Is there ever a good time to stop

cassia

I have tried smoking so many times I couldn't even hazard a guess.
For the last 18 months I have been continuously off them and on them
again. The longest I have lasted is about 6 weeks but usually it is between 1 week and 3 weeks that I cave in. I lay in bed last night
and could have cried about it all. I decided to start again on Monday
and really give it my best shot. I am going on holidays though on the 28th
of this month and my sister in law told me I would be mad to stop now before the holidays. I just get to the stage where they sicken me. I wish
I had the willpower to just stop and never smoke again. Have used lozenges each time to help. Any suggestions?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

as upset as I might make some of the "cold turkey or no turkey" people here, have you considered electronic cigarettes?

some ofthe kits you can get in some londis or pharmacies around ireland might do you for the odd cravings. they're generally not great ecigs, but if all you need is "the occasional puff" they might be ok.
if you want an actually good ecig to have as a smoking replacement, I could reccomend a few kits to you. around 50 euro would get you a kit that oughta last you 4-5 weeks, replacement cartomisers (an ecig is a battery + cartomiser/atomiser) cost around 1.60-2 euro each and oughta last about a week before needing to be replaced. and e-juice is quite cheap too. can be got for 4 euro for 10ml, 10 euro for 30ml, 15 euro for 50ml depending on the juice you get and where you get it

cassia

I had thought about those but haven't a clue where
to get them. I suppose if I had a look on the e-cig
threads I would get some ideas . I actually noticed
some kind of e-cig at the till in my local petrol station
the other day and thought about buying it. Let me
know what you think is best and whereI can get
them - thanks a million

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

this is kinda the problem with ecigs. there are so many options

if you have to have one that looks like an actual cigarette then the best kit to get is the innokin aio pcc
http://www.safercigs.co.uk/Innokin_AIO_IK1200_PCC_510/p705283_6359108.aspx

the main problem with the cig looking models is that the batteries dont hold much charge at all, so with even moderate use the battery will drain in 3-4 hours if you're lucky. the innokin kit gets around that by having a portable charging case in the shape of a cig packet. you can store a battery in there where it will charge until full. so you can have one battery and just keep puting it back in the case after you have a drag of it.. or (this is probably the best way) have two batteries.. with one in your pocket or bag to be used.. and when that battery runs out, just replace it with the one in the charger and by the time you've drained that one.. the one you put in the charger will be ready to use.. and rinse and repeat.

like i said in the above post, the ecig is made up of the battery + cartomiser/atomiser ( the atomiser is the thing that holds the heating coil.. which vapourises the juice.. and a cartomiser is an atomiser with filler material in it which can soak up the juice and feed it to the coil, so you dont have to worry about leaking, or topping up every 5 seconds).

with the innokin kit, you can use the innokin cartomisers which im pretty sure you can buy online.. dunno what price. or you can order boge (chinese brand, good quality. very popular) cartomisers from a couple of the irish websites, next day post.. 1.60-2 euro each... should last you a week before needing to be refilled, although as with all disposable products.. actual mileage may vary. it's not terribly uncommon to get one that craps out after 3-4 days.

the most complicated thing is the juice, and only because there's about five million different juice makers and juice types there are about 9-10 different irish websites, some of whom sell dekang chinese eliquid (probably the most common eliquid in use around the world), some sell their own mixes, some sell a mixture of other brand eliquids. I could reccomend some to you but really, you might love the first bottle you try.. or you might have to buy a couple of 5-10ml bottles before you really find one you love. it's all down to personal tastes so what I might love, you might hate.



if you dont care about it looking like a cigarette

http://e-smokeireland.eu/epages/950002218.sf/en_IE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/950002218/Products/DCCXLKIT

or

http://www.ezsmoke.ie/riva-boge-cartomizer-ecigarette-starter-p-136.html (with the LR 2.0-2.4ohm cartomisers)


both of these are basically the same idea as the innokin kit I was talking about above. battery + cartomiser. but they have the larger ego batteries which will last you a day or two before needing to be charged, so you dont have to worry about the smaller 510 batteries running out of charge in 2-3 hours although with the innokins portable charging case, that is less of a worry.
the main advantage of the ego style (larger batteries) devices over the innokin and other 510 (skinny cig lookalike batteries) devices is the range of options you have. the 510 batteries just dont havce the juice to power certain devices and ego style devices are now the standard so the majority of the new (new.. maybe improved.. maybe not) devices coming out are made for ego batteries.
I wont go into a list of those devices as i've probably confused the hell out of you as it is when all you want is a simple kit to quit smoking

basically to sum up, I reccomended the 3 kits. if you need one that looks like a cig, the innokin above is your best bet. and you can buy replacement cartomisers for it here
http://www.ezsmoke.ie/boge-cartomizers-pack-p-144.html and if you go into the vaping/e-smoking forum you'll find a list of irish sites to buy juices from and reviews of the various juices.

