Finally made the decision

[Have-stopped]

Hi, I'm new here also but have finally decided that I must give up smoking.

I have been retired now for just over a year but I guess I have relied on my smoking to keep me going, I've felt so lost since retiring after working 20 years at the same place.

Money is now so short that I'm feeling awful guilty at wasting so much of it on my smoking. I sit and think about how much easier life would be if I didn't smoke and we would be over £50 better off a week which would solve some of our money problems. It's really got me down lately thinking about it.

I started smoking when I was 15 and am now 63 and smoke around 40 a day so as you can see it's not going to be easy for me to give it up and have never tried before, only cut down a few times but couldn't even keep that up for long. I know I'd be much better off and healthier without the smoking, and this time I really want to quit, I MUST quit :eek:

[nsd_user663_3816]

Hi Myst -stop

Warm welcome to the forums, this is a great place to be, the people on here are great and you will get untold amount of advise support and encouragement.

Are you going ct, or using NRT?

It would be a good idea to read all you can on here hun, even other posts to get an idea of how others are doing, good site to to start with is whyquit.com,

the key is to re-educate yourself with regards to why we smoked, there is some great information on this site.

You have taken the first step to a healthier wealthier lifestyle, you are really doing the right thing, keep in touch on here as there is always some one around to help or support if needed.

Good luck and well done

Denise

xx

[nsd_user663_3928]

Denise has put it far better than I could so I will wish you a lot of luck and hope. You can do it mate

[nsd_user663_1733]

Welcome amd congrats on your quit.

You have comr to the right place you will have great support here and a bit of fun along the way. I too smoked for 36 years up to 40 a day its not easy but can be done. Just read all you can and learn as much as poss then pick a date and take each day as it comes dont worry about tomorrow or next week just the day your in. IF things get hard just take it by the hour once you get past the first few days it gets much easyer. xxxxx

[nsd_user663_3853]

Hello and welcome. You may have made some great decisions in your lifetime, but this is definitely the best the best one yet! As well as the obvious monetary benefits that you speak about, there are a whole host of other benefits to come with no longer smoking as well.

It obviously isn't going to be easy breaking a 50 odd year habit, but you've come to the right place for all the support and advice you could need. Like the others said, educate yourself as to why you smoke, what got you started in the first place. It's a hell of a journey, and preparation is vital if you want to be successful.

You say you've already cut down a few times before; that's a good starting point while you figure things out, read up on things, set a date, whatever. Nothing drastic, but cutting down helped me loads when I was in your position.

Whichever route you decide to take, I wish the best of luck in your endeavour. We're here for you!

[nsd_user663_3911]

The cutting down thing worked for me too.

Some people don't rate it but i.m.o. whatever works for the individual.

Been off 'em totally for nearly three weeks now. Happy Days!!

Best of luck whichever way you decide to go

[nsd_user663_3738]

hi must stop and wellcome to the fourm,,i like you i am retired,,i am 65 in sept,,smoked since i was 6 or 7,i tried lots of times in the past to quit and falied,,know how you feel about spending so much money on fags,,but we always did some how find the money to buy fags,no matter how little money we had,,must have fags must have fags,,sounds just about right,,but you can change all that by giving up the little devils,,you have made the best decision you will ever make,,the main key is read and read and read,,we on here are here for you ,we are a great bunch on here,well most off us are, ha ha ha, like i say you just keep the faith all the best tony

[nsd_user663_3910]

Must Stop, great decision, and you will succeed. As has been said , read, read and then read some more. I can't over emphasise the help it gives when that nicodemon is inside your head, urging you to have a puff, convicing you that just one won't hurt. Read the diary in this link

woofmang.com/tales/index.shtml, it's fantastic, and the whyquit site is priceless.

All the tools, help and friends are there to help. I read some of the stuff before quitting, which meant as I was smoking, all the info. was going round in my head and I could relate to it real time. Really brings it home and makes you feel a bit of a fool.

Best of luck to you, it's the right decision.

[nsd_user663_3956]

Hi Must Stop - My advice is "listen to these guys" they know what they talk about and make a lot of sense. I am on day 4 and yesterday had a really bad/negative day but the replies I had to my posting yesterday made me re-think and today I feel much better. Don't give up, join the rest of us and stay on board the no smoking train. Kind regards:

[Have-stopped]

Thanks everybody for your kind and helpful replies to my post. I have to admit that I am still smoking at the moment, but hopefully for not much longer.

I don't really want to use the nicotine replacement products as in my view when taking them you are still taking nicotine which I know is the addictive part of smoking and also read somewhere that even the patches can cause a sore mouth and affect sleep, which I have problems with already (Sleeping I mean). Haven't slept properly since giving up work, probably due to working rotating shifts for years.

I think my best bet is to try giving up gradually by cutting down more and more and hopefully get down to under 5 a day, then it shouldn't be quite so hard to do. I know if I try to stop suddenley, I'll fail and failure is not an option:mad:

Even doing it this way is going to be hard for me but I am going to give it my best and hopefully join in on No Smoking Day as a NON smoker. That would be good :cool:

I will keep in contact and let you all know how it goes.

[nsd_user663_3356]

To help you get started with your stop why not have a good read on whyquit. There is a huge amount of information on there about quitting as well as some good videos for each of the first few days of your quit!

It might help you to get started!!

[Tomatpots 10 Years Smoke Free]

How about we change the Must to Have in your username.

Oh and theres the title of a book in my sig that may be worth a read ;)

It really isn't as hard as you may think!!!

All the best

[nsd_user663_3922]

Well done on making a brilliant decision and for naming the date as 11th March. I think you could make it 11 February and have 4 weeks of being a non smoker already under your belt by 11 March and feeling very good about yourself on no smoking day. I will look forward to hearing your progress. You could even make it 1st February? There are so many supportive people in this forum, amazing and so well informed. Do read what they recommend. Good luck