The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

oldreekie

Hi everyone. Just popping in to say that according to Silkquit it is 1W 1D 12h 12min 34sec and I have saved 14hrs 10mins of my life :j Do you know if there is a way to have those extra 14hrs now?

Will report back tomorrow but must get to bed.

choille

All the best to you.

Today is my 5th day ciggie free.

Sue-UU

3 weeks of freedom from them is brilliant Neenie_o!!! :T Try not to think about the 3 weeks, 3......... etc; no doubt it was what one person's experience then, as with most things, they told someone else who thought "ah...I think that happened to me" and so on. Treat each day and each week as an amazing step forward, THAT'S what counts! I had a great vision of you playing with that tangle toy in such a frantic way, almost disembowelling the poor thing!:rotfl:You did really well though, and - you coped!!! On with the next day!

You're most welcome Emma. I'm so pleased you got an appointment for next week, I nearly suggested it last night, but thought you may have already done so the first time round. Never mind, do as she suggests and let them help as much as possible. Sorry about your Son, I had him in a dress/skirt for some silly reason! Enlist his support, he'll be so pleased later on to know he helped get you through. There - I spelt it correctly tonight, sorry about last night, I noticed the mess I made just now! Oh dear!

Excellent choille!! 5 days is just GREAT!!! :T 2 more days until your first week complete.... go on keep at it hard!!

oldreekie, you're doing marvellously, I'm so very chuffed for you!!! :T Re the 14 hours.... err.. how about waiting til you've quit fully, then adding em all up! Those Silk Cut doofers certainly get you motivated by keeping you in check with your gains in LIFE! I've never seen one, but know they have to be good from what everyone says.

BTW oldreekie I see you've even put the amount of time smoke-free and method used in the title bar 8 days - patches & inhalator:T!!! Fantastic! I just wish everyone would do the same so we can all remember, thank you!!

Another day of great news everyone! Keep hard at it, it can be achieved with a strong will and determination! Have a wonderful, smoke-free weekend, get out in the fresh air and get a good hard walk if possible.

Sue

jammy_dodger

hi folks

not posted for a a few days busy at work , glad to see so many of us doing so so well

though i barely think about the smoking if it enters my head its usually feels in a past kind of tense , something i used to do .but dont do anymore ..
STILL taking one day at a time you'll hear me whooping when i've reached my 8 week hurdle as thtas hwen i have given in in past .but as i have said to colleaguesand maybe on here too , MY mindset is different this time i No longer wanted to smoke when i chose to stop ...previous attempts were beacause i thought i should stop for me that has been the BIG difference ...

how time flies on... remember reading your posts choille, captainspam . oldreekie , to name a few and as it was in my early quit days new EXACTLY how you were feeling . STAY POSSITIVE EVERYONE

emma133 a very warm welcome glad to hear you are seeking the professional support and wish you well with your desire to quit . GO ON FREE yourself and enjoy a smoke free journey ..Our support is here whenever you need it feel free to share your thoughts and gripes , good luck x x

KEEP GOING EVERYONE x x

oldreekie

Hi everyone.....

Well done choille - you have had such a hard week especially with losing your lamb but you have stayed strong!

Thanks for the pep talks, "coach" (Sue-UU)

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement. I keep visiting during the day but try not to linger too long - just reading the word s***e puts me on edge

I have discovered that our local pharmacy runs a support clinic. I just have to drop in once a week for a chat and to blow into the machine. It read 0 on day 6 so I think it is broken! They hand out free NRT so I now have some lozenges for those really bad times. I had not been sleeping too well - kept waking up during the night - so now, I take the patch off before going to bed. Problem is, even though I put on another patch first thing, within 40 mins of waking I want a cigarette. Inhalator was not working but a lozenge does help. My favourite cigarette of the day was the first, sitting in the garden with a mug of tea. It was when I sorted out the jumble in my head and made a plan for the day. I have tried it with just the cup of tea but it does not work .....consequently, the jumble is there all day......any ideas?

I do worry about becoming addicted to all this NRT but at least I am not as depressed as last time. One step at a time.

I have joined Nicorette Activestop and recommend it to everyone....even if you are not using the products (just say you are). I receive texts twice a day, an email every morning and there is a Craving Helpline. NiQuitin do one as well - Quitmasters - lots of interesting info and there are games to play during moments of stress. Sorry if this has all been mentioned in the past but I have not had time to read this thread from the beginning..not yet!

I am taking Quiet Life - valarian tablets and, so far, have not shouted at my OH, the dogs or the cats.

Some days are easier than others but there are times when I do not think about smoking for ages. This is good:j The smoker's cough has gone :j

Hope you are having a stress-free weekend and are managing to avoid all the usual triggers.

choille

Oldreekie - that's brilliant with the 9 days.

My cough has also gone at 6 days - so that's good.

I think the broken sleep thing is a common thing - I have that also & I'm on Champix - could be just the change in tar in your system? I don't know.

I'm feeling a bit jittery tonight - I find the night time a bit worse - although the first thing in the morning isn't great.
I feel a bit like I'm winging it being on the Champix as if I'm cheating - I don't know. Probably just as well that I'm not near a shop as I think I may have weakened a bit today for some reason. But it is good to remember that the cravings pass - although I don't know if mine are for nicotine as such - It's just that it's like something is missing in a way.

Good news is that I am managing - you do. It is as if it's all a cruel joke & I should have done it years ago. Sorry rambling on now.........

I'll have a look at the craving helpline if things get tough - thanks for that.
All the best to you & everyone here - brilliant having you lot on here.

oldreekie

Hi choille

"It's just that it's like something is missing in a way."

