help stop smoking

[young]

just wondering if anyone has given up smoking recently as i am going to and i was wondering what people used i was planning on using the nicorette lozenges? :confused

[martin macdonald]

just wondering if anyone has given up smoking recently as i am going to and i was wondering what people used i was planning on using the nicorette lozenges? :confusedplenty of fruit and fruit juice. stick your money in a jar every day [that u would spend on fags] these patches and lozenges are a con[plenty of rest and will power]all the very best a day at a time:cool:

[sharon]

Wish you the best of luck,

I tried many times on patches, lozenges and the gum but failed! Finally 2 years ago on the 1st since my last fag, but it took 6 days in a very scary place did it for me, intensive care! Wouldn’t recommend it! [lol]

[young]

thanks for the help.

[acameron]

As Billy Connelly said -"Stopping smoking is easy... Ive done it 16 times"
Its true - I smoke Ive tried to stop and gave up trying. No doubt I will try to stop again and probably fail. My better half has stopped for 16 years - she just stopped one day and that was that. I think it depends on the individual, some people can stop easier than others. Some need more will power, and whatever you use patches, gum, hypnosis or cold turkey the craving for the smoke will always return. After trying most things, I think the next time I try it will be cold turkey.
But what every you decide to use, the cravings WILL come -the gurning WILL come.
The first 5 mins are easy.

[Billy Boy]

i used chewing gum everytime i got the urge for a fag and with a lot of will power and that worked for me,i agree with martin that the patches are a waste of time and money,but there again it what ever work's for you lol,good luck and be strong:)

[sharon]

you can always diet in a few months , or go to scottish slimers as you stop.... drink water when you feel like a fag, it was hard, i put on weight but the money i saved makes up for it and after 6months i bought a big side by side fridge frezzer with water dispenser,:roll:

[danc1ngwitch]

No Joke this is hard to do!!! First week i felt like i was missing an arm, LoL. But i did it and i wouldna ever go back to it ever. Tho sometimes the thought is there especially if u are out for the night .. x best of luck.

[Kaishowing]

Good luck to you.:o
The fact that you've made the decision though, is the real hurdle.
My wife and I both gave up at the same time a year ago last March thanks to the patches, so they can work.
I don't think we could have done it if the other decided to still smoke...plus when things got tough, and it did, we supported each other.
The toughest part of it though was to break the routine...The first smoke of the day...the one with the coffee...the one after meals etc.
Nibble food helps, sticks of carrots or something similar.....Chewing-gum seems to be a favourite choice...for me it was extra strong mints.
All that helps.
It's tough, but worth it in the end.
Even puting a little weight on afterwards is a good trade-off....after all, that rediscovered sense of taste is great fun! LOL
Seriously though, the very best of luck.

[JAWS]

Oh dear, I must be having a bad day. Make sure you are sitting down everybody and I'll begin.

I have to agree with everybody. (Hope the NHS can cope with all those who have collapsed with Shock!) :lol:

Young, stopping to please somebody else will not work. If you have really made your mind up and are determined then you are more likely to succeed than if you are doing it just because you think it might just be a good idea.

Like Sharon, I too was given a huge incentive. I had reason to take myself into the A&E at Wick. I was examined by one of the Specialists there. He then asked me to wait outside the Consulting Room for a short time after which I was called back in. "Sit down, please. Are you able to make your own way to Raigmore or would you need an Ambulance?" GULP! Pick the bones out of that for a hint about stopping.

Whilst in Raigmore I overheard the discussion between the Specialist there and the patient in the next bed who was a little further down the slippery slope. (No I wasn't being nosey. Why is it that staff in Hospitals think that curtains are sound proofed?) The Specialist was explaining that they would do their best to save some of his toes, but..." I decided to have a walk round so as not to hear the rest.

I too had the attitude of, "Not me, it only happens to others." Wrong! How very wrong!

One bit of advice though, Young, don't concern yourself if you stuff yourself full of sweets, chocolates or food of any sort as a distraction and put on weight or anything else for that matter.
Concentrate on ditching the fags and once that is over and done with then you can concern yourself with sorting the rest out.

Good Luck Young, and stick with it. It takes time but the cravings and even the habits do go away eventually.

