3 fags left

frulewis

I've been thinking of giving up the fags for ages I really want to and I've got to the stage where I am pure sick of them! Now the question is I've three left in the box should I smoke them and just attempt it or do you think I should spend more time planning to quit? I'd love just to go cold turkey and never look at the feckers again!

Love2love

I didnt over-think giving up - just decided one day to stop and stopped. I had some left in my box but I gave them to my dad so I wouldn't be tempted. Found them a while back and got great pleasure in throwing them away! That being said, everyone else I know - sucessfully gave up by planning it, picking a date and working towards it.
It really depends on you. I found when I tried picking a date, I was only giving myself the chance to talk myself out of it and convincing myself that I was going to miss them too much and that I couldnt do it.

Duck's hoop

Ideally you'll get a script for Champix, clear your house of all things related to smoking such as ashtrays, lighters, then arrange 2 weeks holidays.

Start the Champix 10 days before departure date. Quit smoking the day you arrive at destination. Bask in the sun and your new future!

I reckon cold turkey is just too difficult for most and doomed to failure in many cases.

Whatever you decide to do, stay away from pubs, chatty/coffee type scenarios for a couple weeks. And get Champix, it rocks.

Cart

Your pretty convinced about champix ducks hoop.I myself found it no good. But what works for some doesn't for others.

Duck's hoop

Yes Cart, I'm a fan alright. I tried it about 5 years ago and only did 2 weeks before I chucked it, the sides were quite bad, nausea, even moodier etc.

frulewis

I'm fecked help wise because i'm allergic to the patches and cant take the champix so it's cold turkey is me only man! Saying that I've just bought 20 but tommorrow is another day...:rolleyes:

Cart

Ya ducks hoop.my sis in law quit the cigs with champix,but the sides were terrible, depression,anxiety. She ended up back on cigs just for piece of mind.

Cart

Hi frulewis,my wife and I went cold turkey last Tuesday,had 2 bad days butl we got through them.it's harder for my wife as she's a sales rep always in car,but fair play to her she's toughing it out.easier for me can't smoke at work.cold turkey working for us so far,but it's not for everyone,good luck whichever way u decide.

Love2love

Cart wrote: »

Ya ducks hoop.my sis in law quit the cigs with champix,but the sides were terrible, depression,anxiety. She ended up back on cigs just for piece of mind.

I spoke to my GP about the side effects of Champix before I went on it the last time. There were reports in the US of people shooting their neighbours and such, he told me that these were nicotine withdrawls effects and NOT Champix. What you have described here is exactly what I went through giving up the fags. The Champix didnt work for me but I think it was because I was afraid I would be successful and I wasn't ready to stop smoking at the time.

frulewis

Cart wrote: »

Hi frulewis,my wife and I went cold turkey last Tuesday,had 2 bad days butl we got through them.it's harder for my wife as she's a sales rep always in car,but fair play to her she's toughing it out.easier for me can't smoke at work.cold turkey working for us so far,but it's not for everyone,good luck whichever way u decide.

I think cold turkey is the only way for me too but just have to pysch myself up for it but I have to do it, it's not just the money I've been smoking more and more lately and feeling pretty crappy because of it so have set wednesday as my quit date going to read Allen Carr and stock up on apples in the meantime!! My Gran gave up years ago by knitting whenever she had a craving so there's that either

the_syco

frulewis wrote: »

My Gran gave up years ago by knitting whenever she had a craving so there's that either

For a lot of people the boredom is what makes them go back onto the smokes, so knitting would be one way to not be bored. Another is to take up a physical hobby, be it walking, swimming, etc. It also gets your mind off the smokes.

StudentDad

I'm off the cigs two weeks now. Was off them for years and went back on em last year. I'll be totally off them by the end of the month. Cold turkey is the only way to go. Changing habits is essential, when I feel the craving I find something to do that is out of my usual routine and after about 5 mins the craving abates.

Ratty as hell but getting through it. Whenever I get the urge to buy em I think 10 quid better off in my pocket.

SD

tom traubert

Hey all. I'm on day 8 of my life as an ex-smoker. Not the easiest day today but I'll be fecked if I'm going to undo the hard work I've done to date.

