calling ex-smokers: help me quit

[sab0tage]

I've really wanted to quit smoking cigarettes for a while now. I never noticed the effect on my health til I moved house and stopped playing football and worked a job that involved quite a lot of sitting down.

I'm into my 30th hour without one now (only been asleep for 7 of them) and am struggling a little. Does it get much worse before it gets better?

I know its a filthy habit but I'm not looking for lectures from non-smokers. Just a bit of advice on how to make it easier (I've smoked at least 20 a day for the last 7/8 years)

Thanks

[Videodrome]

your doing good if you've gone that long. this was the about the point where i decided that no product was ever going to own me. i would just find things to do and stay away from smokers as much as possible. it really just boils down to willpower from this point. i smoked for 13 years.

[Ally Al]

i just doubled my intake of weed and then eventually stopped that too. It took me about 6 years all in(that was to give up weed, cigs was overnight). Then again i didn't smoke that many cigs anyway more of a social smoker, pubs and clubs and stuff, and when i used to work in an office and needed a break from the mundane

[sab0tage]

I heard that people who give up on the spur of the moment have a far greater chance of success than those who plan it.

I had to have an extraction at the dentist and he told me I shouldn't smoke for 3 days in case of infection so I thought that maybe this was the best chance I had to give it a go.

If I actually think about a cigarette I get a bit tense and try and do something to stop thinking about it.

[Laver1969]

For me...the first 3 or 4 days were the toughest. It was the physical withdrawals that were horrible.

I just wanted to crawl into a box and sleep for 4 days. Then once you get past the physical withdrawals you'll have the mental hurdles to clear. It's a very tough road and you've got to be laser focused in order to do it.

Good Luck!!!

[HAL 9000]

You sound like you are in the same situation I was - I was a 20 a day man for about 7 years until I quit 3 years ago. Here are some things that helped me;

For the first three months of quitting I also stopped drinking and putting myself in any social environment which would make me smoke. This was the main thing that led to this attempt being more succsessful than any other. There are times when it just get too hard to avoid smoking so I avoided ever finding myself at one of those times. After 3 months I slowly started going out again and found that I had the problem sufficiently under control to not smoke in social settings.

I did use nicorette gum although only 1 or 2 bts a day (the pack recommended like 10) and I only kept this up for about a month or two. Its pretty disguting.

I started to do excercise (go for a jog) when I needed a fag - not only did it make the craving pass but it also helped me enjoy my 'new' lungs (you will notice the difference very quickly).

The other thing is that I did have relapses, maybe once or twice in the first 6 months. Dont stop quiting, if you relapse that sucks and you will feel digusted with yourself but you just got to go back to quiting the next day.

You will probably still get occasional cravings for a ciggie every now and then but they get less frequent, I still have them once in a while but it is no longer hard to resist them.

Out of all these things, avoiding drinking was the thing I would recommend - good luck.

[HAL 9000]

I heard that people who give up on the spur of the moment have a far greater chance of success than those who plan it.

I had to have an extraction at the dentist and he told me I shouldn't smoke for 3 days in case of infection so I thought that maybe this was the best chance I had to give it a go.

If I actually think about a cigarette I get a bit tense and try and do something to stop thinking about it.


Could be true - my successful time was spur of the moment - for whatever reason I realised I had not smoked in a while so I just kept going

[Whatitis]

I was a pack-a-day smoker when I quit. I did it cold turkey with a friend of mine and it worked for both of us. When we felt the urge to smoke we did something active like basketball, or play music insturments, anything to keep our mind off it. It's tough but doing it with a friend really helped. Good luck.

[ms.peachy]

Get pregnant. Worked a treat for me (y)

[sab0tage]

This is all good stuff - anyone use patches?

So far its just willpower, and I can be honest enough to admit I don't have a great deal of that usually.

I like the idea of the sport thing though - I used to cycle about 25 miles a day and now get so frustrated when I'm out of breath after 3 or 4 miles

[sab0tage]

I was a pack-a-day smoker when I quit. I did it cold turkey with a friend of mine and it worked for both of us. When we felt the urge to smoke we did something active like basketball, or play music insturments, anything to keep our mind off it. It's tough but doing it with a friend really helped. Good luck.

my wife wants to give it a go too, I've just watched her have a cig and it wasn't too bad!

