My Quitting Smoking Diary - yours too!

Pennylane

anablle wrote: »

Yeahhhh my mood improved yesterday I can smile again :j:j and well done to everybody else :T . There is only one problem my friend has invited me round to hers for a catch up but she smokes and I really don't think I can risk it quite yet not now I'm smiling again let's hope she understands because that was my downfall last time .

If you feel worried invite her to go for a walk with you instead. Tell her you're trying to get healthier and getting as much fresh air as you can while you quit. She'll be wheezing and you won't!!:)

Pennylane

When I quit (nearly 8 years ago) I came across the following words by Martin Newell, who had also quit smoking.

I could really relate to his words on stopping smoking and I wrote them out and read them often. Sometimes I would get into bed at night and drift off to sleep imagining me on this raft floating away. :rotfl:

"The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months. I never went back. It wasn't even that difficult. Like Papillon, the Frenchman on Devil's Island, my raft carried me farther and farther away until I could no longer see my former place of imprisonment."

That is just what it's like and you just never want to go back once you are free.

Hope this inspires some of the quitters on here.:)

Sue-UU

A truly wonderful idea. Pennylane! :T At least that way you all still get to share time with friends...and keep free from fags or smoke!

Many thanks, Sue x

anablle

Hi well I decided to go and see my friend after all to share a glass of wine or 2 and bless her heart she did not have one fag all evening out of respect for me so we had a fag free enjoyable evening :T , everybody is doing so well even though it's hard on occasions we just have to support each other because together we are all stronger then nic :j :j ((( big hugs everyone ))) xx

Sue-UU

Pennylane wrote: »

When I quit (nearly 8 years ago) I came across the following words by Martin Newell, who had also quit smoking.

"The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months. I never went back. It wasn't even that difficult. Like Papillon, the Frenchman on Devil's Island, my raft carried me farther and farther away until I could no longer see my former place of imprisonment."

That is just what it's like and you just never want to go back once you are free.

Hope this inspires some of the quitters on here.:)

That is an amazing way that Martin viewed it, Pennylane. It inspired me....and I've been quit for 14 years, but I know it would have been highly motivational to have read regularly.

That definitely has to go on to the first post so it remains there for many to be encouraged by in the future. Thank you so very much for thinking about it and letting so many benefit from it, now and in the future.

Congratulations to for a really great achievement!!!! :T:T:T:T 8 years is a long time!

Sue x

anablle wrote: »

everybody is doing so well even though it's hard on occasions we just have to support each other because together we are all stronger then nic :j :j ((( big hugs everyone ))) xx

Hi anablle! I'm so thrilled you were able to go and confide in a good friend without any worries. Bless her indeed, she was so considerate of you and your feelings and gave you the chance for a much-needed chat.

That's a lovely (highlighted) piece to help others as well as you!

Hugs, Sue xx

Giraffeseeker

Hello - can I join you all?

I quit last January on Champix after more than 20 years of smoking at least 20 a day - I was a pretty hardcore smoker!

I had a small blib in the summer when a very close friend died suddenly and unexpectedly, and far too young. I smoked for about 2 weeks, but a few days past the funeral decided that was enough, and I stopped again very easily and carried on being a non-smoker. :A

BUT, since November I have found myself smoking again and I cannot for the life of me figure out how that happened! :rotfl:

I took up running last spring and was doing really well, and it kind of tailed off when the clocks changed, the nights were dark and it was cold and wet. I think running was one of my main deterents as I knew I would not be able to run if I smoked.

So I kind of started stealing one or two of my boyfriend's cigarettes, then a few more, then I'd buy him a pack to repay him but share them, then suddenly if I wasn't seeing him that day I'd buy myself 10, and then to my horror I found I was routinely buying packs of 20 :eek:

I am VERY annoyed with myself that I have let it creep back in :mad:

So, last Monday, back to work day, I decided I would go without. I've managed OK. I had broken the habit at work and despite smoking again I had not been smoking during the working day, so that is a blessing I guess. I've bought some of the cheap tescos nicotine lozenges which also seem to work and I am drinking lots of tea!

Champix was great but I don't know if the Doc's will let me have it again, and I am hoping that I have caught myself *just* before I got to the point of no return - at the moment I am finding I can manage OK... just.... without a cigarette

So, looking for support and encouragement please :T

anablle

Hey tintin welcome you'll get plenty of support on here , sorry for short post but I just wanted to say hi before I went to work . Goodluck x

warez22

Morning All!

