The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

Sue-UU

Hello mz_grim and a warm welcome to this really healthy thread. Welcome to MSE too, this is a wonderful forum and I hope you'll love it as much as we all do. I'm sure that we've never had anyone from Australia before, so it's good to see you. That was exceptionally bad luck after champix, still it's so good that you're not giving up with the quit and are having another go. :T I've sent you a PM and I hope it helps, but there's so much help and support to be had here on the thread with all the others who's goal is the same as yours - to be freed from all the awful things to do with smoking. All the very best for the nrt to help so much, though itt's amazing what willpower will do alone. Stay strong and as Andrew rightly advises, read through the posts here, they're great!

Andrew , have a really wonderful week in Majorca, relax and enjoy yourself. Be sure that the only sticks you bring back with you are sticks of rock all round!

Hiya Puzzled, lovely to see you again, and fantastic news that you've stayed quit for 11 months! Many congratulations on such great success!!!:T:T:T That tonsillitis really did do you a terrific favour. :j Don't worry those 'thoughts of something missing' soon diminish altogether until you find that you haven't even thought about one for ages. It'll happen Puzzled, I assure you!:)

Em, 3 weeks free is such great news!:T So is having got through the wedding without getting anywhere near one, brilliant news! Be soooo very proud of all you've done Em, you've come a long way, very well done!

It's so very good to see so much positivity among everyone, hang on to it folks, each day is a step further away from your smoking life ....and into the fresh, healthy one you're heading for!!

Sue x

FabSascha

Hello everyone! Just thought I'd join as I'm planning to quit smoking in the morning and I'm rather nervous. I've done it a few times (so obviously it's something I'm rather good at....) and don't recall finding it too difficult, but for some reason this time I'm really worried. I think it's because the times I've done it before have been mainly due to just deciding to quit and doing so, but this time it's more motivated by my father's cancer diagnosis. I'm not being pressured but I just feel ridiculous carrying on smoking. So tomorrow I shall hopefully start my new life as a non-smoker

I'm all geared up with the patches and inhalator - so I'll be welcoming my new NRT addiction....I know someone who quit over a year ago using chewing gum and he's STILL using it. This concerns me but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Anyway, glad to hear people are doing well on hear and I hope that in a few weeks I'll be saying similar things!

Sascha x

FabSascha

P.S. Any words of wisdom/tips/advice would be most appreciated!

Sue-UU

Hi Sascha and welcome to this really healthy thread! Despite you having tried to stop before I'm so pleased your poor Dad's illness has sparked off the yearning to once again give it all you've got - and maybe this time - to SUCCEED!!!! I do hope you can as it's one of the greatest things you'll ever do for yourself, I know it turned out that way for me and I've never for one minute regretted it!!!

You have the PM I sent you so I hope that helps, but come on the board as often as possible as there's so much help and support to be had here on the thread with so many others who's goal is the same as yours - to be freed from all the awful things associated with smoking. I'm sure your Dad will be delighted if you can rid yourself of the weed for good, and maybe some of you is doing it for him, but mostly you're doing this for YOU and to win back your life! Don't worry about friends and their stories, you're YOU and this is your story and it's you who can give it a great ending!

Keep strong and determined and beware of alcohol in your early days! Under the influence you're far more likely to give in to "just one puff/cig" and you'll hate yourself IF you do. All of us here will be rooting for you to win through to your goal Sascha and yes, you CAN do it!!! :j

I do hope all goes well with your Dad, all the best for you and your family.

Sue x

yoemma

hello - i was hoping i could join in? i've been on patches for the past 4 weeks but once the weekend comes with a g n t in hand, the patch gets ripped off along with my willpower. i smoke around 10 cigs a day normally, nothing when i've got the patch on and how ever many i can if i'm drinking. i really hate smoking, a good friend died of smoking related illness which i know should be reason enough but it's so difficult.

i hope being on here will give me some motivation and inspiration and really kick this habit for good!! x

larmy16

Hi Yoemma and welcome.

I attempted to quit many times and on one of those quits I decided to cut out alcohol. I never went back to it yet I went back to nicotine several times!!!!!!

I know this is not the answer for you probably but I think generally if you can cut out the alcohol in the first few weeks you will have a much stronger chance of succeeding.

My mum died from a smoking related disease - smoked most of her life. She was of the generation where they were encouraged to do so. Even seeing her in so much distress did not put me off - such is the evil addiction. It would rather kill us than see us quit.

I am smoke free for over a year now and it is such a relief to not have to worry about what every puff is doing to you. After the first drag, I think it is downhill all the way.

All the best to you. We all support each other on here.

I_Wanna_Retire_Someday

Just popped in to say "I'm still going". Over 7 months now. Don't think about smoking hardly at all.

Keep going everyone:T:T

Sue-UU

Hi Yoemma and a very warm welcome.

I do so hope you're able to turn around the drink and ciggies habit, is there any other drink that would help?...or is it just the "a g n t and fag" that go hand in hand as soon as the weekends come round?

You seem to do marvellously in the week without problems, is that right?

IF you really do want to quit smoking, please, please, keep away from alcohol and anything smoking habitual so to speak. Whether it's a g n t or coffee, it makes no difference, it's the link between the habit that one brings with it. Just as you'd change coffee for tea, drinking chocolate or something similar to break that connection, you need to think of a way to either skirt round the habit or leave alcohol alone completely whilst you're so vulnerable. Is the place the problem?...if so move away from the pub/restaurant etc, but if it's just as soon as you get home then try another drink for your sake!! Life is a precious gift Yoemma, please don't risk it, not when you obviously have it in you to quit, and with comparative ease by the sounds of it.;) Sort it all out in your head before Friday comes, and see if you can break the habit of the combination, if so you have a GREAT chance of quitting once and for all, but it always takes plenty of willpower and leaving off things that affect us most. We ALL wish you the very best to say goodbye to smoking and hello to a very healthy life and lungs. You CAN do it, but talk to us and let us know exactly how you're affected, just maybe we can help you through it, I really, really do hope so. Larmy also has some great advice above, please keep reading it and taking note, she has come sooooo far and accomplished so very much! You can too!

Very many congratulations IWRS!!!!! :T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T You've been brilliant throughout it all and 7 months plus freedom from fags is so much to be so proud of!!! :j Thanks a lot for updating us IWRS, for helping others along too, you're a star!!! :staradmin

All the very best everyone! It may not feel like it for a few seconds every now and then, but quitting is the best thing you'll ever do for your health. Push on! :T

Sue x

oldreekie

Hi everyone - rather quiet around here at the moment. That has to mean that you are all getting on with life as non-smokers

SilkQuit says:-

3 months 2 weeks 3 days :j

£590.56 saved

2109 cigarettes not smoked :eek:


waccoe, first time I have been called a "legend" - it made my day!! Hope you are having a wonderful smoke free holiday.

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement - still here! Smoking is still the first thing I think about on waking so I am doing battle with the NHS - there does not appear to be any follow up service after the 3 months of NRT. One has to wonder how the NHS knows that the Stop Smoking programme is successful.

So pleased to see so many folk still going strong - bluebellbunny, jammy dodger, IRWS & stclair. Well done :T :T :T

janiebaby29

Im still not smoking , i gave up about the 14th january this year , and getting on with life , i do still think about them though , but havent given in once ,
just as well as im having major surgery on my back in the next month and they say to stop smoking as it interferes with the bone fusion !!