Hey, we quit on the same day.

I don't know about anyone else, but I sometimes feel I think about it more as time goes on. After a few glassess of wine on the weekend I always get this little devil on my shoulder saying 'wouldn't one wee ciggie be lovely'. I know I'm not going to have one at that moment in time, simply because I don't have any, but also I have learnt the lesson that there is no such thing as just one ciggie. One will always lead to two and it's all down hill from then on.

Keep up the great work everyone.

I just knocked it down to one a day for a couple of weeks then just forgot to take them. I found I was having small cravings when reduced for a couple of days and then for a couple of days when I stopped but I was able to manage our reccee experience with hospital dash (full details on blog) without having one so they are not bad.

Hi Robin and all you fantastic quitters!

Here I am again..... When Robin first started this thread I responded with the usual I hate smoking, I want to give up, health risks, blah blah, not the right time...excuses, excuses.

I have watched the thread, watched people give up and thought how pathetic I am, reliant on a stupid thing thats going to kill me, still not the right time though!

On Monday I went to the Dr's as I had not been feeling well, was told that I had a chest infection, I was sent to have an X ray done, and put on antibiotics. Still not the right time to give up.

Wednesday I had to go into hospital for minor operation under general anaesthetic, the operation got cancelled as I was not well enough! I had been waiting for 18 months for this operation, and was absolutely gutted (burst into tears when told). Response, call OH tell him operation cancelled, whilst having a ciggie.

Got home, had phone call off the Dr's, went into see him, I have pneumonia?????? My Mum has always smoked, and for the last 30 years has had smoking related illness. I am now at the age she was when she started to suffer from chest infections. Think now I really need to give up!

So from an extremely scared smoker.... How do I give up....
Charlie

best way would becold turkey, but as i sense you may find it hard like all off us, why not speak to your smoking clinic about going on champix

I gave up on them, sadly started again, but today i made the stand and started back on them for the kids.

It is hard, but with history in your family its better now than later.

Good luck.
If you get the chaampix, make sure you drink a large glass of water with it and eat breakfast, tea etc
If not they can make you feel sick but with will power you can do it

Gill

Thanks Gill,
Just made appt with the Quit Nurse!
Will see what she says.
Charlie

With everything, i cant see how she can turn you down for them

Good luck, we are here for you if you need to yell
Also try chewing gum or mints.

Im addicted on mints now, luckily not put weight on, but takes the taste away in my mouth

Also start a jar for the cash,

Gill

I don't know whether this is a helpful suggestion...

I smoked for 10 years and had tried to quit on numerous occasions without success. I then used a self-talk technique (I'm a psychologist ) - basically telling myself each time I inhaled or could smell others smoking that it was horrid and made me feel sick! I've been a nonsmoker now for almost 10 years

It may be worth a try? Maybe in addition to patches, gum or support groups

Hey Charlie

Good luck and we're all here, I'd been thinking of giving up for a while, tried half heartedly then this thread was started, and I did it.

My OH has just stopped, he's not had a ciggie for nearly 2 weeks but he is so ill he started with a cold which made him decide to stop, now he has a chest infection, he's blaming the NOT smoking but complaining he still can't taste or smell anything.

It is hard but worth it, look at Gill she saved enough to get an extra recce out of it

Rosie

I've just been reading back through this thread and I've not had a ciggie for about 4 months

Thanks all,
I know I have to do this, but when it comes to smoking the will power just does not seem to be there, something I really don't understand as I am a very determined person.

My OH went absolutely mad at me last night, lectured me, wanted to know when I was going to give up? How? When I would consider myself a non smoker? If I tried a certain method (ie patches, which failed before), at what point would I consider I had failed.... Draw a line in the sand, manage the situation???? (What the #### does that mean???) Wanted to draw a line across his ####ing throat!

He does not understand why I cannot just put them in the bin and stop!

He has never smoked, pious sod...:curse:

Told him to come and see the quit nurse with me, which he said he would, although I know he won't as he's too busy at work.

