[Solved] Stopping Smoking

Gooner

Me too - i wud love to give up the evil weed. I have tried six or seven times but have failed each time (guess i have got [censored] willpower).

I have tried the following NRT's

Gum - This tasted soo bad that i had to have a [censored] to get the flavour out of my mouth.
Patches - gave me a headache and made me manic and aggressive.
Glucose - Was told by my GP that this would help with my withdrawel as is lessoned the craving for nicotine - didn't work.

Tell you what man - you let me know when and i try to give up with you.

Hi there

My dad smoked for over 45 years at his peak smoking 60-100 a day!!! For the whole of my childhood I cannot remember him without a cigarette in his hand.

He decided he was going to give it up and went to a hynotist and hasn't smoked for over five years - I think it cost him a fotune for the hypnosis but it must be worth it

I think it is easier to do if you want to do it

Good Luck

Mario

Hi there,

I smoked for years and got ill as a result so had to give up. It was easy for me to do in a way. Seeing so many of my family die as a result of smoking and my scare, it kind of was enough to just pack it in! Of course I would love a [censored] right now, but I refrain and maybe have a drink instead once in a while! It's definitely easier now it's non-smoking everywhere. When I tried to give up years back, it was near impossible in the pubs and clubs. I found Alan Carr's book (I think that's his name - he's an American, not the camp bloke on telly!) really useful in giving up. I can't remember what it's called now - Amazon should have it. Lucozade and exercise helped too. The price was also a major factor! I was a bit of a snob anyway and smoked lucky strikes or gauloises from France - both of which you don't see in many places, apart from France!

Best of luck - believe in yourself and you'll get there!

jc

Guys !!!

I am also wanting to quit, partly for my own health and empty pockets and partly for my girlfriend who hate's it !

I have been smoking for about 15 years and have only ever tried properly about 2 times but never been able to ! i tried the patches but they gave me really bad head aches so i just gave up on trying ! also with our baby only about 3 months away, i dont want to be smelling of smoke when im doing my bit !

If you guys are going to set a date then please let me know so i can try with you ! would be good to go thru it with other people at the same time !

I gave up about a year or so ago for six months,stupidly I got sucked back in as a bit of a social smoker. Im currently not smoking and chew nicotine gum-I do sometimes feel like it's a bit psychological but I continue with it as I reckon it's best to have a bit of gum than smoke,eventually I will try and cut it out.

For those that have tried gum and thought it tasted horrid,try Nicorette fresh mint as it's like chewing normal chewing gum really,you don't chew it in your mouth as often though as will give you heartburn etc,you do get used to headaches on the patches eventually aswell as i've tried them aswell,patches made me have very strange dreams for some reason.

Having an understanding partner helps as for me I get a bit grumpy,some me time helps alot.

Good luck..

Hi Cal,

My quit date has been set (with my stop smoking support person 🙂 ) for Thursday 25th Feb - your more than welcome to join me - hopefully normal will join in as well.

Gooner

To be honest - the support would be great.

I am determined to beat the fags this time round - after 23 years of smoking its about time i got free of them.

Gooner

I'll give a go mate on Thursday - if your willing to help and let me know how your doing.

I had set in my mind that Monday 1st March would be my date

But - Im gonna see what happens on thursday, you never know, either way the more people supporting each other should be better for us all should it not???

Its time these "cancer sticks" stopped ruling my life !

Cal - set whatever date your happy with, because im using the NHS stop smoking service i had to set a date this week. We can support each other either way.

Tell you what though, a day away and I'm begining to get a tad nervous - am I a wuss or is this normal ? I guess they have been a part of my life for sooooooo long now that its a big thing not to have them.

Really hope im not a grumpy git tomorrow........

Hi guys

Well done for even thinking about it !

I have gave up 1 week ago !! with the help of the NHS stop smoking service - Clive you are a god send - and so far so good. 😀

Smoke free and at least £400 a month saved by myself and my partner, a feel a holiday coming on - what an incentive.

Mags

Well done mags keep it up.

Well, I'm 2 hrs and 40 mins into this and I am without doubt the grumpiest person in the world 😡 .

Spent the morning avoiding the family for fear of losing my temper - its not their fault that im going through this, its mine. I'm sat at Dadtalk towers listening to my ipod, head down working, have replaced nicotine with caffeine - so expect me to be a manic angry person by midday.

