Hi Shelley-
I think reading Allen Carrs book "the easy way to stop smoking' put me in the best mindset for quitting.

My quitting mantra was - SMOKING IS NO LONGER AN OPTION

I wrote a list of the reasons I wanted to quit along with m,y kids photo and taped it to my computer

I used lots of gum to help me.

The first week I took a nap whenever the cravings were bad.

I make a concious effort to keep a positive attitude.

I smoked for 37 long years and I truly feel free now....

Shelly, I kept A Carr's book in my hands. He reminded me how idiotic it is to give in again. I already know what its like to smoke, I don't have to try it again. I simply postpone the next one - a minute, an hour, a day. Saying I can never do it makes me upset.
You've gone a few days before? See, you CAN do it. Just stretch it out a little further.

A week off, that's a good place to start. The first couple of weeks are rough. The first 3 days are torture. Your sister just has to know she's gonna' be a giant grump for a while, or something along those lines. I was just plain ol' crazy! lol But that's me! Usually other people will totally understand this and help her get through the worst days, even if they have to ignore her, lol just kidding... but, of course, at the end of the day, it's totally up to her. Being a nurse, and reading Carr's book, she sounds like she knows what she's in for, now it's up to her. If it helps, you can tell Shelly if I can do it, she can do it. How many times have we all heard that one! But it's true, we can quit if we want to. For me cold turkey was the way to go, but I'm all for doing whatever it takes to become smoke free and stay that way. Hey, rinkpa, get her here online, we'll cheer her on :D

Not sure if she has tried Chantix but that stuff really works well!

I also started walking and running... I find that cardio exercise allows me to work off the stress, prevents weight gain -- and is a big reminder to me that I am finally taking care of myself rathering then poisoning myself.

I love being smoke free... this site really helps me also. Often when I get a craving, I log on here and it really helps me get my mind in a new direction.

hi shelly, im a cold turkey myself..what helped me the most was being on this website to be honest..it was a great distraction and it kept me motivated and inspired..and kept me laughing.LOL..cuz i was NOT a happy camper especially the first week. i used tootsie pops too. if you dont want to join this group, maybe you could find some online game sites..i had a friend that would do sodoku (dont know if i spelled that right) online, or other interesting sites..try bored.com..LOL some bought books of crosswork puzzles that helped too. delay and distract..the four D's of quitting: delay, distract, drink water, DEEP BREATHE...these are so true and so necessary. change up your routine and avoid triggers..my biggest trigger was talking on the phone..i had to avoid that for quite some time. if driving is a trigger, keep cinammon sticks in the car or tootsie pops, clean out the car and make it smell fabulous..drench it with febreeze, or even add a generous spritzing of a great perfume..(yankee car jars are yummy too..) plan ahead what your triggers will be and plan an alternate activity for those moments so you wont be caught offguard. the pysical withdrawal last 3-7 days, then comes the process of retraining the brain to not want the cigs..this part of the quit process is also difficult, but everytime you conquer a craving, it gets easier and easier. reward yourself EVERY SINGLE DAY...it is important as part of the quit process..a little something special will reward the part of your brain that is used to getting its reward from nicotine...your brain will learn to get the happy feeling from other things, rather than the smokes..whew....sorry i went on, but its hard to type everything one should know when trying to quit..and that was really just the tip of the iceburg...LOL

Hi Shelly,
Once you do you'll know it's the best thing you could possibly do for yourself to quit smoking.
I'd start now with mixing up your routines and cleaning your car out top to bottom and not allowing yourself to smoke in the car EVER as this is a trigger area for you. Put some bounce dryer sheets down by the floor heater and a package of sugar free lifesavors!
On off time try and devote at least 30 minutes reading at whyquit.com
BEST WISHES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, Shelly! I quit cold turkey and the car was pretty challenging for me. I found that eating a little candy with a very strong taste helped a lot. I used tangerine sour Altoids and sugar free Lifesavers. As soon as I got in the car, I popped one. When I finished it, I popped another one. This helped retrain my brain away from smoking in the car and onto popping a little candy instead. I was surprised that it did not take long before my brain would say, "Where's my Altoid" instead of "Where's my cigarette." I only had to do this for about two or three weeks, before I started to forget to eat the candy. Some people use a cut straw or a cinnamon stick in the car, or sip ice water, or eat sunflower seeds. Sometimes I took some really strong flavored herbal tea in the car and drank that - Berry Zinger worked pretty well. I encourage you to experiment and find a substitute activity that works well for you. Good luck!

In the UK to smoke you must go outside a building, and I didn't like that, so I found it a great help to look at the people outside smoking, and still do, they are addicts as I once was but now I am free.

Thanks so much! I already showed this to shelly and she asked me to print them out for her so she can use them as inspiration. Great ideas keep them coming.....

You will be her best supporter, Shelley being a nurse she knows what smoking does, just help her the best you can.

Hi Shelley;

I smoked for 35 years and now have been smoke free for 109 days. Although I never smoked in the car, for 2 months I stayed far away from the room I used to smoke in. I even changed my schedule so that nothing would remind me of smoking. I armed myself with lots of water and sugar free lozenges, too. In between, I do exercise a lot. I always use the promise: NOPE (not one puff ever) You can do this! We will be here for you if you need to talk.

I read about Beesleys sour tangerine altoids and I bought some and they were great...even though I don't spend a lot of time in a car, it was one of the worst form me...I also kept a water bottle in the cup holder so I could have my cig hand busy and also water handy...or a squishy ball for tension...calming music also helped me...and deep breathing! Best of Luck to you!!!!