Scared to take the plunge and stop smoking!

Shazanne

Hi. I'm a 20 - 25 a day smoker who'd love to be a non-smoker but am terrified to try quitting! I tried three years ago and lasted three weeks (using nicotine patches) but they were amongst the most difficult weeks of my life! I was totally miserable, thought of little else other than smoking, did not want to go anywhere and just felt like hiding under the covers in bed. Eventually, mu husband suspected I was getting depressed (which I am prone to) and he went out and bought me cigarettes - even though he has never smoked and hates smoking.
Is there anyone else out there that feels like I do? Is there anyone who has felt that way but managed to give up smoking?
I need to give them up and a huge part of me wants to give them up - I just cant face going through what I went through before. Help

Kersmash

Try the Giving Up Smoking forum, this forum is for the positives of smoking

The Hill Billy

Moving to the Giving Up Smoking forum.

HB

silvo

Have you tried reading the Alan Carr book? Its a different way of stopping smoking and if it works, you will be delighted to give up rather than being sad that you can't. You can pick it up from any bookshop. If you try to think differently about it and look forward to giving up rather than worry about it.

Look at your options and don't give up giving up.

Orion

No point in dressing it up or lying to you - you're right to be scared. You will go through withdrawal. You will feel depressed. You will feel like gnawing off an arm for just one smoke. That's what quitting is. You need to accept that there is no easy solution. When you do accept that then you will cease being scared and will be able to face down the withdrawal.

There are many ways of assisting with coping with withdrawal. Personally I don't believe in NRT (patches, gum etc) - I feel they just delay the inevitable. You could try hypnotherapy. You could take an Alan Carr course. You could read an Alan Carr book. I know people they've worked for. You could try cold turkey. It's hard - I can attest to that - but it can work too - I'm proof of that (so far anyway).

This probably isn't the answer you wanted. But like I said there is no point in dressing it up. If you want a one-size-fits-all solution then you're in the wrong place. There are plenty of sites that will sell you one - I'm sure there's a few hundred in my spam folder.

But if you want a group of like minded people who will support you through thick and thin - through success and failure then this is the forum for you.

Anyone can quit. Even you. You just need to believe you can. That's it. It's all you at the end of the day. Nobody can quit for you. Evaluate your reasons for wanting to quit. Believe those reasons. Then pick a date - a week from now, month from now, 1st May, whenever - and go for it. You can quit once you want to.

Shazanne

Macros42 wrote: »

No point in dressing it up or lying to you - you're right to be scared. You will go through withdrawal. You will feel depressed. You will feel like gnawing off an arm for just one smoke. That's what quitting is. You need to accept that there is no easy solution. When you do accept that then you will cease being scared and will be able to face down the withdrawal.

There are many ways of assisting with coping with withdrawal. Personally I don't believe in NRT (patches, gum etc) - I feel they just delay the inevitable. You could try hypnotherapy. You could take an Alan Carr course. You could read an Alan Carr book. I know people they've worked for. You could try cold turkey. It's hard - I can attest to that - but it can work too - I'm proof of that (so far anyway).

This probably isn't the answer you wanted. But like I said there is no point in dressing it up. If you want a one-size-fits-all solution then you're in the wrong place. There are plenty of sites that will sell you one - I'm sure there's a few hundred in my spam folder.

But if you want a group of like minded people who will support you through thick and thin - through success and failure then this is the forum for you.

Anyone can quit. Even you. You just need to believe you can. That's it. It's all you at the end of the day. Nobody can quit for you. Evaluate your reasons for wanting to quit. Believe those reasons. Then pick a date - a week from now, month from now, 1st May, whenever - and go for it. You can quit once you want to.

Thanks for that. I probably need to be hit straight between the eyes like you have done - maybe its the softly, softly way I pamper myself that's the problem. It's easier to smoke and think about not smoking than it is to face giving up etc. I am going to try. Don't think I'll pick an actual date that would loom out in front of me - just going to say I am going to try after Easter. And I will. Thanks.

PaddyW

Hi Shazanne. I'll tell how you how I gave up smoking, with the help of Champix. It's not everyone's cup of tea obviously and have heard of people having side effects from taking them, but I, for one, have had no side effects at all from them and today, I am four weeks off them. I too was in terror of giving up, dreaded it, but Champix have made a huge difference. You will still get some cravings, but nowhere near as bad as you would expect and they pass rapidly. I smoked for 17 years and never though I'd give them up. But it was easier than expected, with help of course!

