The Giving Up Smoking Thread!!

melbury

MJay wrote: »

I have been quiet 'cos felt a bit sad...

Shouted that I hit Day 10 yesterday morning and only Basilcat said "Well Done...."

I felt childish that I had that reaction and even more so now admitting it.....

Nirelandguy, there are lots of reasons not to give up, we all have them. Depression can come for a number of reasons at this time of year, not just packing in smoking. Don't let these bits get in the way if you are ready to try. Can you get on the Net at work? If so, contact this group instead of popping out...

Is it worth looking at your overall life and checking out other jobs if this one isn't good for you.....

Sending best wishes.

MJay - of course you count as a newbie. I just wondered how many of us have given up in say the last few weeks or so.

I am so sorry I didn't see your post about day 10 - MANY CONGRATULATIONS - of course it is 11 now, so even more congratulations.

If I am totally honest, I still really want one, but then I expect lots of us do. Wonder how long that feeling will last:eek:

Frugaldom

melbury wrote: »

Just out of interest, how many of us "new quitters" are there on here? It does help being able to vent and moan at people in the same boat!:D

I'm here, but I don't post here much and haven't been keeping up with the thread very well. I was a 20 per day smoker some years ago, quit in 1998, restarted when what I was saving for was bought & paid for and then only decided to quit again for 2008 because, once more, I found something that I felt was worthy enough to substitute for my hobby smoking.

Last year I cut down to 40 a week maximum, I've never felt addicted to nicotine, I haven't missed smoking and I haven't had anything that I could call withdrawal symptoms. I don't use any NRT products as I can't quite get my head around what they are for or why people would need them. I think it's a mind over matter thing that involves breaking a habit and, no offence meant to anybody in anyway, but I can't believe some of the stories I read about how imposible it is to quit. One (ex)friend in particular vows she would rather starve herself than do without her cigarettes when money is scarce! I'd find it much more difficult to go on a diet.

This bit's for MJay - I have found through experience that nobody really gives an iota about what we can achieve as individuals unless it is something exceptional, like allegedly walking on the moon or being the first to reach the summit of Everest. I don't think anyone in my household has even noticed that I've quit, but I'm sure I'll think of something to prove my point :rotfl:

In conclusion - if you give up smoking then at least have something to show for it - treat yourself now and again, congratulate yourself now and again, make sure that it makes a difference to YOU. And good luck to all who set sail in the good ship 'IMUSTSTOP'

basilcat7

JoeHel wrote: »

I know - it's funny. It's like the BIGGEST thing we have ever done and it's all we think about for the first few days/weeks and yet everyone else is just carrying on with their lives like it's a normal day!! I remember going shopping and going to buy Joe's tobacco and I almost said to the woman that I wouldn't be needing the usual B&H gold because I'd quit! LIKE SHE'D CARE! heh heh. But you're right - on here we absolutely DO care and it's great to have another member in the Quitter's Club! But you've got to remember that you are doing it for YOU and nobody else.

ha ha !!! I am telling EVERYONE I come into contact with that I have given up- it always helps people saying well done and I feel like I'm 10 again !!!:D

oops_a_daisy

Hi there fellow quitters :hello:

NYK - I am that person who would rather smoke tham eat. I have been packing in for the last 9 years and I could not do it without the patches - I need something to take the edge off the cravings. I know that I absolutely can not put myself in any situation where there will be temptation for a while yet as I will cave in. I would love to have one now - but I wont.

Well done to the others that packed in on New Years Eve - thats 12 days :T MJay - sorry if I didnt notice you hitting 10 days aswell, I do try to thank everybody but someimes this thread moves on so quickly.

Where is bricking it is he/she still off the 'caffiene'

Nireland Guy - I dont do a job where I work in an office all of the time but I am at my head office next week and know that I will miss my smoking buddies at break times but also I will not miss standing at the other end of the car park in the wind and rain just to drag on a fag.

Keep it up everybody - you know it makes sense

JoeHel

nykmedia wrote: »

I'm here, but I don't post here much and haven't been keeping up with the thread very well. I was a 20 per day smoker some years ago, quit in 1998, restarted when what I was saving for was bought & paid for and then only decided to quit again for 2008 because, once more, I found something that I felt was worthy enough to substitute for my hobby smoking.

