Which smoking alternative works best for you?

1. 85

   romper20posted 12 years ago

   Whether you've smoked a pack a day for 15 years and finally kicked the habit or you are in the process of quitting smoking right now. Which alternative works best for you?
   *me*
   I have tried patches which help for the first few weeks and then lose their touch for me at least. I never have been a fan of nicotine alternatives such as gum not my style. I purchased The Safe Cig micro which is a electronic cigarette and it helps a bit. GIVE ME IDEAS!

   replyreport
   1. 60

      Randy Godwinposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Rollin' your own will cut down on the number of smokes a bit.  Depending on what exactly it is you smoke, of course.

      replyreport
      1. 85

         romper20posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         good advice

         replyreport
   2. 56

      xmasdecorationsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Nicotine patches and gum are not intended to be long term permanent alternatives to cigarettes, they are intended for short term use as a cessation aid, with the intention being that you start with an amount of nicotine roughly equal to your intake through cigarettes and then reduce this amount until you get to zero mg of nicotine per day.
      
      Once you reach zero mg of nicotine per day, there is not supposed to be an alternative, because you rid yourself of the addiction and thus don't actually need an alternative.
      
      Using nicotine patches for the rest of your life really won't do much good for your health, it would probably burn your skin and f'up your veins, I suffered numbness in my arms for up to a year after 4 months of patches being stuck to them.
      
      An 'alternative' to cigarettes, if you do not with to beat the addiction, would be e-cigarettes or chewing tobacco. If you do want to quit then the most effective method would probably be to ask your doctor to give you Champix/Chantix which can get you out of the habit within 12 weeks, but has some pretty nasty side effects.
      
      If you live in America and thus have a good chance of being one of the tens of millions of people who can't afford decent prescription drugs, then you could take a risk and buy some Tabex online, which is what they use in Eastern Europe. It is currently be tested in the UK and costs less than 20 cents per tablet.

      replyreport
   3. 81

      2besureposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I went from smoking to cookies.  But sucking hard candy helps and no weight gain!

      replyreport
      1. 85

         romper20posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         good tips! i might have to switch to nutterbutters

         replyreport
   4. 61

      Night Magicposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I tried a couple of prescriptions that my doctor gave me only to have very negative side effects like heart racing & problems breathing.  I have tried patches, electronic cigarettes & gum but they didn't help.  I think I will try punching holes in my cigarettes and see if that works.

      replyreport
   5. 0

      lavender3957posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Smoking is very hard to quit. I had quit cold turkey and replaced it with chewing gum. When your are diagnosed with COPD, you quit for quickly to live for your children. One way that helped my husband to quit smoking was holding straws in his hands like a cigarette and pretended to smoke. It helped him to quit. Good luck and I hope you accomplish this habit.

      replyreport
2. 0

   Emile Rposted 12 years ago

   This is kind of off the wall, but I personally believe smoking is 98% habit and 2% addiction. I bought a thing at the drug store that punched holes in the filters  of cigarettes. You could punch 1-4 holes. By the time you graduated to 4 holes (I changed to more holes after two packs at each level), you were still smoking, but barely getting anything out of a drag.
   
   After a couple of days at the 4 hole stage, it seemed stupid to light up. I quit in about two weeks, without  feeling as if I was denying myself any pleasure.

   replyreport
   1. 56

      xmasdecorationsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Nicotine is said to be one of the most addictive substances on the planet, some people can stop instantly, but others are far too addicted. Whenever I've tried to give up (I am on and off them) the worst thing about the whole experience was the people who want to lecture you about how easy it was for them and how they gave up instantly with very few symptoms.
      
      That doesn't make them special, it makes them lucky. The last time I tried cold turkey or to quit too quickly I was bed ridden with hot and cold sweats, had terrible nightmares, could hardly talk, and was thinking about cigarettes literally a hundred times a day. It was horrible. My only real successful attempt at quitting came after 4 months of graduating down through four sizes of nicotine patches, I didn't smoke for 4 months after that, then messed it up and had a pack when drunk.
      
