hi all, i've been smoking for over 30 years & smoke around 40 a day 
YES i know i should quit but i just can't, i've no will power at all & my life is soooooo stressful..
i do not touch alcohol at all & my smokes are the only thing that keeps me sane ...
how as so many other's on here managed it ??? huge thanks
For me I went cold turkey, I wanted to breathe and I wanted to increase my chances of a healthier, longer life span and an easier death. Continuing smoking would not give me any of these things so it was a choice and decision to go for what would give me the best chances in life.
Think about the pros and cons of continuing to smoke and not smoke, there's no contest really. Get help with your stress levels and when the time comes with stopping smoking also.
Wishing you a happy, healthy, smoke free future.
Zoee
Hi Lorraine, yes like Zoee,I went cold turkey,and although hard,was the best present I could give myself and family.For myself,the reasons were pretty much the same as Zoees,although to add to it, I could not afford to do so now anyway,as they are now just under $20.00 a packet(you could buy a leg of lamb,for that!) I know which I'd prefer!!
Seriously though,the fact you are talking about it, suggests that it is there (the desire to give up) There are so many places of help today (this site being one) I am sure you would want to suceed.,ok you dont drink,but I am sure there is something nice,you coulkd be spending it on,or saving for a little holiday!.
Good luck,love yourself,and make the effort to improve your health!
Cheers Wendells xxx
I had tried to stop so many times, using so many different aids Then someone told me I would probably not be alive in three months time. Although I now know this was not accurate I am so grateful it was said. There is nothing like impending death to motivate you! Nobody can really tell you how to do it. Others telling you to stop will not help either. And none of the aids will work for you ~ until you decide for yourself that you are tired of being enslaved by tobacco, that you want to live and are taking back your life. Then you don't need much at all. You CAN do it, and you WILL do it, when the time is right for you. I just hope for your sake that that is not too late. 
I did after many failed attempts using Champix.
The one thing I now believe is that a smoker will always find a reason not to quit, but are only kidding themselves really. Smoking actually makes you more stressed, not less.
Auntymary is right, you have to want to do it, but if you have COPD, then smoking will definitely shorten your life, possibly by a lot.
Lynne xx
I'm currently using an electronic cigarette Lorraine (or e-cig as it's more commonly known) and I've reduced my consumption of tobacco cigarettes from 40 a day to 8 and am still working hard to reduce even further.
The other stop smoking aids have all proved useless for me (and believe me, I've tried them all, including cold turkey). When I mentioned the e-cig to my respiratory consultant he said anything was ok to help me reduce and hopefully stop eventually.
What have you tried so far ?
Just do the right thing Lorraine and give it up NOW! (SIMPLE'S A'INT IT) start throwing the money you save in a pot and see how quickly it builds up. It'll look so much better than fag ends. Go on you can do it.
Hi lorraine,
i tryed and tryed again to give up smoking, and falled about 6 time, and then i went and
got an e-cig and found it was nicer than the real thing, this was 7 weeks ago now, and its
worked, i had about 4 fags last sunday, but i was really down after getting some really
bad news, but apart from that i think i've cracked it this time,
mind you i have been trying since august of last year, but at the end of the day i knew
i had to do it, i've still got the e-cig but its far better than the real thing,
good luck,
rose xxx
TRY...you can stop..i lost my husband 9 years ago with c.o.p.d and i carried on smokeing.for a couple of years.my family and. friends told me off.and i kept saying I.will stop.evan when told i had c.o.p.d i still had them not letting anybody know..but when my breathing got worse and i had a bad scare.and panick attack. and could.nt do anythink without being out of breath.i STOPPED AND NEVER HAD ANY MORE.
STOP BEFORE YOU GET TO THE BAD STAGE....please realy try..idid and you can..xxx
Its not easy to stop an addiction to cigarettes,but is the best thing for your health in the long term. I used the NHS help programme which includes free patches and group support, plus my GP was quite helpful but not judgmental I haven't smoked for seven years now. Go on give it a try you have nothing to lose. I saved my fag money to give myself a treat. Good luck if you go for it and take one day at a time.
I was a 30 a day smoker from the age of 12 up till my 40s'(ish). In 10 years I am now housebound,reliant on oxygen, scared, and thats without the illness, the feeling terrible, the bad bad days with COPD.
I don't post here for sympathy, or to preach I post because I see people following the same sad road I went down, to a location noone knows until its too late. I am there, I was one of the unstoppable, a silly little cig couldn't hurt me, I laughed at folk telling me I would get ill, ha, not me, I was bloody superman....
