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MrsTine · 01-01-2009, 11:58 AM

Back in May 2007 jo1972 started a thread for all those DFW's who were tryign to quit smoking. The thread has now grown to over 8000 posts!

As long threads sadly can affect the smooth running of the board I am starting a shiney new thread for you all and closing the old one... Let's hope it is a s successful as the old one!! And good luck to all trying to quit smoking!!!

The original thread can be found here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....html?t=445572

And Jo's great first post with links:

Quote:

This is proper going public, can't go back now

So....I've decided to give up smoking tomorrow to help save money. I spend £5.60 smoking a day and I can't afford it.

So if any of you smoke and feel as though you might want to try giving up then post here and join me, more the merrier!!

Can't believe I'm doing this but...I pledge that I will not smoke tomorrow, will take every day as it comes, and will be completely honest with all of you.

So, I've worked out (if I'm right...) in a year I would save £2,090.40!!!!

So I gotta go for it...anyone wanna join me??

EDIT:

Here are a few links to websites that you might find useful for info on various types of NRT, support groups etc. Plus a couple of books that you might find helpful. Thanks to Oops a daisy for compiling this list

If you would like to add any links or ideas to this list that you think are useful for other members then feel free to leave a message on here or PM me and I'll add it so that it's all kept in one place and easy to find. Thanks

link to FrugalJo's Blogspot: Exhaler - Diary of a Nicotine Addict http://www.exhaler.blogspot.com/
link to silk quit http://www.silkquit.org/sqmmiv/meter.aspx
link to quit smoking website http://www.whyquit.com/
niquitin website http://www.click2quit.co.uk/
free niquitin twister http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....html?t=462895
link to another thread on MSE for quitting smoking http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...=38742&page=68
link to info on new drug for quitting smoking http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6705667.stm
link to on line smoking support group http://users.boardnation.com/~fullst...ng/index.php#1
link to info in champix drug http://www.theonlineclinic.co.uk/champix.asp
link to ASH http://www.ash.org.uk/
link to Max Kirsten's stopping smoking site (watch the smoking vid!) - thanks to TNG for this link

http://www.maxkirsten.com/resources/...view.asp?id=13

Recommended books:

The Nicotine Trick by Neil Casey
Easyway to quit smoking by Allen Carr

And here is a list of reasons that make the posters on this thread happy that they've stopped smoking, I hope this gives everyone a bit of encouragement, whether you're still to stop or have stopped and waivering, or just stopped and want to remind yourself how great you are

Not having to ask non smoker friends if we can sit outside, when the weather really isn't good enough

Having nice smelling hair and clothes

Coming home to a nice smelling house

No more sore throat and burnt feeling tongue

No more 'smoking hangovers' where the night before you smoked a packet which makes you feel much worse than any amount of alcohol

Not worrying about whether you've got cash for cigs all the time

Not getting evil looks from passers by when you have a cig break on the pavement at work and the smoke goes near them

Smelling smoke from other people and thinking that actually it doesn't smell very nice and realising you might be able to actually give up

Having a £2,000 a year tax-free pay rise

Being able to concentrate on what you're doing without thinking about going and having a cig when your finished, eg eating, cleaning, working!

People not backing off from smelly smokers breath

OH saying how much better the flat smells now

No nasty clearing your throat all the time

Taking deep breaths of clean air

Being a bit richer

Having a pink tongue!

Your lungs getting rid of gunk

Clean fresh hair and clothes

Paintwork will stay whiter as will ceilings

Lovely clean teeth

More energy

Ateries becoming un-clogged

Longer life

Not having to go outside the pub for one

Laughing at those who do have to go outside for one

Moaning about all the butts they leave outside

And finally, but most importantly, here's the reason we're doing it (thanks to Adz for digging out this info):

At 20 minutes after quitting:

blood pressure decreases
pulse rate drops
body temperature of hands and feet increases.

At 8 hours:

carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
oxygen level in blood increases to normal

At 24 hours:

chance of a heart attack decreases

At 48 hours:

nerve endings begin regrowth
ability to smell and taste improves

Between 2 weeks and 3 months:

circulation improves
walking becomes easier
lung function increases

Between 1 to 9 months smoke-free:

Starting as early as a month after you quit smoking, and continuing for the next several months, you may notice significant improvements in these areas:

coughing
sinus congestion
fatigue
shortness of breath

At One Year Smoke-Free:

Your excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker after one year.

At Two years Smoke-Free:

Your chance of achieving long-term success with quitting tobacco increases significantly after two years.

At 5 years smoke-free:

from 5 to 15 years after quitting tobacco, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.

At 10 years smoke-free:

risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
risk of ulcers decreases

At 15 years smoke-free:

risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked

Best of luck all!

yellowmonkey · 01-01-2009, 12:04 PM

Keeping us on our toes this morning MrsTine

Hi to everyone. Hope you can find your way here. Nice in here and no nicotine on the paintwork

ym

MrsTine · 01-01-2009, 12:10 PM

LOL absolutely yellowmonkey

Figured that I've been meaning to for ages but what better day for it than the 1st of the new year?

jo1972 · 01-01-2009, 12:12 PM

Fantastic idea MrsTine, thanks for the new thread.

