Quitting Smoking before Med School

[KiKat37]

Hey dianamd,

I think it's mostly psychological because I have found that my cravings go away if I take a cig in my hands and PRETEND that I'm smoking it. You could always try that and see if it works for you (pretending).

Also, I think I'll make a list of all the reasons why I want to quit smoking, and put it on my desk. That way, I can read it whenever I feel the urge...

Gluck to you, too. We'll make it!!

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[Fed Meat]

Good luck to you guys. And don't regress. At all.

A friend of mine did. We came back home, and she'd smoked 4.5 packs in a day.

Just hang in there. It'll be worth it.

Just FYI, she's been off for a few months now. It can be done.

 

[dianamd]

Who's decided to quit by May 1 (or so) -- to get the all-important three months of quitting time before med school starts?

I have of course. But one question I have is, how long until you are 95% likely to stay quit?

For those who have quit now or before, congratulations and good luck!

 

[ZephyrX]

I quit because my partner (also an MD student) nagged me too much to quit.

Since a lot of bars and restaurants are non smoking these days, it makes it easier. However i didn't drink for a while after i quit. I always associated drinking with smoking so i had to avoid that.

I didn't use any of the patches but i chewed A LOT of gum. A LOT. And the first week i stopped at pretty much every McDonalds i saw on the road.

Another thing that i did and worked really well was to avoid places where i would ALWAYS light up a smoke. Eg after class, or waiting at a bus stop. I just avoided the common places and sought alternative routes.

What can i say? I don't miss smelling badly (esp that nasty smell when you haven't eaten anything) and realize the money i was wasting now have helped my budget BUT man some times a person passes by smoking and i feel like Homer Simpson in the candy commercial : "Can i at least smell your breath?"

Good luck guys!

 

[KiKat37]

I didn't use any of the patches but i chewed A LOT of gum. A LOT. And the first week i stopped at pretty much every McDonalds i saw on the road.

What can i say? I don't miss smelling badly (esp that nasty smell when you haven't eaten anything) and realize the money i was wasting now have helped my budget BUT man some times a person passes by smoking and i feel like Homer Simpson in the candy commercial : "Can i at least smell your breath?"

Good luck guys!

LOL! You sound just like me. I quit on May 1st, too. Cold turkey. No nicotine gums or patches, etc. The first week was hell, especially because I was still going through finals. I cheated on May 6th, the day of my last final. I had one cig. Well, not even one. I barely smoked half of it. I didn't even enjoy it because I was feeling so damn guilty... It's been fine ever since though. I don't reallt miss that much anymore - unless someone walks by smoking...

The only thing is that I have - as expected - gained some weight. But, I'm trying to go to the gym more often than before and stay longer to compensate. Oh, and I'm really abusing caffeine now! I walk a lot every day, from home to work, and then to the gym, and then to class, and then back home. I used to smoke while walking, so I replaced the cigs with coffee. I drink like 10 cups a day now!

I tried the bar scene, too. NOT a good idea. The restaurant is okay, but not the bar. I really really feel like smoking whenever I drink. So, I've just decided to avoid bars for a while... What a sad life...

How is everyone else doing? Gluck!

 

[Jezzielin]

I actually started after I turned 18. Yea, that was stupid lol ....

I was never heavy, but smoked more than I wanted at school. Now I have been home for 3 weeks and have had 4 so far. I only now smoke on the weekend about 2 a weekend - but you know the best part?

IT'S FRIDAY!!! hahaha, oh well

 

[Shades McCool]

I want to congratulate everyone who has decided to quit smoking, but I have a question. What in the world were you thinking doing something so outright bad for you?

 

[rpkall]

People have all kinds of excuses. Here's mine.

I got involved with it when my dad died; I was about 13-14. Most of my peers who were into smoking/weed had dealt with difficult life and family situations and I found I could relate well to them and "bonded" so to speak. That combined with minimal parenting during the years following my dad's death, I suppose, contributed to my starting. My mother was a smoker so it was always a household thing--not a "drug" or a "substance" or anything really negative. My mom and dad always downplayed the effects of it while I was growing up, so it was easier to start.

Smoked all through college, then quit in my last year, after losing a bunch of weight and deciding that I wanted to live by the same principles I would one day teach patients.

Not that that's anyone's business, but I thought I would share so all you budding physicians can get a sense of one person's motivation behind starting.

 

[KiKat37]

I agree that it's nobody's business and I think it's a waste of time to try to explain because people don't understand the reasons you give anyway. But, if they really wanna hear it...

1) My entire family smoked, so the negative effects were downplayed for me as well.
2) I started in high school at a time where things were very difficult for my family and I was really stressed out. As stupid as it may sound, cigs helped.
3) I grew up in Europe and smoking was the "cool" thing to do.