Please , please learn from my experiences. Even with an angel at your side its horrid, frightening & painful,
BUT
You can stop the journey!!
Forgive a bit of copy and paste from an old message of mine, but maybe will help a little:-
Few things I found that helped:-
A real good NHS Stop smoking nurse who gave me a few months support, and provided me with FREE Nicorette Inhalers,This gave me something in my hand, and something to suck on when the cravings got hard.
I then went onto Nicorette chewing gum for a few months, which I slowly lowered, and was able to stop totally.
You can get this stuff FREE on the NHS, dont miss out, dont see the £20 prices and shudder, see your GP surgery smoking cessation team and use the crutches they offer.
It may also pay to check out the new Electronic Cigs, which give you the Nicotine and the feeling of smoking, and something to hold, with none of the side effects.
Smoking ruins lives. It takes a fully fit and healthy man, a busy hectic social life, friends and shoves them down your throat,locking you in a chair with Oxygen 24/7.
Give It UP!!!
just go for it, you will get all the help and support on here, im just starting my second week fagless so im here to give you support, good luck
you will never stop smoking until you tell you head you are going to do it , never allow doubt to come into your mind, once you do that your body will follow.,also take it one day at a time, only think about not having a smoke today , worry about tomorrow when it comes . remember it is only a silly little white stick, never allow it to rule your life. goodluck
Lorraine - there is no easy way to say this but you have no option. I was more frightened of he thought of quitting but when I did quit after 44 years it was not easy but also not nearly as difficult as I thought it might be. Having been given a very frank warning that I would die made it easier. There is an old saying - only two things really make you change, one is love and the other is fear.I love my wife and I don't want to die. Please do the right thing. Good luck. AD
I smoked for 50 years and was terrified at the thought of giving up my beloved cigs. When I was diagnosed with copd and my breathing was really bad I made up my mind it was either smoking or breathing,I couldnt do both. I got the patches from the doctors and used all the other aids available inhalers,chewing gum,lozenges etc. I had several attempts but have not had a cigarette for 9 months now. I now use the e cigs when I feel the need to smoke but am trying to stop them also. I never thought I could ever give up but really had no choice
It took me about 4 years to give up the ciggys completely, it is not easy, I tried the patches, they did help but alot of it was in my mind,I enjoyed smoking so I cut down gradually but even when I got down to 3 a day I still struggled with my breathing,it was either my life or death in my experience and I'd lost my father to emphysema at the age of 53 so I new what I had to do, I have been free from the weed for 5 years and feel so much better, I am now 62 and feel I have a lot more years but if I had carried on with the fags I would have been a gonna.
Good luck and don't give up giving up.
Teigy1
Up until 2 weeks ago, I had not the slightest desire to stop. Then I thought I had lung cancer and immediately reduced from 12 a day to 3
Being diagnosed with COPD pretty much nailed my motivation, I went to my practice nurse last Monday, had my last smoke Monday evening and am now on day 6 of my non smoking life.
I have patches which do help and a spray if I need it but rarely do.
I keep thinking that I wish I had done this a long time ago but the truth is, I didn't want to and only finally getting diagnosed with COPD has given me the motivation and tremendous willpower to do it.
I don't drink either and my smoking was my only vice. My life is really stressful too, I am married to an aspergers man and trust me, you have to live with one to know that is as stressful as it gets, I dont call my nicotine spray a nicotine spray, I call it my anti aspergers spray as it helps when he stresses me out really badly by one of his lunatic logic theories
I wish you luck, it is the best thing I have done in a long, long time
I have been smoking for 37 years on and off. I quit a few times both before and after diagnoses. At present I have gone from about 20-25 a day to a few puffs here and there, say every few days. My breathing nurse says this is better than what I was smoking and I am doing this with a view to quitting altogether. I am finding the support on here is brilliant and I have not been made to feel bad for having then few puffs. But for the last few days I have not really bothered. I put this down to the fact my chest is pretty bad after helping to sort of some damp and mouldy stuff in preparation of my son moving flats. I never realised this until today. He had a bad lung infection which GP blamed on the mould in their flat and it looks as though it has effected me now too. I was helping them all day long Thursday and now paying the price. I hope the support on here helps you greatly xxxxx
Lorranie, you got plenty of advice hope it helps,I was 40 a day till I ended up in ICU for 3 weeks with phunumeonia and was very ill,when I woke I had patch on and never smoked since,yes I have COPD now,so really better without them weeds, off them 8 months and feeling good,good luck to you xxx
Lung capacity with quitting smoking
Smoking
The REASONS FOR ME QUITTING SMOKING..
