I am now coming up to day 6, and am finding this surprisingly easy. I am using the gum for the first time, after trying 3 times over the years cold turkey.
I feel like I haven't achieved anything though as i've just swapped one addiction for another.
My main fear is that I won't be able to quit the gum when the time comes - anyone else feel like that?
well, i used NRT for the first week or so, cos i needed to keep functioning at work, really it was the only way i could stop and feel sane.
i found it easier to dump the NRT than to dump the cigs, so hopefully you will too, and if you're finding it easy so far why not try a day without the gum?
best of luck to you, 5mol<er
i did at the start i felt a wimp using patches but now i beleive i will be in the right mind set and much stronger wen i finsih the course and my chances of success will be very high
You're probably right, I have cut down the gum from around 9 peices on day one to 4 pieces yesterday and today I think i'm going to get some normal sugar free gum and try and do half and half to see how I feel.
I'm proud that i've come this far especially without the usual panicky feeling I got with going cold turkey!!
Think itll be the first one of the day i'm gonna struggle with for a while but its only been 6 days so i'm determined to do it.
I have the NHS widget on my work computer which adds up how much i've saved in real time so checking that throughout the day is a real motivator too!
Hi Holly,
I've used the Inhalator this time round as it suited my needs best in my quitting. Yes, i'd like not to use the inhalator but from being on one cartrdige a day (they recommended 6 - 12 per day :eek
i'm down to one cartridge every 2 weeks (well that's the last time i replaced it) and don't think i'll be replacing it for a while as i only have a 4-5 puffs on the odd occasions i have used it.
I've found i subconsciously really don't feel like i need or want it now but it's there as my 'comfort blanket', again i'd rather not have a 'comfort blanket' but rather that than failing in my attempt to quit so i'll keep it until such time i'm mentally stronger when the really, really, really bad cravings gnaw at me.
good for you Holly now remember, if you have a mega crave, say if you get stressed, and your nicodemon is telling you to smoke, remember two things... first just try to hold on and wait it out, 10 mins and you will feel better! 30 mins and you will be stronger! next day you will still be a non-smoker! The second thing, if the nicodemon won't let go, go back to the gum rather than the cigs! hope that made some kind of sense! again best of luck!
I don't considor using NRT as cheating at all. If it helps you quit smoking then that is what matters. You can wean yourself of gum, lozenges etc when you are good & ready. I wanted to go CT last time round but found it too hard so just used lozenges. Just do what is right for you so long as it is NOT smoking 
Gaynor x
My main fear is that I won't be able to quit the gum when the time comes - anyone else feel like that?
Everyone is different and remember fear is just an illusion - not reality.
day 7 complete with no gum!
Well I did it, did the whole day without any gum, and it was alot easier than just going cold turkey all together!
I think its more of a psychological thing that its not an immense pressure that I can never have nicotine again, I know that if it gets really bad I can have some gum, and that thought in turn relaxes me (it weird how my head works!!)
But yay - happy today - just hope I can keep going - now just need to start watching what I eat as have completely been naughty this week!
Hi Holly,
Never tried NRT myself as personally just want nicotine out as fast as poss, but in no way do i think people who do are cheating - i say do whatever keeps you off the actual cigs and all the associated nasty chemicals.
Well done on your first day nicotine free - but if you need gum again dont think it's "bad" to go back to it. xx
Old Post Alert....
"I think that stopping smoking is a bit like stopping the milk. You can leave a note for the milkman and stick it in the bottle or you can type the note, write it in ink, green crayon, blood, whatever. You can cut letters out of a newspaper and spend all week making the note. You can even get a groovy little mesh cage with a pointy dial that tells the milkman how many to leave, if any.
People may say, "when I stopped the milk I used a hand-written note and it worked, no milk, so that's a sure-fire way" others will say, "I always ring the dairy it works every time."
In reality all that matters is that the milkman doesn't leave any milk.
There are easy ways and hard ways of getting the message through. What some find easy others find hard and vice versa.
What is obvious from this forum is that there is no one quit method that works for everyone. There is no magic bean that'll work every time but there is the simple fact that all successful quitters don't smoke and have no wish to smoke."
Wise as always MrLegro
Is NRT cheating?
Hi
I don't think it's cheating but what you've got to remember is that you're still using nicotine - but if that method works for you.....
I'm on Day4 (cold turkey method). Have tried every other approach so I read "easyway" by Alan Carr. His thinking is that you have to break the addiction asap and understand the brainwashing that has gone on to keep you smoking - well it's worked for me. If you want to stop smoking you have to not smoke. It is an addiction and it's taken me over 30 years to realise this. Also you're not giving anything up because it's not sacrifice it is an escape when you stop and the longer you stop for the further away you are escaping. Good luck.
Phil
Its an ongoing discussion on this forum! I quit with patches and I started my journey thinking that was going to be the answer. Then I discovered the answer was all in the written word and support from the forum. The patches though, gave me a stepping stone to have the courage to quit. I'd tried ct many times and alan carr also. There is no right or wrong way to start I say. But I would say that nrt is not a magic potion. You still need to educate and understand why you smoked and find mental tools to keep you quit. Well done you for making that step!
Update
Ok, so its now been 12 days since i've quit (5 of those cold turkey) and I think i've answered my own question!
