The Giving Up Smoking Thread - Part 3

katyboo123

jacflash wrote: »

Day 5 here and still going strong!

I also had the experience of sitting next to a friend who had obviously just had a cigarette - oooh, was quite shocked at the smell. Hate thinking I smelt like that for so long! Sometimes it's hard not to look back and regret, but am determined to keep focused on the present and future.

Went to my weekly dance class last night, another first with no longer smoking. Was fine, and I appreciated not having to change into street shoes half way through to go outside and shiver for a cigarette.

On the knitting front, the scarf is coming along nicely. Daft as it sounds, the knitting helps enormously. Where I used to have dinner, then have coffee and a cigarette, I now have dinner then coffee whilst knitting a few rows and having a few puffs on the inhalator. Works for me!

Well done to everyone, there seem to be a few of us in the early days of stopping and it is so good to read and share how everyone is getting on. Here's to being fragrant! :T

I loved smelling my own perfume on me at the end of the day and NOT having to wash my hair every single day. I can still smell my shampoo 3 days later!

Sue-UU

[Quote=katyboo123No_matter_what_cr*p_is_going_on_though,_I_just_look_at_my_app_and_think__if_I_light_up_now,_look_at_all_the_hard_work_and_effort_I'd_be_throwing__away!_I've_literally_found_myself_on_my_front_door_step_(my_old_smoking__haunt)_taking_deep_breaths_in_times_of_crisis_and_found_it_to_help.[/quote]

Congratulations, katyboo123, you're doing yourself proud and sound extremely positive! Keep strong and keep looking at your app, it seems like it's been your saving grace!!! :T:T:T

The deep breaths at your puffing pot is a good one.

Stay srong!

Sue x

Erme

abs1985 wrote: »

Good evening everyone, so pleased to find another corner of MSE that I didnt know existed! (am already a poster/user in competitions)

So tomorrow is my quit date - I chose tomorrow 11/1/12 as for one, 11 has always been a lucky number for me, and tomorrow will be a year since I last quit the dreaded weed! I used patches last year, and managed 4 months smoke free, only giving in after a few too many vinos, and a rather bad day Totally fell for the 'just one won't hurt' and suprise, suprise, was soon back to 20 a day.

So this time I want to go CT but as I have a box of Step 3 patches stashed away, I may just use them for the first week, just for moral support!! I find the patches to be quite a psychological thing for me, I know they're there and therefore they work!!!

I need to do this this time as I want to move house, and learn to drive this year, and that extra £6.95 a day (!!) will make a huge difference!

Anyhow, enough ramblings, I'm looking forward to joining you all aboard the quit bus, and hearing how everyone's getting on!

Wish me luck
Abi

Yeah that's at least how much I used to spend on tobacco a day (never mind papers etc)......It's about £50 a week so you'll soon notice the difference :j

So tired having gotten up @ 5.30 and not slept well either. Have an ECDL test today (computer literacy) so have to get revising soon. I don't know when exactly I'll get a wee nap. Hopefully sooner rather than later...

Tank is dead ...so waiting on chibi tanks from PV...hope they come soon....E-cig tasting like that medicine that makes you throw up when you've overdosed right now. Not pleasant. Just can't get the hang of constant topping up:(.....

So yeah - tis me..been busy (what with chasing o-rings for the e-cig on Monday all day then fixing bike tuesday and wednesday. Pray it doesn't come to bits when I first ride it today)....

E

xanti

Hello ladies and gents

Decided to join here and do this with you!

Mt last ciggie was 10am yesterday morning and I am using patches to quit.

I have been reading lots and I know that, on average, the urge to smoke that pops up multiple times a day for the first couple of weeks after quitting, lasts around 3 minutes. So when I'm desperate, I tell myself to wait that long and it really does go away after a short while.

So far, hasn't been soooo bad...except this morning at 4 am when I was called by work to fix an issue my eyes automatically looked for the fags and I felt bad when I remembered..hah!

Good lcuk to all of you, we can do this

linen53

I quit many years ago and was smoke-free for 12 years. Then one night while drinking with friends I smoked a cigarette...after 12 years!! I was hooked again and smoked for another 6 years before my husband and I quit about 7 years ago.

It was tough for me as I am sure it will be for you. This won't be another pat-on-the-back post so buckle up. You've got some hard work ahead of you. Absorb this though: "It's going to be very difficult but I'm up to the challenge and it's going to work this time."

Secondly, don't pick up the first cigarette and you will never have to worry about the second. That was my golden rule.

Do not allow anyone to smoke in the house. Get rid of every ash tray. All smoking (by others) should be done outside.

Don't believe the ads that say in a few weeks everything will be hunky dorey. It takes only 3 days to get the nicotine out of your system but all the chemicals they put in cigarettes today make it very difficult to quit. There are 599 different additives added to cigarettes made in the United States. I'd add a link but as a new member I'm not allowed to add links. Do an internet search on "cigarette additives". Many of these additives are included to make it even more difficult to quit. Go figure.

