Giving up smoking! AARRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Curvaceous Kate]

Anyone who manages to give up gets my full respect. My Dad has smoked since he was a young boy, starting with woodbines. His life now is pretty dismal. He will hit 70 this year and have spent the last 20 years will ill health, currently surviving after a quadrupple bypass where his chest won't heel as the broken ribs keep getting damaged coughing with emphasima which was also a consequence of smoking. He can't laugh, as it brings on the coughing and he is in constant pain, even having a swollen leg.

He should be enjoying life in retirement, but all he does is keep smoking, feeling there is nothing else for him in life.

[realdeal]

think of all the people in hospices who have smoke related illness best of luck you can do it

[TomEA]

Gave up smoking yesterday and i am yet to have a cigarette, tonight seems to be worse than last night for the cravings but in wont give in, if any one has any tips to stay off them it would be much appreciated

kisses

Sophie

Keep your hands busy, that seems to help quite a bit, but i dont think the nicorette things work unless you have the will power behind it, but try it if your keen to quite.

Best of luck, I wish I could do the same

[tspetite]

Gave up smoking yesterday and i am yet to have a cigarette, tonight seems to be worse than last night for the cravings but in wont give in, if any one has any tips to stay off them it would be much appreciated

kisses

Sophie

I tried the niquitin patches. It's a bit difficult at first. You'll befeeling a bit dizzy sometimes. I totally quit after a month. I have been not smoking more than a year now. As time goes by, you look better and glowing.

[Stella]

I started to use patches a month ago....working really fine for me, thought it will be mutch mutch worse!!!!have some bad days when im a bit more sensitive but thats all......really good to smell everything properly again!

Keep going its really worth!

[sperminater]

Good man. It does get easier, I promise. Good luck with it!

41 hrs no patches yea and I'm doing ok some of posts help I think I need a nice sensual punt today will help the craving Mmmmmm

[curiousgeorge]

41 hrs no patches yea and I'm doing ok some of posts help I think I need a nice sensual punt today will help the craving Mmmmmm

Carefully! I smoked 40 cigs a day and went cold turkey 15 months ago, didnt smoke since........ theres nothing nicer than a post coital cigarette so thats why i say carefully! You have it nearly beat. After the 3rd day it gets gradually but noticably easier to do, the cravings become less often and less strong so hang in there, Keep yourself busy, eat fruit and any other nice things you find! Do unusual things such as going for a walk, if you dont usually do it already, it breaks the routine that you usually do in your everyday life. The key is to keep busy and change routine a little, thereby not letting your brain automatically trigger that craving you get when you have that cup of coffee you have everyday at 3 o clock or similar.

P.S. I think you are doing the right thing going cold turkey because I know a few people who are addicted to the nicorette gum for the last 10 years, they never broke the addiction, just the habit. So theres no point trying to break the habit if you dont break the addiction, it only prolongs the agony quitting the cigs and then having to do it all again quitting the gum. Your nearly there mate. Oh yea nad the last big secret is " one minute at a time, not one day at a time", dont look too far down the road.

[Marko1980]

Sophie, I gave up smoking 8 years ago after smoking for 10, It was my 8th or 9th time trying, I actually never came close until I actually understood what the addiction was, here are my main tips.

You are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes, when you stop smoking it takes 5 days for all the nicotine to leave your system, in this time you have withdrawals and it can be tough, after this point everything is just habit, believe me, this is scientific fact. After the withdrawal period, any craving you think you have is your brain telling you that smoking is the normal thing to do in this situation, a habit, which when you understand that this is just a response from your brain, its easy to stand back and say "well not anymore", and the feeling passes easily

You should not use patches, gum or any tablets, they prolong the addictive substance being active in your body, whether you wean or go cold turkey, you will still have 3-5 days of withdrawals

Do not substitute, substituting leaves you open, if for example people eat sweets when they feel like smoking, you may be left in a situation where you are in a pub with no sweets and someone is going for a smoke, thats a re-substitute and brings you back to square one. Do nothing different.

Always ask yourself one question when you feel like you need a smoke to cope with something, bad news etc "how does a non smoker cope with this?" And then remind yourself its a response from your brain, and you are strong enough to deal with anything like anyone else without a smoke

Also, a lot of people fail because they think giving up is the hardest thing in the world to do, and the responses here reflect that sentiment, this gives a negative mindset straight away, believe me when I say that its pretty easy, start off thinking like that, and you'll find any speed-bumps easier to deal with. Its really not as hard as is portrayed everywhere, especially with commercial influences from nicorette etc telling you its hard

I would say best of luck but that implies that you will need some sort of mystical intervention to do it, you dont.
What I will say instead is enjoy the extra cash, less smelly house and clothes, and most importantly, vastly improved health from being a non smoker :-)

[hotsophie]

Morning Sophie it's now 5.49am I'm off them 36hrs Ahhhhhhh can't sleep I tried the patches twice this year lasted 3 days I smoke
about 30cigs a day now I've gone cold turkey!!! But as I said in a thread yesterday I'm putting the money away for punting sounds a bit mad but you need to put the money in a box (excuse the pun) or jar were going to do it hun yeaaaaa!!!!!

Well its the third day of cold turkey for me now and definitely the worst day but things are kept easier by what you are all saying here, i know it is possible so just trying to keep strong an not go to the shop on the corner for a packet of fags

[curiousgeorge]

Well its the third day of cold turkey for me now and definitely the worst day but things are kept easier by what you are all saying here, i know it is possible so just trying to keep strong an not go to the shop on the corner for a packet of fags

Well if its any help to you, I found the third day the worst for me, from now on it gets easier.