Smoking (Nicotine) Addiction Support Group

How is it possible to quit smoking if cigarettes are constantly in the house due to a spouse that smokes? I've read all the generic advice on it and nothing works. He smokes outside, and knows him smoking makes it nearly impossible for me and feels bad about that. If he hides them, I always beg for them out search for them when I know he has them. I've quit for months at a time, but with cigs in the house, whenever something really stressful happens, I don't care about quitting for that moment and will have one which starts me off all over again. I don't buy them myself when I'm stressed. Does anyone have any creative ways about how to be strong when all you want to do is smoke and they are right there? I come from am addictive past and am very compulsive - needed antabuse to quit drinking, for example...so generic answers won't help. I need something really creative or something that will make me say "hey, how come I didn't think of that before? haha....thanks for your help.

Post edited by: theGreyCatt, at: 05/06/2011 10:25 PM

Post edited by: theGreyCatt, at: 05/06/2011 10:25 PM

100 things to do instead of smoking:

1. Read a book.

2. Wash the car.

3. Wash the dog.

4. Go for a walk.

5. Knit a scarf.

6. Do a crossword puzzle.

7. Take a nap.

8. Call a friend.

9. Post a comment on my page

10. Play with the cat.

11. Turn the bathroom into a spa and do all those beauty treatments.

12. Listen to a relaxation tape or some favorite music.

13. Go to a store and get a free make-up session.

14.Give yourself a manicure and pedicure.

15. Try out a new hair-do

16. CHEW SOME CLOVES!

17. Go to the movies.

18. Hang out at a mall.

19. Do a jigsaw puzzle online at Jigzone.com

20. Breathe deeply!

21. Swig down some ice water.

22. Jump on a treadmill or go to a gym.

23. Give someone you love a huge hug.

24. Plant some flowers.

25. Do some exercise - swimming, aerobics, yoga, etc. Great for releasing endorphins (feel good factor) and relieving stress (physical and mental).

26. Work out how to post a picture in the forum!

27. Take up a new hobby/interest - channel your thoughts into something constructive and interesting.

28. Work in the garden.

29. Retail therapy with the cash you saved from not smoking.

30. Suck on a piece of TART candy (Jolly Rancher is my personal favorite).

31. Slather on a rich, creamy hand lotion and rub, rub, rub! It keeps fingers busy, and reminds you how nice it is not to have tobacco stink on them.

32. Eat a popscicle.

33. Floss and brush your teeth.

34. Make-out with your special someone! Hubby hated kissing me when I smoked, but now he LOVES it. Soooo, when the urge strikes and he's within kissing distance, I plant a big one on him!

35. Chew gum.

36. Chew a toothpick (shiny teeth).

37. Spend time with a kid.

38. Give yourself a treat every day of your quit - not matter how small.

39. Spend an hour filling the paddling pool in the garden on a gorgeous sunny day, only to find that the kids would rather play on the computer.

