Originally Posted by
Canadian Koala 
Hi TOD
Quitting cigarettes cold turkey is the fastest way to get the nicotine physical addiction out of your body within a few days as Cosima's Shaman said in the link she posted.
A Shaman’s Guide To Quitting Smoking
But science tells us that only about 3% to 5% are actually able to kick the habit without any help
I think every smoker is different—and some may find it more manageable to stop smoking without any help like you did with previous addictions.
Some think it's easier to deal with acute withdrawal than it is to put up with more mild symptoms for an extended period of time.
Others say that weaning themselves off cigarettes with a nicotine patch or gum teases them and they prefer a more black-and-white approach.
I went with a longer term fight (12 weeks) using patches and gums and succeded.
That was my way...but there's more than one way to do it!
It's really up to you TOD and I wish you all the
courage you need.
Let us know how things went!
We're all doing this together and this thread is here if you need to share. Best of luck!
I've never been one to wean myself off things! I just couldn't do it! When I was getting the pain meds, prescription, I'd purposely run out early so it would be two to three weeks before I'd get my next refill. That left me with NO choice, but to start the w/d's and detoxing. By the time the next bottle came in? I'd be well into being off them. I'd return the refill to the VAH pharmacy and tell them to cancel my prescription!
Cokes of course were a little harder because I could just go to the store and buy more. So I had my husband do the shopping so I wouldn't be exposed to them!
Now I order groceries on line and show up for them to be delivered to my car! LOL Wish that was available when I started going off the cokes! SMH It also saves me money too, because I'm not walking thru the store finding things to buy I don't need!
Since being medically discharged from the ARNG back in 2007? I have to plan a trip to the Base to get cigarettes now. So there will be no more planned trips. I also went to the Tobacco store to buy a carton at a time in between the Base trips. There'll be no more of those trips either. AND I won't have to hear Mr. Preppy say: "Hi Darlin'" anymore when I'd walk in the door. The store also burned sickening scents to cover up the smells of their smoking behind the racks. Speaking of scents? I'll be saving money on not having to buy the oils and candles anymore to cover up my smoking smells!
When I think about ALL the money I've wasted on Baileys and tobacco products? I just want to pass out! I'm ready for a NEW start in life in a much better way!
Once these packs of cigarettes are GONE? I'll start the new chapter and adventures in my life. PPL always say: "Oh stop while you still have some?" I can't do it! I'd smoke the damned things as soon as I couldn't stand being w/o one. Sigh!
I tried years ago to stop! I had a month under my feet w/o them and then I went to my two week summer camp with the ARNG! Good LORD! The things that happened that two weeks had me going and buying a carton of cigarettes. I was dating a guy from another Company that were doing their two weeks close to us. I got a call he had broke his arm. Two soldiers went on patrol and only one came back. The other was found dead in the woods. While a soldier was sleeping in his cot. A bug crawled into his ear and into his brain. It killed him. A helicopter full of soldiers was accidentally targeted and blown up! They had flown too close to a target range where old tanks were being blown up. I couldn't take it anymore and bought a carton.
TOD