I haven't had a cig since Saturday.

[curses]

Now I'm not saying I've quit, but I haven't had a cigarette since Saturday. Well except for one last night. But I'm allowed to do that every now and again. Because I haven't quit. I think it might be easier taking this approach to not smoking anymore.

OK, now onto the real things. What can I do to replace the cigarette when the urge hits while I'm at work? I try to take walks at work but it's keeping me away from my desk longer than my boss would like. I'm also eating more. I have a cup of water but it's not keeping me from grazing. What to do, other than smoke?

[beyelzu]

cinnamon flavored gum is supposed to help the mormons or jws quit.

Altoids are good, hold a pencil in your hand for the feeling of holding a cig, take long deep breaths the way you would inhale a drag.


Or buy a pack of smokes :tmgrin:

[beyelzu]

original altoids, maybe the spearmint, but the original has that strong flavor that opens your sinuses

[Watser?]

I second the gum.

I don't know what works best for you mentally. For me: I had to mentally pull the switch to consider myself a non-smoker. Took me some time to do that but never smoked a single cigarette since I quit.

[Sock Puppet]

If you go that route, I recommend using sugar-free Altoids or gum. If you get hooked on regular Altoids, you'll essentially have sugar in your mouth all day. You don't notice it because they don't taste sweet. A friend of mine tried quitting smoking that way and ended up needing major dental work.

[Ensign Steve]

cinnamon flavored gum is supposed to help the mormons or jws quit.


It's the JWs, and yeah, it works. I never used to chew cinnamon gum before I used it to quit smoking, now it's one of my favorites.

This one time after I had been quit for like two or three days, I sprinkled actual cinnamon in my iced coffee and when I got to the end (I'm one of those annoying people who makes the slurping sound with the straw around the ice in the bottom of the cup) I got a lungful of cold, cinnamon flavored air, and I felt just like that scene in Malcolm X or whatever movie where he takes the nutmeg in prison to get through the DTs.

[Ensign Steve]

I don't know what works best for you mentally. For me: I had to mentally pull the switch to consider myself a non-smoker. Took me some time to do that but never smoked a single cigarette since I quit.

Yeah, that works, too. You do eventually lose the cravings and withdrawls once you actually quit. Putting nicotine back in your body on the regular is not going to help you get past the cravings and puts you back at square one every time.

[Shelli]

I quit awhile ago and I still chew chipped/crushed ice to this day. Calorie free and good for your body. :thumbup:


:cheer: Go Curses! :cheer:

[teasasue]

hard candy works good, while I am at my desk I chew on the end of a pen or pencil

they also have those vaporizer things now that is supposed to help you quit smoking. You can actually use those while you are at work because it doenst have the bad things in it. I saw on TV the other day you can acctually get them for free. Good luck.

[ceptimus]

If you give something up but still have the desire for it, then you'll forever feel that you're depriving yourself.

What you have to do is take it back a stage and give up the desire - it's easier that way. Whenever you feel the desire for a cigarrette, don't just resist the desire - reject the desire instead.

:meditate:

[Leesifer]

You're still smoking spliffs though, right? :stoner:

[ITSOZAZ]

mints or candy that last about as long as a cigarette. it helped me!

[Stormlight]

Now I'm not saying I've quit, but I haven't had a cigarette since Saturday. Well except for one last night. But I'm allowed to do that every now and again. Because I haven't quit. I think it might be easier taking this approach to not smoking anymore.

It's not. Because this way you'll constantly be in withdrawal without ever kicking the habit.

[Sock Puppet]

I did, however, manage to taper off the nicotine urge by smoking pipe tobacco every now and then, to kill the craving. I didn't inhale, though (/clinton), so if you think you'll be tempted to inhale that shit, it probably wouldn't work. But yeah, I don't think you can successfully quit while still letting yourself have cigs.

[Ensign Steve]

Oh, yeah, I still smoke a cigar whenever I go to Vegas. There's a photo of me on someone's phone somewhere in my wedding gown with a cigar in one hand and a beer in the other.

[fragment]

I found the intense cravings went away after a fairly short period of time if I could distract myself somehow. The grumpiness goes away in a week or so. The main trick for me was getting used to doing doing all the everyday routines without the associated cigarette - morning coffee break, after dinner, all those. It also really helps to not be round smokers, if that's possible.

[viscousmemories]

If you give something up but still have the desire for it, then you'll forever feel that you're depriving yourself.

What you have to do is take it back a stage and give up the desire - it's easier that way. Whenever you feel the desire for a cigarrette, don't just resist the desire - reject the desire instead.

:meditate:

This is a key component of Allan Carr's theory (http://allencarr.com/central/) in a nutshell and it worked well for me.

[mickthinks]

Alan Carr turned the key for me too.

[Stephen Maturin]

All the best to you, curses. I just passed the two-year mark, but I strongly suggest that you steer clear of the "method" (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=583315&postcount=472) I used.

[Gonzo]

I have never been so bad a tobacco smoker as to come to the point of wanting to quit, but I would suggest spitting sunflower seeds to bide your time. It becomes very systematic. Cashews are good too.

[Shake]

All the best to you, curses. I just passed the two-year mark, but I strongly suggest that you steer clear of the "method" (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=583315&postcount=472) I used.

Yikes! Yeah, that's probably a good one to avoid. Also, apparently having pneumonia will help (worked for a relative of mine).

No advice from me, just words of encouragement to keep it up! You don't need the cancer sticks, curses!