HELP ME STUB iT OUT!!!

[nigelnorris]

I'm sick to death of my own stupid style of addiction, I just can't find a way around it.

I smoked heavily from mid teens to age 40 then quit. For five days, Friday night came around and I had a beer and simply had to have a fag to go with it. Same on Saturday night. Then didn't smoke for five days, till Friday and Saturday night. Repeat for 6 years now.

It's driving me insane, I feel absolutely no cravings or withdrawal whatsoever, even when in the company of people smoking, until I get a beer on, then willpower just goes out of the window.

I'm doing it now. Just got dinner on, not going out tonight so there's a bottle of wine to enjoy in front of the TV. Ten marlborough light will last me tonight and a couple left for tomorrow when it starts over again.

Stupidy stupidy stupidy.

 

[Albert]

Well, I stopped after smoking for over 40 years and it was easy - I had a heart attack aged 59 !!!!
That was two years ago. I took up cycling and have started doing Sportives and did last weekend's Iron Mountain 50 mile Silver Ride in under 4 hours. I did the Preseli Angel a few weeks back in just over 4 hours - I was the oldest competitor and no where near last.

Life is about choices - I enjoyed smoking and doing no exercise at all for many years and my heart attack forced a change of lifestyle. Don't beat yourselves up over smoking - it'll try to kill you and if you're luck, like me, you can make a full recovery and live a new type of life.
If you're not lucky then who knows.............?

 

[palinurus]

I'm sick to death of my own stupid style of addiction, I just can't find a way around it.

I smoked heavily from mid teens to age 40 then quit. For five days, Friday night came around and I had a beer and simply had to have a fag to go with it. Same on Saturday night. Then didn't smoke for five days, till Friday and Saturday night. Repeat for 6 years now.

It's driving me insane, I feel absolutely no cravings or withdrawal whatsoever, even when in the company of people smoking, until I get a beer on, then willpower just goes out of the window.

I'm doing it now. Just got dinner on, not going out tonight so there's a bottle of wine to enjoy in front of the TV. Ten marlborough light will last me tonight and a couple left for tomorrow when it starts over again.

Stupidy stupidy stupidy.

I was like that for some time, although if I bought a pack of 10 I'd generally keep two and give the rest away (they were pricey cigs). The positive thing is you can go a fair time without smoking. Although it might not be the best way to give up it does break up the habit of some of those routine cigs (the breakfast cig, tea breaks etc.)

But I found it hard if I'd had a couple of beers.

I eventually quit when I started cycling more seriously and started drinking less. Getting into time-trialling finally led me to stop.

I spend a lot of time in pubs, often bored (I'm in a band, waiting around to soundcheck and waiting around for the performance can be a bit dull) doing that without smoking used to be pretty hard, it's much easier now.

Remember what it was like missing the morning cig at first? it's not so bad now. After a while missing the Friday evening cig won't be so bad either.

 

[GinsbergBeard]

I quit over 2 months ago, using Allen Car's Easy Way. I guess like most people, I was rather cynical. However, i read the book, because I didn't want to be 40 & still a smoker, plus for the first time in my life, it was interfering with other aspects of my life, such as cycling & yoga. The book basically tells you that the way to stop is to simply stop smoking & don't make a fuss about it! The book helped & I’ve not smoked since. My fitness has improved no end & have recently completed my first 100km ride. Give it a try, it's worth it!

 

[jeltz]

There are plenty of fit people out there who smoke. My brothers boxing coach for instance is one of the fittest guys I know and he's on 20 a day.

You can be fit and smoke, but you can't be healthy!!

I quit just under a year ago and found several online support forums which helped, both with motivation and information, being new here I don't want to tread on toes by link dumping but if anyone wants the URL's then PM me and I'll pass them on.

 

[mookie]

I'm sick to death of my own stupid style of addiction, I just can't find a way around it.

I smoked heavily from mid teens to age 40 then quit. For five days, Friday I'm doing it now. Just got dinner on, not going out tonight so there's a bottle of wine to enjoy in front of the TV. Ten marlborough light will last me tonight and a couple left for tomorrow when it starts over again.

Stupidy stupidy stupidy.

I had a friend once who said he would give up smoking but ended up like yourself in that he always smoked when he had a drink (I always wished I could've done this when I was a smoker - it was always these ones that you missed the most [oh and the first one in the morning and the one after dinner ]), but what eventually happened was that he ended up drinking practically every night of the week..... You need to either quit completely and avoid drink until your willpower is strong enough to drink alcohol without giving in or you continually battle with it and beat yourself up on a constant basis about what you shouldn't be doing.

Every single time that I have stopped smoking, I have given in whilst I've been drinking and thought "just one", but this time, I know that there can never ever be just one - never.

 

[jeltz]

Every single time that I have stopped smoking, I have given in whilst I've been drinking and thought "just one", but this time, I know that there can never ever be just one - never.

N.O.P.E. - Not One Puff Ever

You have to get the idea that you have become a non smoker not an occasional or light smoker. You are either a smoker or not, volume doesn't mean anything.

Try to get away from the idea that quitting is a sacrifice, its not.

 

[mookie]

N.O.P.E. - Not One Puff Ever

You have to get the idea that you have become a non smoker not an occasional or light smoker. You are either a smoker or not, volume doesn't mean anything.

Try to get away from the idea that quitting is a sacrifice, its not.

Couldn't agree more - but it's taken me several attempts to get to this mentality - a smoker is a smoker and you either do or you don't.... Try to tell me that 4 years ago when I was in the pub tho!

I love the freedom of not being a smoker - brilliant.