# Heart attack and still smoking



## Scooter848001 (Jun 1, 2016)

I've had quadruple bypass surgery and still smoke. Call me crazy but not stupid, well, yes, I am but nothing short of will power is the answer. Has anyone else been in this quagmire? What got you out of the habit? I'm desperate.


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## Fern (Jun 1, 2016)

Having quadruple bypass surgery would be enough to get me to stop, (I don't smoke).
 My hubby stopped after smoking for 40 years, 3 packets of roll your own a week. His doctor told him that he could detect 'murmurings' in his lungs, that was enough for him. He sucked peppermints to help alleviate the craving. I never thought he would ever give up.
 I believe if you want to badly enough you will perservere.
Give it a go. Good luck.


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## Guitarist (Jun 1, 2016)

We had a friend years ago who smoked.  Then one of his best friends got lung cancer.  He quit cold turkey that same day and never went back.  

Try talking to your cardiologist about nicotine patches or whatever else might be safe for you to use to help you stop.  Smoking is a harder addiction to break than "hard drugs" and you have my sympathy.  

Try praying.  Praying has made believers out of many nonbelievers! 

Even if you are a believer, still pray.


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## Gemma (Jun 1, 2016)

Quit the habit years ago, cold turkey.  No heath problems, just got tired of wasting the money, since smokes were getting too expensive.  Every week, what I spent on smokes, the cash went in a jar.   It adds up quickly...mad money to invest or spend on something else.

I don't know how active you are, but if you go outdoors, leave your smokes in the house.  Every time you crave one, you know you'll have to walk back into the house to get one.  If you're inside, leave them in another room, where you'll have to get up every time to get one.  If you travel some where, leave them at home.  Don't smoke in the house...if you need to smoke, go outside every time.  The cravings pass quickly.  

You'll find, after stop smoking, how much better your sense of smell and taste become, then wonder why you ever smoked in the first place.

I hope you do well, kicking this habit!


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## ↑umop-apisdn↓ (Jun 1, 2016)

The only thing i can suggest is Cold Turkey or the nic patches.... or you can swap one habit for another and start vaping lol Vaping stinks too btw. I'll be 61 June 21st and thats my set date to quit. Good luck to you whichever path you go.


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## AprilT (Jun 1, 2016)

Quitting smoking, for me, wasn't really difficult, but, like with different vices, some are so much more harder to overcome than others. A couple of decades ago when I worked in healthcare, I had a patient who had all kinds of ailments mostly involving lung disease.  You know what this patient was hooked up to an oxygen machine most hours of the day, but at times would unhooked to smoke.  He was the first, unfortunately not the last patient I was to see doing that.  And yes.  Everyone involved was aware, but, you couldn't control what these people did in their homes.  Though I'm not sure how it was legal for them to do this with these tanks being in the home.  The tanks of course were turned off during smoking, but, how crazy the addiction was to put everyone around at risk. 

 The hold nicotine can have some of us is mind blowing.  I still years later after quitting occasionally have dreams about lighting matter of fact I was enjoying a smoke in my dreams just this week.  Most of the time, I'm upset I gave in sometimes it's a frantic search to find what I did with the last few I had in the pack.  I'm always thrilled when I wake up and realize it was a dream.

Good luck to any who are still burdened with this awful habbit, I wish you luck in finding a solution that works for you.  For me cold turkey.  I just stop, wish it was as easy for me with other bad habits.


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## fureverywhere (Jun 1, 2016)

I would say nicotine lozenges. True it's still nicotine but they work for me. I smoked for almost forty years. I managed to change to chain sucking nicotine lozenges...Walgreen's cherry is my favorite. It's like methadone for cigarettes. You're still hooked but on something less concentrated. But even with lozenges it has to come from within too. I still see a pack of Newports and remember good times...but I don't have to smoke one, I always have lozenges available at all times.


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## myfeethurt (Jun 1, 2016)

I had two major heart attacks in 1999' have not smoked since.I now walk 100k a week and bike 50k a week' feel as good as i did when i was 30.I am 74 now.ITS never to late to stop smoking.


