Stopping smoking - Advice?

daveg

Both my parents are hoping to stop smoking after Xmas and I'm thinking I'd like to get them some sessions, as an Xmas present, with a hypnotist or similar to help them give up. As a non smoker I have no idea who is any good, what methods out there that have helped people.

As such can anyone comment on their attempts to stop smoking? Recommendations of therapists (hypnotists etc) would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Scraggs

This thread in Personal Issues here I found helpful, I went cold turkey myself and am 'clean' 8 weeks now. Theres plenty of advice out there, try your local health board or even your GP.
Best of luck to your parents:)

connundrum

Fags went up by 50c per 20 in the budget there, so I presume that won't deter them from smoking.

Dooom

connundrum wrote:

Fags went up by 50c per 20 in the budget there, so I presume that won't deter them from smoking.

Aw that's teh FUPPIN SEX. Was expecting them to go up loads more. I can still afford em. Ha, that's made my day!

Anywho, OT: I know a few people who did the hypnosis thing, and it only lasted a week at most on them. Maybe it's different for each person, but I wouldn't really trust it tbh. Cold turkey's the only proper way.

Buy them chewing gum? Lots.

Archeron

Well, I used a hypnotist and I am off them since October 2005. I used to smoke 30 plus a day for nearly 15 years, so was a heavy enough smoker. Chuffed with myself too, because I think hypnotists are a load of twaddle, but hey, whatever works, I cant argue. I tried and failed iwht patches, gum, cold turkey, and all chemist based solutions.
Let me know if you want the name of the crowd I used.

liamo

My story :
Hypnosis failed.
Acupunture worked for a couple of weeks. Went back and did it again and lit up as soon as I left the session.
Hated the gum.
Cold Turkey worked a couple of times for a couple of days.
All in all, spent about 5 years trying to give them up.

I eventually tried patches and that was the end of smoking for me. Like all the other methods, willpower is required as well !!

What had made me reluctant to try patches was the cost. As a week's supply of patches costs about the same as a week's supply of fags (not a coincidence methinks) I thought it would be a waste of money if I started smoking again so I didn't go down that route for a long time. However, if someone had bought me a month's supply as a present, I might have been off fags a lot sooner.


Over the years of trying to give them up I also picked up a few tricks which I found helpful.

1. While you're feeling unhealthy now, make a list of the reasons why you want to stop. Otherwise, after a few weeks when you start to feel healthier you may think "Hmm, I could do with a fag about now. One won't hurt".

2. Fill a jam-jar with fag butts and take sniff every time you feel like a fag. That's how you'll smell afterwards if you give in.

3. Keep putting aside the money that you would have spent on fags. It builds up into an impressive pile very quickly. Dip into it for a treat for yourself every so often.

4. Go to bed early. It's very tempting to smoke in the evening. Camomile tea will help to make you drowsy.

I'm these and other tips have been offered many times before and in many other threads. Google a bit for more information. Every little bit helps.

Good luck to your folks.

Liam

Ruu_Old

Not a smoker but you could always give your support to the forum suggested Giving up smoking, it has a good bit of support already but got left behind with the other requests. Apart from the other thread in PI, I'm not sure. Good luck.

Ciaran500

Kinda OT but how much is a pack of 20 now?

eamon234

I was a forty a day smoker for over 20 years I used the patches and I've been off them three years - best thing about the patches is that they stop the craving - the gum is crap and it tastes awful!

I actually felt confident enough to finish the course of patches early they worked that well. I've never looked back and I can honestly say I'll never smoke again. You have to want to stop though.

rubadub

connundrum wrote:

Fags went up by 50c per 20 in the budget there, so I presume that won't deter them from smoking.

Presume it won't? why not? it may not put them off totally but surely it will not encourage them?

If it had been smokes reduced by 50cent I could see how you presume it won't deter them.

Monetary reasons are behind people partly not doing a lot of things, combined with obvious health reasons, such as speeding fines making people drive slower.

It is worth calculating the cost (including the new 50cent), show them what they can save per year which could be a holiday.

Nictoine patches or pills can work well, pills are very suited to habitual smokers, where patches could make them even worse. You are breaking 2 things the chemical addiciton to the most addictive substance known, and the social habit of holding and inhaling burning plant matter, I see girls in work missing the social aspect, the other girls go out for the smoke break and usual gossip and they are missing out on that, some have taken it back up, it is easy to see why. Trying to break both at once is very difficult.

