Giving up smoking

A question about : Giving up smoking

I've finally decided that enough's enough and, for both health and financial reasons, have decided to quit smoking.

I'm not using patches/electronic cigs or anything else and was hoping that anyone else who's been there/done that could give me some advice/encouragement/let me know at which stages I'm liable to be pulling my hair out etc.

Anyone else who's trying to give up, feel free to have a rant and a moan - I'm sure I'll be able to sympathise...

Best answers:

• Hi Izadora (great name btw )
  Yes I am a morning into my giving up (again ) and so far so good. I am however getting some help from e cigs but I plan to ditch these as soon as possible too.
  Have you downloaded any quit apps for your phone? Theres loads on there and they are good for motivation. I have this one which I like as it has a minute by minute dashboard showing how much i have saved, how many minutes I have saved of my life, how many cigarettes I haven't smoked and a few other useful bits.
  https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/smok...577767592?mt=8
  When I have stopped in the past I think the most dangerous times are not in the very early days but when you start to think you have cracked it and could probably just have one. I know for a fact now I can never have just one with being right back where I started.
  Have you any nice plans for the saved money? Maybe a few treats would help too.
  Good luck and I will see you on the other side!!!
• I'm also a morning into quitting with the help of an e cig. So far so good. I have a back up of patches just incase from the last time I quit.
  For me the worst is the first few days when people get on my nerves more than usual and I'm desperate to find some sort of 'get me out of here' excuse before I say things I might regret. I'm also starving all the time. Also once the novelty has worn off I get a bit bored with all these spare 5 mins in the day and don't know what to do with myself.
  Good luck everyone!
• Hi quitters how are you doing?
  rock queen I have been the same today with finding people annoying but also a horrible depressed feeling about not being able to smoke again. Probably a good job I live alone as the only person I can shout at is me. The brain is a devious thing at this early stage
  On a positive I have saved Ј8 and have an extra 5hours of my life apparently which will be useful I am sure
  Izadora thats tough doing both diet and quitting. Have you thought about being a bit more gentle to yourself with the diet whilst you kick the big one?
  Good luck and keep going
• Hi well done on your decision!
  I quit the fags 9 years ago, stubbed the last one out and forgot about them. I found that the Allan Carr book 'the Easy Way to Stop Smoking' really helped. It's not preachy, no horror stories, the guy was on 100 a day, possibly a little self-hypnosis between the lines but honest truthful factual read. The real addiction is all in your head once the last of the nicotine has left the body (about 3 days) anything after that is psychological triggers & habits and you can actually learn to enjoy the feeling of the nicotine withdrawing as you know it's leaving your body. Anyway it was the best Ј6.99 I ever spent in Smiths.
• Well done quitters!! On 1st Feb I will be 10 years quit having smoked all my adult life. I did it with patches and an inhalator and am pleased to say I never looked back. I would definitely have used an Ecig had they been around then.
  It isn't easy but it's so worthwhile. I saved SO much money and spent it on weekend breaks, a summer house, books and CDs, spa treatments and anything else I deserved. After just a couple of days all the nicotine will be gone from your body and your carbon monoxide reading will be the same as a non smoker.
  I used to have a little card stuck by my bed where I saw it when I awoke. It said "I did it yesterday so I can do it again today." I just took it day by day and the weeks just rolled by and the cravings just diminish.
  Will check on your progress from time to time!
• Thanks for the support everyone! I agree the Allan Carr book is great, I stopped for 8 months but unfortunately big life events happened and I started again.
  Yesterday was ok, I was quite on edge some of the time, particularly when I remembered I wasn't going to smoke again but I soon snapped out of it. Let's see how today goes, one step at a time!
  Thanks again for your advice x
• There is. Trick, it's about taking control of situations. Many many people "try" to give up and fail because telling yourself you will "try" is allowing yourself the option of failure. Don't "try" to stop smoking, make a commitment to stop and follow it through, as yoda said "There is no try, only do or do not" . I went cold turkey six years ago and it's not as difficult as you tell yourself it will be , determination, self control and a huge feeling of satisfaction that you are a strong enough person to have succeeded afterwards is the greatest reward. I have on occasion felt the craving again but simply tell myself how the financial burden of starting again would affect my lifestyle (I couldn't afford to run my two cars and smoke) and also remind myself of how all my smoking friends stink like ashtrays whenever I go round their houses now I have quit, good luck to those who are quitting, be a stronger better person in life with this achievement and carry the strength of mind you will gain through the rest of your life whenever it gets tough, remind yourself that you are a stronger person than all the smokers you know and have achieved something in your life that they haven't , it can be a very empowering and motivating thing
• Thanks for the encouragement everyone, it's always nice to hear that people have succeeded because it makes me feel more like I can do it.
  Rock Queen - I hope you're feeling less on edge today and well done for giving up for 8 months, you've done it once so I'm sure you can do it again.
