There are many reasons one begins to smoke .. and quitting is not as simple as making a left turn. It's not just a habit ... Smoking is an ADDICTION. And that is why it is difficult to stop. The body becomes dependent on the nicotine. For some people the body demands it while for others the body desires it. Some people can quit "cold turkey" while others need additional help. The same way some people can get through life never needing an aspirin for a headache while others can't tolerate the smallest amount of discomfort without some relief. The first step is to truly want to stop. Without that, there is no point in going through the motions. If a person enjoys the taste, the smell, the motions or the head rush they are not ready to quit. Until they get to that point they will fail. It's a huge commitment to quit smoking because to quit smoking is to never pick it up again. Anything else is simply a pause. People who don't smoke have a hard time understanding all of this and never will understand it. Those who have never smoked need to simply listen to the smokers and non-smokers and take what they are saying at face value. To those of you who are trying to quit .. I wish you success. It's a hard road .. I know because I did it. It's been 10 years and it was the hardest thing thing I've done because kicking an addiction is a battle.
Quitting was hard, maybe the hardest thing I ever did. But I thought then and I think now, It's a mental process. One has to make up his/her own mind to quit then develope a way to accomplish this. No one can do it for you. If all the remedies do not work, it is strictly up to you andthat is a mental process.
It is a mental process. I smoked 40 cigs a day and tried to give up four or five times I lasted 3 days at the most. So In the UK tax was high but I could go to the France and buy thousands. Well just after Christmas was going to book the ferry to go and by some. Then my New Years resulation was try to give up again. New Years Eve had my last cig and then put the rest away. Never smoked since and only once for a second did I miss it. Think when you really want to give up you can and with no help.
@Tom Galty I know a numb er of people who did just that, my Dad included. OTOH, I know a number who quit after they knew it was too late, by then having ruined their hearts which vainly tried to pump enough to get adequate oxygen. Frank
After 12 years of smoking quitting was easy. I was in the Navy when our 1st. son was born, an expense not really thought about before hand. At about the same time the PX raised the price of my brand name cigarette from 80 cents a carton to $1.20 a carton. The choice, keep smoking or be able to buy 15 jars of baby food for that $1.20. Seems society frowns on starving a baby so my choice to quit as I began with was easy. Baby food.
Cessation of smoking is more successful if you use the difficult, more frustrating method. If you try "Tapering Off" or using a "Patch", you'll soon be back to smoking full throttle again. There are no easy methods for permanently giving up the habit. The way to quit is simply to QUIT! Chilly Chicken...Cold Turkey! Hal, off the weed for 42 years.
My brother died in August of lung cancer that had spread to his spine and lymph system. It was only about 5 weeks from diagnosis to death, which I suppose was a blessing considering how he suffered those last couple of weeks. I wish my husband would quit smoking but I suppose at this point in the game it really wouldn't make much difference... he's 65.
I quit in 1971 after numerous attempts to. The secret is never to give up because, like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get at it.
Smoking is not only a physical addiction, it is a psychological one as well. It is a habit that has lots and lots of triggers that are part of daily life. I smoked for 20 years (after I quit drinking, of all the stupid things.) I quit smoking 10 years ago when I got strep throat and decided that enough was enough. It was tough...tougher than quitting drinking, because I could smoke throughout the day--before work, while in my car, mid-day breaks, etc--when I would not have drunk alcohol. I quit by using nicotine gum, as much to have a habit to substitute for the one I was giving up as it was to supplement the nicotine. But I could chew nicotine gum all the time, even sitting at my desk at work...and I did. I then switched to regular chewing gum so I could stop chewing the nicotine gum. I lost my father and 2 brothers to it (ages 55/53/60.) The most recent was a younger brother who--like Beth's brother--mercifully died 10 days after diagnosis (and only a month after hitting 60.) Scary stuff.
MY brother was a yellow finger smoker. He and I started smoking in early teens. When he was 55 he had quadruple bypass surgery. They told him h'ed probably get another 5 years before it failed. Long story short he lasted 12 years, never gave up smoking, passed stress test on treadmill every year. He did, however, go bicycle riding every day for 6-7 miles.