Why can't I convince myself to stop???

MissMotivated

Basically one minute I'm telling myself I really want to quit and I'm going to do start the next morning but an hour later I'm panicing about it cos I know I'm not ready. I'm still enjoying smoking although saying that out of the 15 to 20 cigs I'm smoking a day I'm only really enjoying about 5 the rest I'm just smoking for the sake of it.
I gave up last year with Champix (cos of my health) for about 4 months and I swear I didn't miss them Monday to Friday, at the weekends I did miss them a bit and after about 3 months I started having a sneaky drag on a Sat night, then a full one, then ended up going back on them.
Right now the main reason I want to stop is the cost, and I know that's not enough of a reason to keep me off them. I have the patches there but I'm just afraid it won't work!!
Although lately I feel more and more guilty smoking cos I know I should quit so maybe that's a sign I'll be ready soon??
My dad is off them 3 months after 43 years and many attempts and I keep thinking surely if he can do it I can too!!

619C

Hi,
At least you are determined to quit.
Your motto from now on will have to be 'Not One Puff'
If you intend to give up smoking and you sound that you do then you have to stop procrastinating and 'just stop smoking'.
I know it sounds easy and as an ex-smoker now I know that there are many routes to the end goal of stopping smoking.
What is working for me (electronic cigarette with gradual nicotine reduction) may not work for you but you will have to find a method of getting to the understanding that you are not going to smoke any more.

One day at a time - begin by not buying them - removing them from your house - and so on.

There is a great deal of help here on this forum and on the wider internet so I know that you will get assistance.

Best of Luck to you -
It is really worth it

Fatscally

Why did the chicken not cross the road?
...because he didn't want to.

Go buy the Alan Carr book "The easy way to stop smoking" and you won't have to quit.

Miss Fluff

Set a date for yourself to quit. Then you will be good and ready. I'll be off them a year on 14th July, Bastille Day - my fight for freedom Set a date a few weeks or a month or so from now and smoke your brains out until then. I was the same as you, smoked 30 a day (more when out socialising) and I'd say I only truly enjoyed about 4 fags that I smoked every day. Buy the Allen Carr book and start reading it a couple of days before the day you propose to QUIT. Read www.whyquit.com and I think it also seems to help to keep a quit-log on this forum as it helps people. You can do it. The fact that your Dad has been brave enough to quit after all those years of being addicted should be inspiration enough girl!

619C

I had the Alan Carr book - I still have it somewhere I think - the problem with the book for me was that the printing font was too small !
I got the Audio CD version and then put it on an MP3 CD and was able to play it whenever I needed it.

MissMotivated

Thanks for the replies!!
I am def going to get the Alan Carr book I actually asked my friend for a lend of hers last week but she can't find it so will look for it this weekend in Easons. I've heard great things about it!!
I think I'm nearly at he stage to stop though as I have never before felt guilty about smoking and now there's a niggling in my brain everytime I buy them!!
And I know my dad does miss them (well it was cigars he smoked for last few years) but he won't give in this time as his chest is in a bad way from them,I get the bad chest from him so he told my mam he's afraid I'll end up like him, he coughs for about 20 mins every morning, has a coughing fit when he laughs, his doc said his lungs are full of fluid. So I think it would support him aswell if I quit!!
Right thanks lads and ladies I will report back!!!

diceyreilly

I was smoking at a stupid age about 9 or 10 or something like that.. Knocked them on the head about a year ago for health reasons (i'm 27 now)

My advice to you if you have now problem not smoking Monday to Friday would be to knock the drink on the head for 6-8 weeks at the weekend and then when you do go back on the drink you will be in the i hate smoking catergory,

It worked for me anyway, not 1 drag in the last year..

Hopefully i'm done with them now.

Fatscally

MissMotivated wrote: »

Right thanks lads and ladies I will report back!!!