The first week is tough. The second week isn't any easier. Time is your worst enemy. A minute seems like five. In 30 minutes you will have thought about smoking a cigarette countless times. Then you look at the clock and only ten minutes have passed instead of 30. The thought of having to go through this torture for 24 hours causes a mild form of hysteria. And there is no let-up. Tomorrow is just as bad. It goes on day after day, with each hour of each day dragging by so slowly.

You reason that if you could just have one cigarette to stop the madness you can survive just this day. But with that one cigarette you now have to start all over again at day one. So smoking that first cigarette is a very bad idea because it will lead to the second and the third. Remember the golden rule.

Try not to think to far into the future. It can cause an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. The thoughts that you can't go through this day after day goes through your mind over and over. Instead, try to think of only this moment. Keep bringing yourself back to the now. Reassure yourself that you've made it this far and stop your thoughts from going any further.

Sleep becomes your only friend. It is the only time you aren't craving a cigarette but once you wake up the battle continues until it's time to go to sleep again.

Stay away from smokers for at least a few months as best as you can. Of course you may live with a smoker so keep in mind it will take about 30 minutes for the smoke smell to die down after your friends and family smoke a cigarette. Keep your distance for that 30 minutes.

After the first 2 weeks you will probably be saying to yourself , "Why do I still want a cigarette? I should be over this!" Not so. Remember those 599 different additives. Remember the golden rule.

The only way you can see progress is by looking BACK to where you were 2 weeks ago in your struggle to stop smoking. It is the only way you will see progress. At a month, look BACK at where you were 2 weeks ago. Continue this month after month. Otherwise you will become discouraged because you won't feel and see the results. So look BACK. Keeping a journal might help so you can look back at previous entries. A journal may also help you feel more committed to quit.

At 12 months, smoke free, I still wanted a cigarette. I didn't crave one but I wanted one. It was a weak want but a want is a want. It wasn't until 18 months that the cravings were completely null and void. Get it in your head that this may take 12-18 months to resolve.

Even now when someone lights up around me, on rare occasions it still smells good for a few minutes before I start gagging. But I've quit successfully two times and I've learned my lesson the hard way. I will never pick up a cigarette again.

Lastly, (wo) man up!! Set the house rules and don't let anyone break them and don't apologize to anyone including yourself for making them.

The rest of the advice is what you've heard or read on many occasions.

Sunflower seeds
Suck on hard candy
Gum
Exercise, run or walk
A hobby or hobbies you enjoy using your hands and mind
Niconine Patch
Crossword or Sudoku puzzles or reading
Carry a worry stone and work it
Join a support group
Pray, if you are so inclined
Get out of the house and change your schedule from your former routine so you aren't home as much
Change those smoking times, i.e., do the dishes instead of smoking a cigarette at mealtimes

alibob_1986

Really pleased that I got through a tough time today without a cigarette....well tough as in cravings wise anyway!!! I went to view housese today, saw one I really liked and called up to talk about taking it to the deposit stage but the estate agent said she needed to talk to the landlady and would call me back. Fine....only I was thinking ooooh smoke smoke smoke, the mixture of nerves and adrenalin made me want one so much, plus my mum had just been outside to smoke one. So I was going oh I want a fag, where's my inhaler??? and searching for it. Not being able to find it was making me more stressed and my mum was like "well i can give you a fag if you want one but I don't suppose you do?" grr, i love my mother so much but I wish she would be a bit more supportive!!!! So anyway! I didn't find my inhaler and I didn't have a fag....I also have to wait til tomorrow to hear about the house but today was by far the WORST craving I have had, and it's day 12, bit strange!!! It's my birthday today (woo!!!) but I'm not really feeling all the cheery to tell the truth! Still ridiculously tired, yet when I go to bed I can't sleep. Starting to do my head in now to tell the truth, gunna try a hot drink before bed tonight hopefully that will help. Nevertheless, day 12 and £49.95 saved. Cannot believe I would have spent that much on cigarettes already, it's just madness!

jammy_dodger

good evening

a warm welcome to those joining our happy band:D

Sue-u it'll take me an age to catch up with everyones news , but i shall do my bestest

it was well before xmas i was last here ( usually a regular poster ) but family bereavement has kept me away

am still going fine and not a whiff passed my lips am pleased to say

glad to see peeps statrting the new year with the best ever discisison you can make

happier

healthier

wealthier

smellier (nice )

all for saying good riddens to the white stick that claimed to be doing you a favour by dctating how and when you ran your life Hmm some friend eh

best of luck folks you are in good company on here

JD xx

geordiekev

Erme wrote: »

It just ate my messages :mad:

and geordiekev do you have the same handle on UKV and AECC cos I think I might recognise you though I have completely different names on there to here...

Hi Erme, yep that is me, geordiekev on both AAEC and UKvapers, nice to see you over here offering some sound advice with regards the e-cigs.

