I never started since my mother died from a heart attack when I was 17 in 1967. She smoked and I use to watch her make a "roll-your-own" when she ran out of regular cigarettes and I thought it was SO pathetic. I told myself when I was 8 years old that I'd NEVER be addicted to anything. My husband's parents smoked from the time they were 9 yrs. old, and when I met him I told him that if he smoked, I wouldn't have anything to do with him. He never started. None of my five grown children smoke. - 1/29/2013   11:01:55 PM

I've been an RN since 1986 and started smoking ~ 1980. I finally quit for good on May 4, 2009. Of course, being a nurse, you'd think I would know better, right? It's one of those things I could never explain or justify. My "AHA" moment came when I was listening to the radio one morning. Ashton Kutcher was talking about a book that helped him quit-- Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Quit Smoking. I found a passage in the book that states how similar cigarette smoke is to car exhaust; you wouldn't wrap your lips around the tailpipe of your car and breathe in, would you?? That visual was so powerful, I never had another cigarette after reading that passage. I highly recommend the book. Quitting isn't easy, but it is possible, if you want to badly enough!! - 1/28/2013   8:08:46 PM

I quit in 1986. My building was going smoke free and my boyfriend suggested we both quit. I said you come up with a plan and I will follow it. He decided we would go to a class on self hypnosis. It worked for me but not for him. However, did it really work for me? Maybe not so well after all. I gained a hundred lbs. If only I had sparkpeople back then! I am still not smoking and have lost the hundred plus that I gained. The self hypnosis did in fact work but I did not replace any of my bad habits with good ones. Just kept stuffing all my feelings down with food instead of smoke. - 1/28/2013   5:58:54 PM

I quit almost 14 years ago -- very difficult!! What helped was that I told myself I was not "quitting", but I just was not going to smoke until I turned 60, and then I could start again. (The thought of NEVER having another cigarette made me panic!) I turn 60 this year and of course have no desire to start again. Another big help was going on websites and reading that the things I was going through was common, others experienced it too, and that it would pass. One of the best tools for me was that I cut plastic drinking straws into thirds, put them in a cigarette pack box and kept them in my purse. Any time I felt I needed a cigarette, I would draw deep breaths through a straw as though smoking --it kept my hands busy and the deep breaths relaxed me until the urge passed. Yes, I felt silly if anybody caught me doing it, but hey, it WORKED! - 1/28/2013   1:48:05 PM

We quit 29 years go but insurance companies still call us smokers.
Just a cautionary tale.... our insurance premiums are higher than those who never smoked. - 1/28/2013   12:38:36 PM

I quit 2 years ago using the patch. It is great to have that monkey off my back. I quit because I could no longer lie to myself about how unhealthy it is. I quit because it was costing me more than $20 a week. I enjoyed smoking but it just wasn't woth it anymore. Good luck to anyone who wants to quit. I always recall what Mark Twain said: Quitting smoking is easy; I have done it 1000 times! - 1/28/2013   12:06:16 PM

I picked up running. It was easier not to smoke for a couple of reasons. The running reduced my stress, and my lungs screamed at me for smoking haha so anytime I think about wanting one I just think about the first time I ran and how my lungs hurt. - 1/28/2013   9:28:55 AM

I quit smoking over 3 years ago with the help of Chantix and a lot of will power. - 1/28/2013   9:18:30 AM

I have been smoke free for 7 years now,and i do NOT miss my cigarettes.
My doctor told me to get the patches, so I did and he prescribed a mild sedative as well,well i got really calm, I did not even swear in traffic,LOL
and the patches was a hazzle to remember to change every day, so halfway through the 1st stage of patches I was done, and 30 days of "little pills" i was good there too. No cravings at all.Once in a while I can get whiff of a really good cigar and it smells sooooo good, if it is outside. But No Thanks no more.
, - 1/28/2013   8:12:30 AM

I have not smoked for 3 years after smoking for 40 years. I found a website called whyquit.com. At first I read it while I smoked and after a while the truth being taught in this website started to break down the lies that I had believed. The biggest lie was that it was impossible to quit smoking and once again sit content, relaxed and comfortable. The freedom is awesome and I wish everyone could quit for their own freedom, deep breathing (without wheezing) and extra money in their pockets. - 1/28/2013   8:09:51 AM