ex smokers

[Vita]

^^^Love the sig Vita.

Lol was just about to change it. Took a while to click on what it had to do with smoking, then rememberd the adverts with the women that had pipes up her nose, since she found it hard to breath because of smoking.

 

[freebooter]

Good luck to the op. I smoked for 15 years and after numerous attempts with gum/inhalators/tabs, cold turkey, Zyban and reading Allen Carr until I had it virtually memorised I have finally 'stopped' with Champix. Been on it for about 2.5 months and am starting to wean myself of it now. Bit worried that the cravings will come back when I have stopped taking the drug but hopefully it will be bearable if they do.

Would recomend Champix to anyone who doesn't manage with cold turkey approach. The way it takes away the urge to smoke almost completely and instantly is quite incredible.

 

[RumbleBee]

I understand what you're saying about smokers being addicted to nicotine not smoking, but I find it hard to understand why you cannot accept that all people and all situations are not the same. I began smoking in my early twenties after a series of panic attacks. Whenever I started to feel nervous I had a cigarette. At a good time, I could go weeks, months without one, then end up smoking 10/20 a day when I was stressed. How is that a nicotine addiction? Answer: It's not - it's a habit.

What I had to do was learn to deal with the panic in a more positive way, and not rely on an emotional crutch to get over it. when I did that, i stopped reaching for the cigarettes and it became easy. Not wishing to offend you, because I can see the sense in a lot of what you say - but it really is being completely narrow minded to say that all smokers are addicted to nicotine, not smoking. I accept that this is most often the case, but it's not always - there are many more deep rooted reasons as to why some people smoke, and so wanting to give up is a fundamental part of beginning the process.

Okay I apologise. Maybe my mind should be more open on this matter. Everyone has there opinions. Some think it's a habit, others think it's an addiction. At the end of the day I'm sure we all agree it's not good.

I don't mean to come across as narrow minded and would wish anyone good luck in quitting whatever there methods. I just believe there is 1 permanent way to quit and a hundred temporary ways (for weeks, months or even years). Unfortunately the permanent way involves recognising the addiction for what it is. If like you I was convinced it was a habit I'd join others chewing gum to get my nicotine fix and would say no more on the matter. Probably try and replace it with another habit too. Preferably a habit I actually enjoy.

 

[xirokx]

did the people who stopped using alan carr's book have cravings after having finished the book? am i missing the point here? or once you finished the book thats it, you just dont look back, no cravings no nothing?

alan carr says himself you feel a different for upto 3 weeks after stopping but then the penny drops forever and you just dont go back...or have i misunderstood a significant point here?

pls clarify?

thanks

 

[kitten_caboodle]

If like you I was convinced it was a habit I'd join others chewing gum to get my nicotine fix and would say no more on the matter. Probably try and replace it with another habit too. Preferably a habit I actually enjoy.

I actually quit cold turkey because I decided I wanted to. I thought gum was a cop out to be honest - replacing one adiction with another - but yes I did replace it - thankfully with a brisk walk and a (probably) unhealthy re-addiction to tea - but at least not with scoffing chocolate

 

[pitchfork]

I gave up when I didn't enjoy, considered myself non smoker.
When I want one i'll have one (usually when drinking or stressed)

But I aint reliant on them, I'm in control of it as i am my drinking and the clothes I wear, the things I say. Just gotta find what works.

 

[Cuchulain]

Bit worried that the cravings will come back when I have stopped taking the drug but hopefully it will be bearable if they do.

Would recomend Champix to anyone who doesn't manage with cold turkey approach. The way it takes away the urge to smoke almost completely and instantly is quite incredible.

You've got another 2 weeks on the 1mg tab and the doctor will probably give you a week or two of the 0.5mg to finish off, if you stopped smoking during the recommended week (I think it's week 2) then that gives you 2 and a half months with no nicotine intake so hopefully your cravings should be minimal.

 

[MikeTimbers]

After smoking for twenty years, I quit January 1st 1998 and haven't had one since or wanted one. I gave up because my wife was expecting my first child and I simply decided I didn't want my child to be around a smoker so I stopped. You just need a good enough reason and it's easy.

 

[Bony Maloney]

did the people who stopped using alan carr's book have cravings after having finished the book? am i missing the point here? or once you finished the book thats it, you just dont look back, no cravings no nothing?

alan carr says himself you feel a different for upto 3 weeks after stopping but then the penny drops forever and you just dont go back...or have i misunderstood a significant point here?

pls clarify?

thanks

I had cravings for about 2 months, maybe a little longer. Having read the book I realised that it was a mental thing rather than a physical thing. The actual physical addiction to nicotine wears off quite quickly. It's the habit that took a while for me. You know if you move your kitchen bin around, how long is it that you go to put rubbish in the place where the bin used to be, even though you can see it's not there any more. It takes a while for the penny to drop, and that's how it was for me. The book did enough for me to stop, then I had to use my mind to work on the habit.
I felt like my brain had been filled with cotton wool for about 2 months, I also had bizarre dreams where I had smoked a cigarette, but they where soooo real. I would wake up and be so relieved that I hadn't really smoked one
Good luck amigo, show those smokes who's boss

 

[RumbleBee]

The lightest of physical cravings are expected for 3 or so days. Some don't even get these. After reading the book you can anticipate these cravings and still have no desire to smoke. I'll admit there was no life changing feeling after 3 days or weeks for me as there have been reported for others.

