Hi there!
Not too long ago, I was told there were the products which help quit smoking. It’s a painful subject for me as I’ve been a chain smoker for the last 5 years. I started looking for the information on this topic and found an article on VapingDaily which tells about such products as milk, snacks with lots of salt, foods rich in vitamin C that may help alleviate cigarette cravings or even make the taste of cigarettes repulsive even for the most avid of smokers.
Have you ever heard of it? Or maybe somebody had the same experience?
That there would make any “solution” to a problem I had, a non-starter. Life is to short to submit ourselves to something repulsive to “solve” a problem we have.
Thank you for posting. And welcome. And thank you for finding this neat collective of food and lifestyle folks here on Hungry Onion. Please get comfortable here. This is a terrific site.
1 Like
meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
3
Hello Lisa and welcome!
My personal experience with quitting smoking was that I was dealing with several issues. There was the physical addiction, a fidgety oral habit, and a psychological feeling that a cigarette gave me a moment of “me time/freedom”. I was successful when I addressed each facet.
Food entered into it with the fidget/oral aspect. Things that I could hold like a cig and repeatedly bring to my mouth were quite helpful. Carrot sticks, celery, and pretzel sticks come to mind. Chewing gum works for many people. I could not drink alcohol during this period since smoke/booze are very intertwined for me.
Choosing healthful foods and staying very hydrated will help as your body adjusts. If your smoking is ritualistic (cup of coffee = cig, after a meal = cig) try to find a new ritual to fill that bit of time.
Nicotine patches helped me focus on getting the other aspects under control. Once the psychological ritual and fidget habits were redirected I could successfully tackle the physical addiction.
I have never smoked but belong to yarning groups whose membership includes ex-smokers who were helped by keeping their hands occupied with knitting or crocheting. Quilting, weaving, and tatting would fill that same niche. The repetitive motions of knitting and crocheting are known to have meditative qualities for those who have mastered the craft.
The money I saved was a great visual cue. Old jar. Each week in went the cig money. At the end of the month I would reward myself with a fun more healthy purchase.
As for food, I began preparing bags of fruit and veg snacks to grab easily. I avoided cig breaks, triggers and even some social settings until the cravings ended.
But I still remember how fantastic it felt not to wear the nicotine smell on my body or clothing.
I quit in 1988. I wish you one day at a time success.
Cigarettes are as addictive as heroin and some studies suggest more addictive. Not only is the substance addictive but the ritual nature of cigarette smoke is as well. But you can do it
I quit smoking in 1984!..My first Father’s Day. I came to realize as stated above that it was behavior that was slowly degrading my physical well being. After a day of “cold turkey”…there were no medical products available at the time to substitute the withdrawal of nicotine, so intellect kicked in and I focused on the habits I developed. I changed those, such as driving home from work on a different street, not eating in the same restaurants, of course alcohol was a no/no, etc.
As you can see from above this is a very receptive community and although we can’t solve all of the problems in the “food” world, we do welcome you and hope we can both trade back and forth and have a good time.
Best of luck in your quest to stop smoking!! (PS… I have never again touched a cigarette in 35 years!)
Jerky…good to chew on, low fat, tastes great to me, tames hunger, and has good protein. Cons= can be expensive and generally high sodium levels…probably better than tar though. Vegetables (as others mentioned) would be a much better snack but they just aren’t as satisfying to me.
Have you tried just having an unlit cig handy to help a little? When I used to player poker I’d just hang with a cig and it kind of took my mind off things somewhat.