      But I certainly know that cold turkey or quitting in a couple of days is never going to be an option for me, I might try patches again, or I may try Champix.

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Well, I was scared to death of Chantix. I saw their ad. "If you begin contemplating suicide, call your doctor.' Nah. I'd probably be the one to just do it.
         
         I do know what you mean about hard to quit. We've got a girl at work. Second lung cancer operation. Hopefully, she'll quit for good this time. It's been a real struggle for her.

         replyreport
         1. 56

            xmasdecorationsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            That is precisely how I felt when going cold turkey, never again!

            replyreport
   2. 60

      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Personally, I'm up for trying hypnosis, after doing some research it appears that the patches gum etc, only deal with the symptoms, and not the addiction.

      replyreport
      1. 90

         mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Tried it, twice in fact and with different recommended hypnotists. It didn't work for me at all,

         replyreport
      2. 0

         Emile Rposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I wish you luck. We tried that route. I don't think I got hypnotized. But, I've heard of people who have quit that way.

         replyreport
3. 98

   Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years ago

   Romper,
   
   Good on you for trying to give up the cigarettes!
   
   I started smoking at age 11 (I got to liking one with a drink - sadly, I'm not joking!) and was on and off them like a changing set of traffic lights throughout my early adulthood. I tried various things like gum and patches and found them totally useless. Then I found a product called NiquitinCQ (spelling as quoted - I think they were made by SmithklineBeecham but I'm not sure). I am sure that if the precise product is not available in the USA, something similar will be. They were lozenges. You put one in your mouth and tucked it away to the side of your mouth to let it dissolve. You do not actively suck on it and mustn't eat or drink anything while it's in your mouth. It takes forty-five minutes to an hour to dissolve. Miracle stuff! They are available in different strengths, dependant upon how many you smoke a day. The instructions are precise as to how to slowly reduce your doze over a six week period to zero.
   
   After those six weeks, I was off the lozenges and never touched another cigarette for ten months. Why did I start again? Believe it or not - boredom! I was travelling a lot through work at that time and was stuck in an incredibly boring hotel one night and decided I would have "One" cigarette... That was me back on them and I know I should try to quit again but just haven't the motivation now.
   
   Quitting smoking is mostly about breaking the habit as opposed to the physical addiction. People told me the first week was the hardest. I disagee. I think the third and fourth weeks were hte hardest but I wish you the very best of luck and hope you are going to start a Hub to chart your findings and progress.
   
   I'll definitely follow it.
   
   Good luck!

   replyreport
   1. 85

      romper20posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      wonderful tips thank you for sharing i enjoyed reading your post from top to bottom

      replyreport
4. 72

   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   I had got to 40 a day each with my partner, while he was drinking himself to death last year. We used to smoke and suck on asthma inhalers alternately
   
   I smoked my last cigarette the day he died. It was lying on the table when I got back from the hospital.
   
   Since then, nothing. It is now nearly 17 months.
   
   The only hesitation I've had is when I've had time to kill while waiting for things to cook. I used to open the back door and smoke to fill in the time. However, I certainly am not going to make the effort to walk down to the shops and buy cigarettes just for that.
   
   I also hardly ever need an inhaler now...

   replyreport
   1. 60

      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I admire you Writeangled, when my dad died, a smoker from the age of 14, I vowed I would stop smoking too. Here I am, 4 years later, with a 20 a day habit.

      replyreport
   2. 98

      Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sorry it took such a horrific event, WriteAngled, to stop you smoking. That is something I can't relate to through personal experience. The thing that used to scare me was that both my grandfathers died in their fifties of lung cancer through smoking and I am now in my forties. I have read a lot that says the susceptibility to the disease (rather than the disease itself) can be hereditary and I have that from both sides of the family...
      
