The Giving Up Smoking Thread!!

melbury

What happened to the lady who was going to give up on New Years Day so she could take her little boy to Disneyland Paris? Any news about how she is getting on?

oops_a_daisy

I am exactly the same Melbury - bought the book years ago and never got past the first few chapters :rotfl:

Well I have thrown an absolute screeming fit at an Indian call centre operative working for HSBC - she asked for it :rotfl: I am so glad I got that out of my system - I really feel so much better for it

How is everybody else doing today? :hello:

JoeHel

I am a woman and I promise it is easy to quit if you get in the right frame of mind. That is ALL that matters. I don't think it's any different for men or women. Maybe men just make less excuses.... Melbury, who cares if it takes you a month to read the book? Hopefully each chapter will make you feel a bit more positive about your quit. It's all about little steps - you don't have to do it all at once. Just take it a day at a time. It took me about 3 weeks to read the whole Allen Carr book and I learnt something new with each chapter. You've got nothing to lose by giving it a try...

I'm sorry, but this "stress" that gets talked about is just an excuse. Giving up smoking TAKES AWAY at least 50% of the stress in a person's life.

My partner is a schizophrenic. For 3 years I have supported him and paid for everything while he found it too hard to work. I am now dealing with all our debts, his constant mood swings and making sure he gets his medication when he needs it. I work as a legal secretary, have a long commute every day and am covering maternity leave so 2 days a week I have to look after an entire department on my own. Plus my partner and his son both smoke in our flat so I'm surrounded by smoke all the time. My partner will sit for hours with his headphones in and blaring music going so he can drown out the voices in his head and most evenings it feels like I'm sat here on my own because there is nobody to talk to. Probably why I spend so much time on here!! :rolleyes:

Now I know people have different circumstances. They have kids and jobs to juggle and day to day things that go wrong like cars and stuff. Lots of us have money worries too, or we wouldn't be in the DFW section of this board! I can say it 'til I'm blue in the face but the only way you will find out for yourself is to quit and THINK POSITIVELY about it. I have lost at least half the stress I used to think I had!! Have you read any of the stuff on WhyQuit.com? There is loads of helpful stuff on there to get you through the first few weeks and there are even videos to watch.

Any news of BrickingIt??!

Thinking of you. Hel.

Frugaldom

That was very well said, JoeHel, and, having read posts about your situation with OH and his son etc, if anyone could have reason to be stressed then I'd say you could, especially at this time of year when purse strings get drawn tighter, tempers can fray and workloads can increase to cover holidays. It certainly is a 'frame of mind' thing, but then I believe it's a personality thing that means the difference between addiction or dependency and just a stupid habit. I know it's only been 6 days since I put out my last cigarette but I have felt no ill effects whatsoever. I haven't been tempted to go and buy cigs, nor have I missed them. In fact, I forget to even think like a smoker until I come here to read about it :rotfl:

Is nicotine meant to be addictive in a drug dependency way? Can people become addicted to those patches or chewing gum? Also, do people get smoking breaks to go outside work for a cig now that the bans are in force all over Britain? Sorry, I always have questions

Beccatje

Thanks JoeHel,

Yes we all do have our circumstances and our own stresses.

I have 5 kids. 17, 15, 12, 9 and 3 years old.

I work 20 hours a week plus an hour a day commute..

Life gets stressful at time!

but since I quit smoking it has gotten so much better!
I am not in a hurry anymore in the mornings! Because I don't have to go stand outside and smoke, I actually have time to sit and enjoy breakfast with the kids. I have time to do their hair and to help them pack their bags.

My whole day seems to be so much more relaxed. I don't have to rush .. they don't have to wait for me to finish my smoke when they need something. I don't feel guilty for making them wait anymore. I don't hurry them out the door or off to bed so I can have a smoke again. I used t even rush through bed time stories at times because I wanted another fag!

All that stress is gone now. Thank goodness.

It can be a difficult battle, but if you keep a positive mind set, you have already won it 75%.
Tell yourself: I CHOOSE not to smoke anymore! I Am so glad I don't have to do that anymore!

Keep telling yourself that and you'll be fine.
You'll really start to feel that way soon! I promise.

Becca

Beccatje

nykmedia wrote: »

Is nicotine meant to be addictive in a drug dependency way? Can people become addicted to those patches or chewing gum? Also, do people get smoking breaks to go outside work for a cig now that the bans are in force all over Britain? Sorry, I always have questions

Yes. People do become addicted to the gum and/or the patches.
some people are more sensitive to addiction than others.

