hey guys im new to this! i have decided for a long time now to quit smoking! i have used patches once before but they made me feel really ill so have decided to go cold turkey or maybe use some nictione gum!
im reall anixous about giving up and wondered if u could share your experences with me going cold turkey!
thanks jodie!
I've never done the CT route, however loads on here have and been very successful. I just wanted to wish you the best of luck.
xx
Hi Jodie,
First off, congrats on making the best decision of your life.
I'm a cold turkey'er and I'm on Day 19. So yeh, 19 days ago I was in your situation. I guess I'm what you call an "accidental quit". I had to have an operation and if I smoked I would screw up the healing process seriously. I was scared into stopping and when I had my last ciggie at mid-day on 9th Jan I didn't know it was my last. I was just told to STOP. Or Else...
Different methods work for different people but I prefer cold turkey. It's nicotine addicition you need to quit so my reasoning was to make it short and sharp and quick! I've had my ups and downs but no matter how bad it has got I haven't smoked.
Drink loads of water. I have Chuppa Chups lollies in the car which I eat constantly at the moment. Use whatever you need to help you through the first few weeks, then you'll be breezing it!
See you in the one month forum soon
Polly
Hi Jody
Well done for deciding to quit.
I haven't done the CT as I thought I wouldn't have the courage to do it. Only you can decide which is the best option for you to take as different people got different ways to cope with their quitting.
What I will say is, keep going on this forum as it really helps with the quitting. You get help, advice, support and friendship on here.
Good luck with the quitting and look forward to reading your posts.
Ju x
Ct
I am on my 8th day CT. I have tried patches in the past
but really disliked them.
I have been drinking lot's of water and I have been drinking green tea instead of coffee. I have been drinking fruit smoothies, snacking on seeds and having porridge for breakfast. I read in the past that oats were good for detoxing from nicotine.
I have also been exercising. I have been going to the gym and if I am in a building with stairs, I take the stairs instead of the lift.
I have managed better than I had hoped. My husband is still smoking but I have managed to cope with that too. I have pangs but I love my new freedom too much to go back to smoking.
I hope this is of some use. I hope it goes smoothly for you.
Hi Jodie,
Good move on your decision to quit! Be realistic with your goals and don't feel deflated if you have hiccups along the way. For many they're part of being a non-smoker.
My fix for the anxiety was to be a quitter on day one only; following that I just had to deal with nicotine withdrawal. If you quit on day one then you've stopped; no need to be thinking about it any more as it's in the past. Then you get to enjoy all the good (no GREAT) things about stopping. You'll be amazed how great you feel even after a short period of time. I mean that in terms of health as nicotine withdrawal can make some feel mighty grotty.
Good luck for tomorrow Jodie, you are in the right place for support and encouragement.
Keep strong and focussed and take hour by hour at first.
Shazie.x
Hi
I didn't go cold turkey. I planned too. Actually I sort of, like Polly, came to this stage by design and not purpose.
I had dental work and was advised not to smoke for 8 weeks for the bonding process to be given it's best chance. During that 8 weeks whilst I reluctantly but sensibly stopped, I also saw the logic in carrying on the quit. It's working well so far
I went CT for 2 days and then decided work problems and other family issues were pretty demanding and I turned to patches for a couple of weeks to help get through the worst bit. I didn't like the thought of nicotine being in my blood stream and cut the course short and decided as I'd gone through the worst, I could cope with what was to follow.
What followed was worse than I imagined it to be despite reading on here and reading ahead to get a feeling of what was in store.
If you feel you can manage CT, then go for it. There are things other than patches (NRT) designed to help and there's no shame in using them. I don't like chewing gum par se, so got in, but never used, some lozenges.
Some folk say to get your head in the right place as that's the only way a quit will be successful. Who knows what the right place is? Just get yourself as prepared as you can, read ahead, believe in yourself and be positive and know it gets easier. Keep an eye on what your eating and be aware of blood sugar dips and related moods which can be eased, maybe even avoided.
Be prepared for an emotional ride of laughs and tears but one that is worth every bump and corner.
All the best and use this site for what it's worth when you need to.
Pol
Well done on your decision to quit Jodie. You've made a fantastic decision there.
I echo all the comments on this thread.
The 1st three, maybe four days are the first physically. The nicotine withdrawl is at its worst then. You need to stay focused, calm, and keep reminding you why you quit. This physical aggravation does pass. It really does.
Next comes the 'psychological' withdrawal symptoms. These range, for me anyway, from the subtle little thoughts of smoking, dreams of smoking, the need to smoke, the desire to smoke, the why aren't I smoking any more thoughts, the one wont hurt comments to oneself, and the general feeling of waiting for something...The sooner you get these thoughts out of your head the better. Trigger points - the moments when you would usually smoke -- when you have an alcoholic drink, do something good, do/hear something bad, walk a particular route from work, something you do with a coffee in the morning are times when these thoughts obviously come to the mind. Again, focus. Stay in control. NO ONE is going to make you smoke. And smoking certainly does not make any, or more, of these activities more enjoyable. Far from it. Do not listen to the addiction. Because that what it is an addiction. Your mind is addicted to associating smoking with many different aspects of your life and vice versa, and it does take time to readjust.
