Another quitting smoking thread

RossG

RossG

RossG

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Joined
5 Dec 2007
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Harrow, London
I've been smoking full time for about a year now. Before then it was the odd 4 or 5 down the pub, but I never smoked at home. Then I went on a camping trip and smoked 20 a day, basically because I could. After coming back from that trip, I would call myself an actual addict instead of a casual smoker. Weird how over the space of 3 days, I went from someone who had the odd few cigs for pleasure, to I'd say, a full blown addict. I've been on around 10 a day for a year, maybe 15 a day once or twice a week. I've said to myself on 2 or 3 occasions that I'd stop, but I never really wanted to, so trying to quit just never happened really.
This past week, I've had horrible wheezing and a nasty cough, possibly brought on by my hayfever. But one thing is for sure, smoking, whether being the cause of this or not, is definitley not helping. So I've decided to say enough is enough. I threw away half a pack of drum tobacco and some rizla at 4PM yesterday afternoon. I woke up feeling okay, but around an hour ago, I started to really crave. Went looking threw the bin to find the tobacco and rizla, then decided "What the **** are you doing? Going through a bin just for a cig? You're no better than a lowlife drug addict really"
I found the pack and tipped all the tobacco back into the bin and slammed the lid. I felt really good. I've just turned my back on something that has been holding me hostage for a year.
I do have a few concerns though, the main being, will I go the rest of my life with a part of me that always wants a cig? Will I be in a constant struggle with myself to lay off the fags? I don't want to tear myself apart that way. I want to quit and look on cigs as something that would be totally intolerable, never tempting again. Has anyone that has quit found this the case? Is it a constant battle, or does it slowly fade to the point where you just detest the things?
Also another thing that I will struggle with is that nearly all of my best mates smoke. Has anyone that has quit had this to deal with and how could you overcome this? I feel sitting down the pub with my mates, all lit up, is going to be a massive test that I just don't know I can handle.

Well I'm off to Watford now to grab that Allen Carr book, which will hopefully give me an extra kick up the backside. And instead of a pack of fags, I'm gonna go grab a coffee and a nice sandwich instead.

And the best of luck to anyone else who is struggling through!
 
never smoked myself, but my mum gave up over 10 years ago when she was diagnosed with bhronchitus (sp?) and coughed so hard she broke a rib, nothing like scare tactics to deter you ;) she hasn't smoked since, nor wanted to.

step dad on the other hand, smoked for years, keeps trying to quit, smokes on holiday, and continues for a while till he quits again.

good on you for trying to kick it and realising bin diving for it is stupid ;)
 
I quit from a 10 year 25 a day habit a month ago. I actually lol'd when you said you went from 'casual smoker' to 'addicted' after your short trip/break. Newsflash - you already WERE an addict. 10 a day for a year is an addiction, nothing casual about it :p

Smoking is a nasty addiction, and is good at tricking you. You think you feel bad when you DON'T smoke, and feel better when you spark up. This tricks your brain into thinking smoking is the cure/relief for the bad feelings, when actually it's smoking that CAUSES them. Alan's book explains much more eloquently and really helps put the psychological side of the addiction into perspective.

I've been tempted, I won't lie. The odd time I've really fancied one, but I used Champix this time and I have to say it's brilliant. No cravings to speak of, you just wake up one day and forget you smoke! It's weird. Highly effective (for me) though, and worth chatting to a nurse about. It takes away the physical craving and gives you time (several months) to get over the addiction (i.e. your body 'forgets' it was addicted to nicotine) and sort out the psychological side without being distracted by physical 'need' for cigs.

I barely think about smoking now, and am pretty much a non-smoker. I see smokers and feel sorry for them, and don't really fancy sparking one up myself. It seems weird for you now, but trust me within a couple of months tops you'll have forgotten what smoking even is! It's almost like someone dying... at first it's the end of the world, but slowly it gets better until one day you remember that you haven't thought about them for a long while.

I found Wrigley's Ice Extra mints (about 30p a pack) handy as they have a really strong "oof" to them when you suck them. They give that 'hit' at the back of your throat and in your lungs while you're sucking them, but don't have nicotine in them :p It just takes your mind away from smoking while giving your body (psychologically) that hand to mouth followed by a sharp sensation in your chest feeling. I found they helped a lot. Drink tons of water too.

I treat myself regularly, but don't make a point of counting pennies. Everyone's different but I'm more a "if I'm counting the pennies daily, I'm reminding myself I've missed cigs today" kind of guy. I just treat myself weekly and think "Heh, if I smoked I couldn't afford this!".

Good luck :)
 
The first few days will be by far the worst because you're still physically addicted. Craving will therefore be far stronger. After that, it's purely psychological. So you won't "be in a constant struggle with myself to lay off the fags". Not after the first week, anyway.

Most ex-smokers I know wonder why they ever did it. It's a particularly silly addiction. It severely degrades your health, makes you smell bad, greatly increases your chance of dying nastily, costs a lot of money and harms anyone near you...and it doesn't even get you high or hallucinating.