I used the gum for the first week and then cut it out competely and i've been pleasantly suprised how much easier it was than just going CT.
I think for me smoking was far more psychologically addictive than physically - so that week on the gum helped deal with that so that it was only really the physical addiction to deal with in week 2.
Don't get me wrong I still get bad cravings at times, but I know that if it gets awful i'll have some gum.
Everyone is different but I would recommend trying some NRT just to help separate the two driving factors of the addiction as divided they are easier to deal with
Anyway to date:
Not smoked for: 12 days 10 hours, 53 minutes
saved: £39.18
(well not really i've already bought a new pair of shoes but I've got to treat myself! )
nicotine replacement DOESNT WORK
I have been a smoker and smoked for 15 years. After a few failed attempts at quitting left me feeling more and more like i was going to smoke for the rest of my life i went to see my doctor. He prescribed a course of NRT and this all seemed like it make complete sense but it didn't work, and these are the reasons.
1. Smoking is an addiction, an addiction to nicotine so why would you replace one addiction with another?
2. Nicotine withdrawal is not actually very noticable (compared to withdrawl from heroin or crack) it is actually the mental fear of stopping in our heads which makes us wound up and tense.
3. You don't actually deal with the addiction by using NRT, you are just delaying quitting.
I have now been free from smoking for 3 years and everyone i know who has successfully stopped (my boyfriend, my best friend, my housemate and my boss) have stopped using the alan carr easyway to stop smoking book. If anyone manages to stop any other way is in spite of these things not because of them. Reading this book changed my life, not only am i happy, not smoking and never ever even think about cigerettes but i actually ENJOYED quitting! I don't work for alan carr and i NEVER endorse products but this has totally changed my life and i am healthy. Please anyone reading this post having trouble stopping smoking go out and get a copy, its about 7 or 8 quid and its really the best money you'll ever spend (if you think i'm trying to sell you something why not just go to your local library and take it out for free) I am so happy not smoking and if my boyfriend hadn't said all this to me in the beginning i'd still be fagging away still. Good Luck
Brillopad
You cannot say "nicotine replacement doesnt work" as there are many people on here who have successfully quit using NRT and that is not a helpful statement for people who want to quit using NRT.
Very glad you've managed to quit - but everyone has their own way of doing it.
Lu
I have been a smoker and smoked for 15 years. After a few failed attempts at quitting left me feeling more and more like i was going to smoke for the rest of my life i went to see my doctor. He prescribed a course of NRT and this all seemed like it make complete sense but it didn't work, and these are the reasons.
1. Smoking is an addiction, an addiction to nicotine so why would you replace one addiction with another?
2. Nicotine withdrawal is not actually very noticable (compared to withdrawl from heroin or crack) it is actually the mental fear of stopping in our heads which makes us wound up and tense.
3. You don't actually deal with the addiction by using NRT, you are just delaying quitting.
I have now been free from smoking for 3 years and everyone i know who has successfully stopped (my boyfriend, my best friend, my housemate and my boss) have stopped using the alan carr easyway to stop smoking book. If anyone manages to stop any other way is in spite of these things not because of them. Reading this book changed my life, not only am i happy, not smoking and never ever even think about cigerettes but i actually ENJOYED quitting! I don't work for alan carr and i NEVER endorse products but this has totally changed my life and i am healthy. Please anyone reading this post having trouble stopping smoking go out and get a copy, its about 7 or 8 quid and its really the best money you'll ever spend (if you think i'm trying to sell you something why not just go to your local library and take it out for free) I am so happy not smoking and if my boyfriend hadn't said all this to me in the beginning i'd still be fagging away still. Good Luck
I try to stay away from discussions of this nature, mainly because I can't be arsed, however in this case I think an exception maybe in order.
Let me start by saying I quit CT using Allen Carr - however everyone is different and what may work for one person may not work for another! Blatantly this post has been written in almost parrot fashion from AC's book and no doubt you will be telling us about AC's success rate quoted @ about 90% ish. This of course is a false figure as it is based on how many people take up his money back guarantee, not how many people actually fail to quit using his method.
It would be very sad if someone was put off from trying to quit using NRT after reading this post as clearly this only represents 1 persons opinion, now back to my cubby hole see you all later and happy quitting!!
... Smoking is an addiction, an addiction to nicotine so why would you replace one addiction with another?
Perhaps the answer is in the question?
Now you're quit I'd suggest a spiffing read of 'Nicotine, the drug that never was' by Chris Holmes.
It'll open your eyes for sure!
I think that whether you quit cold turkey or use NRT....you also need willpower whichever way. Therefore for someone to say NRT dosnt work? dosnt really make sense to me. People can have failed attempts just the same on cold turkey...so how would you answer what went wrong with that? ....... shouldnt that be the person didnt make the quit work for whatever reason not how they went about quitting smoking.
I think that whether you quit cold turkey or use NRT....you also need willpower whichever way. Therefore for someone to say NRT dosnt work? dosnt really make sense to me. People can have failed attempts just the same on cold turkey...so how would you answer what went wrong with that? ....... shouldnt that be the person didnt make the quit work for whatever reason not how they went about quitting smoking.
