MoneySavers don't smoke!

mr_fishbulb

music_facer wrote:

Or you could go cold turkey?

Tried that. My girlfriend wasn't exactly impressed with my withdrawal moods

elyobelyob

silverfoxdude wrote:

Great thread, feel we need support to quit, at least its somewhere where someone will be on to get encouragement!

<snip>

On the cost side, we brought back loads of cigs from abroad so I've been smoking them, at no seeable cost, and OH smokes tobacco, again bought in bulk from abroad.
Healthwise, I have bowel disease that was probably caused by smoking, and will only get worse if I carry on, so I must do it, and stay stopped.

There is also a good newsgroup .. alt.support.stop-smoking (AS3).

I have never really given it my best try, as I've never felt 'at risk'. However I know that that is just an excuse .. and incorrect. Then I blamed the fact that I like to have a beer and cigarette together, and that I didn't want to give up going to the pub.

So, now I'm on blackcurrant squash and no smoking! I'm also hoping to lose weight. They say most people put on weight, but as I have stopped drinking, I expect a good number of pounds to go missing. (Probably not often people on this forum look forward to saying that!)

Anyway, I think my small success so far is due to scrunching up and throwing out my last cigarettes. I felt like going through the bin and trying to straighten them out. Then I realised how stupid that would be. That was a good milestone. It was probably a rash, but good, decision. Since then I just picture myself going through my bin if I want a cigarette. Next I'll be picking them off the pavement .... (some people have gone back to smoking for exactly this reason, discarded packs with a couple left in them).

freebie_junkie

it can take up to 6 months for all of the chemicals to leave your body. hypnotherapy can help as the majority of teh addictive element of smoking is teh routine its attatched to- i.e. ima smoker coz i smoke when i have my morning coffee and my friends smoke and i smoke before my tea or whaever. thast teh thing taht needs to be changed more than anything- teh routine and teh attitude, so youre no lonegr a 'smoker', youre an ex-smoker.

does it help a money saver to know that A twenty-a-day smoker could watch up to £1825 a year literally go up in smoke! givingupsmoking.co.uk provides a calculator that shows you how else you could spend so much cash. If the
twenty-a-day smoker had been doing so for four years, they might have otherwise bought: 487 CD’s; 12 Mediterranean holidays; 11 flights to Australia and 29 weekends in a health spa!

wierd huh?

ive never even tried a cig and my dad is a hypnotherapist. i write a column in my uni newsapaer calle dtegh peniless student and im always going on about how much of a waste of money cigs and alcohol are, i dont have either and im so much better off than most of teh people i know who do!

good luck to any people quitting nd dont forget that boot's 'change one thing' pack about smoking contains 3 moths worth of 25% off coupons for nicorette and the boots own-brand version gum and patches.

Smiley_Mum

Did anyone see the programme the other night with Sophie Anderton and TPT on it. Going cold turkey giving up cigarettes. SA was a lot more receptive to the therapy than TPT. They had to smoke several cigarettes one after the other, and take a puff of the them every six seconds until they were finished, and continue for several. This made their throat ache and burn, make them dizzy, make them feel sick, make their mouth like an ashtray etc. TPT only smoked the odd cigarette and was not very receptive to the therapy. They had to be checked a little while after finishing cold turkey therapy and TPT was still smoking whereas SA was not. They had special glasses which were made in such a way to mimic a disease of the eyes caused by smoking. SA was made to walk up a flight of stairs with the amount of oxygen available to someone suffering from emphysema. TPT was made up with loads more wrinkes etc and greying hair. They were shown the amount of tar from a load of cigarettes, they had to attend an operation of a guy who had suffered a stroke due to smoking etc. Perhaps, if all those trying to give up smoked three or four cigarettes, taking a puff of the cigarette every five seconds and continued that for 4 or 5 cigarettes, and then hold the way they feel in their head. Then when they do go to light up a cigarette, they won't want to due to the thought of feeling so rough.

I don't smoke but my mother does, father doesn't. My father had given up several times in the past but always ended up back on them due to my mother not giving up. My father has now been diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) and is on several inhalers etc. He is continually at the doctor etc with various problems, blood pressure etc etc and it is mainly due to having smoked for years. He doesn't smoke but my mother does and I get soooo annoyed at her as she still smokes in the house. I tell her to smoke outside, because despite her smoking in another room away from my father, the crap still hangs in the air and does him no favours but she can't see that. Selfish or what!!!!

Hope all these people making a New Year Resolution to kick the weed, do it. I don't smoke so don't know how difficult it would be to stop. Huge pat on the back to all those who have quit/are trying to quit. Think of all the extra kudos in your hip pocket, and not the tobacco companies. Also all the taxes etc that go to Gordon Brown etc.

My father told me about my grandfather who used to grow tobacco in the back garden, used to roll it with some whiskey and smoke a pipe of it when the minister came to visit. I think that was one of the reasons the minister visited so often, so my father says anyway.

barbara22

I can appreciate the logic of giving up cigs... but, I can't say I'm sorry that I love smoking, even though it costs me enormous amounts of money. I am also asthmatic (this is hereditary in my family though, NOT due to smoking) and I do know very well that smoking exacerbates the problems associated with the condition, i.e. I get a lot of throat and lung infections and I also have high blood pressure (although I didn't feel any effects of this before my doctor told me I had it! Food for thought, that).

The problem is, I could probably cut down or even stop if it weren't for my work - we are expected to have a 'working lunch', and as part of my job involves being the first line phone response (we don't have a receptionist or switchboard) I never get a break, except when I advise my colleagues that I'm going for a cig (non-smoking offices only, so I smoke in the workshop or warehouse).

