The Giving Up Smoking Thread - Part 3

linen53

Sue-UU wrote: »

So it may have been a real experience, linen, but there was no need to make it sound quite as you did as it really is enough to put folks off!! We have a lot of people on here at present who are doing amazingly and soooooo quick too! I do not want others like them, thinking of quitting, put off by such a (to my mind) OTT individual experience! We're all individuals and where some find amazing willpower others have very little, it pays to give both sides of the picture IF you have it, if not.....!

The reasons I thought you were a spammer still apply as genuine posters do not put the name of an NRT at the end of a post, especially when they're from another country.

Sue

I appreciate your input Sue and I guess I'm trying to adjust to the English way of presenting myself on an English forum. In other words, I'll try to tone it down a bit. I apologize for any offence.

Quitting smoking did take 18 months for me to accomplish. And most of the Americans I speak with have a very difficult time as well. I did become slightly hysterical at times while quitting, say for the first six months or so. After that it was only a tiny bit easier. Each day was torture for me for the first 12 months.

It's great that so many don't have an extremely difficult time in quitting but there are those that do, such as me. As you say yourself, all of us are different and our experiences are different.

It doesn't matter where you are in the world, the task of quitting is the same more or less for all of us. The commitment it takes is also the same. We all need support while we go through the withdraws and the experience of others can help us achieve this goal.

For me, if I'd known upfront it would be so difficult it would have been easier to prepare myself. The only reason I quit smoking was because of health problems. I didn't want to quit. I had to.

So my original post still stand for the minority population which find it very difficult to quit, though I would have toned it down a bit if I had it to do over. :think:

Sue-UU

lobbyludd wrote: »

The most successful way for me is to give up cold turkey as I don't really suffer with cravings, I used to find them really really painful and distracting, until I discovered that if I consciously "relaxed" in to them (don't know how else to describe it) rather than fighting them they more or less disappeared.

good luck everyone. This is a clear win thing to do.

A very warm welcome, lobbyludd!

Wonderful news that you're already12 days free is excellent, good for you! :T

The first highlighted paragraph does makes sense, a little like pain; the natural things is to try to fight it, but if you give into it I suppose it makes it all easier to bear. I've never tried it with pain, but will definitely give it a go as there's nothing to lose.

I'm not at all surprised that you find it different each time you quit, could be age, lifestyle changes, hormones, but I do agree that it could be the case with many people.

Not so sure what you mean about your medication possibly interacting with something in cigarettes as you say you get the giggly times when you give it up?!!! Am I misreading that or have you made a typo?!

I'm quite sure your feet tingling is due to the circulation getting going again, nerve regrowth too. If you can do so then take note of the last part and quit for good this time as if you don't it could mean trouble for you when you're a bit older! It's vital that our circulation isn't impeded in any way, try and walk as much as you possibly can. Sounds like a great reason to quit while you're relatively young and can recover!

All the very best to make this time THE time to wave fags goodbye.

Sue x

Well done, xanti! Keep reading the posts, they are a great help as well as keeping you active and your mind focused. To help get through the weekend, keep as active as possible and keep reading through the PM. If you haven't yet seen the Quitters Pledge, then please have a look over the page. Keep talking to us mind and give vent to all your feelings as you're never alone!!!

Sue x

linen53 wrote:

It's great that so many don't have an extremely difficult time in quitting but there are those that do, such as me.

For me, if I'd known upfront it would be so difficult it would have been easier to prepare myself. The only reason I quit smoking was because of health problems. I didn't want to quit. I had to.

Hi linen, with all you say it sounds, from experience over here, that perhaps it's you that may be in the minority. Yes, we do have people similar, but if you read through this thread and the two prior ones, you'll find that the majority stick with it and are successful.

With regards the preparation, I'm of the mind that too much preparation isn't to ones advantage and makes for a far jittery quitter prepared for too much - mostly of the worse type of things.

Finishing off here, I'm delighted for you that you've quit, especially for your health, we've sadly had quite a few of people here who left it either too late or waited until they were terribly ill. Thank the dear Lord you didn't! All the best and please....don't ever be tempted to start it up again, it's just never worth it.

Sue x

linen53

I read several references to Allen Carr and looked him up. I was particularly interested his his book on how to stop smoking. We Americans are always open to new people with new methods (for us). It would be nice if I could recommend a method previously unknown to the friends I have who are attempting to quit smoking. I feel so much compassion for anyone who is trying to quit.

I found the following passage very interesting:

The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr's Easyway Method. Copyright Rev Upd edition (January 5, 2010)


Introduction

I was talking to my wife. She thought that I'd flipped. Understandable if you consider that she had watched me fail on numerous attempts to quit. The most recent had been two years previously. I had actually survived six months of sheer purgatory before I finally succumbed and lit a cigarette. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried like a baby.

linen53

I also found this:

There's technology out there to remove most traces of nicotine from cigarettes. But tobacco companies don't just ignore this fact -- they go out of their way to enrich the addictive properties of nicotine.