Top tip - if you have alphabeat on your ipod, its not a good album to listen to on your first morrning of quitting. Insipid, saccharin pop is not the way to go - opt for something with a bit more grrrrr, im on the arctic monkey's at the moment and am planning to either head towards Hard-fi or some Florence next.

I'm rambling now....great.....suffice to say so far so good on the not smoking front 😆

For those guys giving up today - Hope its started ok and your not getting to stressed ! thinking of ya all, ill be doin it monday ....arrgggg !

Cheers Cal - good luck for monday.

The two hardest points so far today - first thing in the morning (patches take 20 mins to start working) and just after lunch (guess this one is habit - [censored] after eating).

Florence and the Artics helped me through the morning......think this afternoon my support will come from the Black Crowes (shake your money maker era). 😉

❓ Question of the day - how is Normal doing ? Did he give up today ?

Gooner

Hello, you grumpy git.

Just kidding, but couldn't resist after your posting yesterday 😆

Been a tricky day today. I have found myself thinking how great a [censored] would be, often today. It could be so easy to pop round the corner and buy a pack. I keep making little deals with myself, go buy a pack of ten and just smoke one - who would know ? then you have nine for other tricky days.

Good news is that I'm ignoring the little voice telling me to give in and am pushing on - I believe its called willpower and to be honest up until now I hadn't been convinced I had any.

Today I have swapped pear drops and rum and raisin fudge for nicotine - my plan is to get sooooo fat that I can't fit through the door to buy fags. 😉

Still grumpy but have The Pixies on the ipod today and am alternatively rocking my way through the day - so who knows by the time my hormone monster gets back from school I may be mellow enough not to have to run and hide for fear of committing murder. 😈

How goes it on this smoke-less saturday ??

Im dreading monday morning ! the first ciggi is always the best of the day and deciding to quit on my birthday is also a mental idea !

I am now being supplied with gum and NRT's - I was planning on doing this using only will power but i think im going to be realisitc i need some extra help so courtesy of lloyds chemists i now have my first weeks supply !

I also heard that you put on weight when you quit smoking ?? is this true ?? if so, i advise you to stay away from central scotland or you might drive past a crazy mental person on a pushbike looking like he's about to die !!

Hope its going well

Cal xx

ok, for those that dont smoke, you prob wont understand, for those that do and have tried giving up ......

How irritable is this !!!!!!! my quit day is today, so far so good but wow, how much would i love to go to the shop and pick up a pack of sticks !! Im determined to do this, but taking it each day at a time, starting today !

will update you tonight to let you know if i managed my first day !

x

Cal - I know exactly how you feel - five days in and the easiest thing to do still is pop to the shops and buy a pack of fags. However I am still resisting.

need to chat let me know.

Nope, as a non-smoker, I cannot know what you are going through. However, you have my support and admiration for quitting. 😉

Cheers actd, Its good to know that i have your support, at the moment im my first day in, and feeling very un-easy ! but im sure it will be worth it in the end !

Iv just tried to explain to my mother in law how im feeling - im not quite sure she understood, as she just said "if i let you just rabble on you might feel better after it !!!" im not sure i made sence but i gave it a good go !!

Gooner - I might need to take you up on that chat soon, very anxious and aggitated ! altho the gum does seem to be helping a little ... Im going to go out and try and wash the car ! see if that takes my mind of it ! 🙂

(i feel like a 3 year old, moaning about something so trivial ! and only my first day in !! )

Cal - its amazing how important those little white sticks are to us, and we only realise when we try to stop using them.

This is the longest in 23 years that I have gone without fags and its amazing how difficult it was for the first few days......it has started to get easier now.

I don't think NRT's are a magical solution - I think you'll find that they take the edge off of the withdrawal but you'll need to do the hard bit yourself.

What will help is if you have someone to keep you at it when your finding it tough, someone to say "you have done so well Cal, keep it up" when your looking for a reason to start again.

hang in there mate - one day at a time.

Failing that do what i have done and eat three times you body weight in fudge - im gonna be the fattest non smoker in the country at this rate 😆

Oh yeah Cal forgot to mention that you got a mention on the DadTalk facebook page and a Dadtalk tweet on Twitter (along with Mags and Normal4Norfolk).

We have even themed our news today to encourage the soon to be non smokers (and i do include myself - fingers crossed - in that group)

If your on Facebook or twitter Dadtalkers you really should join us on fb and follow us on twitter.