[sab0tage]

Get pregnant. Worked a treat for me (y)

do you still get the urge? do you think you can keep it up once baby peachy is born?

[ms.peachy]

do you still get the urge? do you think you can keep it up once baby peachy is born?
I have no urge to go back. It was surprisingly easy to quit once I knew it wasn't about me anymore.

[enree erzweglle]

After the nicotine withdrawal, giving up smoking is getting over a habit--getting past the dependency on having something in your hand, something to do socially, etc. In the end, after the nicotine is out of your system, it's a habit that you have to break.

I have given up rotten, bad-for-me habits and (for me), it was a matter of replacing one practice (habit) with something that was better. Replace a bad thing with a not-so-bad thing--ideally, replace it with a good thing.

With something like that--something that implies personal choice (you can CHOOSE to go back to smoking if you want)--it helps big time if you also find a good reason to give it up and not go back--something that will matter to you. Find some solid reason to stop and focus on that hard when you're tempted to revert. If you need to, find a photo of that thing/reason if you can--find a way to represent it and pin that up in your office, your home, your car, wherever. It sounds silly or fundamental or childish or too easy to work, but it does work providing that you're committed to it and your reasons for stopping.

[sab0tage]

After the nicotine withdrawal, giving up smoking is getting over a habit--getting past the dependency on having something in your hand, something to do socially, etc. In the end, after the nicotine is out of your system, it's a habit that you have to break.



I found myself sucking an empty biro case today whilst driving from work!!

[enree erzweglle]

I found myself sucking an empty biro case today whilst driving from work!!
Yes! That's so great! Excellent! I don't know what a biro case is!

(...but it's probably better for you than a cigarette or at least it's less addicting. :))

I think it's so great that you're doing this. Truly.

And about the spur-of-the-moment research: BBC article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4650536.stm).

[sab0tage]

Yes! That's so great! Excellent! I don't know what a biro case is!

(...but it's probably better for you than a cigarette or at least it's less addicting. :))

I think it's so great that you're doing this. Truly.

And about the spur-of-the-moment research: BBC article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4650536.stm).


That must be the article I heard mentioned. This was a spur of the moment, I didn't even know that the last cig I had was going to be the last (hopefully) at the time. Its just when the dentist said I should stop for 3 days I decided that was it and threw the rest of my pack away.

Thanks so much for the support:)

(Biro case is like a cheap pen with the ink bit taken out!!)

[enree erzweglle]

That must be the article I heard mentioned. This was a spur of the moment, I didn't even know that the last cig I had was going to be the last (hopefully) at the time. Its just when the dentist said I should stop for 3 days I decided that was it and threw the rest of my pack away.

Thanks so much for the support:)

(Biro case is like a cheap pen with the ink bit taken out!!)

I think that research was widely reported--we even heard about it here. :)

And biro cases do not sound tasty, but I know a lot of people who chew on pens so you have some company!

(One more thing: maybe use him (http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8139/meandpop9vz.jpg) as your motivation to stop because second-hand smoke hurts pets too. :) Good luck!)

[sab0tage]

(One more thing: maybe use him (http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8139/meandpop9vz.jpg) as your motivation to stop because second-hand smoke hurts pets too. :) Good luck!)

Wow, I didn't think anyone on here had a clue I even existed!! She's a good reason, you're right.........after Ms Peachy suggested the pregnancy option I thought about the dog (I have no kids yet and won't be having any kids unless modern medicine goes to new extremes)

Thanks again

[enree erzweglle]

Wow, I didn't think anyone on here had a clue I even existed!! She's a good reason, you're right.........after Ms Peachy suggested the pregnancy option I thought about the dog (I have no kids yet and won't be having any kids unless modern medicine goes to new extremes)

Thanks againI should edit my post to read "her" rather than "him." :)

I was in the Family Album the other day and saw a photo of a dog wearing a tie :D and I thought that was so sweet, so I tried to remember the username. Usually, I can't keep those things together. I just couldn't find that tie-wearing photo so I used the first one I found. :o

[sab0tage]

I should edit my post to read "her" rather than "him." :)

I was in the Family Album the other day and saw a photo of a dog wearing a tie :D and I thought that was so sweet, so I tried to remember the username. Usually, I can't keep those things together. I just couldn't find that tie-wearing photo so I used the first one I found. :o

Yeah I've found I can associate more with people on the board when I know what they look like. A lot of people have avatars that are people I don't recognise and assume that it is them.

