Giving up smoking.

M

meridian

Guest
Folks,
I have been smoking for a good number of years now and would love to kick the habit for good. I never made much of an attempt in the past to try and give them up as I enjoyed a fag and a pint. Thankfully the smoking ban makes it more awkward to combine both. What have successful people used with regard to patches, acupuncture etc etc to assist in combatting this habit?
Meridian
 
Meridean

I used to smoke for about 12 years, gave it up 6 years ago and never looked back. My motivation at the time was financial, my (now) wife and I were trying to buy a house and money was tight. Being a smoker had a sizeable impact on the mortgage protection insurance as well as being a bloody expensive habit. I went cold turkey, started drinking lots of water and eating fruit. Each day I would put the money I'd been "saving" into a pot. After a month my wife and I spent a day in Dublin and treated my self to some books and tools I had wanted to buy to start a hobby. We repeated this on a bimontly basis for the first year and I found it a great motivator. Also we would go for nice country/ forestry walks every week to fill my lungs with good clean air...Six years on and I'm only sorry I didn't quit years ago plus I have a fantastic tool kit and a hobby which brings its own reward. My wife was a huge motivator and kept me going through the difficult first few months, so it's thanks to Mrs Carpenter. Best of luck on your jouney....
 
Like Carpenter, I gave up cold turkey more than 5 years ago. The key is wanting to give up. If you dont really want to, you won't. I calculated how much I used to spend on cigarettes and set up a dd into a seperate account which was used for holidays and travel. That was my motivation. The first two weeks were the worst- you have to stop the habit of reaching for a fag. So if you normally have a fag with your 11am coffee, change the coffee for something else like water or fruit juice or a piece of fruit. After the first two weeks it was easy, honestly! Good luck!
 
I gave up smoking about 4 years ago using the Niquitin CQ patches. I wasn't desperate to quit but all my friends were giving up so I thought I better "at least try" and here I am now totally smoke free. Anyone I know who stuck it out used patches, including a friend who was one of the types of people who "give up" every couple of months using something or other. She's off them a year now. My sister gave them up for about six months using Allen Carr's book. I don't know why she went back on them but I think it's some kind of confused rebellion.

The patches did make me a bit sick for the first few days but in a peverse way it kinda helped. I felt so ill at the thought of a fag that I just couldn't touch one (and I *never* felt like that before). I started swimming and going to the gym at the same time for fear I would pile on weight (which a couple of my friends did) and that worked really well - I'm still quite a bit smaller than I was when I smoked.

To this day, I wouldn't ever risk a drag of one or light one for somebody in case the longing came on me again.

Best of luck with it. As everyone says, the first week or 2 is the worst and after that you wonder what all the fuss is about.
Rebecca
 
I gave up around 2 years ago, and haven't had a drag since (I had smoked for around 7-8 years, and had previously quit for around 6 months). My main motivation was health related, but I also wanted to quit. Would definitely advise taking up a sport and using chewing gum (not necessarily Nicquitin-I never used anything like that, but if it works for you, fair enough). First 2 weeks are definitely the hardest, but it should get easier after that. A lot of my friends still smoke quite heavily, but I can now join them outside the pub when they're having a fag, shoot the breeze, and not feel tempted at all. Having said that, those bastards were of no help and constantly discouraging me not to quit at the time.

Best of luck. One of the best decisions you could ever make.
 
I have to say I found the Alan Carr, Easyway to Stop Smoking book very good. I was only a social/couple of times a week with a pint smoker but he even has a chapter for people like me!!! You can do Alan Carr classes as well and a couple of colleagues found them very sucessful. But the book is cheap, portable, and you can hang onto it for as long as you need.
 
I was smoking for about 12 or 13 years when I decided that enough was enough and tried to quit. After a few unsuccesful attempts with Cold Turkey, Alan Carrr's book etc I went to a hypnotist in Cork. that was two and a half years ago an I haven't so much as a pull of a ciggie since that day.

As said above, once you really WANT to give up you stand so much better a chance of succeeding
 
meridian said:
Folks,
I have been smoking for a good number of years now and would love to kick the habit for good. I never made much of an attempt in the past to try and give them up as I enjoyed a fag and a pint. Thankfully the smoking ban makes it more awkward to combine both. What have successful people used with regard to patches, acupuncture etc etc to assist in combatting this habit?
Meridian
Click to expand...


Forget everything...patches etc...
Just pick a day and do it. Don't allow yourself to think you might fail. Just do it and don't look back.
 
