Distraction helps smokers quit smoking.

I know. I've quit smoking a billion times.

Non-smokers probably can't appreciate what it feels like to say to yourself, gawddammit I need a cigarette right now and light it up and feel instant satisfaction.

But if you can do something crazy like tell yourself to wait 15 minutes or maybe do something you'll forget about smoking for a while.

Or so I've heard.

Still smoking.

Meh, whatever helps. I was never a heavy smoker (maybe half a pack a day, more when drinking), but it was still hard to quit. The lozenges, gum, and patches all made me super ill since even the lowest does is meant for people smoking a whole pack a day (and the gum/lozenges made my throat swell). When I quit smoking, I just did it. I remember taking lots of walks whenever I had an urge, but it has been about four years now. About two years ago I got the urge and bummed a cigarette off of a friend. I took two puffs and then handed it back because it tasted disgusting. I haven't touched one since.

Occasionally I like to share a cigar with my husband, but I'll have maybe four puffs and let him finish the rest. When you decide you are done once and for all then quitting isn't that bad. My dad smoked 4 packs a day since he was 20 and finally quit when he was 40. Same as I did, just cold turkey. He also quit drinking though which I haven't needed to do.

hailin: Meh, whatever helps. I was never a heavy smoker (maybe half a pack a day, more when drinking), but it was still hard to quit. The lozenges, gum, and patches all made me super ill since even the lowest does is meant for people smoking a whole pack a day (and the gum/lozenges made my throat swell)

I find that funny because when I tried the patch it just wasn't doing it for me. I was a little more than a pack-a-day smoker at the time too.

So I put the patch on one morning and by noon I was climbing the walls, ripped it off and lit a cigarette.

The patch had been supplying me with nicotine, but just not in the right way or maybe not enough. I OD'd on nicotine after I lit that cig. Seriously, too much nicotine does suck.

nicotine is an evil drug. It amazes me when I hear people go cold turkey and usually they say it as if they just decided to stop and that's great if it works for them.

"NCI is hoping" is not the same as "Texting helps teens quit smoking." Still waiting on solid evidence this will produce behavior change...

Muta: I quit cold turkey. I had a little help because I broke my right foot. Getting in and out of the car was a royal PIA and I was a menace on the road driving with my left foot. When it comes to quitting, if it works then it's good.

I can see how breaking your right foot might make you a menace on the highway but I cannot imagine how it would help you stop smoking.


I broke a few bones in my feet this past year. I don't even know how many since hospitals cost money but it farking hurt a LOT....If anything it made me smoke more.

I wonder how much money would have been spent on my broken toes if I had insurance. Would have been worth the pain I no doubt would have suffered? I somehow doubt it but dammit I wanted some drugs!

bemis23: Holy crap. That's 80 cigarettes per day. Assuming he was awake for 16 hours a day, he lit a new cigarette every 15 minutes. Assuming it takes 3 minutes to smoke a cigarette, that's 4 hours a day he spent just smoking. I thought I was a heavy smoker when I was smoking a little less than a pack a day, but that is just a whole new level.

Yup. It helped that where he worked for a lot of years (until the feds forced them too) allowed its worked to smoke. Used to be anywhere and then in designated areas which was a HUGE smoking lounge with vending machines, coffee, and a fridge because everyone smoked there, so he would just take whatever he was working on and chain smoke there for hours. His secretary would page him if there was an important call or something, but would usually just patch them through to the smoking lounge.

When he got home all he would do is smoke and drink an 18-pack outside in the enclosed gazebo which has a hot tub and cable television because my mom wouldn't let him smoke in the house (in the winter he would go out to smoke, but stay inside most of the time because it was cold).

He wasn't a terrible father, but he did have a few drunken rant moments at us stupid annoying kids. Luckily we had a basement with cable television we could be banished to avoid daddy's raging. I'm really proud of him now that he doesn't smoke or drink anymore. He is a pretty cool guy when he isn't stressed out all the damn time. He's been sober for ten years now.

My reasons for quitting were not so admirable. I quit because my boyfriend at the time said he hated smokers, but tolerated me smoking which I got the feeling meant if I didn't stop the relationship wouldn't be long term. So I quit and now we're married for whatever that's worth.