Quitting Cigarettes

Basherbaby

Hey everyone! I have only been here a few months and this is my first real time to participate in the community. I have lurked around a good bit and have seen several posts about smoking but they didn't really touch on what I needed. Currently, my husband, mother, father and myself all smoke and have been for quite some time. My husband and I want to start TTC in a couple of months but we all want to get healthy first. My quit smoking date is this Saturday and everyone besides my mother have decided to try and quit with me (she will eventually hop on board). I have tried to quit several times and have not had much success. This time around I am thinking about trying the Nicotine patches. Has anyone had any success with them or have another alternative that worked? Quitting cold turkey has never worked for me and I really want this time to be successful. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

hupp0013

Good luck!  The last time that I quit (for good!), I used Nicorette gum.  I also had a reward for when I quit.  It was a big reward that also had me really motivated to earn.  

Some people swear by sucking on hard candy, or holding something the same size between their fingers, (McDonald's straws are the perfect size.)

I I wish you the best of luck!

dfulton808

following as I'm trying to get my husband to stop his smoking habit for TTC. Thanks for posting  

Basherbaby

hupp0013 said:

Good luck!  The last time that I quit (for good!), I used Nicorette gum.  I also had a reward for when I quit.  It was a big reward that also had me really motivated to earn.  

Some people swear by sucking on hard candy, or holding something the same size between their fingers, (McDonald's straws are the perfect size.)

I I wish you the best of luck!

Did the Nicorette gum help? I researched it and found a lot of people had upset stomach with it. I think I would much rather use the gum than the patch so that I can be in control of when Nicotine enters my body. We have a reward too (in the form of TTC)! I never thought about the McDonald's straw but I am certainly willing to give it a try! Thank you for the advice! Congratulations on quitting, that shows how strong you are

hupp0013

@Basherbaby I did not get an upset stomach with Nicorette.

I also had used Chantix one of the times I tried to quit before and it worked well.  It definitely made the cigarettes taste incredibly gross and I cut back.  I wasn't ready to quit at that point and stopped taking the Chantix, but it did work for what it was intended to do.  

borgie05

I used to smoke socially (and sometimes on my own because I felt like it) in my old college/party days. I quit cold turkey but I was also lucky enough to never truly get addicted to them. My mom on the other hand was a smoker for decades. She quit when I was a kid and I want to say she used the patch and it worked for her. Good luck!

Basherbaby

borgie05 said:

I used to smoke socially (and sometimes on my own because I felt like it) in my old college/party days. I quit cold turkey but I was also lucky enough to never truly get addicted to them. My mom on the other hand was a smoker for decades. She quit when I was a kid and I want to say she used the patch and it worked for her. Good luck!

Thank you! Today is day one of no cigs and so far so good! 

borgie05

Nice! Keep it up. One day at a time. It will be hard, but each day that passes should get a little easier. You can do it!

Basherbaby

Hello everyone! I just wanted to give an update for those who may be following this thread. I started the patch on Saturday and had a couple of weak moments over the weekend but was able to get passed that more easily than I would have thought. The patch has helped tremendously with the cravings! They haven't completely gone away but it makes it easier when they do come. I've only had a few minor side effects with the patch. When I first put a new patch on each morning my skin is super itchy for about 30 minutes and I have been extremely thirsty. I feel like the thirst isn't a bad thing because I could use some more water in my daily intake. Overall I feel really good this first week of quitting and I know I can do this! If anyone has any questions or is trying to quit also send me a message!  

hupp0013

@Basherbaby I don't think the cravings ever completely go away.  I still have them sometimes.

I am glad it is going well and that the patch has helped with the cravings!  Keep up the awesome work!

Nelbetron

Nice work!! My husband quit chewing tobacco- he had to get away from his friends that also chewed tobacco... having your famity also quit is great! He still gets the occasional craving and will pop in a piece of nicotine gum... but I'd say after the first month we could say he was definitely through the habit!! I don't even know you and I'm proud of you!!

Basherbaby

Thank you! The one month mark without smoking is this weekend and I can't wait for that milestone! My husband has been almost two weeks tobacco free but it has been much harder on my mom and dad. I have a new respect for people that have been able to quit, this has been tougher than I thought!

hupp0013

That is awesome @Basherbaby !  Great job!

kyrenora

When I've tried the patch in the past, I always do great with Stage 1, but as soon as I hit Stage 2, I start getting really intense cravings again and end up giving in. When I had my last baby, I was able to stay off the cigs by drinking a really delicious tea/soda or snacking. I'll be honest in that I gained more weight than I would have liked with the pregnancy because of that, but LO is happy and healthy. 

Unfortunately, once she was born, my husband was still smoking so I fell back into the habit. This time around, he will quit with me or I will make every cigarette very unpleasant for him. During previous attempts, he's found that it works well for him to cut down and then go cold turkey, so it takes a couple weeks to get ready, but then he's good. I'm hoping that with the two of us using our different methods, we'll be able to achieve the goal together permanently this time.

Basherbaby

kyrenora said:

When I've tried the patch in the past, I always do great with Stage 1, but as soon as I hit Stage 2, I start getting really intense cravings again and end up giving in. When I had my last baby, I was able to stay off the cigs by drinking a really delicious tea/soda or snacking. I'll be honest in that I gained more weight than I would have liked with the pregnancy because of that, but LO is happy and healthy. 

Unfortunately, once she was born, my husband was still smoking so I fell back into the habit. This time around, he will quit with me or I will make every cigarette very unpleasant for him. During previous attempts, he's found that it works well for him to cut down and then go cold turkey, so it takes a couple weeks to get ready, but then he's good. I'm hoping that with the two of us using our different methods, we'll be able to achieve the goal together permanently this time.

It's an extremely hard habit to quit but I have faith in you! I am currently on week 5 of no cigs and my husband is on week 3 I think. I used the patch for a little while and then forgot to put it back on and have been nicotine free ever since. My husband tried the patch for one day and didn't like it so he decided against it as well. Both of my parents quit 1.5 weeks ago and are having a much harder time with it. They tried the patch and gum and neither are helping with their cravings. My mom bought a e-cig to help her quit. I just hope the e-cig doesn't become her new addiction. I gave myself fitness goals once I quit and that has been very helpful with drawing my attention away from smoking. Try to find something new that you and your husband both enjoy to bring positive energy when you're having rough days. Good luck!!