I've decided to quit smoking. How many people have quit and how did you do it?

This is my first day and I'm feeling edgy, I'm hoping to get some suggestions on how to deal with the stress of stopping ..
Answer:
I know this may sound weird, but Bananas can help people trying to give up smoking. The B-6 and B-12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.Potassium is a vital mineral which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.So try eating some bananas :)

---

i quit 5 months ago i started on the patch and wore it for a week and felt i didn't need it and well 5 months later still smoke free thank god

---

I stopped smoking cigars...
I got ratted out a week after I was off cold turkey.
(I'm still looking for that bass turd)

---

I got hypnotized. It worked great!! Best $ I ever spent.

---

well thats just grand. give yourself a pat on the back. ya but seriously, get addicted 2 somethin else, like ummmmmmmmmmmm OOOH!! coffee! i luuuuve coffee!!!! no icecream! i luve icecream!!!!!!!!...

---

gum, chew gum, when i got the urge to smoke i chewed gum it helped me have been smoke free for 5 years

---

Okay, I took some index cards and wrote ONE statement on each one. (bear with me here, it really helped me!)
My hair smells cleaner
My breath is fresher
My clothes smell . . . . . you get the point right? All the GOOD things about NOT smoking.Then I also wrote statements negative about smoking. My BIGGEST one, was "smoking interrupts everything that I do".
Isn't it true? you have to stop whatever you're doing to smoke. You have to spend $$$, you have to go to buy them. You have to go outside (where it's cold or hot), or off property at some jobs. Whenever I thought of a statement that clicked with me, I wrote it down on a different 3x5 card. Now then, what to do during those times when you WEREN'T doing anything? the normal times you would be smoking? I always had these cards with me. And I would read them. One at a time. These are all reinforcements of NOT SMOKING and reminds you of the reasons for quitting. As redundant as it sounds, I ALSO had cards that said "smoking makes my hair smell like smoke"
smoking makes my breath smell like an ashtray
smoking makes my clothes smell gross - smoking makes my fingers turn yellow - smoking makes my teeth turn yellow - smoking pollutes my lungs -- I want to live a long life for (whoever -- I put my future children). By the time I got through the stack, I was feeling better about it, and I wasn't wanting to smell gross, and have yellow teeth, etc. (and my break was over)Smoke breaks? gonna miss them? I still went! But now this is a big test, because you have to be sure you're not gonna start again!! co-workers teased me and we called it my "carrot stick break" -- instead of a cigarette, I held a carrot stick in my mouth (and ate it too). The other thing that helped with that action of having something to do with your hands, or something in your mouth, was I drank EVERYTHING with a straw. water, milk, soda, EVERYTHING. Just the action of putting the straw to my mouth was the action of putting the cigarette to my mouth (but don't inhale! lol) Eventually, the urges go away, if you can make it through the first 10 days to 3 weeks, then there's NO POINT in returning.
Hey, this is your time, if you're edgy (irritable) they can deal with it!! You're doing something GOOD darnit, and if you gotta be a little crabby, then so be it!! (Did I mention hubby and I almost got a divorce? lol -- we quit together, I don't recommend it, but no fair if one still gets to smoke!)Eventually, smoking will be a thing of the past. And you'll be like us now, after a night in a bar or other smoky place, we have to take off our clothes, and take a shower / wash hair before we can even sit down or go to bed at home.GOOD LUCK -- I know you can do it if I did!

---

I read Alan Carr's Easyway. It really helps with the mental aspect of quitting. Also check out www.quitnet.com which is a free support website for anyone trying to quit. Good luck! Nicole

---

I tried quitting for 15 yrs with no success, but this yr i have been able to quit the habit for 5 months now. I came up with my own silly way of quiting. I bought 1 pack of nicrotte gum and did not follow there directions. Instead i decided to go as long as i possible could without a cigarette (which was about 6 hrs) and then have a piece of the gum, following there directions on how to chew it. I continued this pattern and the time in between pieces of gum increased quite a bit.After my little experiment was done i was able to stop chewing the gum after a week, and i only went through about 6 pcs.Its a great feeling kicking the habit and i wish all you aspiring quitters out there the best of luck :)

---

I went cold turkey have been smoke free for almost a month.

---

Best of luck to you. My sister has done the ear staple, for smoking and weight loss, both of which she says she's having good results with. I also have family that used acupuncture with great results, so if you feel like you might be slipping, try either one of these.

---