Good Luck!!! You've been suffering a lot of influence about smoking for donkeys years so take it easy on yourself as you work your way back out of it all

tom thum

hi. i wanted to give up aswell but i just couldnt. so i went to licenced hypnotist in boatstrand , co. waterford. 1 visit and im off them nearly 18 months now. it cost €400 euro, but i would have spent way more on fags ny this stage. i can breath now. its great.the name of the hypnotist is safeharbour.ie

bigbadbear

Read Alan Carr's Only way to stop smoking permanently.

This way you won't have to convince yourself to quit because you smoke through the book. THE BOOK WORKS believe me its brilliant

MissMotivated

Hi all
So today I became a non-smoker!! I read Allen Carrs book last week and smoked my last cig about 8 pm last night. I have to say he made such fantastic points and I do feel great about my decision. I actually smoked so many cigs Friday I felt so sick that night I thought I would vomit, that's just ridiculous.
Since I went back smoking last year after about 5 months I've really wanted to stop, I just kept thinking I wasn't ready. But when a friend lent me the book a couple of weeks ago I realised how much I wanted to stop smoking. So I'm more determined now than ever!!!
I'm folllowing Allen Carrs advice and thinking to myself repeatedly "YIPPPPEEEEE I'm a non-smoker"

Mackman

Well done!! you can do it!!
if you feel like you're gonna crack, come on here and we'll give ya help

MissMotivated

Mackman wrote: »

Well done!! you can do it!!
if you feel like you're gonna crack, come on here and we'll give ya help

Thank you!! So far so good anyway thankfully!!

Shazanne

Hi. Just came accross this thread! OP I feel the very same as you do! Please let me know how its going for you - be my encouragement!!!

MissMotivated

Hi Shazanne
Well I smoked my last cig at about 8pm Sunday evening so 4 days ago now and I have to say I'm doing great!!! I get some cravings in the evening mainly after i've eaten but it's nothing I can't ignore. I would never in a million years have thought I could last even a day without using something like patches or champix, never thought i would be able to do it on my own but that's what I'm doing!! I'm very determined this time and I just keep reminding myself I don't want to smoke and if I did have one now it would taste rotten and I keep telling myself that I just won't smoke again!!!
I recommend reading Allen Carrs book, it didn't make all my cravings disappear over night but he just gives such a different and brilliant way of looking at it so now when I think I'd like a cig I just tell myself that's only because I'm addicted to nicotine but soon enough that addiction will be gone!! I didn't smoke because I enjoyed them as I thought, I smoked because I felt I had to to relieve the cravings

MissMotivated

Well I just thought i'd give an update, it's almost 5 weeks since i stopped smoking and I could not be doing better!!! I'm nearly afraid to jinx it by saying this but I do not miss them at all. I had my fist big test Saturday night, went to the afters of a wedding with about 8 friends, 5 of which were smokers, they were in and out all night smoking and it didn't even bother me, not once, I was in shock!!! I even went outside with them a couple of times for a chat and it really didn't bother me, but even so I won't be making a habit of going outside to smoking area, don't want to tempt fate!!!
I really feel it's different this time though, I'm so determined and I honestly don't feel like I'm depriving myself like I did all the other times, I don't think I've given up anything, I feel like I've finally gotten rid of something that I didn't need or want anyway!!!
I can not recommend Allen Carrs book enough seriously READ IT!!!!!! It gave me the final push I needed to actually stop by changing my frame of mind and my thoughts on smoking, that was exactly what I needed and in my weak moments I think back to relevant parts of the book and it really helps me!!