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## Bobw235 (Jun 2, 2016)

My father was a smoker for years (cigarettes and later cigars), but went to a hypnotist to cure the habit.  Took two or three visits, but hasn't smoked since and reported that he never had cravings afterwards.


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## Ken N Tx (Jun 3, 2016)

Scooter848001 said:


> I've had quadruple bypass surgery and still smoke. Call me crazy but not stupid, well, yes, I am but nothing short of will power is the answer. Has anyone else been in this quagmire? What got you out of the habit? I'm desperate.





			
				↑umop-apisdn↓;469469 said:
			
		

> The only thing i can suggest is Cold Turkey or the nic patches.... or you can swap one habit for another and start vaping lol Vaping stinks too btw. I'll be 61 June 21st and thats my set date to quit. Good luck to you whichever path you go.





fureverywhere said:


> I would say nicotine lozenges. True it's still nicotine but they work for me. I smoked for almost forty years. I managed to change to chain sucking nicotine lozenges...Walgreen's cherry is my favorite. It's like methadone for cigarettes. You're still hooked but on something less concentrated. But even with lozenges it has to come from within too. I still see a pack of Newports and remember good times...but I don't have to smoke one, I always have lozenges available at all times.



2weeks ago the doc told me I have COPD Emphysema..I tried cold turkey, can't do it!! Went to 4 a day (wife holds the pack) but now on Nicolette Losenges..They should do the trick!!! No smoke into the lungs!!!


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## ossian (Jun 3, 2016)

I don't smoke but do sympathise with you. It must be terrible to be in your position. I think with most habits, the way to break them is to find some distraction. When you feel the need for a cigarette, then turn to this distraction. The sort of thing that I am thinking of is exercise, playing an musical instrument, conversation. If you were a man in his 20s or 30s and had not recently had surgery, I would suggest hard exercise. But that may not be an option for you.

Good luck.


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## senile1 (Jun 3, 2016)

Quitting an addictive substance is all about will power and determination. Whilst I would not venture to say using products to prevent the cravings do not help, but in fact ,psychologically they do. Sometimes just consuming these products leaves one with the the impression of relief , thus giving them the  confidence to overcome their addiction, basically it's psychosomatic. I quit tobacco over 25 years ago, cold turkey, but I've known many whom have tried and failed.


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## Mrs. Robinson (Jun 3, 2016)

I quit a 5 pack a day habit (Tareyton 100s no less) 28 years ago,cold turkey. Hubby quit a one pack a day habit two days later. I STILL have moments where the craving comes over me but I know I would never smoke again. If I hadn`t have quit back then,I know for a fact I would have quit by now though. Watching a very special woman whom I loved (my son in law`s mom)die just a couple of months after her 60th bday from lung cancer,would have cured me. Nothing like being at the hospital and watching someone you love having their lungs suctioned because they are suffocating,and all kinds of black crap coming out I think would be enough to cure anybody. Sorry to be graphic but that` what it`s like.

That being said,my sister (5 years younger than me and still a smoker) was referred to a Cardiologist the other day due to our family history. The doc cracked a lot of jokes she said,and he asked her if her husband smokes as well. She said yes,to which he said "so he doesn`t want to live long either,huh?" Not a joke,obviously,but yeah,you just gotta quit! Hardest thing you will ever do but when you think of all the health benefits (and all of the ugly diseases that come from smoking) you know that you just gotta do it. Good luck!


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## fureverywhere (Jun 3, 2016)

Something important I forgot to mention about the lozenges...They come with a plan to  gradually wean yourself off them. But you know what? I've been using them for more than ten years now and they work for me. I've also known many other people that do the same thing. I mean being hooked on the lozenges is healthier than smoking. It's cheaper than smoking too. The Target store brand lozenges is $20 a box, that lasts me a week. I don't even know how much a carton of cigarettes is anymore but it must be a lot more than twenty bucks.


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## Cookie (Jun 3, 2016)

Smokers, do yourselves and your families a favor and try harder to quit, or, if you want to die a horrible painful death and cause undue suffering to your loved ones, keep smoking.  Others have quit, you can too.


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