When was the turning point for you?

dubgirl15

Hi, for all those people who are off cigs for a long time, was there a particular time when you felt that you had finally cracked it and knew you wouldnt smoke again? Im mid way through another attempt but have done it in the past and both times got to about 7 weeks and then went back on them..

Thanks!

Hank_Jones

I realised that my health was just too important to me.
Any time I would go running I would be in bits after a few minutes, short of breath, and I would be thinking, ''Jesus I used to be top of pretty much any sport I played, now I can't even run.''

Oh and 14 months, later I now regularly run long distances and exercise without much trouble.

Twiggy69

18 months ago, caught out at sea in a weeks storm off the coast of Spain, got a dreadful chest infection. Ended up with phneumonia. Smoked for 27 years, everything from rollies in college to Montecristo cigars! I was struggling so bad to breath, I couldn't take a pull of a cigarette without coughing violently.

I8 months on, I have had a nagging tickling cough for the past 6 weeks. Eventually, coughed up blood the night before last. Was dreading going to hospital, but went yesterday. Initially, they felt it might be TB...after chest X-rays, reduced it to bronchitis. Again, I'm on a course of anti-biotics & steroids. The good news from this is that the Doctor examined my X-rays and was able to confirm that there was no evidence of damage from the smoking.

The fact is that it's never too late to quit, but the sooner you do, the healing begins. My advice is don't put it off another day.

Best of luck to you with it... it's worth the effort

Chuniqu

Hank_Jones wrote: »

I realised that my health was just too important to me.
Any time I would go running I would be in bits after a few minutes, short of breath, and I would be thinking, ''Jesus I used to be top of pretty much any sport I played, now I can't even run.''

Oh and 14 months, later I now regularly run long distances and exercise without much trouble.

I'm pretty much the exact same story... couldn't run at all without coughing up half a lung, so at that point I knew I had to kick the habit!

Never looked back! Stick with it, it gets easier, pick up a new hobbie or soemthing to distract yourself...

LeahK

I got to about 6 months and knew then I was over them! Its takes awhile and I still think about them at least once a day and im off them 1.5 years! Be patient with yourself and prepare when it comes close to that 7 week mark!

papachango

There is no easy way about quitting. It's important that you are, or that you get, mentally prepared. For there will be really tough days ahead. You must have a really heartfelt desire to quit, not a whim or pipedream like 'oh I'd love to quit but it's soooooo difficult,or 'OK I'll stop smoking after the weekend'.
You must have clear reasons why you want to stop, health, money etc. You might even have to entirely change your lifestyle, albeit for a while, if you want to succeed. I drank and went out very little after quitting. This was because pub situations would trigger my cravings. This is because of associations I had between smoking and drinking.
I was a 20 a day man, more at weekends. I quit, cold turkey - no patches. Everyday for at least seven months I would have a 'Jesus I'll die if I don't have a smoke!' moment. It was HARD. And if you get any real bad news it was even HARDER! Then one day I noticed I had gone a whole day without that feeling/craving. I started to get that feeling every other day and Now I don't ever get it, even if I see someone smoking.
It was 2.5 years ago I quit.
I would say to you that you can expect the first year to be tough. If you expect it to only last seven weeks or a couple of months, you will be disappointed. I am not trying to dishearten you but rather to help you.
If you know what to expect you have a better chance of succeeding.
If your friends or partner smoke, you might even have to steer clear of them when they are smoking for a while. Easier said than done I know, but they will support you or else they ultimately don't have your best interest at heart.
Your chance of success depends on how much you want it. If you are not prepared to sacrifice (temporarily) social occasions, alcohol etc then you are making it more difficult for yourself to succeed. Not impossible, just harder.
It also helps to have as many extra motivations as possible. If you succeed you could be a great example, or indeed an inspiration, to your friends who would also like to quit smoking but haven't found the willpower yet. Also dont think of it as giving something up but rather what you are getting. More energy. Healthier body. A longer life. Whiter teeth. cleaner lungs. Lots of extra money for clothes and sunshine or ski holidays or presents for those you love. Money for education or whatever you like. If you're thinking babies, then by not smoking you have a better chance of having children and lower chances of a miscarriage. Better foetal development when you're pregnant. You can be more like the person you imagine you want yourself to be, by not allowing cigarettes to dictate your decisions, and indeed, your life.
Good luck with it, may you succeed.

3rdDegree

I'm off them 14 and a half months now. I was on 20 a day. For me, it was in stages. The first few weeks were hell, the next few months difficult and all the time getting easier. I think the cravings become more and more infrequent as you progress. Of course, I was very cranky for the first year.

When stressed, I still have a desire for "something" and I'm not sure what that "something" is. When I stop and think about it, it just feels like something is missing from my life, but I don't want to go out a get some smokes. It's hard to describe.

del88

I'm off them about 10 years now...i was a 30 a day man and maybe 40 at the weekends...there's lots of little milestones.
first day with thinking about smoking....First night out with out thinking about smoking....first time on a plan without been freaked because you can't smoke....
I actually did my first parachute jump the week before i gave up so I'm sure that had some sort of influence....also woke up one night after a particulary heavy drinking session with breating difficulties so that could have had an effect....best of luck

dubgirl15

I'm reopenig an old thread as I haven't been on this forum for a long time and it helped me a lot before. Just to let anyone who is struggling now I'm now over a year off cigarettes and it is without doubt one of the best things I have ever done. I never believed I would get to this point but I have a feel great! I had attempted I would say over 10-15 times to give up before and always failed so if I would definitely say to everyone keep on trying if you really want to give up ! I was on patches for about 2 weeks and then came off them. Any help I can give anyone, just ask!