Hey Jess, I used to smoke - about a pack a day for about 10 years, and I quit last August. I've tried the patch on multiple occasions, but I finally had success by going cold turkey. Some things that worked for me:
1. Keep trying. I think I "quit" at least 10 times before I really had success with it. It is a very, very difficult habit to break - just keep trying (just like losing weight - you'll succeed as long as you don't stop trying).
2. When cravings hit, have a place to go to in your mind until it passes. Cravings last about 1-3 minutes at a time - if you find somewhere to "go" mentally while it passes, your chances for success will be greatly increased.
3. I found that telling people I was quitting actually really helped - not so much because I needed any additional pressure to succeed, but because I got so much support and even understanding when my mood was less than pleasant.
4. Remember, the first 3-5 days are the worst - that's when you're going through detox. If you can get through that, then you've gotten through the physical cravings (headache, fatigue, etc).
5. Lastly, keep your eyes on the prize. For me, it helped to always remember all the cool things that were happening because I was quitting. It's amazing how fast your body starts to heal itself once you take cigarettes away. I read a lot of the info on whyquit.com - check out
Stop Smoking Benefits Timetable for how fast your body starts to recover - it was a great source of motivation for me, and the rest of the site is useful, too.
Good luck, and just keep trying!
Smoking
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