Any suggestions for cutting down on cigarettes?

Find something else to do with your mouth and hands when you want a cigarette. For example, carry sugar free mints, lifesavors, gum to put in your mouth every time you want to pick up a cigarette. You are so used to picking up a cigarette and the motions that entails, do something else with your hands. Clean something, get your hands wet so you can’t pick up a cigarette, go for a walk, play with your pets or kids. Good luck and welcome to Fluther!

@chyna – thanks! Are you a smoker/former smoker?

Wet hands is genius

I am a former smoker. I took baths sometimes when I wanted a cigarette. I did things that I couldn’t do when smoking. Talking on the phone and turning my car on meant lighting a cigarette. I tried to do other things when I normally lit up. When picking up the phone, I would pick up a mint or just start washing dishes.

Knit, crochet, do cross stitch or anything that keeps your hands busy. Helped me give up so it might help you cut down. Go for a walk and don’t take your cigarettes. Avoid doing things where you automatically smoke. I used to light a cigarette before picking up the phone for a chat with a friend.

It is hard to cut down and to quit. Good luck with either or both.

You might want to try Chantix. I know several people who did well using it.

Drink grapefruit juice and use cinnamon toothpaste/mouthwash. I’ve heard cigarettes taste horrible after either of those.

You might want to consider an electronic cigarette.

E-cigs vaporize a liquid solution that simulates cigarette smoke. This liquid (e-juice) is available in many flavors which may or may not contain nicotine (user’s choice).

Many “vapers” (users who inhale vapor instead of smoke) gradually reduce their nicotine level without sacrificing the satisfaction they previously obtained from smoking tobacco products.

For the record, Chantix has been recently linked to heart disease.

@SABOTEUR Well you roll the dice in just about everything we do in this life..Just about every drug that you can get will have a few test subjects that didn’t do well. They are the minority though. It does work better than other stuff out there so far, so you weigh the risk of heart problems with the cure, or heart problems with not quitting smoking. A doc should screen patients for unusual risk we would hope.
Bacon cheese burgers are also linked to heart disease. Everyone should have their own set of dice and someone they trust to blow on them.

I quit 2½ weeks ago after reading this, from a pack a day down to zero. I know you said you’re not ready to quit, just thought I’d point that out.

One way I have cut down in the past is to put the pack in a fairly inaccessible place; the back of a high cabinet where you need a step-ladder, the back of a closet on another floor, essentially anywhere that requires you to put some effort into getting that next butt. That cuts out all the “automatic” or “thoughtless” light-ups.

@woodcutter Oh, I’m not saying Chantix doesn’t work. I just said it was linked to heart disease.
By reputable sources, I might add.

The ironic thing concerns the FDA.
Cigarettes are a proven health risk.
Now Chantix has been linked to heart disease.

Do you hear a great rumble from the FDA exerting pressure to ban these substances?

There are tons of testimonials of people who unintentionally quit smoking after choosing electronic cigarettes as a smoking alternative. Yet the FDA did everything it could to ban this practice in the United States. And use of e-cigs is still being restricted or banned in various parts of the U.S. and other countries.

WHY?

* They say it’s because we’re not sure of the risks involved in using electronic cigarette products.

* There haven’t been enough studies.

* And we don’t want children using them.

Oh.

But we know cigarettes….and now Chantix…kill people.
But that’s not enough reason to ban them.

Makes sense to me.

Take 10 deep breaths. Slowly inhale as deeply as you can and then exhale all the way until your lungs are empty. Do this 10 times and the urge will have passed and you will be grossed out at how bad your lungs feel and won’t want to smoke ever again.