  Baileysonice - Hopefully you're less depressed about not being able to smoke again. I had one of those moments this morning, realising that I'll never be able to have another one was quite scary but it's the only way I'm going to do it. I know I don't have the self-control to have just one every now and then.
  I know giving up and dieting together is a lot to take on but I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago, which had started to creep back on, and I really don't want to put on any more - which is what normally happens when I try to cut down/quit smoking.
  I made it through yesterday without too many problems - I did find that I was a bit tearful at times and I really, really missed my after-dinner cigarette but going without the others was easier to cope with than it was on Monday. Trying to think of the positives, even though I miss having a cigarette between the station and work it's really nice that I can put my gloves on as soon as I get off the train rather than having to wait until I've finished my fag.
  My boyfriend's also given me a great incentive to keep going - if I haven't had a cigarette by the end of March then he'll give up too. Being the stubborn cow that I am, it's worth it just to make him quit
• gave up 2007 when smoking ban came in to force after loads of failed attempts whilst trying every tablet/gum/patch etc
  But after having a hacking cough for 18 months enough was enough and stopped using nothing but loads of Wrigley's chewing gum and willpower
  was smoking 20-30 a day and still fancy a cig couple of times a day with coffee etc and if I walk past someone smoking it still smells nice
• Hi Izadora, the first time I gave up I managed 6 months. However, I craved a smoke every single day of that 6 months, I even used to follow smokers & sniff them I frequently felt like throwing myself under a bus, & I wanted to kill people too! The Dr said it was best to start again, so I did. I'd stopped because my Mom & husband had stopped, & they put pressure on me to do so too. I didn't want to stop, as I absolutely adored it! I gave up for the wrong reasons & that's probably why I didn't succeed that time.
  Then in 2009 I was diagnosed with boob cancer, I stopped smoking within a week. I did go to a no smoking group at the Health Centre every week, where they monitored me & were a good support. I didn't go cold turkey (it is said that it's easier to kick heroin than nicotine) as it was recommended that I tried the inhalators. Also I felt that I needed that hand to mouth thing. I'd stopped using the inhalators within 3 weeks, they worked for me.
  Even the breast nurses told me not to stop smoking, honestly, I was shocked too! However, I knew that I'd be spending a lot of time at the hospital & if I didn't get my fix I'd be your worst nightmare! That wasn't fair on the NHS, also they were spending all that money on an operation, chemo, radio, herceptin .... to save me, when I couldn't even help myself. But I did try, & I succeeded!
  I'd like to say & she lived happily ever after, but then I got bladder cancer in 2012, & have had many recurrences since. They say it's caused by smoking, but that's debatable. My latest check up was yesterday, & there was no recurrence this time, woop woop!
  It ain't easy, but you wont regret it, you'll be healthier, have more money, & you wont smell any more! Sorry but you smokers get yourselves all dressed up, why bother? You absolutely stink! Don't be offended I'm just giving it to you straight. Giving up smoking was more of a shock to me than being diagnosed with cancer. I never thought I could stop, but If I can do it then anyone can. It's probably (sounds daft) but stopping smoking's one of my biggest achievements & I'm so pleased with me I knew then that I'd never smoke again, 5 years on I feel the same.
  Sorry for going off on one there Drink water rather than eat, go for a walk, that's good for stress, get a stress ball to squeeze the life out of rather than a neck One day at a time, I have every faith in you all! Wishing you all the very best x
• Well done everyone, its been interesting looking through all the posts.
  I had a heart attack in April and stopping smoking was instant for me.
  I tried the inhaler first, for a couple of weeks but I wanted to get to a 'I don't smoke' place and while
  using them I felt as if I still did.
  I then tried the patches, started on the middle one, they worked great, I had no cravings, just the habit to deal with.
  6 weeks of using them, putting them on on a morning, I realised that at 2 pm one day I did not have a patch on and felt okay, I thought I would leave it and see how I felt later, no problem, haven't had a patch since and no cravings.
  I still, even now, have the 'urge' specially late at night for some reason. But I am so proud of my achievement. My other half gave up instantly for me too. He has not faltered either.
  But I have to admit, I would never have done it going cold turkey, Im not that brave.
• Duke, you say you craved a smoke every day for 6 months.
  How long did it take for that to pass, given that you have been stopped 5 years now.
  I don't crave at all but I get the 'urge' at least a dozen times a day, which I presume is the aftermath of 50 odd years habit. surely that will pass ??
  Airwaves chewer helsp but I don't want to get addicted to that, instead.
• Thanks Izadora.
  That made me laugh about the drowning I used to try & think of ways where I could constantly eat, like drinking soup through a straw through out the day I didn't, but I really wanted to.
• How has your day gone today quitters?
  I've done really well and hardly used my e cig at all today. It got to 11am and I realised I hadn't even had a puff on it let alone craved a fag. I used to be awful in the mornings and the first thing I would do would be to light up but not today and I feel great for it! I've also been less on edge and not wanting to tear into anyone. Lol.
  Hope your doing ok! X