Good point Kitkat
In years to come, surely it doesn't matter how you quit so long as you are quit?
If anyone manages to stop any other way is in spite of these things not because of them.
I find this sentence like your User ID...a bit abrasive.
*ooo...see what I done there*
In years to come, surely it doesn't matter how you quit so long as you are quit?
..although that doesn't explain why my 'chained to a wall for six weeks guaranteed smoke-free in 6 weeks' residential quit-smoking (and lose weight) course was such a flop?
..although that doesn't explain why my 'chained to a wall for six weeks guaranteed smoke-free in 6 weeks' residential quit-smoking (and lose weight) course was such a flop?
The world is just not ready for you yet...however, another 6 months of Cameron/Clegg and they'll be beating down your door.
Keep them mowing blades sharp
..although that doesn't explain why my 'chained to a wall for six weeks guaranteed smoke-free in 6 weeks' residential quit-smoking (and lose weight) course was such a flop?
Its all in the sales pitch Mr L!! 
Nrt
Is there a wrong or right answer - it's whatever works for the individual I suppose. To my way of thinking the only way to escape an addiction is not to administer the drug to yourself - could it be that straight forward?
It is working for me.
Being from the CT camp of quitters I see your view, Phil. Having said that whatever works for the individual and gets them off smoking giving them the space and incentive to eventualy get off all forms of nicotine.
Nicotine is a poison. Another form of poisoning can be got from snake bites. However, snake venom is used in developing anti-venom. I'm not saying that nicotine and venom are akin...but just trying to introduce a thought why some people are successful with NRT.
ok
Well, i apologise if i seem 'abrasive' i just feel very strongly about it and care to pass on my experiences. I will try to be a little less evangelical if it helps. With regard to the comment that in saying NRT doesn't work is 'unhelpful' i'd like to respond with this answer.
When i first decided i wanted to quit i felt scared. Scared of the pangs and cravings and how i could continue life as a non smoker, this had been my crutch for 12 years, my support and my friend. People would tell you 'this is the hardest thing you'll ever do in your life', as you can imagine I was pretty freaked out by the pressure. But I knew as all smokers do that I really really wanted/needed to stop. As i mentioned before i saw my GP and he recommended a course of NRT.
NRT states as a matter of fact on their advertising that giving up cigarettes is easier and more successful using a nicotine replacement technique (such as their patches/gum) So naturally i felt this is the less 'painful' approach. 'it needn't be hell with nicotinell' etc etc. I didn't want to go through HELL!
So i started the patches as prescribed and dutifully threw away the cigarettes. This was actually quite successful at first as even though there were cravings they weren't that bad! This seemed great. The funny thing was though, i still needed to 'do something with my hands' and i just didn't feel me without my tobacco and roll ups. So i had a little slip, the odd one. Before i knew it i was smoking AND wearing patches. Not to mention the horrible rash i got on my arm from the patch or the tingly ulcers i got in my mouth from a later attempt to use gum.
I know they can get away with conning the public because they can afford to spend millions on “research” that “proves” their point. It shows that nicotine replacement therapy works better in their tests than a placebo. It doesn’t show that worldwide more people give up with these products than with will power alone. Trust me, will power and cold turkey do work. They’ve been working for years before NRTs even existed.
So the result is people are lied to and assume that they have to spend money on nicotine replacement techniques, fail and continue smoking. This belief and this ad – no exaggeration – are killing people!
Brillopad - excellent name and possibly you should meander down to the General section and let us know why you chose that name
Lots of us are aware that drug companies are ripping off people.
The fact is that on this site many people have quit using NRT, Champix, Nicorette Inhalors, Allan Carr (AC) and Cold Turkey. With the AC method some have found that that doesn't sustain the long term quit. So that isn't the perfect quit tool either.
Why we have/are being so successful is through the sharing of information, encouraging others to read and educate themselves/ourselves. And that goes deeper than Allan Carr.
It's through the sharing of information we feel that there would be many many more successful quits. The vast majority here embrace the freedom of choice of each others starter quit whatever that may be. But even the owners of this site don't support us completely in our view and give that process of reading and education the primacy we feel it should have. Possibly because they have to secure funding for the forum and their activities and that comes by virtue of the UK Govt and the makers of NRT products.
The issue that we had with your post, because there was only one post albeit duplicated, was that it stated that there was only one clear way of quitting. Just so happens we know better through the collected experience of the Forum.
whoops!
I'm sorry i think that this was posted before i had finished writing. Please ignore that last post. Probably a mistake on my part as i'm a new member and have never written on any forum before.
Well, i'd like to start by apologising if i seemed 'abrasive'. This is a great positive forum and a great place to discuss things and dispell myths and fears on this subject. I will try to be a little less evangelical if it helps. With regard to the comment that in saying NRT doesn't work is 'unhelpful' i'd like to respond with this answer.
When i first decided i wanted to quit i felt scared. Scared of the pangs and cravings and how i could continue life as a non smoker, this had been my crutch for 12 years, my support and my friend. People would tell you 'this is the hardest thing you'll ever do in your life', as you can imagine I was pretty freaked out by the pressure. But I knew as all smokers do that I really really wanted/needed to stop. As i mentioned before i saw my GP and he recommended a course of NRT.
