Ex smokers - any tips?

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n111ck said:
Go to the doctors and get a prescription for 'Zyban' - I quit 5 years and found it very easy despite being a heavy smoker. Had to go to weekly smoking cessation classes for two months with lots of people who were clearly one foot in the grave but was worth it.
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I'm pretty sure Zyban is no longer prescribed.
 
I quit 4 years ago, my third attempt actually. Best thing I've ever done.

A lot of it will come down to willpower and positivity. Don't dwell on how you failed to quit in the past, think of how great it'll feel to not depend on smoking and how much fitter, and richer you'll be.

Have a read of Allen Carr's "Easy Way to Quit Smoking", I know of many who managed to quit using it, though it didnt do a lot for me.

Wish you both the best of luck.
 
Go and see your GP who can refer you to the nhs stop smoking service, there are LOTS of things available on prescription (not just patches) and chances of successfully quitting are much higher.
 
Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Smoking worked a treat from my ex. It's basically a neat psychological trick, but you may find it works for you.
 
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I tried quitting many times, but the thing that has kept me going this time is actually wanting to quit. I got fed up with stinking like an ashtray, having to disappear off to have a sly ciggy whenever I fancied one, and blowing over £5 a time on something which is essentially completely pointless. I quit cold turkey just over a year ago and havn't looked back. It really wasn't that taxing. I think the mental attitude to my quiting helped me the most; and the lack of stink, more money and improved fitness has kept me off them.
 
Crizzy said:
there are LOTS of things available on prescription (not just patches)
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Chatting with the missus, we remembered one of the main issues with nicotine patches were that they'd give me an awful night's sleep - I'd be extremely restless, and have the most horrrific dreams. I'm not one to remember my dreams/nightmares, but whilst on patches I'd wake up feeling awful, remembering the most horrific dreams :/

I was going to grab some patches on my way home (as I've decided to quit halfway through the day - just got rid of my tobacco tin, screw waiting for tomorrow!), but now I think I'll get some gum or other alternative rather than patches.

According to the NHS app I downloaded, I've already saved 13 pence since I quit half an hour ago :)
 
I just stopped. The first week was made easier by having tonsilitis and not wanting to smoke anyway. Other than that, you need to WANT to stop smoking, if it seems like a chore you're not in the right frame of mind to do so. It's all in your head really!
 
I gave up in February this year when we went on holiday... Found it much easier to give up in a different environment where I didn't have a set routine..

The biggest battle is always the association of actions / places with smoking.. Cravings were really bad for maybe 3 - 5 days... then I spent two days of coughing up black rubbish?! (this really convinced me it was for the best!) and then slowly over the next four - eight weeks the cravings slowly dropped off..

I still get the odd craving seven months on.. maybe once a week, normally if I am in a situation / place that I used to associate with smoking and haven't experienced since I quit.. but these are fleeting 30 second jobs..

I tried all-sorts before to quit (e-cigs, patches, gum, etc..) by far the easiest way was to go on holiday for two weeks cold turkey and do it then...
 
Cold turkey, 14 days today.

Was smoking about 20 a day, thought of all the money I'm wasting and I also thought what's the point of eating healthily and keepnig fit if I'm going to smoke. Today is the first day the urge isn't so bad at all, think it will go altogether soon... every time I really wanted one I just told myself 'it will be ****, it won't be as satisfying as you're imagining it to be', seemed to work.
 
uv said:
Chatting with the missus, we remembered one of the main issues with nicotine patches were that they'd give me an awful night's sleep - I'd be extremely restless, and have the most horrrific dreams. I'm not one to remember my dreams/nightmares, but whilst on patches I'd wake up feeling awful, remembering the most horrific dreams :/

I was going to grab some patches on my way home (as I've decided to quit halfway through the day - just got rid of my tobacco tin, screw waiting for tomorrow!), but now I think I'll get some gum or other alternative rather than patches.

According to the NHS app I downloaded, I've already saved 13 pence since I quit half an hour ago :)
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There are lots of nicotine replacement treatments available not just patches and gum. Most are only available on prescription as they may not be suitable if you have any pre-existing medical conditions or are taking other medication so require a chat with your GP. Might be worth a shout.