Shazanne

I am so pleased for you - well done!:) I am still at the apprehensive stage - afraid to try in case I have another failure. But it's on my mind all the time that I need/want/have to give them up, so maybe I am getting to the stage when I will be ready. I just find it so hard to "pick a day" - I worry that I will be sorry I picked that particular day and would have had more success if I'd waited - I think I'm a bit unbalanced:D:D
But you are a great inspiration and someday I will come on here and say those magic words - I am a non-smoker:rolleyes:

MissMotivated

Shazanne wrote: »

I am so pleased for you - well done!:) I am still at the apprehensive stage - afraid to try in case I have another failure. But it's on my mind all the time that I need/want/have to give them up, so maybe I am getting to the stage when I will be ready. I just find it so hard to "pick a day" - I worry that I will be sorry I picked that particular day and would have had more success if I'd waited - I think I'm a bit unbalanced:D:D
But you are a great inspiration and someday I will come on here and say those magic words - I am a non-smoker:rolleyes:

oh that sounds so familiar, I was the same, wanting to stop again since I went back on them last year but so nervous in case I didn't last and I didn't feel ready and all that!!! But really you have to stop cos you want to and you will feel ready some day (soon hopefully ) best of luck!!!!

Guest1986

Shazanne wrote: »

I am so pleased for you - well done!:) I am still at the apprehensive stage - afraid to try in case I have another failure. But it's on my mind all the time that I need/want/have to give them up, so maybe I am getting to the stage when I will be ready. I just find it so hard to "pick a day" - I worry that I will be sorry I picked that particular day and would have had more success if I'd waited - I think I'm a bit unbalanced:D:D
But you are a great inspiration and someday I will come on here and say those magic words - I am a non-smoker:rolleyes:

MissMotivated wrote: »

oh that sounds so familiar, I was the same, wanting to stop again since I went back on them last year but so nervous in case I didn't last and I didn't feel ready and all that!!! But really you have to stop cos you want to and you will feel ready some day (soon hopefully ) best of luck!!!!

From having read both these comments. I think you would BOTH gain immensely from reading Alan carr's book. Especially you shazanne because you haven't got the luxury of already being free like missmotivated. well done BTW :-)

EDIT: I wrote that and worded it terribly. @ Miss motivated it looks like your not following all of the 'instructions' ;-) I fell back into the trap because I too didn't follow ALL of the instructions. I got out again pretty quick but Its not somethin that you want to be doing

MissMotivated

Guest1986 wrote: »

EDIT: I wrote that and worded it terribly. @ Miss motivated it looks like your not following all of the 'instructions' ;-) I fell back into the trap because I too didn't follow ALL of the instructions. I got out again pretty quick but Its not somethin that you want to be doing

I have read Allen Carrs book as I said which is what helped me to stop smoking , I don't know what you mean by not following all the instructions, in that comment I was telling Shazanne how I felt BEFORE I gave up smoking not how I'm feeling now, as I said I feel great now so maybe you've misread my comments??

Subtle Troll

Its a slow process even to decide that you are quittin, its all about baby steps.

You say you dont enjoy a lot of the ones you smoke, try cutting them down first I say.

Just read the other posts well done on quitting, I am doing it a different way just cutting down constantly, yermans book must be very good.

samuelll

Hello! My uncle tried this and so should you!
1. find a jelly jar (or any little jar) and fill it half way with water
2. put some cigarettes inside the jar
3. shake it up and put the cap on
4. bring it with you everywhere a
5. smell it when you want to smoke
6. keep smelling until the urge goes away (warning: it smells AWFUL)
7. after a while, you won't even WANT to THINK about smoking
it worked for him, and i really hope it works for you. good luck!!

winchesterj54

in northern ireland enisskillen to be percise
there's this shop called holland and baretts they sell herbal cigarettes
have you tried them they help my mother quit completly
in a month or two
and she's been a smoker for about 30 years
now she doesn't smoke a single cigarette....

Holybejaysus

Why don't you try getting yourself one of those new graphic images that they are putting on the packs in the US (dead people, rotten cancer lungs, lips falling off..)? Put all your smokes in there, every time you have a look at the pack you won't feel like smoking. Drastic times call for drastic measures.

AnneFrank

winchesterj54 wrote: »

in northern ireland enisskillen to be percise
there's this shop called holland and baretts they sell herbal cigarettes
have you tried them they help my mother quit completly
in a month or two
and she's been a smoker for about 30 years
now she doesn't smoke a single cigarette....

Does she smoke two at once ???