The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

Derby-Girl

I'm afraid I didn't get through the first day. I smoked two in the evening, but I'm trying not to beat myself up about it too much. From 20 a day to 2 is an achievement...I do feel bad for letting myself and others down, so I apologise but I'm back on with it and feel fine.

I did feel really dizzy when I woke up this morning, my boyfriend said it's likely all the oxygen that I'm not used to breathing. Did anyone else experience this?

Vashda your post was really excellent. It really is just a case of getting into that state of mine. I don't think I'm quite there yet but your experiences continue to inspire me.

I hope all of you are doing well and felt nice and fresh with the beautiful day this morning. Keep on going, we WILL be free of this addiction!

Edit: Oh and Cath, I didn't get hung over, thank you for thinking of me though! Hope you sleep better tonight

fullstopsmoking

Hi,

It has been a long time since I was last on this forum. Good to see the thread still going.

I stopped about eight years ago and just wanted to see if I could offer any advice.

Willpower is a strange thing. The will to do or not do something. Many smokers think they do not have a lot of willpower. However, if you look at it in a different way they have too much. Knowing all the things they do about smoking and what it is doing to them and still smoking takes massive amounts of willpower.

The secret is using this will in the right way. I always viewed willpower like the devil and angel sat on each shoulder. The angel telling me to stop and the devil telling me to carry on. It was just a matter of which one shouted loudest. It was always the devil of course. Usually beacause smoking was instant relief from how i was feeling rather than having to wait to feel different.

This internal argument will continue until one side either gives in or you change something. Get the two to agree and there will be no conflict. All that willpower will be directed in one way rather than pulling you apart.

What if I sais to you "it is easy to stop smoking" you would probably shoot me down in flames but what if I said all you have to do is get the permission to stop and it will happen.

Permission from who? yourself, your inner self usually known as your sub-conscious. You have to look at it this way

The mind is the most powerful computer in the universe. and for anyone that knows computers they have two distinct parts.

The Operating System (Sub Conscious) - When you start your computer up (wake up) certain routines have to happen in the right order so that it can function. In human terms the waking process is like rebooting. Things that happen naturally and without thought are like the Operating system. Imagine if you had to think about walking. If you had to consciously think about every step you would not do it. The same with talking, breathing and eating.

The programs - (Conscious mind) - to do certain tasks we need to open up various programs. These are used as and when needed unlike the OS (Sub Conscious) which is running continuously.

So what does this mean for smoking. Certain tasks that you were not born with are later transposed into the Operating system. Driving a car. You would not be able to drive if you had to consciously think about changing gear and steering so it has be done subconsciously. The same has happened with smoking. If you had to consciously think about smoking or actually smoking you would not do it. The filter applied to thoughts in the conscious mind would not allow you to hurt yourself. However, as smoking is already based in the non thinking side of the brain it does it with interferance.

Only by changing your mind about why you smoke will it allow you to change your smoking mind.

Hope this helps

birdlady

Hi everyone, thank you for all the support us newbies are getting. Rebecca I think you are quite right not to beat yourself up, have you stopped again today? I have found this afternoon much harder, mostly due to stressing out about a letter from the Inland Revenue (long story), it just goes to show how much we think we need the cigs when things go wrong, as if they change anything. It's just as well there's no one else here to listen to me grumbling although I did just turn on the hose to soak a squirrel that keeps raiding the bird feeders!:mad: I might have to copy Caz and strip some wallpaper, whether it needs stripping or not!

Must go and find something to do with myself

Cath x

birdlady

Morning All :wave:

I slept a lot better without the patch and feeling much calmer this morning. I've also decided to just put half a patch on , I can always put the other half on later if I need it. After today my cigarette money will have paid for the patches I bought so I can start a savings pot for this ---> lol.

Hope everyone else is doing well,

Cath x

waccoe_2

Good morning Cath
I am just a bit worried about you cutting down on patches so soon, I am on day 42 and am still using the full 25mg. I will be reducing this to 15mg soon.
Do you know that you can get them on prescripion for £7.20 for 14 or even cheaper still is eBay.
Please let us know how you go on. Everybody, keep it up, it isn't easy but it will be worth it.
I have been through some really stressful days since I stopped. For a moment I have thought of having one but each time reminded myself about the days that were worse than this and I got through that one so why give in now!
Andrew

larmy16

Well done Andrew and everyone else. Wondering if OldReekie is ok?

Anyway, in my experience, I would say for the first few weeks it is hard going. Then you have the loss and realisation that you really have quit and I think nicotine can rear it's head most in those times.

For the first six months I think you are at your most vulnerable, though there are long periods when you will not even think about smoking.

After a year, I can honestly say it really is very easy indeed.

Funnily enough I had an experience being around my friend who still smokes. I was in her kitchen where she was having a fag and I could actually feel it affecting me physically, my eyes were stinging and I could feel it in my lungs.

I have never really been aware of this before. I get a whiff of people smoking, and in the past I might have thought mmm that smells pretty good, but now I do feel it is horrible! So things have definitely moved on for me.

biggybum

am joining you today and giving up in the morn, i av patch at yje ready, wish me luk:j

waccoe_2

Welcome Biggybum
Good luck for tomorrow morning.
I suggest you read some previous posts as there is plenty of useful advice.
Keep in touch.
Andrew

birdlady

Evening All, and Hi Biggybum :wave:

Waccoe thanks for being concerned, to be honest half a patch has felt much the same as a full one, the morning was easy, the afternoon harder, although I might have to go to A&E and get the dummy cigarette surgically removed from my bottom lip :rotfl:
The patches make me feel a bit 'hyper', I felt a little more relaxed with just half but I wouldn't hesitate to stick the other half on if I was even thinking about going out to buy cigarettes. When I felt very stressed yesterday I went for a long soak in the bath, unfortunately the patch lost most of its sticky and was only about a third attached for the rest of the day. I'm not sure patches are for me but i will persevere till i use up the 14 i bought then I might go down the gum/lozenges route.

Biggybum, best of luck for tomorrow , my daughter just quit without any problem using patches, so don't be put off by me.

Everybody else :T

Cath x

larmy16

Well done Birdlady. It will not be long before you will be forgetting those patches!