if you dont care about it looking like a cigarette, then one of the other two kits would be best imo. the "dual coil cartomiser" kit will have a slightly warmer vape which will be a little.. harsher, so a little more like a cigarette whereas the "riva boge kit" would be a little cooler but because it's cooler the flavour ofthe juice will come through a little better. Really they're both so similar that the differences aren't that important, some people prefer dual coils.. some prefer boges.. they're both so cheap to get replacements that you can keep a stock of both if you want.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

video review here of the innokin kit I reccomended, the one that looks like a cigarette


christ I didnt realise just how much i'd written if you want me to explain something just send me a pm, or just ask someone in the vaping/e-smoking forum.. i've probably made it sound a lot more complicated than it needs to be.... it really is just.. charge battery, fill cartomiser with juice.. attach cartomiser to battery, stick in mouth... inhale.

but ecigs are kind of a hobby of mine these days so I get kinda carried away with explaining stuff, nerds will be nerds.

GowlBag

Yes. There is a good time to stop smoking. When you're fed up of the filthy f**ckers. You obviously want to give up smoking at this point so why bother trading it in for something else?

This is the Easyway to stop smoking.

Your past failures are down to using the willpower method and nicotine replacement. You wouldn't prescribe heroin to a junkie to help them give up heroin. You can't give up nicotine while dosing yourself with nicotine (some have done it but gone through hell in the process). You have to last three weeks and the nicotine will be totally gone out of your system. The book will explain to you how to get rid of the habit at the same time.



Lots of people claim they can't read the book. I think it's more that they don't want to. But if you find it hard going, maybe a visit..

Website

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

why would you want to give up nicotine though
it's lovely, gives you a bit of pep in the mornings.. can help you focus if you're doing something or it can relax you if you're a bit stressed

burning plant material wrapped in paper and inhaling the resulting smoke kills, nicotine doesn't.

Ape X

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

it's lovely, gives you a bit of pep in the mornings.. can help you focus if you're doing something or it can relax you if you're a bit stressed

Absolute bullshit.

GowlBag

If you injected the nicotine from one cigarette or "vape" it would KILL you!! If a kid ingested that much nictoine it would make them quite sick. It is sold as a pesticide. Sounds great for a pep. :rolleyes:

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

GowlBag wrote: »

If you injected the nicotine from one cigarette or "vape" it would KILL you!! If a kid ingested that much nictoine it would make them quite sick. It is sold as a pesticide. Sounds great for a pep. :rolleyes:

drugs in being dangerous when abused shocker.

if a kid ingested some toothpaste they could also get quite sick, what exactly is your point?

smoking is the killer, nicotine is just an addictive drug that keeps you smoking. Sure nicotine isn't healthy but neither is caffeine and you don't see "giving up coffee" forums or unreasonable levels of taxation of jars of kenco because the delivery method for caffeine is a lot safer than the traditional delivery method for nicotine.

nowadays you have e-cigs, patches, inhalers, snus.
By all means if you want to be straight edge and remove nicotine, caffeine or alcohol from your live then do so but get off your high horse about the rest of us. This is a forum looking for people to give up smoking because of the dangers associated with smoking. Getting fanatical about alternative options for people who have already said they have trouble with outright cessation is ridiculous.

Improbable

I went from smoking a pack a day for 2 years to cold turkey and had very few issues with it. I know you said you don't have the willpower to do it, but there are a few tips and tricks that you can try that'll help you along.

I set a date for quitting weeks ahead of time. Kept saying to myself, 9th of December, that's it, that's the last day I'm going to smoke. I'd tried to quit before on the spot and the next day and it just didn't work very well. I found that setting a date in advance was quite handy because it let me prepare myself for it.

The hardest bits for me were the ritual smokes. i.e. the first one after waking up and after meals etc. It was always part of my routine so when it was just removed, I felt a kind of emptiness. I decided to replace smoking with playing angry birds for 5-10 minutes. I know it seems weird but for me at least, it helped to focus on something that would take my mind off not smoking.