NRT states as a matter of fact on their advertising that giving up cigarettes is easier and more successful using a nicotine replacement technique (such as their patches/gum) So naturally i felt this is the less 'painful' approach. 'it needn't be hell with nicotinell' etc etc. I didn't want to go through HELL!
So i started the patches as prescribed and dutifully threw away the cigarettes. This was actually quite successful for the first day as even though there were cravings they weren't that bad! This seemed great. The funny thing was though, by day two even though i didn't really want one, i still looked at a cigarette and thought i missed them or that i still needed to 'do something with my hands' and i just didn't feel me without my tobacco and roll ups. I thought this weird as i was clearly getting my dose of nicotine, so what was going on? So i had a little slip, the odd one. Before i knew it i was smoking again and wearing patches.
So there i was, smoking with my patch, feeling like a right loser. I was convinced i could never stop and that i was destined to be a smoker forever. My body had got used to an even larger dose of nicotine, i was a failure and now absolutely terrified of going through the experience again. This threw me further down the rabbit hole and it took me ages to pluck up the courage to try again. So you can understand how i feel that this method, as with willpower was for me counterproductive because it plays out the pre-conceived idea that its is hard to quit.
Look, i know that people quit using all sorts of methods and that's wonderful. My point is that its one thing quitting for a year, five years, ten years. But if you are a non smoker and feel any nostalgia or think 'ahhh, id love a ciggy but i can't have one' its just a matter of time until you crack. Because you will never see a cigerette/nicotine for what it really is. A horrible trap and a massive con trick, conning you out of thousands of pounds and your precious health. Not to mention how much the NRT companies make from their products and that they are partially funded by tobacco companies. Nicotine itself is a multimillion pound industry.
I have read the alan carr book three times, and failed. I have paid in total over £300 to go to the clinic and failed. I have gone back for my free back up over 12 times so i understand that you can be cynical about the success rates, i was too. But i never stopped believing that i could do it and it just takes commitment not willpower to believe in common sense. I never felt like a loser when i failed at the clinic because they give you free support and advice. Plus when i couldn't stop I wasn't in any worse position than i was to begin with. My point is that any method which doesn't deal with the core truths about why we smoke and what smoking really is makes the process horribly tough and going through this can risk you never being able to face quitting again and that is the worst thing that could happen. Eventually something just clicked and i know i won't smoke again. It makes me so sad and cross when i read on here people suffering when i know it doesn't have to be like that. To me that is not abrasive or unhelpful, but again i am sorry if i upset anyone.
Ahem, I would just like to state that Champix contains no nicotine and is not NRT (nose in the air smiley). Just clearing that up as I think some people don't get that.
Champix worked brilliantly for me after trying several methods from ct to hypno to nrt and a few others. Champix removed my reason for smoking, everything else was already in place...Champix helped me carry it off beautifully.
Just saying because quitting is horses for courses and it is as much down to attitude as it is anything else.
I was reading a thread the other day and I think it was SLB who mentioned the correlation between attitude and success. People that come on day one with fear and anxiety tend not to do so well as those starting with excitement and anticipation.
It's possible that what we use is irrelevant when all we need is 'something' to complement our already prepared state of mind?
With quitting smoking it's all about destination! The journey and method don't matter so long as we remain happily (for the most part) quit.
champix
Thats great but why would you want to use a drug which had this risk
taken from the champix website .......
"There have recently been a number of reports purporting to link Champix with an increased risk of depression, psychosis, suicidal thoughts or in the worst case scenario, suicide.
It would be adviseable that if you have suffered from depression in the past, or if you start to take Champix and you notice any of the following symptoms:
* Depression
* Changes in behaviour
* Agitation
* Suicidal thoughts or actions
You should inform your doctor immediately and stop taking the drug."
Wouldn't it be better to not take a drug at all and get the same result?
well done though for stopping smoking.
Look, i know that people quit using all sorts of methods and that's wonderful. My point is that its one thing quitting for a year, five years, ten years. But if you are a non smoker and feel any nostalgia or think 'ahhh, id love a ciggy but i can't have one' its just a matter of time until you crack. Because you will never see a cigerette/nicotine for what it really is. A horrible trap and a massive con trick, conning you out of thousands of pounds and your precious health. Not to mention how much the NRT companies make from their products and that they are partially funded by tobacco companies. Nicotine itself is a multimillion pound industry.
I highlight this para because it just annoys the hell out of me. What in effect you are saying is that AC is the only way and every other method is doomed to failure. What rubbish :mad: Take the rose-tinted AC glasses off and remember that you have only been quit for 3 years and therefore don't make assumptions about 5 year, 10 years etc because you don't have a clue about that :mad:
Thats great but why would you want to use a drug which had this risk
taken from the champix website .......
"There have recently been a number of reports purporting to link Champix with an increased risk of depression, psychosis, suicidal thoughts or in the worst case scenario, suicide.
It would be adviseable that if you have suffered from depression in the past, or if you start to take Champix and you notice any of the following symptoms:
* Depression
* Changes in behaviour
* Agitation
* Suicidal thoughts or actions
You should inform your doctor immediately and stop taking the drug."
Wouldn't it be better to not take a drug at all and get the same result?
well done though for stopping smoking.
