The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

stroppy

Hi everyone,
I started off reading the Allen Carr book but i only lasted a couple of hours to be honest.I had totally made up my mind I wanted to quit but each time i tried I would get to 5 or 6 hours and feel so irate i could explode!
I signed up for fresh start and got a nicotine inhalor which I used a lot on day 1,it helped a little bit and to be honest I was shocked i got through the first day!I then went on a site recommended on here called whyquit, again they advised same as Allen Carr to do the cold turkey for just 72 hours and then you are over the worst of it.I have read so many posts/blogs/forums over the last few days to get my mindset right as I really do believe thats mainly what its about. I still have the inhalor and will use it if i become desperate. Tonight is a big hurdle for me as its usually couple of glasses of wine/20 cigs it being Friday night and all that :eek:
If im honest i dont know what I really think is the best method still....im just trying to get through it best I can !

whathavewedone

I don't like the inhalator personally (tastes wierdly peppery) but I don't get this the worst is over after 72 hours thing. Sorry but that is just blox. That's when the cravings peak imho (and I've given up at least 5 times cold turkey).

There are no prizes for suffering. At the end of the day what matters is that you give up smoking, not how much pain you had to endure to get there.

I like patches because I can stick one on in the morning and forget about it until I go to bed. I do agree with Alan Carr that things like gum and inhalators just remind you of having a fag - except chewing a piece of gum or inhaling an inhalator just feels really rubbish in comparison. At least patches deal with the withdrawal symptoms without actually making you replace something with something else.

Anyway, it's up to you but if you feel really bad I don't think you'd do yourself any harm in using low strength patches for a few weeks. If you use the 16 hour ones it's far less nicotine than you get from smoking, even if you use the high strength ones so you are weaning your body off gradually. Don't forget you are also withdrawing from millions of chemicals, carbon monoxide, rat poison etc. You don't have to do it all in one go.

Friday nights are hard anyway. My dd keeps getting out of bed and my patience is thin. It would normally be a few glasses of wine and lots of ciggies. Oh well, just a few glasses of wine and no cough in the morning.

TismE_3

Well, we went to see the new leaf guy today, was really quite nervous and did have a little thoughT of cancelling to be honest :rolleyes:

My other half has never been before so he was asking me loads of questions, he thought it was going to be kinda like a AA meeting and was worried he'd have to stand up and say my names so and so and i smoke about 20 a day.
he was relieved when i explain it would be just us too!

I explain my situation with the advisor first and then OH went in and explained his, then we both went in together and he spoke to us about all the benefits to giving up, i found him really positive and encouraging, totally unlike my last advisor who was very patronising in her approach.

We both decided on the same NRT, so will be using the 24 patches and inhalator.

after some discussion with OH and advisor, our quit date will now be this sunday, and very suprisingly he told us to have a cig as normal on sunday morning and then quit!? which i've not heard of before, had imagined us staying up extra late the night before smoking all we could manage!! before falling asleep. He also reassured us that for our area, he has one of the best success rates which he was very proud of.

So all in all, i'm feeling very positive about it all and am no longer dreading our quit date, but am instead quite looking forward to it !! :j and so is OH :T

Well done to all who have not smoked today:T

Tisme x

Sue-UU

You and your OH did brilliantly on Thursday evening whathavewedone and time spent chatting is always good for any couple, but especially now! I'm pleased you managed to go to bed later too rather than be waking early in the dark with "thoughts" going through your mind. A good idea to go for an "indoor" meal on your OH's Birthday, how about something a little bit special for a gift to try to spur him on?! You've got the right attitude about telling him you're staying quit IF he does fail to resist. I do so hope he can stay as strong as you are.

Well Stroppy, let's hope last night was a lot better than the one before. There will be many different feelings about what is best and what isn't, but everyone has their own way of getting through this amazing journey. The nicotine will have left your body after 72 hours - but if you keep taking the things that help during the first few days I really do think it helps. Mainly drink glassfuls of water as that will fill you up and you'll 'crave' less. Keep on with the pure Orange Juices too and no matter how daft it sounds, ice poles are a great thing to have in the freezer as they last a fair time and the cold helps too. Do you still keep carrots, celery in the fridge to nibble on? ..same with large apples, it honestly all helps. Another thing you don't speak about is exercise, it really does help us all through. Even a brisk walk around the block or park is great for releasing the endorphins and helping you feel FAR better psychologically. Or how about excerise DVDs? Bolt up and down the stairs whenever your mind is messed with, it'll soon get shot of the demon!:mad:

