Been a smoker for the last 21 years and need to quit for alot of reasons, but the most compleling at the moment is that my factory just posted a "we're going smoke free in the shop Jan 1st" last week...just like them to give us plenty of notice{same old thing for the last 18 years}.
I've heard of the patch, the gum and now the laser...what worked for you and what didn't?
Help....

I quit smoking some time ago for about 3 months. I found the patch to be fairly effective at curbing my niccotine cravings. It didnt however put something in my hands or in my mouth. At which point I took up chewing gum. I would warn you though, do not go to sleep using the patch. It gave me the most horrible nightmares I have ever had in my life. I mean REALLY bad ones. Ironically, it was my job that drove me back to smoking again. I do however find that if I keep my hands busy I smoke less. Try taking up differant activities where you cant smoke. join a gym, spend time in a sauna, ride a motorcycle, etc. Keeping yourself busy is an important part of quitting. Also, you have to try to avoid things you associate with smoking. For me, I had a cigarette every morning when I got into the car to drive to work. So for a few months, i tried to ride my motorcycle whenever I could instead of driving. its all of impossible to smoke on a motorcycle. keep your hands busy, keep your mind busy, rest a lot, and avoid activities you relate with smoking and you should be able to kick the habbit. For me, I will quit again for good as soon as I have children. Thats my motivator. I dont want my kids to ever think of picking up a cigarette, so within the next year or so, I will quit for them more then myself. Good luck!

I've been smoke free for 7 years, best thing I ever did ( not including finding the right girl and becoming a dad), Its a lady but you can do it, you gotta want it though, thats for sure.My recipe for success was taking myself out of my "smokers environment"-no pubs, no booze ( for a while...) just get out of the places you would want to smoke. Then after about a week , you'll begin to smell people who smoke and it'll hit hit you like a lighting bolt..."I smelled like that?, thats smells like &*$#@ ... keep that thought and you'll quit, but you gotta want it.
PM me any time, I'll talk
Good luck non-smoker
Pete

Yeah,I'm going to try and pack up again!!! in the new year.Been at this stupid and expensive habit for over 30 years.Will go the patch way,can't stand the chewing gum.Stopped for 7 months 10 yrs ago,used to keep a dirty ashtray,when I got the craving,I would smell the ashtray,that put me off wanting a fag(not the American meaning!)Company I work for has banned smoking in its trucks,and work place ban comes into force in July for whole of UK>Agree that part of problem is having something to do with your hands so will buy fake ciggie that you can hold,I really need to do this,am going to hide bathroom scales for a while as I know I'll put on weight.
Dave.

I smoked for 26 years and stopped a year ago. I didn't bother with patches, gum or anything else (oh, apart from maybe chocolate!) Yep, you put weight on but at least you don't stink and you can actually run up stairs without coughing up a huge glob of green! I agree with Joker, take yourself out of smoking environments for a while and if you do get the craving, I found it was a very short lived experience so you need to replace the image of smoking with something else, like the cash you're saving!

I found it far easier than I ever thought which I think is the problem with stopping, you think its gonna be hard, but really its not!

Best of luck, you CAN do it

Matt

I bought and read Alan Carr's Easy way to give up smoking 3 years ago and haven't had a fag (cigarette for the Americans). I used to smoke 30 a day and quit completely. No Patches or Gum.

Good luck in your attempt.

Andy

After some 50 years of smoking, my mother used Zyban (Wellbutrin/Bupropion) to quit. Of course, by then it made no real differnce, her lungs were shot, but at least she went a year or two without tobacco. A word of caution, though, I also used Wellbutrin in its anti-depressant mode and stopped treatment after two doses. It made me hyper edgy and unable to sit for any period of time.

I quit 8 years ago. I did it the same way as Pete. Cold Turkey. No patch, no gum. The thing that helped a lot was to change my routine. I always had a smoke with a beer so I didn't drink or hang around people drinking for quite a while. I drank a lot of water and took vitaman C tablets. Your body can get over the physical addiction in a few wees, the mental addiction takes a lot longer. The biggest motivation cto succeed came from my two sons who really wanted me to quit. The other thing to remember is that you may have to "quit" several times.
Good Luck,
Cob

After 33 years of almost 2 pack a day habit,I was ready to quit.Just tired of it.I knew I needed help for the chemical urge part of it as I had the resolve to change the behavior part of the habit.Patches didn't work and the gum was horrible.So after a session put on by our med provider, I got Zyban(like Al above).Worked for me as I am 3 years free in March.Yeah,there is about 3 pages of warnings for the drug.Yes, I did gain weight but I will work on that in January(really!).Zyban is a 60 day program with first 30 you still smoking.See your doctor as you may collect disability pay if your employer is banning it.
Good Luck!! we're all with you on this!

