Giving up (I hope)

Pretzill · 27-11-2017 2:09pm

saffron22 wrote: »

I woke up this morning and decided to give them up myself. I've tried several times over the past 7 years. Started smoking in school at the age of 14 and now 37. Damage is probably already done but i'm starting back into running etc and want to give myself every chance at living a healthy life.

Thought it might help to document my progression on here as a goal for myself.

I've never made it past 5 days before.

Sick of the smell of cigarettes and also sick of staying outside smoking at bars etc.

That's great Saffron
I wish you the best - I'm 27 days in now and I am feeling the benefits of it healthwise (despite the croaky throat) I'm also older than yourself so I often blamed my lazy exercise levels on that - when of course it was because I was getting out of breath

I did a fast walk - 3k yesterday and jogged a little too - (out of the question before) So I am feeling more energetic - I don't really miss them so much now - it's so weird - I really thought I'd struggle with cravings but I'm finding it much less stressful than I had thought.

Fussy Onion 16 Weeks! that's brilliant well done!

Pretzill · 06-12-2017 12:21am

35 days smoke free!! And I still can't believe I've quit - wishing all of you the best resolve over the coming weeks - I'll probably face temptation but I'm determined not to go back.

Autochange · 06-12-2017 12:28am

Im off them since June but im vaping so its only a half success.

Pretzill · 06-12-2017 9:35am

Autochange wrote: »

Im off them since June but im vaping so its only a half success.

No - you're off them!! I'm using the Nicolette inhaler which is no different to the vape imo - well done.

Pretzill · 13-12-2017 12:52am

6 weeks smoke-free tonight!!
Cravings haven't totally dwindled - I sometimes get a feeling I'm missing something but it passes and I'm thinking about them less each day.

Pretzill · 30-12-2017 3:47pm

Will be two months smoke free on New Years day!! Still can quite believe I have managed to kick the habit - one big drawback has been weight gain and I'm up almost a stone :O

But I'm hoping that I can knock myself back into shape in the new year.

Regardless nothing will drive me back to the cigs - I would be disgusted with myself if I weakened now.

Hope all who have quit are still off them and for anyone who is thinking of giving them up for the new year - just take it a day at a time and you may surprise yourself

claregal1 · 30-12-2017 3:55pm

Delighted I found this post ! Have my quit date set for next Thursday . Well done . Hope I find it as easy as you guys !

[Deleted User] · 30-12-2017 4:02pm

Yeah, fair play pretzel..well done..it kind of is mainly psychological though I found. If you've made the decision..I'm off them 14 months at this stage..didn't find it difficult at all this time..

Doctors room ghost · 31-12-2017 10:03pm

I'm 27 days smoke free.absolutely eating nicorette chewing gum. The 4mg original ones.feel like sh1t.pain in my left side of chest for months which forced me to quit.under ribs low down.had x rays and blood done.still have the pain.
Smoking for 18 years started on benson ended on Amber leaf.still feel sh1t but I'm going to keep belting into the nicorette gum and not smoke for the moment and see how I get on.
Best of luck to anyone quitting smoking tonight for the new year.one thing that has helped me is telling myself I am not quitting smoking I'm just taking a break from them and not smoking for the moment and belt into the nicorette gum.keep eating it even if you don't want it.worst thing that will happen is you get a headache and feel sick but at least you're not doing any damage compared to smoking.best of luck

keepalive213 · 31-12-2017 10:15pm

8 weeks off the tobacco, Thursday just gone. 8 weeks of pure torture but it has gotten easier of late. Patches for the first week, cold turkey since. Your head tries to trick you into smoking... sure I'll only have one... I'll start again after....always a reason.... Conquer that and you break the habit..... it's half the battle.

Pretzill · 31-12-2017 10:17pm

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

I'm 27 days smoke free.absolutely eating nicorette chewing gum. The 4mg original ones.feel like sh1t.pain in my left side of chest for months which forced me to quit.under ribs low down.had x rays and blood done.still have the pain.
Smoking for 18 years started on benson ended on Amber leaf.still feel sh1t but I'm going to keep belting into the nicorette gum and not smoke for the moment and see how I get on.
Best of luck to anyone quitting smoking tonight for the new year.one thing that has helped me is telling myself I am not quitting smoking I'm just taking a break from them and not smoking for the moment and belt into the nicorette gum.keep eating it even if you don't want it.worst thing that will happen is you get a headache and feel sick but at least you're not doing any damage compared to smoking.best of luck

I found the Nicorette inhaler helped me - I don't take it much now - but it feels like having a smoke in a strange way

- good on you for staying off them and I hope that pain clears up.

FrancieBrady · 31-12-2017 10:26pm

NEVER let the guard down.

It is a true saying: 'It's easy to give up the fags, I gave them up hundreds of times'.

The important bit is staying off them and that means recognising you are always a potential smoker from now on.

Well done!

peckerhead · 31-12-2017 10:26pm

Five months free of nicotine at midnight tonight, yay me.

(Mind you, I picked up again after five years off them, so...

)

Well done to all those still in the early stages, and best of luck to anyone striking out tomorrow.

Doctors room ghost · 31-12-2017 10:48pm

Pretzill wrote: »

I found the Nicorette inhaler helped me - I don't take it much now - but it feels like having a smoke in a strange way - good on you for staying off them and I hope that pain clears up.

