The Giving Up Smoking Thread - Part 3

Kiwisaver_2

dundeedoll wrote: »

I know without a shadow of a doubt that had I not posted on here my 'Quit' would have been like the ones before..............temporary!

I can't argue with that, the support and information has been invaluable to me. Of course all my life since I first started smoking I have known it wasn't doing me any good, but still I carried being so on staunch and arrogant at times that 'I am a smoker and nobody is going to stop me doing whatever I like.' Pah, to you various Governmont bufoons and non-smoking goody-two-shoes types telling me how bad it is for me, you can put all the pictures of diseased lungs on my fag packet, you can increase the taxes by 10% every year, but you still won't stop ME. :rotfl: Honestly, they wouldn't have stopped me, I have had various people in my home and work life who have at various stages tried to ridicule or nag me into stopping.

On reflection now, I feel that each time in the past when I gave up or tried to give up, I honestly thought I was doing it for someone else's benefit and not my own. :rotfl: How mad is that?

This time for sure it was all about ME and YOU guys on here!! I can almost guarantee that if it weren't for this thread, or the earlier ones that I first stumbled upon, I wouldn't be sitting here not having had a fag in over two months. It's nothing short of a miracle, the motivation has been immense. It's like group therapy, but even better that you can remain reasonably anonymous and say whatever you like without feeling like a fool or that you are being judged.

I suppose being older and wiser helps a lot, we eventually come to realise that we're not actually invincible. I may be way off the mark, but it does seems most on here are longer term smokers and it helps no end to feel like I am among peers and that you are all in a similar age bracket to me. It is awfully patronising and your defences immediately go up, when some young upstart medical professional starts going on with the question of 'How may cigarettes do you smoke per day?' You go to the doctors with earache and they somehow always manage to make you feel like it's your own fault you're sick because you smoke.

Hope you all have a lovely smoke-free weekend.

Tink_04

Hi i have recently stopped smoking for the 2nd time and am looking for some support - i had smoked since i was (15 now 26) and me and DH quit when we bought our house i stopped for 3 years but started again last year and smoked about 7-10 a day, for 6 months just listed myself as a social smoker who could stop etc as was only smoking on a night time or when we were out but it gradually became full time and ive been smoking again for 16 months!!! i decided to stop yesterday and TBH i wasnt that fussed and only had a few thoughts but nothing major really - Last time i stopped i used patches but didnt want them this time so going cold turkey - im trying to clear my debts and have a young daughter so my long term goals would be to clear my debts and be healthy for my little girl!

hermum

Hi, I am planning to quit today when my baccy runs out. I've given up several times before usually for 3 months at a time & once for 9 months. This time I want it to be for good.
My main reason is the stench, I'm well aware that me & my house stink. Until last year I hadn't smoked indoors for 3 years but then for some reason I started to & now can't enforce that ban on myself again. Weak willed. So I'm now smoking far more than I was last year.
Secondly is financial my parents go on holiday a lot & bring me back baccy as gifts. I'm just about to finish the last packet & they aren't going away again for a couple of months. To buy it for that length of time will cost me approx £150, or over 1 1/2 weeks benefit.
I have seen the pretend ciggies at the local shop so if needed I will go buy one of them, I do wish though that you could buy different sizes as they look huge in comparison to a rolly.
Or patches if I want to go out on the street & start killing people.
I am going to go to the beginning of this years thread & read it to see how others have stopped.
Good luck all.
ETA am going to be a Flybaby to try & keep me busy & hopefully get the house in order at the same time

Lippycow

A fortnight ciggie free and i feel good:-)

little_evo

Congrats Lippy, i have managed a whole week so far without picking one up, i don't feel the need to have that hand-mouth connection anymore, but i guess i do do a lot of typing which keeps my hands very busy-lol

I am still chewing the 4mg gum though, i really want to try and cut that out to see how my dependancy on nictone really is...

Talking of stenches hermum i got in the car this morning and i was a serious smoke driver, every time i'd drive i'd light up and boy does the car stink, a serious clean is in order but i doubt i will ever get rid of the smell that lingers in the car...oh and good luck with giving up, same to you Tink

Lucy1010

**Kat** wrote: »

I have a confession. I fell off the wagon big style last night (had 5). I received a text from a friend which wasn't meant for me but for another friend. Basically, I already have a DS who is 3 next month and they don't have kids yet. DH and I are hoping that with a big push at paying off our debt, we can try for baby 2 next year. I had said that to the texty friend yesterday and the text I got which wasn't meant for me basically said for the friend who should have had the text to hurry up and get pregnant and that she would too so they are not on the same maternity leave as me but they are with each other.

As you can immagine I was really upset and had to have a face to face confrontation about it (and while we were at it we cleared the air of everything that was bothering us) but I turned to evil nic as I honestly didn't know how else to cope.

If anyone has any "tricks of the trade" so I don't fall off again, please let me know as I don't want things like that to become an excuse for me. (ps really don't want one today so not fallen off entirely).

Don't worry Kat, I had a wobble myself not long ago and I came here for support but I am so determined not to let stress drive me to smoking again. Smoking doesn't relieve stress, it's just added to yours because now you have to start your no smoking journey again. You can do it babes...! xx

**Kat**_2

Thanks Lucy - you're right, I need to stay strong. I don't want my DS to see me smoke anymore so I need to not smoke! xx

jammy_dodger

a warm welcome hermum and tink04
youve come to the right place for support and encouragement , hopefully you will read some of the posts from guys newly quit and from the longer quit ones for inspiration , and motivation , iyt truly is the BEST gift you can gibve yourself , freedom from fag breath:D along with a host of other benefits inc financial , focus on why the quit time is right for you now and please vent , rant etc on here we all know EXACTLY what its like in those crucial early days , plan your day and prepaare for those trigger times when you would smoke and plan an alternative atrategy or slightly change routine if you can

we all wish you well kEEP POSTING AND READING and if you can put in the title bar how long quit and what method used it will help those supporting you to give help

and glad to see your blip was just thta kat it truly aint worth going back on them they NEVER make you feel better and certainly are no friend or comfort .I should know i starated after 9months and vow now never to return ..stay focused

JD xx

I_Wanna_Retire_Someday

I'm still going :j

Keep Going everyone

Prudent

Thank you again everyone for the helpful posts. Its helpful to find out what stresses push people back to ciggies. When I read Kat's post it reminded me of what I am like with chocolate. Don't think non smokers are better at self control - we just have different outlets

Dd was on day 5 yesterday and doing ok. She was taking out lots of pent up frustration on a tennis game on the wii. She went out last night and is not up yet, so hope it went ok.

She has cut back on the snacks, which were a big help in the first few days. She has found that Asda do a 1 litre bottle of diet (very low calorie) energy drink. She likes the cranberry one, so this is her prop just now. Still lots of caffine, but a move on.