civilservant

Well today is the first day at work without the little smoky friend - on the whole it's been ok, but when things get a little hectic and/or stressful it's a trigger for wanting a cigarette. Sensibly, I don't have any on me (or at the house) and have no intention of going out and buying a pack so wanting one or not is irrelevant because it isn't going to happen.

KK85

Very well done! Like Rete said above, the habitual grabbing of a cigarette at times when you most commonly would, can be one of the hardest hurdles, especially in the beginning. It certainly was for me. You sound very determined and focused. I hope you have a treat of some kind in store for you when you get home.

Nutmegger

materialcontroller

I agree with this and it also worked for me. It's especially useful as a distraction during the hardest first couple of months.

Jamackabi

I quit almost 3 years ago and haven't touched a single cigarette since. I decided to go down the e-cigarette route. I had quit on and off for a few years, nothing seemed to keep me off of them though. I was recommended a fairly expensive e-cigarette and found an e-liquid which I really liked. I probably used this for a month or so, then realized that I had no need for it or cigarettes anymore. With all the negative Press e-cigarettes get, it can be off putting. My thoughts were, surely they can't be any worse than cigarettes.

I'd recommend anyone try an e-cig. Definitely worked for me. Just be careful not to get too high of a nicotine count in the liquid, otherwise you'll just get addicted to the e-cig. One thing I will say though, I was constantly puffing on that thing. With a cigarette, you almost have a routine and have one at certain points during the day. With an e-cig, I found myself always smoking it as it was always there and I could smoke it indoors. But, I had a low nicotine count so it was easy enough to quit using it.

civilservant

Well it's day 5 and still going strong. I have found that I really need to keep myself busy around 'smoke break' times in order to not think about the fact that I should be going out to have one right about now - but funnily enough at home (where I always smoked more) it isn't bothering me at all.

KK85

It's the ritual of a smoke break, isn't it. At home, time is more of a free-for-all and so there are less regimented, designated times where you 'should' be smoking. Your brain's not having to forget a learned behaviour quite so much at home. Almost the first week down!

caretaker

Out with the bad air, in with the good air.

scrubbedexpat027

I smoked for 20 years and gave up around 5 years ago. Yes, it can be very difficult and there are a whole bunch of issues to work through but I really would advise against any form of nicotine replacement. It just prolongs the agony. I used Nicorette lozenges for a long while and thought I was doing great until I tried to come off them. I was just as addicted. In the end, the tic tac method worked for me too, and I second the recommendation for Allen Carr's quit smoking books.

Rete

This is probably because you have things that interest you at home to take your mind off the craving. Also if you never smoked in your house, you aren't forcing yourself to go outside for a cig.

A wise friend who gave up smoking once told me: When you start to think about having a cigarette, immediately think of something else. Your mind cannot do both thoughts at the same time. It does work and it was only my caving in to a craving that quit my 3 month quit streak a few years ago. Pity me.

zzrmark

Good luck with it CS.
I quit using the cold turkey method twice. First time in '94 when my first was born. Stupidly enough took it up again 12 years later. Second time around was much easier as finding rolling baccy in the US was tricky and a 50g a day Drum habit was just as pricey in the US as it was in Europe. 3 year anniversary must have just passed.
I found that chewing gum was helpful.

kimilseung

Good luck

BEVS

Well done you. Your lungs will thank you.

civilservant

Day 7 and still going fine. I am finding that I think about it less and less everyday, which after only a week is somewhat surprising. It is also astonishing how fast my sense of smell has increased - I can smell things more than I have in years really quickly.

In other news, my wife tells me that she is going to start tapering down and then will quit because she 'doesn't want to smell disgusting to me' I told her that she needed a better reason than that, that she has to actually want to quit, and she said that she did. So sometimes example can get the desired result I suppose.

Nutmegger

Actually, it was not wanting to smell disgusting to my non-smoking OH that made me want to quit. I think it's a pretty good reason to be concerned about a loved one.

And congrats on the one week anniversary!