Finding it hard to stop

Miss B

I am finding it so hard to stop smoking.. I've tried everything, patches, gum, Alan Carr books & Clinics.. Tried hypnosis yesterday, came out feeling great and all washes out the window as soon as I wake up..
I understand all the facts, it’s all in your head etc etc and I do really want to stop, I was off them before for 9 months and felt great. It’s a mind game and at the moment my mind is winning and I feel crap..

Any suggestions or tips would be great.. What am I doing wrong??

Jeapy

Best of luck with your non-smoking!
I found that I had to stay away from all my friends who smoke to take away the temptation. When I went out, I was sure to stick with the anti-smoker brigade who'd kill me if i smoked! If you've done it for 9 months before, I'd say you're not willingly quitting again because you know it's hard! You'll have to be really stubborn and make sure you don't give into the damn things this time!

Rizzla King

I used to smoke a lot, but I find if you just try and do things where it's impossible to have a smoke. If I get a craving I usually just eat. I don't know if this is a good thing but it works for me:D

bongo2

I have't smoked since New Years Eve. I tried to give up numerous times before but failed each time after a few days. I feel this time that my desire to not stink of fags and be able to breath easily is greater than my desire to smoke. Whenever I get the urge to have a smoke I think about how desgusted I would be with myself. Early days yet but fingers crossed I won't give in to temptation.

DenMan

Eat them. I'm serious. When I lived in Malta my gf told me to me to try it as it had worked on her father. I took out 10 cigs and eat them. It was so revolting I have not gone back on them since (3 years). The only time I will have one or two is with a drink at a gig. It worked for me. Give it a try.

Poutbutton

Dont give up trying, you did it before so you can go for it again when you're ready. I just started the champix programme today, you smoke for the first week then choose a day in the second week to quit, yes, there is some controversy over this treatment but it seems to work really well for some. It's designed to be used for 12 weeks. Google it and then talk to your GP to see if you are suitable for it. If you look through my threads you can read what fellow users are saying about it.
Good luck!

froosh69

ehi wouldnt eat them...thats really not a good idea!especially don't eat 10 of them!

im off nearly 4 months, pure cold turkey...best of luck. i find if you can get through the first week, its plain sailing...best of luck.

Rizzla King

Eating them would be worse I would think would it not?

DenMan

Well maybe I exaggerated just a little. More chew and spit out. (some were swallowed though, bits and pieces) Taste was awful and I haven't gone back on them since then.

Good luck with it OP. My Dad is trying to give them up right now and my Mam has been off them 3 months now.

Rizzla King

Ah, at least it worked out for you. Me being an addiction freak would then start getting used to chewing tobacco instead of smoking it:pac:

Tiz me

It isn't an easy task to keep off the fags but just keep in mind you'll benifit health wise and wealth wise too I've only just started meself Monday before last and really hope to last the pace this time:pac: And sure if at first u don't suceede try and try again

hypnosisdublin

You say you tried hypnosis? I presume you went to a hypnotist and are not talking about self-hypnosis, right?

The reason I ask is that the hypnotist should offer free extra sessions until you stop. That's what I do in my clinic - I offer a lifetime guarantee until they stop.

As you've said, it's a mental game. I would recommend that you examine if there is any "secondary gain" involved with you smoking. By that, I mean do you associate any positives to smoking (e.g. social aspect) or any negatives to not smoking (e.g. fear of putting on weight if you stop).

If you do, then it'll be very difficult to stop smoking, especially on a permanent basis. Remove any secondary gain and you're at least 50% there to becoming a permanent non-smoker.

Best of luck

Paul

TheBlock

Early days for me but I haven't had one since Wednesday evening. I was a 30a day man and have HAD smoked for 20 Years. I'm using the patches as I don't think I could do it on cold turkey alone and after the first course will try to stop the patches. I think I just need to get used to not having a cigarette in my had or mouth before I tackle the Nicotine addiction. Never really tried before but I'm determined to do it as I have a second child on the way and as well as the monatery reasons the health of both my familiy and I are being seriuosly affected by my disgusting behaviour.

The patches are helping but what is really spurring me on is that when my wife mentioned to my son this morning that daddy didn't have a cigarette all day yesterday he gave me a huge smile and said "Thank you Daddy" ...Like I don't owe it to him.

I know I can do this.

Jazzy

dont put a cigarette in your mouth and dont put fire on the end of the cigarette.
that pretty much worked for me, been off about 4 years now. its easier then ppl say it is. all u need is a bit of balls.

on a side note i think nicarette ads should be banned. their whole "you cant quit without us" is baloney.

Pal

the whole Nicorette thing is daft.

You buy the stuff you are trying to get rid of.

TheBlock

TheBlock wrote: »

Early days for me but I haven't had one since Wednesday evening. I was a 30a day man and have HAD smoked for 20 Years. I'm using the patches as I don't think I could do it on cold turkey alone and after the first course will try to stop the patches. I think I just need to get used to not having a cigarette in my had or mouth before I tackle the Nicotine addiction. Never really tried before but I'm determined to do it as I have a second child on the way and as well as the monatery reasons the health of both my familiy and I are being seriuosly affected by my disgusting behaviour.

The patches are helping but what is really spurring me on is that when my wife mentioned to my son this morning that daddy didn't have a cigarette all day yesterday he gave me a huge smile and said "Thank you Daddy" ...Like I don't owe it to him.

I know I can do this.

A Month off them now. Used the patches for the first few days then cold turkey. I think i've gone through a pack of Tic Tacs a day :pac:

It does get a lot easier you don't think about them as much. I thought going out for a few pints would be a killer but wasn't that bad at all.

Advice to thise trying get over the first week and you should be flying.....stick with it.

Draz

just stopped today and using the patches as well, finding it tough this evening doing it for the children as well as myself . i was just disgusted with myself every time i had one hope i can last.

luckat

Miss B wrote: »

I am finding it so hard to stop smoking.. . What am I doing wrong??

You're not thinking about the long term.

The person who caused me to stop was a young doctor who pointed out that all of the amputation patients under his care were smokers. He'd never had a non-smoker in his ward. Then he pointed out a man getting his second arm off, a woman getting her leg off, etc.

I was so shaken I smoked a packet of Carroll's one after the other. But what he said kept echoing - and after *several* tries, I finally managed to 'éirigh as'.

Scubadevils

I think the shock tactic is excellent also - I looked up some sites as part of my preparation to give up two years ago, one of which showed a picture of a man in his early 30's on his deathbed with lung cancer - the picture also showed his wife and daughter by his side. It was a horrific image and really drove home to me the fact that it was essential that I stopped no matter what.

The following is the link that did it for me in terms of shock tactics, it's not nice so be warned before you click the link... but it does depict reality in a horrible way -

http://www.whyquit.com/whyquit/BryanLeeCurtis.html

There are so many methods that work for some and not for others but I really believe you have to get it fully into your head that you no longer want to smoke - many past attempts for me went wrong because I would give myself a reason to buy a pack or have 'just one' with a pint etc. This time I really wanted to give up and pretty much made myself hate them. I finally did online hypnosis and stuck rigidly to the system of 10 deep breaths every time I had the desire to smoke along with a bottle of water to hand at all times - the 10 deep breaths basically tricks your brain into the sensation of having a cig and diverts the craving - if you can get through a couple of weeks using this and without any nicotine substitutes, you should beat it. You need a lot of discipline though to ensure you keep to the 10 deep breaths, I think I did that about every 10 minutes for the first few weeks, regardless of looking a bit odd in public :pac: but I developed a discrete 10 deep breaths system after a while!