Of course, this means I have two options, I can die of work-related stress but give up smoking, or I can smoke and at least have the occasional break during my working day - devil and deep blue sea come to mind.

I will also admit that when having my post-work drink, it would be practically impossible not to smoke - the two are so intertwined and it's the only time of day that I get to 'unwind' a bit.

I'm probably just a hopeless case, I can't see a way out of this. I have tried to give up before, the last time my partner ended up throwing a pack of cigs and lighter to the snarling beast in the corner (me!) in order to save his sanity.
_pale_

A big big congratulations to all of you that have managed to give up one of the most addictive drugs in existence.

r-world

I gave up cigs in August 2005 after visiting a hypnotherapist. I decided to go that route as I didn't feel the patches would help and I hate chewing gum. Although it cost almost £100 I made the money back within a couple of weeks as I was a 20-30 a day smoker for almost 20yrs!

I gave up purely for financial reasons and the money saved has made a big difference. I'm not one of those preaching antismokers and can be out at social events and not be bothered by others smoking around me but there is still a feeling of smugness that I still don't smoke although I think about it once almost everyday and have even dreamed I was smoking!

freebie_junkie

barbara22 wrote:

The problem is, I could probably cut down or even stop if it weren't for my work - we are expected to have a 'working lunch', and as part of my job involves being the first line phone response (we don't have a receptionist or switchboard) I never get a break, except when I advise my colleagues that I'm going for a cig (non-smoking offices only, so I smoke in the workshop or warehouse).

Of course, this means I have two options, I can die of work-related stress but give up smoking, or I can smoke and at least have the occasional break during my working day - devil and deep blue sea come to mind.

I will also admit that when having my post-work drink, it would be practically impossible not to smoke - the two are so intertwined and it's the only time of day that I get to 'unwind' a bit.
.

my partners dad works in a factory where smokers are allowed a 'cig break' but non-smokers dont have an equivalent and he just goes on out there and stands outside for a bit despite being a non-smoker if anyone complains he just asks them to explain why its fair that smokers would get an advantage break-wise over him. i also used to be a manager at mac donalds and of course smoking isnt allowed in teh building so other managers would go outside so id get a drink and stand with them- if anyone asked id just tell them i was having a pop break- why not try that?

and with regards to the post-work drink i refer to my post before, to become a non-smoker you need to change these patterns, alter teh part of your brain that says drink=smoke.

good luck

bargainqueen_2

I quit cold turkey over 7 months ago (after 12 years of a packet a day or more) and I have found it easy. My motivation was that I was skint and wanted to be able to buy nice things rather than ciggies. My Partner stopped at the same time, which did make it easy, because I am a competitive person and there was NO WAY I would fail before him! Maybe it helps getting a friend to quit, too? Anyway, a few of us have been supporting each other on here since March last year, so anyone who needs help or encouragement or has good tips, come in and say hi!
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=38742

michelleshoc

I have just given up with Zyban after at least 30years of smoking and I cant praise it enough. I also walk around with an NRP inhalater but thats more about replacing holding the ciggy. Just realised haven't done so for 48hours

If I say I have received emails and texts from friends abroad totally gobsmaked when hearing this news. I was the last person they (or me) would have thought would have done so.

But one day I woke up and decided the white stick of which I smoked 40 daily had top stop ruling my life, there was the determination needed but I knew I would need help. I had in previous years half heartedly used patches, gum, lozenges etc but had carried on smoking at the same time feeling quiete ill :mad: I did everything with a ciggie except sleep, it was the last thing i did b4 sleeping and the 1st thing I did when waking.

I have to say I was sceptical at the concept: you take Zyban for 2 weeks while smoking and then on your quit day total cut off. On my quit day I had 2 but also managed a 2 hour car journey with none (previously unheard of), and then 1 smoke after lunch the next day and that was 11.5 weeks ago.

About 5 weeks ago I had a sudden urge which I didnt fight and had 3 puffs and I was soooooooooo pleased when I didnt actually like it.

I have just spent a week in Nth Cyprus over New Year and realised EVERYONE smokes lol so thats another milestone for me. But I can honestly say I have had very little craving for a smoke, more an annoyance when people are billowing smoke around me lol

Yes there are possible side affects. It did affect my sleep patterns a bit but if you make sure 2nd tab is taken 8 hrs b4 bed it helps. As time progressed, if I took my 1st one too late I would not take later one (another positive step when i didnt rush for a cig). I have also at times felt just crap and lethargic, but the way I see it is, if 8-12 weeks of feeling under par is weighed against being a 'non-smoker' I will take the 1st.

Mind you its cost me a fortune in clothes washing liquid etc as I have become paranoid now of the smell and have re-washed everything lol and I have to work hard on NOT becoming a righteous 'ex-smoker'

On the subject of cost, zyban is on prescription so it is the cost of a normal one (free if you are excempt) Patches and the like are FREE from NHS smoke cessation groups.

OMG I have rambled on here and well done if you are still reading. I know 3 months is only a starter, but as I was previously a staunch NEVER want to giver upper its amazing lol

Please email me off list if I can help anymore michelle.shoc@virgin.net

Good luck to anyone who takes up the challenge :j

Lovingitifitsabargain

4th day - struggled well bad yesterday read SEZDAV post and made me feel so much better as they had also experienced bad feeling on the 3rd day - Feeling proud I am also on my 4th day just gotta get through the weekend now !! Hope you are all doing well and not struggling to badly - we will crack this we can do it we don't need a ciggy