Have a look at these, if you think you'd like to try them, talk to others, find out about them, talk to your doctor and see what he thinks. They may not be for you, but they are one more option to consider. Good luck with it, trust me when I say, you will feel much better for giving them up.

theacher

Shazanne wrote: »

Hi. I'm a 20 - 25 a day smoker who'd love to be a non-smoker but am terrified to try quitting! I tried three years ago and lasted three weeks (using nicotine patches) but they were amongst the most difficult weeks of my life! I was totally miserable, thought of little else other than smoking, did not want to go anywhere and just felt like hiding under the covers in bed. Eventually, mu husband suspected I was getting depressed (which I am prone to) and he went out and bought me cigarettes - even though he has never smoked and hates smoking.
Is there anyone else out there that feels like I do? Is there anyone who has felt that way but managed to give up smoking?
I need to give them up and a huge part of me wants to give them up - I just cant face going through what I went through before. Help

I smoked for 22 years and last september i went to an accupuncturist in stillorgan.his name escapes me and i lost his number. I never tried to give them up before so this was new but it worked.if you want i can see through friends if i can get the guys number.

Shazanne

theacher wrote: »

I smoked for 22 years and last september i went to an accupuncturist in stillorgan.his name escapes me and i lost his number. I never tried to give them up before so this was new but it worked.if you want i can see through friends if i can get the guys number.

Please do. It's not a method I have heard of before for quitting smoking but, if it works, I'll give it a go. Sounds better than nicotine replacement therapy. Thanks:)

syngindub

Don't agree with some comments that suggest that giving up smoking can lead to depression. The key to beating nicotine addiction is to understand the addiction and what the withdrawal symptoms are. Alan Carr goes through a lot about this in his book which i found brilliant.
Just me 2 cents.

syngindub

Shazanne

syngindub wrote: »

Don't agree with some comments that suggest that giving up smoking can lead to depression. The key to beating nicotine addiction is to understand the addiction and what the withdrawal symptoms are. Alan Carr goes through a lot about this in his book which i found brilliant.
Just me 2 cents.

syngindub

Hiya. I dont think its so much a case of giving up smoking leading to depression, its more the case that if you're prone to depression, it can make it more defficult. Depression and anxiety are closely linked and there is a certain degree of anxiety attached to giving up smoking. Plus, a person with depressive tendencies can sometimes not be as strong willed or strong minded as a person who isn't and they can very often over-analyse a situation. That's my experience anyway, for what its worth!

theacher

Shazanne wrote: »

Please do. It's not a method I have heard of before for quitting smoking but, if it works, I'll give it a go. Sounds better than nicotine replacement therapy. Thanks:)

hiya. the guys name is ronnie turner. he is located opposite stillorgan shopping centre right beside the chipper,i went to him on a saturday morning sixty euro and the best money i ever spent. i dont have a lot of will power but i had the determination to give up and though at times i wanted a smoke by and large this was quite easy.I cant find his number but you will get it from 11890.best of luck and i hope you succeed.:):).

Miss Fluff

Macros42 is spot on with their advice. Quitting smoking is tough. It is very tough. And so it should be, you're releasing yourself from the most addicitive substance there is.

My story?

I was a 30-a-day smoker. Smoked from when I was 15 to 33 and I quit last July. I set a certain date a month in advance to quit so I smoked my brains out leading up to it. I then read the Allen Carr book and quit on the planned date. I thought my life would never be the same again. I thought I'd never had fun when out drinking or socialising. I couldn't fathom the prospect of being a non-smoker. One week after quitting my boyfriend dumped me. Ten days after quitting I started in a really high pressure new job.

The withdrawal symptoms were unbelievable. I cried with the physical discomfort while the toxins left my body in the first week. I took sleeping tablets to help me get a few hours kip at night. Every single thought was consumed with smoking. I put on weight. I felt like sh1t.

Is it the best thing I've ever done? You BLOODY BET . It was a mountain I had to climb and I am so glad I did. Do it girl. Don't use NRT or anything else. And do set a date, it's a good way of getting yourself ready psychologically. I found this forum really helpful and a website called www.whyquit.com in the first few weeks was a life-saver.

