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[jo1972]

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

[FieryBlondeScot]

Go for it girl (if you are a girl that is!)

i am now on day 23 of not smoking. my tips are:
1. set aside 2 weeks to totally devote to quitting
2. use all available help- NRT and websites like Quitnet and housework etc got me through the day, pampering bath, followed by oil burner and hypnotherapy cd's got me through the night.
3. sign up to the nicorette and niquitin qc sites, one of them give a really good personal plan, and text u motivational messages which you reply to 2x a day.
4. KNOW your triggers, for me the worst was coffee, boredom, certain people and stress, and PLAN in advance for them, deep breathing exercises were a godsend to riding out cravings.
5. get an empty coke bottle, peel off the label, cut off the top and stash your fags cash i n it so you can see it.

some people say the first few days are the worst, i found them quite exciting1 week 2 was tough for me as the realisation ii was doing it really hhit me, i had to relax into the quit a bit more as i was running a round non stop trying to avoid the cravings and thoughts, my advise now on hindsight is relax into it,

you soon get to see how stressful it is hhaving to satisfy an urge to smoke every hour of every day!

i would hhave been screwed if i hadnt stopped smoking. i was always scrimping and freaking out about money, took me 15 yrs to realise if i stopped spending £135 pmonth on fags, all the other bills would balance out (that really makes me laugh now1) but thihs month every time my kid has needed sometihng or i have needed something i hhave been able to get it

and yes the cravings do get less over time!

best of luck, its the best moneysaving thing you can do!

[ani*fan]

Well done on your decision to quit! I'm considering it too as the £40 per month I spend on cigs could go straight towards my debt and bring my debt free date forward by about 2 months. Just don't feel totally ready right now...

I look forward to watching your progress.

Good luck!!!!!! I'm rooting for you!!!!!

[Ali-OK]

I'd like to join you please!

Since debt-freedom, I've started smoking again having stopped on 1st April last year to help pay off my debts.

I've just signed up to QuitNet (thanks FieryBlondeScot) - stopping time/date is 10.30pm tonight, so it's all systems go from tomorrow morning for me.

I'm on a wind-down/preparation day today - taking DS Swimming soon and then grass to cut, before a mountain of housework to tackle. Changing drinking tea to water as it's guaranteed I'll have a ciggie with a cuppa.

How are you doing Jo?

[oops a daisy]

Me too

have a few patches left from my last failed attempt and have the Allan Carr book but havent finished it yet will read it today

I am setting my quit day for tomorrow

must prepare the family and any other poor unfortunate soul who happens to be in the vicinity for my mood swings

I will also have to look into NHS quit smoking clinics as the one I used to visit meets on a Monday and tomorrow in a bank holiday.

edited to say good luck op with your first day smoke free - let us know how you get on

[gemsaysdontdodebtkids]

I gave up on Christmas Eve 2006. I'd been smoking for 8 years prior to that. Nearly 5 months and not so much as a puff. I did it cold turkey. Knowing how much it cost me was all the incentive I needed.

[jo1972]

Well morning all!! Glad that a few of you are joining me, good luck to all of you

FieryBlondeScot - thanks ever so much for the well wishes and thanks for all the tips. I will go straight onto Quitnet after I've finished on here, need all the help I can get!!

ani*fan - look forward to you joining us soon, you have to be ready or it won't work I understand that completely - today's my day Hopefully I'll still be on here when you decide to join

Ali - good luck to you!! Thanks for joining me. Hope you have a great day preparing yourself for tomorrow, you know you can do it because you've done it before. All you've got to work on now is staying quit, which is my problem as I find after a month or two I become complacent. Good luck, keep us updated with your progress!!

Oops a daisy - good luck to you too!! I've read the Allen Carr book, it's very good, really makes you think. I also wish your family luck as they've got to cope with you Keep us updated!!