Good luck :)
 
I quit about 3 years ago now, If you really want to quit you will, I went from 20-30 a day to none, Everyone says It's bad advice but that's all there is to it, just don't light up, simple really
 
Pudney@work said:
I just stopped. The first week was made easier by having tonsilitis and not wanting to smoke anyway. Other than that, you need to WANT to stop smoking, if it seems like a chore you're not in the right frame of mind to do so. It's all in your head really!
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Being Ill for a week works wonders :). I had a nasty chest infection for just over a week so didn't smoke of course. When it cleared up I'd done the hardest part although the cravings was tough going.

Also as mentioned by Pudney, you have to want to give up. It may sound silly, "of course I want to give up!", but many people restart smoking again because they don't actually want to give up, but just want to be seen to be making an effort every now and then.

I remember talking to my granddad sometime after my nan died (smoking related in the end) about cravings. He summed it up perfectly for me. "so how do you deal with cravings for a cigarette?" I asked. "I just decided I didn't want one and now I know that I'll never have another again." It was made up in his mind. That clicked for me as well and I feel exactly the same.

Cig free for 8 months, good luck in quitting ;).
 
i packed up about 3 months ago using patches.Everything was going great,just was using loads of chewing gum.But the angry man was hitting home.I mean i feel like killing the misses even more so.But this is strange because i feel good for 3 months or so but it seems the longer i pack in the more nasty i get.I mean everything that normally u can forget about seems to pee me off big time.So the last few days i started to go back on them.But i feel bad because i have kids and i feel bad for smoking.So how can i get rid of the angry man inside me and pack them in for good.
 
uv said:
Howdy :)

First of all, please don't let this thread descend into an argument between smokers and non-smokers; everyone is entitled to their own choices, and that's not what this post is about :)

I've tried a few times now in the past six years to stop smoking, some more successful than others! Me and the missus are going to quit (again), and I know I'll find it a lot harder. It's just routine, and even with patches I get irritable, tired and very hungry! Previously I've tried cold turkey (awful, awful idea), and patches. Patches were fairly successful, but I still somehow ended up back on the 20 a day I'm on now.

What did you guys do to quit successfully?
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Super Mini E Cigarette Kit
 
people get "fat" when they quit for 1 reason....they are trying to "appease" the craving they have for a ciggy by eating. That's like trying to cure a thirst for water by eating crackers.

You naturally crave 2 things....food and drink. Smoking creates an artifical 3rd craving...nicotene. That's why when you eat a dinner the after-food smoke apparently tastes best....balls...you've generally fed your food and drink craving so to feel at ease you have to feed the 3rd craving and that's why a smoke is "so good" after dinner.

Trying to appease the craving for a ciggy by eating is stupid anyway. Champix chemically changes the receptors in your brain so that they are effectively a different shape. Think of it this way. When you smoke, the nicotene receptor in the brain is like a padlock and the nicotene is like the key...they both fit together. When you take Champix the "lock" changes shape and you can't get the nicotene into your blood stream.

When you smoke, your body/brain is so desperate for the nicotene drug that it ignores the foul tasting smoke but as you don't get the nicotene into your bloodstream (by taking champix) all you get is the foul taste and no nicotene...hence it's easy to give up when all you do is taste rotten tasting smoke.

lesson over :p
 
andyuk1 said:
i packed up about 3 months ago using patches.Everything was going great,just was using loads of chewing gum.But the angry man was hitting home.I mean i feel like killing the misses even more so.But this is strange because i feel good for 3 months or so but it seems the longer i pack in the more nasty i get.I mean everything that normally u can forget about seems to pee me off big time.So the last few days i started to go back on them.But i feel bad because i have kids and i feel bad for smoking.So how can i get rid of the angry man inside me and pack them in for good.
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taking nicotene (patches, gum, fake ciggies) to give up smoking (inhaling smoke to get nicotene) is like giving a heroin addict, heroin to come off heroin. It doesn't work and is a known scam by drugs companies to get money.

You don't take nicotene period! no gum, no patches etc...
 
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