Cheers pretzel.keep up the good work.i had a dream I was back smoking and woke up mad as hell.im just not smoking for the moment and I'll try and keep going like that and not think about it.have a friend who used to eat rollies and he quit must be 4 years ago with the gum.his advice was eat the sh1t out of the gum even if you don't want it and that will keep you going.if you don't take the gum a craving will sneak up on you and bang.
Happy new year all and best wishes and good health to all

Canis Lupus · 31-12-2017 10:50pm

I'm sure it's mentioned a lot but I switched to vaping for a year then gave that up. Made the entire process way easier. Oddly enough I miss vaping more than cigs because the smoke/vapor was fun to play with

[Deleted User] · 01-01-2018 12:13am

Yeah, you can't have one,..not even a drag..

The vaporizer and the gum can get fierce addictive too, from experience..the vaporizer can be worse to get off than the smokes..

Pretzill · 01-01-2018 1:52am

CQD wrote: »

Yeah, you can't have one,..not even a drag..

The vaporizer and the gum can get fierce addictive too, from experience..the vaporizer can be worse to get off than the smokes..

I have deliberately steered clear of the vape not sure why just thought it seemed too like smoking - but I do think it is better than cigs for health. Agree not even one...drag... I do smoke in my dreams still though and so enjoy it

But so much prefer not to be smoking for real - my breathing has improved no end. Here's to 2018 and staying off them!!

Pretzill · 20-01-2018 4:15pm

80 days smoke-free now - still can't quite believe I managed to quit - hope anyone else who made the decision is getting on OK.

My biggest problem has been weight gain - managed to put on 1.5 stones (ugh) don't even feel like I was eating much more - obviously was - but I do think smoking keeps you from getting weighty - but I don't care I know I'm much healthier long-term off them!!

Food being dealt with now - cutting back the rubbish should be easy after quitting the smokes!!

Pretzill · 18-02-2018 8:06pm

109 days and still off the cigs. Delighted I seem to have kicked the habit. I don't get cravings anymore - and have saved over €1k - although saving money was never an incentive

Pretzill · 30-08-2018 12:09am

On September 1st I will be ten months off them...I still can't quite believe I kicked the habit. But delighted I have. For those of you struggling it can be done.

fussyonion · 07-09-2018 10:40pm

Hey everyone, I was one year off the smokes on August 4th and I'm so proud of myself.
I don't miss them, I don't crave them, the smell disgusts me if I pass a smoker.
It can be done folks, just like Pretzill said.
And life's sweeter without the evil fags!

Pretzill · 10-09-2018 11:55am

fussyonion wrote: »

Hey everyone, I was one year off the smokes on August 4th and I'm so proud of myself.
I don't miss them, I don't crave them, the smell disgusts me if I pass a smoker.
It can be done folks, just like Pretzill said.
And life's sweeter without the evil fags!

That's brilliant fussyonion! Life is certainly sweeter I feel as if I've been released from chains

Mike Litoris · 13-09-2018 9:48pm

CQD wrote: »

The vaporizer and the gum can get fierce addictive too, from experience..the vaporizer can be worse to get off than the smokes..

Firstly, good stuff all. How good does it feel to be free of the addiction?!!

I found it ridiculously easy using an ecig. I just needed a push to start it and a plan. I gradually reduced the nicotine to zero over a few months. The first couple of nicotine drops were a little ropey but it only lasted a couple of days and by ropey it was taking extra drags of the ecig. After that I didn't notice the drops in nicotine.

To echo the above posters, it can be done, and in my case anyhow, pretty damn easy!

Pretzill · 11-11-2018 7:07pm

I went passed the year milestone without realising - now a year and 11 days smoke-free any of you toying with the idea honestly it's much harder thinking about it, than actually doing it, and I was very addicted!

fussyonion · 11-11-2018 10:18pm

Pretzill wrote: »

I went passed the year milestone without realising - now a year and 11 days smoke-free any of you toying with the idea honestly it's much harder thinking about it, than actually doing it, and I was very addicted!

Huge congrats Pretzill! Such an achievement!

Harpy · 15-11-2018 8:50pm

Started on an ecig.. on day three cigarette free, I was a 20 a day smoker. I'm in the 6mg nicotine just hoping to use the ecig as a crutch for the first few days and then use it less and less..

Mike Litoris · 22-11-2018 11:07am

Harpy wrote: »

Started on an ecig.. on day three cigarette free, I was a 20 a day smoker. I'm in the 6mg nicotine just hoping to use the ecig as a crutch for the first few days and then use it less and less..

No need to put too much pressure on yourself. Use the ecig until you're comfortable with it before contemplating reducing and getting off it altogether. You've already gotten away from the damaging cigarettes. Gradually reducing the nic content worked a charm for me. It was laughably easy.

Pretzill · 13-07-2019 1:51pm

1 year 8 months and 13 days and I'm still smokefree! I still can't quite believe it. My only regret is I have put on an awful lot of weight and losing it is really hard. But it will take more than that to make me smoke again.

fussyonion · 14-07-2019 3:50pm

Pretzill wrote: »

1 year 8 months and 13 days and I'm still smokefree! I still can't quite believe it. My only regret is I have put on an awful lot of weight and losing it is really hard. But it will take more than that to make me smoke again.

Well done Pretzill, what an achievement.
I'll be 2 years smoke free next month but like you, I've put on weight. Bah it's frustrating but at least we don't smoke anymore.

Pretzill · 14-07-2019 3:58pm

fussyonion wrote: »

Well done Pretzill, what an achievement.
I'll be 2 years smoke free next month but like you, I've put on weight. Bah it's frustrating but at least we don't smoke anymore.

Yes I know now smoking is much worse, congrats to you too, two years is a major milestone!

Giving up (I hope)

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