Newbie on day 5!

[nsd_user663_5170]

Wow, having read all the support on this forum from this morning, i decided i ought to sign up and post to say hi...it will at least give me more of a focus

well...im 21 have been at least a 10 a day smoker since i was about 14, my hubby to be (in may 2010) doesnt smoke and hated me smoking...so i have been a secret smoker from him for a couple of years-only getting away with a fag infront of him when we are out drinking...the rest of the time i sneak out whilst watching tv when hes up on the pc!!!

my family also dont know i smoke, mum dad and brother...my dad smokes and they caught me when i was younger, but i told them i quit and hid it ever since! now i live with just my hubby to be, i dont have to hide from them as i only have them if i know theres no chance of getting caught lol!

anyway after many failed attempts, i decided on saturday 22nd august i want to quit...

day 5, no lapses, no cravings to be honest...i really must say up to now i have found it quite easy. i used a patch (16 hr ones) for 3 days and have gone cold turkey now (although have patches and gum in bag for emergencies!!) my main downfall up to now is eating...and eating a lot! im dieting as already have my wedding dress, and it fits just right, but this week i've eaten soooo many biscuits lol, need to get the carrot sticks out!!

anyway just thought i'd say hi and im sure im going to find it much tougher once the poison of alcohol comes into play at the weekend!!! xxx

[nsd_user663_4990]

Welcome to these great forums

Don't be surprised if your fiancé guessed you were still smoking though no matter how good a secret smoker you were

You have to now ensure you never slip back to that, not even one bit.. you've done very well to get to day 5, and will do well yet.

but here is something you must consider, for you, your fiancé and certainly anyone around you.. just in case. You may get withdrawal symptoms later than you don't notice.. eg.. rattiness.. sharp retorts to things your fiancé may say.. and he notices you are being very moody etc... if that happens.. what then?

I just came clean about my secret smoking not long after and you know what my other half said? 'oh i knew already, could smell it anyway'

So do you tell him so he can be supportive of you while you quit, or is the quit to be also kept secret.

The choice ultimately is yours, but the more closeby support you have during quitting aswell as obviously these forums etc, the better.

Jase

[nsd_user663_5170]

day 5 so far so good

lol, we secret smokers *think* we are secret but as you said, im really sure we are not!!

my partner knows that i have quit, when i say secret smoker with my partner, i mean he did not know the extent to which i would smoke, ie he thinks i would have a couple a week maybe, but moreso when im drinking, whereas i would actually have around 10 a day...but he's often come down for a drink and caught me looking guilty mooching round the back door!!!

my family (mum dad and brother) would give me more stress if i told them i used to smoke and am trying to cut down...as my dad is a smoker and has tried to quit many times...i've seen the pressure and stress add up with him.

i must say that although i feel i am doing well so far with the quit, what i mean is i havent had a cig, and havent been tempted to yet. i've had to visit the shop (straight after a silly row with my partner which would normally be my ideal situation for "im not going to quit, i dont want to, so il smoke and feel even worse, i dont car what he says" but i didnt i decided not to, and also had to go to the petrol station on my own...my god they talk about petrol prices rising, it saved a huge dint in my purse when i only purchased the petrol and not the fags to accompany it!!

what im not doing so well with at the moment is the bit of rattiness like you mentioned. i must admit that i've had a few more harsh words at my other half, and he's had a few more about me in the last few days...men... :mad: haha

so yeah up to now its the rattiness and eating too much.

i have a silly story about my quit with patches as thats what i started with, but il post that seperate or this will be 1 massive post! i keep thinking about the cigs and although determined not to have one, i wonder whether to have a piece of gum...i wont be getting cigs today as have no cash on me...easiest way not to take any to work...but when i read the stop smoking timelines it seems to say benefits of stopping smoking if you go cold turkey rather than benefits if you use gum/patches etc, and i dont want to end up prolonging my effort to quit by having to then wean myself off gum.

do you have any ideas whether to stay cold turkey as this is now my 2nd day with no help, or whether to use gum (and use a patch in a hard situation if needed ie night out drinking)

xxx

[nsd_user663_4990]

Your objective right now is no matter what, no matter how hard it 'may' get is to ensure that you just don't smoke. Not after a mini-tiff, a big argue.. or just a moment where you get very stressed. My quit attempt before this one, lasted only 4 days and I stupidly started secret smoking as i just felt at the time my moods were too bad.. and it would just make it ok.. but the reality is i felt i'd let myself down majorly and it really cut me bad.

If you are coping quite well cold turkey at this moment and can get through 3 days or more then most of the nicotine has probably left your system already, if you can get through without any patch or gum etc, then that in itself is the better option, but if you really think that the temptation will be too high to bear, then you can also consider if the patch is a good idea for the night. Again.. at least you are not actually smoking.. and that matters more right now i'd think.. it would seem that way for me if i was in the same situ anyway. If you can cope though, then do your best to continue to do so, however hard it seems.. and don't put yourself in the way of temptation.. if you can avoid scenarios where u think you might be tempted.. and can avoid them... do so.

