3rd Times a charm.

murphym7

Well here I am, again, giving up smoking. My last fag was last night at 10pm. Oh my god did I miss them this morning and all of today so far - I think I might just be thinking too much about smoking though.

I am 33 and have been smoking since I was 19. I keep thinking back to when I started smoking, 19 years of age. I had gotten through school and all the peer preasure that goes with it unscathed - a non-smoker. Anyway, it is what it is and here I am after 14 years of smoking ready to give up for the 3rd time.

The first time I tried was around 5 years ago - a partner induced guilt trip that I only took part in half heartedly. This pathetic attempt was a patches based effort in which I was 100% off the fags for almost 3 weeks - then I had a mixture of Lie's, patches, fags and cigar's for a further 5 weeks. That attempt was always doomed to fail.

Attempt 2 happened 1 year later and started well, at the beginning. This attempt came from myself, no outside preasure. It was a lozzenge/gum based attempt and no fags were smoked for a full 7 weeks, at which stage I got cocky and stopped using the gum and lozzenege's. I have been smoking ever since. (20 - 25 a day by the way.)

So here I am after 16 hours of cold turkey - this is my chosen method this time. I have had a few big cravings and have thought often about buying a box today so far, I am pretty sure I won't, I hope. I am trying to convince myself that I am not ready and I need more time to plan "giving up". This is untrue, I made up my mind weeks ago to do this, I just need the balls to go through with it.

My main motivation is financial - along with mid week wine I am hoseing through almost 6 grand a year, on what? = crap. I have cut the drinking to 2 days a week and the fags went today = €5,850, thats a lot of cash, in fact I need to earn around €9,000 to be able to spend €5.850. Imagine if your boss rocked up and said "hey, fancy a 9 grand pay rise".

I 'll check in every day to give you a short update of how its going. Good luck to everyone else giving up at the moment and those who continue to staf off them.

mrshappy

Good luck - you sound like you are confident this time so keep that confidence and don't buy any -

Keep us updated.

I am on day 6 of champix - my quit day is Thursday so hope to be joining you then!!

murphym7

mrshappy wrote: »

Good luck - you sound like you are confident this time so keep that confidence and don't buy any -

Keep us updated.

I am on day 6 of champix - my quit day is Thursday so hope to be joining you then!!

Thanks Mrs.Happy - hopefully we can both do it. Good luck with Thursday.

murphym7

So I am at day 2 (34 Hrs).

I was pretty freaked all the way through work yesterday, I thought it might be though. I smoke (used to smoke!!) way more at work than at home. When I got home I put the dinner on straight away (busy busy) and then ate with my wife.

I had a savage craving after the dinner , but I was expecting it so I was ready for it. The evening went fine, a few cravings here and there but nothing too bad. I did eat a lot last night though, need to cop on a bit and drink more water. The water is what is the most amazing about this thing, it really works around craving time - really do try it.

Went to bed at the normal time and slept fine - had a quick freak out at about 2am - but that could be down to a lot of things, I am a bit crazy most of the time! So sleep was fine last night, thank god.

Woke up this morning as usual - had a massive craving of course, but I was ready for it. Its only day two so I don't expect to feel healthy yet, and I don't. At least I am not hacking up either of my lungs so far.

See you tomorrow.

diceyreilly

Good luck with it..

I celebrated a year of them last week.. Will never go back there, if i were you i'd give the drink a miss for a few weeks to, to give you a better chance.. Worked for me anyway.

Ticktactoe

Well done OP for taking that step to quit - 3 times a charm they do say.

Its very difficult the first couple of weeks. All you can think of are cigs - after a meal, during add breaks on tele, before you go to bed, dreaming about them, while driving the car and especially during work. I just got my head in focus and disciplined myself - No means No!

I also found that foods starts to taste different - it wasn't one i was aware of but I found it funny when it started to happen. See if you notice!

