Have you quit smoking more than once? What finally worked for you? Cold turkey? Pills? Patches? Hypnotism?

Smoked for 16 years. I tried patches, cold turkey, hypnosis, The Book, acupuncture, gum and those inhalers. THe thing that eventually worked for me was those electronic cigs - I spent two weeks alternating between them and my regular cigarettes (smoked 30 a day) and - with a bit of willpower - started to string days and then weeks together where I was just using the electronic cig. I phased that out after two months and am now over a year off them. I don't miss them and I've lost nearly 28 pounds, it's the best thing I've ever done for myself!

I smoked a pack a day( or more )for 18 years. When I quit I went from smoking a pack (20) to 10 cigarettes a day, for a week. The next week I cut that in half to 5 a day for a week. Then 2 or 3; then one a day. When I could go a whole week without a cigarette, I knew that the nicotine addiction was handled. Then I had to deal with the mental programing of habit. That does take years to completely ignore. It's been more than 30 years since I smoked a cigarette. And every once & a while I still have a thought go through my head about sitting down & having a cup of coffee & a cigarette & thinking about...whatever. It's programing.

You might have heard the saying or quote that it is easier to kick heroin than to quit cigarettes. It's true. If you're using heroin, you usually take a fix once or twice a day. Wether it's cigarettes or heroin or any other stimulate, when you partake of it, the pleasure center in your brain is stimulated. When it is stimulated, it says "HEY, I LIKE THAT! LET'S DO THAT AGAIN!"
If you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day & take about 10 hits off each cigarette, you are stimulating your brains pleasure center 200 times a day.
ANYTHING you do 200 times a day is extreemly difficult if not almost impossible to stop. You must have a strong will & your own reason for quiting. You must have your own reason for quiting, not someone elses reason. Many people quit because their doctor told them to or their spouse or kids wanted them to. Unless you have your own reason for quiting, the first time you hit a rough patch in a relationship or a stressful time at work, you will want to go back to the thing that brought you pleasure in the past; wether it be smoking or alcohol or drugs or anyother stress reliever that you have given up. Your reason must be strong & it must be yours.

I tried to quit smoking many many times over the years. Tried the gum, the medications etc, but always went back to it after a short time, I finally made up my mind I was going to try one more time 3 years ago, Feb 13, 2010; however, this time I prayed to God for help. I knew I could not do it without leaning on him. Along with that I bought Nicorette lozenges but used less than half of them. I just did not need them, My cravings were there once in a while for a few months but I never acted on them. At this point in time I have no desire whatsoever to smoke a cigarette for any reason,

The electronic cigarettes..works perfect as you gradually stop wanting nicotine.Wish I'd known of them a long time ago.I smoked for 30 yrs and quitting was made easy.

I tried so many times, 2 of which I had hit the 3 month mark. About a year ago I began doing some inner healing practices that were helping me heal deep wounds from my childhood. May 23rd this year, in one of those inner healing sessions I saw my inner self throwing up all the feelings of contamination and with that I saw the cigarette butts and tar that my lungs began coughing up. I instantly knew that not only had I heal my self esteem from feeling dirty, but I had also quit smoking. I'm so not one to believe in all this miracle/religious sounding stuff, but be that as it may. I have not desired to smoke another cigarette since. I can enjoy sitting with others as they smoke and remember the wonderful flavor and feeling. But No Desire at all. My lungs had about 3 weeks of coughing up some dreadful gunk, and now I breathe with ease.

Cold turkey both times

Common sense: I worked out all the triggers that I associated (consciously or subconsciously) with having a cigarette, and then I forced myself to confront each of those triggers without smoking as many times as possible (particularly the post-sex smoke!). It took a while, but I would say that after 6 months I considered myself to be successful, and now after 11 years I have no cravings and I don't give it a second thought in any situation.

FYI: I smoked for around 14 years, smoking roughly a packet (of 20) a day.