The coldsore and everything aching is all part of quitting, it gets to our weak points, but soon enough they'll all go. Be careful not to read too many posts/blogs as you'll baffle yourself completely and have so much racing through your mind that you won't know which way to turn, you need to relax as much as possible and do someything you enjoy. For me day 4 was when I started to feel much better, but the sleep patterns went on for longer. The best thing for that though is trying to stick to your normal time, but relaxing in the bath or shower and feeling all the muck that's been coming from your pores going down the plughole. Pamper yourself and have a mug of hot drinking chocolate, then read a light book if necessary. BTW, I reckon your friend was a saint in not smoking the whole time you were there! Keep up that great work stroppy, you may well entice her to join you before long!:D

Excellent news again Graeme! You've done amazingly well as that's a good long while to have gone for. Keep coming with those positive updates, it's a joy to read them.

Wonderful news ameliarate, so good luck with today, may it be good to you! I agree about the thread, it's so good to have a place where all quitters and 'want to be quitters' can come and moan, advise or seek help. All the best and keep strong and use the tips!

Hi goochie and welcome to the thread. Keep reading the thread and getting advice and the strength ..I hope ...to take the plunge and start a whole new life - free from the powers nicotine and fowl smoke have over us. I've just read a bit about Bio-Reduction Therapy but had never heard of it until your post, not quite sue what to make of it, but will have another look later today. We have had many successes with members who have (and are) use patches, champix and cold turkey, it all depends on the individual. Whichever way you cloose, I wish you well - and I wish you every success. Keep in touch with us, especially when you quit, meantime I'll also send some tips.

Thanks so much for your kind words and thoughts Sparrer, there will be no more suffering for her now and she's most likely with FIL who died of lung cancer some years ago. How sad it is we have to do (or risk doing) such things to ourselves - when there is another option if only we have the courage. Easier to say at times than to do! I can certainly imagine your pride in your dear lass, how positive away to view it all, bless her. Look after yourself Sparrer and keep with us.

little_lily wrote:

Honestly, honestly, honestly - from someone who was EXACTLY where you are now (as Sue-U will tell you as she bore the brunt of my rather emotional and hysterical rants!!!) stick with it and before you know it you'll be over the worst.

No idea what you're talking about Lily! :rolleyes: Very true though, and look where you are NOW!! :T

Hi Tisme, good to see you went and that it was successful for you both, the only thing I don't think I'd agree with is starting the first day - with a ciggie!:eek: To my mind it was always that first one that encouraged the rest for the day, but, if it works......! You're right on not dreading your quit date, go into it, and the day before as relaxed as possible.

Keep it up everyone and have a lovely weekend and remember that each day got through is so much to be proud of and is another day closer to that wonderful goal.

Sue

whathavewedone

Day 6 and I feel a little bit grouchy. Oh and I were a bit scratchy with each other last night. He is in bed and I am with the children. Already been out for a walk (completely agree Suu that fresh air and exercise make you feel a lot better). Also drinking a lot of orange juice.

I have a feeling that this weekend is going to be a bit tough - I always smoked more at weekends than I did during the week.

I think we need to go out for the day somewhere. When oh surfaces...

stroppy

Day 5

Well last night was another tough one....ended up in bed much earlier than a usual friday night.Hung on by the tips of my fingers and managed to get through it though!
Today I feel very irritable and short tempered,keep snapping at everyone.....:eek:
Know I have to get on with it and just hold tight,am taking it hour by hour today.
Stroppy xx

Sue-UU

Hi whathavewedone and well done for going out and getting that fresh air and exercise and I'm pleased you agree that it makes you feel a lot better. It puts you in a far better frame of mind to tackle the tough times, so long as you keep it up!! Pleased you're also having the orange juice, but don't forget plenty of water too! OK, so this will be your first testing weekend - but - with the exercise, tips and focusing on those beautiful kiddies you WILL get through it, especially as you're just a day away from a WEEK free!!! :j

