Quitting smoking isn't easy and the nicotine withdrawal symptoms occur in all individuals that finally decide to quit smoking cigarettes. If you were a pack a day smoker just like I was, I can understand how you feel and how hard it is for you to quit without any help. I recently managed to quit smoking and overcome cravings for good.

Here are some of the most common nicotine withdrawal symptoms that in some cases are very similar to having a cold (flu) accompanied by depression and anxiety.

severe headaches
coughing
Tightness or pain in the chest
irritability
Insomnia
severe fatigue
poor abilities to concentrate
Most people fail to quit smoking simply because they can't overcome the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Once they start feeling worse and worse they rush for another cigarette which isn't the way to go. Every time you've tried to quit you just didn't make it, does is sound familiar?

I've been smoking for almost 18 years and finally realized that I stopped doing things that I once enjoyed such as biking, swimming, playing tennis, rollerblading and this was for one reason: Smoking. I wasn't only feeling tired but I was feeling sick, coughing and spitting all day along. If you really want to quit you need to make a commitment first, it is crucial that you really desire to give up smoking.

Here are some quick self-help methods to overcome severe nicotine withdrawal symptoms:

Natural supplements are important and they will definitely help you reduce cravings. Whenever you experience severe nicotine withdrawal symptoms eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.

Deep Breathing - is a great method to overcome anxiety and irritability that is most likely to occur when quitting smoking. Take deep short breaths and inhale through your nose. You can practice it a few times a day whenever you feel the nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Jogging or simply taking long walks will increase your heart rate, therefore you'll be able to eliminate the nicotine withdrawal symptoms a lot easier by increasing the oxygen levels in your blood and eliminate nicotine at the same time.

Not many people have tried hypnosis as a quit smoking aid however hypnosis and NLP (neuro-linguistic-programming) has proven effective. Thousands of people managed to quit smoking without having to suffer from severe withdrawal nicotine symptoms.

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I smoked hand rolled lobelia, mullien (half and half) and a pinch of catnip when I quit. Much to my amazement my desire to smoke anything quickly fell away after 2 weeks of that, once the physical addiction was gone the psychological addiction quickly followed.

I have never smoked, and I am glad because it sounds like a tough habit to quit. My sister smokes, and I always thought she wanted to quit, but I have still witnessed her smoking through out the years. Maybe it was just other relatives that just wished she didn't smoke.

I must admit that I am probably not very good support for smokers, as I don't like the smell, and I have judgements about that. I wish I could be more compassionate. Any suggestions for how to be more compassionate towards smokers? I know they do not need judgements, so I guess thats a start?

I smoked almost two packs a day for five years, and quit through Smokenders. It's a behavior modification type program, where you gradually stop your habit by delaying longer before you have a cigarette when you get up in the morning, after eating, before going to bed, etc., and each week change the brand of cigarettes to become more mild, containing less nicotine. After about five weeks, you easily quit totally.

Lighter cigarettes have other addictive ingredients added to make them just as addictive as higher nicoteine ones.

Mislu, judge away. It's a filthy, disgusting habit that affects the health of everyone around it. Cigarette butts are the single most littered item on the face of the planet, the ingestion of 4 is deadly to a child or small animal. It's gross, it should be kicked right off the earth.

I am right there with you when it comes to cigarettes, and any non organic tobacco product that adds extra chemicals to it, but I really love the plant itself, so Id prefer it sticks around, some of the wilder varieties have really beautiful flowers.

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

No problem with the plant, only with what people do with it. Smoking is beyond nasty.

Yep, I hate the smell, especially that of cheap, cheap, cheap cigarrettes. The ones with that skunky lingering smell that permeates everything for hundreds of yards away. I especially hate it when I am driving and trying to cool down, or heat the car. So I have to shut the air off because I can't stand the smell.

Its also illegal to toss glowing embers from a vehicle, but I see that all the time. so irritating! Ironically, I actually like the smell of very good pipe tobacco or cigars, but I hardly ever smell anyone smoking those. Its got to be just as bad.