There are eight patented ways to increase nicotine content by adding it to the tobacco after it's harvested. Five of them work to add nicotine to filters and wrappers.

Another 12 are used to develop advanced technology to manipulate nicotine levels and develop new chemical variants.

It's no wonder that two-thirds of adult smokers who wish they could quit say they aren't able to. It shouldn't be a surprise that only one in 10 smokers can kick the habit.

A startling 50 percent of people who have surgery for lung cancer recover and reach for the pack again.

I'm still not allowed to add links so I found this statement on Discovery Health "Why is it so hard to quit smoking?" by Charles W Bryant.

jacflash

Yes, now a week smoke-free! I almost can't believe it - so pleased. It really hasn't been too bad at all.

I had one tetchy moment in a supermarket which my daughter helped to difuse with her lovely gentle humour. Sleep-wise, I'm waking at stupid o'clock in the mornings and can't get back to sleep. Yesterday and today I've noticed that my gums and roof of my mouth are tender/sore. These are my only negatives.

Positives: I feel sooooo good about it all! Noticing that food and drink have so much flavour. Not worrying about the smell. Saving money. Feeling healthier. Pride in myself for doing this.

Well done to everyone, keep up the good work and stay strong and positive. We are doing this! :T

Erme

geordiekev wrote: »

Hi Erme been a member for years and picked up loads of handy hints and tips and created a handy page on my website with some of the most successful money saving tips for those that aint heard of cashback, shock horror.

GK

Och you'll have to let me know your website GK :j

E

Sue-UU

jacflash wrote: »

Yes, now a week smoke-free! I almost can't believe it - so pleased. It really hasn't been too bad at all.

Positives: I feel sooooo good about it all! Noticing that food and drink have so much flavour. Not worrying about the smell. Saving money. Feeling healthier. Pride in myself for doing this.

Brilliant news jacflash!!!!! :T:T Your young lass is a marvel to you right now and I'm sure you're so very proud of her, likewise, I'm sure that's exactly how she feels about you that with all she's heard about smoking she knows this hasn't come easy for her dear Mum and wants to support you all she can....in order to keep her away from anything that could cause her harm. Fantastic for her!!!!! :T
Ride the storm with the sleep, it will pass, for now why not try "Kalms" they're a natural remedy who many have recommended to aid sleeplessness. Or have a word with your Pharmacist and seek his/her advice. Obviously, I haven't a clue how much exercise you do in a day, but IF you don't do a great deal, and if you haven't been doing extra since stopping then try increasing it by quite a bit, not only will it help you with sleeping, but it'll also help keeping your mind off the fact that you're quitting as you concentrate more on building up the exercise.

The soreness of your gums and roof of my mouth is definitely due to you not smoking any more! Before, the nicotine and all the other chemicals stopped oxygen from flowing around those parts, now it's returning and is causing the soreness, but again, it won't last long at all. You're starting to get back to normal, jacflash!!! Feel great doesn't it!!

You've got an amazing list of positives (quoted above), focus on them and little by little you'll soon be through the worst, you've also got an amazing "little helper", much to be so very proud of, jacflash! You're doing so well...did you both do another of those little dances??!!!!! :j

All the best with sleeping, though don't make it a big issue in your mind - ignore it and go through the night time preparations of a relaxing bath/shower, milky drink, read a bit; then if you wake during the night read again til you feel dozey then let yourself drift off. A week behind you is HUGE, time to keep right on building on it, day by day!

Sue x

Farzackerly

Sue-UU wrote: »

So it may have been a real experience, linen, but there was no need to make it sound quite as you did as it really is enough to put folks off!! We have a lot of people on here at present who are doing amazingly and soooooo quick too! I do not want others like them, thinking of quitting, put off by such a (to my mind) OTT individual experience! We're all individuals and where some find amazing willpower others have very little, it pays to give both sides of the picture IF you have it, if not.....!

The reasons I thought you were a spammer still apply as genuine posters do not put the name of an NRT at the end of a post, especially when they're from another country.

Sue

Well, I believe him and I can assure you I have a finely crafted nose for spammers. Some people will experience the cravings many months or years down the line - I did, 20 years ago, and that was the worst mistake I made, giving in to them for just one fag/packet/whatever. For months I only smoked in the pub (can't do that now, ironically) but eventually I was smoking full-time again.
Nicorette (tm)

Giraffeseeker

Hi, can I join you?

I'm on day 5 of Champix so not far off going onto the full strength ones and quitting. I have done this before, go through the 12 weeks on the tablets and all the side effects, and then started again, soon on 20 a day. I was so annoyed with myself :mad:

SO, for good this time. I hate smoking and I cannot afford it. Let's see how I get on.....

I've smoked for 24 years! :eek:

Little_bit_dizzy

Week one done. Week two, here I come.

Well done to everyone who is still not smoking, however you are doing it