I've given up smoking twice recently! Once, because about a month ago I was hospitalized for ten days and thus didn't have the opportunity to smoke. A few days after leaving the hospital I started smoking again for about a week, and then gave it up again last week.
Initially I wanted to stop because I was concerned that it was damaging my health. I have been smoking between 40 and 50 a day for the last ten years, having started again after a five-year stop. Prior to that I smoked between 20 and 40 a day for about fifteen years (starting in my teens).
My health fears were recently confirmed, albeit no direct connection between my deep-vein thrombosis and smoking was officially established. It didn't need to be proven. I have never been seriously ill before, and thus the remotest relationship between illness and smoking was sufficient enough to make me wonder what the heck I had been trying to achieve. That is, I pretty much knew I was signing myself up for serious trouble, before the hospital episode even started. When it did, it was simply a tick in the box. Smoking causes illnesses. This can be proven by smoking like a madman for several years until something bad happens
Reading the above, one might conclude that I'm stopping for health reasons. While that is partially true, it's actually not the main reason. I had the opportunity to think about my predicament while in hospital, and came to the conclusion that there aren't any real benefits to smoking, at least not for me. It's quite humbling to realize that one has been doing something repetitively for many years without really knowing why! Sure, I know that I was satisfying a craving, filling time gaps etc. but I couldn't come up with a good reason for why I really wanted to smoke, other than that it what what I was used to doing (i.e. a habit). I like to think of myself as a relatively intelligent person, but under the circumstances I could only conclude that I must be rather dim to take such a long time to come to such a simple and logical answer, but at least the light bulb finally came on.
Sadly, I can't yet illuminate the rest of the world. It seems some people have that Eureka moment, and others don't. I would love to explore that phenomenon and pass on the knowledge... I hope to be able to do so one day.
Michael.
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Firstly i wanted to say congrats on deciding to Stop smoking that takes some guts and determination and i for one am so pleased for you.
Secondly you have the right ideas in your head to why you want to stop this time. We can all help each other out on here because we have all been where you are now, by wiriting down your reasons you can come back when you need to and add in or just re read those and hopefully they will underpin why you stopped in the first place.
Take it minute by minute and dont look too far ahead, you can do this you know you can. The first hurdle has been done and now its allowing the rest to fall into place. Dont punish yourself your only human after all and remember when your feeling low shout at us and when your on a high let us all know so that we can all celebrate with you. Rome was not built in a day so take it easy. Dont forget to read some of the other threads on here and get as much info as you can to make sure that this time your very well prepared.
MichaelF, thanks for sharing your experience. I love your approach of thinking what is the real reason for smoking. This has made me to think same and I do not find any specific reason for smoking rather than carving, filling time gaps and so.
I have just decided today that I want to quit. I want to succeed this and want to give this as 2nd marriage anniversary gift to my wife.
When I go on street, I see many people smoking which persuade me to be one of them. When I come to this forum, it is different story. It persuade me why not to smoke. Great to have all virtual friends on forum.
It really is a (rather large) penny drop moment isn't it? Keep going...I can hardly think of a better reason to quit than having no actual reason to continue
It's simplicity in itself. Just don't underestimate it. If it wasn't a formidable foe you would have kicked it to the kerb before now....
Use whatever you can to say goodbye for good.
AnilDedicated - those people on the street are, right at this moment in time, freezing themselves to death in misery, to get their fix. The ones you don't see are inside, in the warmth, just happy in themselves.
just read your post and it got me thinking up till what the 50/60s smoking was classed as cool and good for your health and everyone smoked and growing up in an era where you believe what you read and are told also the amount of people around you that smoke made it not just an habit but a mindset the tobacco companies used to pay film companys to have the main actors smoke to give the right image and when you think back to all the adverts on the tv its hardly surprising that we were in effect brainwashed into thinking smoking was cool and good for helps with stress and everything else they threw at us
its only been in the last what 10 years that the tobacco companies have started to lose there hold over the media and advertising and since they bought in the no smoking ban in public places which as a smoker at the time i was all in favour of as after all for people that dont smoke being surrounded by it wasnt nice for them especially babies and kids even animals its scary to think how once upon a time we didnt even think about what that smoke was doing to others
hopefully the kids growing up today will not even think twice about smoking as its not being thrown at them or even shown in a good ligth like it used to
im hoping that now ive stopped my grandson will not go down that road at all
I can relate to you on why we smoked in the first place. When I was young in my twenties, smoking was the norm and the thing to do. Soon I was hooked, without knowing or admitting. Unfortunately this situation may drag for decades before some of us make the effort to finally take control of their lives.
I used to brag that I can quit anytime I want. I never realized how difficult it is until I actually tried.
You are on the right path, and I share your pain, pride, hope and joy.
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I'm telling you all to stop myself from doing it...
I have stopped yet again - please help me to stay stopped
time to stop