It's great that you are doing so well! Isn't it great to not have to smoke anymore?

Becca

yellowmonkey

Totally agree with the above.

You can have all sorts of help and assistance but at the end of the day it is 100% mental.

If you think right it is relativly easy

Now look in my eyes,not around my eyes, but in my eyes :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

ym

Frugaldom

melbury wrote: »

Why is so much easier for men to give up smoking than women? Seems to definitely be a fact, perhaps us women just have more stress to cope with.

Still have not succumbed, doesn't get any easier though!

WELL DONE FOR NOT LIGHTING UP!

I don't think it is a fact that men give up smoking easier. Any time I smoked it was whilst sitting chatting and let's face it, I think we'd all agree that most women can find much more to chat about than most men. If we've made it a habit to light up at coffee breaks or socially then men can be more solitary than women, hence less need for continuing the habit. Just my thoughts on the subject, but I don't know many men who have given up smoking.

BrickingIt

JoeHel wrote: »

I am a woman and I promise it is easy to quit if you get in the right frame of mind. That is ALL that matters. I don't think it's any different for men or women. Maybe men just make less excuses.... Melbury, who cares if it takes you a month to read the book? Hopefully each chapter will make you feel a bit more positive about your quit. It's all about little steps - you don't have to do it all at once. Just take it a day at a time. It took me about 3 weeks to read the whole Allen Carr book and I learnt something new with each chapter. You've got nothing to lose by giving it a try...

I'm sorry, but this "stress" that gets talked about is just an excuse. Giving up smoking TAKES AWAY at least 50% of the stress in a person's life.

My partner is a schizophrenic. For 3 years I have supported him and paid for everything while he found it too hard to work. I am now dealing with all our debts, his constant mood swings and making sure he gets his medication when he needs it. I work as a legal secretary, have a long commute every day and am covering maternity leave so 2 days a week I have to look after an entire department on my own. Plus my partner and his son both smoke in our flat so I'm surrounded by smoke all the time. My partner will sit for hours with his headphones in and blaring music going so he can drown out the voices in his head and most evenings it feels like I'm sat here on my own because there is nobody to talk to. Probably why I spend so much time on here!! :rolleyes:

Now I know people have different circumstances. They have kids and jobs to juggle and day to day things that go wrong like cars and stuff. Lots of us have money worries too, or we wouldn't be in the DFW section of this board! I can say it 'til I'm blue in the face but the only way you will find out for yourself is to quit and THINK POSITIVELY about it. I have lost at least half the stress I used to think I had!! Have you read any of the stuff on WhyQuit.com? There is loads of helpful stuff on there to get you through the first few weeks and there are even videos to watch.

Any news of BrickingIt??!

Thinking of you. Hel.

OOooooooohhh i'm having a bad time. Everytime I give up, I sit there and think, what am I going to do?. Its like everything starts going into slow motion, I also realise just how bloody bored I am once I give up smoking. I sit there and think, god i'm bored, i'll go for fag, naahh can't do that i've quit, so i'm going to be bored for the rest of my life?, nahhh sod it i'll go and nick a fag off someone.

and don't tell me to get a hobby .

Frugaldom

BrickingIt wrote: »

I also realise just how bloody bored I am once I give up smoking. I sit there and think, god i'm bored, i'll go for fag, naahh can't do that i've quit, so i'm going to be bored for the rest of my life?, nahhh sod it i'll go and nick a fag off someone.

and don't tell me to get a hobby .

So... smoking is just a time consuming habit for you that alleviates some of the boredom? Can't you just replace the cig with something else, like a book to read, or some silly puzzle or conundrum? Your brain seems to think that every time you sit down your hand has to reach for a cig. Oh! You could get a slapper, like in the film. Then every time you sat down and reached for a cig they could slap your hand to remind you not to smoke, then distract your attention. I'll try my distance psychic powers to stop you... ummmmmmmmmmmmmm......... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............. drrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... every time you sit down, from this minute forth, each and everytime your hand reaches for a cigarette, each and every time you begin the process of 'lighting up', your brain shall flash up a picture of your slapper and make you think about what you are doing... and it isn't a pretty picture! :rotfl:

Please note that, whilst NYK is normally a little short of complete sanity, neither she nor her other self will take any responsibility for the failure of the above method to work as a quit smoking device. It does not constitute formal, sane advice, nor does it mean that the existance of psychic phenomenon has been proven scientifically beyond a shadow of doubt.