The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

bms1972

mazza111 wrote: »

Welcome newbies,
....
bms are you using anything to help you quit? NRT/Champix/Cold Turkey.

Thanks for the welcome Mazza. Just cold turkey, which is generally how i have given up (temporarily, eek) in the past. Did use NRT once, but wanted a fag the minute I stopped with the NRT.

I did actually buy Nicotine lozenges in advance of giving up this time, but after reading a lot of the stuff on the whyquit website I decided cold turkey was the only way to go. The information on there has given me a much better understanding of why the cravings occur and the intensity of them, as well as why "just one puff" is so deadly. I'm hoping this better understanding will help me through the tough times of giving up.......

Good luck in your own battle in overcoming your recent lapse :-)

Rich

Kazipoo

gromit2303 wrote: »

Hi all, very inspirational thread, well done. Today is my first day without smoking - I started the tablets a week ago, was allowed to smoke for the first week, tho I did cut down. But I hopefully smoked my last cig last night. I'm a bit worried about doubling the dose of Champix as of tomorrow after reading all the scary side effects - in fact I am half tempted to stop taking it at all. I've had a splitting headache all day today and wonder if that is a side effect..... though a whole bottle wine has probably added to that!!

I have officially been stopped for just under 11 weeks now :j. I used the Champix tabs and found that I had absolutely no side effects until after I stopped smoking, which was after about 6 weeks on them. I found that unless I had a substantial breakfast on a morning before I took the first tablet, I felt sick, so I advise that you eat well. I decided, along with my nurse, that I would come off the tablets 8 weeks ago because they were making me feel ill, and although I have the odd moment when I think about having a fag, its not a craving and its as easily forgot as it is thought of. I had a few drags a few weeks ago cos the hubby pee'd me off because I felt he wasn't trying, but it didn't make me want to start again.... it tasted the same, don't get me wrong, but when I thought about all of the time and effort I had put into stopping, I knew I wouldn't start again.

The hubby has been a different kettle of fish. He was fine on the tablets, but now 18 weeks later :eek: he is having some severe side effects. His moods are erratic, his libido is down and he suffers terrible heartburn and indigestion. Because he has been on them so long (and still not fully stopped) he and the nurse have agreed that he "take a week off" so as to give his body a rest, before he tackles the final two fags a day and finally beats his habit.

Kilmaley01

Hi Kazipoo, thanks for the words of advice and support there. I intend to try stick with the Champix for the time being, did feel a little sick after day 8 tablet this morning but it wore off after a little while and a pint of water. Had some very peculiar dreams last night tho and laid awake tossing and turning from about 3am..... I hope thats not going to be a regular thing!!

Sounds like you are doing pretty good yourself and haging on in there. Hope things mellow out a bit for your husband tho, sounds like he is having a hard time of it which in turn must make it harder for you.

My OH rolls his own and hasnt given up just yet, he's going to follow suit in a couple weeks I think. Last time we tried, cold turkey, at the same time, we were almost ready to kill each other by the end of the week!!

I dont mind as he goes outside for a roll-up and tends to clean his teeth or use mouthwash after so I cant really smell it, at least rollies dont smell as much as tailors..

Enjoying having the support on here and reading how everyone is doing. It's great. x

Kazipoo

gromit2303 wrote: »

Hi Kazipoo, thanks for the words of advice and support there. I intend to try stick with the Champix for the time being, did feel a little sick after day 8 tablet this morning but it wore off after a little while and a pint of water. Had some very peculiar dreams last night tho and laid awake tossing and turning from about 3am..... I hope thats not going to be a regular thing!!

Sounds like you are doing pretty good yourself and haging on in there. Hope things mellow out a bit for your husband tho, sounds like he is having a hard time of it which in turn must make it harder for you.

My OH rolls his own and hasnt given up just yet, he's going to follow suit in a couple weeks I think. Last time we tried, cold turkey, at the same time, we were almost ready to kill each other by the end of the week!!

I dont mind as he goes outside for a roll-up and tends to clean his teeth or use mouthwash after so I cant really smell it, at least rollies dont smell as much as tailors..

Enjoying having the support on here and reading how everyone is doing. It's great. x

I used to have vivid dreams anyway, and I actually found I have slept better whilst on the tabs lol. But everyone is different... for example, I have been quite emotional lately, which generally isn't me, and like I said earlier, OH is a right royal pain in the backside and tbh quite nasty on occassion... it has been a real test of our relationship.

mazza111

I don't think the dreams are anything to do with the Champix tbh, I am still getting them and think they are something to do with nicotine withdrawal, some people get them on the patches too. Although I must admit it gets easier as time goes by.

Jamie88_2

Hello all, 8 days off the smokes for me, went to the smoking nurse earlier and blew a '1' in the blower, equivilent to a non smoker. I'm on patches, will power, cross stitch and sudoko!! The single champix I took was enough to realise that smoking is a serious addiction, not the 'habit' I'd always thought it was..

Good luck all.

bms1972

I've certainly had more vivid dreams when i give up. Also find it much harder to get to sleep. (not just from giving up this time, but from past experience too)

May not be a problem tonight tho - got hit by a big craving just as I was cooking dinner. So I cracked open a bottle of red; it was gone within 30/40 mins! Giving up smoking certainly makes alcohol appealing and even easier to drink:beer:. I guess I'll be off to join that thread next :rotfl:.

92 hours and counting...........

mazza111

lol @ bms. I've been the opposite, have had 2 bottles of sparkly in the fridge for 2-3 months now, scared to drink them because i go on the fags when i'm drinking

Naomim

Hi Everyone

I just thought I'd pop in as it's now been 4months 2 days and you can see from my sig how much money I've "not spent" :j:j

I quit on the champix but only actually took them for 3 weeks :rolleyes:

DH had his first appointment at the Docs yesterday and has also got Champix but I think he's building himself up to taking them.

Well done everyone

Naomi x

bms1972

mazza111 wrote: »

lol @ bms. I've been the opposite, have had 2 bottles of sparkly in the fridge for 2-3 months now, scared to drink them because i go on the fags when i'm drinking

Yeah, the wine certainly didn't stop me craving. But it did mean I couldn't drive to the shop and buy some :-) Though I did find when I gave up for 4 weeks earlier this year that I broke the link between alcohol and smoking. Never previously thought I could. Was actually completely sober and nowhere near a bar when I decided that 'just one puff' was ok to mark a stressful day at work.

Well, that's another day done, even if it was a bit touch and go! Time for bed ready for an early morning start on tomorrow's no-nic challenge.