So how did I do it?
Well, let me start from the beginning. Two years ago around this time, I was broke and sick and wanted to give myself something for Christmas that I knew I couldn't buy and couldn't be given to me. So I decided, after some research, to take the Cold Turkey way out after 10 years of smoking. I smoked over a pack a day and it was literally ending my life one cigarette at a time. From sun up with the first cup of coffee to the 40oz of malt liquor at night, it was *Always* on my mind. I was so desperate sometimes, I would scrap up old butts and re-roll a new one while getting my hands stained from the nicotine. Not fun.
Looking back on it, let me tell you: If there ever is a hell, I would compare it to a neverending nicotine detox. I knew going into it that there would be a significant amount of fear and desperation attached to it, being that smoking actually re-shapes the brain's chemistry into thinking it needs it to actually survive. You take those chemicals away and you can bet your ass your mind will become your worst enemy for what feels like forever.
If you can handle this method after smoking for as long as I did or longer, then you will have nerves of steel and can do anything you want after it's done and over with. Not going to lie to you, it sucks..It builds and builds in psychotic withdrawals until the 3rd day when it peaks, then drops after that. You will feel like you're getting a fever one second then chills the next. You will shake and sweat and pray for just one more cigarette. And you will be desperate, feel powerless, and beg for it to be over before it's even really started.
These tips will help you quit, but they are far from a sure-fire way to stop:
1. They will elevate your stress levels to a point you've never experienced before. Nicotine withdrawals are worse then kicking heroin because it lasts so long and starts quicker (Heroin takes a few days to start, Nicotine can happen after several hours). My suggestion? Find someplace very very quiet without a phone or a computer or any noise. TV is probably ok, you need to distract yourself without making your stress worse. I kept my mind sidetracked with a lot of movies (For some reason, "Children Of The Corn" was awful, I dont see how it ever got so popular!). If you work, pick a FRIDAY after work so you have 3 days to get through it without it interfering. If you need to, stay in a hotel and pay for 3 days in advance..Just Stay Away From Stress. This is the #1 reason people fall back into it during this time, I can not stress this enough.
2. Drink fruit juice (Without HFCS on the ingredients list!!!). For some reason CRANBERRY JUICE will help the nicotine break from your body's cells a little bit quicker. I'd buy about 5 gallons if I were you, plus another 5 gallons of spring water and drink all of it over the course of 3 days. You're probably asking about food? For the first day or so, you probably wont have much of an appetite. I was able to choke down some chicken soup. At the time, I was taking medications and threw them up instantly..So, anticipate this very possible reality. Just don't freak out about not being able to eat, it will come back before you know it.
3. Do your research for at least 2 weeks for what to expect and tell everyone that you talk to your plans so they know ahead of time and aren't surprised to learn about it.
4. Watch This Movie.
5. It will get worse and worse and you'll even be convinced that you're coming down with a flu or otherwise. Don't be fooled, it's simply your mind going into panic mode but it will level out after the 3rd day peak. I had some really fucked-up symptoms - the weirdest one was feeling like I had to cry like you would any uncontrollable sneeze. Didn't have a reason, wasn't depressed except for the nature of how I was feeling. Just started crying. It came a handful of times then went away within a minute or two, I'll never forget the feeling though.
6. Remember that the tobacco industry has spent a gazillion dollars to keep you addicted no matter what the cost. They add a lot of chemicals, but nicotine is their trump card because it's the most addictive substance on the planet. Do not trust a goddamn thing they say.
7. A piece of advice by Winston Churchill: "If you're going through hell, keep going."
8. Some good news: The Cold Turkey Method has the LOWEST rate of restarting smoking again out of all of them. The odds are on your side if you make it, cool huh?
9. The gums, the patches didn't work for you at the end of the day? Yeah, they're mostly a marketing gimmick..The tobacco industry thought that one through and planned for it. They don't work for one simple reason: As long as you have any amount of nicotine in your body, you will remain addicted. The clock only starts after you stop feeding it into your body, and the patches/gums kinda string you along and tempt you slowly into restarting. I tried the gum and thought it would work. Stayed on it for a month or so and ended up right back where I was before, plus it also wasted quite a bit of money and filled me with a false sense of security.
10. Some even better news? This method wont cost you a dime and think of the money saved by quitting! $6 a day and counting in tax just to feed the government while sponsoring their "War On Drugs", pretty senseless huh?
Good luck to you, It's a very scary method to take but it will not kill you or cause any sort of permanent brain damage. It is simply your brain reshaping itself to what it's supposed to be. Remember that you are a DRUG ADDICT and this is the most addictive chemical on the planet. Each year over a million people will die because they can not do what you are attempting. That's easily a holocaust every 5 years, you will have a 50% chance of dying from this substance if you do not quit early enough.
Final Words: A very warm "Thanks!" to my dad for not kicking me out of his house when I came home stinking like cigarettes. We used to live a rather small apartment, the smell is so horrible now that I'm on his side of the fence..Simply can't stand it, my stomach turns at the thought of it.
I know I would have kicked anyone out, you are clearly the better one.
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