Interesting enough me and my partner like to burn incense, it doesn't have niccotine, but it has many of the same chemicals that any buring material has. The other particals are probably more of a problem than the niccotine. So, is this another habit to stop?

Breathing in anything that is on fire is carginogenic.

When I used to ride behind an old boyfriend on his bike I was always amazed at how many people would toss burning butts out the window in front of us. Such a small thing to have awareness about, it could easily have meant our lives if one had hit him in the face or flown inside his helmet. So stupid.

That reminds me of my Mother inlaw. She was cooking something last night and I happened to be washing my hands next to the stove. Some oil splattered up into my face. When I reacted to it she was like "what?" My partner suggested putting a lid on the thing, and then she got mad, saying that shes been cooking for years, and that we were too sensitive. He's always concerned about the smell of cooking, and things splattering out. It makes sense to me to contain things. Kind of ironic, as she is also very particular about keeping things clean, so a lid makes sense to me for helping keep the kitchen clean.

I have a theory that she uses cooking as a means to express some negative emotions. As she usually is pretty angry and especially fussy whenever she cooks. Also likes to use high temps that create splatter and smoke. Its pretty strange to me. When I made some food for her grandchildren, they seemed to like things moist, which was with lower temps, and with a lid on it. I guess there really is something to the theory about food being different depending on how one makes it, what mood one is in. When I was cooking i particularly wanted them to be happy, and enjoy things, i took my time. She seemed to do it resentfully as part of her duty as a grandmother. I guess its different when you have been cooking and taking care of others for so long.

Mislu,

Your m-i-l needs to rent "Like Water for Chocolate."

No joke, I was thinking the very same thing. Or get the book, that was just lovely to read. Nice recipes in it too.

I like the book more, but im a book nerd,lol.

@mislu, I also love the smell of good cigars, ive even smoked a few and enjoyed it, but its a very rare practice for me, I have a few expensive ones that were a gift in a small humidor that I keep around mostly because I love the smell so much, sweet, spicy, rich and earthy... its a lovely smell, and for some reason always seems to have an almost soothing effect on me... im not the biggest fan of their smell when they are burning, but i do think they smell far better than cigarettes. (one thing to point out to, is that there are far less chemicals in high quality cigars, a fraction of them, and you dont inhale when you smoke a cigar, so I think my 3-5 a year habit probably wont have much of an impact on my health,lol)

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Did you find the book much different from the movie? She wrote both the paper version and the screen play so there was very little difference between the two. First time I have ever seen that in a book put to screen, I thought it was amazing. It was really like seeing the book live instead of a much changed version. I love that story so much...

I worked in a cigar bar years ago where I was subject to hours of blue tinged air. I can't say I care much for the smell of any burning tobacco product after that stint. Not even the wacky tobacky sort. It all smells like trouble breathing for me .

I dont like the smell of most cigars even, its just a few are weirdly amazing to me,lol...

I didnt notice much difference, if almost any, but I just really love books...

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Curator,
I understand what your saying, I actually like the smell of tobacco stores, provided no one is actually smoking. I would like to get a tobacco box for that, I never thought of it. The dried herb must be absolutely nothing as far as health goes, to provide that smell.

Someone actually has made insense sticks out of high quality tobacco, I think they also used a lot of cherry and or burbon something like that. I believe the woman was wiccan. I saw that online somewhere.

Something else you probably would really like are Yupik baskets. I made some baskets years ago with real seagrass. I really loved the smell on the inside, a marine beach like smell, but also with grass because its grass. Sweetgrass also has a wonderful smell, and I believe that some people make sweetgrass baskets, but I think they are also used as insense.

Unfortunately, the smell of the ocean is almost completely gone now, but its been at least 10-15 years since I made them.

those sound lovely mislu!!! I love scents...my sense of smell is easily the strongest of my senses, thats part of what made me a good cook, because I could tell what the flavor of most things would be just by their scent, saltiness and bitterness was about all I needed my sense of taste for, sweetness to sometimes,it would depend on what i was sweetening with... touch is also really sensitive for me as well, and the texture of those grass baskets sounds pretty awesome... I had a small basket a friend wove for me out of lemongrass once, that was pretty awesome, although it didnt last long.

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?