View Full Version : Giving up smoking...
Has anybody on here gave up successfully? I really want to quit but I don't seem to have the willpower.
Any tips/advice is much appreciated.
Graham.
Jester666
14-03-08, 02:56 PM
Don't do it.
Smoking is good for you!! :lol:
I just don't want to give up, so I won't.............. yet! :lol:
Ha ha. I just find the biggest hurdle is battling the urge to not have one with my morning brew.
Jester666
14-03-08, 02:58 PM
And after eating!
And in between every pint.
ASM-Forever
14-03-08, 02:59 PM
I used to smoke and just gave up. I can't explain it more than that. One day i decided not to smoke anymore. :)
I think if you genuinely want to give up, its pretty easy.
timwilky
14-03-08, 02:59 PM
It is easy. YOU simply need to want to.
I did it 15 years ago. Been smoke free since. Failed about 5 times when family forced me to give up. One day I woke up and knew I didn't want to smoke any more.
DONT DO IT.........
They will have to get all that £Billions worth of tax from elsewhere if you do :(
The other half hates it as well, so that should be enough for me to stop. Mind you, when she starts expressing her disdain I simply want to light up!
The other half hates it as well, so that should be enough for me to stop. Mind you, when she starts expressing her disdain I simply want to light up!
If only you knew how much you stink, that would be incentive enough;)
If only you knew how much you stink, that would be incentive enough;)
That's a good point :p
Fizzy Fish
14-03-08, 03:19 PM
i gave up a few years ago, and it was one of the best things i've done.
What worked for me was cutting down to c. 5 a day for a few weeks, before quitting totally. Then i didn't go out for the first week cos all my mates smoked and I didn't want to be around it.
You do think about it all the time for the first few days, but then it does start to lessen fairly quickly after that. Over the next 6 months i did cave a few times when out drinking, but found that I'd lost the taste for it, and ended up stubbing the cig out after a few drags. When you do that a couple of times your mates won't let you have any of their cigs any more, and that helps too!
Now i don't even think about it, even if people are smoking around me. And I can pass shops without wondering whether i have enough cigs to last me the night, etc - you don't realise at the time how much of a slave to tobacco you are!
My other half quit recently using patches, and found that they really helped to take the edge of cravings and feelings of irritability. Better for the sanity of those around you too! :lol:
My mum tried EVERYTHING under the sun to try and give up and failed.
Then she tried these Champix tablets and has been smoke free for 7 weeks which for her usual non smoking periods is a life time
Spiderman
14-03-08, 03:24 PM
I used to smoke and just gave up. I can't explain it more than that. One day i decided not to smoke anymore. :)
I think if you genuinely want to give up, its pretty easy.
It is easy. YOU simply need to want to.
I did it 15 years ago. Been smoke free since. Failed about 5 times when family forced me to give up. One day I woke up and knew I didn't want to smoke any more.
If only you knew how much you stink, that would be incentive enough;)
All good advice and the stink thing made me remember a trick that may help you fight the temptation.
get an old jar and fill at least half of it with old ashtray stuff. Then add water and close the lid. keep it somewhere handy and everytime you feel the urge to have a fag simply shake and open.... and take a deep sniff of it.
Trust me, no matter how much you like fags you wont want one after that. All the patches in the world wont help unless you really WANT to give up.
i gave up overnight like some others here but i still have the odd cigar whn out drinking it up.
All good advice. Cheers for that. I think steering clear of beer will aid the process somewhat. Although it is Friday!
timwilky
14-03-08, 05:06 PM
All good advice. Cheers for that. I think steering clear of beer will aid the process somewhat. Although it is Friday!
No don't change the rest of your life, otherwise you will blame giving up and break. Face your demons.
Like everyone said if you dont really make the decision to give up yourself you wont be able to.Going out for the first few weeks is the big test.I stayed in.I too kept a few cigs about so knew they were there.So never thought I had none I just wasnt going to smoke them.
mister c
14-03-08, 07:18 PM
Best way to give up? Crash your bike & end up bed ridden for 2 weeks in Hospital!
I had been thinking about giving up, but the usual gremlins in my head told me I needed nicotine. I have been smoking since I was 12 years old and I must admit I used to enjoy it, but it got to the stage where I just thought I'm only doing this for something to do.
When I had my crash I couldn't get out of bed for 2 weeks, & I was too unwell to even think about smoking, so, it helped a lot in my decision.
As for the smell..... My 2 lads smoke & I cant believe the stench when they have had a smoke. My clothes smell as well because of smokers in the house, I feel sorry for the non smokers that hung around by me now.
It has been 8 weeks now since I had a ciggie, and if I said that I didn't want another I would be lying, every morning & whenever I'm bored I could murder one, but self control has taken over.