[robby50x]

i have been stopped for i year and a month i had been a heavy smoker all my life but my lungs were getting worse all the time i now have breathing problems find it hard to breathe getting up hills just doing the littlest things make me breathless b I would advise anyone to stop smoking before they get to the condition i have now which is c.o.p.d. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease just posh words for severe out of breath syndrome so you see i had no option but to stop as i wouldnt have been able to go out walking my breathing was that bad and would have been prisoner in the house i didnt find it difficult to stop no patches or nothing just sheer willpower if you want to stop badly you will just say to yourself my health will improve my food will taste better look at the money i will save , I cant stand the smell of smoke now so it can be done , and you wont have to stand outside pub doors in the winter GOOD LUCK

[henry20]

My hubby has stopped smoking for about 2 years now. He tried the patches, but stopped them early as he thought he'd be fine, but he went back to smoking within a couple of weeks. He decided to try again on the patches and at the same time he got a book out from the library - it was about the effects of nicotine. Once he'd read the book, he stopped the patches again and has never smoked since. Different things work for different people. You just need to find the right method for you.

You'll never stop if you are trying to do it for others - it has to be for you. :)

[obiron]

what was the name of the book henry 20. would have a look and maybe leave it lying in our house for the hubby to find. lol

[cuddlepop]

I'd love to know what the book was too Henry 20.Mr CP has been trying to stop for the past 2years and finds it very difficult to relax without a fag.Work was causing him considerable stress and was affecting other areas.I think he.s in for a better chance now that the work situation has been removed.I agree with everyone when they tell you,you've to do it for yourself.Someone nagging does not work;)

[henry20]

I'm not sure Obiron, it was something along the lines of : The effects of NICOTINE

I reckon its the only book my hubby has read since we met, but its saved him a fortune. He's never been tempted to smoke since. I don't think it was a harrowing tale either, just made him see cigarettes in a different light.

[pat]

You have to want to do it for yourself and nobody else. Instead of buying a pack of cigarettes put the £5 in a jar daily, as you put it in the jar think of lighting that fiver instead of a cigarette, watch that money grow daily and think what you will treat yourself to from money that would have gone up in smoke. Be determined that you are not going to give in, you are no longer going to be an addict - you are free of your addiction. It is very hard - keep drinking water, eat fruit and veg to clear your body of the toxins. Hardest thing is what do you do with your hands - you are so used to having a stupid looking piece of burning stuff attached to your fingers, do something constructive (knitting, model making, reading, walking), destructive (rip beer mats to shreds) or just sit on your hands. Chew gum and mints - anything is better than cigarettes. If that does not work put remains of quite a lot of smoked cigarettes in a jar add a little water leave for a time, when you are desperate for a cigarette go to the jar give it a shake, open the jar and have a sniff, I am sure you will not want to have that cigarette you craved. Be determined - you are now a non-smoker.

[golach]

I stopped nearly 5 years ago, I was smoking 200grms of Old Holburn a week, went to my doctor with pains in my ankle, he took my pulse at my groin, knee and ankle, there was a pulse at my groin, a slight pulse at my knee, virtually no pulse at my ankle.
My Doctor then said I am going to give you some advice, "Stop smoking...Keep walking!!! He then told me I would lose a leg if I did not stop smoking......Now that is an incentive if I ever heard one. I had hardning of my arteries.
With the help of patches I succeeded in stopping smoking,
to be truthful I found it fairly easy, as every time I felt like a smoke, I just remembered the pain in my ankle, and funnily my craving went. I also went out and spent a lot of money on a new computer, thats was to be my incentive to stop also, and the final incentive was, when Mrs G informed me that if I ever smoked again, I was to choose a window, and my new puter would be exiting through it, and I would follow it. Now that was the best incentive to stop. p.s. I no longer have pains in my ankle

[Dusty]

It is now just over 3 years since I last had a fag.
I had had several previous attempts at stopping and I had become an expert self delusioninst ("I enjoy a fag", " If there's any damage it's already been done" etc.). I was angry with myself for smoking as I knew my health was deteriorating (as predicted) and both my Grandfathers and my Father died with smoking cited as a major contributer.
I was given Zyban at my local GPs Smoking Cessation Clinic and it took away the Nicotine craving completely, leaving me to deal only with the habit.
Like Golach I was using a fair bit of Old Holborn and had the shortness of breath and leg pains. I have now got a wee dog so I have to go walking (any less than half an hour and I get withering looks from the hound).
I am now a "more rounded" person but I am contemplating joining a local Gym.
I still get the occasional craving when I catch a whiff but it is relatively easy to deal with nowadays.
Go for it Young and the very best of luck.

