Quitting smoking

Curious how many of you have been successful in quitting the habit. I don’t smoke, but my 62 year old Dad does. He’s been smoking since he was 15. He’s been having more and more health issues for years and I and the rest of the family have zero doubt that the smoking is contributing.
On Monday I was up near Detroit Lakes roofing a house. We had just got back to the cabin we’re staying at for this job around 7:45 pm when I got a phone call. My father had suffered a heart attack and was airlifted to St Cloud for a stent surgery. Everything went well. I got there around 10:30 and stayed and chatted till about 1 am. He was released on Thursday and immediately lit up a cig. I don’t think he has any desire to quit, and it really pisses me off. It’s his life, but my entire life I’ve had a Dad who was always “weak” or short-winded, or having a cough attack or something because of these stupid cigarettes.
I would love to hear how you’ve quit, or convinced someone else to quit. I know he has to really want it, but I’m hoping I can persuade him. I’d love to have him around for a long time yet, and this could only help. I’ve written him a private letter for Father’s day telling him I love him, and all my thoughts and feelings towards his smoking, without confirming him of course. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

I set a date(july 4-independence day) made a list of the pros and cons-mentally prepared-worked. Wife had to use the patch-whatever you have to do, make it happen.

If he doesn’t have the desire it will never happen.

Smoking kills you. Plain and simple it kills you.
My Dad smoked – Died cancer
Mom smoked – Died cancer
Mother in Law smoked – Died COPD
The list goes on and on and on!

I Quit Jan 1 1980 smoked 2 to 3 packs a day! I wanted to quit but struggled . A person has to have some motivation to quit. Otherwise why ? It started with being open minded about what it was doing to me . Still boiled down to i had to want to quit.

I am by no means an expert but I have quit chewing and started again more times than a MN sports team being one-and-done in the playoffs. I’ve also smoked somewhat in the past, so I have a little experience.

Like most struggles in life it’s mostly a mental strength thing. I think one of the biggest things with tobacco is it becomes a part of your routine, something you associate with something else. I know for smoking a lot of people smoke when they drive, smoke after a meal, etc. whether they “need” one or not, because that’s what they always do. For me with chewing, when I was a firearms instructor I couldn’t fathom the thought of running a range without a dip in. Same thing with a mountain of paperwork; before I’d dive in I’d throw a big one in. That’s what a lot of people have to change. You can start small, by saying that I can, in fact, be outside and shoot/fish without tobacco, then move on to a life where you don’t need to smoke after eating, etc.

Another motivation can be money. I know everyone has their vices, such as tobacco, energy drinks, too much pop/soda, etc. Tobacco costs a person a lot of money. When I got laid off I decided that a way to retain some money would be to stop chewing. I know a guy whose wife kept a tally of all the money he spent on chew and when you’re faced with that dollar amount you can start thinking of other things you could be buying with that.

I’m sure lots of others will chime on here and hopefully so, because there’s not always a one-size-fits-all solution to this. You’ve got to win the mental battle and some people need a support system as well, especially people who won’t degrade them if they slip up and have a few smokes.

Best of luck to you, it’s definitely a cause worth pursuing.

My grandpa smoked his entire life. He had heart problems but that was more than likely bad genetics combined with a terrible diet. He passed away last year but it wasn’t because the cigs. He developed alzheimer’s and passed from age. He was a tough guy. My only regret is that I wasn’t born soon enough to get to learn more from him. If someone doesn’t want to quit, no one can make them. If he even mentions quitting, just be there. Support him and do whatever you can to keep him busy. It’s not the nicotine as much as it’s the habit. The habit of always having one. Going through the motions. I don’t think you’re going to be able to make him stop if he doesn’t want to. But you can show him what it’s doing to him and hope for the best. Good luck, and be persistent. If you annoy him about it enough, maybe he’ll get sick of hearing it and just quit

There are receptors on the brain that are stimulated by the chemicals in the smoke that is inhaled. Has a calming effect.
For as long as a person smokes the pack of smokes is the constant friend. Good times , bad times. Happy times, sad times. The cigs are always there.
Tried for 30 years to stop. Could not. Would almost make 24 hours without one but would give in and lite up.
Then went to a tobacco cessation clinic. Little bit of advice and a drug called Chantix was the answer. A week and a half I threw the cigs away and haven’t had the urge to smoke since.
I wish you luck. It will kill him. A grandfather, grandmother, two uncles and a cousin have all died from smoking related Heath issues.

My grandpa smoked his whole life. A doctor told him if he didn’t quit he better not plan on living much longer. He tried chantix and it worked the first time. If he can quit anyone can. Smoked forever and always about routines. I wouldn’t believe the chantix would work that well unless I saw it myself.

Been down the road with the heart attack, smoked forever tried cold turkey, gum, just about everything, made a year one time, was miserable, finally a doc at the st cloud va put me on chantix and it took about two weeks or so and quit entirely. It make it taste so bad that I did not want a cigarette. been about 12 yrs now and if I even think about one, I remember how awful it was to light one up and that takes care of the urge. I did chew gum sugarless gum while I was working but now I don’t. It was tough but I was hardcore and did it so there is hope!

Ya that’s the thing is the habits. Have to learn to keep or hands busy when you stop smoking. I used a quarter, always had it in my pocket and would take it out and rub it between my thumb and fingers. Looked like a slug when I stopped using it

Never quit quitting. That’s my advice. Been a few years for me and the FW.

Older people are so set in their ways its real hard to convince. Trying to get mom to kick the habit for years. It is what it is unfortunately. I don’t judge people for their decision.