And I would suggest that you stay away from the drink if at all possible as that is one of the biggest downfalls with cigs... the willpower fails :rolleyes:

the_syco

Replace it with something else. Some people go outside and suck on a 2 litre bottle of water.

As for the evening cravings, if you can, replace it with exercise. Do an hour of exercise (walking, jogging, weight-lifting, etc) to get that "natural high"/"feel good" energy.

mrshappy

Good tip on the water.

Well done so far

I have one cig left and tomorrow is quit day so was just going to buy another pack to do me till then and just said f*ck it - will make the one I have left my last one - I am ready!!

murphym7

mrshappy wrote: »

Good tip on the water.

Well done so far

I have one cig left and tomorrow is quit day so was just going to buy another pack to do me till then and just said f*ck it - will make the one I have left my last one - I am ready!!

That's the business Mrs Happy!! Well done:) Best of luck with your first day free of cigarettes.

murphym7

So here I am on day 3, I am not counting hours anymore - might get silly.

Yesterday at work was hard again - had a really crap meeting near the end of the day and was pretty stressed, this was the most diffiicult time of the whole experience so far.

Last night was a bit of a breeze really - I did eat about 10 Penguins though (I don't even like them!!) So again, as with the first day, I need to watch the food intake.

This morning was fine - had a pretty big craving when I got up and again in the car, I'm OK now though at my desk writting this drinking water.

No pub this weekend, as advised by everyone, but I will buy a nice bottle of wine for Fri & Sat. As I said in the first post, I have given up mid week drinking too, so I have to do something bold at the weekend or I will freak out!!

Oh, nearly forgot. My smell is coming back a bit (weird!) and also I'm doing a little bit of hacking in the mornings, nothing too bad though. Biggest change so far is the smell, and some funky dreams - Matlock was in one
last night!, can't get more random than that really.

Ticktactoe

The mind is powerful and it will play tricks on you.... convincing you that you should have one etc.
Also trying not to smoke all the time gets very very draining and after a few days/weeks the mind tries to convince you that its not worth it so your better off have a cig.

Advice - think of why you gave up and picture what inhaling the cig does to you physically. Be strong!

_feedback_

Well done murphym7!

I had plenty of mad dreams for a while too! You seem to be worrying about thinking about cigarettes ALL the time and eating too much. Don't worry about it. It's natural, you're getting over a serious addiction, of course you are going to think of them! Maybe try to change the way you think. Instead of thinking "I'd love a cigarette now" think "damn nicotine trying to mess up my good work". Don't worry about the eating for the moment - whatever helps you. Just don't let the habit go on after a couple of weeks!

I'm only six weeks off them, and can say hand on heart, I don't miss them.

Best of luck !

Daisy Steiner

The very best of luck to you

The worst is over, however, now the quit must be maintained! Keep your reasons for quitting steady in your head.

Well done!

murphym7

Thanks to everyone posting and giving me advice and encouragement, it really does help. Although my wife still thinks I'm a weirdo because I am a member of Boards.ie - ah the ignorance of it!:) I keep telling her, there is very little Boards.ie can not find out for you or advice they can not give to you. A magical place really.:D

Anyway - as you can probably tell from my tone I am in pretty good shape this morning, it is day 4 and I feel fairly good about things. Its Friday and I have lot's of rugby to watch on the telly tonight. I have decided to lay off the wine tonight though and have some tomorrow night instead. It might be safer - I usually associate watching rugby, drinking and smoking loads of fags - this weekend of rugby I will lay of the drink, see how that goes.

On health watch - No major coughing this morning. Taste buds are rocking into life, this is the oddest development of yesterday. Mad dreams again last night, but I have been sleeping well all week. I am getting some fairly large cravings but they seem to have changed a bit - I still want a fag but they pass a bit quicker and I am not getting as many. I'll just make sure I don't get cocky over the weekend. At least I have made the decision to stay out of the pub this weekend and next weekend. Might try an expedition to the pub the following weekend.

mrshappy

Great about smell coming back.