Okay everyone, new year, new resolutions in a shiney new thread!!!!

Good luck and happy smoke-free new year to all

kalojac · 01-01-2009, 12:26 PM

Myself and DH have quit today we've tried before but it has been planned for a long time now, my DH starts a teaching job on 5th so 2009 is a complete change for us, so the smoking has to go too. We've got our patches on got our nicotine gum too (as recommended by the chemist), so here we go. Feeling really positive just now!

jo1972 · 01-01-2009, 1:04 PM

Good luck kalojac and Mr kalojac, patches are great cos they make you feel as though you've just had a fag and don't need one just yet. Keep yourself busy when you feel a craving coming on and come on here for support

MrsTine · 01-01-2009, 1:15 PM

My mum is trying to quit - encouraged by being able to spend more time with my Bean when she arrives in May - we're very non-smokers and I loathe the stench of fags ewww.... - and she wants to spend as much time as she can with her first gradnchild so has decided that cutting out smoking will mean when she comes to visit for a few weeks at a time or we go there then she can spend more time with her grand daughter

She's using those pretend fags... they have nicotine in them but you inhale through them? It keeps her fingers busy too which is important for her...

Might be worth trying?

BlueIsTheColour · 01-01-2009, 2:18 PM

Well so far so good today, last one was about 2 in the morning before I went to bed and so far nothing today, lets hope it lasts.

Good luck everyone

jinty271 · 01-01-2009, 2:28 PM

Have posted and tried a few times, but here goes again!

Last cig was at midnight, and still doing OK.

I am a bit different in my approach...I need to have cigs in the house, to be able to resist them..as in I choose not to smoke, not that I cant smoke...that would drive me mad and straight to the nearest shop.

Am chewing away on my gum. Had a tough 20 mins around 13:30 but its passed by OK.

Feeling a bit Dizzy and spaced out, but that might be lack of sleep and a errm slight hangover !!

Good Luck to everyone !

graemecarter · 01-01-2009, 2:35 PM

Feeling crappy, but have done 24 hours now.

I am thirsty and craving sugar however.

I stopped for 3.5 years in 2003, and I cannot remember it being this unpleasant at all. In fact I cannot remember it being hard (though I bet it was though)

SCREW YOU NICOTINE

jo1972 · 01-01-2009, 6:26 PM

Well done Blue, Jinty & Graeme, how you all doing?

Scruffy Baz · 01-01-2009, 6:53 PM

Well done to you all either giving up or given up. My last fag was at midnight, so far feeling a bit strange, but trying to keep busy.

Scruffy Baz XX

schmickleicklepickle · 01-01-2009, 7:22 PM

Well done to everybody who has joined today - sending you all strong, positive vibes.......!

I am at 9 weeks and 1 day and bizarrely today has been quite difficult for some reason. I think I am just tired and getting a bit stressed with my DS!

Sucking my thumb instead!! I always have done that when I'm really tired but find myself doing it more and more lately - not gonna kill me is it?!

So, stick with whatever works for you - it doesn't matter how silly you feel - you won't look as daft as those people stuck outside on a freezing cold day like today puffing on their little sticks.......

GOod luck everybody and HAPPY SMOKE FREE NEW YEAR TO US ALL!!

daleigha · 01-01-2009, 8:49 PM

Happy New Year everyone!!

I would like to join the thread please - after about 13 years of smoking (since i was 14!) i now really want to quit!! i have five cigarettes left, and when they are gone i am NOT buying any more!

im getting married in September, and want to be totally smoke free (and hopefully not having cravings) by then.

ive tried to quit many times before, the most sucessful time being 5 1/2 years ago, when i managed to stay off them for about three months, but then i started 'allowing' myself cigs when i went out, and slowly slipped back into the bad ways!!

thankfully now im a bit older i dont go out as much, so that habit shouldnt return!!

im moving house on 28th january and starting a new job on the 2nd february, so along with the wedding i want 2009 to be a totally fresh start for me!

i think most of my problem is the little daily habits - fag break at 10am etc, so hopefully with the new house and job those habits will be gone! im starting now though as i get verrrrry grumpy when quitting and dont want to start off in my new job as a dragon!!

it'll be great to see others experiences on this thread - quitting smoking can feel like such a lonely experience and it feels like no one else is going through it as well!!

so wish me luck, and very good luck to everyone who is starting their 'fag free' journey too!!

xx

BlueIsTheColour · 01-01-2009, 10:02 PM

Still no cigs today.....yippee!! Hardest was after evening meal but ate a clementine instead and it passed!

Hope everyone is doing OK?

MoonRose77 · 01-01-2009, 10:03 PM

Good luck to everyone who has started on their non-smoking lives today - you can do it x

If you can get past day 3 then you have no nicotine left in your body all that needs controlling thereafter is the trigger factors (can you tell i've been reading up on this quite a bit lately) - so as I am way past day 3 I definately need to start occupying my mind a lot more because that is what is gettin me in trouble with the pretend cravings. hmmmm time to start that new fitness routine then!

queen vi · 01-01-2009, 10:20 PM

can i join please read this thread and think it will really help me
just had last cigarette will not have any more tonight( i could if i wanted as DH smokes ) will report back in the morning and let you know how i got on