Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Support for those quitting smoking

11920212224

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 3,565 ✭✭✭thebouldwhacker


    Went cold turkey 2 and a half years ago. It took a few attempts to get it rightthough. I learnt mmore after evey failed attempt. Haven't looked back since


  • Registered Users Posts: 892 ✭✭✭mariebeth


    EMCM the very very best of luck giving up. I'm on day 9, and still in the middle of reading Alan Carr's book (gave up a couple of days before I started reading it, and I stayed off them, even though the book says for you to keep smoking while reading it). I can honestly say that I don't even miss smoking, and I don't want to smoke.

    I'm loving that everything tastes and smells better. It's great to be able to spray perfume before going anywhere, and still smell of it when you get home. I was out Friday night, and last night, and didn't want to smoke at any stage, I even felt a bit nauseous and actually disgusted by the smell when one of my friends came back in from smoking. I've turned in to one of those ex-smokers that I used to despise, the ones who think it's disgusting after they've stopped smoking, but I can't help it, it's physically disgusting me after only 9 days.

    I even managed to get through an interview for a promotion in work, and the wait after the interview to hear feedback (got the promotion by the way) without wanting to smoke once. I never thought I'd get to this point, and while it has been mostly me, Allan Carr's book is deserving of a lot of credit as well.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11 roonec25


    I'm off them four days and I'm feeling fierce tetchy. I've had a rubbish day and I'm having a glass of red wine but now I'm DYING for a smoke. I'm not going to have one. I know I just have to suck it up. I got rid of all my smokes but if there was one in the house I'd probably be having one right now...


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,251 ✭✭✭massdebater


    roonec25 wrote: »
    I'm off them four days and I'm feeling fierce tetchy. I've had a rubbish day and I'm having a glass of red wine but now I'm DYING for a smoke. I'm not going to have one. I know I just have to suck it up. I got rid of all my smokes but if there was one in the house I'd probably be having one right now...

    This is exactly why it's a good idea to get rid of any smokes you have lying about the house/car etc. Tomorrow morning, you'll feel amazing knowing you got through it without smoking, compared to the disappointment you'd be feeling if you had one.


  • Registered Users Posts: 35 mustard_igloo


    Decided to quit today. I really don't think I'll be able to go cold turkey but I do think I'll be able to cut down gradually and do it that way. Downloaded an app onto my phone and I'm hoping all the statistics will keep me away!


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭Gmail


    Had my last cig at 7pm Monday evening. Found the 1st night ok, Tuesday night was bad but last night was worse.
    Cravings are peaking now I think! Other half quit on monday too but he caved last night and bought some.
    Was so tempted to have one last night but I was angry with him and stubborn-ness won out in the end :)

    Was off them for about 6 months a few years back so I know I can do it - will power & staying in control are the main things!
    Good luck to everybody who is at any stage of giving up! It sure as hell aint easy!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 46 Shadow Walker


    I read somewhere that smoking is doubly addictive, both a physical and a psychological addiction. The physical addiction is the addiction to nicotine and the psychological addiction is the compulsion to have that cigarette at certain times even if you only had a ciggarette shortly before , that first cup of tea/coffee in the morning, after meals, before bedtime, when out having a drink.

    I have tried acupuncture , patches , champix tablets and the rest before and once or twice I lasted a year or more but always went back.

    I will be off cigarettes 5 years in April. This time I split the physical and psychological addictions and dealt with them one at a time. In short I smoked herbal cigarettes for about 6 weeks until my physical addiction to nicotine had waned.

    Firstly let me tell you the herbal cigarettes smell and taste like smouldering old socks. Expect to lose pals if you insist on smoking in company and believe me your spouse/partner/housemate WILL ban you and your noxious weed from the sitting room.

    BUT there are advantages :-

    They only cost about €3 or €4 Euro per pack of 20

    You will not smoke near as many. I smoked about 40 cigarettes a day but could comfortably last the week on one pack of herbal cigarettes.

    After 6 weeks I just naturally stopped smoking the herbal cigarettes with only a little effort

    Because I had been smoking less and less of them over the 6 weeks , I had very little compulsion to smoke with the cuppa or after meals etc

    Don't get me wrong, there is will power required . But this is the way I managed to stay off cigarettes for almost 5 years

    Best of luck guys.


  • Registered Users Posts: 429 ✭✭havetoquit


    Many thanks for taking the trouble to share this. I too have tried many times and all efforts failed.