The fact they are both doing it at the same time will help hugely, common support, no offering or jealousy/enticement, competition!

daveg

Thanks for all the info so far folks. Keep it coming. I'm gonna print this off and give it to my folks to give them ideas.

Archeron wrote:

Let me know if you want the name of the crowd I used.

Yes please..

Rb

connundrum wrote:

Fags went up by 50c per 20 in the budget there, so I presume that won't deter them from smoking.

Oh but of course it will, the government says so!It'll " stop young people smoking", its most certainly not for the extra €100M odd that they'll receive in tax per year

OP: Have they got Allen Carr's book? It seems to be highly recommended and could be a nice cheap part of the present.

myjugsarehuge

The only drawback to the Chrismas pressie idea I can foresee is that they will feel obliged to succeed in giving up (which is hard), and they might feel guilty if they don't.

They need to give up smoking for themselves, not because you want them to, however well intentioned your motives. They will feel guilty if they don't succeed, as they will feel they have failed you and the faith you placed in them.

Christmas is a time for giving, not saving their health. Encourage them to give up and buy them something they would love to show you love them as they are.

rubadub

rb_ie wrote:

Oh but of course it will, the government says so!It'll " stop young people smoking", its most certainly not for the extra €100M odd that they'll receive in tax per year

Well a guy in another thread says he is giving up because of the price. It is far less attractive to start now.

When I was about 17-
20 smokes was about €3.5-4 (punts converted).
A can of cheap beer was €1.30,
an ounce of hash was €130,
an E was €19.

Nowadays the smokes with the incease is €7+
the can is now even less at €1
the hash is less at about €100
the E is about €4

So while other recreational drugs have come down in price the tobacco has nearly doubled. And with the smoking ban in public places it is far less attractive to even start using this recreational drug at all.

SimpleSam06

daveg wrote:

Thanks for all the info so far folks. Keep it coming. I'm gonna print this off and give it to my folks to give them ideas.

To be honest the whole anti smoking movement has acquired a stigma all of its own, with every huckster and optimist trying to sell you their book or magic twelve step program. I have actually successfully quit six weeks ago, more or less by accident, so what I figure is:

1. Smoking is associated with places and activities. I went away for a month to the darkest depths of south east asia, quit smoking when I left, and didn't even feel the need to smoke over there, partly due to the climate, partly due to the fact that I was never bored. When I came back, most of the nasty chemicals were flushed from my system, so the physical addiction was gone. But just by being in the same places as I was in when I smoked, I wanted to smoke again upon my return, psychological addiction. Thats where a spot of willpower comes in; its a lot easier without physical addiction however.

2. Despite that, when the chemicals are gone from your system the idea of even having a ciggie again is repugnant.

Its not a surefire method or will work for everyone, but my advice would be to go somewhere new for about a month and clear out the addictive chemicals, then come back and see how it goes. Never mind the sessions or therapists.

nesf

SimpleSam06 wrote:

1. Smoking is associated with places and activities. I went away for a month to the darkest depths of south east asia, quit smoking when I left, and didn't even feel the need to smoke over there, partly due to the climate, partly due to the fact that I was never bored. When I came back, most of the nasty chemicals were flushed from my system, so the physical addiction was gone. But just by being in the same places as I was in when I smoked, I wanted to smoke again upon my return, psychological addiction. Thats where a spot of willpower comes in; its a lot easier without physical addiction however.

Essentially that's how I've gotten them off them every time and how I got back onto them every time. I get together a few books/games/whatever and try to spend a week as distracted as possible. It's worked in the past. The problem is that when you get drunk you can forget that you were off them.

At least with the smoking ban it isn't as bad as it was. I don't associate a smoke with a pint anymore, that was a huge problem for me before. I pretty much had to give up drink and fags together in my previous efforts. The thing is that there's only so long you can go without meeting up with people tbh. Coffee had a similar association for me.

The plan this time around is to quit over Christmas when I'll be able to spend a week mostly at home. That'll be the easy part. It's when life goes back to normal that it'll get tough tbh.

cianr

Tried to give up a few different ways - none worked. In the end I read Allen Carr's book(The Easyway To Give Up Smoking) - that was... 4 or 5 years ago and i havent looked back since!

And the best thing was it was actually *easy* to give up with that book!

Gordon

The giving up smoking forum exists btw.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=871

Kiera

Try here

Sleepy

TBH, nothing you can get them will really help them stay off the fags. The only way to quit successfully is to genuinely *want* to quit smoking.