You seem to have missed the point that Looper has actually gone through the process of using Champix. You are being so narrow-minded and ignoring infromation all around you.
I borrow this from another post, "you come across like an overzealous used car salesman 'well if you don't buy a car you may as well lock yourself in your house...walking? public transport? not even options I am afraid!'."
Look, I don't care whether its AC or whoever is giving this message. I'm just saying that smoking is what it is and i'm sure there are other methods out there that work in the same way. I am not a preacher for AC, just annoyed at the amount of rubbish out there that makes it hard for people to stop. who cares how you do it as long as you do it and do it forever. Just taking this particular branded part out of the equation for a minute. Do you not think that anything i said makes sense?
Look, I don't care whether its AC or whoever is giving this message. I'm just saying that smoking is what it is and i'm sure there are other methods out there that work in the same way. I am not a preacher for AC, just annoyed at the amount of rubbish out there that makes it hard for people to stop. who cares how you do it as long as you do it and do it forever. Just taking this particular branded part out of the equation for a minute. Do you not think that anything i said makes sense?
So rather than evangelising maybe it would have been more appropriate to see what we were about rather than jumping down our collective throats. In doing so you'll note that the 'amount of rubbish out there' is no part of what amount of good information is available here. And by the sense you mention then possibly you could do a search on Allan Carr and discover just how much information is available on this site, good and bad.
From this:
I have now been free from smoking for 3 years and everyone i know who has successfully stopped (my boyfriend, my best friend, my housemate and my boss) have stopped using the alan carr easyway to stop smoking book. If anyone manages to stop any other way is in spite of these things not because of them. Reading this book changed my life, not only am i happy, not smoking and never ever even think about cigerettes but i actually ENJOYED quitting! I don't work for alan carr and i NEVER endorse products but this has totally changed my life and i am healthy. Please anyone reading this post having trouble stopping smoking go out and get a copy, its about 7 or 8 quid and its really the best money you'll ever spend (if you think i'm trying to sell you something why not just go to your local library and take it out for free) I am so happy not smoking and if my boyfriend hadn't said all this to me in the beginning i'd still be fagging away still. Good Luck
To This:
Look, I don't care whether its AC or whoever is giving this message. I'm just saying that smoking is what it is and i'm sure there are other methods out there that work in the same way. I am not a preacher for AC, just annoyed at the amount of rubbish out there that makes it hard for people to stop. who cares how you do it as long as you do it and do it forever. Just taking this particular branded part out of the equation for a minute. Do you not think that anything i said makes sense?
Bit of a U-turn there Mr Pad, you kinda remind me of someone......it would be handiman if I had a better memory, and before anyone asks I am not taking the michaelf.....oops sorry :eek:
Nrt
I can see your point Cavalier- as I said I think its a case of different strokes. As you mentioned the sharing of information is very helpful. Addiction, I think, is very personal - you have probably come across those people who can just pick it up and put it down no problem! Some people can take or leave canabis and others can't - one thing is certainly for sure though and that is that tobacco/nicotine is one of the biggest slow killers there is and we are certainly all better off without it - so which ever way works to get off it . The irony is that we know the harm it does and how deadly it is, like a snake bite, but we keep going back to the source over and over again - I wouldn't go looking for a poisonous snake anymore - but it took me a long time to get my head round that one.
All the best Phil
Oh well
Like i said before, i apologise if i am being abrasive or evangelical. I was just sharing my experience. I won't make any more posts, seems that i am not welcome here. Good luck everyone with your quits, i hope some of what i have said makes sense to someone.
Like i said before, i apologise if i am being abrasive or evangelical. I was just sharing my experience. I won't make any more posts, seems that i am not welcome here. Good luck everyone with your quits, i hope some of what i have said makes sense to someone.
Everyone is welcome in the NSD forum.
Sit down, kick off your shoes, read a few of the many posts especially the ones about Allen Carr the hero of non-smoking, Allen Carr the Charlatan, Champix and suicide, Champix my friend, Cheap Russian Brides and my all-time favourite, Allen Carr and the suicidal bride win the vegetable quiz.
You can then join in the happy cut & thrust and it will be fun and larks.
Wading in as an established quitter waving an AC banner that we've all seen many times is just not really the best sort of entrance.
Welcome to the forum!
Now about your user name.... :rolleyes:
Thats great but why would you want to use a drug which had this risk
Being a bit flippant here but...Did you miss the bit where it was kind of implied that I was a smoker?? Do you think any of us have been that fussy about what we've been putting into our bodies? Do you think any of us weighed up 'the risk' of smoking?
Cigarettes may give you cancer, Champix may give you the runs - hardly comparable
As we all (should) know - drug companies put all and any side effects on the list that anyone at any given time has reported to cover themselves and avoid being sued.
Antidepressants list every symptom that depression gives you :rolleyes: Champix lists a lot of what happens to anybody when they quit cigarettes - that's just the way it is.
Everyone is welcome in the NSD forum.
Sit down, kick off your shoes, read a few of the many posts especially the ones about Allen Carr the hero of non-smoking, Allen Carr the Charlatan, Champix and suicide, Champix my friend, Cheap Russian Brides and my all-time favourite, Allen Carr and the suicidal bride win the vegetable quiz.