Like somebody said, the main thing to help you stop is you wanting to stop in the first place.
ArtyLady
14-03-08, 08:16 PM
Buy a horse then you wont be able to afford it ;) :lol: (thats how I did it 18 years ago)
people everwhere....who want to stop smoking.
it really goes down to "do u really want to stop" .....if the answer is yes, then just do it....stop feeding that monkey on your sholder tapping every few hours wanting you to have a fag...
have a look at "whyquit.com" its a american site..........
but it does help.......NO it just tell u the facts......
u could just look and feel sick...then relise that its happening to u, every time u light up.
i used to wake up in the middle of the night for a fix / damm i even smoked in the shower......
any one really needs help then pm me.....
Gordon B
14-03-08, 11:45 PM
I used to smoke and just gave up. I can't explain it more than that. One day i decided not to smoke anymore. :)
I think if you genuinely want to give up, its pretty easy.
+1 After 15 years I just quit. Simple as that.
Can't explain it at all.
ethariel
15-03-08, 12:23 AM
Swore blind i'd stop, did for 2 1/2 years.
Stopped again in Jan this year (the thought of Bear applying croc clips to my nipples didnt really figure in it too much honest :P)
All joking and frippery aside, if YOU want to stop, then you simply do stop.
All the pills and potions in the world won't help you stop if you don't really want to.
Colin
(PS I did try champix, has taken me 2 and a half months to start to get ogver the side effects, looks like im on steroids for another 2 or 3 months to get rid of the last side effect tho!)
-Ralph-
15-03-08, 02:05 AM
I used to smoke and just gave up. I can't explain it more than that. One day i decided not to smoke anymore. :)
I think if you genuinely want to give up, its pretty easy.
+1, go cold turkey, it's the only way....
Nicotine cravings are gone in a week or so, after that it's just breaking an old habit.
Devil Biccy
15-03-08, 09:47 AM
I became smoke free after my internal pump misfired a few times ( 2002) and then decided to go back to the evil weed 3 years ago and have managed to be Nicotine free since July last year went from 25-30 a day to 0 becuase I WANTED to and also due to a nagging daughter wanting me to live a little longer.
It's Bl***y hard and don't let anyone tell you any different but slow and steady you can do it if YOU want to, good luck and hope you do manage to kick the habit.
So far my ex-habit has funded a Nintendo Wii, a skiing holiday and a few games for my PSP
flibble
15-03-08, 10:41 AM
I'm now on 7 weeks, and the money I saved is going towards finance of my new bike (~?120+/month!). Makes it so much easier having an incentive :)
... but word of warning to anyone wanting to try anything like champix, just be aware and look into all the side effects (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=513371&in_page_id=1774&ct=5) first.
STRAMASHER
15-03-08, 11:06 AM
I set myself a date (whenever i finished my 1000 duty-free) and said that was me stopping. That was maybe 3 months to get my head straight before I finished.
ALL my mates smoke. ALL my mates said "You can't do it". Wanted to stop on my own terms before the ban came in up here.
Bought a 2nd bike (k3) with the money saved...... and met all you good folk!:D
Now when riding out with my mates its a real pain in the **** having to stop every 20mins cos they need a fag.:rolleyes:
So get yer head straight and don't waste your money on "crutches".
Good luck.:thumbsup:
-Ralph-
15-03-08, 11:17 AM
ALL my mates smoke. ALL my mates said "You can't do it".
That helps big time....
I was standing outside the office when a colleague (who I didn't like very much) was telling over exaggerated stories about a friend having such a hard time trying to quit and how she could never do it. Being an argumentative b***std (I'm not always but she really used to wind me up this girl), I told her she was talikng b0ll0cks. She got angry and told me I couldn't do it. I told her I wasn't wasting my newly opened packet of twenty, but that would be my last packet. It was my last packet and that's how I quit.
No wonder my wife says I'm stubborn as a mule! :grin:
Good for you Ralph, my father also did quit after the family doctor made him sh*t in his pants saying if he doesn't stop...
He started smoking when 12 and stopped at 40, now 66 and can't stand anyone smoking near him or anywhere else. Never liked the smoke myself, used to try to look cool with a fag in the mouth as a youth. Anything to impress the ladies right? The wife smokes though, tries to hide the stink by chewing gum all the time. It worked for a long time but now nothing can disguise the stench. Told her to stop for all the reasons but she always finds her own excuses to go on. Her recent number is that the fags help her to sh*t once a day. She has this digestive problem you see. To make matters worse the family doc told her that they actually do, since tobacco is like poison to the body and so the body tries means to rid of it. I guess that's why he's a smoker then!
Don't do it.
