COPD

[stanns]

I have been a smoker for many years & thought I would die anyway of this disease, but I don't want to die but cant stop smoking. I tell the Doctors that I don,t smoke & I know I am stupid. How on earth can I stop smoking and if I do now will it make a difference.

[mrsmummy]

My heart goes out to you stanns . It will always make a difference. Can your family help? I heard of one woman who was kept prisoner by her partner. He kept her from leaving the house for 6 weeks. A bit extreme but it worked! Another was helped by her daughter asking all of the local shopkeepers not to serve her mother with cigarettes and explaining why. Many on here have struggled but eventually managed. Don't give up trying. Decide to live.

[Schmicter]

You won't find anyone on here to say it won't make a difference. Not only will you be able to breathe easier, feel better, and not wheeze, you probably will live a little longer if you quit now. You will also lose the feeling of hopelessness and self-loathing that comes from knowing you are continuing to poison yourself when you want to stop. The self-loathing, hopelessness, and depression will be replaced with a sense of accomplishment. It did for me when I quit.

[Kristicats]

If you look through the posts here you will realise for many people it took many, many attempts to stop . It’s is very difficult mainly because of the length of time we’ve been doing it. BUT we do have a choice at the end of the day WE EITHER keep abusing ourselves ( because it’s easier) and our lungs get worse and probably end up housebound on oxygen in our old age OR we suffer for a few months while we break the habit and our bodies get used to living without the poison and we go into old age as we are now or much better than now. It’s hard to break any addiction and worth trying anything that can help you. Very good luck.

[Hidden]

I think most of us have struggled with this and probably had many attempts before succeeding. It will definitely make a difference to your quality of life. Keep trying, if you fail one day try again the next, you will get there. There's always nicotine replacement products and ecigs if you want to go down that route and I personally found Allan Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking really helped. I gave up seven years ago with that. Wishing you lots of luck, I'm sure people on you will support you and offer you help. You can do it!

[annenic]

I know where you’re coming from believe me, it was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done giving up smoking and after nearly 40yrs too. I used every kind of stop smoking gadget on the market (patches, gum, plastic cigarette) all at the same time, although this defo worked for me it does make you feel quite ill. Perhaps it was feeling ill that helped me. After a month I cut down to 2 then after another month I just wore the patches. I’m now almost 7yrs off em, I miss them still every single day, but my lungs definitely don’t. I wish you luck and hope you make it off em soon xx

[Hidden]

I took the easy way and went to a hypnotist. It cost £60 about 17 years ago and I never smoked again or wanted too. Until then I was a 40 plus a day smoker. I really wanted to stop and I think that's why it worked for me. I thought I had hit the menopause at the same time as at night I was perspiring so much I had to wrap a towel around myself .....I was soaking....no exaggeration there . That lasted a week or so then stopped as suddenly as it began. I later realised it was my body trying to rid itself of the poisons that had accumulated after around 40 years of heavy smoking. I also gradually put weight on :(((

It's worth a try if you really and truly want to stop and feel no withdrawal symptoms .

Best wishes

[Ergendl]

Good luck. We're all rooting for you to quit.

[Dubba61]

Ello Stanns, there are lots of aids out there to help you give up n the Doc can even give you tablets. These apparently work on the brain, to stop the cravings. An e-cig would help. But, not one of the cheap pen type ones. The bigger square ones, help with a lot of people. Then you can gradually reduce the amount of Nicotine in the oils. These are said to be 95% less harmful than Cigs. I have a few friends who packed up, by using these. I finally managed it. Using the white inhalator plus the lozenges over 15 years ago. I admit i used far more than the recommended amount. N i still keep an e- cig around, just in case i ever need it. Of course you will make a difference to your health. And i would think your Docs know that you Smoke, as you can always Smell a smoker. I know someone that stopped in his late 70s n lived to be 90. Please do try and keep trying. You can do this. As we did. Best of luck 😊🌻✌️

[BevMG74]

Hello Stanns! There are a lot of suggestions to follow in these posts. We all sympathise. Just remember there was a time when you did not smoke in your life and you managed. It may have been a long time ago that this was so, of course. You may think of smoking as a person, someone you have been friends with for a long time. But now you've come to a parting of the ways and you must say goodbye. With regret. With grieving. But goodbye!