      I'm glad you don't need the inhaler (or hardly ever) and hope you manage to stay free of the horrific weed...

      replyreport
5. 59

   janesixposted 12 years ago

   I've tried gum and patches,but nothing works for me. I have no will power

   replyreport
6. 90

   mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years ago

   I stopped 3 years ago in December, and I used no alternatives as they had all failed for me in the past. I used the Nicotine Solutions Course (from home), and I can't recommend it highly enough, no NRT, and a clever course that means you really don't use your willpower that much either. I have hubbed on it if you want to check it out (there are several hubs on my experience, but I reckon my diary of going through the Nicotine Solutions course is the one you might find helpful).

   replyreport
7. 80

   mega1posted 12 years ago

   chewing gum, knitting, sewing, having plenty of things to do to keep your mind and hands occupied works for me

   replyreport
8. 59

   SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years ago

   .....ummmmm......

   replyreport
9. 64

   jcmayer777posted 12 years ago

   I started using chewing tobacco, but that's not exactly a gain by any stretch. 
   
   I started smoking when I was about 14, about 23 years ago.  I quit cold turkey for about two years at one point.  Went out drinking with some friends, had to have "just one" which then turned into "just one pack for tonight."  I was hooked again.
   
   I started dippin' because I didn't want the kids to be exposed to any level of secondhand smoke. I should really quit the chew as well....

   replyreport
   1. 85

      romper20posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      i can relate i dipped through my teenage years and found it to be effective for about a year then i was back to cigarettes and dippin' UGH lol!!

      replyreport
10. 64

    Dale Mazurekposted 12 years ago

    Well you can see by a few of my hubs that I quit may 6, 2010 which is almost a year and a half now.
    
    The first week I used a nicotine inhaler, gum and an e-cigarette.  What seemed to help the most was the gum.  However I only used aids for seven days and didnt use anything after that.  I still do get cravings and I eat sunflower seeds for that.
    
    For me quitting came quite easy but I really wanted to quit so that had a lot to do with it.

    replyreport
    1. 85

       romper20posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       That is quite funny as im eating sun flower seeds right now lol..

       replyreport
11. 92

    cat on a soapboxposted 12 years ago

    Quitting smoking was one of the hardest things I've done. The upside is that one day you will never have the urge. It DOES really go away! I quit 30 years ago after smoking 1 1/2 packs of Winston a day for 15 years. I tried many times to quit. I  was successful only when I'd had enough. Visualization of my  pristine lungs, like beautiful undulating sea life, being destroyed by tar and nicotine was enough for me. I allowed myself a cig to suck on and wave around. The only rule was that I couldn't light it. Eventualy, I tossed it out and never looked back!

    replyreport
12. 60

    Jenna Popeposted 12 years ago

    The patch. Been off cigarettes for 5 years. Quitting was one of the hardest things I've ever done!

    replyreport
    1. 85

       romper20posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Well worth it i am sure..

       replyreport
13. 77

    Theresa_Kennedyposted 12 years ago

    I quit real cigarettes a few months ago, but smoke an e-cigarette instead. I'm a "vaper" now instead of a smoker. My brain doesn't realize that I quit smoking, because I vape just as much and at all the usual times that I used to smoke. I even go outside with regular smokers, and it doesn't phase me that I'm not actually lighting up too.
    
    After 30 years and many attempts using every aid ever invented, I'm happy with this method. Happy that I don't smell like a cigarette, happy that I don't spend $6/day on cigarettes, happy that my lungs are healing the same as a non-smoker, and mostly happy that I still get to "smoke" (vape)!

    replyreport
    1. 85

       romper20posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I am totally with you on this one.. so far the electronic cigarette seems to be my most promising bet in my opinion.

       replyreport
       1. 77

          Theresa_Kennedyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Best of wishes to you, Romper20! I hope to see future updates from you, just to know how it's going. I love hearing success stories

          replyreport
          1. 76

             Barbara Kayposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             What are the e-cigarettes exactly. Just a fake cigarette or something else?

             replyreport
             1. 85

                romper20posted 12 years agoin reply to this

                The e-cigarette is comprised of a battery and an atomizer. The two screw together to form what looks like a regular cigarette. The smoke that is produces is in fact "Water Vapor" which involves no flame thus eliminating chemicals, tar, ash, odor etc. If you looking to quit cigarettes i recommend you check out my review of the E Cigarette @ http://appealingsmokes.com
                
                

                replyreport