Support for those quitting smoking

cullig_jp

Am currently off the cigs 2 weeks. Have been smoking for 12 years. Made a couple of botched attempts at giving up before but always ended up smoking again, usually as a result of alcohol:(
Haven't been near a pub in the last 2 weeks but that wont last forever im afraid!
Am compenplating hypnosis but not sure yet.
Has anybody used though nicotine inhalers?

emma6606

Im off the smokes 2 weeks.. .15 days to be precise
I was doing fine, I had the flu so it was easy enough to give up at the start - my lungs were in bits so I couldnt smoke anyway...

Its very hard today though - stressed out in work and no way to take the edge off it...

Im going cold turkey cos my Mam has been on Nicorette for 20 odd years... Its a subsitution more than a solution

Im sure the craving will pass anyway... just have to try and stick it out and remain calm in the meantime

togster

Im off them a week and having no cravings...but i have it very hard to sleep, i fell sick sometimes and dizzy. Just wondering if anyone else experienced this?

howamidifferent

howamidifferent wrote: »

Jerry - Free and Healing for One Month, Five Days, 16 Hours and 59 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 2 Days and 13 Hours, by avoiding the use of 734 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me €295.95.


36 days off the fags at the minute...Patches at the minute...

Smoker for the last 30 years except for a 5 year spell between 1995 and 2000 when I was doing so well I decided to "just have 1"

Promising myself a pioneer plasma if I can stay off them for a year!

Woohoo...

Jerry - Free and Healing for Three Months, Fifteen Days, 14 Hours and 15 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 7 Days and 11 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2152 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me €875.38.

And I bought the Plasma to keep me enthusiastic...:D

jtsuited

howdy folks. I just gave up yesterday (twas my 25th birthday and always said I'd give up when I hit 25).
Have tried giving up before but never lasted longer than a few hours. Got nicorette gum and it's bloody great. Tastes horrible but stops the cravings. Gonna do the whole nicorette quit plan.

I've read most of the quit-smoking books out there and tbh found them to be the usual self-help bull**** full of bad science and inaccurate claims. Most recently I read Neil Casey's 'The Nicotine Trick', which was truly terrible.

fixernixer

Nearly 1 year now!! (Feb 1st) :D:D
All I can say to anyone who has just given up is: stick with it, it gets easier.

1 year, 20 a day@ €8 a pop = €2920 (half of which goes to the poxy Govt)
I look and feel healthier too, granted I've put on 2st but I needed it

After the third or so day its all in the mind. Focus on the benefits and on how far you have come. I went cold turkey so I couldn't tell you if patches or that work. Just tell everyone you know you're giving up and throw out all ashtrays/lighters etc. You have to give them up mentally first, pick a date and stick to it. (I chose Feb1st because its about now you hear all the new year resolutions that have failed)

This is my last post because I feel I well and truly have given up for good.
Thanks for all your words of support, this thread has helped lots.

Happy Fookin Days!!
:cool:

-mr.x-

wat i did was i used to smoke 10 a day.......

i thought thiswould never work but it did........

i have a coulple of smokes when i go on the beer which now is only once every two weeks....
i thought i would go straight back on them after the first night out but 5 years on no change, still smoke a couple when i go out....weird:):D:)

howamidifferent

That woudlnt work for me..It was actually my downfall last time...I was off them for 5 years then told myself in a pub one night that I could jsut have one...not so slowly crept back up to 20 a day again in a very short time...

-mr.x-

ya i wouldnt recomend it ..but somhow its working for me

whitneysegura

None of the above help, if you don't want to do it then your not going to do it period. Man up and stop.

overmantle

Cold turkey - willpower and day by day - that's what I tried 11 years ago and it's still working.

overmantle

The other bit of advice is to substitute something for smoking - be it walking or whatever. One of the things I used as a substitute was crisps!

glenq

glenq wrote: »

I gave up on the 1st September. Just stopped cold turkey. I've had the odd urge to have one, but honestly, it's not been too bad (yeah, you're really gonna wanna heard that ).
Smoking for about 10 years, and I've tried giving twice before, both were incredibly poor efforts. But I think the difference this time is that I really wanted to give up. Before I always thought it would be nice to give up, you know, likes it what I should be doing. They were half ar$ed efforts and in reality I didn't really want to give up.
But as I said, this time there would be nothing stopping me, I just had enough of them. I was embarassed by the smell, by my lack of fitness and by the act (huddling outside a in the rain having a smoke :rolleyes:).