It also helps if there's someone around to keep you honest. Family/Friends/OH/Flatmate. I told all the people that I was with regularly that if they caught me smoking or smelling of smoke, to genuinely give me a kick in the groin.

Obviously the first few days are hard, but you've gotten past that several times. After that, it's just a psychological battle. I think it's best to avoid temptation for at least 3-4 weeks. For example, if you're going out, make sure that they know you're not allowed to smoke and again, I used the kick to the groin threat and that was very effective. I also told them to not let me go anywhere alone in case I snuck out and bummed a smoke off someone. I initially thought that they would consider it a massive chore, but everyone was so glad that I had decided to quit that they didn't mind. Support from others was a pretty important factor for me.

I think your sister-in-law is right that trying to quit right now isn't the best idea. You'll be much more likely to say to yourself that it's just a holiday and that it's ok. I think you'd be better off saying that you're not going to smoke anymore after you come back from holidays. That gives you almost 3 weeks of mental preparation. You'll also be coming back from a holiday so you'll be more relaxed which always helps when you're trying to quit.

If it really gets bad, you can always start a "Quitting Smoking" thread here on the forum and you will get lots of encouragment and support which will help.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Ape X

For my part, I'm not knocking vaping at all. As far as I'm concerned, if it helps you to stop smoking tobacco products, then good - I'm genuinely delighted for anyone who does this

I just don't believe nicotine should be held up as some kind of positive substance.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Ape X wrote: »

For my part, I'm not knocking vaping at all. As far as I'm concerned, if it helps you to stop smoking tobacco products, then good - I'm genuinely delighted for anyone who does this

I just don't believe nicotine should be held up as some kind of positive substance.

fair enough, I wasn't trying to advocate it as a healthy lifestyle choice or anything. I just genuinely view it in a similar light to caffeine or alcohol, not neccesarily good for you but so long as you're not injecting it into your eyeball or consuming ridiculous quantities.. not neccesarily terrible either and drugs do have certain effects which people can find pleasurable

anyway I shall pack up my handbag and skulk back to the vaping forum

username123

What stands out about the OP is this:

On and off them for the past 18 months.
Cave in after a few weeks each time.
Have used the lozenges each time.

Now, forgive me for pointing out the obvious - but if you get the same outcome every time you do something - why do you keep doing it that way? Do you think something is magically going to change the NEXT time you quit and use the lozenges? If so - what?

Im all for nicotine replacement therapy if someone feels it works for them, but in this case - its not working!

Whats the problem with cold turkey? Have you tried it?

Im not against vaping, but personally I didnt want another habit, I wanted to be free of nicotine addiction altogether. I dont like having addictions! It doesnt allow my mind to perform to the best of its ability because some part of my brain is thinking about the next hit of the addictive substance.

I mentally prepared, for years really, to quite smoking. By the time I quit I was ready for battle. I was totally riled up waiting to experience hell on earth, to turn into the anti christ, to lose friends, to be horrible to my husband, to be horribly tortured, to be climbing the walls, to be lying awake dying for a cigarette, to be in a complete state of mental and physical torture for weeks on end and possibly be risking my sanity and behaviour in the process.

Anyway, none of the above happened. I had a tough 3 days, a less tough 3 weeks, and then after that it was plain sailing. 3 days. Thats the hard part. After that the positive reinforcement of being yet another day off them continues to help.

Just do it. I was totally sick of them and ready to do it. Set a date and do it. And stop looking for a crutch because you are somehow convincing yourself that you are not able to do it - that you need something - and time and time again you keep going back. Well, you dont need anything, except to want to be off the smelly yokes.

cassia

Thanks guys for your responses, I will have a think about it all
and plan what I am going to do. I think I will go with improbable's
suggestion of waiting until holiday is over. I just have to decide
what (if anything) to use. With regard to repeatedly using the
lozenges, I actually quite like them so they are easy although
admitedly they are not keeping me off the cigarettes! I tried
cold turkey once and lasted 2 weeks. I know I will overcome
it eventually, I have seen other family members try and fail
so many times but eventually they get there. I will keep
reading on here to keep the motivation up.

I am pie

cassia wrote: »

Thanks guys for your responses, I will have a think about it all
and plan what I am going to do. I think I will go with improbable's
suggestion of waiting until holiday is over. I just have to decide
what (if anything) to use. With regard to repeatedly using the
lozenges, I actually quite like them so they are easy although
admitedly they are not keeping me off the cigarettes! I tried
cold turkey once and lasted 2 weeks. I know I will overcome
it eventually, I have seen other family members try and fail
so many times but eventually they get there. I will keep
reading on here to keep the motivation up.

