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Given up smoking
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How are you getting on Colonel?
Hoose - you're a hoot - you fulfill the requirements of both advice and jokes - cheers
Should be hitting you soon now;-)
Didn't make it to the shops as knew it would result in a detour to the ciggy vendor ... sigh ... stayed in and started my newly arrived RW ... hurray ... and ate 3 meringue nests with peaches and double cream ... double hurray.
At work today, a friend who had come back from holiday insisted that I must also have been on holiday due to my good colour. When I told him that I had not, he refused to believe me. I was trying to keep it quiet but in the end I had to spill the beans and admit that I had given up the cigs.
Also went for my first run today and, although I was going quite slowly due to me just coming back from a back injury, I felt my breathing was not as heavy.
It's great! I feel as if I'm feeling the benefits after just three days!
Know what you mean about trying to keep it quiet - i haven't told anyone in the 'real world' yet. Not entirely sure why, possibly because if people start saying stuff here that i don't want to listen to then i can just switch off - instead of getting stressed and wanting a fag!
Have to say, i think the benefits are much more noticeable much sooner for me this time round without NRT and that has made it easier as seeing the benefits has increased my will power. Don't know if you've tried before and what you think?
Keep at it.
As I said previously, I don't really see the point of taking Nicotene to get rid of an addicition to Nicotene. I understand that the cravings are the worst in the first couple of days but I didn't find them so unbearable that I needed assistance. Maybe some people would. I guess it depends on your psychology and how you are going to approach the whole thing.
Keep up the good work!
I agree that you cannot stop nicotine addiction via nicotene(many experts do too).
Anyway I think it helps to consider 2 things.
1/ Smoking is different from many addictions in that the system of administration is inherently dirty(ie breathing poisonous fumes and sh*t). With heroin addiction a clean needle is possible. Smoking is like using a dirty needle, always.
2/ Maybe worse, heroin addicts can go a day or so between fixes, with nicotine you have to top up 10-40+ times a day.
smoked up to fourty a day for twenty five years until jan 14th this year when i just stopped.
i had just started trying to get fit (was fourty in feb) but finding it impossible.
also my sister (42) was just being administered the very worst prognosis as cancer has returned to riddle her (never smoked in her life, but still incredibly sobering) and she had always loved running but is now simply unable to.
so i felt a duty to myself to enjoy my relative good health and a duty to her to not waste the opportunity she's had cruelly taken from her.
the moment of clarity came in a petrol station..... ' and twent..... actually, a bag of jelly babies please....'
f*&! me i was grumpy for a month..... then flatulant, ooohhh yes! and still see people smoking and stare at them with great envy. but fit!!!!1
on 15th january i ran for six minutes and then lay down, purple and unable to breathe.
until doing this rib (ouch and boo hoo) i've been running twenty to thirty miles a week and have a 52m 10k and a 1h25m 10 mile and a half marathon coming up.
so if my smugness can be of benefit to anyone having a moment with the dark and filthy temptress (and my god i know how it feels) then i'd be happy to help.
most of all WELL DONE!!!
lots of treats is definately good.
blimey, rant over.
Think of the health and financial benefits of giving up smoking.
Above all, keep thinking of yourself as a non-smoker. Not as someone trying to give it up. When someone offers you a ciggy, say "no thanks,I don't smoke".
I gave up 18years ago after 25 years of smoking and I have never considered having a crafty drag. Good luck.
I have given up plenty of times in the past... Only ever done cold turkey as I could not seen the point of replacing one addiction with another (gum/patches etc).
I gave up when my wife got pregnant because I didn't want to harm our un-born child, then started again when she was born...
I even gave up for 3 years at one stage, then just fancied one at a party and that was that...
This time I have booked myself in for a hypnotherapy session @ £150 and hopefully that will crack it for me, but in the meantime you keep going because we all know that we will be more health and be able to run better when our bodies are cleansed
Still keeping up the good work I trust?
I haven't had a smoke since Monday 7.47pm after 20 years of 20 plus per day. Suffice to say i have not been the best company at work, going from moments of being hyper/merry to rage in a matter of seconds.
I'm finding that taking a slow deep breath to the stomach area seems to help. I have read that this clears the stale air from the bottom of your lungs. This simulates the deep breaths that smokers take whilst enhaling and seems to take away the craving. Apparently not many non smokers breath down in to their lower lung and I would recommend it.
