Ever quit smoking? What can I expect?

You can expect addiction. May you save loots of money.

lapses will occur. dont let it get you down. stick to it. i tried over 20 times to quite before it finally stuck. been over two years now and even tho i cant stand the smell or sight of cigs, i still crave them. which tells you that even after its out of your body, you relate it to situations all the time.

every time you dont smoke, its a win for you. good luck!

Per my quit counter:

I have not smoked for 1 year, 2 months, 13 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes.

Drink a lot of water. Not only does it help with the oral fixation, but it’s cleansing for your body.

Every time you feel like lighting up, do something physical, like a few jumping jacks or sit-ups. I jumped rope.

Congratulations on treating yourself better!

It is going to be very tough. But hang in there. The coughing will happen for probably last for about a week. But stick with it. It will be very rewarding. For me, the first 3 days were the hardest. As for the snacking, grab some fruit and vegetables.
Good luck

Thanks for the support. Honestly I’ve used smoking to help curb my appetite and I’m afraid this might make me gain a little.
I noticed that smoking has been messing with my running. So this is the ultimate reason why I’m quitting. Thanks again for the advice. I really, really appreciate it.

if you see anyone smoking a cigarette, avoid them. when i tried to quit i found it very hard to smell it, and found myself bumming one off the person smoking near me. like @aprilsimnel said, drink water! it will keep you occupied and you won’t gain like you will with the compulsive snacking. i haven’t had a cigarette in 3 months, good luck!

@JONESGH I live with two chain smokers. Pray for me. LOL.

You’re going to want to do something with your hands during idle moments.
Also expect some irritability. You may also eat more.
Do whatever it takes not to smoke again.

My experience is that temptations came in 3’s.
After 3 days, I felt like I had it licked and could have a cigarette and keep in under control. Then it came again after 3 weeks. Then 3 months. After 3 years, I thought I was over it. Then I dated a woman who smoked. We’d go to clubs. She’d go out to smoke and when she did, guys would start hitting on her so I started sharing a smoke with her.
My relapse back into addiction lasted longer than that relationship.
I stopped again 3 years later. This time for good.

The point is, once you stop, you can never allow yourself another cigarette. Ever.

@pinkparaluies oh wow…you’re gonna need some luck on your side my friend.

Do your roommates smoke in the house?

@The_Compassionate_Heretic You bet.

FYI, if you have any mental health issues your symptoms will probably exaggerate while you are quiting. My son found out the hard way that nicotine has a therapeutic effect for people with mental illnesses. His doctor told him that he should never try to quit without the doctors supervision.
The Doctor changed his antidepressant and he was able to cut way back, although he still didn’t quit.

@pinkparaluies That’s going to make things difficult.
When one person in the home smokes, everyone does.

I’m going to assume they’re not interested in quitting smoking.
Moving may sound rash, but it is an option. This is your long term health we’re talking about.

Great advice on this question concerning the oral fixation that occurs with smoking.

@pinkparaluies You can do it!

@Judi Well thats going to be a terrible experience. Thanks for the heads up, actually.
@The_Compassionate_Heretic I’m really not able to live by myself right now. Customer service doesn’t pay amazingly well ;)

& Thanks, @jonsblond !!

@pinkparaluies Maybe a compromise can be reached with the housemates.
The social aspect of smoking is one of the harder ones to overcome.
In any event, I wish you all the luck. It’s not easy but it’s so rewarding.

I dealt with this at my recent party, one of my dearest friends quit smoking two years ago, and she came and stood next to me to smell my second hand smoke. I offered to put it out (even though it was my yard, and we were outside) or to move away, and she just smiled and said, no, she was enjoying the smell of the smoke. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. I knew better than to offer her one, though. Fortunately, the grill needed attention shortly afterwards, so I could escape. =)

I’ve tried to quit plenty of times, but I am weak and cannot do it. Quitting marijuana and other illegal drugs was easy. Hell, even quitting drinking was easy. Smoking? That one’s really fucking hard.

@Psychedelic_Zebra Oh. Thats scary. eeeek

Being around it is either going to be enjoyable, as in @Psychedelic_Zebra‘s example. I used to find the smell to be enjoyable to be around like that. But now I can’t stand it and find it disgusting.
I never was addicted, I smoked for years off and on, but don’t have an addictive personality. I do think the worst part is what to do with your hands. Oh, and I chewed gum to keep me busy.

in my case i could count on starting up again 9 years later. Champix worked for me about a year ago until i went on a trip with a smoker, we could smoke everywhere we went! when i did quit i found being very busy helped the most. everyone in my world got handknit sweaters that year!

LOL.

Take deep breaths when you feel the urge to smoke
Drink lots of water
Smoking doesn’t make anything better
You can do this and you will be glad you did
Best wishes

When I quit. It was awful so awful I started smoking again, lots.
I got a fever that lasted 14 days. Low grade with a headache.
Coughing tons. So much my throat hurt and sometimes my head.
Ate tons of food. Anything I could at weird hours.
Nightmares.
Night sweats.
Bad breath. Carry mints with you.
Headaches. Headaches. Headaches.
A little depression.
This all lasted for about a month or two.
It sucked.
I am a bike racer too. I need to quit this winter. If I don’t I’m gonna get smoked on the track next year. Pun intended. Good luck. My fingers are crossed for you.

@judochop ’ You might want to ask your doctor to prescribe Wellbutrin to get you over the hump. It sure made withdraw a lot easier for my son.

Yeah, the coughing lasts in between a few days and a week or so. I would say that the time depends on how much/frequently you smoked.

Quitting while you live with two chain smokers is definitely going to be harder than quitting without them, but it will also be better. If you can resist smoking when your two home-mates are smoking, it will build your will power.

Think about how much better it will be to breathe/take deep breaths/do strenuous cardiovascular activity. A lot of people say gum helps with the oral fixation, but you can teach yourself how to beatbox instead…