Last year I cut down to 40 a week maximum, I've never felt addicted to nicotine, I haven't missed smoking and I haven't had anything that I could call withdrawal symptoms. I don't use any NRT products as I can't quite get my head around what they are for or why people would need them. I think it's a mind over matter thing that involves breaking a habit and, no offence meant to anybody in anyway, but I can't believe some of the stories I read about how imposible it is to quit. One (ex)friend in particular vows she would rather starve herself than do without her cigarettes when money is scarce! I'd find it much more difficult to go on a diet.

Well one thing that is very evident from this whole thread is that every quit is different and we all go through different grieving stages for our old buddy/crutch/drug/hobby or whatever we choose to call it.

Obviously NRT products are used by smokers who want something to relieve the withdrawal pangs of nicotine while they quit. Personally I think that stretches out the whole withdrawal process and makes it unnecessarily long, but if it works for some then great. An individual will only feel physical withdrawal when their body does not receive their expected "hit" at their usual expected time. So for me, I felt withdrawal immediately as I woke up as I was used to a ciggie first thing. My brother didn't have his first ciggie until his walk home and he would be fine all day until he left work, then he would feel his withdrawal "itch" appear. It's not a physical pain - just a slight uncomfortable mental "itchy" feeling. So if you expected to feel some sweating, screaming pain like the NRT adverts would have you believe, then it's just not gonna happen!! Anyway, you are now way past any withdrawal pangs if they were going to affect you as nicotine will now be completely out of your system. You are home and dry and can forget you ever smoked. It sounds like you are getting through it without a worry at all which is fantastic and you know that you will never need to light up ever again.

I'm surprised you felt the need to go back to smoking after your long quit. It's an unusual "hobby" to take up. Extreme sports are statistically a lot less dangerous but are healthier and a lot more exciting

In relation to .... "I think it's a mind over matter thing that involves breaking a habit and, no offence meant to anybody in anyway, but I can't believe some of the stories I read about how imposible it is to quit".

Let's just assume for one minute that smoking is just a habit, it's not addictive and it's no great hardship to quit. Why are there lots of people on this thread who have actually found it really hard and have mustered amazing strength of character to quit? Are they all weaklings? Are they all making a big fuss about nothing and imagining their withdrawal pangs?

I have never denied that withdrawal pangs exist but I HAVE said (as you have experienced) that withdrawal pangs are very slight if you have the right mental attitude and think positively about your quit.

My uncle was a very successful lawyer and had his own firm. He has smoked for most of his life and came within an hour of losing both his legs but still believed he could not quit. Not because he is stupid or weak or because he didn't fancy ending his "hobby", that's for sure. Whether you like to believe it or not, the scientifically established reason he (and lots of very intelligent people on this thread!) find it hard to quit is because it is a CHEMICAL ADDICTION underlying our own personal excuses we've built ourselves to indulge in smoking. Whether you choose to believe that or not doesn't make it any less true! Do you not think it's a bit patronising to say to all the amazing people on this thread that their quit is nothing and no effort should be needed?

Frugaldom

Once again, I reiterate that absolutely no offence was meant by anything I have stated. It certainly was not meant to be patronizing and I can only apologise for stating my personal point of view. HOWEVER, I can't believe that I am the only person on this thread who smoked because I wanted to smoke and stop when I don't want to smoke and that it was like a hobby. Some people can sit and knit, sew, paint, draw, build things, I actually enjoyed sitting chatting on the phone and smoking a cigarette. I probably still would, but have decided not to as I'd rather take up a new hobby.

In conclusion, I shall wish everyone the very best of luck, I admire your decision to make a major change in your lifestyles and wish you all every success. I shall refrain from posting here for fear of offending anyone else, however, it isn't my fault that I'm not finding it any sort of challenge to quit smoking.

Diamond78

I havent been on a while now as one of my habits was smoking while online.But unfortunatly i broke my new years resolution and smoked a few times.I feel like a failure and am very angry with myself.I was doing very well, even when I did buy a packet and had 1 or 2, I asked my son to break the rest and throw it away.I stopped coming online like i use to as id spend hours on facebook or here and one of my joys was having a fag while online.I found other things to distract me and even started eating properly.One of the reasons I started smoking when I gave up last time was when my ex accused me of being pregnant and chubby which was due to stopping smoking and gaining weight as a result-although I was not pregnat but looked healthier than I had ever been and due to suffering with IBS I had a bloated stomach at the time. My ex whos the father of my son is not the nicest ppl and I told him firmly that he was not to smoke in my flat when he visited my son, he just laughed at me saying he would smoke and even if he smoked in the garden he would make sure I would see.Well when he came he direspected my wishes and smoked like a chimney in my kitchen blowing the smoke in my face and putting me down by saying I would never give up.He knew my dad and uncle both died from lung cancer and how much it ment to me to give up.The way I see my life is my son has noone but me in this world and I do not want to end up like my dad or uncle as they were both very heavy smokers.Due to my ex's behaviour I gave in as he offered me a fag on lots of occasions when he came to see my little soldier although on each occasion I did not smoke.He even left me fags when he left.

