Former smokers. where ya at?

[kbingo 24]

Okay so... I've been smoke free for almost 3 days and so far it's not been bad (Chantix has really helped!) but now it's getting REAL!!!! Are there any former smokers out there that have any suggestions for getting past the urge to light up!!!

All encouragement is welcome but please, NO "you need to quit smoking" comments. Thanks!!

sn: I've made up my mind that i'm quitting smoking, I just need suggestions for getting past the urges!!

[valcatlett4 33]

It's really hard. I have made it 30 days I had to quit or the surgery is off. My surgeon tests you the morning of surgery and will NOT operate if you have smoked. I quit before my paperwork was submitted to insurance telling myself I wanted the surgery more than I wanted the cigarettes. The first 5 days were awful. I have gotten to the point that the smell of them makes me nauseous. However, I have gained 10-15 lbs since I quit. My surgery are is July 20. Worth everyday I have been smoke free.

[Shustar 395]

I quit last September after 42 years of smoking. It was before I considered WLS. Whe I quit I ended up in a nasty law suit with a former employee I fired. Between the smoking and the law suit I watched myself blow up by 40 pounds after keeping about 60 pounds off from HCG diet for 3 years. I used a vape for the first month or so. I rarely think about smoking now and never crave it. So glad to have it out of my like. As a rebellious and defiant personality, I get a bit of pleasure doing what others tell me I shouldn't do.

[OKCPirate 5,323]

I quit tobacco two 1/2 years ago (25 years smoker of Marlboro Reds and skoal long cut straight dipper)...went cold turkey for four days and then used nicoreette because the damn spiders wouldn't go away with out nicotine . Switched over to vaping and that has worked well for me. No smell and all my COPD symptoms went away, while my doc has not endorsed it, he can't find anything wrong with it either. I have no idea why my body loves nicotine so much, but Vaping has been the least harmful method of delivery. No non-smoking girl friend has been bothered by the Vape, so I'm good.

[kbingo 24]

Thank you to everyone that responded!!!! This is really hard, that's why I'm trying to quit now. I hope to have surgery in October or November and the deal I made with myself was... if you really want this surgery, you have to give up the smoking before your first appointment with surgeon on August 6th! I thought about vaping, I've got an rechargeable vapor but I don't want the nicotine so that's not an option!!! I've been chewing regular gum the past two days and that has helped some.Oh I forgot to add, I've been smoking for 26 years!!!!

Edited July 3, 2015 by kbingo

[wannaBthinsoon 1,634]

I quit cold turkey one year prior to my surgery, because I wanted the surgery, and because I wanted to be one year smoke free before I went under general anesthesia. I did it. I smoked over 35 years. No one EVER saw me without a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. (so ladylike). I was such an addict. Glad those days are behind me. And so is the 50 pounds I've lost since my surgery!

[Shustar 395]

@kbingo@kbingo Actually, you can get juice for your vape with no nicotine. Most of the flavors where I got mine do not have nicotine. Just a thought. Just helps to have something in your hand that looks and feels a bit like a cigarette.

[AllisonK1986 68]

My dr will refuse to operate if I test positive ???? day 1 down

[Babbs 14,681]

I quit 2 months before my surgery using a vape. I gradually tapered down the nicotine until I was down to none, and then just lost interest in the vape. If you want to do something with your hands and feel like you're still kind of smoking, I would recommend it! Just get the juice with no nicotine.

To be honest, I'm more proud if quitting smoking after 25 years than I am of having the surgery and losing weight. Smoking is so much harder to quit! But I'm so happy I did

[kbingo 24]

Thanks ya'll!!!!

I'll try the vapor without nicotine!!! I think that's what i'm missing, the feeling of having something in my hand!!!

This is really hard but I'm doing this because I want this surgery!!!

[shellyd88 463]

I feel for ya I quit in 2008 I got sleeved in February of this year and they won't operate if u smoke so I'm grateful I did it before cuz with this process being so stressful not sure I could have done it at the same time well without needing bail money anyway kidding... Sort of ... Anyway I found I needed to keep my mind off of it so I tried to find things to do with my hands sewing etc anything u like to do that keeps your mind off of it and your hands busy as time goes on and u stop having cravings and break the habit of reaching for it it will get better

[judyoz 240]

I quit in 2013, very hard thing to do. But so glad I did. I also had to keep my hands busy, did a bunch of sewing and crafts. Good luck to everyone going through it currently.

[sarah1732 18]

I haven't had an actual cigarette since February 2014. Vaped from February to October and since October haven't had anything. I feel soo much better now!! I hope to be sleeved in September.

[wannaBthinsoon 1,634]

Vaping 0 nicotine is my saving grace. Yummy flavors too! Makes up for no desserts! ha!

[leag78 469]

I quit smoking 1 month prior to my surgery. I'm currently almost 3 months post op, 4 months smoke free. Every day is still a struggle because I still think about smoking from time to time. But the thing is, I'm okay with that, because I come out on top, and I applaud myself on being able to not give into temptation. The point is whether you are 1 day smoke free to 10 years smoke free, just being able to put the pack down and never looking back is an amazing accomplishment because some people have told me that they'll die with the cigarette in their mouth because they feel they can't quit, and to me that's the saddest thing I ever heard. So I chose to not let the cigs rule my life like that.