Cold Turkey and motivate yourself by sticking half of what you would normally spend per day in a clear glass jar so you can see building up. Do a bit more exercise, don't be afraid to eat a bit more in the first month or so, you can work that off in the gym after. Weight gain will happen, but it's something you can correct and you'll be way healthier a few pounds overweight as opposed to having lungs full of poisonous chemicals and a damaged heart.

Do it !

username123

cassia wrote: »

With regard to repeatedly using the
lozenges, I actually quite like them so they are easy although
admitedly they are not keeping me off the cigarettes! I tried
cold turkey once and lasted 2 weeks.

You need an attitude change. To be repeatedly trying and failing is an indication that you dont really want to give them up. You know logically you must, they are bad for you etc.. But you feel like its some kind of sacrifice?

Read the Allen Carr book - great for an attitude changer and giving you a different viewpoint on it.

cassia

Well, I'm on day four - using the lozenges again even if they didn't
work before! The first day wasn't great, I felt like crying several
times that evening and have noticed my mood is very changable
but I am working through it. I went out last night for something
to eat and a friend went outside for a cigarette and the smell
off her when she came back in was revolting. The smell is a
big thing for me and has been something I have been very self-conscious about for years but obviously not enough of an issue to keep me from going back on them time and time again. I think I just have to believe this time that "this is it" instead of feeling uncertain about my chances of success. Has anybody else on here quit this week?

The_fever

And after the holiday you will find another reason to stay smoking until after the wedding or after blah blah. Believe me I tried it , got sick of the excuses and just stopped making them and stopped smoking . No patches , no gimmicks , over three years ago now, cant believe how easy it was/ still is. Don't be deluded into thinking it will be easier when this or that . My experience of course

Duck's hoop

cassia wrote: »

With regard to repeatedly using the
lozenges, I actually quite like them so they are easy although
admitedly they are not keeping me off the cigarettes! I tried
cold turkey once and lasted 2 weeks.

The lozenges don't keep you off the smokes, YOU keep you off the smokes. They're not some panacea, there is will power required. You need to break the habit, that's probably the hardest part tbh.

cassia wrote: »

Well, I'm on day four - using the lozenges again even if they didn't
work before!

Well done on 4 days, make it 5 tomorrow and on Sunday you can say you've been off them a week...that's the way I look at it, soon you'll be at a month and then two, but you really need to want to be a 'non-smoker'.

I'll be 11 weeks on Sunday. And it's been toughish, especially when out for beer, chatting on phone, all the habit things. But these last few days I notice myself not thinking about them very much at all...but it's taken 10 weeks for that!

I look forward to when I'm 20 weeks off, I should feel a lot safer then.

Best of luck.

cassia

Thanks for that. Well today is day 10 and it has been very hard at times but I am still off them. Major stresses at weekend which normally would have had me smoking like a trooper but I managed to overcome them (just about). Last night I was standing outside my house talking to my sister in law who was smoking and I could have snatched it out of her hand but I just said to myself "no, you are not going back to day one again" and it passed. Fingers crossed I can keep going with this attitude.

ian87

15 months ago I started on the Champix tabs. They work by killing off the nicotine recepters in your brain so a fag doesnt give you a hit. The only way I'd describe them is they give you the feeling you get when you chain smoke and after the 2nd one you have enough and want no more.

By day 5 of taking them i was barely able to smoke a quarter of a cig and my day 8 a drag was nigh on impossible and made me feel physically ill.

The side effects are there and they are largely exaggerated by the reviews you find online. Nausea is a key side effect but can be combated by taking the tab with a meal as is suggested.

The smell of cigarette smoke makes me physically ill. There is a minimal amount of willpower involved.

Like you I tried and failed loads of times, managing to stay off for the longest of about 2-3months.

I have recommended these tablets to friends and I know of two my my friends who gave them a try and are still smoke free.

If you manage to stay off now, well done but if you do cave go to your doc and give them a try. They are excellent. Best of luck OP

GastroBoy

cassia wrote: »

Thanks for that. Well today is day 10 and it has been very hard at times but I am still off them. Major stresses at weekend which normally would have had me smoking like a trooper but I managed to overcome them (just about). Last night I was standing outside my house talking to my sister in law who was smoking and I could have snatched it out of her hand but I just said to myself "no, you are not going back to day one again" and it passed. Fingers crossed I can keep going with this attitude.

Good for you, hope your still off them!!