Smoking is good for you!! :lol:
I just don't want to give up, so I won't.............. yet! :lol:
+1
I ride motorcycles far faster than I ought to, I've had two heart attacks (one minor, one major, both attributed to a hereditary heart condition) and a mini-stroke (attributed to being overstressed at work and my heart condition) and I love thrill-seeking - the risk of me dying from a smoking related illness is minimal. I enjoy having a smoke
phil24_7
15-03-08, 06:55 PM
Haven't strictly given up but have stopped for 6 months before. Just decided to one day and that was it. Even left a full pack in my glovebox just to prove to myself that I didn't need them. Took it up again due to depression.
Will give it up someday, but I don't want to at this precise time.
Over this weekend I have been thinking hard about packing in. Managed to cut down over the last couple of days so it's a start.
The main thing gearing me up for quitting is having more money to spend on the bike!
tigersaw
17-03-08, 09:04 AM
I gave up a 20 year habit 10 years ago by just deciding 'today is a good day to give up smoking'.
I now only smoke when I visit Amsterdam, I've managed to cut it down to 4 flights a day.
It is very simple to give up, I did so 6 years ago. Before which I smoked 20 Bensons a day. I used nothing more than will power.
1. You have got to want to, if you are just doing it because you think you should then forget it. If it is for you then you will do it no problem.
2. Set a day for you to give up - have your last one the night before and get rid of all smoking related items.
3. Be strong, the first couple of days are the worst but after a week you've cracked it.
4. Remember that smoking is more of a habit than an addiction, I used to get 20 Bensons and a lucozade every morning on my way to work. Once I gave up I continued to get the Lucozade, but a Mars bar instead. So although I still had the habit it didn't include fags - although I did put on some weight.
5. Don't expect to have life changing results immediately, if you are anything like me you will have the worst cough/colds for about 6 months to a year. You don't feel any fitter or healthier. It takes approx 6 years to get out of your system.
6. You may not put the money away, I didn't, but my overdraft dissappeared almost overnight and I worked out how much I had saved over the first year and treated myself to something I had always wanted, a porsche 944 S2. That way my effort was rewarded and it was a really guilty pleasure for me alone.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l286/krhall_2006/desktop.jpg
7. Don't be tempted to avoid places you associate with smoke, that will never work. Although the government have helped a bit with this. Smoking is less socially acceptable these days, shame really I used to like getting a smell of smoke in pubs.
8. Talk to people on here or wherever for support, if you need it. As you can see on here there are loads of people who are willing to help, advise or simply listen.
It is worth it in the long run, you just have to stick at it.
My eldest (7 years old) cannot remember me smoking, so its' all good. I am also about to run my first London Marathon, which I could never have done 6 years ago.
Good Luck.
Thank you all for the help and advice. I have my last deck of ten with me now so once that has gone it all begins.
Soon the winnings will be going towards a Beowulf can :)
-Ralph-
17-03-08, 09:14 PM
Thank you all for the help and advice. I have my last deck of ten with me now so once that has gone it all begins.
Soon the winnings will be going towards a Beowulf can :)
Excellent Witchery! I for one will leave this in my subscribed threads, so if your having a bad day, post up how you feel and get it off your chest instead of having a fag. Sure all the folk that've posted in this thread will give what support they can.
-Ralph-
17-03-08, 09:18 PM
porsche 944 S2
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l286/krhall_2006/desktop.jpg
Nice Porsche mate, (ignore anyone that says a Porsche engine has to be in the back, the 928 maybe wasn't, but that is a proper Porsche). I actually like the S2 more than the 2.5 Turbo. Is it clean inside? Got any pics? Thats a car shape that will never get old.
Right, so I had my last smoke after work yesterday and all is well. I did succumb after lunch mere moments ago and have a cheeky one but one is a hell of a lot less than my usual consumption.
I actually feel really guilty about it though.
Balls! :mad:
John Burt
18-03-08, 12:50 PM
You're doing well - but try not to give in to the sneaky one, there is no such thing. I gave up a year ago over 20 a day for more than 20 years and have never felt better. My missus gave up at the sam etime made 6 weeks and tehn had a cheky couple - 12 months later just giving up again second time round.
TAlking helps and you've got to be strong although it gets a lot easier after a couple of weeks.
Nice Porsche mate, (ignore anyone that says a Porsche engine has to be in the back, the 928 maybe wasn't, but that is a proper Porsche). I actually like the S2 more than the 2.5 Turbo. Is it clean inside? Got any pics? Thats a car shape that will never get old.
Sadly I sold it on a while back, but since then have always regretted it - it was mint inside too. If I could buy it back the way I sold it I would do so tomorrow.............
As for the fags - no cheeky ones. You have to push through the temptation and after a week you'll be there.
I too will keep an eye on this thread and will be happy to help if I can!
Thanks for the support. I'll probably end up posting a load of infernal ramblings in the next few days!
:smt003
Graham.
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