An email yesterday:

I wake up in the morning and my chest hurts, not only that but when I climb stairs or do anything physical my heart races and I feel like I can’t breathe. I am scared of smoking related diseases and feel like I want to quit but every time I try to I go back to smoking more. Ex-smokers:  What did you do to quit, what made you want to quit and how do you stay smoke free?  Please help me I feel so weak!

Come on, ex-smokers!  Let’s send this poor woman some motivating information and some tips.  Leave some comments if you have any advice.

Got this note:

It will almost be a year since I stopped smoking cigarettes.  I quit cold turkey when I became pregnant.  Obviously, I gained weight because of the pregnancy, but could it also be because I quit smoking? I don’t substitute food for nicotine.   Is there a physiological reason as to why one gains weight or is it completely psychological?
Note: I eat 1100 cals a day so it’s not junk food.  I’m losing weight – just wondering why it’s taking a bit longer than I expected.

Well, the majority of the time, post-smoking weight gain is caused by an increased food intake, as nicotine is an appetite suppressant.  Also, people tend to eat more as means of keeping their mouth busy.

However, there have been studies that show that nicotine may speed up the metabolism *a little*.  This is a temporary effect, though, and if you’re moderately exercising, even just dragging a baby around or walking a bit, the effects wouldn’t be noticeable.  Remember also that your body is going through a great deal of changes, and losing baby weight can take up to a year.  It’s best to not restrict your diet too much; lose the weight slowly and in a healthy way and you’re much more likely to keep it off.  Good luck!

When you’re ready to quit, the most important tool you have in the battle is determination. Unless you’re determined, nothing, including medication, can help you to quit.  A good way to quit is to simply start reducing the amount and counting the days you can go without.  Keep away from negative influences.  This helps to reduce tension and stress and will help you immeasurably. Try conditioning your mind:  Whenever you think of smoking, think of something else instead, such as your child, your career or your spouse.  This will help to keep the cravings at bay.  Simply put:  mind over matter!

I have a lot of people write me who are looking for an aid to help them quit smoking.  This is understandable, as kicking the nicotine habit is about as hard as quitting heroin.  Often people will know only about the nicotine patch or gum.  Well, today there are plenty of other options out there, including hypnotherapy, medications (prescription), support groups and even laser therapy.  I try to write about as many different options as possible so that people can be well-informed before making any decisions.  Also, your doctor can be a great tool in this battle, so don’t forget to talk to them before starting with anything new!

I met a 19-year-old the other day and they had been smoking for several years (started young, like so many others!).  She was worried about cancer, obviously, but also about premature aging.  I told her that now was the time to quit!  Quitting before smoking too many years straight and converting to a healthier lifestyle will save her lungs (and her skin!).

The only “FREE” way to quit is to quit cold turkey! Drink lots of water, eat healthy foods, and avoid trigger situations for a while. I’m trying to quit now, too. I have the most cravings when I’m at work and when I go out to a bar or restaurant.

I used “Smoke Away” several years ago and ended up quitting for a little over a year. I don’t know how it worked, but I remember not having any real cravings while I was using the product. I’ve tried the gum, and it does help with the cravings.

Call around to  local hospitals – often they will offer a  smoking cessation support group. That is a great idea that you and your husband could try. I live in Pittsburgh, so I’m surrounded by hospitals. There are tons of free smoking cessation groups, usually once a week.

If you’re able to spend a little bit of money, try “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking”. It’s a book by Alan Carr. I think you can find it on Amazon.com for less than $9. I have not read the book myself, but a lot of my friends have.  I have two coworkers who have successfully quit cold turkey after reading the book. I don’t know anything about the book at all, but it might be worth looking into if people are having success with it.

One last bit of advice: don’t quit alone. You and your husband need to support each other, and it’s great that you’re quitting together. I know from experience that it’s nearly impossible to quit when there are other smokers in the house! Also seek the support and encouragement of your friends. Try relaxation techniques, or meditation, or prayer.

I understand how difficult it is. I continued to smoke even after my dad died of lung cancer at age 50.

It takes people several attempts to successfully quit, but you can! You’re bigger than that cigarette, so don’t give in to cravings. There’s nothing about smoking that we NEED, right? Keep up the good work!

This was a message from someone in response to an entry about using quit smoking aids:

I personally don’t trust any quit smoking method that deals only with physical nicotine addiction.  I tried several times to quit using patches, gums, herbs etc but none of these worked.

I had an especially horrible time on Chantix, having nightmares at night and anxiety attacks during the day.

Remember, smoking is more of a psychological addiction than a physical one. If you really want to quit you must discover the reasons why you smoke and then eliminate or change these thought processes. As soon as I dealt with my psychological reasons for smoking I quit, first time and more importantly for good.

Once you deal with the psychological side of smoking it makes the quitting process easy, no matter your level of addiction.

Quitting smoking does not require any patches, gums, herbs or anything like that. These methods are expensive, time consuming and simply do not work. All that is required is a bit of motivation, self belief and determination.

my mother has been smoking cigarettes since she was 17 years old and now she is 48. she has quit ones for a week and she was feeling so happy and her skin was looking so beautiful but she started again.so i wanna know how i should help her stop without making her take pills.
please help. im very worried.

All you can do is being encouraging, not judgmental. the addiction is very strong but many people have quit cold turkey so she should try again. I believe I read that some people have to "quit" 4 or 5 times before they quit for good.

It's definitely to YOUR advantage if she quits.

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Are there any tips or websites out there to help you stop smoking weed?

Try here: http://www.goaskalice-cms.org/1579.html

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I've been asked by a friend to help. I don't think he wants to go
to meetings and is trying the patch. Are there any web sites?

Thanks.

http://stopsmoking.eu.pn/

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