Gooner :ugeek:

Im going to go out and try and wash the car ! see if that takes my mind of it ! 🙂

Well, if you need a hand taking your mind off it, my car needs a good wash 😆

Think about it though, doing chores will, surely, always have you thinking that you are doing a chore to take your mind off smoking, in other words, you will still be thinking about smoking. Wouldn't it be better to do something completely different - bungee jumping or white water rafting for instance. Ok, I know that may be a little extreme, but hopefully you get my point - you need something that takes your mind off smoking, not just something to keep you busy while you're wishing you had a cigarette.

Im now on Day 3 .....

Im very impressed with myself ! i didnt think i would have the will power to keep this going ! I am feeling very tense and irritable but im determined to continue - for the sake of my own health and everyone around me !

I have also decided that i am going to treat myself to a new gift at the end of the month - with the money i save from not smoking ! Its a very cool picture made out of newspaper clippings, but very cool ! (i realise this may seem a bit boring to some but you really need to see it !!)

For anybody else quitting - I hope your doing well, and surviving ! its tough but - "we can do it !!"

I also agree, doing the chores doesnt really help, but it takes my mind off that next craving - even if it is for ten min's .... I really need to find a hobby ! any suggestions ???

Update soon xxx

I really need to find a hobby ! any suggestions ???

Hey Calito10 thats easy to answer - make dadtalk your hobby 😀

Try this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/thrillseeker/

Coming to the end of day 8 without fags. Not a day has passed when i haven't been tempted to smoke, some days are worse than others. Some how to my surprise I have managed to resist.
The pangs are worse when I'm not busy, when my mind drifts....that's when I think "I could really fancy a [censored] now" - I wonder if that will go on forever or if one day I will realise that I haven't thought about a [censored] for x weeks.

I have substituted sweet stuff for fags - so for the next week or so I need to cut that out as well otherwise i will be the size of a house by the end of my first month.......

Cal, Mags and Normal - keep it up guys, believe me if I can do it then anyone can.

Day 4 ... And i dont think i can cope with it, also i really just want to be a smoker !

Today i have questioned all of my reasons for quitting, so i thought i would share my thoughts with you ...

reason 1 - health - oh come on, doctors say that smoking will kill you ! today i walked past the staff entrance of the local NHS hospital and saw a group of doc's and nurses puffing away ... really ??
reason 2 - the girlfriend wants me to quit - she does, and to be honest, if it wasnt for the pressure iv had from her to quit i would prob still be smoking ! I have questioned today whether i want to be with anyone at all AND if im really ready for a serious relationship.
reason 3 - a new baby - It seems i am ready for a serious relationsip afterall ... This is probably the biggest reason for me as i dont want to be breathing ciggi smoke all over my baby.

The other thing that iv had on my mind today is an article i read in a newspaper yesteray about a certain sports star who quit smoking. To be fair to the guy, he was on 20 a day and quit, for a week or 2 but has now decided that he's quit - apart from when hes having a beer or is down the pub. it got me thinking ... I could do the same?? Until my friend told me that it wasnt worth thinking about.

To someone that doesnt smoke (or to be fair someone who does) that is keeping up to date with my posts, you prob think im a hormonal woman but no, im a late 20's guy that is really finding quitting smoking HARD !!!

Still, Iv not had one yet and im determined to continue as long as i can !

Lets see what tomorro brings !

Cal x

Keep it up Cal - your new baby is the perfect reason to quit.

Mate - I know exactly what your going through, its tough but stick with it.

Have a look at this smoking triggers an interesting article about what triggers the urge to smoke.

At the moment you are struggling against the mental habit of smoking (as am I) - I'm bored ([censored]), Im angry ([censored]), reward myself ([censored]) - Keep it up, don't give yourself permission to start again.

Here's a list of 20 Shocking Smoking Facts to remind you why you shouldn't start again.

Cal - how's it going ? are you still resisting the urge ?

I'm 13 days in, larger waistline but still [censored] free and now I'm cutting down on snacking as well. Let me know how your doing ?

gooner

Well done you lot!!!!

Keep it up, it's SO worth all the hard work

M

First of all hello to one and all,

Well done to those giving up the evil weed. I used Champix which worked for me but I know it can cause some people trouble.

Calito10 keep hanging in there it will get better. I still think about smoking but not in a "I must have a [censored] now" way.

I had 3 reasons to give up which are all still valid and the money I have saved is a massive £4032 in a year and a half (as you can imagine the wife is v pleased with the extra money she can spend!!)

