The Giving Up Smoking Thread!! Part 2

carl_e49

Thanks Little Lily,

I am enjoying reading the posts from page 1, am currently on page 10, have been reading for over an hour and I need to go to bed now, I think. I am looking forward to it, but am worried that I am going to fail again. I have downloaded the Easy Way audio book from audible, so am going to listen to it from tomorrow morning, hopefully setting aside six hours to listen to it. At the moment my shoulder pain which is at the top of my back, so it is not really my shoulder is irritating me, so hopefully the pain will go when I quit. I will post again tomorrow night and let you know how I am getting on, thanks again.

Sue-UU

Hi again MoonRose77!!! It's so good to see you back again with such good news, 2 months and 3 weeks is a marvellous time to feel so proud about and I'm thrilled to bits for you!!! :T I do so hope your poor hubby can stick to quitting soon, though I can understand his feelings about the health part, a sort of "oh well, damage is done now so might as well have one and ease the stress!" Which sadly, then causes more, but that's much like I was all that time ago!:o Keep giving him plenty of love and support, which he needs so much of, and it sounds as though you're the perfect person for that job!

Come back with another update as soon as you're able, it so good to see old 'faces'. I do hope "BlueIsTheColour" is still ok, she was having real problems a few weeks ago, but I remain hopeful for her. Congratulations MoonRose and keep healthy.

Another positive post from you again whathavewedone, very well done!! Good to hear the coughing up is lessening, but so good to hear it's coming off your lungs. You keep on looking for those really positive signs and reasons and you'll make it, I'm sure! :T
You too are doing brilliantly ameliarate! :T You're keeping those numbers well down and that's the important bit for now. Congratulaions with resisting the one burning a hole in your pocket, a great way to view it as it's very true! Do what you can and PLEASE don't worry about anything else, the time'll come just as it did for me when it suddenly hit me that 2 was ridiculous, but I had to wait for those words! You're almost there, just hang on a bit and keep up with the carrots and anything else you find helpful. Don't forget the water!!!

You really are racing on maccababe!!! :T Never mind about the biccies so long as you're getting that vital exercise it's THAT which is the most important thing! You're getting plenty of fresh air and the time to fill your lungs with it all. Feeling very tired in the evening is certainly all to do with quitting, psychologically you're also wishing the day gone and the next to come so you can get closer to the winning line. Make sense? You also sound as though you're getting a fair bit of exercise which is adding to the tiredness as well as making you cough all the rubbish up more, but keep that exercise up as it's having a great effect! Bleeding gums does happen with quitting too ...the things we put our bodies through before we quit! have less of that 'restless' feeling. I doubt that your skin looking brighter is wishful thinking as it changes it so very quickly, great benefits eh!!!

So sorry to hear of your step dad Tisme, I see what you mean about the ironies now! Let's hope that this is the "3 in a row" that can often then stop the rot and that things - including the will - will settle down and all come right for you. All best wishes for a good recovery for your step dad. I am delighted you didn't let it get the better of you and you were so very right about a fag NOT making things any better!!! Keep that thought in your mind whenever temptation sidles in, keep strong.

Oh dear stroppy, that really took some courage to come back and admit your slip up, though it's such a rotten shame it happened, but you've slated yourself more than any of us could do. Look upon that one as being a blip, don't go right back to the beginning again as it may just topple you and make you quit quitting, please don't let that happen!!! You really need to do something or go somewhere during the evenings when you know you're at your worst time then. Keep a glass of water by your side during the evening and keep sipping it as well as having good drinks of it and do please get more daily walks (early evening ones too if poss!) in so you get the proper tiredness back and feel more relaxed that way. All the very best stroppy and stay strong!

Do you still have a glass (or 2) of wine every evening? If so, please try to change it for something else for the short term if it's affecting you like this. Would it help to change your seat to another part of the room? Please try to get something to destract you, find some sewing to do and mend something which'll make you feel good about yourself as well as veing another achievement. How about a crossword or scrabble, cards or something similar. You're still so young and wish to keep your health good, so come on stroppy think this eveing problem out and go forward with living a healthy life - please!!!!