I also think that when you make your next attempt to quit, you never say to yourself "I can't smoke ever again'" That puts awful pressure on a person. Say 'I won't have one just now' when the urge hits, and just keep saying that. And just remember, every sincere attempt chips away at the hold addiction has on you and one day soon I am hoping you will be smoke-free. Good luck! Bev M

[JasperDylan]

I was a smoker for 38 years and found it difficult to stop tried alsorts patches and other things

The only thing that helped me was to sign up to the chemist speak to a smoking therapist that encourages you to stop and the best thing and I swear by it his the Champix tablets you speak to your doctor to get them on prescription.if you don’t stop then there’s no point them giving you that inhalers and other things .

[peter06]

I would recommend low dose e cigarettes like Vapourlites, they are like cigarette

Thats the only way I stopped

[Bumley]

I gave up smoking 10 years ago and have not smoked since, I can't even stand the smell of cigarette smoke. I had great difficulty with gum but there were not many other solutions around then. I was given tablets by the smoking clinic and within a month I had given up. Only one incident where I had put my coat on and was going out of the door to go and get a packet and my brain said don't be a fool and I turned back.

[Ali24]

I wish I can stop tried a few times but always gone back to them silly I know but one day I hope to do it

[Jansy16 in reply to Ali24]

I'm like you Ali24, Dr gave me a lecture today & know I have to stop. I'm 74 & smoked since I was 15, it's a terrible addiction.

[Annieosb]

Try Alan Carr Easyway........best Ive heard of with great results

[Corin1950]

Hi stanns

My husband was a heavy smoker for 45 years and only gave up 4 years ago because his COPD was getting worse. He now has severe emphysema and has just spent 9 weeks in hospital. He bitterly regrets being a smoker because of the profound effect it has had on his health. He used to play football and tennis and feels bad because some of his non-smoking contemporaries are still playing and he misses being able to join them. He knows he's been stupid but it's too late as the damage is done. The only positive is that our son who's 38 has finally managed to kick the habit having seen what his father has gone through and the effect of his illness on our family.

I would advise you to do everything you can to kick the habit before you do further irreparable damage to your body. There's lots of support available but at the end of the day it has to come from you.

Don't delay

I wish you the best of luck and good health

Corin

[Dragonmum]

I smoked 20 a day for 60+ years and tried everything from patches and gum up to and including hypnosis. Ended up with COPD and asthma, as we do (many of us have been in exactly the same place as you are now, so no-one is judging you). On January 28th 2010 I got my first very primitive e-cig and have never smoked since that day; since then the e-cig has developed and improved massively and research has shown that it is 95% safer than smoking, Public Health England published this figure after much research. No withdrawal pangs and cravings, which is probably why there are now almost 3 million vapers in the UK alone. You have to pack it in and you know it so whatever method you use I wish you well - I just found it so easy.

[Susan1200]

All I can say is please, please quit smoking,if you don't your health will get worse, please don't leave it until it's too late.

All the best.

[Pietba]

Smoked 42 Years on and off 30 a day. Stupid thing about this I never had a problem to stop, and stopped 4 times for a year plus and then decided to start again - this disease was for other people not me until I had to go for a hip replacement and they picked it up - Moderate and I stopped immediately again and will never start again. In my case, and I know everyone is not the same it works like this. I don't try to stop - I Stop !, and then tell my mind that's it, you are not a smoker any more. I'm a little sweaty and short tempered for 3 days and then everything is gone. I think that if you make it an issue in your head it becomes a problem to stop. You know the story about the 3 swallows on the electrical wire. 2 Decides to fly how many are left? 3 of course - they decided but did not fly yet. Don't decide to fly - Fly! and then don't think about it again.