Welcome Tintingirl. Hope you find this thread as inspirational as I have. The 'we are all in this together' mentality is fantastic and I am sure you will find it a great help.

I had a good day yesterday. My reasons for giving up were amplified when I got home. My OH's brother suffered a stroke yesterday at the grand old age of 42. He is a heavy smoker and it really brought it home how it doesnt always happen to other people.

Even my OH couldnt smoke last night as he felt uncomfortable doing so.

The longest I have every gone without fags is 16 days and I am on 14 at the moment so I think once I get past 16 days (which I will) I will feel amazing.

I still get twitchy before I go to bed as that was always the fag I looked forward to the most, but I ping that elastic band, do something different and off to bed I go fag free.

Good luck everybody, each day ticked off is another day nearer a healthier, more productive life full of goodness. No nicotine allowed, you know that brown, gloopy sticky stuff we somehow thought was enjoyable puffing in and out of our lungs. Sounds gross when you put it like that doesnt it!:)

Sue-UU

tintingirl wrote: »

I am VERY annoyed with myself that I have let it creep back in :mad:

Hello there, tintingirl!! A very warm welcome to you and don't worry as you'll always find support and encouragement here. Good to see you back here with plenty of determination and willpower AND having already stopped!!!! :T

I'm so sorry to hear of your young friend's very early death and I can quite see how that would have affected you; however, you want to protect your life in every way possible, so push on from here and get back to that running!

Just a thought - but if you have the space would it be possible to save the money not spent and buy yourself a treadmill for indoors?? If you have the room...it could always be there as the deterrent you need and you'd still get the exercise to push you on!!

I doubt your Dr would be so keen to prescribe Champix again, but the way you sound right now I reckon you'll be fine as you have the 2 most important ingredients, just make sure you keep them going along with the nicotine lozenges.

Use your feelings of annoyance at yourself (anger too I bet) to your advantage to push you through any 'problem' times.

You're right, not smoking during the working day is extremely helpful, so for the rest of the day keep as busy as possible...or at least as active with your mind as you can as it's a huge help.

You've cracked it once, tintingirl, now keep focused and strong and get to your goal again!!!!!!!! :j

Hugs, Sue xxx


Lovely to see you supporting so early in the morning, anablle!!!! Thanks so very much and all the best with today.

Hugs, Sue xx

warez22 wrote: »

The 'we are all in this together' mentality is fantastic and I am sure you will find it a great help.

The longest I have every gone without fags is 16 days and I am on 14 at the moment so I think once I get past 16 days (which I will) I will feel amazing.

I still get twitchy before I go to bed as that was always the fag I looked forward to the most, but I ping that elastic band, do something different and off to bed I go fag free.:)

Morning warez and well done YOU being on Day 14 - it's astounding!!!!! :T:T I'm quite sure you'll feel on top of the world after Thursday, but we're not there yet so I'll hang fire. :silenced:

It's so very sad to hear about your OH's friend, what an age! :eek:Though all smokers are at risk....unless they change their ways...if they do they soon start to repair the body, amazingly quickly too!!
My latter puffing days were worse last thing at night, weird when we're going off to bed that the mind would even think of a ruddy fag??!!!! Still, there you go, some mad idea old nic had in mind to keep us going for the following day maybe. :mad: No more!

Keep going strong, warez..you know you CAN do it!!!

Hugs, Sue xx



Ok everyone and all you dear lurkers this paragraph by warez is just the ticket; read it through - and then again - and again and let it spur you on to a far better life!

<<<"Good luck everybody, each day ticked off is another day nearer a healthier, more productive life full of goodness. No nicotine allowed, you know that brown, gloopy sticky stuff we somehow thought was enjoyable puffing in and out of our lungs. Sounds gross when you put it like that doesnt it!">>>

Sounds disgusting to me and I'm so chuffed to be free! YOU too can be - so join us and see. Give it a try for just a day at first...it won't kill you - but keeping on smoking could well do!!

Sue xx

Dave33

Hi all

I quit smoking on patches on 29 October last year. I breezed through it until the course finished on Saturday and guess what? I lasted about 5 hours before I caved in and started again :mad:

I didn't think the feelings would be so intense given that I had adjusted to day to day life without the cigs and had also adjusted to less and less nicotine.

I was so annoyed with myself becuase I know I can do it, so I went out and bought some more patches just to give myself another week as then I'll be able to prepare better for when they finish.

Now I can't seem to stop at all! I'm smoking the odd one and still have a patch on!! I can't understand it