    Would you please be so kind and advise me if the herbal cigarettes contain nicotine, or any other chemical.

    I hope they are available in Wexford, as I am seriously thinking of trying them.
    So admire you and very envious of your success. I guess you must have had the right attitude at the right time and a good proportion of willpower.

    I cannot understand why some, like myself seem to have such horrid withdrawal symptoms; irritable beyond reason, nervous, tearful, hallucinating almost about that which I really hate and yet crave for. The brain tricks me into thinking I cannot function without them; yet my friend gave up after smoking far more and for longer without half of the same symptoms.

    Well done to you and if you can offer further advice on anything else that may have helped you, I would appreciate it very much.


  • Registered Users Posts: 46 Shadow Walker


    The herbal cigarettes I used were "Honeyrose" and they did not contain tobacco therefore did not contain nicotine nor the dozens of other toxic additives in cigarettes.

    In some herbal cigarettes , the main ingredient is wild lettuce. Some contain damiana, mint, passion flower, jasmine, yerba santa, or ginseng, just to name a few of the herbs.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,634 ✭✭✭Gehad_JoyRider


    I haven't smoked in 4 months I've started getting my fittness levels up which has put a huge, dampener on my cravings.. Tho the one thing is and has been happening recently is a pain in my chest and a little sniffles its sore...


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 74 ✭✭Jurga78


    The herbal cigarettes I used were "Honeyrose" and they did not contain tobacco therefore did not contain nicotine nor the dozens of other toxic additives in cigarettes.

    In some herbal cigarettes , the main ingredient is wild lettuce. Some contain damiana, mint, passion flower, jasmine, yerba santa, or ginseng, just to name a few of the herbs.

    Hi all, where can you get them ?
    They're probably the only thing I haven't tried yet. My motivation is huge yet doesn't work... It's just the FEAR ! I'm so afraid of giving up. Every morning I tell myself that I wont have a fag for as long as I can and am smoking and hating myself in an hour... bah...

    Thank's to everyone posting their experience


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭Nyum Nyum


    Nyum Nyum wrote: »
    Never posted here but been a long time lurker.

    Just wanted to say I've completed 7 days without a cig now (I'm using patches).

    I know it's barely anything compared to those who have done months and years not smoking but the best I ever did previously was a mere 6 days. Yes, I'm hugely embarrassed about that I admit but there you go. The last few quits barely got into the 24 hour mark :(

    There's been a few times where I felt like wandering off to the shop for ciggies - as I normally do after a day or so - but nope, I haven't weakened this time and I don't intend to.

    I hope to post here again next week saying I've passed a fortnight :)


    6 years later and I still haven't smoked :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 661 ✭✭✭masti123


    first time i tried to give up i had cold like symptoms and now i'm trying again, currently day 3 and I'm experiencing cold like symptoms again ,is this normal? and when will it go away? any help would be great :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,163 ✭✭✭ZENER


    I presume you mean coughing and stuffiness ? The coughing may get worse for a week or so as all the crap in your lungs loosens and looks for a way out, put up with it you'll feel better afterwards.

    Bare with it, it'll be worth it.

    Ken


  • Registered Users Posts: 64 ✭✭ThePhilip


    Some very good advice and info in this thread, thanks guys


  • Registered Users Posts: 69 ✭✭ChalyIE


    For me e-cig was the only thing that really worked, so I have chosen Other


  • Registered Users Posts: 4 DokersRe


    Good idea. Thanks a lot.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭antiskeptic


    Interesting that the single best way of quitting (he rejected the use of the term 'give up') is Allen Carr

    I say best because unlike cold turkey, it doesn't, unless you're not fully getting his message, require will power either to quit or stay quit.

    I just wonder why the score isn't even higher?

    3 cheers for Allen Carr (from one who he released from the prison of smoking)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,526 ✭✭✭Slicemeister


    Having previously given up on the easyway and free for 12 years, I couldn't derive anything from his books when I tried after being back smoking for 3 years.

    Quickly fell back into old habits following bad news.

    Stopped smoking a couple of months ago having used hypnosis, which to me felt like a subconscious reinforcement of Allen Carr's method and thought processes.