For me so far so good but it's early days yet

Daisy Steiner

Does your wife/anyone else in the house smoke?

murphym7

Daisy Steiner wrote: »

Does your wife/anyone else in the house smoke?

Its just my wife and myself in the house, and she did smoke. My wife has also given up but to be honest she wasn't much of a smoker really and often went days without having one. It was really around drinking that she smked the most.

murphym7

Its now day 6.

All went well yesterday, I did go ahead and drink my wine - the cravings were unreal. Thank god I didn't go to the pub. I know I would have failed if the pub was involved. I think I am going to have to stay out of the pub for a bit longer than I first thought. The drinking business and not smoking is very tough.

Health watch - still sleeping very well, dreams have calmed down a bit (probably down to the drink though) Doing a good bit of coughing but its not annoying me too much.

I kind of regret telling so many people that I have given up though. Sometimes when I am actually not thinking of smoking, someone will come up and ask me how I am getting on without the fags. That gets me thinking of being off the fags again, I know they are just being supportive but the constant reminding is gting me thinking of fags more than I aleady am.

mrshappy

I know what you mean - this time I only told 2 people I was giving them up as the last time I failed it was other smokers putting them into my hands and I didnt have the willpower to just say no

Day 2 for me and finding today much better - not pigging out on junk as I thought I would be and even had 2 glasses of vino last night

murphym7

mrshappy wrote: »

I know what you mean - this time I only told 2 people I was giving them up as the last time I failed it was other smokers putting them into my hands and I didnt have the willpower to just say no

Day 2 for me and finding today much better - not pigging out on junk as I thought I would be and even had 2 glasses of vino last night

You seem to be doing really well this time Mrs Happy. Best of luck to you. The Vino is the first big test really, pub next.

murphym7

So I am 7 days at this craic now, all is going well. Drinking loads of water and keep dreaming on what I am going to spend all my newly found wealth on.

Last night was very very tough - found it hard to sleep, got a bit ratty. Over that now though.

Today was the first day I didn't miss smoking in the car. Progress I believe is being made!

murphym7

It was Tuesday last week when I gave up - The last few days have been getting more difficult. My mother in law told me the other day about nasal snuff, her mother and father both used it to give up fags over 30 years ago.

I went out and bought some - I have been taking it now for two days and I have to say I feel great. Its kind of a disgusting habbit, its still tabaco and I am still taking nicotene. I feel like a cheat to be honest, at least I still have not lit a cigarette though.

I will probably stop posting on this thread now I think, I don't think it will be helpfull to many who are giving up using more "appropriate" methods. I'm a bloody tabaco cheat!:o

mrshappy

Dont be daft of course you are not a cheat - some people would argue that taking champix is cheating in the first place but at the end of the day the aim is to be a non smoker and doesn't matter how it is achieved in the end once it works!!

Physically I am fine without fags but I am thinking about them. I think I know my triggers now and try to avoid that. Did a course last night and of course the break was hard as that is when I would have a cig but I survived.

€60 approx richer this week:D

Actually ot a bit but how much are 20 marlboro lights exactly - want to add up how much I am saving and can't believe this but after 22 years smoking I don't know the exact price - pathetic!

Daisy Steiner

mrshappy wrote: »

Dont be daft of course you are not a cheat - some people would argue that taking champix is cheating in the first place but at the end of the day the aim is to be a non smoker and doesn't matter how it is achieved in the end once it works!!

Physically I am fine without fags but I am thinking about them. I think I know my triggers now and try to avoid that. Did a course last night and of course the break was hard as that is when I would have a cig but I survived.

€60 approx richer this week:D

Actually ot a bit but how much are 20 marlboro lights exactly - want to add up how much I am saving and can't believe this but after 22 years smoking I don't know the exact price - pathetic!

I think they are around €8.55/€8.60 . . . stupid money!