Stop Smoking

OK it's been 5 days now!

Nice to know I have 2 other colleagues on here cheers... although they did post in 2007 that they were planning to quit and I am sure I still see them going out for smoke breaks....

 

I've given up fags! - I'm now eight days in - complete cold turkey - been 20 a day for 15 years.
First big test is Awins event on Thursday - if you see me - don't offer me a fag!

smokers and drinkers do add millions of pounds to the economy - but the drain on the health service swallows that and more with related illnesses!

The only reason to give up is your health - you might be OK now and think that 40/50+ is whole lifetime away and you'll be too old to worry and be knackered anyway - but I shudder at the thought that if I hadn't stopped smoking when I did I would, literally - I MEAN IT - be on oxygen now and barely able to move far without getting totally out of breath and look like an old crone - UGH!!! (no smart remarks from anyone - thankyou!) - my quality of life would be nil - and what a shame that would be with all this lovely income from AM - believe me I'm living the life and thanking heaven I quit when I did

Did anyone pack in following the Smoking ban? I didn't but I'm not going to be far behind.

Using the Lozengers, and find them quite good. Burn the back of the throat a bit, but they do seem to take that raving away. No they are not nice, suppose to be mint flavour but weak, taste like chewing chalk. You will need to open windows with these, they have quite a heavy side effect.

I haven't attempted to give up smoking for over 7 years now, but have been thinking about it quite a lot recently due to all the media attention. The problem is I really enjoy smoking and the last time I quit was for a bf who didn't like it. So unless you want to quit for yourself, I don't see how it is possible. The financial cost is the only factor making me seriously think about quitting.

I’m going to try to quit on the 1st July and I’m hoping to do it through willpower alone!! I’m also planning on starting running again and hopefully the first couple of runs will hurt my lungs so much I’ll be even more encouraged to quit!! Maybe we should all have a drink together at a4u without a ciggie in site?!?!

People who have never smoked will never understand what it is like to be addicted and how, lets be honest, great it is.

It's a love hate relationship, I love it, it's great to get out and have a smoke to just relax for those 2 minutes of release but at the same I realise the immense damage it is causing to me and others around me.

Strangley, I think the ban is a good thing and it may even help me quit.

I stopped over 15 years ago and it was absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done - and stops me ever starting again because I know I'll never be able to do it again. I smoked about 35 a day - first thing in the morning, last thing at night and totally panicked if I thougth I was going to run out of my ciggies - totally and utterly hooked.

So, as all reformed smokers say, if I can do it anyone can - which is obviously rubbish - but if you get in the right mind set you will do it.

I used the strongest patch AND when I felt the craving for nicotene, or about to murder my husband and kids, I popped in a piece of Nicorette chewing gum. The hardest part was when it got boring - after a few weeks you find so much time on your hands, it's amazing how quick you can do stuff without stopping for a quick drag! - I think that's when most folk cave in - stopping smoking is the easy part , keeping stopped is incredibly hard.
BUT it is also one of the best things I've ever done - my health is so much better - I would probably be a wheezing, cough ridden, wrinkly (smoking is notorious for producing all those horrible tiny wrinkles round your mouth) yellow skinned, yellow toothed old hag by now if I hadn't.
We've saved a fortune on decorating - especially ceilings! The kids aren't ashamed of us - well, not for smoking anyway.
and to be really really serious I don't think Dave would have made it through his bout of pneumonia if he was still a smoker - and he gave up 20 years ago - and according to the doctors it still had an effect.

and on the PLUS side my brother quit the same time I did, smoked about the same as well - and he found it surprisingly easy - off the patches after 2 weeks and never looked back - so you won't know until you try.

I smoke like a chimney...anyone in the office will vouch for that...but I've made the decision that I'll have to quit come 1/7.

I've tried in the past but always caved in (normally around pint #3). It was always when one of my mates decided to light up while we were having the odd few in the pub that I could hear myself saying "ah do you mind if I have one?"....next thing i know theres a pack of 20 in my pocket and I'm smoking more than i did before.

Hopefully this time I'll last as the pub won't smell so tempting.

I gave up last year, using a combination of a nicotine inhaler (combats the "what to do with your hands" problem as well as the need for nicotine, whilst simulating the deep inhalation you would normally get from a ciggie) and the SilkQuit meter (Currently standing at 1 year, 2 months, 15 days, 12 hours, 5 minutes.. 8,809 cigarettes not smoked, saving me £2,308.00 and extending my life by 4 weeks and 3 days)

Different things work for different people I guess - Lots of people recommended the Allen Carr book, but I didn't fancy the camp bloke off Friday Night Project telling me how to give up fags

I could start again tomorrow quite easily as I quite enjoyed smoking and like to sit near smokers in pubs (won't be able to do that from next week.. i'll have to join them outside!)

My previous attempt at giving up lasted 8 months, and then i started a job i really hated so started again.. smoked for another 6 years until last year, so if you fail, just pack it in again.

Got to say, I do feel a lot better now, don't get out of breath walking up a slight hill or running for a bus anymore... Still got to lose the 2 stone I put on after giving up though

Ex-smoker since Dec 23rd 2000.
Get the silkquit meter from
http://www.silkquit.org/sqmmiv/meter.aspx

That really helped me.

I was also mentally ready to give us smoking too which I think is important.
I chewed menthol chewing gum - not special whatsit stuff though - and had to struggle to give that up - but its cheaper and less foul than smoking.

I read a book once that reckoned putting odl cigs in a jar and opening the jar and sniffing when you want a cig - and sniffing until you're physically sick of the smell - At the time I started to do this but realised I didn't want to give up and that this might work so I stopped it.
It's a horrid thing to do but will create the physical revulsion you might need.

Throw all lighters, ashtrays etc away too.

I`m thinking about quitting smoking, although its my only vice and im a bit loathe to give up, as I do still enjoy it!

Did quit for a month last year, and found it easier than I thought. I just ended up going cold turkey, as I tried patches and had a bit of an extreme reaction to them! They seemed to burn my skin, and for the first hour it was really painfull, and ended up with big red inflamed squares where the patches had been. Also made me feel really sick!

As a result I just went cold turkey, and used my willpower, and to be honest I really didn't find it that difficult.

However, my gf who also gave up at the same time couldn't manage it and started smoking again. I hated smelling the smoke on her, and kissing her (which I noticed for the first time!), and when it became clear she wasn't going to quit I started smoking again.

Thinking about quitting again though. The thing i found hardest was at work, as a smoking break gave me a chance to get away from the monitor and into the fresh air every now and then, and not smoking I had to give that up.

Well I am seriously wanting to quit smoking and think my frame of mind is gearing up for it too.

Many of you know, I packed it in for 9mths and for some strange reason, from day 5 onwards I was as happy as larry, not a miserable snappy git as I expected. During this attempt, I read Allen Carrs book and used patches given to me by my GP. In order to get the next set of patches I had to breath into some contraption which measured my Carbon Monoxide levels so there was no cheating allowed!

In the past I have tried going cold turkey which didn't work, and also I've tried hypnotherapy which worked for no more than 24 hours.

A few links;
http://www.gosmokefree.co.uk/
http://www.nicorette.co.uk/
http://www.bootscommittoquit.com/