I agree the initial cost can be quite alot if like me you did not get the right kit (a mini cig for me) to start with and ended up upgrading, but even the upgrade only cost 1 week worth of cigs at 2010 prices and I have saved so much in the year since I quit, 1 year today as it happens. :j Woohoo and feel so much more healthy in body and mind (cheesy I know but true).

Kev

Sue-UU

Hi everyone, I'm fairly positive that linen53, our happy chappie above is a spammer :spam:- see the last word of his thread??? Also a 1 and only poster with America wording. Says it all for me, just someone's so called story to have you almost feeling "I can't do this!" then seeing the name of yet another NRT - HIS!!!!

Everyone is individual and I can assure you it was nothing like that for me and I've been an ex-smoker for 13 years and never give it a thought and haven't done for YEARS!!!!

Hi Erme. I hope you have a much better night than last and that the ECDL test went well.

Hello and welcome to the thread, xanti, I wouldn't agree with the cravings lasting 3 minutes...not unless you all simply sit looking at a clock/watch. Yes, they can be powerful at times, but that's when you push your mind straight on to something much better and more beautiful to detract yourselves from it. I'll send you a PM (private message) with some tips in, please read through and help yourself - a LOT!!!

If you do that and take note of your own experience rather than other people's you too will, I'm sure, find that quitting can be a great experience, one so many of us get through far better than we'd ever have thought!!! What method are you using to quit by? To be called out at 4 am I'd assume you're possibly a guy and so many chaps get through it all much easier than us women, mainly due to hormones. You have much to look forward to regardless of sex (although that too helps! ), just down count the minutes of cravings, or the amount of time between each. Keep following the thread and joining in with us about how you feel. All the very best for a fag-free life!!! :grinheart

Ali, as yourself why you had that wicked craving....your Mum had just had one and you were stressed up because of the house AND your Mum having had the fag! Also it was your Birthday..a time of celebrations...normally including drink and smoking- right?!!!!! It's no wonder at all that on day 12 you were like that, but as in other times why not turn straight to something totally different rather than listening to your Mum's offer of a fag! Be totally blunt with her and walk away, Ali, it's the only way to get the message across!

Also, did you read the piece (on the previous page) that I wrote out last night for you, about the tiredness?? It explains it all perfectly. Here it is again.

If you feel tired since giving up smoking, Ali, please don't worry! Some people are affected by this whereas others feel completely the opposite and energised. It's just another side effect of your body adjusting to the lack of nicotine. Nicotine speeds up the metabolism to an unnaturally high level, which means that without the nicotine, your metabolism slows down to adjust. This causes your energy levels to drop, but it's only temporary and will soon return to normal.

For now, boost your energy levels by avoiding sugary and processed foods. I know I say it a lot - but drink plenty of water! Have snacks consisting of seeds, nuts and dried fruit, don't have too many at a time, but a few 3 or 4 times a day do help. Take a short, brisk walk when you're feeling tired and take a break from what you're doing, it honestly does help to divert the concentration to something totally different. Then relax and always make sure you eat a good healthy breakfast which will keep you going through the morning. Try a similar healthy lunch and so forth. Your body WILL right itself Ali, just give a chance. Likewise sleeping is often interrupted, but we get over it and move on...nd then realise it was all soooooo worth it. Ride the storm Ali, you're at Day 12 which is brilliant, just keep it up for yours and your little ones sakes!

Hi again JD!!!! :grinheart It truly is soooo good to see you back! Terrific news that you're 3 months and nearly a week free!!!!! :T:T:T Marvellous JD!!!! I'm so sorry to hear your sad news, though you did tremendously to not buckle as a result..after all it wouldn't have made a scrap of difference anyway.

Good to have you here again JD.

Keep it up folks and NEVER give in to any feelings of "just one puff/cig as it'll never end there and you'll be back in smelly land all over again...just longing to give up all over again!!! You're better than that and you KNOW it!!!

Sue x

linen53

Sue-UU wrote: »

Hi everyone, I'm fairly positive that linen53, our happy chappie above is a spammer :spam:- see the last word of his thread??? Also a 1 and only poster with America wording. Says it all for me, just someone's so called story to have you almost feeling "I can't do this!" then seeing the name of yet another NRT - HIS!!!!

Everyone is individual and I can assure you it was nothing like that for me and I've been an ex-smoker for 13 years and never give it a thought and haven't done for YEARS!!!!



Sue x

Actually Sue I am an American. I found your website through Boardreader.com. And my story is real. It was very hard for me to quit and I want to be up-front about my experiences I had when I quit both times. But the underlying message is you can quit no matter how hard it is!!

But so many people who have a very difficult time quitting get discouraged because they are expecting an easy time in a few weeks and for many of us that just is not the case. The reason for the ® after Chantex (an American prescription drug for helping people to quit smoking) is because to use the name of a product, legally here in America you must put the ® after the name so you don't get your pants sued off.:D

Forgot to add the ® means Registered Trademark