Calito10 I enjoyed smoking up until my very last ciggie. I did not want to give up I loved smoking but I had just seen a good friend of mine being told by his father that he had terminal lung cancer and I never want to be in that position. Secondly my wife had just become pregnant.

It is going to be hard and you will think of going back to the evil weed but be strong and hang on in there.

Good luck to Goonerplum too and anyone else giving up

1 year 6 months 11 days and £4032.19 saved

frazerl - Welcome to the forum mate.

Its really good to hear from someone who has given up successfully as recently as you have.

How did you find Champix to use ? was it helpful. I have tried Zyban in the past and it wasn't that helpful (either that or my willpower was lacking at that time 😉 )

alright lads just jumping in - not read every post - far too many and too little time!

I went to the docs and started on patches and inhalator last October - was determined to quit - few hiccups along the way and now pretty much fully stopped - I have a cheeky one when I have a drink sometimes - but thats so rare it doesnt really matter!

still using the patches - down to the 7mg ones now, a few more weeks and that will be that - its [censored] hard though but does get easier - fair play to everyone who tries to give up, I know it sounds daft but seriously as long as you dont give up giving up then you will get there in the end.

both me and little mans mum were smokers - we used to take it turns to go in the garden and have one as would never smoke in the house / car or around him.

it was him starting to cough a lot in the mornings that was the real incentive to stop, that was a wake up call - happy to report this doesnt happen any more!

Danny

I got on really well with Champix. To begin with I would feel sick for about 10 minutes after taking it in the morning. On about day 9 I just could not smoke anymore. I had no desire to smoke at all and put the pack of ciggies in the bin. I was told, by the smoking clinic at my local hospital, that they were getting better results with Champx and that was what I asked my doctor for.

Be warned though a mate of mine took it and did not cope well at all mentally - it can cause suicidal thoughts/severe mood swings!!!!!!

Your GP should keep a check up on you and not just prescribe you the full 12 weeks.

As I said in my previous post I did not want to give up smoking as I enjoyed it so much. Champix works on the part of the brain that deals with cravings (I think that is what my GP said) so it is not NRT. One side effect I experienced was that I could not stand the smell of smoke but this appears to have settled down now.

I do still fancy a smoke every now and again but my father in law says that never goes away! I would recommend Champix to anyone but I would suggest telling a few matesthat you are on it to keep an eye on your moods etc.

😀

Congratulations Goonerplum, good luck with it all!

Hiya Guys,

Sorry i havnt been keeping you upto date with my efforts ... the past week has been a really busy one for me and iv hardly had time to sleep let alone check emails and stuff !

Well, Im nearly at week 3 (im actually 2 weeks and 3 days) and still going strong ... Iv had 1 small relapse tho and i can o nly apologise about this - Things got so stressful that i went and brought a box of ten and smoked 1 of them ... the thing was i felt so guilty after it - kinda like i was letting myself down - that i threw the box away and havnt looked back !

it is hard and im still finding it tough but im guessing it will be worth it in the long run !

Hope everyone else is going strong ...

Cal x

Excellent going - the fact that you threw the box away after one still means you have the will to do this. Good luck 😀

fair play to you cal, I did the same thing when I was giving up, except I smoked them all....even though they taste vile - makes no sense! well done to you fella, keep up the good work.

Danny

Keep it up cal - you are doing really well.

Im now 26 days in and am still going strong. Yesterday I forgot to patch myself up and still managed to go [censored] free all day.

I have put on weight but my next step is to get active and try to get that down.

Have slowed the fudge in take somewhat but have found I have a real taste for rum and raisin fudge........ hhhhmmmmm

Apparently water helps to fight the craving for fags - so have been drinking plenty and of course am now making more trips than normal to the little room in the office (that'll keep me fit 😉 )

According to my nicotine case worker (i'm not sure what his actual title is but that will do) weeks 3 - 8 become the hardest as it's the period when the initial elation of quitting has passed, people stop telling you how well you are doing and it is very easy to start again.

So non smokers - if you know someone who has quit within the last month - tell them well done, ask about their struggle make them feel like they have schieved something - maybe I should start a "Hug a Quitter" campaign.

I have unfortunately slipped off the wagon 🙁 ( Im setting another quit date for next weekend after my birthday,i've been a bit stop start for 1.5 years now but am going to really give it a good go for good this time,I don't want to be a unhealthy Dad coughing and spluttering in the park,also it's a smelly habit.

Good luck with your quit Gooner you seem to be doing really well mate-keep it up.