Stopping smoking - yes again!

freeloader

FrugalJo wrote:

Thanks Pot, that is good news.
So eager to stop I did a very un DFW thing and went to local bookshop £9.99 Allen Carr 'Only Way To Stop Permanently' big thick bible !

but you'll recoup it in a couple of days:D ... so a VERY DFW thing to do

freeloader

james3333 wrote:

was a nightmare for first 6 months.... then, like magic....hey presto..... forgot all about 'nic' and his nasty grasp he has on smokers!:D
i set up an e-savings account with barclays, that helped A LOT , i could see it going up and up every week, now £900 smackers!

£900 ... that's brilliant! well done you! :T

freeloader

Richard_S wrote:

I've been stopped almost 9 days and I would never have believed how difficult giving up was going to be. I've read the Allen Carr book and accept the basic concepts of the book but even so, to me it does feel like a physical craving similar to being thirsty, rather than just a mental approach.

I worked from home yesterday and it was absolute purgatory, definitely the worst day since I stopped. I feel as though I could be the "weakest link" on this thread and be the first to sucumb.

On the bright side "it's almost the weekend"

I know this may sound tedious, but re-read the book, or at least revisit your personal statement (i.e. why you smoked, why you wanted to stop etc.)

(my Anne Robinson impression)

freeloader

This is meant to be an inspiration to anyone who's really suffering at the moment. I've said it on other threads in the past few days, but I think it's worth repeating...

You could not have met a more weak-willed, addicted smoker than me 2 weeks ago. I promise you I was well and truly trapped. I believed that there was no way I could stop. The fear of running out of fags would send me out in panic at all hours of the day or night, driving to the nearest petrol station, or standing outside the newsagents waiting for them to open at 5.30 in the morning. I just needed the 'comfort' of knowing I had some to hand. I was spending terrifying sums of money on this stupidity.

Then I went mad and spent £6.99 on an Allen Carr book. I read it over a weekend and 12 days ago, I had my last fag. The first week was more strange than unpleasant - no other way to describe the withdrawal symptoms.

The whole premise of his books is that we have all been brainwashed into thinking it's hard to stop, that it's a crutch, that we will suffer terrible withdrawal. All we need is to undo the brainwashing. When the book arrived, I didn't have £6.99 to waste, so I took it very seriously. I followed the rules to the letter. I nearly skipped the personal statement rule, but I forced myself to write it down (I've now got it as a screensaver). I've been off the fags for 12 days, and I can honestly say I am an ex-smoker (after being seriously hooked, escalating from 20 to 30 to 40 a day over 20 years).

If you have tried Allen Carr, and it hasn't worked first time, give it another chance (be sure to follow all the rules, and don't take any short cuts).

Good luck!

kimbo_kim

i stopped just over a week ago. never knew how much money i spent just getting cigs for the day a bar a chocolate here a newspaper there. only spent 36p this week. saving for christmas. i will do it (again) this time hate it god only knows why i started again.
good luck to us all we will do it

FrugalJo

Kimbo
Well done for stopping.
Amazing isn't it ? £10 pack of twenty, some chewing gum, a paper oh and I'll just take a dairy milk..and it's gone ! No folding just handfuls of copper. Could feed my family for two days (old Style) for that !

chloejane_2

today i need a cigarette i resisted and came home to find a packed of cigarettes on the computer table sooooo tempting, but i didnt, dont know why i feel i need/want one today but its like an itch that wont go away lol.

Arch-Angel

chloejane wrote:

today i need a cigarette i resisted and came home to find a packed of cigarettes on the computer table sooooo tempting, but i didnt, dont know why i feel i need/want one today but its like an itch that wont go away lol.

But you didn't! That's a good thing - you resisted the temptation. Well Done!! :T

This is a really good memory to use - every time you get a craving bring up the moment you just described in your mind in as much detail as possible. I remember around 18 months ago I watched a TV "stop smoking" advert - warning: this get's a little yuckky!! - when a scientist squeezed out the gunk from a major artery, essentially saying "this is in the main arteries of a 20 a day smoker". Absolutely disgusting!!!! I went cold turkey (off 15 a day) for around 9 months purely because of that advert. Although I have fallen off the wagon since then, I'm essentially "on-them, off-them" - smoking for a few weeks, quitting for a month or two.

I wish I videotaped that advert - I did have the images etched into my brain but "lost" the detail over time. :mad:

chloejane_2

im like you an on off smoker, but this time i would like to not go back to it, feeling ok now and going to make a cup of tea and go to bed to sew some name tapes in the kids school clothes, as i dont smoke upstairs so wont want one up there and will also get nice and warm and wont want to come down stairs so again wont be tempted night and good luck all, best wishes chloe.

Merlin139

Its 229 hours and 20 mins for me. 9 1/2 days if you are not too good with figures.

Must have woken up 6 or 7 times last night. The worst night since I have stopped this time. Knew it would happen but its still a pain. Its Saturday why am I out of bed at 08.30. Must be mad.

Have to go in a Pub tonight. Taking OH out meeting some friends. That will be hard!!!! One of the couples both smoke. If I come back here tomorrow with my head bowed in shame then you will know I failed.

I have started to put away the money from the ciggys up to £25 opening a BS account this morning. 20 a day, but I have not purchased a pack in this country for over 3 years. Used to buy them in Belgium. Last ones I bought from Gibralter only cost £7.95 for 200 in June got 1600

Keep up the good work everyone.