Hey folks the antismoker, anti fag is back. I have been free for so long now i can't remember ever smoking - to all new quitters please be aware i had smoked every single day of my life for over 17 years, wanted to stop smoking for the last 4 years of my life. Tried and failed several times - succeeded after finding this site and all the excellent people and resources there are here - some are in my sig. COLD TURKEY QUIT.
Quick tale about how i been coping without smokes as succint as possible:
Was invited to go to FA cup final as a guest at the corinthian club - like £1000+ ticket for FREE! how could I say no. Went with 3 smokers.
First of all these guys are smoking from the word go - it is as if it is a ritual to smoke yourself silly when you are going somewhere social. I count about 3 - 4 smokes an hour each and this is before we get in the cab at 1030am - obviously I decline. Get in the cab
The journey to wembley CANNOT be easy for these guys, luckily it is only an hour and as soon as we are out these guys are smoking straight away.
The fun starts when we are in there, wembley is a complete no smoking ground - the staff are not allowed to smoke at all anywhere for their 8 hour shifts, you can't even smoke in the boxes we were told!! There was Free champagne, beers, wine all throughout the game, before and after - we were there from 12 till 5, imagine the hell my 3 friends were going through LOL. I was cool calm and collected. I hear 2 of them smoked a few puffs in the toilet they were gasping so bad LOL. Every 5 minutes it was 'where can we smoke', 'i need a smoke' etc. etc. SOOOOOOOO funny.
I was out with the boys till the early hours and i cannot dare count how many smokes went down between 'em poor bast@rds.
Anyway I am here to start a thread on the truth about NRT and whether or not it helps a quit. I have been speaking to many many smokers/ex smokers/tried to quit smokers/failed quitters the whole range and NRT keeps coming up. I have a whole range of views and facts to tell you about.
Got to admit i am a little tired so will start the thread here but not finish it right now - will leave you with the intro though.
Executive Summary
This is an ANTI-NRT thread because that is the impression i get, what i understand from the tales i have been told and what i have discovered from the facts i have researched.
Those that want to start with anecdotes/facts/opinions please do i will be back in the next day or 3 to continue the thread - my fingers, eyes and head all tired now.
Contents
1. NRT does it really help?
2. Facts and Figures of NRT quitters.
3. Facts and Figures of NON NRT quitters
4. Anecdotes
5. Recommendations
to be continued . . . .. .
Written by
nsd_user663_3097
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Hey AntiFag. Soooooooo glad to hear you're going great. I read your thread with interest and I eagerly await the rest of it!
I too didn't get on with nrt when I had tried it with other quits. I found CT a helluva lot easier. At least I only put myself through just one withdrawal instead of going through one lonnnggggggggggg withdrawal 'cos of lowered nic' dose and then another withdrawal when coming off the nrt. I really don't know how those on nrt do it! They're stronger than me I have to say.
Mind, I say 'putting myself through' just one withdrawal...I don't feel I have put myself through anything! Its been a walk in the park this time round...
Don't forget to finish your post AF lol Don't wanna be left here on the edge of my seat for too long!
Now, you know I don't agree with your hard line opinion, although I personally may now believe that NRT is not the easiest or best way to stop, IT DOES WORK FOR MANY PEOPLE.
I really don't want to start a debate here, (so back off if the fingers are poised for attack!) but feel compelled to point out to any newbies who may be scared away, that this is not an anti-NRT forum.
We all have our own quit methods, and the motto here, as far as I can see is, "Do whatever if takes for YOU to stop smoking"
Good will to all men. (and women) World Peace. Joy on Earth.
ps/ Loved the football story!
I have been quit for 3 Months, 6 Days, 8 hours, 19 minutes and 10 seconds (96 days). I have saved £481.72 by not smoking 1,926 cigarettes. I have saved 6 Days, 16 hours and 30 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 17/02/2008 22:00
Can i respectfully suggest that we tread VERY carefully with this thread.
Irrespective of the views of the majority of this forum don't forget that this site is pro NRT.
I would LOVE to see some proper figures to finally put the lid on the industry's "smoke & mirrors" approch to reporting and statistics but i'm not convinced that HERE is the place to do it....
If clumsy thread writing causes a single quit (using whatever method) to be aborted then we've failed dismally...
I'm a bit uneasy about this thread. Although I quit CT myself, my quit started using patches and its only because of the reactions I experienced that I stopped using them after 10 days. If one of the first things I had read whilst on the patches in those first 10 days after logging on here was this thread, coupled with the anti nrt flavour a lot of posts have developed recently then being on patches would have made me feel a failure. Worse still, what I have been reading recently would have swayed me strongly toward thinking that I was bound to fail using nrt and even if I didn't, my whole quit would be a struggle with a horrendous withdrawal when I finally came off the patches so what would be the point. At that point I have no doubt it would have given the nicodemon the advantage and I would have justified smoking again because I was 'bound' to fail in my flawed nrt quit.
Although I appreciate many views are expressed on here, and rightly so, it is possible to go a tad too far at times. I am sure statistics, reasons and 'proof' could be expounded for the benefits of a CT quit, the same could be expounded for patches, inhalators, champix, gum, lozenges etc. etc. Statistics can be twisted, distorted, read many ways and indeed produced to 'prove a point'. For every set of statistics you find, there will be equal and opposite statistics 'proving' you wrong.