You can then join in the happy cut & thrust and it will be fun and larks.
Wading in as an established quitter waving an AC banner that we've all seen many times is just not really the best sort of entrance.
Welcome to the forum!
Now about your user name.... :rolleyes:
lol
I must catch that thread soon...
Cigarettes may give you cancer, Champix may give you the runs - hardly comparable
Awwwww Looper, I am eating my lunch here!!!
Brillopad Whoops
Hi
It's an extremely evocative subject. Peoples health is at risk afterall. I have tried and failed so many times. The common factor in my failure is that I saw the cigarette as a pal that I was going to have to give up. I only just had a degree of success CT 10 days because of the Alan Carr method. Some might say that it is a pschological method - well OK. The fact is that I know that I have been kidding myself for years and I suppose that is personal to me but it is evident that this approach works well for a lot of people so what can we conclude. In my own personal experience I have not given into the withdrawal etc because I know what the alternative is - slavery to my former addiction.
If i'd never smoked i'd have missed this cracking thread, well worth all those years smoking and then quitting so as could follow a forum thread like this one!:rolleyes:
........ok, maybe that's taking things a bit fair but an excellent thread,it's brightened my day up
To be fair we were a bit rough on Mr Pad.................
*pass my coat I'm leaving* :D
Back to the OP
NRT is just a device which can give you a bit of breathing space while you get your mind in the right place. I used it and it helped me, had I known all the stuff I learned in the 1st couple of months before I quit I might not have bothered with it, who knows.
Eventually you have to cut out the NRT and I shared your concerns. My experience was that I had cravings and felt funny for the 1st couple days then it was no different to when I was using NRT, however I did feel low and quick tempered for a couple of days in the following week and then back to "normal" thereafter. Really it wasn't anything to write home about.
IMHO its not cheating, it can be a tool but its not a cure.
It is hard though. Everybody knows or eventually realises that a proper quit is one with education and a knowledge of why we smoke. I am allowed to cheer the NRT as I am a succesful non nostalgic proper full on quitter who did it using patches.
Patches, Champix, gum etc are welcome on this particular forum as we are a neutral forum. There are other extreme forums about, but this forum bases its beliefs on educating and supporting anyone.
The message we (I think!) try to give is this though.
Use whatever means you need to use as a springboard to gain the knowledge needed to maintain a longterm quit.
AC didn't help me quit longterm. If I had continued only using that method I would still be puffing away outside in the rain worrying why I never managed to 'get it'.
Have a lovely smoke free day.
Oh. I missed the bus. Its all blown over. :mad:
Note to self must try harder at being on the ball with interesting discussions...
I am not an advocate for AC, the saviour of smokers! I couldn't care less who's giving the message. I am just trying to communicate that the only way i can see or understand to quit is to see smoking for what it really is. Any other method in which you don't deal with the psychology and brain washing of smoking in the media and in society doesn't make you see how shockingly horrific it is. Once you get this message how can you not feel evangelical or determined to communicate this. How would any you all react if your kids were smoking, probably very angry. That's how i feel! Yes it is personal for everyone of course and everybody have reasons why they started and why they want to stop. I am an artist and i see David Hockney advocating smoking because he thinks it makes an artist 'free and bohemian'!!!!!! But smoking is the prison from which we are all desperate to get free from. That is the rubbish i previously referred to, not the stuff on this forum. Now i am i feel more bohemian and free than ever in my life because i am not reliant and controlled by a drug. I can paint and draw without feeling distracted and agitated. I know I sound crazy, but i am not. I am a quiet 30 year old woman who just gets on with life but since seeing things the way they really are its brought me to tears. Tears of relief because smoking made so very depressed for such a long time. This message is put forward very well by the AC method and i stand by what i say that if people quit without this method it is down to their tenacity and strength and not because of any of the other ways of torturing yourself. You don't need to pump yourself full of nicotine replacement, have a nervous breakdown from cravings or take a pharmaceutical drug to be free forever. I couldn't care less if i sound like a used car salesman, evangelical preacher or nutter. All that matters is that i am healthy, happy and when i look at a cigarette i feel repulsion that i got into that trap in the first place. I think you'll find the 'rose tinted glasses' are the ones the smokers wear every day of their smoking lives for not seeing how they have been duped. I have never written on a forum before so again i apologise if i have jumped in in an inappropriate fashion.
I can see your point Cavalier- as I said I think its a case of different strokes. As you mentioned the sharing of information is very helpful. Addiction, I think, is very personal - you have probably come across those people who can just pick it up and put it down no problem! Some people can take or leave canabis and others can't - one thing is certainly for sure though and that is that tobacco/nicotine is one of the biggest slow killers there is and we are certainly all better off without it - so which ever way works to get off it . The irony is that we know the harm it does and how deadly it is, like a snake bite, but we keep going back to the source over and over again - I wouldn't go looking for a poisonous snake anymore - but it took me a long time to get my head round that one.
All the best Phil
TBH the snake thing was just a throw away...
Stick around Phil....everyone's quit is personal and the experiences they undergo is likewise, unique to that extent. Post, take part in discussion, enquire whether Austin will be publishing the collected AC works according to Mr Legro.
In short enjoy and stay quit :cool:
I have never written on a forum before so again i apologise if i have jumped in in an inappropriate fashion.
