Day 1 Almost managed

[nsd_user663_3064]

Hi all.

My main reason (apart from health) for quitting is spending 50 quid a week which is just stupid. I couldn't have picked a worse day for trying to stop because I was on the go earlier than usual which meant I had a longer day to get through. I had a packet with 4 cigarettes left over from last night but strangely during the day I wasn't tempted to touch them. However after dinner at 6pm I talked myself into thinking I might as well finish them which I have and I feel worse now than I did during the day. Well now they are gone and hopefully tomorrow will see me on the road to not buying anymore.

I didn't want to try patches or any alternatives as I think a lot of it is in the mind and I now have £6.82 on the desk which hopefully will be doubled tomorrow. The weekend is going to be the hardest as I work every 2nd weekend and this is my weekend off.

Thanks for bearing with this rambling.

Ron

[nsd_user663_1931]

Hi Ron

Welcome. You nearly did one day keep strong 2morrow and come on here for support.

Hey, think of all that lovely money

Barb x

[nsd_user663_2866]

hi never mind forget today and start again tomorrow.all the best leave us know how you get on.

[nsd_user663_3024]

good luck for 2morrow, forget bout what happened today.today has been my first day i have nearly reached 24 hours without smoking. however really fed up now so going into bed!:

[nsd_user663_2421]

Hi cabman, dont beat yourself up about it mate, You smoked less than you would have. Look at today as your weaning yourself off the weed, which is what you have done really. Tomorrow is another day mate. Bring it on eh ? Good Luck xxx

[nsd_user663_1655]

you can do it! Good luck tomorrow, behind you 100%!!!!

[nsd_user663_2933]

Ramble on as much as you feel like after all thats why the forum is here....Like you i am also stopping with no aids! But like you i also had a ciggie yesturday so am starting again...........wey annoying.

I thought my mornings would be tough and although i was a bit more stressed it was not half as bad , i actually failed whilst driving down the road , my car and cigs are my biggest problem.........how i wish the cigs were not in the car lol.........there gone now though.

I think i was finding it easy if that makes sense which tricked me into having a cig because it was that easy! OF course that made sense to me that it actually wasnt that easy after all there was just no pysical withdrawal....i felt no different after having the ciggie which made me quite cross......though i think it re strenthened my will to quit. So i also start again today! Good luck to us may we win the battle with pride!

Casey

[nsd_user663_2931]

I used to smoke in my car too. I gave it a good clean and vacuum just before I quit and it smells so much better now. Stale smoke is disgusting and to think that the smell would have made all my kids reek too arrghhh And yes, I used to smoke in the car whilst I had the kids in it, such was my selfish addiction, but no more! And I have to say, I feel awful knowing that my kids would have gone into school smelling of smoke which no doubt most of the teachers would notice!

[nsd_user663_2933]

I know is awful but good to be reminded on that one!!!!

Thankyou all these little things do help!

Have kids too , although yest i did wait til they were all gone , crazy!!!!!!!!!

This time ill stick and quit!

Casey

[nsd_user663_2739]

And I have to say, I feel awful knowing that my kids would have gone into school smelling of smoke which no doubt most of the teachers would notice!

Except that the teachers probably all smoke too, so can't smell anything

[nsd_user663_2994]

I used to smoke in my car Casey with the kids in it with the window open thinking that would be ok.

Im now on day 2 and my car stinks so its getting cleaned at the weekend as is the house, clothes etc.

I find it helps sucking a lollipop now when im driving :cool:

Keep positive, you'll get there

I have been quit for 1 Day, 13 hours, 13 minutes and 51 seconds (1 days). I have saved £10.19 by not smoking 46 cigarettes. I have saved 3 hours and 50 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 11/03/2008 23:00

[nsd_user663_3003]

one day at a time mate

HI Ron.

im the same as you mate. im really finding it hard. i smoke about 20-30

maybe more some days. but so far so good im wining the fight. and dont

for-get you got friends on here who are doing the same as you ...giving-up...

so take one day as it come. let us know how you are doing mate.

best of luck

Alan

[nsd_user663_3064]

Cheating (A Little)

I know most people won't agree with this but I managed another day time without a cigarette but I did have one after dinner. My reasoning is I only have to focus on 6pm then I can have one. At least the one at 6pm is probably 20 less than same time 2 days ago. I felt today that knowing I could have one later made it easier and I found I wasn't dwelling on not having any. The next step will be to move the 6pm forward bit by bit but either way I am determined not to have any during daytime.

Ron

[nsd_user663_2931]

Wow, you're better than me then, cabman. If I was to smoke 'a' cigarette right now, I don't think I could stick to just the 'one'. I'd have to smoke more. How do you do that anyway? Just smoke one? I feel like smoking the 'one' sometimes, I get so close to it but then I think of the others in the team I'm in and I instantly feel guilty and bad for nearly succumbing!

If you aren't using any NRT products to help you quit, maybe you should think about it? Then set yourself a new quit date. Maybe that'd work?