Anyhow, it's almost two months and I feel great. I'm determined to make it happen this time.

6 months now. Don't have any pangs. Actually the thought of one does not appeal at all.

howamidifferent

Jerry - Free and Healing for Four Months, Nineteen Days, 10 Hours and 19 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 9 Days and 16 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2789 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me €1,135.88.

Plasma nearly paid for...Bluray player next...:p

Makes it all worthwhile...

Jamfan

For me it has to be a mix of cold turkey and Allen Carr.

For what it's worth, I think that nicotine patches and gum and whatever will in time be exposed as 'snake oil', ie, as being of use to neither man nor beast. I know so, so many people who are doing great 'on the patches' or 'on the gum' and then go back to smoking EVEN MORE when they go back on the cigs. I know exactly ONE person that quit using patches, and I really believe he quit in spite of and not because of the patches. And he was still on the things ten years later. I think that if you let yourself rely on 'snake oil' that you have failed before you even start.

I know that people may have a go at me because of what I just said and who have quit successfully with gum and what not. So, if you have please let me know.

If I believed in conspiracy theories I would say that the nicotine patch and gum makers - hidden behind pension funds and holding companies - actually belong to Altria/Philip Morris. They are still making money from the few weeks that people are off the smokes and then earn even more when you start back again smoking furiously, and from my experience you smoke even more after a failed attempt.

What worked for me was:

http://quitsmoking.about.com/ ... have a click around. Have a look for the list of reasons that people quit and use it as an inspiration for your own one... such as... I no longer feel that whenever I feel some sort of discomfort that it is an impending stroke, heart attack, blood clot, or that it is due to lung cancer.

Talking to my mam... it is frightening to hear how many people in their 50s/60s are being struck down with lung cancer and emphysema.

Listening to my 55 year-old aunt with her emphysema wheeze and bronchitis cough. This is my mam's baby sister that I always remember as being an ardent disco-goer. My 57 year-old uncle also died recetly of COPD and lung cancer. They actually are not sure if it was the cancer or emphysema that was to blame, or a combination of the two.

Reading Allen Carr. The man is a legend. This is brain washing, but in the absolute best way. Go with the flow of the book!

Download a 'quit meter' such as at http://www.dedicateddesigns.com/qk/

And lots more reasons beside... oh yeah, how about giving up for a couple of days and noticing how strong the smell of smoke is off your ex smoke buddies. You used to smell like that.

Peile

Jaffman it's obvious you've read Carr's book..you're using his lingo and ideas. I've read it myself and found it was brilliant, gave up after 25 years heavy smoking and got cocky and was back on them 18 months later. However, book and all the psychology didn't work the second time. Convinced myself I wasn't enjoying them, decided to try again and asked for doc for anything besides patches, gum etc. Prescribed champix...am now two months off them and confident...still need a bit of willpower but the tablets actually work.

Jamfan

Hi Peile

Is it that obvious? lol

I guess that different things will work for different people, but I have seen so many people not succeeding with the patches.

Well done on your quit, by the way!

Evil-p

Since it is not recommended at all that you ever buy prescription drugs off the internet i really don't think its a good idea for you too be posting links to sites that sell it. If someone wants to quit using prescription drugs they should go to their GP and be monitored properly!!!

thebouldwhacker

Ahhh here now if the post above by willow43james isnt an ad then I give up.

Anyway Zyban is an anti depressant which has a side effect of calming cravings. If you want to mess with your brain chemistry thats your own decision

sfhoping234

I'm completely new to all of this and to be honest, tomorrow will be my first day of the ciggies. I have smoked for 15 years and I am only 27!!! Wondering does anyone have any tips for the next few days. Have patches but don't think they will be enough. I have tried them before but I think I am alot more determined now!! Any advice would be appreciated:D

thebouldwhacker

I had already posted a reply to this but its not up.... so if I'm double posting so sorry:rolleyes:

Hi T! You quit 1 month, 3 days, 9 hours, 22 minutes & 42 seconds ago. You have *not* smoked 753 cigs, saved EUR 320 and added 2.61 days to your life.

sfhoping234, welcome and congrats on your decision to stop. Not a fan of the patches myself, no drug addiction treatment should involve simply changing the method of ingestion to help the addict quit, but I'm sure I have ranted about that somewhere else so I'll save you the pain of going over it again...