40. Play several games of Internet Scrabble, and hopefully win one!

41. Walk in an old graveyard with the man you love.

42. Get your jammies on early, and park yourself in front of your computer for the night.

43. Build a REAL closet

44. Hang the sheetrock on said closet.

45. Do the mudding, taping and sanding on that closet.

46. Paint the closet.

47. Add the doors to the closet.

48. And last...when the real closet is finished, create THE CHOCOLATE CLOSET on this site.

49. Hang on dearly to a caramel apple sucker.

50. Sing loudly.

51. Practice smiling in the mirror (releases endorphins)!

52. Make lists of pros and cons of smoking.

53. Find gross smoking disease pictures.

54. Play with Silly Putty.

55. Whistle "Don't Worry - Be Happy."

56. Get a camera, and take some pictures.

57. Write a letter (you know...on paper).

58. Clean OUT the closets.

59. Crank up the radio and sing at the top of your lungs (works great for driving craves).

60. Crank up the radio and dance like no one is watching. 61. Make a puzzle.

62. Organize your boxes of pictures.

63. Alphabetize your CD rack.

64. Come here and read and post.

65. Go to miniclip.com and PLAY GAMES.

66. Do your nails. Hard to smoke with wet nails. I've tried.

67. Take a shower.

68. Take a candle-lit bath.

69. Clean out a messy drawer.

70. Take a day trip.

71. Try making home-made candles or soap.

72. Run in place.

73. Do some jumping jacks.

74. Start a reward fund - put away the amount you spend on smokes every day and use it to treat yourself once in awhile.

75. Write a poem.

76. Go antique shopping.

77. Go plant a flower for every negative thought.

78. Go to church/talk to God.

79. Let your husband cook supper for you.

80. Call your Grandmother!

81. Paint a room.

82. Eat a hot fudge sundae.

83. Go play mini-golf.

84. Clean the basement or garage.

85. Wax the car.

86. Make love with your significant other.

87. Scrub the floor.

88. Treat yourself to a massage.

89. Chop up some veggies for a stir-fry - keep your hands busy!

90. Clean out the litter box.

91. Check your car's tire pressure.

92. Call a radio show and request a song.

93. Go ride a few rollercoasters.

94. Take a walk in nature.

95. Watch the sun set.

96. Write a goodbye letter to cigarettes

97. Donate blood.

98. Color your hair.

99. Make a greeting card.

100. Write a list of things you are grateful for

In all seriousness, getting through those cravings is a learned behavior! You may have to work at it harder but the process that is successful is still the same: Learn about nicotine addiction; recognize why you want/need to quit; decide (in your total being) that this is what YOU want; pledge just for TODAY to not pick up a cigarette NO MATTER WHAT; RESPECT YOURSELF enough to honor that decision for one single day!When you really KNOW that this is what you want, nothing and nobody can get in your way - WHATEVER IT TAKES!

Post edited by: ThomasHope, at: 05/07/2011 01:01 AM

Post edited by: ThomasHope, at: 05/07/2011 01:02 AM

Thanks for all the great advice! What do you do when you have that craving and you don't care for that moment about quitting and just want to have one? Like you don't even want to try the tactics above? I'm pretty good about the cravings when I feel motivated to quit, but how do you convince yourself when you don't care for that moment? It's like "well just one because I'm upset" (or just ten)

My advice is to go on whyquit.com and look at some of the stories there! These are people who lost their young lives to smoke related illness! If you KNEW that that next cigarette could literally be the one to kill you, how anxious will you be to smoke?! There is absolutely no stress worse than living with COPD each and every day (like I do!) One Cigarette changes your DNA and could be the cancer stick (no exaggeration!) One cigarette can be the one that will cause a life altering stroke! One cigarette could be the one to cause a heart attack! Not just in old people! Read Brian's story! As drastic it is to think about death, for me, the real nightmare is debilitating illness that puts my entire family through misery! FACT! Do you want your child becoming your caretaker this time next year? Do you realize that it is a very real possibility? Have you seen folks who went through throat, jaw, and mouth cancer? Look in the mirror and ask yourself how stressful it would be to look like that each and every day for the rest of your life! Choose Breath not Death!

That makes sense, thank you. I'm so sorry to hear that you have COPD. My uncle has that - was a heavy smoker before he quit. Did you develop it while you were smoking, or after you already quit?

I quit the week I was diagnosed! Had I known how FANTASTIC it is to live Smoke FREE I would have done it sooner!

I literally CANNOT do it. I totally agree that it's so great to be not smoking. I can quit for days and weeks (using the nicotine lozenge so I guess I don't get off it completely) but if my husband offers me one, that's it. It feels like I have no choice. I actually drag myself outside to smoke with him, not wanting to, but not being able to say no.

I'm an addict in general...I'm bipolar and a recovering alcoholic. I had to go on antabuse to quit drinking. I was addicted to ambien and abused it until it made me very sick. The odds are stacked against me.

I beg my husband to not bring any home or to lie to me or to smoke after I go to bed but he tells me he has some, either because he hates to lie to me or because he wants to do it more than he wants to worry about me.

I don't think I'll stop unless he does. It will probably kill me. I wish they made antabuse for smoking.

Have you tried Chantix? Maybe that would give you the edge you are looking for!

Can't take it with bipolar and/or bipolar meds I'm sorry about all this, I guess I expected to come to the forum and be cured of weakness haha. I'm getting closer, I think, to being good even though my husband is smoking and I'm thinking he may stop bringing them home soon. I think he's getting sick of me freaking out about this lack of control. Maybe that's enough of a punishment for bringing them home! (Just kidding). I feel like giving up, though, it's so much harder to go all day long and feel so good about myself and then feel awful because of failing that night than to just keep being bad and having no expectations. meh. Thanks for responding to me on this.