Someone help me please.

So this is day one of quitting smoking and im feeling very tempted. can someone help me keep my mind off it?

..Chew gum! :D

No more in house. the roomies chewed it all up. i am however, eating a popsicle

Exercise.. it could help.

I'll give it a shot. but i can't exercise too much, gotta work tonight :(

Try this resource from a Professor of Preventative Medicine in Loma Linda:

http://www.videojug.com/interview/avoiding-the-temptation-to-smoke-2

Get your doctor to prescribe you Bupropion extended release tablet (generic for Zyban, Wellbutrin), which is FDA approved for kicking the habit. http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/bupropion-hydrochloride-zyban-for-quitting-smoking

Nicoderm and gums do not work in the long term (recent study http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/09/health/la-he-nicotine-replacement-therapy-20120110 )

Practice meditation,,,,refocuses your mind of your cravings, smoking, alcohol or other perversions (you know what I mean!)
and perhaps try music (ipod or mp3) as a distraction, like a cool teenager.

Rather than feed the addiction, even in another guise, focus on what you need to do next. I quit cold turkey, from 4 packs a day. I did it by reconstructing my self image: I was simply not a person who smoked.

You cannot help the craving, it is there, but push aside thoughts about the craving, refuse to dwell on it. The need is akin to grief and pain: it tells you there is something in your life/body that feels a lack or need that must be attended to. Like with a broken bone, the pain serves a purpose. However, once the need has been identified, the pain, and the craving, interfere with your ability to carry on. At that point you ask yourself "What needs to be done next?" DO it. Then ask it again, over & over.

I completely agree with Larry, focus on other things that you need to do, chores, goals, chatting on the net. Poems anything except the urge. And don't let weight gain bother you, it's normal but will come off easily once yours over the need

The Internet helped me, I stayed busy doing whatever almost all day haha

Well i made progress today. the longer i went without thinking about it, the more i felt i no longer needed to smoke.

unfortunately i did take four puffs and snuffed it.

Go to a cancer ward.

Put that behind you, the matter is still yours to control. Now what needs to be done next?

I smoke up to two packs a day, I need help quiting as well, Been smoking nonstop for 5 years now!
i do need to quit becasue i want to exercise and i get tired quickly

You just have to keep trying. keep your mind off of it or find something else todo that will keep your mind busy. its all about self control. try putting a rubber band on your wrist and snapping yourself every time you think about smoking
hope that helps some one :)

Im going to do that at work.

and Kevin, no.

Godfather, duely noted, the next step is to tell myself, now what?

Self control is all it really is. let your mind take over the desires

I don't want to advertise for my own company, but I have managed to cut both with smoking, after having smoked two packages a day for 20 years and lost about 116 pounds permanently. I now earn a living as a weighconsultant and walk 15,000 steps each day.

How did I do that? Well, basically I detachted from the need. I feel it, I look at it from all angles and then I just walk away. I can assure you that at first it was not that easy at all. But I did it nonetheless. All of you reading this and having a hard time controlling yourself, try this: put something in front of you on the table that you like to eat, but not your absolute favorite. Make a promise to yourself in advance that you are not allowed to eat it, no matter what. Sit and stare at the food for as long as you like until you see it for what it is and then either throw it away, store it again or give it to someone else. Practice this little exercise in self control each day until you can master it all areas of your life...same with fear: feel it, but don't give in to it. Just do it, go for it and you will know afterwards fear was just an emotion that can be overcome.

Conquering your self is the biggest rush and it's for free;)

Not a fan of shock tactics eh? Very few people have the stomach for it, but it does work.

Most addictions have a reason for them, and not just the fact the substance is addictive. If you can figure out what it is that makes you want to smoke compulsively, like stress or boredom etc, than that is an area to focus on. Might help.

I knew a woman who smoked because she found socializing very stressful. She never smoked a single puff on her own, only when she was out with people. She figured that out, got some help and her need to smoke went away, though she still had to kick the physical addiction.

Kevin kevin..you remind me of an old friend i once had on here..

I'm not a fan of shock tactics simple for the fact that I empathize with others a lot. but its not the empathy that bothers me, but the fact that i feel the emotional and physical suffering of others. This method you speak of stike back too many painful moments in time for me and I wish to not think of it.

"Make a promise to yourself in advance that you are not allowed to eat it, no matter what. Sit and stare at the food for as long as you like until you see it for what it is and then either throw it away,"

I LIKE THAT.

That sounds mentally mean, but i'm going to give it a shot.

Thanks Yaki and it's not really mean, Matthew...to slowly kill yourself with stuff you know is bad for you THAT is mean.

I realize I gave you a how-to guide to stop overeating, more than one to stop smoking, although the two are similar.