Although this thread has been started with the best of intentions and with only the view to help in mind, I question its use in 'real time' ... especially as I say taken with the whole 'CT is the best and only way' messages that have been banged out recently.
I retire from this thread and await my flaming/berating/beating and general slating with a perverse kind of anticipation :rolleyes:
*wanders off whistling and looking innocent*
i agree with Catwoman, (isaid be careful on the other thread)
it isnt important how we quit, its that we do it for life.
My heart says continue on Anti Fag, but I can see where others are coming from. Clearly labelling the thread as you have, I think should cover your back a little, and stepping lightly its possible to do it correctly.
Take stock of what you intend to say and how you would phrase it. I think a thread like this could be incredibly useful but if mishandled may be detrimental.
I too agree with others on here. Looking at the grand scheme of things, if we are all stopped then thats all that matters. Those on nrt can tackle that side of it at another time...at least it is helping them stay stopped and they are not inhaling all the other nasty chemicals that are found in fags.
I do have one query though. Those who are on nrt because it is what their Dr or Nurse suggested, I wonder how many of those could actually have quit CT but are only using nrt 'cos it has been instilled into them that it would hugely help their quit? I do wish nurses would present ALL methods of stopping smoking...not just nrt
But anyways, well done to ALL of us on not putting any more fags to our gobs!! That much at least is what we all have in common.
Well i think whatever suits each individual is best. I've done it CT and think thats best way for me.
I have been quit for 2 Months, 2 Weeks, 6 Days, 21 hours, 43 minutes and 51 seconds (81 days). I have saved £933.71 by not smoking 4,095 cigarettes. I have saved 2 Weeks, 5 hours and 15 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 03/03/2008 20:30
I love reading all these different views, I think whatever suits that person at the time of quitting is the best one of all!!
I have tried every quitting method except champix and haven't felt this good about anyother quit before and dare I mention that i am chewing nicotine gum at the time of typing this!!!!
What on earth would you do with the infomation? Go to "Why Quit" it has already been done. Everyone has their own quit and that is all that is important. That and support when needed. Bill S
I think its pretty sad that people can't voice what they really want to say on here. We should all be able to say what we want on here without fear of any negative comebacks.
So we don't all agree on certain issues, welcome to life! There is such a diverse amount of opinions on all manner of topics and we should welcome all of them.
As for the nrt issue that does seem to be raging on here at the mo, I too feel I can't voice what I really want to say without possibly offending those on nrt so rest assured the 'keeping ones thoughts to themselves' isn't limited to just those on nrt!
Surely we're all adult enough to acknowledge another person's thoughts even if we do not agree with them? At the end of the day, we're all here for each other. CT'ers are not just here for other CT'ers and the same with nrt'ers. Mind, even categorising each 'group' puts a divide between us straight away!
Also, I have to pick up on Mojo's comment that "CT'ers feel they have one up on the NRT'ers" - couldnt be further from the truth if you ask me, havent seen anything to indicate that at all. We may seem more confident and take great pride in our quits but I dont believe we would ever denigrate a NRT'ers quit. If we did it'd be time to log off forever.
Each to their own opinion, I just think NRT gets a bad rep on here because Allen Carr and others have told you so. I dont hear Champix getting such a rough deal. My comment was purely an observation of what I think.
Oh of course, your absolutely entitled to your opinion but I would have been remiss at not defending what amounted to a bit of a dig at us, thats all.
well i cant say ive noticed a divide in quitting methods really , however i have seen a lot of people talking about how they feel about there smoking friends and what idiots they are , my hubs still smokes but im not going to put him down cos he does as i was there too , never forget where you once where i think we need to be supportive to other smokers not hypicritical (so cant spell that)
I could not have done so with out NRT, I am not a strong enough person to have given up cold turkey, this does not make me weak this makes me realistic
good luck to all no matter what method you choose to use
I give up last year using patches lasted 6 months this year done ct and to be honest feel not one bit diffrent. So i say each to there own do what ever works for you. Good luck to each and everyone what ever you use or done use. xxx
well i cant say ive noticed a divide in quitting methods really , however i have seen a lot of people talking about how they feel about there smoking friends and what idiots they are , my hubs still smokes but im not going to put him down cos he does as i was there too , never forget where you once where i think we need to be supportive to other smokers not hypicritical (so cant spell that)
It does seem a bit like that. We were all doing that very thing until recently and yet mock others. But it is human nature to mock other people. I do it almost unconsciously. The only people I do seriously nag to stop are my sister and my other half. I gave up on my parents years ago - they will never quit and are too far down the slippery slope. Shouting, screaming and crying just doesn't work with those two.
I get upset with boyfy because when I smoked and he smoked life was dandy but now i look at him and see an otherwise intelligent human being slowly killing himself. I would like to grow old with him but seriously, other than a charmed few how many smokers live to be old?
If I take the piss out of them it is to stop myself thinking too hard about my own mortality and my sick relations who will no doubt smugly chug on their cancer sticks for years to come and then expect me to look after them when they have a tube in every oriface and need cancer treatment/God knows what else. You won't be looking at me thinking i'm a self righteous nag then will ya?
It's weird looking at smoking from this point of view but it is how I feel. I now find smokers very selfish, and realise how selfish I was, not that anyone ever seemed to care if I smoked or not.
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Day 23 - defo getting better
