The first time that someone offers you a "fag" and you say "No thanks I don't smoke", thats the best and then youv'e cracked it!
I have never posted anything on any of these sites, i've been surfing the net tonight looking for inspiration for a fact sheet that I am doing for work, we're having a theme day at work to promote the new laws that will be coming in, I was given the task as I gave up!
My actual last fag was on 3rd Jan 2005 (10.30pm) and here is my story....
I am 34 and have been smoking at least 20 per day since I was 15/16, usual story, every one else did I so I started, both my parents smoked then although I'd always given them so much grief my mum went mad when she knew i'd started!
In Oct 2004, I started seeing my boyfriend, he hasn't smoked for years so I found I smoked far less when I was with him, although I made up for it when he wasn't around, you know what its like, you puff up the minute they've gone and smoke like a chimney! Anyway I guessed that if I could could smoke less maybe I should give up, this was one of them last minute thoughts and my first ever consideration, hearing all these new laws coming in made me want to give up rather than be told to give up. I limited my last duty free fags, a pack of 20, I spread them out over 3 days and said once they were gone then thats it....
My first day back at work after the Xmas break was hell, I'm a manager in a large Insurance Call Centre, Motor Claims, so it can be fraught at times! Break time was the worst, you break your day up yeah, 1.5 hrs fag, 1.5 hrs lunch time, 2 hrs fag, 2 hrs home yeah, day in day out, instead I still went for my break but took an apple. I love all my friends but none of them thought I would so it! Well I did!
The last 18 months have been the hardest of my life, not because I gave up smoking, despite what has happened, although I came close, I still haven't picked up a fag. My mum died very unexpectidly and suddenly aged 54, I so wanted a fag, but what would change, she wouldn't come back, then 3 months later my aunt died, bless her she puffed like a tropper, even had a 4 heart bypass and still went back on the fags, they got to her in the end and she had a heart attack, I crashed my car and wrote the damm thing off on my way back to work after 3 months off work going through shear hell, and then my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer (he's in remission now x )
Would you have reached for ya fags? I am so proud not to have smoked, I didn't really think I would last through all that!
I'm terrible now, I hate the smell of smoke and didn't realise just how bad it really does make you smell, all your senses really come back too!
I set up a standing order for £100 per month, although thats less than what I spent a month on fags! I still do that now and its amazing what I have been able to do with that extra money!
I have put on weight, but like my doc said she'd rather I was overweight than smoking. I can honsetly say I've kicked that habit and will never go back to it again.
A few years back I signed up for Race For Life, the first year I walked it, the next few times have power walked, sort of ran, now am fighting to get fit and planning on running it this year, its amazing how much better you can feel.
Good luck to anyone that is trying to give up, it is hard, I won't pretend, although I've forgoten how hard now. I did use patches for the first few weeks, to be honest I still wanted a fag more through habit than the nicotine addiction so I binned em and went cold turkey!
If you want to do it you can, don't give in to it - Good luck!