Giving Up Smoking

[Davidc]

I smoked for decades, seriously so after I stopped doing TT cycling.

Eventually I stopped after some years of trying with a combination of putting the money saved in its own account and wanting to, and succeeding, in getting fitter.

Be warned though - When I had a heart attack 2 1/2 years ago I was told several things. One was that I'd come through reasonably well because I was much fitter than average and because I didn't smoke, BUT I might well not have had a heart attack at all if I'd never smoked. That was after many years of not smoking at all.

What I did, but it might well not suit you, was to set myself endurance and performance targets at swimming and cyclng, and they allowed me to actually see my body recovering from the immediate effects of smoking.

 

[slowmotion]

I am sorry to hear that your uncle has died.

I was a smoker for decades. All my attempts to stop ended in failure at some point, but the last one seems to be holding up well. Last year, I realised that neither my lungs nor my cardio-vascular system were getting much benefit from smoking, and I reached the point where, for the first time, I could see no pleasure at all in continuing. Besides, I wanted to be better at riding the bike. An impossible dream.

I worked out how much I spent on smoking and how long it would take to buy a new road bike with the money I saved if I didn't smoke. Then I stopped, and the prospect of a recklessly expensive new toy completely drowned out my desire for "just one more". Within three weeks, I wasn't thinking about another smoke and things were going well.

A month before my target date, things went wrong......I bought the bike anyway....... and I'm still clean. Fingers crossed.

Very best wishes, and good luck.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I've been off them about six weeks now, after smoking fairly heavily for five years or so. I tend to decide - like you - that I'm not really enjoying smoking any more, and just stop: I run out of baccy and just don't bother buying any more. I think the patches, nicotine gum and so forth are simply ways to make money out of non smokers, and as you say in the OP, what's the point of giving up if you're still hooked on nicotine at the end of it? Zyban works, but it turned my mum into a psychotic depressive, to the extent that the whole family was relieved when she started smoking again.
Good luck ... if you've decided you want to stop, you've already done the hard bit. Physically stopping is much easier.

 

[PBancroft]

My wife is a smoking cessation advisor, and previously gave up smoking herself through much the same method as you are doing. Eventually it got to the point where she told her self the current pack would be the last, and then never bought another one. In her experience she found it to be a much more permanent "fix" than using patches etc.

I think it does vary depending on whether you are a "heavy" or "light" smoker - so do talk to your GP and see if you can get an appointment with an advisor.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

It also depends on whether you're an addict or simply a smoker. I think there's a difference, in the same way that there's a difference between someone who is an alcoholic and someone who is merely a heavy drinker.

 

[upsidedown]

I read the Alan Carr book and the big that stuck with me was that we only smoke to feel the same as a non-smoker does all of the time. When you accept that , giving them up us pretty much inevitable.

 

[redjedi]

First of all sorry to hear of your uncle.


I stopped smoking (not gave up because there is nothing worthwhile to give up) by reading this book:

http://www.amazon.co...99434009&sr=1-1

It fully explains the truth about smoking, not the health effects etc but the confidence tricks, the marketing, and cynical approach of the patch manufacturers and how you are programmed into psychological addiction.

After reading the book I just stopped, no withdrawal symptoms, I just never wanted to have a fag again.

People (especially those who want you to fail at 'giving up') will tell you how difficult it is to stop. Once you know it isn't then really it isn't.


Don't take my word for it, listen to Tiny who just beat me to the punch.

I'll also recommend the Alan Carr book.
I was a smoker for 15 years (29 now) and was on 15 a day. Had tried to stop before but always had a craving for cigarettes especially when with another smoker and never lasted more than a couple of months.

Last December I sat down with a 20 pack of cigarettes and read this book in one afternoon. As soon as I had finished I threw away anything that had to do with smoking and I haven't smoked since.

As soon as the day after I didn't have any cravings, I wasn't missing it and I was even quite repulsed when I walked through the smokers gathered outside a shopping centre.

If you've got the book definitely give it a go, and try to read it all in one afternoon.

Good luck, and sorry for your loss.

 

[subaqua]

smoked for 18 years from 18 to 36. gave up numerous times including an 18 month stint. always went back to it.

am pleased to say i have now been smoke free for 2 years. I used the clear patches Niquitin CQ 24 hr patches. I wore them while i was awake as they gave me very vivid dreams. i worked out how much i was spending on ciggies and that helped enormously as the tightwad northerner in me detested spending that much on em.

the biggest motivator was my kids, the eldest used the line " i am not afraid of anything ,except you dying from smoking, daddy" that worked.

its not always an easy road and different methods work for different people but the big thing is you have decided you want to stop . thats the biggest hurdle.