Gem, well done for quitting for 5 months! You are doing really well and must've saved loads of money. Hope you keep it up, just remember to never get complacent!

Well, it's 11.20am and I'm doing ok as I don't smoke in the house anyway and as it's a Sunday and I've got no work I wouldn't bother getting dressed to go out until about now anyway....I'm expecting it to get harder about now especially as the kids are driving me round the twist, my 15yr old is blasting music out in her room and waking all the neighbours up, I just caught my 4yr old son trying to shoot next doors cat, luckily it's only a little plastic gun and wouldn't hurt it and my 1yr old daughter has just emptied her bowl of porridge all over herself and the floor Yes things are definately getting harder lol!!

I'll pop back later, hope you're all having a lovely day and good luck to those preparing to starting to quit

Jo.

[itsarichmansworld]

Thank you

I needed the kick up the @rse to stop so yeah count me in...

I'm going to go to quitnet see when my day will come.

My reasons are money! Health and also I am applying for cabin crew jobs as this is my dream job I need to be healthy and fit for it and also dont want to be craving a fag on a 12 hour flight

So yeah I am in (Again)

[oops a daisy]

well done Jo and good luck to all the other quitters

I have just worked out that I will save £150 per month by packing in what a waste of money.

Will start reading the book this afternoon. I seem to remember a thread on here a while ago about packing in smoking and there was a link to silkquit ? which is a little program that you download onto your computer and it works out how much you have saved since quitting and how much of your life you have saved - will have a look for it and post the link


edit - LOL googled silkquit and got a link to MSE freebies LOL linky - it is free if you use the correct link

all the best - OOPS

[jo1972]

Originally Posted by itsarichmansworld

I am applying for cabin crew jobs as this is my dream job I need to be healthy and fit for it and also dont want to be craving a fag on a 12 hour flight

Well done!! When is your quit day? Yeah I can't imagine being able to stand outside having a quick fag when a few thousand miles up huh?!

You have a great reason to do it, so good luck

Well today's been full of ups and downs, I've had quite a few cravings but haven't given in. Unfortunately I've also eaten a shed load of chocolate so me thinks I'm gonna get fat

Only gotta get through another couple of hours and I know when I wake up tomorrow I'll be really pleased with myself. I have no fags here and would have to drive to the shop which I'm not prepared to do cos of the embarrasment of having to tell my husband that that is why I'm going out. So got no choice tonight.

Thanks Oopsadaisy for the link, I'll go take a look.

I wish you all well tomorrow, let me know how it's going!!

Jo.x

[worto03]

nice one, we've just had a baby girl (5 weeks old) & I'm 30 now & have been smoking for 10 years so I'm ready to give up too.

Need to get some patches first so I'll set a quit day of Friday next week. (it'll give me time to sort some patches out)

Last time I tried patches I get 2 weeks worth & didn't have a single smoke until I ran out of patches then I started again (Clearly I'm an idiot and needed more than 2 weeks worth of pathces)

I'll stay away until Friday cuz I'll make you all want to start again but I'll be reading & will join you on Friday.

good luck,
worto.

Oh & I spend about £100 a month on smokes which I'll be overpaying the house payments with.

[jo1972]

Good luck Worto!!!

Look forward to you joining us on Friday! Make sure you buy enough patches to get you through. I've decided to go cold turkey this time....not sure it's a good idea lol but hey, day 1 nearly over with, think I'm gonna go to bed early!!

Speak to you soon

Jo.x

[jo1972]

Good luck to anyone giving up today!!!

I think what helped me yesterday was the fact that I made it public on here with you lot and if I gave in and lit up then I'd have to come back with my tail between my legs. Plus I've now saved £5.60 just in one day which will grow and grow!!

Keep us updated with your progress and if you're wobbling then write it down on here, sometimes it helps to write things down, I'll try and get on when I can.

Have a good day and good luck!!