It's very similar to interacting with people...erm, actually, it is interacting with people
Maybe the people are already aware of the validity of what you are saying and therefore the soapbox is not necessary and in point of fact resented.
Now....your User ID, please
I am not an advocate for AC, the saviour of smokers! I couldn't care less who's giving the message. I am just trying to communicate that the only way i can see or understand to quit is to see smoking for what it really is. Any other method in which you don't deal with the psychology and brain washing of smoking in the media and in society doesn't make you see how shockingly horrific it is. Once you get this message how can you not feel evangelical or determined to communicate this. How would any you all react if your kids were smoking, probably very angry. That's how i feel! Yes it is personal for everyone of course and everybody have reasons why they started and why they want to stop. I am an artist and i see David Hockney advocating smoking because he thinks it makes an artist 'free and bohemian'!!!!!! But smoking is the prison from which we are all desperate to get free from. That is the rubbish i previously referred to, not the stuff on this forum. Now i am i feel more bohemian and free than ever in my life because i am not reliant and controlled by a drug. I can paint and draw without feeling distracted and agitated. I know I sound crazy, but i am not. I am a quiet 30 year old woman who just gets on with life but since seeing things the way they really are its brought me to tears. Tears of relief because smoking made so very depressed for such a long time. This message is put forward very well by the AC method and i stand by what i say that if people quit without this method it is down to their tenacity and strength and not because of any of the other ways of torturing yourself. You don't need to pump yourself full of nicotine replacement, have a nervous breakdown from cravings or take a pharmaceutical drug to be free forever. I couldn't care less if i sound like a used car salesman, evangelical preacher or nutter. All that matters is that i am healthy, happy and when i look at a cigarette i feel repulsion that i got into that trap in the first place. I think you'll find the 'rose tinted glasses' are the ones the smokers wear every day of their smoking lives for not seeing how they have been duped. I have never written on a forum before so again i apologise if i have jumped in in an inappropriate fashion.
It's brilliant that you feel this way. I am happy that you found a way that worked for you.
But I remember sitting in the cold outside the kitchen door - fag in one hand, AC Book for women in the other - wondering why the 'F' I wasn't getting it??
I'm not silly, I can usually grasp a concept quickly...but I didn't get it. I understood what he was saying, I understood the 'Con' he was trying to get across. It just never translated to my own habit.
It's courses for horses as I said earlier and the AC way is just one among many ways that people on here have successfully quit.
S'alright, all's forgiven. I would follow Austins advice and read up a bit on this forum - you will soon learn there is no right or wrong when it come to quitting apart from one thing. Smoking is bad.
I also think there is some truth in the fact that this particular forum knows the truth about smoking already and points new joiners in that direction. Someone not already involved in the forum writing long posts about it is possibly going to get backs up.
A nicer and more comfortable way would be to stick around and introduce yourself properly then offer some constructive advice to quitters in small bites?
I also think there is some truth in the fact that this particular forum knows the truth about smoking already and points new joiners in that direction. Someone not already involved in the forum writing long posts about it is possibly going to get backs up.
A nicer and more comfortable way would be to stick around and introduce yourself properly then offer some constructive advice to quitters in small bites?
And just who asked your opinion....upstart :mad:
Just kidding, Fi...didn't want you to miss another bus
And just who asked your opinion....upstart :mad:
Just kidding, Fi...didn't want you to miss another bus
Hush your mouth you old goat!
And just who asked your opinion....upstart :mad:
Just kidding, Fi...didn't want you to miss another bus
:eek:
Hush your mouth you old goat!
:eek:
Oh! Cool, fight ….. *Grabs Fi's jaffas and jumps on a swing*
Right you lot - knock it on the head before I give NicFirth a call to sort you lot out!! :(:mad:
Right you lot - knock it on the head before I give NicFirth a call to sort you lot out!! :(:mad:
Why? He isn't a mod, you know ;)
*pulls Cavs non existent hair and pushes him off the climbing frame
:p
I'm gonna tell Nic 
Why? He isn't a mod, you know
Oh....rats
Sshhh. Don't wake them pesky mods.
No need, NSD gave them new alarm clocks when they enrolled
Interestingly enough I used to attend the Church of Allen Carr, I'd taken holy orders, tonsured myself and everything and then I discovered, like some wacko cult, that I'd been sucked into it like he was a mid-western evangelical, bit on the side, forgive this poor boy, money-grabbing piece of sputum. Luckily I got out with my wallet intact and the tonsure trimmings became really useful for getting the fluff out of the crevices in my guitar...
Ah Mr Legro...........
Thank heavens, can you please talk some sense into Cav and Fi, they are both misbehaving and need sending to their rooms!!
Ah Mr Legro...........
Thank heavens, can you talk please talk some sense into Cav and Fi, they are both misbehaving and need sending to their rooms!!
Have a bit of consideration please! After all, this may be the only fun they're allowed to have....
Ah Mr Legro...........
Thank heavens, can you talk please talk some sense into Cav and Fi, they are both misbehaving and need sending to their rooms!!