Whenever I get/got a craving I just go and find something else to do. Watching a favourite comedy show also helps - can't beat a good laugh to make you feel better! I've watched all the last series of the Peep Show in the last couple of days and laughed like a fool! Actually, I think my moods have got a lot better since I quit!
Nik -this is a very useful link for a free ebook -i put on earlier in the thread -worth a read believe me. Hope you manage to stop-believe me also:O)
http://www.aebersold.com/quiteasy_form.htm
best advice i can give is "FORGET" the date you stopped smoking (in dont matter)
the other advice is SMELL someone who's just had a ciggie, cos thats how you used to smell and it aint pleasent AND when a heavy smoker has just had a ciggie the smell is just aweful
people watch those who smoke and see if you can work out WHY people smoke there's no reason behind it - light up, inhale, blow out then stinks and also ruins your lungs and heart
i know i sound like a typical EX smoker well i am and i'm staying that way as i've got a new drug that i'm addicted to = RUNNING
On arriving at work i gave self a stiff talking to and put pack in stinky, smokey work-colleague's pigeon hole. Now feeling miserable but virtuous. I've been through the worst now and i'm definitely not going through that part again.
What i hate is the fact that i can *never* have another cigarette ever again. Chocolate is bad in excess, as is alcohol, but both are ok in moderation so the odd few squares/ glass is ok. But one cigarette is bad - in it's own right - as well as because each one is part of a habit.
On the plus side, my running enemy (in nice, cheerful, mildly competitive sense) noticed how well i was was running tonight at track session. And it's true i was getting significantly better times with less effort - gotta be good.
Congrats on conquering wicked, sfg & pc. Cheers for support, really does help. I look forward to getting to where you are now. Had to laugh at sniffing smokey people, but have to admit it is a fine tactic!
Nik & Moobaloo - good luck!
My mum had a good experience of acupuncture. Said it didn't stop her wanting one from habit, but did at least stop the physical cravings which took some of the pressure off.
Breathing definitely helps me. I do yoga regularly anyway and have been doing breathing exercises to calm me during irratable patches.
Hoose - you on commission? ;-)
I remember thinking this at the beginning - if i can run for a coule of hours when i'm bored or tired, then surely i can do this. But it *is* different. With the running, no matter how weary i feel, i do know it's going to end - when i reach x miles or x minutes i can stop. With the not smoking deal it never stops i have to keep on attacking the cravings indefinitely
... unless the cravings really do go away or at least become less frequent/ intense with time. And that's the part i'm struggling with - although the physical cravings have pretty much subsided, the mental cravings seem to be worse now than in the first couple of days.
Did anyone else find this?
Cheers
I certainly found the same when using the willpower method but found that the Allen Carr clinics made me take a very different view of smoking and no longer suufered from the delusion. OK it cost £240 but there is a money back guarantee, if you fail to quit.
type Allen Carr Easyway on your search engine and find out more. Many people swear by it. The cravings you have are psychological (the real problem). Read that ebook again also).
It is down to you now. Do not beat yourself up- it is a blip (had many personally), You will do it I KNOW!!.
x
I used patches for the first four weeks and found that they took the edge off the craving. They're not addictive, honest.
But the biggest favour you could do yourself is to sign up with Nicorette's Active Stop programme (No, I don't work for them, I promise!) They send you a cheery e-mail message every day, detailing the benefits of not smoking, and the evils of smoking. Really helped me to keep on the straight and narrow.
They also let you know exactly how much money you've saved since you gave up. So far, I've bought some new clothes, had my hair coloured and bought a lovely new pair of running shoes on the proceeds!!
The craving DOES get less - it really does. You're doing so well now - keep it up!
Sue
not gonna argue the point with you over NRT(I bore meself with) but I am glad you managed to get off the damn stuff. Must say that nicotine is addictive (via whatever means). iT sounds that you had been doing the psychological work too.
Well done on your quit:O)
Part of the problem is that i'm hardly sleeping - i'm lying awake until 4-5am. Not only is this exhausting & really annoying, but i don't understand why - would have thought i'd be sleeping like a log without a system full of nicotine. Anyone else experience this? Did it pass in a few days??
Well done sue. Nicorette's program sounds really helpful partic the emails - i've been using the forum here for back-up motivation, but can't have too much of a good thing. Also think the daily email will be really good a couple of weeks incase i start getting a bit complacent.
How are you getting on Moobaloo & Colonel?
in spite of SOG and my differences- we are both behaind you I reckon and would wish you every success whichever route you take. Stopping is a voyage of discovery -and I hope you discover the freedom you deserve.
apologies if I amy appear dogmatic at times.