I did the chantix thing. WOWZER THOUGHT I was tripping. That stuff gave me some wierx freakin dreams.

Yea I still smoke a pipe. He’d a quadruple bypass in 2011. My mom went to my first therapy and tried her darndest to get the nurse to say it was from smoking. All she got was most likely heriditary.

Good luck, I know I should give it up to.

Chantix.

I started smoking at the age of 12. Smoked for 20 years a pack a day. Loved smoking. Never wanted to quit either. One day I was at the doctors for something unrelated and if you are a smoker they always badger you to quit. He offered to write me a prescription for chantix. I said what the hell why not. Didnt pick up the prescription for a week and it sat on my counter for 2 months before one day I decided to try it. Took it for 6 days. Havent had a smoke I close to 5 years. I can even smoke cigars here and there and I dont get the urge to go back to cigarettes. Many people say the drug has some bad side effects for them. Everyone responds differently to drugs. For me the only weird thing I noticed was my dreams were very deep. As in when I was out I was out for the count. When I would wake up from a dream and go to the bathroom I found myself falling into the walls like I had no balance. Wasnt a big deal and that was the only negative effect.

I was very addicted to smoking and I loved smoking. I would still be smoking if it wasnt for chantix. That being said, I had some reasons to quit. My kids, I was tired of being out of breath, and I was tired of stinking like cigarettes. If a person doesn’t want to quit nothing will help that. Chantix allowed me to quit successfully and made it way easier than I could have imagined but if I had it in my mind that I was going to continue smoking it wouldn’t have mattered.

I had smoked since I was 14 at least a pack a day. I was working in Wisconsin and I stopped for cigarettes in Superior and they were $8 a pack so I refused to buy them. I then drive to Duluth only to find out the new mn tax kicked in and cigarettes were at least $8 a pack there also. I left them on the counter and have never touched a cigarette since.

E cigs. Many friends of mine quit because of these. Nicotine without the bad stuff. Holds in your fingertips like a cig . Give it try

You really have to want it, I smoked for 10 years then quit cold Turkey 7 years ago when I met my now wife. She didn’t like smoking, just made sense. Still trying to get my dad to quit as we celebrate his 65th birthday this year. He doesn’t want to quit yet, but hopefully soon.

My smoking career ended in 1996. I was fortunate enough to have heard about a Welbutrin study and got in on that. Welbutrin was the fore-runner of Chantix. On the second day of the four day dose loading period I stopped smoking with zero desire for a cigarette. Been that way to date. I can’t stand the smell of cigarette or cigar or pipe smoke. I can smell smoke coming from a car ten cars away at a stop light. Stinks.

I hoped that stopping when I did was going to spare me the disease end of it but nada. I have copd and can’t do half of what my mind thinks I should be able to do still. I use two inhalers every day and stay exercised so I can stay away from oxygen assistance, but I can feel the crap taking my breathe away slowly day by day. If you have family members who smoke get them to stop by any means. Their life depends on it. Literally.

It boils down to that will power has to be greater then desire. Just like many have said. With his heart attack it might just be the trigger to stop. I stop smoking over 30 years ago because I had a uncle that was dying of lung cancer and I did not want that happening to me.Good luck to him I hope he can do it.

I think you’re doing the right thing by letting him know how you feel. Cigarettes aren’t much different than standing by and watching a loved one kill themselves with any other drug. And there’s undeniable evidence that he’s definitely killing himself with cigarettes. The choice to smoke is different for everyone. Finding out why he would like to continue could help you direct him down a better path – whether it’s towards cutting back or quitting entirely, either will be beneficial.

I smoked lightly for a number of years in my teens and 20s, but from the get-go I knew it was something dumb that I planned to do for a limited time only. I never really was addicted since I wasn’t a regular smoker, so I think all that made quitting much easier for me.

My father-in-law’s health has been declining severely over the last two years. And it all began by being a long-term heavy smoker. He was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago or so, and while he was able to beat the cancer, the subsequent consequences of treatment and overall declining health have left him bedridden for the last 9 months. People can die from cigarettes, sure, but one thing people don’t talk about enough is how the habit might NOT kill you – it might just steal your health, steal your ability to take care of yourself, your strength, your zest for life… leaving you with the shell of who you used to be while your loved ones are forced to watch as they try to take care of you. Knowing you did this to yourself. He doesn’t smoke anymore, but he should have quit a long time ago. I spent over a decade trying to convince him to quit. Trying to encourage him to take better care of himself. My words may have fallen on deaf ears but I’m very glad I kept saying them. You never know who else is listening and I know my words helped someone else kick the habit. Even if it was only to get me to shut up.

I smoked for 26 years. It took me a half dozen attempts to quit but I finally did about 15 ? years ago. The main thing is you have to really WANT to quit. That really is the long and the short of it. I was a 2-3 pack a day smoker until I finally decided to get serious about quitting. Once I REALLY decided to quit I was shocked at how easy it was for me to kick the habit. Best of luck with helping your dad quit.

I quit cold turkey maybe 15 years ago after many attempts. Why it worked the last time I quit, I’ll never know. I gained weight and still miss them once in a while, but I’ll never smoke again. I like being able to breathe. I can smell if I pass a smoker in a store and I’m glad that I no longer smell that way.

I battle quitting on and off for the last year. I typically can make it almost a month and I give in. It’s a tough battle

Man, there are some rough stories on this thread. Its hard to read.

I’m pretty much converted over to a Juul. I like nicotine and don’t want to give it up and the Juul also helps with the physiological habits associated with smoking like lighting up at times out of habit like driving.