I know exactly what you mean; a sense of loss; a yeaning? Last summer when I gave up "cold turkey" it was even worse and had me in tears day in, day out. Someone told me that it is very common. We have "lost" something ~ our old friend "nic" ~ and are mourning that loss. Maybe someone else can explain it better than I?

Remember when we smoked (!) and really wanted one when we could not? That craving is so different from what I feel now. I wonder if everyone feels this when they stop?

I do recommend the ActiveStop programme - the texts are so encouraging. Every night, before bedtime, they text to ask if I have managed to resist lighting up and then follow up my reply with a "well done". The daily email encourages me to log into the website where they set daily tasks and have a progress monitor.

Hope you have a good night!

choille

Hi Oldreekie - Yes, I think everyone does feel that way.

I stopped cold turkey about 22 years ago - only lasted 4 months & the cravings were much stronger & I felt very down as if I'd lost my best pal. It doesn't feel as bad as that - probably because the Champix does the same thing in the brain - releases dopamine - I think.
But when you've been smoking a long time then it's bound to feel weird for a while. The other day we were going out & I kept saying, 'I know I've forgotten something.'
I always would check I had my fags & lighter & of course I was still almost doing that.

It will get easier - Just like my breathing. I actually feel a bit like I can take deeper breaths. I was a bit wheezy for a few days but feel a lot more clear - in a way.

I will just go & google the Activestop programme.

All the best
Cheers for that.

Sue-UU

Lovely to see you back declaring your 6 weeks 6 days freedom from smoking jammy dodger!! It's fantastic news and such an achievement - already!!! :T By heck, your 8 week hurdle won't be too long to come either, but one day at a time jammy!

Another very good day behind you oldreekie! Each one that passes successfully is such a success in itself, very well done!:T Great news about the support clinic, your Pharmacy is doing wonders for you all with that! So your reading is down to 0 already :eek:, that is amazing news and must have made you feel great about it all. Keep going with it, it sounds perfect and it's always good to know there's someone there for a one-on-one chat, to help you feel special too! Brilliant news about your smoker's cough having gone!!

Never mind about sorting out the jumble in your head, try sorting out your routine as soon as you wake up, until you're at a safer time of day. Go and have a shower and clean your teeth, go for a quick(ish) walk. Change your morning drink to drinking chocolate maybe (it tis good enough for them in France, it's good enough for you too!) or even a glash of pure orange juice. If you don't normally have breakfast then try a bowl of cereal, one that's not too enjoyable. You could always opt for a high fibre one..... then you won't need to sort out any jumbles as you'll be in the loo all morning!! Then again...... maybe that's the answer! Anyway, look at every aspect of that time of day and see how you can change things in order to change your thoughts. Try sitting down with a crossword maybe or a game of patience, something similar. Please oldreekie,don't worry about becoming addicted to the NRT, that'll sort itself and you'll soon want rid of ALL nicotine from your body. For now, live each day a day at a time, let the future take care of itself in the 'as and when'. The Nicorette Activestop sounds a great place to be when you've 'problem times', games to play during your 40 minute period too maybe!

Another day chalked up for you choille, you're coping well and should be very proud! :T Please choille, don't consider that being on the Champix means you're cheating, it might be making things more bearable, but it's NOT cheating! If it's a case of going cold turkey and not being able to make it through, yet by taking Champix you do, then it's all about the final quitting that would interest me. We all want the same thing, but for each of us it's being individuals that dictates what's the best way to do it. You just concentrate on the fact that if you can make it through to that great goal, it's THAT which counts and that alone!!!

You're so right in thinking that broken sleep is a common thing, I was always dreaming I'd taken it up again and used to be so very distraught, and I thought it was only happening to me! I now know I'm normal, though we won't debate that too much right now! If you get a bit jittery at nights then get yourself the "Dr Bach's Rescue Remedy", it really does help you to keep calm and stay calm, they even recommend it to students taking exams!! As I was saying above, it's all about what's best for YOU! Give it a try. It really did help me as evenings were always worse for me. BTW You 'can' take deeper breaths as you're gradually clearing the way through now there's no muck and rubbish being pumped down to stop it. Breathe deeply and be proud!

Re the "missing something" I know exactly what you both mean and it really is a sense of loss, a grieving for a friend who was always there when we were stressed up, so we relied on using that friend 'to help us through'? What a sad shame that it's only now we realise just how awful that friend was to us! Instead of de-stressing us it made us reach for the next even faster, and it stressed us even further. That friend would even make us go out in the pouring rain to satisfy the craving it had put in our minds. It went even so far as to rob thousands of folk of their health, and so very many of their lives. Oh how sad we were to think THAT friend was a good friend. Now we're left with a slightly messed up head, until we get over that grieving process, and for now it often feels like a yearning, something missing in our lives, yet we're not quite sure what it is until further down the track.... then suddenly it 'hits' in that "ah, it's the feeling that I should be having/taking that too!!! That's when we're coming free from it, but NO MORE!!! We've freed ourselves from that friend who thought so little of us, it will never 'use' us that way AGAIN!!!

Have a lovely Sunday EVERYONE, enjoy it and do try to get out for some pure fresh air to penetrate those lungs which are beginning to regain their fresh, pink colour rather than being brown due to the tar and smoke that's made them anything but normal. You're out to win back your health,don't let anything stop you!

Sue

ameliarate

In March 2009 I posted here but despite support from great people here and at home I didn't manage to stop smoking.

Today I am very proud to say that i am on my fourth day of no cigarettes, with the aid of champix. :j

I am still finding it extremely hard and getting cravings all throughout the day. I know I have a long way to go but something has changed in my mind I think and I am confident that I can do it.