Here are some great resources

http://www.stopsmoking.ie/index.php

http://whyquit.com/

and of course

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=871

Read the Alan Carr book, its a bit of a pain but what he sayes makes a lot of sence, if you look at the poll on page one of this thread cold turkey etc is king!!!

Most of all enjoy saving your health and life, I smoked for over 20 years, been off and on 'em but I'm off them now over a month and never felt so confident & quite sucessfuly ran a 10 mile race last weekend:eek: so get off em and stay off em.

Oh yea, if you fall off the wagon keep reading the posts on the different threads and you'll so be back on trak!!! why not start your own thread???

Anyway best of luck & welcome to the club!!!

Chazza100

Personally I spent 35 years smoking and could not work out how to get out of the cycle because whenever I gave up I still fancied a ciggy!!!

Actually I worked out my own method which is pleasurable, cheap and effective. Also I no longer have a fear of smoking again. I wrote it down and posted it in the following web article.

http://www.helium.com/items/1229204-how-to-quit-smoking

I would be interested to hear from anyone who tries it.

glenq

glenq wrote: »

6 months now. Don't have any pangs. Actually the thought of one does not appeal at all.

Jaysus, after saying no pangs, I did have a craving the other night. Was tempted, but put it off. The craving soon went and all is good again.

Chazza100

I get what you mean. Getting pangs is the point I was making that I could not deal with for the rest of my life and lead me back onto the weed. I no longer get pangs and if I want to I can smoke a cigar without inhaling (although I prefer not to have one now).

glenq

Chazza100 wrote: »

I get what you mean. Getting pangs is the point I was making that I could not deal with for the rest of my life and lead me back onto the weed. I no longer get pangs and if I want to I can smoke a cigar without inhaling (although I prefer not to have one now).

Gotta be honest, having a cigar would probably be the worst thing I could do.
I gave up smoking, and having a cigar would be smoking again. No thanks.

Nyum Nyum

A bit of self regarding nonsense here but I completed one year off the ciggies last Thursday

(Still off them by the way )

thebouldwhacker

Hi T! You quit 1 month, 6 days, 10 hours, 54 minutes & 8 seconds ago. You have *not* smoked 1,033 cigs, saved EUR 439 and added 3.59 days to your life.


Hey Nyum, well done, thats massif



Its funny you called it 'A bit of self regarding nonsense ' when everyone else here would put it down as one of the big achivements of a life time!!!

Come on Nyum feel the success and celebrate!!!

only guesstimating (set at 20 a day and €8.50 per pack) but perhaps this is relivant to your success!

Hi Nyum! You quit 1 year, 11 hours & 49 seconds ago. You have *not* smoked 10,963 cigs, saved EUR 4,660 and added 1.25 months to your life.

thebouldwhacker

And whats with that cigar thing??? not sure its a runner TBH, anyway cancer of the mouth isn't really something to encourage:eek:

reyesburns12

Hi to all, What are the health benefits that you receive when stop smoking?

James.Willams

Hi reyesburns12,
There are many health benefits acquired when one stops smoking. If people stop smoking, the toxic gases in the blood will drop to normal, within two or three weeks, lung function increases and in a few months coughing and shortness of breathe decrease. In a year’s time major diseases can be avoided. Log on to: http://smokingharms.com/ to get lots of information.

thebouldwhacker

Hey reyesburns12,

check this out too.