I went to see the nurse from my gp who I explained what was going on,although she was helpful she said if i wasnt ready to give up as I had so much stress and problems I souldnt but there never is a right or wrong time in my view.I told her I didnt want to carry on smoking so aswell as having patches she prescribed the inhaler thing thats like a plastic ciggie.Well im happy to say I havent bought no fags and havent smoked since the ex last came over which was tues.So since new years I have smoked maybe a few times over a period of 4 days or so.I feel very angry with myself and a lot of guilt and failure which isnt good and I feel its getting harder but in a way Im proud of myself as I have had many oppurtunities to go and buy fags and I havent.

I keep reminding myself that in a year I spend over £1600 which is disgraceful and I keep reminding myself that I am taking my son to disney paris.I have already booked driving lessons due to start next week and even though I dont feel very confident in a way thats the way I am rewarding myself.I have since had a row with my sons dad over his behaviour and he knows how to wind me up and push my buttons and Im happy that I never gave in and went to the shop and buy a pack of 10 like I would of.

I am just hoping that it will get easier but I have so many personal problems and stresses that I see no way out.Why am I finding it so hard.I am not bothered if i put weight on this time nor do I care if i look pregnat as I am under weight and want to put weight on but its the temptation and craving that I find hard.I know everyone is different but this is really affecting me and I dont know how I am going to cope.Its so easy to go back and start again even knowing what happened to my dad and my uncle.Im sorry to go on and on.

Well done to all of you who have managed to stay of the killer poison sticks and well done to all of you who are trying.You should all be extremly proud of yourselves.

BrickingIt

oops_a_daisy wrote: »

Where is bricking it is he/she still off the 'caffiene'

Hmmmmm. I've decided to quit watching deal or no deal whilst eating my tea. Its tough, I gave up on Wednesday night, come Friday I sitting there with a lasagne in one hand, the remote in the other, shouting 'I can't believe the dozy bint has gone for box 17'.

JoeHel

Diamond78 - you poor thing!! Your ex sounds like a controlling pig who knows exactly what buttons to push to wind you up!!! God, just think how fantastic it would be to show him who's boss and next time he offers you a ciggie look him straight in the eye and firmly say "oh no thanks, I don't need those filthy things any more"... heh, that would be so cool. He only leaves them behind because he can't bear the thought of you being free of them and he wants to keep you in the nicotine trap!! It obviously suits him if you feel like a failure. But you are SO NOT!! You have done amazingly well in the circumstances.

I have never been a very confident person but quitting has given my self-esteem such a boost. It's the one thing I never thought I would be able to do but I have gone and DONE IT! Yes, I've put some weight on but I honestly don't care and I've now started eating healthy and doing more exercise to work it off. My OH still smokes and if we have an argument he tries to get me to start smoking again. After we've calmed down he admits that it's only because he's terrified of being the "only smoker in the village" and a social outcast on his own!!! He is so envious of my quit but isn't ready to do it himself. He's working up to it slowly!!!!

Focus on the positive - how well you have done and what you HAVEN'T smoked. Every time you get the urge, come on here and chat to us.

MJay

One day behind Bas... Started late night Jan 1st. Chuffed to hear you so positive. Well done!:T

Thanks to the rest of you guys for not saying how silly I was.... I did feel childishly hurt.... Damn, blasted cigs.... Screwing with my head and my emotions....

Nireland, pleased to hear that you can identify different options for a break other than cigs... It sounds like you really are ready to go for it....

I haven't gone 'cold turkey' but used Nicontine chewing gum.... Will do what ever it takes to be smoke free by the time I go in hospital... Think it would be so ironic to have had major stuff done on the bod and the biggest thing in my head the craving for a fag.... I:silenced:

AM bigger than cigs and want to be able to focus fully on getting up, around and doing the many things that will put me in good stead for the rest of my life. :dance:

There are so many things I DO want to do in the future and smoking ISN'T one of them.