You become a happy non smoker the moment you smoke that final ciggy. Nothing happened after 3 weeks. There was no sudden moment or even an overnight moment. Just finished the book. Stubbed out my final ciggy and played some Half Life 2. Went to the pub that night, sat next to 2 smokers (2 weeks before the ban) and drank some buds. Thought loads about smoking in general and enjoyed the fact I'd beaten the trap, even though I had previously quit for much longer. Something big just clicked this time. Recommended the book to others.

Probably different for everyone, but as it's written. If you understand what he's saying and you follow the instructions you will not only stop smoking, but you will enjoy doing it. You will have no long term cravings and you will not have a desire to smoke again.

Edit. 4-5 days after I quit I had a dream I smoked. I was so relieved when I woke up. It was a nightmare.

 

[xirokx]

ahh i get it...

so the cravings i was having were normal, its not like although you quit the second you stub out ya last ciggie that you dont get any cravings because as you all are saying you do and they last for different amounts of time depending on the person..

you see where ive misunderstood this is earlier when i spoke about being in two minds i.e. a) this is a craving therefore it will pass b) i want a ciggie...it was just the nicotine leaving my body or put another the the lil monster wanting his fix....so as experienced they do pass and they do come and go...however I was of thinking that even to be in 2 minds was really bad and that shouldnt happen...when quite frankily thats normal, its just that the knowledge handed over to you by mr carr equips you with reasons why you should not give in to those cravings etc...

i seeeeeeeeeeee

so therefore to sum up although mr carr makes it easier to quit by giving you his wisdom you also have to resist the cravings by identifying them and not succumbing to them..

sure i am aware cravings exist it was just that having re read all previous posts a lot of people who quit "alan carrs" way to me were portraying an image of no cravings and no alternative illusions therefore i was becoming a lil confused..

thanks for clarifying peeps..

 

[Richeh]

I've been smoking socially since I was about 16. Never used to during the weeks only at weekends and then only say 5-10 over the weekend. However, last 6 months or so I am now a full fledged smoker. On about 10 a day, tried to quit once but didn't really want to do it so didn't stick with it. I enjoy it and do find it social especially at work because the people I go on breaks with all smoke.

Stupidest thing ive done since my dad is extremely ill with CPOD after smoking for 40+ years.

 

[Dogoid]

people who quit "alan carrs" way to me were portraying an image of no cravings and no alternative illusions therefore i was becoming a lil confused..

but this is correct , with me i have had no cravings since reading the book, as soon as i binned my tobacco and smoking equipment, i have had no cravings since my last cigarette that day, absolutely none at all.

 

[xirokx]

but this is correct , with me i have had no cravings since reading the book, as soon as i binned my tobacco and smoking equipment, i have had no cravings since my last cigarette that day, absolutely none at all.

wow...

i wonder how that works because prior to becoming an ex smoker you were addicted to nicotine and you know what they say, what goes up must come down etc, so therefore I am really amazed that you never even felt the slightest cravings after stubbing out your last ciggie because one would have thought your body would have "needed its fix" and the "lil monster" would have needed feeding..

The general conseus I am getting from all you helpful people is that once you quit the very fortunate do not get any withdrawals whilst the unfortunate do. I guess it depends on each of our bodies and how we react to not receiving our daily fix. Suffice to say, armed with alan carr's knowledge you can overcome the a) brainwashing AND b) slightest withdrawals so you break free from the chains of slavery..

cheers

 

[Loki]

I smoked for 20 years+, I gave up on Feb 2nd and haven't looked back. I did it the simple way, I just stopped smoking. No patches, no gum, no placebo tool I just simply stopped! Never even had a craving too!

