The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

[Deleted User]

Thank you Larmy & Sue for your kind words. I am feeling much better & more positive today, think the Champix is working its way out of my system. I will be calling the doctors tomorrow for another appointment to discuss my options.

Anyone who is considering taking Champix I would strongly advise you to do some research, Ive never felt like I did after just two days of taking it. Im just thankful my body reacted sooner rather than later cos some of the stuff ive since read about it, is really frightening.

Anyway back to the drawing board.

Puzzledbubbles

Hi everyone!!

I hope you are all doing well and taking each day as it comes, i think thats the only way we can fight this thing - im coming up to the three month mark at the end of this week and well, after not thinking about it for weeks all i have wanted last week was a cigarette.

Its silly i know, but at a bbq on the weekend i actually turned to my friend and said i wanted a fag so badly that i could eat whatever i wanted and could eat constantly so that i wouldnt ask anyone for one - i thought that one night of eating rubbish would be better than one night of smoking and undoing all of the hard work.

But, OMG how hard was it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At one point i was the entertainment, when one friend pulled out an evil white stick i was apparently looking at it as if i was lost in a desert and the fag was the only source of water ...................

I did resist and have found it much easier today but .....................

I would love to know if anyone has any emergency tactics to stop that craving when it is stuck in your head? I have chewing gum and that kept my jaw busy but would love to know it anyone has anything better

Thanks,

Puzzled (still struggling and still waffling lol)

Sue-UU

Puzzledbubbles wrote: »

I would love to know if anyone has any emergency tactics to stop that craving when it is stuck in your head? I have chewing gum and that kept my jaw busy but would love to know it anyone has anything better

Oh dear Puzzled, you really made me giggle at parts of that, especially the desert part as I could actually 'see' you as they portray people desperately wanting water while in the deserts and having mirages of water...water!!! Don't be too hard on yourself with your feelings last week, you had a hell of a tough week, and where many would have caved you had the strength and determination that nothing was going to stop you quitting. You're to be greatly admired and respected and I do BOTH!!! :T Be so proud of yourself..and the distance you've already travelled Puzzled, you've done tremendously well and should be so terribly proud of yourself and your achievements!!! :T

What did I do when such powerful cravings came over me? Exercised as hard as I possibly could, all the while breathing deeply. It helped me no end and I'd highly recommend it to all. Other things are doing something you really enjoy putting yourself into....yep, that too!!!

No good I have to go as my cursor going to pot here and keeps taking my words all over the shop! No idea what's up but maybe a new mouse is needed.

Night all and keep quitting and staying strong!

Sue

Puzzledbubbles

Awwwww, thanks Sue

I ended up going and talking to the children, not unusual for me to do that, but normally where i would have made a point of not going near them while smoking i made a point of going over there so i didnt smoke

Exercise sounds ..................... painful lol, i am relatively fit but could be better - think the cravings were worse becuase im not drinking at the moment becuase of pain killers so kinda started to look at things as if i was depriving myself - something that has always made me cave before - but i managed to give myself a mental slap and get on with things.

Sue, your mouse - is it a wireless? if so you might just need the batteries changing

Puzzled xxx

Sue-UU

Puzzledbubbles wrote: »

Sue, your mouse - is it a wireless? if so you might just need the batteries changing

Puzzled xxx

Thanks a lot for thinking of mouse and me, Puzzled, though sadly there are no batteries, just one gert long tail into the PC .....that's where he has his cheese!! No I'm NOT mad! Errr.....um... :rolleyes: Have done another malwarebytes check of the whole system last night and am hopeful that the 1 thing detected will be the bu**er that's been messing me up so much. All much better today and hoping that's the way it stays. :shhh:

Good for you for pushing yourself re the kiddies, it's good to push ourselves to do things to help. Though I can understand your thoughts, there's only one thing you may have been depriving yourself of and that's........GOOD HEALTH!!!! Exercise is great Puzzled and get the endorphins going, go for it!!:D

A great post powerpuff5 and the recreational activities with your new sets of friends will be a great way of dealing with quitting...losing weight and keeping fit too. Well done!! :T

It's been quiet the last 2 days folks, all meaning that your going at it for all your worth and notching up more and more non-smoking hours and days! Keep it up, keep strong and keep healthy!!! :T

Sue

oldblueeyes_2

Just wanted to say that never, ever give up. It took me a couple of attempts to finally stop, but I've been smoke free for close to 10 years and its definitely been worth it.

You'll know you've cracked it when you can go out and hang with the smokers and it not bother you one bit. Even now I'll still go and stand with my friends around the small electric heater round the back of the building for all the gossip. Does anybody else still do this? Where do you hang out and does all the inconvenience bother you now?

SandC

It's been one of the things that has been a bit weird about giving up smoking for me actually. My friends at work were actually just fellow smokers. I am not in their gang any more. I am the outcast. I realise we only really were so chummy because of the smoking issue, now I don't go out we don't speak much.

Is this a big problem? Nah, I don't miss being part of a gang who 9/10 are the outcasts

BonandDom

Just read through this whole thread and have made my mind up.

There are lots of reasons why I should give up:-


Health - although relatively healthy (only got a dodgy back and ankle:rotfl:) I would like to feel better, do more exercise without coughing that badly my lungs feel like they are going to explode.

Lifespan - would be nice to live a bit longer

DD - need I say more?

Money - £4.60 a day =£1679 pa, and that doesnt include the lighters that disappear into the great unknown and petrol etc getting to the shops. £1679 means I can buy myself a new motorbike:D

Self esteem - I CAN do this

Time - think of all the time I would save not searching for that lighter that works, going to the shops to buy them and going outside when I am desperate for a smoke

And only two reasons why I thought I couldnt

OH - smokes

..... thinking about it there was only one reason - me being pig headed and saying if you can't be bothered to give up why should I?

So - here's my plan.

Today, 23/09/2009 is my last dirty, smelly, unhealthy day.:A

OH will just have to get his own cigarettes (maybe that will encourage him to give up as well)

Each day for the first three months I am going to put £5.00 in a jar and treat DD and myself to something realling nice.

DD & I will start getting fitter (jogging or something - not quite worked that one out yet).

28 years smoking, imagine how much money I would have now:o

Morgan_Ree

This will be my third attempt at giving up in a year and I'm determined to do it this time!!
Problem is I've never gone longer than 3 weeks

I've got an appt at 1 to see the nurse and get some patches and one of those inhalaters (it's the holding the cigarette and inhaling it that I've found I miss the most)

I've been smoking 20 a day since I was 16. I'm 23 now but sometimes I feel 3 times my age!
When I wake up in the morning I feel like I've got an elephant sitting on my chest, it's just awful

Plus the money I'll save will help me out loads when I start Uni

SandC

Good for you!

Don't dwell on the money you could have had - you would never have saved it up, but just spent it. One of the majors for me is that my cigs at the time I stopped in March were £5.65 at Asda and £5.85 at Coop. That worked out around £2000 or pretty much exactly £170 which was the figure that meant more to me! £170 per month! I had found that with a few things I needed to pay up for at the beginning of the year I was really struggling money wise. But I felt like I could never whinge about being skint when I smoked. Then when I totted it up for real - well it was one of the pushes I needed.

You might find it difficult to put £5 in a jar every day - you'll forever be at the ATM getting cash out (I know you will say you would have been anyway but trust me it will be difficult). I set up a standing order from my current account to 2 other accounts I have and increased the money I already have going into an isa. I now have 3 separate 'pots' for various things all boosted by the money saved each month.