My first post as I've lurked for a bit until I was sure I wasn't going to imminently smoke and make a quick exit off the forum again!
Nige, Lozza, I've read previous posts and it looks like we are all on Day 10 today and all Cold Turkey's too, so mutual support appreciated.. !
Day 10 and I'm irritable. My flat mate ordering Sky and expecting me to pay for it when I don't want it has become a huge deal when maybe it shouldn't be (or perhaps it should be, it's hard to tell at this stage of the no smoking game!). I've had to stop drinking coffee as I'm buzzing and substituting with Peppermint Tea. My tongue hurts but I realise this is probably my taste buds making an emergence. Lolly's help when I'm stuck in traffic in the car.
I've stopped smoking or tried to stop smoking numerous times with varying degrees of success. Hypnotism 3 times, gum, patches (I had problems with the constant sweats and technicolour weird dreams), Xyban (ok if I didn't need to work, drive, or hold a conversation with anyone).. etc etc. but different things work for different people. This time, I had to stop when I least expected it due to an operation and I simply can't smoke or face the complications this will cause. So cold turkey it is...
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This is my third quit, 1st lasted 8 days, 2nd almost four months and this one's a work in progress.
The only way I can do it is a day at a time. I don't think about not smoking tomorrow, next week, month or year, it's all about today, and it's working OK.
Try not to let un-important things bother you, be honest with others (tell your flatmate your not paying for sky if you don't want it, after all, you'd have to sign for it!). The trouble with stopping smoking, is that every mood, niggle, irritability we have is put down to the fact that we've stopped smoking, did we not get irritable and have moods before!?
Deep breaths, music is good, this forum is good, cooking is good, books, relaxation tapes, there's lots of stuff out there, I think it's really important to find something that makes you relax, otherwise it's like being a coiled spring.
I don't think cold turkey is all that bad, the nicotine craving hasn't bothered me, most of my problems have been with the association with smoking. I never smoked to relax or because I was stressed, in fact i'm not sure why I did at all, but I did, and ended up on a 20/day habit.
We are completely driven to believe that stopping smoking is going to be hard, it may not be as bad as people say.
Read lots, post lots, there's an awful lot of people on this forum that have good advice from experience, everyone's experience isn't the same, but I guarantee that you will find people who's experience is similar to yours.
Well done getting to day 10 that's great being irritable at this early stage is normal for mosytof us and I don't think you're being unreasonable about not paying for sky as you don't want it
Below is my standard welcome and advice post which I try and give all new members
Welcome to the forum and well done on the decision to quit possibly one of the most important you will ever make and you will be losing nothing but you will regain control of your life and that has to be good
You will find all the help and support you need on here as we all help each other just like a family we are here for you every step of the way cheering the good days and sympathising with the bad but the good far outweigh the bad
Read the posts on here you will find a lot of tips and advice and in the signatures of a lot you will find links to other sites just click on them Here are 2 I find very good to start you off whyquit.com and woofmang.com Read, read and then read some more as the more you read and learn about why you smoked and about your addiction the easier your quit will be
Thanks Margareth for the welcome and links. Why Quit is especially helpful.
Lozza - You are right about the fact that I was most likely a moody when I did smoke so being a moody cow now is probably no different. In fact no one at work has noticed or commented that I'm any moodier than usual!
It is important to keep busy and keep the mind active. The prob I have is that I'm very much into going to the gym and the ONLY thing I want to do is run and run and run and run, but because I had to give up due to an op I can't exercise at all. That's the tough bit.
Although stopping smoking isn't to be underestimated, it is only as hard as we make it. Thanks for the welcome and I'll keep monitoring everyone's progress and chip in with support, advice where I can.
i'm gonna side with your flatmate :)... you NEED sky :).. Well , mostly because now you've quit, wouldn't it be really nice to catch up on all those really interesting programmes. Get sky+ if you can afford it though for the recording and live pause functions.
Nah i really do think sky may help your quit, providing you are not out of pocket too much and its easily affordable.. why not?