Same here except I had been smoking for ten years. Not smoked for just over ten years now. Best advice I can give is educate yourself on the dangers of smoking so its more of a rational decision. For example smokers always claim that they do it for stress relief. iirc Smoking and the chemicals increase stress hormones so its a myth

 

[stoofa]

ahh i get it...

so the cravings i was having were normal, its not like although you quit the second you stub out ya last ciggie that you dont get any cravings because as you all are saying you do and they last for different amounts of time depending on the person..

you see where ive misunderstood this is earlier when i spoke about being in two minds i.e. a) this is a craving therefore it will pass b) i want a ciggie...it was just the nicotine leaving my body or put another the the lil monster wanting his fix....so as experienced they do pass and they do come and go...however I was of thinking that even to be in 2 minds was really bad and that shouldnt happen...when quite frankily thats normal, its just that the knowledge handed over to you by mr carr equips you with reasons why you should not give in to those cravings etc...

i seeeeeeeeeeee

so therefore to sum up although mr carr makes it easier to quit by giving you his wisdom you also have to resist the cravings by identifying them and not succumbing to them..

sure i am aware cravings exist it was just that having re read all previous posts a lot of people who quit "alan carrs" way to me were portraying an image of no cravings and no alternative illusions therefore i was becoming a lil confused..

thanks for clarifying peeps..

Having quit the "Cold Turkey" method and without the benefit of the book everyone talks about I really cannot comment on if you've got the full assesment correct or not, although from what people are saying it would appear so.

All I can say is that yes, I had cravings but at all times you had to look past them and realise what you were doing was for the best.
The first day was the worst, it was a Sunday and I can honestly tell you I've never known a day go so slow in my life.
This is apparently because a smoker is constantly looking forward to the next cigarette from the minute they put out the previous one.
So you have a cigarette and then think ah, only another 45-60 minutes then I can have another, so the day passes quicker.
The first 3-4 days were the worst, however after only a week things got so much better.
You will always have that nagging feeling about cigarettes, I've been coming up to 4 years clean now (thought it was only just over 3, wife tells me its closer to 4) and even now, sometimes I think "Boy, I could smoke right now" but like an alcoholic I know that one would lead into two into....

You will get through it as long as you want to.
A mate of mine at work has "stopped smoking" 4 times since I've known him and gone back each time with an excuse of some kind.
Latest being "I only smoke roll-ups now and as they take time to make I don't smoke as much".
My answer - don't even smoke them.
I'm just not convinced he wants to give up so I doubt he ever will.

 

[magick]

I've stopped smoking for about 14 weeks now. It's my third attempt and this time I think I've done it for good. I'm 31 and had been smoking since I was 14 and had no choice but to give up because it was seriously damaging my health. The other night I was round my friends house and he was smoking, I did have a drag on his cigerette but nearly threw up. That reminded me why it was I choose to quit and I didn't get anymore urges to smoke.

I've found it a lot easier now they've banned smoking in pubs because what has always made me start back up was going out drinking and everyone around you smoking.

Anyway I use pacthes and that takes away the physcial cravings. For the psychological cravings I just sit down and take a few deep breaths until the cravings disapear. You will have to do this quick meditative breating quite a lot though not for long because once you are over the physical withdrawals the psychological cravings don't last longer than 60 seconds.

One other thing I'll add is that to me smoking was part of my lifestyle so to truly beat it I had to change my lifestyle. This meant drasticly reducing the amount I drink and also stop taking drugs particularly stimultants like coke and MDMA. It means my life is a bit quieter now, though I feel much, much more healthier and I can feel a huge difference when I breathe now, like I've been given a brand new pair of lungs.

Also try and avoid reading newspapers and watching TV, particularly the news as these will always make you stressed and therefore more likely to smoke to try and relieve that stress.

 

[Bony Maloney]

Also try and avoid reading newspapers and watching TV, particularly the news as these will always make you stressed and therefore more likely to smoke to try and relieve that stress.

Just don't watch the news period Respect for you magick for kicking quite a few there. It's a great move you have made and you will reap the benefits. Cigarettes where my last drug of choice to go. Now I feel a real high from life and wouldn't want it any other way. Mind you I wouldn't change all those crazy times I had in my youth either Well done on becoming a non smoker.

 

[Angilion]

Same here except I had been smoking for ten years. Not smoked for just over ten years now. Best advice I can give is educate yourself on the dangers of smoking so its more of a rational decision. For example smokers always claim that they do it for stress relief. iirc Smoking and the chemicals increase stress hormones so its a myth

Not entirely. Drug addicts are stressed by not feeding their addiction, so doing so will reduce their stress temporarily. Smoking will temporarily reduce the stress caused by being addicted to smoking - sort of like putting on a bandage to reduce the bleeding after you've deliberately cut yourself.

 

[magick]

Just don't watch the news period Respect for you magick for kicking quite a few there. It's a great move you have made and you will reap the benefits. Cigarettes where my last drug of choice to go. Now I feel a real high from life and wouldn't want it any other way. Mind you I wouldn't change all those crazy times I had in my youth either Well done on becoming a non smoker.

Thanks. I know what you mean about getting a real high from life itself. Just a shame that's it took me 15 years of heavy drug use to realise I don't actualy need them.

Saying that if I could go back i'm not to sure I'd change it either. My chances of ever having a serious job/carear have been drasticaly reduced, but there are some memories a carear can't compensate you for and insights that you'll never pick up behind a desk/factory or sat in a classroom