I've never smoked (except for an occasional cigar). Good luck.
Check with your doctor. Zyban worked great, and I understand there is even better stuff out there now.
First tip. Tell your wife to stop also. Second tip, cold turkey. You have to get the nicotine out of your system.
Case in point, 17 years ago I was up to almost a pack a day. One day I decided to QUIT. Not, just try to quit, but QUIT. Now. Period. No more smoking ever, amen.
So, I broke up all of my cigs into a trash can at work. I made sure my co-workers knew what I was doing. I was very public about the whole quitting thing and it worked. I never smoked another cigarette in my life. I chewed a hell of a lot of Juicy Fruit and put on 20-30 lbs, but I totally quit.
Over the last 17 years I've put on some weight. My job is sedentary except for when I travel and even then it is sitting in the airport, in the plane, on the shuttle, etc. Not much activity at all. Obviously, I needed to exercise and diet but I never made my mind up to do so until last September.
So, I quit the behavior that was causing me to gain weight. I didn't just try to quit, I QUIT. I bought a treadmill so that I could regularly exercise and I started eating right. I tracked all of my food intake (using www.fitday.com), cut my caloric and fat intake, started exercising, and changed my lifestyle again. Over the past 4 months I've lost nearly 40 lbs. I didn't need some diet like Atkins to drop the weight, I just needed to commit to eating right and exercising.
You can do it. Just commit and be strong. Remember that you're in control, not your addiction or habits.
After 2 times trying to quit, I finally quit 8 years ago.
This worked best for me:
1. cold turkey - "tapering off" doesn't work
2. never, ever allow yourself "just one", no matter the circumstances
3. be especially careful of being tempted in settings where people commonly smoke: bars, concerts, etc. You have to give it up completely. This desire has to trump your desire to smoke.
Although I enjoyed smoking, and have fond memories of it, I am very glad I quit. I sleep better, smell better, food tastes better, and I rarely get sick. I am much better off.
Step one: Quit cold turkey
Two: Wife quits too
Three: Arrange a week long camping trip with no smokes
Four: If you haven't killed each other, you are free of your addiction
1)Do it one day at a time...or one hour at a time...or one minute at a time.Say to yourself "I won't have a smoke *today*....or *this morning*....or *right now*.Don't look at in terms of "never again" because that's too "threatening".As time passes,it will get easier...little-by-little.
2)I wish you could have seen the exhibit they once had at the Museum of Science in Boston.It was a display of two human lungs side-by-side...one from a non-smoker,the other from a long time smoker.The obvious differences in appearence (the smoker's lung was totally black and brown) was enough to get anyone to quit,IMO.
Wife has to quit with you. Eat chocolate when you crave cigs.
You don't smell it anymore, but the stench on you is so foul it drives away friends and family. I cannot stand to be around my chain-smoking brother or his girlfriend for this reason.
switch to cigars. that oughta shut her up.
Nicotrol Inhalers AND Zyban. I smoked for 30 years and that combination worked for me.
The inhalers have nicotine-impregnated sponges that give you a "hit" just like a cigarrete.
I ignored the insructions and just used them when and where I wanted (it was great for flying). Eventually I tapered off -- but I kept them on hand for a year just in case.
That was 4 years ago, so it WORKS. Don't waste your time with patches or gum. They don't do anything for the psychological (oral) part.
Ignore the cold turkey crowd and take my advice.
Welbutrin or Zyban. They take the edge off the withdrawal symptoms and stop the cravings plus no wild mood swings. Cold turkey or weaning off never worked for me plus the mood swings make everyone around you want to put a gun to your head.
Be prepared however, that no matter what method you use, you still have to want to quit more than cigarettes.
Furthermore, for a while afterward (about 1-3 years), be prepared for your health to take a temporary downward swing. Lots of coughing (especially the first year), cold and flu like symptoms (prominent at first 1-12 months) then taper off, gastrointestinal problems and other minor body changes (don't ask me why, I presume due to chemical and hormonal changes in the body due to nicotine addiction withdrawal).
In any case I smoked for 15 years and tried every method imaginable, about 9-10 times in total, and all failed except wellbutrin. I've been smoke free now (except for the occasional cigar) for over three years. My health is improving and the issues I talked about are fading. It's been a prolonged struggle but well worth it.
I quit over six years ago after smoking for close to 25 years. Hypnosis, the patch and that filter/cigarette holder contraption did not produce the desired result because my thinking was all wrong. I was counting on those things to do it for me. When I finally grasped the idea that I had to be the one to quit, that I had to be the active component in the process, I was able to shake the habit in a few weeks. I did use the Nicorette gum to help me past the withdrawal intensity of the first week or so, but I used it sparingly. You can quit if you want to badly enough.
Don't drink coffee or alcohol for awhile. You know how much those drinks make a smoker want to light up!
My old boss used to tell me, "Anyone can quit smoking, it takes a man to face cancer!" You guessed it; he died of lung cancer several years ago. (He was a 5-pack a day Pall Mall smoker). Best of Luck. The gum helped me...so far.
"My wife wants me to quit smoking"
Do YOU want to quit smoking???
I recommend the gum
Four years later she hasn't relapsed. Trust me when I say this is a woman who loved smoking and who I never thought would quit. I can't explain why she did but she did have some health issues that perhaps she felt were coming on, I don't know.
Good luck to you.
Do not use a shallow grave. The dogs can sniff corpses up to about 5 feet deep. Lye gets rid of a lot of problem evidence as well. Make sure to visit a shrink for a while and act crazy so that -- should you get caught -- you might get out with "Guilty By Reason Of Insanity".