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Smoking & How to Quit

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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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I'm 17 and this winter is the third winter in a row where I've gotten a really nasty cough and a lung infection. When I breathe out I can not only feel but also hear the fluid and gunk in my lungs curdling around. It's disgusting. I've been smoking for about two and a half years now. I have 15 cigarettes left in my pack and I think after I'm done with this pack I'm quitting cold turkey. I just read all the crap that is put in cigarettes and what it is and I think it's absolutely disgusting. This will be my third time trying to quit but I really want to this time. Good luck to all quitting; I believe our health is worth it in the end!

Anonymous from Alabama

Today is my third day of being a non-smoker. When I get cravings I just keep saying out loud, "I no longer smoke" and I feel proud of myself. This is not easy, but I'm never going back. Good luck everyone!

Louise from Alabama

Hi! I’m from Edinburgh,Scotland. My ten year old daughter, while giving me a cuddle, said to me, "daddy you stink of smoke". That was the last straw. As of October 7, 2008 I’ve not had a cigarette.

Mik from Scotland

I went to my doctor and she proscribed me some medication that really works for me! I stick with it despite some nausea, headaches, occasional vivid dreams. It's worth it to finally be free from the stranglehold of nasty cigarettes! I used the medication for only 2 months and I have been smoke free for a whole month. It really works! A little nausea is worth it if it saves you from the nausea of chemo therapy for cancer! I encourage anyone trying to quit smoking to talk to their doctor. I'm glad I did.

TJ from Georgia

I have been smoking for 24 years and I have only quit one other time in all those years. So, yes, I am definitely ADDICTED!!! I admit it. I recently had vocal chord nodule removal as well as sinus surgery. I decided when I had surgery that I wasn't going to smoke after so that I could heal. So for 27 days, I have been MISERABLE. I know smoking isn't healthy but, I realize now that I associate it with being happy. I feel like I lost my best friend. If I cannot continue to keep not smoking by myself, I think I will go to my doctor to see if they can proscribe me something. I had a few drags from a cigarette today and I know it was wrong and now I feel bad. It seems like everyday that I haven't smoked has been as hard as the first. I think of a cigarette constantly!

April from Oregon

I grew up in a smoke-free environment and then I met my husband and I started smoking at 27 years old. I couldn't believe cigarettes are legal because it gave me such a high, but this euphoric feeling didn't feel the same after becoming addicted the first month. I am now 42 and seriously quit for the second time. I had quit several years ago and was smoke free for 5 years, but I went back to it because I was stressed and my husband still smoked. Now I've been smoke free since Sept 15, 2008 (3+ months). This time is harder than the first time. I've been depressed and I have brain fog. I still have cravings so I've been chewing nicotine gum. I'm also in acupuncture treatment which is helping. The good news is, now I can breathe easier. I have more stamina. My voice sounds nicer and I have more control when I sing. I'm not stinky and my car smells fresh. I don't have to worry about places where smoking is prohibited. I used to have chest pains and smokers cough, but I don't anymore. My husband still smokes, which is making this really hard to maintain, but it shows how strong our will can be. Good luck everyone.

T from California

I'm on my 4th day of stopping smoking and I'm doing cold turkey. I'm 40 years old and I'm on HRT hormone replacement therapy. My doctor advised me to stop smoking because I could end up having a heart attack or a stroke. That really scared me. So I'm taking each day slowly. So far my breath and clothes don't smell and I'm saving money.

Helen from AF Afric/Can/Euro/Mideast (AE)

I tried quitting smoking probably 15 times before I finally did it. I started noticing my hair was thinner and my nails were yellowish. 6 months after quitting, my hair started to grow back and it's even getting thicker than ever. My nails are beautiful now too. So, just imagine how pretty you will be when you quit smoking!

Anthony from Illinois

I am 27 years old and I have been smoking for 10 years! 10 years! It flew by. As of today I have gone 6 days without one cigarette. I made it over the 3 day hump and finished physically withdrawing. Now it is all about quitting the habit. So, knowing how orally fixated I am, I have found an oral substitute. Every time I want a cigarette I drink ice cold green tea. I have been drinking an immense amount of green tea, even telling everyone that it is my new cigarette. I am never without a bottle. It has helped me a great deal. I know that I will never be able to beat my oral addiction, so instead of fighting it I have decided to go with it in the most healthy way possible. Good luck everyone! The power of the mind is unfathomable, as long as you are in control.

Sharon from California

Well, it's been 5 days cold turkey since my last smoke. I tried a week earlier but since it didn't work out.I started smoking when I was 12 years old, off and on until my early 20's. I quit for a couple years until I got divorced. I started smoking again in the summer of 2007 and then quit in the fall of 2007. I started again in April of 2008. I was doing well but that good weather got me feeling too fine I guess. So now I'm back to where I was last year and it's been OK so far as long as I don't buy a pack. I feel that's always been "key" in kicking something, "just stop buying it." Yes, it is that simple, then you don't feel like you're "LOCKED" into something. We all have the power to stop. Just don't buy them! I know it's really hard for the first 2 weeks but after that, it's a piece of cake. Just don't buy them.

Jungle Jade from Massachusetts

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Content last updated January 23, 2009.

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