quitting smoking

abanky · #1 02-17-2003, 01:01 PM

Has anyone or know of anyone that has had that laser surgery to quit smoking? I have tried just about everything else, except hypnosis and I do fine and then I start right back up again. I had hear that the surgery was really good, and had a high success rate.

Benwa · #2 02-17-2003, 01:20 PM

Laser surgery? I've never heard of that. What do they do?

I used to smoke for about five years then quit. Sounds like you're getting hung up on the psychological addiction. There's always some trigger. It was real tough at first for me. Now it isn't difficult. The only time I slightly crave one is if I'm at a bar and others are smoking.

I don't know what to tell you. The cravings always pass. Try just stewing in the craving, feeling every inch of it. Step away from it and realize its just a craving and not you. Be like an observer, not a participant. Pretty soon it will dwindle and leave.

It isn't an easy thing to do. In our culture it is kind of expected to satisfy every craving you may have immediatly. This surgery thing may help but maybe not with the psychological part. It's good of you to find more about it. I would know absolutely everything before I would go in for it. Good Luck.

red · #3 02-17-2003, 05:32 PM

hey, i quit like 6 months ago. it wasn't the first time i had quit, but i really felt like i was ready to quit at that point. i don't think any laser surgery will help you, bcs the real obstacle to your remaining smoke-free is the psychological addiction. i found the gum to be helpful the first time i quit, but then i went back after a few months. this time i just had the right attitude. i decided i was really a non-smoker, and smoking is pathetic and disgusting and i wanted to be the one in control of my life. i feel SO MUCH better now, i cannot stress that enough. quitting is the best thing i ever did for myself. smoking used to really stand in the way of my performance in sports, and now i just feel like things are totally different. i have heard good things about that pill that your doctor can prescribe... my friend's brother had success with it.
quitting is the best thing you can do for yourself. i can only share what worked for me, but i threw myself 100% into sports. it made me really realize what smoking was doing to my lungs. you can do it if you really really want to. i know that sounds like mumbo-jumbo, but the habit is the worst part of the addiction. you just need to take control. also, i found that i just took a break from my smoking friends for a while. i even inspired one of those friends to quit too. now i don't mind being around smokers, even in bars, i just don't have the urge, bcs i know that i have so many better things to do with my money and my life. good luck- i know you can do it!

Blondie512 · #4 02-22-2003, 04:26 PM

hey, I don't know anything about the laser surgery. I do know how difficult it is to quit tho. I haven't smoked in 5 months. What made me quit was when I started having heart problems. Turns out that I have super ventricular tychartia (sp?). The doc doesn't know what "caused" it, but assured me that the caffeine & nicotine that I consumed every day might be a big part of it. So maybe if you try to think about how BAD smoking is for you, it might help. I know when I smoked, it was hard for me to worry about that kind of stuff. But trust me when I tell you, it effects you in more negative ways than you know. Good luck to you in quitting.

telizabeth · #5 01-27-2006, 11:36 PM

I know of someone who had the laser surgery done to quit smoking. My boss and her husband went to have it done and they both have not smoked since. She told me that there is a spot on the hand and in the ear that is a sencer for smoking. They took a laser and cut the sencer in both areas. She said it was painless and easy. She has not smoked since and now is running in 5k races.