Charlie

WOW nothing liike him sitting on the fence

It is hard, but with the right help it will help, look at rosie
There is a few that have done it and today im on fag 2 and by now im normally on 10 or so

They do work just keep busy, i know easy said than done, but it will always be there (so im told) my friend gave up 8 yrs ago and due to stress of moving she fancys afag
But will power and if you want a copy of a hyp/disc that i have, it helps
just trying to find 5 mins to use mine

Gill

Hi Gill,
Yeah, one thin OH does not do is sit on a fence.....

I know that a lot of it is worry, but lectures just don't help, and the more he goes on the more I think sod him, I'm off for a ciggie.....

How does the disc work??

Charlie

The disc relaxs you, talks about not smoking.

You need to be in a quiet place, just you no one else about (excuse to get rid of other half )

I know the feeling, my dad died at 47 with travelling blood clot and my brother had his irst heart attack at 36 (same age as me now) so yeah i should give up more than some especially with 3 kids, but its hard

The last time was for our recci trip and both me and OH gave up togeather now its me that wants it more than ever, i look at my kids and think dont want to leave them in strange country without me
That seems to be doing the trick
If you want a copy just PM me and ill send you one, i bought it off a guy on ebay, well worth a go

Gill

Discuss champix with the quit nurse, that worked for me and OH. He had been on 40+ a day and didn't really want to quit. It took him a little longer to give up than I did but he's been a non-smoker now for about 3 months and me for about 4.

Well done for making the appt though thats the hardest part.

Sharon

OMG Charlie.....pneumonia?.......and how awful that they wouldn't let you have the operation after such a long wait. Oh dear, oh dear......how can I help?

Zyban worked for me but read through this thread and you'll find that there are just so many options, so it's just a case of finding what works for you.....and you won't know what works until you try it.

I will say that I didn't know that I would succeed but time passes and I'm still not smoking, but just really, really fed up with being so over weight, though smoking again wouldn't take the weight away anyway. I am only so over weight though because I am weak-willed in some ways, and haven't had the strength to get back on the diet. You may find that Champix/Zyban takes away any desire to eat more, wish it did for me!

Be determined, whatever your OH says, just do it for you, there's no point in having another cigarette just to spite him cos that would defeat the object.

It is scary to think that what we thought was a crutch to lean on for all these years, is suddenly not going to be there anymore, and nothing replaces it. I went through incredible stress with Max being an oik, just as I was giving up but decided that no amount of stress would make me weaken and Zyban took away the cravings anyway. I wanted to show Max and Kelda that I could give up too. Maybe Max will find it in him to give up before he gets too hooked, but it's enough for me to think that I didn't exactly set a very good example there did I?

You can do it you know.......What little time I have spent with you means that I know that you are a very strong-willed character, despite what you think. If you want to live a long life in Canada the give up NOW! xx

Good luck and come here for whatever support we can offer anytime!

Charlie,

I so agree with Robin - as a hopefully-not-too-pious ex-smoker I've tried not to join in this thread too often and say stuff like oh, it's easy, I did it, but having said that, here's my twopenn'orth anyway!

I think the single most important factor is that you really have to want to stop. Whatever aid you use after that (I used Allen Carr's book and a fiver in a jamjar on the fridge every day I didn't buy a packet) is only going to strengthen your resolve to want to stop in the first place.

I gave up at the same time as my OH, and we had the additional motivation that we wanted to start a family, were both overweight & unfit, so decided that we needed to go on a general health drive and stopping smoking was a good place to start. Five years down the line and two kids later, we're both still free of the things.

Actually, thinking of it in terms of "being free" rather than quitting is one of the main points in Carr's book - the whole concept of "quitting" or "giving up" is a negative one; in your mind the words are associated with failure. Thinking of stopping smoking in terms of success can really help to maintain the willpower to stay smoke-free.

Good luck with it - tell your OH that he should support you rather than nag you... again, it's part of the positive message reinforcement. For example, if he doesn't like the smell of tobacco on your clothes or in your hair, persuade him to tell you how nice you smell if you haven't had a smoke, rather than how bad you smell if you have, if you see what I mean!