Giving up!!

Well done on making the conscious decision to quit.

I quit 4.5 yrs ago now, went out to a party & did the usual, drank too much & smoked too much, got up the next morning & just said to my other half, i don't need this any more & threw my tobacco, papers & lighter in the bin & have never looked back.

My main concern was the probability of putting on a lot of weight, which i did, I decided to forget the extra cushioning & concentrate on kicking the habbit first, once i got to the stage of not smoking for three years i decided to start looking at my weight, since then i have started jogging, i don't go mad & just do a couple of miles with the dogs most evenings, i've also learned to swim, the weight is slowly comming off & soon i hope to be back to my old weight.

The money i used to spend on tobacco now pays for me to have two one week holidays abroad each year.

Do i miss a rolly..........yes sometimes, will i go back to smoking them...........NO!!!

[appollo1]

Originally Posted by cdtrim

Oh, it might be advisable to stay off the drink for a few weeks too, I still get cravings when I have a few beers!

Best of luck!

Thankfully I don't drink very much and with the no smoking in pubs it doesn't really bother me.

Originally Posted by Bibio

well done bud.

stick at it m8. £5 a day for 365 days = £1825 that you could stick towards a new car or bike.

Yeah like I am going to see any of the money lol......you know Mrs A is going to have it all!!!

Originally Posted by Bibio

i'm always on the end of a phone m8 if you need some pointers or just need 'reassuring'.

Thanks mate

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

it only takes about a week to 10 days of ripping your hair out, before your body adjusts.

After that it's the habit, such as after meals, in the car, breaks at work, etc.

not got enough hair to rip out!!

It's the car journeys that i'm worried about.....got a 360 mile commute home every other weekend at the moment!!!

Originally Posted by fenjer

Good call!!

I vividly remember telling my dad to stop smoking when I was about 8. It's what we girls do, preparing for a life time of keeping men under the thumb!

Just mean we need to rely on Grant to keep the midges at bay at GM4!

lol

Originally Posted by Weirdfish

Good luck try some chewing gum if all else fails.

I've tried the Nicotine gum before and it is horrible. I always have have a packet of normal mint chewing gum in my pocket as I have always been paranoid about having stinky breath!!!!

Hour 40.5 for me. (yes I am counting, chewing gum and boiled sweets are not helping, least I can't drink as on pills for my ankle)

I have the worst cold ever, coughed up a lung already, feel ****, tired, basically crawling up the walls.

How you feeling Ricky?

EDIT: O aye, how long does this last for

Originally Posted by appollo1

I always have have a packet of normal mint chewing gum in my pocket as I have always been paranoid about having stinky breath!!!!

You will start to notice the smoker's breath a few months after quitting when your sense of smell will significantly improve. On the good side, flowers will smell better and food will be tastier

[anna]

Im sorry to disagree with people here, but, nicotine actually ISNT that addictive, it is mainly psychological. If it were that addictive you would wake in the middle of the night needing a fag.

That is why it is so hard to quit, breaking your mental cycle and changing the way you think.

Originally Posted by Sally

O aye, how long does this last for

Hang in there and be strong! The worst part of the withdrawal takes a few days but it gets better quickly afterwards.

Originally Posted by anna

Im sorry to disagree with people here, but, nicotine actually ISNT that addictive, it is mainly psychological. If it were that addictive you would wake in the middle of the night needing a fag.

That is why it is so hard to quit, breaking your mental cycle and changing the way you think.

So why am I crawling up the wall, and ill?

[tinpants]

Originally Posted by anna

Im sorry to disagree with people here, but, nicotine actually ISNT that addictive, it is mainly psychological. If it were that addictive you would wake in the middle of the night needing a fag.

That is why it is so hard to quit, breaking your mental cycle and changing the way you think.

Sorry. Load of bollix.

Nicotine is more addictive than heroin. Medical fact. Also, anyone who says its " all psychological" is talking from their fundamental orifice. It takes aproximately 20 weeks to "switch off" the part of the brain that craves nicotine. This is best done by weaning oneself off nicotine gradually be it with gum, patches, an inhalator or whatever. This " switching off" period can be reduced with the use of Champix tablets which are a 12 week course and involve taking a tablet twice a day. I can't recommend them highly enough. They take away the craving - completely - and you can carry on with life as if nothing has happened. I smoked for 28 years and gave up with the help of Champix. Its brilliant stuff.

Before I get flamed for this post, just bear in mind that I am a medical professional with extensive knowledge in the business of helping people stop smoking.

That is all...

BTW, congrats on stopping. You won't regret it - although you might think you do from time to time!!

Your subconscious is panicking partly due to the chemical imbalance in the absence of the drug and partly because is trying to make you follow the patterns you trained it for so long.

Changing old habits is a difficult since the connections in your brain need to break before reforming into new patterns. The subconscious works against you round the clock even when you sleep this is why you will have to compensate with plenty of will power.

I've found the worst part lasted for about 2 weeks after which I started to feel confident that I was able to give up completely.

[anna]

Originally Posted by Bellerophon

Sorry. Load of bollix.

Nicotine is more addictive than heroin. Medical fact.

!!

Simply not true.

Heroin wakes you and makes you get another hit, nicotine simply does not do this. Medical Fact.

I would love to see the medical information to support your theory that it takes 20 weeks for it to leave your system. Nicotine starts to leave the system the second that it enters your body, the tar and the rest of the rubbish stays in your lungs.