[nsd_user663_3064]

Getting there

Until Wednesday I was on easily 30 a day and maybe more at weekends. Being a taxi driver we are not supposed to smoke in the cars. Some do but run the risk of prosecution but most stand at their cars at the rank braving the elements and looking totally stupid and we probably stink to non smoking passengers. The morning is always worse for me and I would easily smoke 4 with my first and 2nd cup of tea of the day. My first today was at 6.30pm and I had another at around 9pm and I have to be honest and say I will probably have another 2 before going to bed. Okay it's not actually stopping but it's 26 less than usual and 52 less during last 2 days.

So far I haven't had to resort to sweets or alternatives I'll see how I get through the weekend then I may go for the patches or something. BY Sunday I should have around £21.60 in a jar.

Ron

[nsd_user663_2931]

Hey Ron

Whatever works for you eh? If cutting down first is what will work out best for you then go for it. I wish I could get away with just smoking a few! Boy I could just smoke one right about now!

As you say, at least you aren't smoking as many as you used to...I can't help thinking that it won't be too long before you are smoking as many as you used to though if you keep smoking the odd one...I don't know...

You do what you gotta do...we're all still here to help you whatever... *isn't really jealous of Ron smoking a fag* lol

[nsd_user663_3064]

Doubting Thomas

Hi Maddy

Your On.

I've managed 2 days as in daytime without a fag so I'm determined to carry on. Tonight I've smoked 3 and as it's almost midnight that's 27 less than normal so that has to be good. The funny thing is I'm not thinking about them as I normally would and as I'm half way through a bottle of red wine it's actually amazing.

Each to their own but my twisted way of thinking is less has to be better don't you think ??

Ron

[nsd_user663_3029]

hey Ron,

I feel for you. I noticed that you said at the beginning that your main reasons for stopping are financial, so cutting down from 30 a day to 3 is a huge step in the right direction, and if you can keep yourself at that level for good, then perhaps you'd be happy.

I kow that I'd be unable to maintain limiting my input - of my approx 10 attempts at stopping over the years, most were predicated on the same principle as NRT: reduce the amount of nicotine going in, i.e. smoke less, and gradually cut down until you don't smoke at all. But I would always relapse when I was still on around 10 a day, so the fact that you've brought yourself down to 3 is amazing!

From the reading I've been doing, if you can keep yourself on that level for a couple of weeks, you should be ready to stop completely: nictonie addiction will no longer be an issue, and it'll just be a case of dealing with the triggers that get you lighting up.

It seems that like yourself, I seem to be hitting a wall around 6pm and then another one a bit later on. I have divided my smoke-free days in half, and until 6pm I just try to convince myself to stay smoke-free until dinner time.

6pm (dinner time) is a major trigger for me, so I have to find ways of occupying myself after dinner to stop myself thinking about smoking. And then later in the evening, things get even worse (6pm to midnight accounted for probably 3/4 of all my smoked cigarettes over the last 6 or 7 years).

This evening (my second smoke-free) I was crawling the walls, doubled the amount of tea and water I drank, ate over a pound of carrots and did some exercises, all to stop myself thinking about smoking. I've no idea how, but I managed. The two fags upstairs in my bedroom remain intact.

It's now almost 1am and my chest hurts so badly that smoking is the last thing on my mind. In the morning, I expect I'll be OK but pangs will probably hit me at luncthime - I'm going to try to engineer my daytime in such a way that it simply won't be possible to smoke.

Dinner is another matter and I'm going to have to confront my demons again. But I've proved to myself that I can do it for two evenings on the trot and I'm currently in the situation of having been smoke-free for 37 hours which I think is longer than I've been without a fag at any time this mellennium. If I can make it to lunchtime, it'll be the longest I've been smoke-free since 1997.

So don't worry if you've not quit completely, and just take each day as it comes, as day one. At some point, one of those Days One will prove to be completely smoke-free and before you know it, you'll start counting up those days along with everyone else!

[nsd_user663_3083]

Cabman,

If you've managed to cut down that much you've cracked it

You have proven you are not addicted to nicotine if you can go all night and all day to 6.00 pm. You've cracked the addiction, now crack the habit.

Do it.

we're all rooting for you. If you WANT to do it you CAN do it.

Dave

[nsd_user663_3089]

Hi Cabman, I am 2 weeks smoke free today I had an email out the blue, offering advice on stopping smoking, i personally am finding it very helpful, hope it helps and good luckHi all.

My main reason (apart from health) for quitting is spending 50 quid a week which is just stupid. I couldn't have picked a worse day for trying to stop because I was on the go earlier than usual which meant I had a longer day to get through. I had a packet with 4 cigarettes left over from last night but strangely during the day I wasn't tempted to touch them. However after dinner at 6pm I talked myself into thinking I might as well finish them which I have and I feel worse now than I did during the day. Well now they are gone and hopefully tomorrow will see me on the road to not buying anymore.

I didn't want to try patches or any alternatives as I think a lot of it is in the mind and I now have £6.82 on the desk which hopefully will be doubled tomorrow. The weekend is going to be the hardest as I work every 2nd weekend and this is my weekend off.

Thanks for bearing with this rambling.

Ron

[nsd_user663_3089]

Cabman i foiund this a greaT HELP

Hi Cabman, I am 2 weeks smoke free today I had an email out the blue, offering advice on stopping smoking, i personally am finding it very helpful, hope it helps and good luck