Hi Carl and a warm welcome! Why don't you put your mind at rest and go to your Dr to have your shoulder seen to, it may be an imaginery thing due to you knowing you need to quit, but if you get it checked out it'll ease the worrying so much, so long as you don't use it for an excuse to keep smoking or you may well be in trouble soon! I used to worry myself sick about me getting cancer or some other awful disease - I don't now! Good luck with "the Easy Way audio book" though I have to admit to knowing nothing about it, but it may just be what you need. Keep photos of your mum close to your chair, TV, bed anywhere so you can see her and remind yourself that you wish to stay living - that she would too! She's watching over you so why not make her proud and make this time the successful time!!! All the very best Carl and above all, keep strong and keep drinking water and OJs.

Hi Jon (ad1jnl) a warm welcome to you also! You and Carl could team up and help each other on here, it really does help to have a quitting pal to chat to daily, all of us too. Mainly it's your health you need to concentrate mostly on, but if you're going on a DMP, then the money spent on fags will help you so very much, especially over a year! Good luck for Saturday and keep strong all through!

Sue

ameliarate

carl_e49 wrote: »

Hi All,
I'm new to this and don't post on any message boards, so please go gentle on me. I'm Carl and have smoked since 11yrs old, i'm 34 now. My mom died when I was 15, and I really need to give up, I'm single and live in a high rise flat, I sometimes have pains in my shoulder area, which gets worse when I breathe. I have tried to stop several times, tried patches but they either slip off or don't stick properly. I don't want to be ill, like my mom was as she lost her leg through smoking. The problem is I'm okay sometimes during the day, but it's in the evenings, when I'm on my own or when I have been paid and go into a shop and temptation gets me. I have found that this forum is great inspiration, and I think everyone on here should be proud of their achievements. I am definitely going to quit tomorrow. I have only got 3 left.
I hope I can do it.... Thanks all for the inspiration.

Hi Carl, am only a couple of days ahead of you but promise it is not as bad as you might think. My mum died when I was 10, though not due to smoking it was cancer. Good reason for you to give up.

As for the pain in your shoulder, it could well be tension, I get it too. You should still get it checked out, but when it comes on try lying flat and breathing slowly, from the diaphragm, hold it for a couple of seconds and then breath out slowly. see if that help.

Good luck.

whathavewedone

Hello everyone, welcome newbies.

Poor Stroppy. Don't beat yourself up, there's no point. You've done fantastically well for your first attempt. Lesson learned now dust yourself down and keep going, it was only half a cig it doesn't mean you've "failed". Think about all the cigarettes you haven't smoked since you quit. I've pmed you.

Thanks for your ongoing support Su-UU, it's great to hear from someone who is still so evangelical about giving up smoking after 10 years. It proves I CAN do it for good.

I think that's my problem. I've been here SO many times before. Quit for 6 months, 3 months on numerous occasions, 9 months twice, 2 years (yes you read that right, 2 YEARS) once and a few days on numerous occasions.

It does feel different this time though, possibly because of my age and the ages of my children. Money was never that much of an issue before either but with me not working and the economy in the state it's in it's a major issue now.

The worrying about dying of cancer and other diseases is something which has really only troubled me for about 3 years or so (with the exception of when I was pregnant) but it had become something which, when I thought about it from time to time lying in bed and unable to sleep almost paralysed me with fear. It still does because I don't believe that I am truly free yet. I don't know if I ever will feel like that but I hope that I do.

Cigarettes truly are evil. They look so innocuous but they rob you of health, money, looks and self respect in the end.

Sorry for the depressing post today. I had a poor night's sleep last night (am prone to insomnia and it's particularly bad at the moment).

ad1jnl

Sue-UU,

Thanks for the pm - going to print that out and put in a handy place. I've wanted to give up for health reasons for a long time - the DMP is just another incentive as it costs an horrendous amount. Just started reading the Allen Carr book again which I'm hoping will help. Might have my first stop smoking day on Friday, as once I've finished the ciggies I've got I'm not buying anymore.

