Smoking

[cbw]

Im currently on day 4 of no smoking and bloody hell am i vile
going cold turkey hasnt been the brightest idea ive ever had thats for sure but i will do this if not for me but for millie.

Have you ever tried or managed to stop smoking?
Any words of advice??
Anyone wanna pick a fight with a depraved nicotine addict lol (joke)

[bea]

i have no advice other than, if its working keep going and if its not and you feel its not the right time to stop just have a cigarette.

i have smoked heavily for the past 13 years and i only ever gave up once. i woke up on a sunday morning and didn't have a cigarette for 3 weeks. just like that. i have no idea what came over me, i didn't want to stop, had given no thought to it nor did i experience any cravings. three weeks into it i just picked up a packet absentmindedly, lit one up and i've never looked back

[cbw]

Ive not exactly wanted to but when ive actually smoked its just tasted so vile and not wanted to carry on so i came to thinking whats the point if im not even enjoying this anymore...

[Makinamess]

Why are you putting yourself through agony, going *cold turkey* when you could be using NRT and gradually weaning your body off the nicotine ? May I suggest you try the patches or the gum - at least to start with - so that your body gets used to having nicotine from a source other than cigarettes (which are absolutely full of some of the nastiest chemicals known to mankind). There are several things going on here (no nicotine=physical cravings from hell; no fags=errr what do I do with my hands; change of routine=time goes at a different speed), plus your mind (possibly on a sub-conscious level) has to really WANT to no longer be an addict. As I say, seriously hard stuff to overcome ! Take one step at a time, starting with (as Bea mentions) - it has to be the right time for you. I am impressed that you want to do it for your little one - that is a good incentive - but you still need to feel, deep down, that you WANT to give up. Do you want to be in control of yourself ?

Here are a few hints that may help in those vital first few months:

Clean your house in order to remove the smell of tobacco (curtains, soft furnishings, clothes, febreeze the carpet etc)
Don't go into smoky atmospheres if you can avoid it (pubs, clubs etc)
Urges / Cravings will happen - accept that - but have a strategy to deal with them, eg sipping ice cold water, brushing your teeth, going out for a walk, doing something totally different can really help (a lot of folks end up sucking on lollies or sweets or chewing gum, whatever works for you)

[StVandal]

Not that this might help at all, but one night a few years ago I drank so much and smoked 2 packs in one night that I woke up the next day and never, never wanted to smoke again. I couldn't stop coughing, my lungs just felt like hell. Now I never smoke unless I've had a few drinks.

[pilvikki]

i quit smoking so many times i can't remember them. then i'd put on 20 lbs in as amny moths, said "to hell with this!" and would start smoking again.

however, living with my daughter and granddaughters and not having anyone who smokes around me helps tremendously, although i do smoke if i'm in a smoking company.... and then feel like crap. but that's like once in a few months.

so, my 'best' advice is to stay clear of smokers if at all possible.

[cbw]

Makinamess we have never smoked in the house anyway i dont like it and why should others in the house e expossed to my filthy habbit....

StVandal blimey mate sounds pretty awfull ;)

pilvikki the trick is not to keep snacks in the house and suck sugar free hard boiled sweets

To be honest yesterday was just a bad day today is 100 times better and i will do this why because i want to watch my daughter grow up and be happy

[whiffey]

You certainly need some support, and Nicotinell 4mg fruit did the trick for me. Nicorette freshmint is good as well. I'm still on the gum 18 months
after stopping, but better than smoking !

They're both on offer in Superdrug right now, 30% off.

[whiffey]

I forgot to mention, crucial for me was the very first day. It may be a little late for you now, but what I did was to take a day off work, disappear into the countryside without fags of matches, and spent the entire day doing nothing but NOT smoking. The feeling of achievement the next morning was the perfect kick-start.

[cbw]

It is quite a major feeling isnt it, i have no wish to carry on and it was/is just a vile habbit that eats money like no tommorow id much rather go treat myself at the end of the month to a meal with my family and feel good for being able to.

Well done for staying smoke free Whiffey thats one hell of an achievement and i hope i can say the same to.

One question though, the fruit gum does it taste peppery like the mint i cant chew that it makes me gag on the taste at the back of my throat.

[spithray]

I gave up a few months back. I did the cold turkey method but had gum in the house just in case. It was kind of reassuring to know the gum was there so at least if the cravings got really bad I had an alternative to having a smoke. I think I only chewed a couple of pieces and that was before I actually stopped. Also, I did the opposite to what all the books tell you; I didn't tell anyone I was giving up, I didn't get rid of all my smoking paraphernalia. I just stopped. I figured if I didn't give up, sooner or later there's a good chance it would kill me.

[Sandra]

I gave up 4 years ago and have never looked back, I tried numerous times before and it never happened. This time I used nicorette patches for 8 weeks but I got fed up paying 20 quid each week for them so I just took the patch off and I've never looked back. I became addicted to sugarfree chewing gum tho, not as much as I used to be but I still look for it now and again, good luck and ask if you ever need any support, you can do it, it's not as hard as you think. I'm currently helping gill stop she is on her 3rd day, so 'YAY' gill

[Valleysailor]

I went to hypnosis fourteen years ago and have not smoked cigarettes since. It was definitely the best $40. I ever spent. My sister went with me and she continues to smoke to this day. I believe 99% of quitting is a really sincere DESIRE to quit. The first 72 hours are supposed to be the hardest...once you have gone 72 hours without nicotine, most of it has left your body and your lungs begin to heal which can take 5-6 years depending on how damaged they might be.
Anytime you want a peptalk, feel free to ask me. I really do not miss having my hair and clothes smell like a nasty ashtray and I have not had a cold in years. If you possibly can, think of all the positive things about not smoking including how much money you will save. Put aside whatever you were spending on smokes, and after a month or two, take that money and go and buy yourself something really nice - just for you. Or save for a year and take a lovely 5 or 6 day cruise or beach vacation. Drink lots of water, take a walk, play with some kids or a dog, take up knitting or cross-stitch or some other activity that requires you to use both hands. Good luck! I'll be pulling for you!

[StVandal]

Oh yeah, just remember; if you end up breaking down and smoking, that doesn't mean you have to start up again. It just means you had one.

[Makinamess]

To be honest yesterday was just a bad day today is 100 times better and i will do this why because i want to watch my daughter grow up and be happy

Top reason for packing in the fags ! Good for you lassie ! I am so impressed

[cbw]

I think todays my 5th 0 cigi day boy its certainly been taxing but im gonna do it woo hoo

[pilvikki]

excellent point, vandal!

as for snacks in the house... it's full of goodies, thanks to dear daughter. grrr. i keep telling her to hide them, but nooo....

[cbw]

snacks snacks everywhere......

[haysi]

Good for you!

Snacks aint going to kill you or your family.

Soz to be so blunt but thats what smoking does to the person who smokes and people around them are affected by passive smoking.

Keep up the good work.

Hx

[pilvikki]

the odd thing is that i don't even think about smoking now. unless someone is walking around leaving a trail of odours, which then bug me. on the other hand, if i'm with smokers, i'll smoke, too.

and then don't think about it until 6 months later when we meet again.