48 replies to this topic

[Aragon]

Has anyone here been a smoker who has successfully given up smoking? I'm on my first day of quitting now...

Any tips?

[ThePenciledOne]

Don't think about it.

Try and find something else to do, I chew gum.

I've never been really addicted to cigs though...I'm more of a social smoker haha. : )

Never fails though, I always end up smoking a bit around midterms and finals......

[CatherineM]

My dad quit like it was no big deal which irritated my mother enormously. She quit during one of Dear Abby's cold turkey things and just gritted it out. She got lung cancer two years later and survived during a time when few people survived lung cancer. The doctor said quitting probably helped her survive it. She used hard candy like peppermints.

[FuturePriest387]

I have no experience quitting nicotine, but all addictions are similar to each other in that you go almost insane without indulging yourself in whatever your addiction is. My advice is stay occupied, pray, always have people around you to help convince you not to smoke when you are tempted, pray some more, and find a hobby you love like golf or karate. A good hobby will help you to stay focused on life and unfocused on your addiction. I would also recommend doing the Divine Office. You can get Christian Prayer, which is a condensed version of the Divine Office for lay people, or Shorter Christian Prayer, which is even more condensed. Also, keep Our Lady in mind and be sure to pray to her. The Rosary only lasts fifteen to twenty minutes, and if you want to pray with Mother Angelica, twenty five or so. What that equals is fifteen to twenty five minutes of adoration to God, and fifteen to twenty five minutes unoccupied on the thought of smoking.

[jaime]

I smoked two packs or so a day for 15 years and I LOVED SMOKING!! (Plus I looked totally sexy when I smoked) Anyway, I tried quitting a few times to no avail. Then I figured out what was missing for me. I had to find an end to the sentence "Is this cigarette worth...." where the answer would always always always be no. When I didn't have the correct end to that question, I was able to start up again. For example "Is this cigarette worth the risk of cancer? " Yup I'll take that risk. "Is this cigarette worth the thousands of dollars I spend a year?" Sure I make plenty of money!

Finally I was meeting with my spiritual director and we were talking about someone who I deeply cared about and lost contact with. I found out that she became an atheist. This was a struggle for me because we were no longer talking and I was scared for her. My spiritual director suggested that I could do sacrificial acts as a prayer for her possible protection. So I chose to give up smoking as a sacrificial prayer for protection of her soul. That was five years ago.

I'm not going to say that quitting smoking was easy or that I don't still miss it from time to time. But every single time I am tempted to smoke, I ask the question "Is this cigarette worth her soul?" The answer has always been and will always be no. Now do I believe with absolute certainty that this act of quitting smoking will protect her soul from hell? Nope. But I know I've done everything I could to help her. And that's enough.

You just got to find your own "no"

[homeschoolmom]

She used hard candy like peppermints.

Lollypops are cooler. Who loves ya, Baby?

[Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye]

i've tried several times unsuccesfuly. I think st Bendedict said "Don't give up giving up a bad habit." Some get it 1st go some take a few times and some several and some many times. I have a friend that became a missionary brother and he said he tried about 15 times than suddenly he got it. I do hope you get it 1st go though. God bless you, may his will be done in your life.

[MissScripture]

I smoked two packs or so a day for 15 years and I LOVED SMOKING!! (Plus I looked totally sexy when I smoked) Anyway, I tried quitting a few times to no avail. Then I figured out what was missing for me. I had to find an end to the sentence "Is this cigarette worth...." where the answer would always always always be no. When I didn't have the correct end to that question, I was able to start up again. For example "Is this cigarette worth the risk of cancer? " Yup I'll take that risk. "Is this cigarette worth the thousands of dollars I spend a year?" Sure I make plenty of money!

Finally I was meeting with my spiritual director and we were talking about someone who I deeply cared about and lost contact with. I found out that she became an atheist. This was a struggle for me because we were no longer talking and I was scared for her. My spiritual director suggested that I could do sacrificial acts as a prayer for her possible protection. So I chose to give up smoking as a sacrificial prayer for protection of her soul. That was five years ago.

I'm not going to say that quitting smoking was easy or that I don't still miss it from time to time. But every single time I am tempted to smoke, I ask the question "Is this cigarette worth her soul?" The answer has always been and will always be no. Now do I believe with absolute certainty that this act of quitting smoking will protect her soul from hell? Nope. But I know I've done everything I could to help her. And that's enough.

You just got to find your own "no"

THAT is amazing, and almost certainly the best explanation of how to offer something up that I have ever seen!

[jaime]

Lollypops are cooler. Who loves ya, Baby?

Everybody is wondering when Mr Clean ate tootsie pops old woman!

[FuturePriest387]

Everybody is wondering when Mr Clean ate tootsie pops old woman!

Did you just call HomeSchoolMom an old woman?

[Norseman82]

Everybody is wondering when Mr Clean ate tootsie pops old woman!

I thought we (you, HSMom, and I) were all around the same age (give or take 2-3 years)?

Edited by Norseman82, 12 August 2012 - 11:20 AM.

[jaime]

I thought we (you, HSMom, and I) were all around the same age (give or take 2-3 years)?

We are old man!!

[rachael]

forever young

[homeschoolmom]

I thought we (you, HSMom, and I) were all around the same age (give or take 2-3 years)?

You two are about the same age. I'm definately a few years younger. But sheesh... doesn't everyone know Kojak??

[ardillacid]

But sheesh... doesn't everyone know Kojak??

WAT

[homeschoolmom]

Hey, if Telly Savalas were still alive, he'd be the sexy spokesman for Oikos Greek Yogurt instead of John Stamos. Just saying. OPAH!!!

[Norseman82]

Hey, if Telly Savalas were still alive, he'd be the sexy spokesman for Oikos Greek Yogurt instead of John Stamos. Just saying. OPAH!!!

I like the yia-yia commercials myself:

Edited by Norseman82, 12 August 2012 - 03:14 PM.

[Norseman82]

[MIkolbe]

I like that new yogurt

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

I like how this thread went from talking about quitting smoking to Greek yogurt and yiayia commercials.