I'm going to finally set a quit date (Nov 1). I have gradually been smoking more and more over the past 6 months. I'm 32 years old. On the weekends I'll do a pack-a-day (especially if I drink), then during the week I usally do a half pack per day. I exercise and lift weights 4-5 times per week, but I know I would feel 100% better if I quit smoking. I used to never smoke at work, but up until 6 months ago I find myself going outside 4-5 times per day to light up.
So anyway, I have set the date, what do you think would work best? I might just try the nicotine gum or losenges since I'm not sure about the patch. I figure once I get past 2-3 days smoke free, I'll start to up my workout routines and hopefully feel so good I won't want to go back to Marlboro Country!

Thanks!

There is a lot of good info in the thread called Need Advice..... just below this one. I used the patch my first time and never tried the other products. Didn't use any of those products the second and Final time. I notice that there is a commercial re stop-smoking products just below your post. Please read the thread re Needing Advice. Phoebe

Hey There!
First of all, congrats on your quit date. In the past I used the patch and it was great. I went almost a year without smoking (I started again after a friend dared me to smoke, and because I was so "confident" in my quit, I lit up and started smoking the next morning...so watch out even for your best friends!!!) Anyway, I really liked the patch, (they gave me crazy dreams...very vivid and colorful ones) but after I started smoking again, I tried using them again, and i would just get discouraged at some point and rip the patch off, wait a little while and smoke again. But- for first time use, I give them 4 out of 5 stars. Good luck and keep updating us with your progress!!

Janine

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking. It is one of the best things you can do concerning your health. Here are a few tips that helped me. Good Luck.

1. Never Give Up!!! That's my number one tip and its universal because one must use the method that works for them and what works for one person might not work for another.

Try what you think will be successful. If it doesn't work try something else.
I tried cutting back, gum, trying to quit when I was sick, etc., etc. I eventually stopped cold turkey. But I think the key was never giving up.

During the first few weeks I would slip up and buy a pack of cigarettes. Sometimes in the middle of a smoke or right after I had finished that first one from the pack I would say "what have I done" and immediately douse the pack and start my quit over from that point.

2. Believe You Can!!! What kept me chained to cigarettes for so long was the belief that I couldn't quit. I'd say that I wanted to quit and when the cravings hit me I would smoke so I mistakenly believed that I would never be able to stop.

3. Strong Desire!!! You have to want to. Not your spouse, parents, children. It has to come from inside you.

4. Education!! Find out everything that you can about quitting, why you started, why you continue to smoke, etc. This will help you in your preparations so you will know how to handle relapses, where to go for support. Once I educated myself about what to expect it took the mystery and fear out of quitting.