I was tricking around with the idea of stopping for way too long and recently I just decided that enough was enough. I began to read a lot about giving up smoking and basically embraced the idea of it. I focus on the very simple phrase "I dont want to smoke any more". I may even have picked it up on boards here or maybe on another site. Before now I always used to fret about such things as wondering how I'd cope when X and Y came to visit or how I'd manage without a smoke in situation A or B.

Now, I don't even talk about doing it one day at a time; I just really really don't want to smoke anymore. Anyhow, I made a quit plan on the HSE site (www.quit.ie) and set my quit date. Within 2 days of it I bought smokes and smoked them. To say I was really thick with myself would be an understatement.

I smoked away for another week and a bit but the deep desire to stop smoking didn't dissipate so I re-saddled the horse so to speak and set last Sunday (15th April) as my quit date.
So, here we are. I'm on day 8 of my life as an ex-smoker. Not the easiest day today but I'll be fecked if I'm going to undo the hard work I've done to date. I don't want to smoke anymore.

Gmol

StudentDad wrote: »

I'm off the cigs two weeks now. Was off them for years and went back on em last year. I'll be totally off them by the end of the month. Cold turkey is the only way to go. Changing habits is essential, when I feel the craving I find something to do that is out of my usual routine and after about 5 mins the craving abates.

Ratty as hell but getting through it. Whenever I get the urge to buy em I think 10 quid better off in my pocket.

SD

Well done on that
Same as myself off just over 2 weeks(5th April) I just got fed up with them, have tried a few times before 2 months was the longest but this time I just feel different about it. Wife is off them a week now and finding it hard, she has one of those electronic cigs but I think she needs to break the hand to mouth action which is a major part of the habit

Maldesu

I've been off them for 1 year and 3 months. I'd been cutting down before that, things like, not having a smoke in the morning and seeing how long I could stretch it. Eventually my first smoke of the day was at 6pm then later. It wasn't such a reach to drop them after it.
Yeah I've had a sneaky one or two over that period of time but I'd never be impressed with myself afterwards and drink was always involved.
I still have my last box of smokes (2 in it). I'm not inclined to get rid of it. I probably will smoke them at some point. I'm not going to beat the hell out of myself over it. My little bit of justification for keeping them is that I can't get them in Ireland and they are pretty cool.
It does probably help that they are currently 250km away from me.

Cons of giving up:
I've no idea what to do with my zippos
Same for my snazzy cigarette case
Same for the cigar box, cutters, pipes and all the other smoking stuff I have

Pros:
No horrible cough in the morning
When I get the flu I don't have to deal with the sandpaper feeling in my throat from smoking while sick
I enjoy food way more and eat more of a variety
I smell better
Don't feel like I ate an ashtray first thing in the morning

You should stop calling it cold turkey. It has negative associations with it and probably makes you panic a bit or itch for a smoke.

G'luck with the decision.

frulewis

last day tommorrow can't shake that 'fear' its like i'm never gonna see my best mate again or something!! Thanks for all the replies hope I do it this time fingers crossed 24 hours and counting

the_syco

frulewis wrote: »

last day tommorrow can't shake that 'fear' its like i'm never gonna see my best mate again or something!! Thanks for all the replies hope I do it this time fingers crossed 24 hours and counting

The first week is usually the worst, but after three weeks you won't think about it too much.

frulewis

gggaaaahhh I smoked! God damn it anyway

Maldesu

So you had one. Leave it at one and put the rest (I'm assuming you have more somewhere) aside.

newbee22

I've been off the cigs a week tomorrow, still have a box with 10 left and have no desire to smoke them. I had no intention of giving up but had a fall and ended up in hospital and needing surgery. Was craving ciggies all that day but my mum told me if I smoked they wouldn't operate ( I believe anything I'm told:P) so I didn't have one that day. Then I was at the stage where it was too far for me to hop on crutches to have a cig the following day so was put off having one then too! I have tried loads of times to give them up and failed, I think because I wasn't 'trying' to give up it has been easier. As I say I have no desire to smoke now but in a few weeks when I'm well enough to go out and have a few drinks I might feel differently but going to take it one day at a time