Ashley Sewards's Journal, 21 April 2016

UGH! Same here! I could have written exactly what you did. :-( 

I was a heavy smoker for 2 decades, so I hear you! What worked for me was Alan Carr's "The Easy Way To Quit Smoking" You smoke while you read it, and it doesn't try to shame you into quitting, etc...What it helped to do was convince me that in order for me to quit successfully, I had to completely eliminate nicotine from my body. There is an enormous industry dedicated to nicotine replacement, constantly working to convince you that you can quit the most addictive substance ever by continuing to deliver that same substance into your body over and over. That initial withdrawal was unpleasant, sure, but so worth it vs. trying to slowly wean off (which, if you've ever tried to 'cut back,' you know how nerve-wracking that is...) Good Luck! You can do it! 

My husband quit smoking with Alan Carr's book too. He said he really didn't even plan to quit. He thought he was just pacifying me but somehow it worked. The book has very positive reviews on Amazon. Good luck 

I smoke cigarettes also. Some days my chest hurts, and sometimes I get a cough going. I use a CPAP Machine at night to help me get some air in the lungs. If you are having trouble breathing, see a medical doctor. I see my Doctor on May 9th, but it would be great if I quit smoking before then. So as to move forward with my diet. 

I hear you. I want to quit too but I guess not badly enough. Makes me nervous just to think of it. I actually have to and don't really know how. 

I have quit so many times, the longest being 8 months then I had gallbladder surgery. The quitting is the easy part. Staying that way is the hard part.  

I quit 5 years ago with the help of our state program. We have a free 6 week class at the local hospital which taught us about triggers and how to wait them out. Also, they provided free aids such as the patch or chantix which I took... It really works minor side effects.. But you must really really want to stop!! I wish you all the best and I hope you do stop!! My mom has chronic COPD and can no longer take care of herself; we have and oxygen machine that runs 24/7 with lines running through out the house!! 

After smoking a pack a day for 30 years, I quit this past August. My doctor prescribed Bupropion XL (Wellbutrin) and it worked very well for me. I starting taking it in June and took it for 3 months before attempting to quit. I also used Nicorette mini lozenges when I got the overwhelming urge to smoke. Just remember, use an aid (like Nicorette) for a while (I did for a couple months, and then consciously lessened them) when you need it and those overwhelming urges only last about a minute. You can ride them out!! Most of the battle is mind over matter. It seems to me that you are at a good starting point because you recognize how bad it is and how it is affecting your health and want to stop. My motivation was my father losing half of his left lung (lung cancer). Everyone has advice on how to quit, try them all until you find something that works for you!! I continue to take the bupropion and seriously, quitting just wasn't that hard. I think we make it a much bigger thing in our head than what it really is. The side effects I personally experienced from the Wellbutrin were a loss of appetite (lasted a few months) and increased sex drive (also lasted only a few months), so there was nothing really adverse for me. I wish you the best of luck!!!