Originally Posted by paulry

I've just done a search on Champix and its side effects can be even more distressing.

Originally Posted by brissybee

I second all the above post. I also gave up cold turkey having smoked a pack a day for 25 years. I read that giving up smoking for a nicotine addict was even more difficult than for a heroin addict to give up heroin.

Here's one of many reports on the net...

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/29/ma...ted=all&src=pm

With this understanding, I accepted it would be a journey, one day at a time, with the first two weeks the most difficult, to break the physical addiction.

Each day I just told myself to just get to the end of a fortnight... and then each day became easier.

For two years I kept my last two remaining cigarettes in a box on the top shelf in the pantry. It was like a psychological safety net so I knew they were there "in case". (It took away the panic of not having any.) I stuffed my face as an alternative and accepted it was better (in the short term) than smoking.

Accept it will be hard... and just do it... one day at a time... with an initial focus on getting through the first two weeks any way you can. I have done this. Not one cigarette in over ten years.

If you are an addict, and you stop smoking, you should also understand you can't ever just have one cigarette... or even a puff... some time down the track. Remember, it's an addiction. Reformed junkies can't have heroin, sober alcoholics can't have a drink and ex-smokers can't have a cigarette.

It's difficult to quit... but once you know what you're dealing with, the achievement of beating the addiction is very satisfying.

Good Luck.

PS: Plan ahead and pick a significant date to stop - so you'll always remember the date you won!

Originally Posted by Bernieboy

Steve,try willpower,you'd be surprised how strong you can be,continuously think of the benefits to you and yer family(not the centerlink ones)and you'll walk it,bit of pain at times but hey it WON'T kill you

Originally Posted by DeadVim

If you can convince yourself that you don't want to smoke then you can bypass the willpower bit as there is nothing to fight against.

I've tried willpower but deep down at the time I still wanted to smoke so it was fighting a losing battle.

Originally Posted by old.sparkles

Side effect of smoking is death

Originally Posted by Bernieboy

Yeah,but yer a wimp

Originally Posted by paulry

I gave up two years ago after over thirty years of smoking thanks to Alan Carr and his 272 page book. I smoked my last fag while reading the last page and haven't looked back since. No withdrawals, no grouchiness - it was amazingly easy.

Originally Posted by irishbloo

I gave up alcohol after reading Alan Carr's book .I only wanted to cut down but by the time I had got through the first ten pages I was convinced not to drink again.The main thing that stuck in my mind was reading that alcohol was poison.That was enough for me.Haven't touched the stuff since.

Originally Posted by scottishcelts

..be of the knowledge that you are a chuffing minger, clothes stink, breath stinks, teeth looking mingin and you spend too much money on cancer sticks.

YUK.

Aint that enough?

Originally Posted by stevenglish1

Having said what I did above it's when I'm pissed that I'm most vulnerable and suggestable - for example, once went out for a couple, ended up smashed and storting coke off a toilet seat. May have to knock the beer on the head temporarily

Originally Posted by DeadVim

Well, you see that kind of reasoning doesn't work with a proper smoker.

If you are a serious smoker dedicated to your art then having some self-righteous know nothing non-smoker tell you everything you already know is just going to make you reach for the cigs.

And be glad that, although you are addicted to nicotine, you can be infinitely comforted by the fact that at least you are not a self-righteous know nothing non-smoker (or even worse, ex-smoker).