Can't give up smoking......

moved to a diffrent state and started smoking and can't seem to stop. Went from smoking cigs to cigars but don't smoke as much. doc. said I need to stop but can't. I've tried doing everything from patch to classes. I'm almost 2 years out now and I do need to stop again but now I'm scared I'll gain wieght. Big fear of that. Anyone else who has had this problem let me know how you did it. ty

Sorry, I just stopped! there is no easy way. The first 5 months were hell. But it's been 18 years now and I've not even had one drag. I know I'm an addict, I can never have even a drag. At first I dreamed about smoking and I would wake up really upset at myself, then be so happy to realize it was just a dream. But the dreams have stopped and the craving gone.

Hi Diane, This evening, actually right about now, 11 years ago I smoked my last cigarette and have not had a craving or relapse since! (Despite having some majorly hairy things happen in my life after I quit...) I didn't quit cold turkey-- in fact I did EVERYTHING in my power to make sure I was going to quit and stay quit. I set a goal date about three months out(wanted to do it before I turned 35), I went to the lowest tar and nicotin cigarettes possible (like sucking air), I reduced my cigarette consumption from two (sometimes two plus) packs a day down to just 2 cigarettes a day--when I quit. I also had the patch and gum just in case. And then the step that I think worked the best is that I started using positive affirmations (visioning is what it is now sometimes called). I repeated to myself over and over again every day, "No thanks, I do not smoke". I would even say it as I was driving down the road with a cigarette in my hand. I also meditated and was exercising (a lot) so that helped. There is no one magic thing, but once I smoked my last cigarette at 10 PM on February 28 1995, I never looked back even though my husband continued to smoke around me. I did gain weight-- 30 pounds and then I got pregnant (a month later) and gained another 70 pounds so that year I gained 100 pounds, and I am struggling with the weight to this day--why I am at Obesityhelp.com and why I am taking the banding journey..... BUT I FEEL much healthier that I did as a smoker, even carrying the extra weight. Foods taste better, my sense of smell amazes me, I don't stink any more, and I am being a positive role model for my daughter! So there are so many reasons to quit. I wish you all the postive energy you will need for the journey! Blessings! Kelly

I don't smoke but I just wanted to give you my support. I have a twin who smoked for 30 years. She gave it up cold turkey. I have been trying to get her to quit for years and years! She dreamed of smoking, thought about it 24 hours a day. She wanted to talk about it in the beginning but then didn't want to talk about it at all. After 1 year she is still craving it bad but she isn't smoking. It is one of the most difficult things to do except wean yourself from drugs. I hope you will be able to stop. Best wishes. Janna

Just want to give you my sympathy. . . it is hard to quit smoking. I am 52 and have not smoked since I got pregnant when I was 27. I wish I could say I quit smoking for my baby's sake. . . I wanted to stop smoking when I got pregnant but even then I couldn't break the habit. Then I was so sick while pregnant, that I quit smoking. Just a whiff of a ciggie could make me very nauseous. When my baby was born, I had lost a total of 18 pounds during the pregnancy .. . this was actually the thinnest day of my adult life, which is pretty amazing because most women gain weight when they have a baby. It was a drastic way to finally kick the smoking habit, wasn't it?! After my baby was born, I was able, thank goddess, to avoid smoking and I haven't smoked in almost 24 years. . . . I have a lot of sympathy for a smoker struggling to quit. I had tried to quit for at least five years before I finally kicked the habit. . . it is hard. Do you best, that's all you can do. And be kind to yourself, always.