I'm on 15 days, 13 hours, and ummmmm about 55 minutes of going cold turkey. First 3 days quite bad physically. Next 4 days bad in the mind with certain trigger points making me a bit jealous of myself of not smoking and the feeling of 'missing something' (sounds weird). But since then manageable. The last 3 days I'd say have been "pretty easy". Not thought of smoking once I recall. My skin looks better, I 'feel' better, my bank account is far healthier, and there is a certain pride in knowing that hopefully, fingers crossed, I'm not going back to smoking.
But you need to keep focused, and keep your guard up.
Now essay over! (it helps!)
good luck, and keep popping in here for some fantastic advice and support!!
hw2010
Hi
I didn't go cold turkey. I planned too. Actually I sort of, like Polly, came to this stage by design and not purpose.
I had dental work and was advised not to smoke for 8 weeks for the bonding process to be given it's best chance. During that 8 weeks whilst I reluctantly but sensibly stopped, I also saw the logic in carrying on the quit. It's working well so far
I went CT for 2 days and then decided work problems and other family issues were pretty demanding and I turned to patches for a couple of weeks to help get through the worst bit. I didn't like the thought of nicotine being in my blood stream and cut the course short and decided as I'd gone through the worst, I could cope with what was to follow.
What followed was worse than I imagined it to be despite reading on here and reading ahead to get a feeling of what was in store.
...
Hello from one Pol to another...
One thing worth mentioning that my surgeon impressed upon me is that it's not the smoking that messes up healing, it's the Nicotine, so I was told to keep absolutely away from Nicotine Replacements (gum, patches etc). It's the nicotine that hardens a smoker's blood arteries and veins and accelerates narrowing and clogging. It's also responsible for bad circulation, fat necrosis (tissue death etc etc). Sorry if that sounds a bit hardcore but I thought nictotine replacement was safe and it's very much not especially if you're undergoing any sort of op. If you're off nicotine now brill, if not try and get off it asap as it will mess with your sparkly shiny dental work.
Looks like we had the same motivation for stopping though, reluctant, sudden but you know it makes sense!
Quitting cold turkey is very effective, you don't prolong the stay of nicotine in your body, after all, it's not the carbon monoxide we are eliminating but the nicotine itself.
Although i have nothing against replacement therapy, what's important is a smoker quits and quits for good whatever method he/she chooses.
When I quit smoking (2006) I used cold turkey after failing to quit by using patches and was very much successful in using cold turkey, although you really have to condition your mind properly and positively.
Hi Jodie
Welcome to your day 1 I'm so pleased you've decided to kick the habit
Sorry I can't really help re cold tirkey but lots here have done it that way
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
This link is good for the psychological part of quittingwhyquit.com/whyquit/A_Sympt...
Post often to let us know how you're doing, to rant, rave have a moan whatever you like pretty much anything goes on here
Love
Marg xx
hiya! thankyou so much for your lovley replys. i feel this forum is goin 2 help me get through this tough time! i know i can do it and i really want to do it!! it helps when u have the surport like on here of other ppl going throough the same things! a big well done for all of u that have manage to stay off the cigs! x
Hi Jodie
Firstly well done on first making the decision to quit.
If you really do want to quit, ie your not just trying to convince yourself that you want to quit because someone elses wants you to quit, then that's half the battle won.
The other important thing to do is educate yourself. Marg has posted some useful links for you. This forum is also a great place to get support, so post and let us know how your doing.
I would also recommend reading Allen Carr's book Easyway if you haven't already. I found it very useful.
cheers
Talljools
Hi Jodie
Guess you are well into your first quit day hope all ok.
I went CT with a hypno tape but about 2 weeks before my quit day I reduced to 10 a day then put off buying cigs until later and later in the day untill i had completed a complete 16 hour period without a cig.
I know it sounds strange but it whould be nice if one could a pack of only 5 cigs, but I know why they dont pretty soon packs of 10 will be banned in UK they have already in parts of Ireland,
Quiting smoking is hard no matter what way it's done the main aid is the person themself willpower is very important.
Hear from you soon
Gary
No Smokes...It's the only way
Hi Jodie
I am cold Turkey and on day 14 today. Best thing for me was Allen Carrs book, facing up to the stories on sites like ASH and this forum. Reading about what smoking really is and the whole illussion of smoking. It hasn't been that hard and my approach was to decide never to smoke again... Looking to a future smoke free...Not one day at a time. Really looking ahead and trying to enjoy not smoking. That's why we are all here so why not revel in our victories rather than moping about having to go each day without our precious poisness stick.
We know why we are here, we are inteligent adults and we can do it, together.
Good Luck, always look on the bright side and win that battle
Trying to get the motivation to quit AGAIN!
Love hate relationship with the quit…
I haven't really quit