Dusty.

[abalone]

I think Porshies daughter should read this thread.

[maverick]

I stopped smoking 18 years ago and went from 40 a day to zero overnight. What worked for me was doing some research into the best way to stop, and at that time the prefered method was changing your habits. Example, after a meal instead of a cuppa and a fag it would be a glass of fruit juice, every time i felt like a cuppa i would drink water instead, what this achieved was to dis-associate myself with every thing that was relative to smoking in my case. What i also did was stayed away from people who i new smoked, and told them all why i was staying away, people who smoke will not encourage you to give up the habit no matter what they say. At that time patches and gum were not available to me. So it was cold turkey and after the passing of the withdrawal symtoms i never looked back, and to this day i still feel that it was one of the better things i achieved in my life.. So GOOD LUCK TO YOU and i hope you succeed .....

[Cedric Farthsbottom III]

what was the name of the book henry 20. would have a look and maybe leave it lying in our house for the hubby to find. lol

A book to give up smokin obiron.Dae ye honestly think it would work!!!WILL POWER thats what I need.One day I shall give up and be healthier for it.

[Tubthumper]

Been stopped for 18 months now, finally think I've cracked it.
I used a combination of Nicorette Patches + Inhalator, also hypnotised myself using NLP (you know like that guy Paul McKenna does on telly). Basically every time I felt like a fag I pinched my anchor point and funnily enough it worked. Don't feel like smoking at all now, and thats 25 years after starting and smoking 30-40 a day.
Hope that helps.

[rockchick]

Two methods that partners in my life have used to stop smoking, one more successful than the other:

1) Get a supply of sunflower seeds, with the shells on, and whenever you feel like a smoke, start opening the shells with your teeth, and snack on the seeds. This works in two ways: the shells are a mild source of nicotine, which gives a bit of a "bridge", plus it gives you something fiddly to do with your hands and mouth

2) This method takes longer, but has worked for a good friend for over 12 years: Smoke normally, and find out when you normally have your cigarettes. Just write it down; first thing in the morning, with morning coffee, whatever. Then, start delaying when you have your smokes...put off that morning cig for 10 minutes, then 20 the next day or the next week. This gets you out of the thoughtless habit, and makes you start choosing when you smoke. Cut one of the cigarettes out...of course you can cut one. Then another. The final stretch is that you start increasing the length of time between cigarettes...you have one in one hour, next week increase to two hours, but you must smoke the cigarette at the allotted time or you have to wait for the next "slot". It really worked.

Perhaps it's easy for me, a non-smoker, to pass these along rather than live them, but if it helps it's worth it!

[ronald.val]

I eventually stopped smoking 7 years ago after a number of unsuccessful attempts. You have to REALLY want to give up in the first place. I used the nicorette inhaler when I felt the urge to have a cigarette and gradually managed to reduce the number of times I used it, until eventually I noticed that I hadn't used it for days and had not replaced the little nicotine caplet for over a week. I still carried it with me for about 6 months and I forgot it was there until I came across it one day in the bottom of my handbag. You wouldn't have wanted to use it then !! I also saved the money it would have cost for my 30 a day habit (more at weekends if truth be told) It was my spending money when I went on holidays and was a great incentive watching it accumulate. I absolutely detest it now, and hate walking past the smokers who are outside various premises. The smell is disgusting and I can't believe I used to smell like that when I was addicted to them.
Good luck to all who are trying to give up. :)

[Rheghead]

My advice is, never give up trying to give up, one day you will have given up. :D

[Ricco]

just wondering if anyone has given up smoking recently as i am going to and i was wondering what people used i was planning on using the nicorette lozenges? :confused

Make breaks in your old routine. Write down when you used to have a fag.. and arrange to do something different, something active at that time. Don't have too much booze (weakens your resolve) or spicy food - stimulates you into wanting a smoke. Saving your money is an excellent idea - watch it grow; take it out and count it up regularly and keep a record of how much. Drinking lots of fruit juice, especially orange, the Vit C helps your body flush out the nicotine.

Don't worry about a bit of extra weight - that won't kill you. Just remember, you don't crave a fag while you are asleep, so the wake-time craving will soon pass. It might take 5 or so minutes to begin with but the time will get shorter as time goes by. The craving will pass!