Do it!! :):):):):):):)

db

If you really want to give up then just do it. Don't wait for a particular date or use any form of therapy. Whenever you get a craving say to yourself "Do I want to waste the effort I have put into this for the last hour / day / week / month". Do something to take your mind off smoking when you get a craving - go for a walk or eat some fruit or anything else that might distract you. Always feel good about what you are doing and be proud of your achievment whether you are off them an hour or a month. I smoked for 30 years and just gave up one day. It is easier than you think.

dolliemix

Hi Shuzanne

Some great advice here.

I also went through the fear and anxiety for the first 6 weeks. I actually thought I would never be able to go out socially again without a certain element of dread. The cravings last two - three minutes. But as time goes on the cravings become less and less. You need to be really strong initially.

I also believed that I was a stress smoker, but I identified that I wasn't necessarily smoking when stressed, but using cigarettes to reward myself. i.e it's Friday evening ....I deserve a cigarette. I just got through that stressful meeting....I deserve a cigarette. I'm happy....I need a cigarette to make this moment even better!! Once I realised that, I knew they were my weak moments. I felt deprived for about four weeks.

Thankfully it all does pass. I'm on Week 10 now. I don't mind going out anymore and drinking knowing I won't be smoking. Infact, the last two or three times I forgot about smoking until I left the pub and made my way through the smokers outside! Lol!

It's very very tough at the start. But it's a month of pain that is well worth it. You begin to feel the benefits very early on. I'm sure you've seen this timeline already. It helped me (and still does).

Best of luck

exsmo

I quit smoking over a year ago I used a hypnotic mp3 I downloaded from this site http://www.whatifyoucouldstopsmoking.com there is also a subliminal reinforcement mp3 that really helped me. Its worth checking out if you really want to quit, I had tried everything else. Good Luck.

Shazanne

Has anyone heard of a guy called Simor Lear who works as a hypnotist in Balbriggan? I have heard good reports on him but would love to know if anyone has gone there. It's just a thought before I take the plunge - maybe it could make it somewhat easier?

Kimia

Hi Shazanne,

Here's my story, and if i can do it, i'm sure you can.

I loved smoking. My god, I would smoke 20+ a day, twice that if i was having a few drinks. I relished the taste and the feel of the smoke coming out of my mouth. I loved having a nice big meal so that i got that feeling of excitement because I was going to have a cigarette now!

I was terrified of giving up, of quitting, of going cold turkey. Then I read the Alan Carr book and my life just changed. My perspective totally switched. Of course I was afraid - I was addicted, and the very nature of the addictive substance is to keep you hooked.

So when I gave up I read Alan Carr and I said - you know what - I'll give it a go. Its better than sitting here and doing nothing, just continuing to smoke until I die from it. So I did. I just stopped.

I felt exhausted the first 2 weeks. I was so so tired all the time. I got my cravings, but I resisted because I knew that they would stop. I knew that the more I smoked the more I wanted to smoke, and that that would be true in reverse. If I smoked none, I wanted none.

After a couple of weeks I was still tiptoing around myself, scared of starting to smoke again. See the difference? No longer was I scared of giving up - I was scared of starting again. I had lost the constant cough, I smelled good for once, and my face started to look really healthy. I felt great. I was TERRIFIED of smoking.

Now, 6 months on, I feel amazed that I ever smoked. I dream about it sometimes. I wake up and think 'thank god! it was only a dream'. In my dreams I'm always so disappointed in myself that I'm glad to wake up to see it wasn't real.

Compare it to being a heroin addict. Do you want to be a heroin addict? No of course not. Every time you think about lighting up a cigarette, compare it to a junkie shooting up with a needle. It's the same thing. The exact same thing, except sadly more socially accepted.

You can do it. If we can all do it, so can you. It's hard to believe (i am still amazed that i managed to do it) but I'm so so happy i did. You can do it.

dolliemix

Kimia wrote: »

Hi Shazanne,

Here's my story, and if i can do it, i'm sure you can.

