Effects of quitting smoking on CPAP therapy

[greatunclebill]

So you want to quit smoking? It is very easy to do when you really want to quit. The key to quitting is a strong desire to quit. If you don't have a strong desire to quit, don't fool yourself, it will never happen no matter what you try. If you don't really want to quit, close this page and light up another cigarette now. Come back when you're ready.

Never, ever fool yourself into thinking that you are going to quit smoking for someone else, because they think it is bad for you. This never works. Stand up for yourself and quit or don't quit for your own reasons.

If you really do want to quit, stop right now on the spot. It's that easy. If you can't or don't want to do it right now, you're not really ready for whatever reason and may as well close this page and light up.

If you quit right now, cold turkey, you can expect strong desires for a smoke to last a long time. The key is to work through them.

In 72 hours the nicotine will be completely gone from your body. Until that time the desires will be physical. Your body craves the nicotine. This 72 hours is the hardest part.

After 72 hours, the nicotine and all of the physical cravings will be gone. This is why patches, gum and gradual reduction don't work. With them you keep getting nicotine in your system and eventually resume smoking, sometimes years later.

But you still have mental cravings. You find out that you didn't smoke because you wanted a cigarette, you smoked because you sat in the chair or got in the car, etc, not because you wanted a cigarette. It's called a habit.

To break the smoking habit you have to also break your other habits. For instance when you're done eating, sit in a different chair. You will still get the urges, but not as strong as the favorite chair. When the urges come up, just say no. They will come often and you'll have to constantly say no, but over time they will come less frequently and less strong. If you can't control the urges, suck on a straw, it has the same effect. Remember, at this point the mental urges are to do something with your mouth and hands as the physical addiction of the nicotine is long gone.

Keep cigarettes within your reach. This is important. If you're serious, you won't touch them. If you're not really serious about quitting, light up and forget all of this.

And lastly, don't tell every person you know that you quit. They will figure it out themselves. The more you talk about it, the more they will talk about it. And the more it comes up, the harder it is to stay quit. And never, ever say you're trying to quit. By saying you're trying to quit you are telling yourself and everyone else that you have not quit completely. Always say you have quit. Period.

I know this works, because the wife and I lived through it exactly this way at different times in our lives. How long have we quit? It just doesn't matter anymore, because we quit forever and ever. Dates are unimportant. After a while, clean everything in your house. The nicotine has gotten into the car, carpet, furniture, clothing and everything else. You will smell the difference.

Good luck.

[NateS]

Listen to Uncle Bill and the other voices of experience.

I quit cold turkey when I was 46 years old, after having started at about age 16. For the first three years, I would have vivid dreams of smoking and blowing big smoke rings and then saying "OMG I forgot I quit and I'm smoking again!" Then I would wake up and be so relieved that I had not been so stupid and I was still a non-smoker.

After the first three years, the smoking/fantasy dreams stopped.

I am now 76 and looking forward hopefully to many more years of non-smoking happiness.

Nate

Cold turkey is the sure way to quit if you are really serious about it.

[Carl LaFong]

I need to get myself to a point where I can rationally quit

Then you may be in the wrong discussion board. You might look at what you spend on smokes on a monthly basis and compare that to the cost of breaking the habit. With cigarette prices where they are these days, if you can afford to smoke you can afford the cost of quitting.

Disclaimer: I'm a smoker too.

The hypnotist I used (and failed) cost $50. He refunded his fee.