Mr Legro will be off writing his new magnus opus shortly, "Allen Carr, the Hypnotist and other Kitchen sink dramas"...as a long-term insomniac I'm greatly looking forward to its release
Mr Legro will be off writing his new magnus opus shortly, "Allen Carr, the Hypnotist and other Kitchen sink dramas"...as a long-term insomniac I'm greatly looking forward to its release
You write an interesting prologue Cav, where can one purchase said work?
Ah Mr Legro...........
Thank heavens, can you please talk some sense into Cav and Fi, they are both misbehaving and need sending to their rooms!!
Dear Mr John
You are a terrible tale teller and deserve to be locked in a room with only tonsure trimmings for your dinners. :cool:
Dear Mr John
You are a terrible tale teller and deserve to be locked in a room with only tonsure trimmings for your dinners. :cool:
Ewwww..........hair trimmings..................nooooooooooooooo.........I am realllllllllllllllly sorryyyyyyyy:cool:
You write an interesting prologue Cav, where can one purchase said work?
The creative juices are flowing freely...but sadly procrastination is the enemy of all deadlines. We shall have to wait wide-eyed and with not a little patience
The AC thing
I find the spirit and general banter on this forum refreshing etc. , but perhaps I am being naive and may regret asking ....... what is wrong with the AC approach? I only ask through a genuine desire to understand the pitfalls I may experience.
I find the spirit and general banter on this forum refreshing etc. , but perhaps I am being naive and may regret asking ....... what is wrong with the AC approach? I only ask through a genuine desire to understand the pitfalls I may experience.
Hi Phil
There is nothing at all wrong with the AC method. I have myself read the Easyway book and attribute a lot of my attitude to that book.
What we do have a problem with is people who force their views on us to the exclusion of all other quit methods. I am sure there are 100's of people here who have quit using other methods and it is unfair to belittle anyones efforts just for the sake of posting!!
So in conclusion wahtever works for you is the best method and don't let anyone tell you different!! :cool:
Hi John
to be honest I am not sure anyone can really force views upon anyone else by this method of communication. This use of iconography is enough to make you reach for the fags:confused:
Iconography? Do you mean the smilies?
Goodness, that's a grand term for a little happy face.
Further thoughts
I first looked at this site only a few days ago when I decided to stop.
I thought this site would be interesting to visit to share experiences with other people etc. I find the forum is a bit petty to be honest and not that helpful. If you've got something to say then say it - why the need for replies that are seemingly cryptic - and I do mean seemingly.
Give up the fags but not your lives.
I first looked at this site only a few days ago when I decided to stop.
I thought this site would be interesting to visit to share experiences with other people etc. I find the forum is a bit petty to be honest and not that helpful. If you've got something to say then say it - why the need for replies that are seemingly cryptic - and I do mean seemingly.
Give up the fags but not your lives.
Interesting that in one post you say refreshing and in another you say petty. It can be both in my experience though compared to other forums i've seen its quite tame! If you get together lots of people from many walks of life and allow them to communicate through only the written word, there will always be misunderstandings, people writing things in the heat of the moment, bad speelng and gramer and other issues. However, in the main, this forum is moderated well and has a high level of friendliness and success and mutual respect for what we are all here to do. Now. Off to tap fingers for davo's 2 year post. Fi.
I'm sorry to hear you feel that way.
However, banter and irritability aside, the gist of this thread is 'do whatever works for you so that you quit and stay quit'.
I would suggest that the same applies to this forum. The huge majority find it extremely helpful, a place to find and give support and also to exchange banter and take their mind off things. Clearly it doesn't work for you, and that's a pity. But I wish you success in your quit, and hope you find whatever support you need to get you through the tough times.
However, please do not insult people or imply that they have no life because they choose to post on a forum that you aren't enjoying. Because that kind of comment is needlessly inflammatory, and makes you guilty of the pettiness of which you accuse the users here.
Helen
.... what is wrong with the AC approach? I only ask through a genuine desire to understand the pitfalls I may experience.
There is nothing wrong with the AC approach if it stops you smoking.
The problem is that almost everything that most of us knew about smoking is totally and utterly wrong. New and ongoing research throws up lots of differences and corrections to established 'facts' which in turn changes the philosophy of cessation.
The psychological bond that we have with tobacco is not broken the same way in all people hence the difference in opinion and allegiance to different quit methods.
Some methods may be wrong, some foolish, some exploitative and some downright bizarre but if they work then they work.
Even the bizarre methods may gain a following and become common.
Even exploitative methods will be championed although they become good targets for attack naturally.
It's a bit like a religion. They can't all be right but as long as the end result is goodness and harmony then who really cares?
(missing iconography)
:p:D:rolleyes:
...is all I have to say on this matter
I hope you all appreciate the profundity of my contribution and are noting it's complete and utter lack of pettyness
Don't think so :mad:
...pettyness
'tis actually....*Cav speels out*
P-E-T-T-I-N-E-S-S
*sigh*
Wat da heel is gong on hair? :mad:
Evryting was find wen I left yest erm day :eek:
i was on patches for 6 months then as soon as i came off them i began smoking again. This time doing it cold turkey and havent had a single puff for 52 days not saying its been easy though far from it. Everyone is different though hope whatever people choose works for them...good luck.xxx
Feel like I'm crashing
Does anyone else feel sick after 1 month
Still feel like $#!+ !!!! 