I loved smoking. My god, I would smoke 20+ a day, twice that if i was having a few drinks. I relished the taste and the feel of the smoke coming out of my mouth. I loved having a nice big meal so that i got that feeling of excitement because I was going to have a cigarette now!

I was terrified of giving up, of quitting, of going cold turkey. Then I read the Alan Carr book and my life just changed. My perspective totally switched. Of course I was afraid - I was addicted, and the very nature of the addictive substance is to keep you hooked.

So when I gave up I read Alan Carr and I said - you know what - I'll give it a go. Its better than sitting here and doing nothing, just continuing to smoke until I die from it. So I did. I just stopped.

I felt exhausted the first 2 weeks. I was so so tired all the time. I got my cravings, but I resisted because I knew that they would stop. I knew that the more I smoked the more I wanted to smoke, and that that would be true in reverse. If I smoked none, I wanted none.

After a couple of weeks I was still tiptoing around myself, scared of starting to smoke again. See the difference? No longer was I scared of giving up - I was scared of starting again. I had lost the constant cough, I smelled good for once, and my face started to look really healthy. I felt great. I was TERRIFIED of smoking.

Now, 6 months on, I feel amazed that I ever smoked. I dream about it sometimes. I wake up and think 'thank god! it was only a dream'. In my dreams I'm always so disappointed in myself that I'm glad to wake up to see it wasn't real.

Compare it to being a heroin addict. Do you want to be a heroin addict? No of course not. Every time you think about lighting up a cigarette, compare it to a junkie shooting up with a needle. It's the same thing. The exact same thing, except sadly more socially accepted.

You can do it. If we can all do it, so can you. It's hard to believe (i am still amazed that i managed to do it) but I'm so so happy i did. You can do it.

I can relate to so much of what you've written. Cant wait until I hit the six month mark in July! Congrats!

Shazanne

Wow!

dromarka

hi shazzane
great to read so many success stories i hope they inspire you
my story:
was smoking 60 marlboro a day and looked and felt dreadful
tried many of the different methods alan carr ,hypnotism, patches even that god awful gum
3 years ago a friend suggested exercise,ie when i got the urge to smoke go for a quick jog or do some sit ups just get the heart rate elevated
from that day to this i havent lifted a cigarette it was very hard but so rewarding.
my point is different methods for different people and if you try one and it doesnt work try another and you will suceed
good luck

Blazer

I had Hypnosis myself to get off them. Had tried patches and gum and found myself even smoking with them on
First time I was smoking 40-60 a day and in my heart and soul I wanted to give them up. You need this thinking before hypnosis will work otherwise you're only wasting your time and your money.
I lasted 4 years before I slipped back into the habit. I made the mistake of moving back home and after about 2 weeks there i was back on them..pure boredom :
However the guy I went to was great and gave me backup sessions (for free- within reason ).
However when I went back on them at the time I found I only ever smoked a max of 20 a day and found that I didn't really want to give them up..eg associating them with work breaks, stress relief etc so I always slipped off the bandwagon again a few times.
Went back last week to him and off them now again. This time I'm concentrating on my running, soccer and tag rubgy and signing up for events throughout the year to keep me on track and keep the boredom away.

The people who normally quit smoking for good..it definitely takes them a few attempts so don't be disheartened by failing the first couple of times.
What you have to remember is smoking is a habit..pure and simple.
After 3 days the nicotine is gone from your body, after that all the cravings you have are all in your head.
This is where hypnosis works ...it breaks that habit and makes it a lot easier to deal with the cravings....you just think of all the postitive things you can do since giving us smoking.
Best of luck anyway with what you choose

Shazanne

I do feel that I need some sort of back up - something like hypnosis. I don't feel that "cold turkey" is the way to go for me. My willpower is atrocious and I will use any excuse to fall off the wagon!:D
Having tried the patches and having the worst 12 weeks of my life while doing so, I think the key lies in changing my mindset. Throughout those 12 weeks I obsessed about smoking. Rather than thinking I had achieved another day without smoking I looked on it as having survived another day. I was really a total disaster.
Sometimes, when I read the success stories of other people, it makes me feel more helpless than encouraged as I dont honestly know if I can have the perseverance that they have. I know I will start out fully of determination but the trick is to keep that determination going - and that's where my problem lies.

ceduffy

its well worth it and you wont believe the amount of money saved best of luck