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Smoking & How to Quit

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Smoking & How to Quit Home > Tools > Share Your Story

Have a helpful hint or motivating thought to share? Tell us your story. Encourage others. Share strategies for quitting smoking. This area is for you.

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Hi All, I have been smoke free for 1 week. It's weird; I cut down to just smoking on a Friday or Saturday night and then I would not smoke all week. I didn't find that hard at all and just said to myself on the weekend that a few won't hurt me. I know that is not true so decided this weekend is going to be different. I want to totally quit and not smoke anymore but today I am finding it so difficult. I know it is so silly because I go all week without even wanting one, it's just habit I suppose. Good luck to everyone!

Anonymous from Alabama

When I quit smoking, I made the decision that I HAD to do it. I told several people that I was going to do it. I switched to very light cigarettes and I picked a date for quitting (mine was Independence Day!). A few weeks before the date I started to cut down (from a previous pack-a-day)to fewer cigarettes each day. When I figured I had purchased my last carton, I rationed my cigarettes to last until "quitting day." On July 4, I actually had a few cigarettes left and quit 2 days later. July 6, 1982 is my Independence Day! I was also exercising every day, and that probably helped. I look back at this and really think that the key is in making the decision.

Anonymous from Nebraska

As an RDH I often encounter people wanting/needing to quit smoking. One of the more easy, and least stressful, plus more effective tools I teach my patients is that if they want a cigarette, have one, but wait 10 minutes before they light up. If a person smokes a pack a day, that is 20 urges to smoke. Multiply the 20 urges x 10 minute wait time and that equals 200 min (3+ hrs)/day they did NOT smoke. As time passes, the urges get less so that the number of cigarettes smoked decreases. And actually, by waiting with each urge, by the end of the day they are out of time to smoke the whole pack! I realize that with today's smoking bans in many public and work places this is not as "easy" as a few years ago, but can still be applied, especially at home or on a person's own time. Good luck and good health!

LSC from Nebraska

I have been smoke free for 2 1/2 months and feeling better now. At first the withdrawal was driving me nuts. Little did I ever realize that nicotine is like any other drug. Sure it didn't effect my behavior toward others, or interfere with my ability to work...well that is what I used to believe. Now I know how much my smoking was effecting everything in my life. I didn't do a lot of things because smoking was not allowed, and now I don't have to worry about that restriction. Was it hard to quit? You bet it was! But most definitely worth the effort, I am using a smoking cessation product my doctor prescribed to quit and it has helped me a lot. I am diabetic and had high blood pressure. My blood pressure has already returned to normal and I am seeing improvement in my blood sugar levels. So yes, it is really worth the effort to quit!

Donna from Florida

I bought straws and cut them in half. I had a problem with the hand to mouth thing. This helped a lot. I'll be 3 months free tomorrow the 12th.

Dee from Kansas

I started smoking at 17 and quit at 27 while trying to get pregnant with our first child. In 2005 I started smoking again, due to a stressful period in life. My husband smokes, so it's very hard to quit. We don't smoke in the house, only the garage, so it seems we spend way too much time in the garage now! My oldest daughter is 10, and begs me to quit. She says she doesn't want to be 16 and be an orphan. She knows how to hit where it hurts, ha-ha. For some reason, the thought of quitting seems harder than the first time I quit in '97, and I don't know why. I did it once, I know I can do it again. I'm thinking about this Friday, June 13th as my quit date. Who says "Friday the 13th" has to be a bad day, why not make it good? Let's cross our fingers and chew that gum, tooth picks, whatever works. Asking for help can't hurt too.

Anonymous from Virginia

I gave up smoking-after 44 years-not for my health but when cigarettes went to $5.00 a pack! I got a big glass jar and put in $5.00 a day. This makes an impressive pile after a week or so. Then use that money to go on a trip, buy a new dress, go out to dinner-stop wasting your life blowing smoke up your nose!!

Barb from New York

I am not a smoker, and never have been but my mother died of lung cancer and I have 4 sisters that smoke or have smoked. I went to a seminar and the presenter was Pat McGill from Spirit Lake, Iowa. She handed out her book called "Holy Smokes" so I grabbed two copies for my sisters. My one sister started using the book and has now gone three weeks without smoking. The book is full of inspirational quotes and scripture and has a place for you to write. I am so proud of her.

Pam Caboth - Ranae's sister from Iowa

Begin to tell yourself "I am a non smoker". Your mind can not respond to negatively phrased statements. Also your mind will do what you tell it (I am a non smoker)and eventually when you light up (after stating to yourself that you are a non smoker,) you won't continue to smoke that cigarette and will quit altogether.

debb from Texas

Try chewing sugarless gum when you have the urge to smoke. Change routines that trigger your desire to smoke such as, instead of reading the paper, drinking coffee, and smoking, change to tea or juice. Immediately after dinner, get up and go for a walk, then return and do dishes. Many people feel the urge to smoke after meals. The exercise will also help prevent weight gain. Try sucking on sugarless suckers or lozenges. Try chewing on a plastic straw while driving.

Anonymous from Ohio

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Content last updated June 27, 2008.

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