The way I did it with cigarettes:
- set a date, preferably when you have a few days off, like a holiday
-stick to the date, don't postpone once you have it in your head
-know Murphy's law will rule for decades after you have stopped (all that can go wrong will go wrong, especially the first few days after you have stopped...know this is just a test to see how strong you are)
-take it one day at a time once you have stopped, this is very important. Don't look too far ahead, or you will lose courage. Just say to yourself: I will not smoke today. You do this every day, until it comes naturally
-drink lots of water and eat healthy food with lots of water in it(vegetables, fruit) to get the rubbish out of your system
- after one week the hardest part is over, then the mental addiction will have to wear off and that will take a life time. Be prepared to always feel like needing a cigarette when something really bad happens. Know it is common. Being prepared is important, so you don't get overwhelmed.
-stay away from smokers if you can, don't allow people to smoke in your home if you can..second hand smoke and the stuff that remains on your furniture is a real long-term killer
-realize kissing you will no longer be like kissing an ash tray (now that is good news!)
- the thing no one told you: you smelled like an ash tray and your afer shave didn't cover that up
- you will look more healthy and be much fitter once you are completely free of nicotine
- you will not become impotent due to less blood flow to essential areas..this happens to many middle aged men who have smoked for a long time, they just don't tell you
-you have less risk of dying from terrible deseases

YOU CAN DO THIS IF YOU REALLY WANT TO! DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE ALREADY ILL!

Day 1, all is well so far. starting to get an increase in thirst and appetite though.

Ingrid I know you are trying to help and don't take this wrong, but, Sorry gotta add some humor in here.......

"-realize kissing you will no longer be like kissing an ash tray (now that is good news!)"

If kissing a smoker is like kissing an ash tray then eating eggs must be like kissing a chickens butt?

Heard that a while back and thought it would bring humor to the situation.
Stay strong you can do it! The answer on how to quit lie in how determined you are to beat it, some people can quit without changing anything, others like myself have not made up my mind to do it yet.

Smoking makes you smell bad, taste bad, and look bad. Anyone I know who is my age and has been smoking for 5+ years looks 10 years older than me. It yellows your teeth and your eyes, grays your skin and takes the sheen from your hair. Your mouth really does taste like an ash tray, even 5 minutes after you've brushed your teeth, it resurfaces... trust me, I've had plenty of experience to know this is true.
Unless the person you're kissing also smokes, then you'll cancel each other out.

It's a hard habit to kick, trust me, I know, but you're doing yourself and everyone you know a HUGE favor.

My remark was also meant to bring some humor into the situation too, Kay..I have often joked about no longer tasting like an ash tray. But the bitter truth is far from funny.

I hope Matthew will accept advice from me because I was a smoker myself for so long and was able to kick the habit anyway. I can assure you it was the hardest thing I have ever done.

I used all emotions to make it work, the humor part, fear, worry for my son's health (second hand smoke and being a poor example to him) and am so glad I did.

I stopped on 1/1/2000 and I still remember how everyone laughed and told me I would not last a day, but here I am..and no longer afraid I might be having cancer, or developing it.

And as Jane said: to stop smoking is doing yourself and the ones who love you a huge favor!

Listen to music

Day 2, only took 5 drags before i snuffed it. my stomach began cramping and my throat burning. progress is being made..

^"I stopped on 1/1/2000"

1976, have no idea of the day
cold-turkey from 4 packs a day
the lungs HEAL when you quit

Happiest day related to it: my son quit more than a year ago.

Congratulations on your efforts, Matthew! Every step you make is progress.

I'm trying to get my fellow to quit. I really don't have any moral (or other) feelings against smoking, it's just the selfish fact that I want him to be with me for a long, long time, and I will be supremely pissed off if he develops a disease because of this habit. There's no way I'm letting him leave this world before me.

So Matthew, remember that you're not just doing yourself a huge favor - you're also doing a favor to all the people who care about you. Keep it up!

" it's just the selfish fact that I want him to be with me for a long, long time"

that's love right there...

I'd say the same thing except that I see no future with this person..... lmaoo

Thank you so much for the support everyone! noticing my singing's been improving greatly!

Good Job you can do it.

One day at a time, Matthew, and you will get there!

How are things going Matthew? As a smoker myself...I've been watching this thread with interest?

My body is starting to ache and I get hot flashes now and again. Everytime I'm around cigarette smoke, my throat starts burning, and my stomach starts flipping out.

other than that, im hanging in there.

Drink lots of water, it will help get the rubbish out faster....you could also sleep more hours, to allow your body to clean itself up without you being aware of it. Try to avoid inhaling smoke, if you can, it will make you feel sick, because your body is now fighting to get rid of that particular poison..

And...you are doing well, hats off!

Day5, only took one puff and snuffed. throat now feels like its got acid in it.

went fishing in creek in backyard to keep my mind occupied. caught a fish!