If the craving is really bad, try taking the drug in a cleaner and less dangerous way. Gum and lozenges are closer to smoking, in that you're doing something and it's a higher dose for a shorter period of time. Patches are less like smoking, as it's a continuous lower dose and no activity, but that can be helpful in breaking the psychological habit.
 
Mate of mine has a good method - he puts all the money he would have spent on buying cigarettes into a money box and buys something nice at the end of the month. :)
 
Rainmaker said:
[..]
I treat myself regularly, but don't make a point of counting pennies. Everyone's different but I'm more a "if I'm counting the pennies daily, I'm reminding myself I've missed cigs today" kind of guy.
[..]
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A possible way around this is with a standing order and a savings account. The OP was spending about £10 a week on their addiction. So they could just set up a standing order for that amount to a savings account and ignore it. That way, they're not getting the reminder you refer to.
 
sounds like you've got on to a good start :) Drum is terrible to smoke anyway :P
yea, the next few days will be the hardest. try not to think of smoking or cigarettes. just tell yourself to not to cave in when you do! After a week or two you'll start to realise your breathing and sense of smell has improved.
 
I smoked for about 3 years when I was younger until I eventually gave up due to an unrelated illness. I tried giving up a few times before without success but when I became really ill I completely stopped and I've never had one since. I didn't need any of those patches or gum, etc. I personally feel it's better to go completely cold turkey without using any nicotine replacements. The sooner you get the nicotine completely out of your blood the better.

My friends also smoked which made it much harder to quit but I managed to persuade 5 of them to try and quit with me which made it MUCH easier.
I think three of us were successful but two of them still smoke to this day, the two that do smoke are generally unhealthy, overweight and don't care about their health. The three of us that quit are all now fit and healthy.
Try and persuade some of your mates to quit with you but make sure they are serious about it or simply ask them to not smoke infront of you.

I think it's a good idea to read what smoking actually does to your body and look at pictures of lungs from long term smokers, etc. I think it will help.
 
Rainmaker said:
I quit from a 10 year 25 a day habit a month ago. I actually lol'd when you said you went from 'casual smoker' to 'addicted' after your short trip/break. Newsflash - you already WERE an addict. 10 a day for a year is an addiction, nothing casual about it :p
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That trip was when I first started smoking 10 a day. Before then it was just a few down thee pub, none at home. Social smoking if you will. But it was after that trip that I found I actually needed a cigarette and couldn't stop. That's when my smoking escalated outside of the pub basically. Thank you for your advice though. Feeling fairly crave free at the moment.
 
RossG said:
That trip was when I first started smoking 10 a day. Before then it was just a few down thee pub, none at home. Social smoking if you will. But it was after that trip that I found I actually needed a cigarette and couldn't stop. That's when my smoking escalated outside of the pub basically. Thank you for your advice though. Feeling fairly crave free at the moment.
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I would say either suggest to your friends that they stop, and don't see them quite a much, especially initially when you are getting off them. Also, try not to drink to much, as that will loosen your will against cigarettes, and you may find yourself getting re addicted again.
 
I gave up 2 weeks ago

I realised it wasn't as cool as it once was. I smoked 15 a day, for nearly 13 years!
Turns out, 1 week of rubbish hayfever (whilst trying the homeopathic rubbish) put me off them, and I used 6 pieces of nicotine gum.

I've quit!
 
My mother has quit today. Has a patch on her arm. I smoked for about 4 months last year, just went cold turkey though and cravings went after 3 or so days. Pic a mix is the hardest habit for me to break they taste so good.
 
One thing i will say is that if you smoke and go clubbing, the outside smoking area is really random and you chat to loads of funny people. :o
 
i gave up about 2 months ago, i smoked drum for many years. I downloaded the Max Kirten quite smoking application, which is a self hypnosis app. I was mightily impressed by the effects of it and it has worked very well, it was pretty much an couple of times listening to sessions and that was it.

I used a small amount of the low dose nicotine gum for a couple of days, and have replaced the times when i would usually smoke with chewing some extra gum (or sometimes not) depends on my mood.
 
nIckEl101 said:
i gave up about 2 months ago, i smoked drum for many years. I downloaded the Max Kirten quite smoking application, which is a self hypnosis app. I was mightily impressed by the effects of it and it has worked very well, it was pretty much an couple of times listening to sessions and that was it.

I used a small amount of the low dose nicotine gum for a couple of days, and have replaced the times when i would usually smoke with chewing some extra gum (or sometimes not) depends on my mood.
Click to expand...

and now you're addicted to chewing gum :p
 
SideWinder said:
One thing i will say is that if you smoke and go clubbing, the outside smoking area is really random and you chat to loads of funny people. :o
Click to expand...

Didn't think about that, but having a smoke outside a bar/club can be quite interesting :o
 
I've decided am quiting tomorrow, I have tried before and failed. Altough normally for 3-4 months at a time. Though now I find it very hard to stop. Going to give it another bash tomorrow.

Best of luck RossG
 
And to you :)

Just finished dinner and wandered outside into the garden for a smoke without actually thinking. Funny how stuff like that becomes routine. Needless to say I came straight back inside.
 
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