I agree with Gabriel. I gave up smoking 3 years ago last New Years. I had a few efforts prior to that off them for a few months but had always succumbed on a night out after a few drinks. So I picked the day and was determined to stick to it. Haven't had one since, though the first few weeks were hairy and I had to stay a home several weekends until I got over the hump. It would have be so much easier doing it now that the smoking ban has come in. I coupled this with a new exercise regime to combat any weight gain (horrors!!) and it worked. I am now about a stone and a half lighter than I was when I was smoking. I feel so much better!
Best of luck with it. If you want to, you can do it!
 
I'm off them for 18 months now, without a drag. Smoked for a bou 10 years at about 20 a day. Read Alan Carr, Easyway to Stop Smoking book, after failing to get past page 10, 2 years earlier. Could have saved a lot of money in those 2 years wasted. Not a very interesting read, but if you let it sink in, it'll work. 5 other friends and relatives of mine have also read it and never returned to smoking.
I would certainly agree, that wanting to stop is very important. Otherwise you just make excuses not to read the book.
 
20 to 40 a day for 10 years. Tried patches, Allen Carr, Zyban, etc. Now a non smoker. Best advice seems to be 'Don't smoke the next one. NO MATTER WHAT'.

I did find that reading everything I could find on the web or in print helped a lot as did a quitmeter I downloaded from http://quitsmoking.about.com which gives you money saved, etc. Other useful websites (there are hundreds, I really think the secret is to read something about quitting every day or when everyone is on a fag break or any time you want to light up just to keep your resolve up):

www.cognitivequitting.com has a really good (free) method if you follow their instructions and a really good yahoo group for email support.

www.whyquit.com

You probably need to cut n paste those links. Hope this helps. Best of luck.
 
I had a brilliant book by Gillian Riley (I think). The key was to know that you'll get an urge to smoke every so often, especially at times associated with cigarettes - cup of coffee, on phone etc. You withstand that urge by just accepting it and reminding yourself why you want to stop. It'll go away, just as it does when youre in the cinema or somewhere you cannot smoke. Then the next one comes and you withstand that. You're not giving up a pleasure, you're stopping a stupid habit thats harmful. And remember, you get just as excited, just as angry, just as anything - and you don't actually NEED that cigarette. The worst thing about stopping smoking is wanting a cigarette. We just think that wanting something is TERRIBLE, but it's not. Off them a good long time - I did have a slip after 5 years, when I thought I was safe and could just have the odd one. Oh no you can't!
Best of luck to you!
 
speirbhean said:
I have to say I found the Alan Carr, Easyway to Stop Smoking book very good. I was only a social/couple of times a week with a pint smoker but he even has a chapter for people like me!!! You can do Alan Carr classes as well and a couple of colleagues found them very sucessful. But the book is cheap, portable, and you can hang onto it for as long as you need.
Click to expand...

I agree this book helped me kick the habbit too.
 
Smoked 20 a day for 12 years - gave up using sugar-free chewing gum - just popped a piece every time I had a craving and it kept my mouth busy until it passed.

Also a great way to lose weight!
 
Meridian,
With so many people encouraging you, as above, why not make the big decision, name the day, and go public.
In other words , set aside aspecific date for quitting, and tell everyone you know , and make sure the smokers dont make the mistake of offering you one.
I can now finally call myself a non smoker, after years of trying to stop smoking, having the odd sneaky one, stopping and starting again, I even became a closet smoker, Yea I can hear the laughs, until I decided enough of this.
All I can say is that life without the dreaded fags is worth the trojan effort it will take to break the habit, and the addiction.
Because yes its an addiction.
I wouldnt even light a cigarette for someone now.
The main thing that helped me was keeping busy and active, and its amazing the amount of energy that returns.
Of course the other great reward is the feeling of being healthy again and seeing the last of the telltale cough and the sore throats and chest infections.
I worked on getting through one day at a time, until the craving subsided, and after that its plain sailing as long as you dont light up another one!
 
Allan Carr brain-washed me 3 years ago and I did find it easy to give them up after 15 years of failed attempts. Excellent read.
The substitute nicotine gimmicks just make it more difficult in my opinion.
 
[broken link removed] featured an item the other day on giving up smoking which may be of interest.
 
I went to an allen carr clinic and gave them up there and then a year ago.
Its €270, and if you smoke within 3 months you get your money back!
Jokes aside, I was the most dedicated smoker you'd ever meet and am so happy now, RING THEM!!! YOU CAN'T LOSE!!
 
Hi Folks,
I must say that I was delighted to get plenty of enthuastic replies with peoples' real life stories on their journey down the road of quitting smoking. I took the advice of one reply and picked a date to cut off. With the aid of nicorette patches I'm off them eight days now and am determined to win. On some of my weaker moments I have another read through the replies as a boost to stay on the straight and narrow, thanks for your help.
Meridian.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top