    Would definitely recommend it if anyone's struggling with the easyway.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭Nyum Nyum


    Nyum Nyum wrote: »
    6 years later and I still haven't smoked :)

    7 years now :)


    Best thing ever if you quit, good luck to everyone :)


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭PaddyWilliams


    Last day today, on Champix. Not getting anything from the smokes now so tomorrow will be smoke free!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭Nyum Nyum


    Nyum Nyum wrote: »
    7 years now :)


    Best thing ever if you quit, good luck to everyone :)



    8 years now :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭Brasros


    Off cigarettes now for 3 years after 28 years smoking and many failed attempts. Then through cold turkey and place the money I spend into something I wanted.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,565 ✭✭✭thebouldwhacker


    Similar story here, I'm 5yrs off after 24 yrs of 20+ a day , Carr approach was probably the most helpful for me, best thing I ever did for myself. 😊


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,079 ✭✭✭Reindeer


    Smoked Lucky Strike unfilters for ~20 years. Tried everything and failed. A friend gave me an iStick 30 watt device with a Nautilus mini tank. Started at 12mg, within a week I stopped smoking regularly. Within a few months I was off cigarettes entirely. Now, nearly 20 months later, I still vape, but almost always at 0 Nicotine, and can't stand the smell of cigarettes. I feel better than I have in a long while. Food has flavour now, I sleep better, and have far less aches and pains. No more coughing, no more shortness of breath, no more 8-9 euro packs of cigs. I have my life back.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,900 ✭✭✭InTheTrees


    Over five years now.

    I couldnt have done it without nicotine lozenges. They're a bit more fast acting than the gum and i admit (but its not recommended) that i was double dosing those first few weeks.

    I also think there's an old phrase "you can quit till you're ready" which is really true. The Last Time (after many attempts!) I quit i was just so fed up with it all. Fed up with cravings, falling off the wagon, lying to myself, feeling crappy at caving in, setting another date, going through that first week again, etc etc...

    Another small thing that helped was stopping on the dot of midnight on December 31st. It was nice, it meant I always knew exactly how long it was since i quit, no calculations needed. And it also meant a bit more pressure not to cave in because I'd lose that.

    Anyway. Best of luck to all who are trying. It is poss.


  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭Deckyalrite


    Hi All,

    Been smoking last 10 years. Gave up earlier this year for four months through taking the Champix for four months. But was going through a very stressful time so ended up back on them, just wondering is there a cheap place to buy the champix online? I would have no problem getting a script. Last time it cost me €144 and that was only for one month. All help very welcome. Really want to be off them by the new year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,197 ✭✭✭SuperS54


    Last time it cost me €144 and that was only for one month.

    LOL, how much do cigs cost you per month?! Now add in the health issues and what they are going to cost you in the future, a 1000 a month would be cheap if it gets you off them.

    Saying that, you don't need any of that stuff. Get yourself Alan Carrs book, sit down, read it and then decide at what point to quit poisoning yourself. It's a lot easier than you think, don't listen to others and don't build it up as some monumental occasion. Just stop and don't look back, the future you will really thank you for it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭Nyum Nyum


    Nyum Nyum wrote: »
    Never posted here but been a long time lurker.

    Just wanted to say I've completed 7 days without a cig now (I'm using patches).

    I know it's barely anything compared to those who have done months and years not smoking but the best I ever did previously was a mere 6 days. Yes, I'm hugely embarrassed about that I admit but there you go. The last few quits barely got into the 24 hour mark :(

    There's been a few times where I felt like wandering off to the shop for ciggies - as I normally do after a day or so - but nope, I haven't weakened this time and I don't intend to.

    I hope to post here again next week saying I've passed a fortnight :)


    9 years today :):):)

    Keep going everyone - completely worth it :)


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭Nyum Nyum


    Nyum Nyum wrote: »
    Never posted here but been a long time lurker.

    Just wanted to say I've completed 7 days without a cig now (I'm using patches).

    I know it's barely anything compared to those who have done months and years not smoking but the best I ever did previously was a mere 6 days. Yes, I'm hugely embarrassed about that I admit but there you go. The last few quits barely got into the 24 hour mark :(

    There's been a few times where I felt like wandering off to the shop for ciggies - as I normally do after a day or so - but nope, I haven't weakened this time and I don't intend to.

    I hope to post here again next week saying I've passed a fortnight :)

    TEN YEARS QUIT TODAY!!
    :):):):):):):):)

    Best thing I ever did! Good luck to all those quitting too :)


Advertisement