Also for what its worth I'm off them 2 months and I did a 10mile race a few weeks ago. the health benifits are immedate


http://whyquit.com/

endtosmoking

I believe the best method of quiting to is really think about
all the damage and the pain that cigarettes will have on your life
find the thing for you thats the most painful -is it bad breath or no money? impotence ? cancer? really get into it and think about it

then think about all the positive effects quitting will have

these two things should strengthen your resolve

you must make the decision to quit though!!

i found www.endtosmoking.cjb.net helpful

Chunky Monkey

Tried sublingual tablets, didn't last long on those they were rotten. Went cold turkey for about a month and then started 'social' smoking again which led on to smoking 'one or two' during the day and then increased to 10 or more when I had a project due.

My boyfriend freaked out at me about 3 weeks ago so I went cold turkey again. Even though I'm still getting some pretty strong cravings (esp. when stressed) I've managed to resist cos I really don't want to disappoint him again.

I know they're bad for you but it didn't feel like they were harming me so that wasn't a good enough reason in my head to quit. It helps to have a solid reason (even if it does seem shallow etc) if that makes sense.

thebouldwhacker

Hey Chunky; If you want to find a health reason to stop why not go visit a local hospital with cancer or lung ward. (you prob dont even have to go into any of those wards even stand around so you can see the smoking section) and take in the destruction that smoking causes.

You will see people with a cig in one hand inhaler in the other, people with limbs amputated, after open heart surgery... then breath deep knowing for 2 or 3 weeks of uncomfortable cravings you will get to avoid that death.

And TRUST ME the way the HSE/ NHS is being cut back now is not the time to develop avoidable illnesses

Wanna die on a trolley in a hospital corridor by drowning in fluid from your lungs??

Theres your health reason........anyone fancy lighting up now???

Chunky Monkey

Shock tactics often don't work. I'm a care assistant and med student. I've seen the lungs of a smoker having heart surgery. And the COPD patients smoking out the entrance. SO have the nurses and doctors who smoke. I don't know why but we have beome desensitised.

I'll tell you the good things about quitting: everything tastes and smells better, I don't have the smell of smoke clinging to my clothes (smelling it off other ppl I've realised how disgusting it is) and I don't 'taste like a ashtray' Plus my lungs don't feel like they're gonna collapse when I run (well not as much, working on that). The coughing and sore and phlegmy throats aren't missed either!

Good luck to those of you quitting

Jennie2312

Yoda, thanks a million. Always great to be reminded of the benefits of not being a smoker anymore.

I'd been smoking 15 years and lots of previous attempts to quit failed miserably and irritably.

This time I went to a fantastic hypnotist in Stillorgan near the N11. Very relaxing 40 minutes. €200 and only one session necessary. Felt ultra chilled but can remember abs everything. Of the two other people I know of that went to her, they're both still off.

It doesn't magic away the fact that you would really like a smoke but it has made it sooooooo much easier to stay off them. Actually I was at a house party on Friday last and thought it was going to really push me. Instead I was a little bit grossed out by the smelly, smokey air. I would have loved to somehow let everyone know what an unnecessary and unpleasant thing smoking can be! They do say x-smokers are the worst tho don't they?! :cool:

oldyouth

Parents smoke 60 a day each. Never touched one until I left home at 23 and started myself as a form of 'independence'. Plodded along for 20 odd years and was the last of my group still smoking when the ban came in. Tried various methods of giving up with regular success. Cutting down is a fool's errand.

One day I had to tell my 14 year old son that his best friend had been tragically killed in an accident on his way over to our house. Trying to keep him together at the funeral made me think what it would be like for him get through similar if I went early because of the smokes. Had a last one outside the church that day, got some patches and never put one to my lips since. 2yrs next month thank God. Kids will never tell you their Da is cool but my wife tells me they often say they are proud of me for doing it. It keeps me going

havetoquit

Thank you so much for this much needed positive list of real incentives. I intend reading them each and every day.

havetoquit

Well done to you and I so admire you. Your story gives me inspiration to really change my attitude this time and to start my own wake up call rather than making feeble attempts and accepting the pkt of ciggies my non-smoking husband buys for me once my withdrawl symptoms gets to him. I guess I must have been so hard to live with and as he said, he just could not watch me 'suffer' as he put it.

smokingsprint

ex smokers are certainly the worst! ::rolleyes:

So many friends of mine are x smokers and they just never shut up about it

havetoquit

smokingsprint wrote: »

ex smokers are certainly the worst! ::rolleyes:

So many friends of mine are x smokers and they just never shut up about it

Yes, I agree that some can be irritating, but whenever I try to give up I have to say that I tend not to speak about smoking to anyone during that time, especially not smokers as it really isn't my business to lecture others, particularly when we all know how easy it is to fall off the wagon.

samantha2000

Twenty years a smoker. I ended up smoking 80 a day, and honestly thought that I would never be able to give them up. When hubby suggested that I read Alan Carr's book as he had helped so many to quit, I actually laughed at him. Cigs were my life, how could one man stop me from smoking?
A few months ago, hubby gave me the cd of Alan Carr. In spite of myself I put it on one day, a week later April 2nd I stubbed out my last cigarette.
I cannot even begin to say how easy I've found it, even I am astounded. My friends cannot believe how well I've done. I cannot recommend Carrs cd enough, if he can help me to quit, then he can help anybody.
To all those who have quit, congratulatioins, to those yet to do so, I say Good luck.

barkingmadlolly

After more failed attempts than I would care to remember I attended an Alan Carr seminar on Saturday and smoked my last cigarette then. Its been 2 days now and so far so good, no real cravings as I really dont want a cigarette but I have a feeling Im missing something that I cant place. Hopefully it will pass in the next day or two. Best of luck to al Quitters out there

howamidifferent

howamidifferent wrote: »

Free and Healing for Four Months, Nineteen Days, 10 Hours and 19 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 9 Days and 16 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2789 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me €1,135.88.

Plasma nearly paid for...Bluray player next...:p

Makes it all worthwhile...

Free and Healing for Six Months, Thirty Days, 12 Hours and 22 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 14 Days and 16 Hours, by avoiding the use of 4230 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me €1,728.26.

Plasma paid for, Bluray player paid for...Nice movie sound system next on the list...:P

barkingmadlolly

Today I am smoke free for 7 days and so happy as this is the longest Ive stopped smoking for in years. I know I am by no means over the cravings etc but just wanted to take a minute to celebrate 7 smoke free days

Jules

Well done everyone!

verycrazy

Hi everyone.First time poster.After 16 years smoking of which i loved every drag,i've decided to quit.
Ive found it easy enough BUT one minor detail.If i go the pub i dont think i could resist.I hav'nt been to the pub now for 2 weekends which was'n too bad either but i know my love for socialising will have me back soon.
Anyone with advice it would be greatly appreciated.

Floodzie

Well done verycrazy!

I found the best advice I got about going to pubs, was to just go home the second you started to feel like a cigarette. I avoided the pub for 2 weeks, then went for a drink. I lasted the first pint and then left. The next week was the same - just one pint. After that, I made it to 2, then 3 etc. Now, no matter how much I drink, I would never, ever smoke.

Drinking with ex-smokers helps too. Smokers never like to be alone, and will be the first to offer a quitter a cigarette - where were all these free smokes when I was a smoker?? :-)

A lot of my friends smoke joints - I bought a pipe. Important to cut the nicotine out completely!!

Off them since Jan 3rd, 2007. Not so much as a drag - zero nicotine in the blood since then. First few days were ok -ish, was glad to be off them (Alan Carr was the trigger), then the odd craving over the next weeks and months, but nothing like the first few days. I NEVER want to go through that again.

Good luck - you've made it this far, the rest is easy.

Mezcita

verycrazy wrote: »

Hi everyone.First time poster.After 16 years smoking of which i loved every drag,i've decided to quit.
Ive found it easy enough BUT one minor detail.If i go the pub i dont think i could resist.I hav'nt been to the pub now for 2 weekends which was'n too bad either but i know my love for socialising will have me back soon.
Anyone with advice it would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck with this. Found that avoiding the pub for a few weeks was an ideal way to get the ball rolling. As it's only on nights out that I still get the urge.

It's been said endless times before on here but worth repeating that this does get easier with time. I'd also recommend doing some type of exercise to keep your mind off it.

verycrazy

Thanks for the advice.im not even thinkin about smoking still. I cant believe it.2 full weeks tomorrow.
I've a big hurdle on sat.A family christening,so its in the pub for 4 o clock and party til the death.If i can get thru sat il be fine .Fingers crossed.