The trouble with stopping smoking, is that every mood, niggle, irritability we have is put down to the fact that we've stopped smoking, did we not get irritable and have moods before!?
I'm glad I'm not the only one - the only reason I'm getting snappy is because the immediate reaction to anything I say or do at the moment is apparently because I'm giving up the fags. Giving up is proving a breeze when you pit it against my friends (who are all smokers as it happens) - I've noticed that if I sit back and watch them they can get quite snappy themselves just prior to lighting one up......then they light one up and all of a sudden they're nice as pie again. Funny that.
I don't think cold turkey is all that bad, the nicotine craving hasn't bothered me, most of my problems have been with the association with smoking. I never smoked to relax or because I was stressed, in fact i'm not sure why I did at all, but I did, and ended up on a 20/day habit.
I have to agree - I too have been wondering what the appeal to smoking was, cos I just cannot see it now!! (that's gotta be a good thing though).
We are completely driven to believe that stopping smoking is going to be hard, it may not be as bad as people say.
Read lots, post lots, there's an awful lot of people on this forum that have good advice from experience, everyone's experience isn't the same, but I guarantee that you will find people who's experience is similar to yours.
Welcome to the forum,
Lorraine
Welcome indeed Polster - I can't agree with this bit though Lozza; for some people it is a damm hard habit to break.
If it were that easy to give up, we wouldn't be visiting places like this for support!!
Not saying it is easy Nige, but if you speak to most smokers, their opinion of quitting is of hell. I think it's just a shame that people have to think it's like that. Of course it is for some, almost impossible for others, everyone has a different experience at different times, we all will.
If you're conditioned into believing something is going to be difficult, it will be. The media jump on all this and whip us up into a frenzy, when is the last time you saw a calm advert set in a relaxing setting advertising nicotine replacement products, there isn't one (not one i've seen anyway).
My apologies Polster if I made quitting sound like a walk in the park, as you know from past experiences, it's not. But it doesn't have to be a living hell either.
Jase - I seriously don't need Sky. Ever. My flat mate doesn't work, drinks at least 6 cans of lager every day and constantly watches nerdy Si-Fi Star Trek stylee programmes on his 50" TV, in our 10 x 10 lounge. It's worse for your neck than being in the front row of the cinema! He ordered Sky without asking me and my other flatmate if we wanted it, which we told him we didn't and he's now presented us with a backdated bill for it. I've never watched it! I don't want to watch it! I hate it! I'm on Day 11 of stopping smoking I need to chill the &**$ out! Ha ha.
Jase - well done on 6 months, where was the point for you when you forgot you'd given up smoking (I you know what I mean), when it wasn't on your mind, when you'd lapsed into a happy non smoker..?
Nige - Hello and thanks for the welcome. You know the one thing I noticed that you wrote were the words "Giving up" when talking about smoking. I remember reading somewhere (probably Allan Carr) that "giving up" implies that you are sacrificing something good, whereas the words "stopping" or "choosing to stop" are much more powerful psychologically. Does that make sense?
Day 11 - I got through 3 Chuppa Chup (or whatever they're called) lollies on the drive to work. Traffic is terrible at the moment as everyone is back to work (apart from my flat mate who is probably drinking lager and watching Sky as we speak). I'm still going outside at 10.15am (any minute now in fact) with my smoking buddy, but she's smoking and I'm just getting some fresh air and a break from my desk. I'm drinking 2 litres of water every day and fidgetting alot. Everyone else ok today?
Nige - Hello and thanks for the welcome. You know the one thing I noticed that you wrote were the words "Giving up" when talking about smoking. I remember reading somewhere (probably Allan Carr) that "giving up" implies that you are sacrificing something good, whereas the words "stopping" or "choosing to stop" are much more powerful psychologically. Does that make sense?
It does make perfect sense - I'll try and change my thinking!;)
EDIT: congrats on getting to day 11 with all your lack of compassion at home BTW!!
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