Dont put the scale away. Go join the local gym and hit the treadmill. I still smoke, but believe it or not, I try to run about 4 miles a day. Now that winter is here, I use a treadmill inside. When I first started running, I used to cough until I saw stars. Anyway, the running indoors will keep you from smoking, it will help you breathe better, will keep you from putting on weight, and will definitely take your mind off of smoking.

What did it for me,Hmmm,waking up in coronary care with tubes coming out of every orifice.Prognosis give em up or your dead.never touched one since, 5 years now saved my life and a lot of money(to buy more plastic ) good luck give em up you will feel so much better for it.

I' m with COB on this one. When I went into the Army, smoking was an expected part of the culture, but that evolved over the next 30 years.

What worked for me was the combination of routine change and determination. The BIGGEST thing that helped was that due to an increase in the Army's physical fitness requirements coupled with an increasing difficulty meeting them do to increasing age making it harder not to exercise at all and still pass, forced me to start running about 5 times a week.

When you finally get it in your head that you actually WANT to be a non smoker more than you want a cigarette, and you've just finished going about 5 miles, it starts to get easier to resist.

And I totally agree that the physical symptoms of withdrawal can generally be beaten in somewhere between two weeks to a couple of months. The PSYCHOLOGICAL addiction takes about 2-3 years.

But it can be beaten. I smoked 1-2 packs a day for the better part of 15 years, and you couldn't force me to smoke a cigarette today.

Tom

To quit smoking you need to want to quit.. If you just think you need to to quit you never will. I have been smoke free for just over 4 years. I tried a few times but never really "wanted" it. This time I was just tired of feeling like cr@ap. i've done the patch the gum.. Zyban really helped curb the cravings but I had to change my routines.. No coffee was the biggest. Giving up alcohol was easy. I used to chain smoke after the 2nd or 3rd beer. Funny thing, I bought a new car after I quit and the money I spent on smokes makes the payments...

Good luck, it will be the toughest thing you will ever do in your life.. But well worth it ... Now all I have to do is somehow get rid of the 40 or 50 pounds Ive packed on sine quitting...


Dave

I gave up smoking and chewing tobacco back in the late 80's. I just quit cold turkey on both. I used my own method for quitting..........watching the clock. When I would wake up in the morning I would tell myself that I could go for at least one hour with no tobacco. Then it was two hours, three hours, four hours, five hours, etc...... I would do that all day and then at night I would go to bed and tell myself that I could go all night without having any tobacco. When I woke up the next day I would do the same thing all over again. The smoking was very easy for me to quit, the chewing tobacco was the tough one. After about two weeks I didn't crave it anymore. Now I can't stand the smell of any tobacco product at all.

That is the method that worked for me.

Good luck with what method you chose.

HARV

I quit smoking approx. 2.5 years ago.
Started up modelling as I needed to do something with my hands (and I always admired my mates models)

Best decision I ever made. Will still have the occasional smoke (as in 2 -3 each year so far) when drinking.

I found the tablets the best - I used to take them out and fiddle with them like a sm oke - horrible habit

here's some help
http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?article=4215

Wow, guess I'm not the only one. I said I was going to quit when the daughter was born, then after my son was born...add the wife and I have wanted to quit together and she found out monday night her office is going smoke free july 1st...looks like fate has plans for us! I hate it when my duaghter says "daddy, you stink"{never says that to momma though...the lil turkey} :-) It's not the money for smoking, I just hate the need of it...could shoot myself for starting 21 years ago because I was "board" at work..............hind site is always 20/20 isn't it?!
Thanks for the input guys!

A little support here:

quit net

I'm still struggling but keep trying.

I quit smoking about 11 years ago. Luckily for me, I had an acute case of pancreatitis with a side order of gallstones, so I got to quit smoking in a hospital with the help of morphine. By the time I got out, I had already gotten ove the withdrawal shakes, and its been smooth sailing since......


BUT, when I do feel the urge (or rather, DID) I always chewed on cocktail straws. It helps to have something to do with your hands.

I tell you what, you want to know a big secret to quitting smoking? Find the one ashtray in your house that has the most (and oldest) butts in it, hold it up to your face, and take a deep whiff. You smell that nasty stale cigarette smell? Thats how smokers smell to nonsmokers. I never realized it until about year after I quit, that my sense of smell had been altered. When it came back, I couldnt believe that smokers smelled like that, but it makes sense! Now, I get on an elevator where I work, and I can tell if a smoker has recently been on the elevator because of the stale smoke smell in the air.

Keep with it!!! It's totally worth quitting!!