I've quit three times successfully (sounds stupid, I know, but each time I quit for at least a year so I can't fault my method of quitting so much as my lack of willpower later on) with Wellbutrin. Same shit as Zyban, but cheaper. It works. You take it for 2 weeks, cutting down each day until the 15th day you no longer smoke. Twice I've been done by day 13 or 14, just couldn't be bothered to smoke those last couple. The Wellbutrin takes away the physical cravings, so you just have to deal with the actual habit. Here are a couple of other pointers:
-Get physical. Run, cycle, lift weights, play basketball or tennis, etc. Anything that will a) make you appreciate the added lung capacity and b) release endorphins which make you feel all healthy and good about yourself.
-Break your routines. Don't hang around chatting after meals. Don't get up slowly in the morning, just get the fuck up and shower and get moving. After sex, same deal - get up and shower or something.
-Avoid drinking heavily. Produces lapses in judgement and makes you crave cigs. Not a good combo.
-When cutting down, make yourself a chart. Plan out how many cigs you're allowed each day, and stick to it. Go under your daily allowances if you can, and you'll feel all smug and self-satisfied about how well behaved you're being.
-Smoke weed. Ahhh, weed! Satisfying to smoke something and you get high in the process. Everyone wins.
-Fuck putting it off. Something stressful coming up soon? Better not quit, right? Wrong. There's fucking ALWAYS something stressful coming up. Just do it. (I quit 4 days after the Super Bowl two years ago, which meant that I didn't drink much while watching the game and didn't chain-smoke like I normally would've. Plus in my line of work that's a fucking busy time of year.)
And the biggest piece of advice I can give you is not to slip. Quitting's not as hard as you'd think, but starting back is the easiest thing in the world. As far as I'm concerned, it's never been "long enough to not have to worry about just having one" or whatever. Far easier just to not smoke at all, and this goes for any sort of tobacco mixed with weed as well.
The only way to stop smoking is to stop putting it off and simply stop. You want to quit and you hope to quit someday, but that perfect time is never going to be here, is it?
Think about how many "tomorrows" there have been to quit, and how many years you've been smoking now.
Think about how some rich jackasses are getting richer while you willingly poison yourself, and then (again) think about how many years you've been putting off quitting.
Realize that if you're going to stop smoking that one day you're going to have to do just that. One day you'll have to make that decision. Then, once you've made that decision you have to stick to it. Avoid alcohol like Si said, and as soon as you start trying to convince yourself that it's been "X" ammount of time since you've had a cigarette and just one or two isn't going to hurt anything remind yourself how many times you've fell for that before.
Don't fall for that trick, it's a nasty one.
Edited Thu Jan 22 2009, 02:20pm
First time I quit I did it cold turkey. Tapered off some then saved one cigarette for when the headache got really bad, smoked it and was done.
Also I told people I had quit.. so my pride helped me not start again.
It's important to never buy another pack.. if you really must bum one.. but if you buy a pack it's over.
Second time I quit while I was still living with my ex who smoked. That time I was mostly cold turkey but used 3-4 of those lozenge things broken in half on back days. didn't really help but it felt like I was doing something.
What works is this; take it seriously. I figured, "Sure, I quit meth, this should be no problem.." the trouble was the consequences for smoking just wern't there... as soon as I took it as serious as quitting meth though I did fine. withdrawls aren't that bad... it's just hard because they're everywhere and picking up wont kill you...
God, coffee. I have thought seriously about what would be the one drug I would keep and let all others go away forever. Caffeine is it for me I think. I mean fuck weed, fuck booze, fuck penicillin. Coffee is the end all for me.
I actually just drink a cup in the morning most days.. granted I make my coffee stronger than most peoples..
I try to keep my intake low because caffeine headaches (withdrawal) are one of the more unpleasant things out there. Worst of all, by the time you have one if you drink coffee that moment you have it another 45 minutes or so until the caffeine actually hits. Makes me consider freebasing it...
At one cup a day if I miss it I mostly just feel lethargic if something comes up and I miss it.