Jo.x

[oops a daisy]

goodmorning fellow quitters

Jo - well done on yesterday - £5.60 saved is brilliant
AliOK - how are you getting on ?

well I have my patch on and I actually found 5 patches, some micro tabs ( but dont like them ) and some inhilator cartridges - cant find the actual inhilator though so that gives me a few days to find a stop smoking clinic.


all the best and have a good day

[jo1972]

Well done oops a daisy!!

I hope the day goes well, let me know how you're getting on later if you've got time.

Now get googling that cessation clinic!!

Jo.x

[Ali-OK]

Morning all!

Well done Jo on yesterday and a tangible saving already.

Oops - Do the patches burn your skin or leave it sore? I tried them years ago and had problems, but thinking of trying them again.

Doing OK here so far! Was busy hunting out lozenges and inhalator/tabs this morning so avoided that "first one of the day feeling". Found my Allen Carr book, so going to give that another read.

My first milestone will be when I can complete the Power Ranger Training (DVD) with DS without feeling knackered

Hope everyone has a good day and I'll pop in later with an update.

[FieryBlondeScot]

well done evryone. i think i got my quit tool thing from a site called dedicateddesigns, every time i turn on my pc its there and today it tells me i have quit for 3wks 4 days 10 hrs 50 mins, i have not smoked 585 fags (eek disgusting when u think about it), saved £128 and saved 2 days and 45 mins of my life. its really motivating having it there.

i am mostly over the cravings, just a dull, long longing now which i need tot keep distracting myself from now, but looking back the past few weeks have actually flown by, i was sure they would drag!

am having my first drink on wed night(drum roll) but it will be in my hhouse withh a non smoker, just have to get so drunk i crash out and make it impossible for myself to get to the garage if i start thinking 'to hell with it i k now i can stop so ill just hhave one then stop again!!!!

[jo1972]

Morning Ali & FBS, well done!! Hope today is not too stressful.

Ali, I have a bit of a reaction to patches, they itch a little. Also I can't wear the highest strength ones even though last time I tried to use them a few years ago I was quitting from a 40 a day habit (this time I'd only got to 20 a day.....only ), even the highest strength ones made me dizzy and faint. The next step down ones were fine for me. I don't know if they make them the same now cos I'm not using them. They really did help for a couple of weeks though to help kick start your quitting.

FBS, thanks for the link, I shall check it out now. Good luck with the drinking. I gave up drinking as well yesterday as they go hand in hand and so for the foreseeable I won't be able to have that glass of wine whilst cooking dinner Never mind, I intend to go to the gym every lunchtime this week just for 20 minutes or so to make me feel I'm going in the right direction.

Have a good day, off to the shops now shoe shopping for my eldest, I wouldn't mind she doesn't want to come out with me (typical teenager), actually said could she go to the cinema with her mates instead and would I text her a picture of the shoes before I buy them just to make sure she likes them!!! Bluddy cheek!

Jo.x

[oops a daisy]

Hi aliOK and good luck for today. I find that I get an allergic reaction to the niquitinCQ clear patches but I am ok with the 16hour nicorette patches. I tend to put them on my bum as I dont like the sticky mess they leave behind on my arms ( is that too much information ? ).

Hi fieryblondescot - well done on quitting that program you are using sounds like the silk quit one I have. I am currently 11 1/2 smoke free and havent smoked 9 cigaretts, saved £2.37 and added 45 mins to my life Im sure you will be fine on Wednesday night. I have packed in a few times - up to 8 months and it didnt bother me when I was out with a non smoker. In fact since starting smoking again I hate going into smoky areas - weird

[TightJock]

Well i finally quit the stinkerettes today, so that should hopefully save me well in excess of £200 a month, yes i know i was a heavy smoker...

We always seemed to be in our overdraft and truthfully it was my smoking that put us there. Its a great feeling just now knowing that there is lot of positives going to come out of this quit...

Anyway i will stop prattling on..

cya

TJ