good luck in your efforts.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Sorry to hear about your uncle, mate. I stopped 7 weeks ago. I have stopped many times before once for well over a decade, and like a dumb sh1t started again. I think it was the stress of becoming a father for the first time that pushed me back onto them this time. I have always used Nicotine replacement products, the inhalator working best for me. I guess all people are different but I have always found that giving up the nicotine products is nothing like as bad as kicking the fags in the first place. You simply reduce the dosage. I had thought about drugs such as Zyban and Chantix. The thing is with these drugs is that I believe that you take them prior to stopping smoking, a couple of weeks before or something. When I phoned up the NHS stop smoking support people I was informed about this, and as I had already stopped for 2 weeks when I phoned they did not recommend them. The NHS are pretty good as it will save you a lot of money if you use nicotine replacement products on prescription, although you can only use the service once. One of the other reasons that I was not keen or using Zyban or Chantix is that I have read that these can have side effects on certain individuals, my friend had bad insomnia with Zyban. Maybe I would be lucky and not have any. I have also used strong 24 hour Nicotine patches ages ago and these gave me pretty horrible vivid nightmares, hence why I use the nicotine inhalator. Having said that you can get 16 hour patches now. But I just do not feel as though they do much, I think it is more pshycological using the nicotine inhalor, a bit like smoking a fag to me anyway. I mainly stopped due to health reasons, nothing serious but my daughter is always picking up bugs and passing them onto me. I do not know if it is my age (41) but every cold I got started going onto my chest recently and it never used to. I also recently took up cycling and it was killing me, having a fag before using the turbo was probably not a great idea in hindsight.

I was on at least 20 a day, you sound like you have already got it down to a very low level. Maybe you should try nicotine products or will-power.

 

[phaedrus]

Sorry to hear about your uncle, and good luck with beating your addiction. I haven't smoked for 12 years, but before that I was a 40 per day user.

I tried everything at least once - patches, fake cigarettes, chewing gum, hypnosis, acupuncture - you get the picture.

I finally read Alan Carr's excellent book, and that did the trick. I think that you have to recognise that you're dealing with a very powerful addiction, and act accordingly.

 

[tyred]

I'm planning another attempt soon myself. In the past, I've tried all the NRT and Allen Carr's book, deliberately leaving my cigarettes at work so I didn't have them at home, locking them in the car so I didn't have them in work, etc and always failed miserably.

But this time, I feel I actually want to stop, my previous attempts, I was doing it because I felt it was something I should do but still wanted to smoke. Now I just feel bored and pissed off with it and despite not really trying to cut down, I actually smoke a lot less than I did this time last year (from 20-30 down to 10-12). I'm just undecided whether to try and cut down further as a long term project or just stop, but either way, I think I can succeed this time because I am bored with smoking now and just want to stop. I have the further advantage that it was usually having a drink that was my undoing in the past but I no longer drink alcohol (I used to drink heavily but got bored with that as well and just stopped).

 

[mickle]

Really sorry to hear about your uncle.

My mum and dad both died of cancer, and I've had it too - testicular cancer 30 years ago. But none of that stopped me smoking. Twenty or more a day since 1980, and I passive smoked before that and even in the womb.

You'd have thunk that the death of my beloved ma from lung cancer would have been the impetus but no. Then last year a friend of mine died. I'd always made the exuse; 'Now is not a good time' and I just thought well, now is the very worst time, why not try now? What's the worst that can happen? And it stuck. The key for me was simply accepting that I was never ever going back to it. Once you've 'flicked that switch' in your head you remove any temptation. Remove smoking as an option rather than 'give it up'. I managed to flick the switch in August year before last and I thank myself every single day.

You are in the perfect place to stop now, your consumption is so low that you barely smoke.

And your uncle's passing can help; by giving you something to hitch it to. Dedicate giving up to his memory or stop on the day of his funeral.

Put your last packet in the coffin with him? Let something positive come out of his death.

:manhug:

 

[mickle]

I'm planning another attempt soon myself. In the past, I've tried all the NRT and Allen Carr's book, deliberately leaving my cigarettes at work so I didn't have them at home, locking them in the car so I didn't have them in work, etc and always failed miserably.

But this time, I feel I actually want to stop, my previous attempts, I was doing it because I felt it was something I should do but still wanted to smoke. Now I just feel bored and pissed off with it and despite not really trying to cut down, I actually smoke a lot less than I did this time last year (from 20-30 down to 10-12). I'm just undecided whether to try and cut down further as a long term project or just stop, but either way, I think I can succeed this time because I am bored with smoking now and just want to stop. I have the further advantage that it was usually having a drink that was my undoing in the past but I no longer drink alcohol (I used to drink heavily but got bored with that as well and just stopped).

I found that I didn't want to drink after I stopped smoking - the two vices were so linked in my mind that afer removing one of them the other totally lost its appeal. I don't miss either of them.

 

[E11a]

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle.

I haven't smoked for over a year but don't think of it as having given up. Any time I tried to consciously give up I'd be back on them after a few weeks.

I switched to rollies a few years ago to make it more difficult to have a quick smoke and cut down to less than 5 a day. I wasn't enjoying smoking as much as I used to so instead of going for one out of habit, only went when I wanted one. Some days I only had one, and went for days without smoking at all. I've not felt like having a cigarette since February last year and now feel ill at the smell.

Good luck!

 

[tyred]

I have made an executive decision. I have two cigarettes left in the packet and I will smoke them during my dinner hour and do not intend to buy anymore....