Please any suggestions!

Dalas

Hey guys,

I've been reading quite a few posts and I could really do with some help - I'm at my wits end.
I've been smoking for 10 years and I am now on 25 a day. I am 26. I tried hypnothearapy which worked for a while but then beer got me back on them. I tried Alan Carr and that lasted for 3 months same deal again beer got me started again.
I was thinking of trying hypnothearpy again becuase the guy wasnt that great ( he had a stutter and it was quite hard to focus) would it work a second time?
I live with 6 smokers none of which are very helpful! I really really want to give up but its only when I am around people that dont smoke or people i am close to who are begging me to give up and give me all the reasons to give up that i get really motivated. But then when they leave so does the motivation!
I cant move out and I am coming up to a really stressful time in work which will last till september. I am not making exuses but if i dont give up this time i really dont think my confidence could take it, in that if I cant do it this time then that's it! Ill just be a smoker for ever.
Is there some kind of 'smoking coach' available? I mean just reading these threads is so helpful but I need help for the first at least three weeks.
Any suggestions would really help... I am a desperado at this stage...

Redshift

First of forget any notions of giving up for other people, you do it for one person only and that is yourself. In my opinion it sounds like your non smoking friends are badgering you into quitting and this is counter productive to your efforts. You can't make a smoker quit they have to do it for their own reasons and on their own terms.
Firstly I would suggest that you get your friends to drop the subject and to leave it at least untill you have actively quit because it's only putting more pressure on you. Encouragement from your friends in your efforts is great and this is where you will rely on your friends but them trying to get you to quit is not helping.
I guess the nub of what i'm getting at is if you quit for the wrong reasons you will most likely fail. Quit becuase it's what you want to do and quit when you are ready.

Living with other smokers will not help you but it should not stop you in your efforts, I quit on ash wednesday last despite living and working with smokers and to be honest it's only a problem if you let it become one.
You have to face up to the fact that meeting smokers is unavoidable and deal with it on that basis. You will soon find the smell of cigarette smoke unpleasant and it will be less of an issue.

Stress is another part of life that is unavoidable and there will probably never be an ideal time to quit and any notion that there is is probably just making excuses. It is a proven fact that tobacco does not help with stress infact it puts the body under more stress by raising the blood pressure and reducing the capacity of your blood to carry oxygen. Rest assured when you are tobacco free you will handle stress much better.

My observations being an ex smoker is that tobbaco addiction in 90% in your head and 10% physical
Once you get it into your head that smoking is no longer an option you will accept it. Physical withdrawl pangs are mild and only last a few minutes and are gone before you realise it. Think about real pain you have been in
and compare it to nicotine withdrawl. it's not even up there with a bad headache.
I would suggest reading allen carr again as what he does is help sort out the mental addiction for you and that is most of the battle.

The first time I quit I made the same mistake as you and started smoking again but only when I was having a few beers, this eventually lead back to my fulltime habit as it always does.
If you feel you can't have a beer without a smoke then knock the beer on the head for a while, a small price to pay.

I didn't give up beer this time but using my past experience I know that the social smoker thing doesn't work and so I haven't so much as looked at a cigarette since I quit. I think Of myself as a reformed smoker and like a reformed alcoholic can never have another drink I can never risk having another cigarette as I know I will end up smoking full time again.

Good luck with your efforts and do let us know how you're doing.

Fionn

you will probably notice that in a lot of posts, people say that you cant kick the habit unless you are totally committed, determined and ready.
This is true for the majority of most people.
You can think up of all sorts of excuses - I was drunk, stressed out, going through a relationship breakup etc. These are excuses that you play the blame game with and ease your guilty conscience with.
But if you look deep down in your heart you will realise that you weren't ready, weren't totally committed. Why? it's usually because most people don't prepare, what i mean by that is they don't get themselves into the mindset that they can achieve being a non-smoker. Try and visualise yourself as a non-smoker! set that as a goal
When your ready and have the determination and the visualisation; you can kick the smokes, then you'll be able to hang out with smokers and have a neutral attitude about smoking (no one wants to hang out with a preacher ) you'll be capable of getting as drunk as you wish but still keep that determination of not smoking. You'll wonder why on earth you ever bothered with cigarettes.
Perhaps you should try a different hypnotist, explain to him your fears for falling into the traps of a relapse (e.g. going for a few pints). The hypnosis is not a silver bullet but more of an accompainment to reinforce the decision that you have taken, the suggestions you receive into your subconscious while in a hypnotic trance can greatly help when situatons arise where you could slip. Obviously you can be hypnotised so theres no reason to not use it again and continue until the suggestions are firmly anchored within your subconscious.

sorry for going on so long!

best wishes on your quest

REMEMBER - *you can do it*

Dalas

God guys, thanks a million! I really REALLY! appreciate the thoughts and suggestions. I am going to get hypnothised again and I know I want to give up myself its just keeping up the motivation long enough to get pass the first few days. Ill just keep reading this post over again!

Thanks again..

Redshift

Good luck with your quit, another idea is to have something to work towards.
Think of something that you really want but would not normally buy for yourself, be it a holiday, new laptop a weekend of pampering or whatever you want and save the money you would have spent on cigarettes toward that goal.

Get a large jar and put the price of 20 cigs into it everyday and just watch it grow.

Then when you reach a certain point 6 month or a year, whatever works for you, take that money and go and spoil yourself.

If you need any help or support just drop back in here and remember let us know how you're doing.

Good Luck:)

Dalas

Hey guys, thanks so much for the support. It's really very much appreciated.
I'm getting no where though. I worked 60 hours last week and I just didnt have time to even think about it.
I'm a little dissapointed but I'm going to keep trying and I'll keep you posted.

thanks again.