The main thing is to cope and if you feel a bit 'out-there' feelings wise, just try and change your routine and what your doing for a bit for a change of scene, and even take the off nap here or there to take the edge off too.. heck knows i've done plenty and it sure helped early on

[nsd_user663_5170]

my silly attempt at using patches...

well, i decided on saturday night that i was going to quit...this time for good, not for around 8 hours which usually ends up being my best attempt. I pulled out some nicorette patches which i bought for my previous attempt but didnt use.

i remember last time i was going to use the patches, it said put on before bed...i figured, yeah thats easy as it means i wont crave in the morning.

sunday morning, fine and dandy, no craving for a cig, went through all afternoon feeling happy with myself.

around 7pm started to feel drowsy, tired, headache, nauseaus, generally just rubbish. ended up having to have a nap on the sofa and when i woke up i felt even worse. oh well, a side effect of stopping smoking i figured.

sunday night, took off old patch,put a new patch on to do the same as saturday night (i had lost the instructions but figured surely this is what you do) went to bed...had NO SLEEP WHATSOEVER!!! Was up nearly all night, sweating etc etc...again just figured must be withdrawal of cigs.

by tuesday daytime (same routine on monday night) feeling rough monday, rough tuesday and not sleeping for a 2nd night, i thought i'd have a little browse on the internet...only to realise i was on the 16 hour patches :S i should have taken them off after 16 hrs, and other than the 1st patch, the rest should have been applied in the morning, not just before bed...no wonder i couldnt sleep!!!

anyway, i think the illness helped me kick the habit as i'd have been sick for trying a fag in those first couple of days...and hopefully the overdose of nicotine is now out of my system...so these 2 days going cold turkey are perhaps my best approach

just thought i'd share my silly story, and urge everyone when they decide on a method to use...please read the instructions!!!! xxx

[nsd_user663_5170]

thinking positive

thanks jase, your advice seems really spot on. i'll do that then, try going cold turkey and if the cravings get too harsh like you say i can use patches or gum but at least wont have resorted to smoking again.

i did exactly the same thing with the quitting...there are only 2 of us in my office, well in the company...my boss smokes so we have always had a fag when we wanted, no questions asked. i decided about 3 weeks ago to quit...lasted nearly a full day...then stole a roll up out of his packet when he went out :eek: because i was soooo desperate...then carried on pretending for nearly a week that i'd quit and was doing so well, just because i didnt want to hear i told you so etc etc...so for that week had to randomly disappear for a secret smoke lol.

this time, my boss is still smoking, has left cigs in the office with me, (on his desk) come in stinking of fags which i must say...wow we really used to stink!! and smokes infront of me...and at the moment i've had no reaction which is great.

how's your quit going? 7 weeks is a fantastic achievement...are you saving your money in a pot to see how much your saving? think i might start doing that! xxx

[nsd_user663_4990]

It was the sleeplessness at night that made me find these forums in the first place, i was using the 24hr patches and I was having mad dreams and waking up in the middle of the night and too early in the morning to be further annoyed by wood pigeons outside my window

Since then i now remove my patch an hour before i sleep and have had a good nights sleep since.. except for the nights when i forget to take my patch off. (i then find i wake and stay awake again.)

sleep is important while you quit though, get plenty of it

[nsd_user663_4990]

Only thing you gotta think of is that no matter what, you do not have a cheeky smoke.. not a single one.. you must never think ever that you can change the laws of addiction and that 1 here or there is ok and under your control.. its not.. you are still sadly a smoker if you do this.. and the only person you really end up kidding is yourself. (been there.. done that.. its bullcrap and we know it )

yeah i'm on week 7.. its ok as things go, really come a long way with it, but i still have much to do.. i just take each day as it comes, but i can definitely say i don't think about smoking now. I get a bit erratic after lunchtime during what i presume is a craving, but i don't desire a smoke, i just deal with the symptom instead.. its just a withdrawal thing after all.

The thing i keep in mind now is that cigarettes do not exist for me any more.. they are no longer something i can use to relieve stress as they have led me down a path which i've not wanted to be led too many times and are just a con in my eyes.

I'd rather now i just 'got a grip' and take back what i once had anyway, and thats freedom, good health and heck.. i'm alot more alert now than i have been for a long time.. so thats good too

Keep going.

thanks jase, your advice seems really spot on. i'll do that then, try going cold turkey and if the cravings get too harsh like you say i can use patches or gum but at least wont have resorted to smoking again.

i did exactly the same thing with the quitting...there are only 2 of us in my office, well in the company...my boss smokes so we have always had a fag when we wanted, no questions asked. i decided about 3 weeks ago to quit...lasted nearly a full day...then stole a roll up out of his packet when he went out :eek: because i was soooo desperate...then carried on pretending for nearly a week that i'd quit and was doing so well, just because i didnt want to hear i told you so etc etc...so for that week had to randomly disappear for a secret smoke lol.

this time, my boss is still smoking, has left cigs in the office with me, (on his desk) come in stinking of fags which i must say...wow we really used to stink!! and smokes infront of me...and at the moment i've had no reaction which is great.

how's your quit going? 7 weeks is a fantastic achievement...are you saving your money in a pot to see how much your saving? think i might start doing that! xxx