Hi again stroppy and well done for getting through another night, if going to bed early makes it easier then do it, but as soon as you can get back to a normal routine do so. No matter what you think, for just being day 5 I think you're not doing that badly at all. I say just being day 5 but having got that far already don't you feel so very proud of yourself for being free from all the smoke in your lungs (and everywhere else it touches) and nicotine going through you brain and body??? Course you do! Are you saving the cash that you would normally spend on them? If not, get a jar ..anything and put the money in it on a daily basis and watch it grow, then view that money as dirty, stinking dog-ends!!!! Now don't you feel so MUCH better at having gone without and saving it instead! The affects of all that time smoking can still play havoc with our brains - BUT - if we think of ways to view it all we can also find ways to get round it and get one, or more, back on that evil little b****r :mad: that tries to sway us!!! :T Congratulations to you BOTH whathavewedone and stroppy you've come so far already and it just ain't ever worth going back to a time later on and starting it all over again -or worse still - NOT quitting again and quite possibly having so many illnesses to be at risk from!!! Get some exercise stroppy, and drink PLENTY of water and keep active with your mind and hands!

Go on girls, and if you're wondering whether you can do it, then I'm sure you CAN so long as you don't allow time in thinking you can't! Keep busy, keep active, keep strong and get healthy again! :j

Sue

maccababe

Stroppy, i know exactly how you feel but it does get easier as time goes by. This week seems to have been quite difficult for me and I have been thinking about smoking a lot. Some people advise you to think about smoking as much you can as a way to exorcise the demons but that doesn't work for me so I push any smoking thoughts to the back of my mind. Various stressy type things have come up this week which is not a surprise, but generally I would have a fag. The stressy thing wouldn't go away but I associate the fag as making the stressy thing easier to cope with which, of course, is rubbish Not making sense am I?
Its a lovely day here and Im going to take the dog out over the fields and hopefully the exercise will make my mind less restful.
Well done everybody, have a good day.
maccababe

whathavewedone

I feel much better today. I had a good night's sleep apart from some odd dreams. I dreamt that I smoked and woke up and thought "oh no I've ruined all my hard work" and then realised I hadn't after all.

Still find myself flying off the handle at the slightest provocation. Went mad at oh this morning because he took our daughter to the loo and was retching (she'd had a poo sorry if tmi). He was in a right panic trying to clean her, getting mess everywhere and generally making a fuss about nothing. Marched into the bathroom, chucked him out and told him he was an idiot. I have since apologised though.

It's a beautiful day where I live which makes a huge difference to my mood and also means we can go out somewhere for a nice long walk.

Still coughing up nasty brown stuff in the mornings. I wonder how long that will last. Not much longer hopefully.

Am really pleased to have almost done a whole week. I already feel having come this far that I don't want to undo the good work.

Positives so far:-

1. Not opening my daughter's curtains and seeing a full ashtray from the night before sitting outside on the table in the garden.

2. Not having to empty said ashtray and wash it up.

3. Not having to shiver outside on cold wet days just to smoke.

4. Not having to use mouthwash, febreze and perfume to mask the smell and still worrying if people can smell it on me

5. Not being breathless when I run up two flights of stairs (even on day 1 I was less breathless)

6. Not feeling like a scummy mummy

7. Being able to cuddle my children without worrying about carbon monoxide fumes from me since my last fag contaminating their little lungs

8. Not having yellow teeth any more

9. Having better skin and brighter eyes already

10. Not having to spend any time worrying/thinking about when I will get my next opportunity to have a fag.

Still have a cough and a slightly tight chest but it's getting better all the time. My daughter turns 3 in 2 weeks' time and I'm hoping that by then I will really feel like a non smoker.

stroppy

Day 6
Thanks for the support and thanks Sue for the PM :-)
I also feel a lot better today, for some reason I feel a lot more positive again.
Yesterday and Friday were what I would describe as pretty Hellish, I think maybe one reason was it was the weekend and I generally let my hair down a bit more on a friday and saturday and I just felt so lost!
Im so glad I didnt crack and have one yesterday....believe me I was so close!
I think ive gotten to a point where I know that if I did have one now it would be a waste of time and would undo all the good work I have done.I cant even imagine having to start again!
The cravings seem to have calmed down a little and I dont feel like crying today, am still a little short tempered and like whwd said I am blowing my top at the slightest thing,ah my poor family at the moment
Not coughed anything up yet....for some reason im looking forward to that,lol.
I have not been near anyone who has been smoking since I gave up and have not even had a whiff of one,am getting a little worried that when I do I will still love the smell of smoke.....:rolleyes:
Well done everyone
Stroppy xx