Niksan

Hi, thought I'd jump on board, having stopped with the tar sticks, but used the inhalater things from boots, cheaper than a packet of tabs as well, been over two months now, and was an investment of 14 quid for the plastic tampon and 5 strips of cartridges. I highly recomend these things, I tried allsorts before, patches, gum etc. It took about two week to get bored of smoking and not to be in a position of being deprived, which I guess is the hurdle of giving anything up.

And last month I did a bank check to see how much I saved, it was over £300, I guess you save more than just the packet of cigs, as in my case, I drew a tenner from the bank at the service station and with the change you buy other pap, now I avoid drawing any cash out.

So bank and health much happier, good times :money::j

stroppy

Hello everyone!
Thank you for all being so nice to me
Welcome all new people!
Well i am just looking upon it all as a little blip and am back on the wagon now;)
I have swapped a lot of my daytime habits and this seems to be working out fine...drinking expresso instead of tea/eating breakfast instead of smoking cigarettes for breakfast.Just need to find something to do whilst chilling out at night and watching t.v!
Am quite proud of myself today as I just had to phone AOL about my broadband...this in itself is usually enough to have me weeping upon the floor and chain smoking my way through at least 5 cigarettes!Automated flippin service,pressing number after number to finally be put on hold for half an hour then finally getting through and finding the person on the other end cant understand me and nor me him,going round in circles for another 20 minutes then ending up getting nowhere and slamming phone down in tantrum......anyway I didnt smoke and I got through it,if i can get through that I can get through anything
Thanks again everyone and for the PM whwd.....may consider what you said.
My goal now is not to give littlelily chance to call me a numpty again....:rotfl:
See you later off out for yummy lunch and bit of shopping therapy
Stroppy xx

MimiJane

Hi all,

Time to join the forum I think having reached half-way through Allen Carr's book and wondering if I should be starting to cut down when in fact I'm in a total panic and smoking more than ever :rolleyes:

Firstly, very well done to all of you who are resisting the weed It does help to remember life before cigarettes and my memories of a "successful" hynotherapy session 3 years ago are still with me. I made it to 10 months before I started again during a family crisis ... what a bl**dy idiot when I was totally over it, but I know now that "just one" is not possible :rolleyes:

I desperately need to stop ... I'm choking madly every night in bed and feel my head is going to explode and have a serious medical condition which makes me prone to strokes and affects my breathing (I have given up before a few times when I've been in hospital :rolleyes:).

I can't do this to my wonderful partner any more ... I've put him through enough illness already and he's given up begging me to stop. He's not well himself and needs me around for as long as possible.

Only smokers can understand why we continue to do it, ignore the possible consequences and think we're invincible.

I've just had a breast cancer scare which, thank god, came to nothing, but it scared the living daylights out of me and has made me determined to STOP!

Well, that's my reasons for stopping ... helps to type it all up and sorry to go on!

I'm interested in other's experiences of Allen Carr's book. I've looked back through some of the thread and know you're supposed to continue smoking as you read it, but should the desire to smoke diminish as you read it?

Any reassurance gratefully received ... I CAN do this.

Good luck to everyone I think this is a great thread for so many of us that need the support of others going through this.

Mimi x

mumofcookers

Hi all
This is my 4th go at this in the last 18 months, so here I go again with my Day 1.
I am going to try cold turkey again and see how it goes.
I have not had one since 10pm last night and have had the normal cravings for most of the day which some have been quite bad but I know these don't last forever!
I hope everyone is having a good day!
Wish me luck!

ameliarate

mumofcookers wrote: »

Hi all
This is my 4th go at this in the last 18 months, so here I go again with my Day 1.
I am going to try cold turkey again and see how it goes.
I have not had one since 10pm last night and have had the normal cravings for most of the day which some have been quite bad but I know these don't last forever!
I hope everyone is having a good day!
Wish me luck!

4th go in 18 months! wow. good luck.
Good luck Mimi as well. I tried Allen Carr, you get excited towards the end and look forward to stopping. However, for me it lasted about an hour. My sister did it and lasted about a year.