Dealing with the weekends?

[nsd_user663_7529]

I'm looking for some help/advice quitters!

How do you approach keeping stopped at the weekends? I seem to be doing OK through days 1-5. I seem to have broken the habit (initially) for my normal working days. But the prospect of the weekend still fills me with dread.

The hardest time for me is Saturday early evening. In the past, I'd have got the kids to bed, opened a bottle of wine and had at least one cig straight away. I never smoke in front of the kids (boy of 3 and girl of 6 months), so Saturday was normally pent sneaking round trying to grab a quick fag or having none at all for a long period until this point on Saturday night.

Sunday is always a bit better, because the evening feels more like a normal "school night".

So just looking for any tips or advice really? "Stay off the booze" springs imediately to mind. But I don't think it's the drink necessarily. It's that whole "AAaaaannnd RELAX" feeling when the kids are finally packed off to bed and I can finally get my feet up.

Feels better already having written it down actually!

[nsd_user663_16359]

i quit cold turkey nearly 5 weeks ago and from day one i have not changed my habbits one bit .

i got to the pub wednesdays and friday after work to meet with friends .

i have had urges to have a smoke but then i realise i dont want one.

as weekend i have been going on long works . i personally just keep busy.

hope you go okay with the weekend commencing.

its all a mind game really . you really dont need a cancer stick

[nsd_user663_17077]

Hey,

I understand, I was the same. I have my son, and also spent everyday sneaking off for a ciggie - think about how much more you get to enjoy your kids and time with them when you are not constantly plotting your next escape. I look back and realise how often great times were ruined by my need to have a cig. When I lived with ex - we had 4 kids on weekends (3 stepkids) - I would not enjoy GREAT times as much as I should purely for the stupid nicotine hit.

So, how about planning a great Saturday with the kids, then when you want that cig, think about how your day would have been different if you were a smoker. I have appreciated my son so much more now I am not constantly thinking 'ok, we need to leave now (e.g. at mall play area) so mummy can get her fix' or feeling every other parent looking at me as I stood outside the park to have a cig.

Don't know if it will help or not, but worth a shot!

[nsd_user663_15147]

That seems like great advice...

also, you can maybe find other ways to relax, maybe read a book or take a bath and you might get that same feeling. It IS important to find something to do that's just for YOU because that's essentially what your breaks smoking were... especially that first one! Make sure you don't lose this or else you're in the danger of getting very depressed.

Do something positive and maybe something that you would not have been able to do as a smoker...?

[nsd_user663_7529]

Thanks guys - this helps!

One of the best things about being quit last time was, as "genes" says, being able to enjoy a full day with the family, without it being ruined by my bad tempered nico-withdrawal, or me trying to engineer the day arround being able to slope off for a sly fag.

It's one of my main reasons for quitting actually!

I'm still going strong(ish - last Sunday was a bit of a disaster!) and I thin I've got the strength to get through this weekend. I've had my hard times this week, but on the whole it's been manageable. I won't say "easy" because it's not been - you forget how hard it is.

Fingers crossed for us all!