Our pets are like kids to us:o

[trailerprincess]

I had hypnosis 3 months ago and its worked. i have not even really thought about smoking let alone had one. Being hypnotised is a weird sensation and I thought I would freak out but i didn't and it's actually quite nice.

[sab0tage]

Its been over 48 hrs now and I'm still hanging in - still no patches or gum etc

I do kinda feel like smashing up stuff though!!

[Laver1969]

Its been over 48 hrs now and I'm still hanging in - still no patches or gum etc

I do kinda feel like smashing up stuff though!!

Great job! Keep hangin. Did you get the chills/sweats while sleeping?

[sab0tage]

Great job! Keep hangin. Did you get the chills/sweats while sleeping?

Nah, I sleep like the dead, also I allow myself a couple of hits from a pipe just before bed (no tobacco though)

At the moment its about the worst its been so far, may need to go for a bike ride or something in a minute!! Also I've eaten about 6 pieces of fruit today already - can't afford to be putting on too much weight and need to be occupied as much as possible!

Thanks for the support, its really is helping

[Laver1969]

Nah, I sleep like the dead, also I allow myself a couple of hits from a pipe just before bed (no tobacco though)

At the moment its about the worst its been so far, may need to go for a bike ride or something in a minute!! Also I've eaten about 6 pieces of fruit today already - can't afford to be putting on too much weight and need to be occupied as much as possible!

Thanks for the support, its really is helping

I munched out on a bunch of apples...something about the crunching helped. Also I drank a lot of water.

[sab0tage]

I munched out on a bunch of apples...something about the crunching helped. Also I drank a lot of water.

yup, so far today:

1 apple
1 orange
1 pear
1 grapefruit
1 natural yoghurt
250ml innocent banana smoothie
500ml water

gonna need some kinda toilet in the car!!

[YoungRemy]

heres how you quit...

you dont smoke...

im not being sarcastic eaither, you have to will yourself to not smoke, if you cheat then you never wanted to quit in the first place...

its all in your mind...

[instigator7022]

Horray! Keep up the good work. My mom got pregnant and stopped smoking. She's smoked her whole life since she was like 12 too and now she's 41.

[sab0tage]

heres how you quit...

you dont smoke...

im not being sarcastic eaither, you have to will yourself to not smoke, if you cheat then you never wanted to quit in the first place...

its all in your mind...

Oh yeah, I know thats the bottom line.

The fact that I've only considered giving up recently is because I knew I wasn't committed enough before. I'm not 100% sure I am now but I am trying very hard. Its good to get support from others who have already managed to give up though.

BTW, when did you quit?

[YoungRemy]

November 15, 1999

and now my brother and father are ex-smokers as well..
my mother is thrilled...

[sab0tage]

November 15, 1999

and now my brother and father are ex-smokers as well..
my mother is thrilled...

whoa you remember the date! do you ever miss it now?

[Whatitis]

You'll remember the date too. Mine, 6-6-1993. That shit sticks in your head because of the accomplishment. Hang in there.

[sab0tage]

You'll remember the date too. Mine, 6-6-1993. That shit sticks in your head because of the accomplishment. Hang in there.

I'm reading tips on quitting on all sorts of websites and its making me feel worse!
I don't want to keep posting here and make it one of those "its all about me threads" but all the positive support really helps..........So I probably will keep posting here:o

[cookiepuss]

buy a carton of cigarettes and smoke the whole thing in one day. you'll be so sick you'll never want to smoke again.


that's kinda how I quit, but not in the literal sense. I was a chain smoker and eventually I just started feeling like shit when I smoked. it wasn't satisfying anymore. and I just stopped.