This is my second attempt... i quit for 50 days last year using nicorette patches, the online nicorette active stop programme(which i rate highly!) and the NHS service.
I know why i started again, i started going days without my patches and didn't go onto the lower dosage to wean myself off. I was having no cravings so i'd wear a patch one day then not the next etc..... until i got caught out whilst stressed.... my partner smokes so it was easy to slip back into the habit!
So today is quit day for me and i'm not going to make the same mistake twice
good luck everyone
Written by
nsd_user663_23991
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I'm almost 8 months quit after 16 years on 15 - 20 a day. i went cold turkey which wasn't easy but it's worked out much better this time than so many other failed attempts using patches.
My theory was why use patches? they just keep slowly feeding your body with nicotine, get the nicotine out as quick as possible, 3 days and you're no longet dependent on it then you just need to break the habit.
For me those first 3 days were pure torture, and for about 3 weeks all i could think about was going for a smoke, peanuts were my salvation, i was eating peanuts like they were going out of fashion, a bit like the cookie monster but with peanuts, i even went as far as pouring them into little plastic cups and drinking them, earned myself the nickname peanut boy for a while, but it worked, almost 8 months and i'm still off the cigarettes.
I almost fell off the wagon once when i had a few drinks but a friend got me through that and i've been fine since.
I found it easier to break the smoking habit by changing a load of other habits at the same time, i had to quit almost everything that i would assosiate with a cigarette, no alcohol for about 3 months, water to replace the coffee at breaks, go for a walk after lunch rather than stand outside smoking, go for a walk after dinner at night, at home i would usually have a glass of pepsi and a fag when i was on the PC so i replaced the pepsi with water and peanuts or winegums.
Now i don't feel the need for a smoke i'm slowly introducing other things like tea, coffee, alcohol.
I still get the odd craving for a fag and every now and then i feel like a part of me is missing but i know i don't need it, when i feel like a smoke now i don't need the peanuts or winegums, now i can get by, by telling myself "almost 8 months, why throw all that hard work away now?" or "if i smoke i'll be right back to square one and i'll need to go through that torture again next time i want to quit".
Hopefully today is day 2 for you, if so well done on getting this far. Everyone is different, some advise using NRT, some Champix and others are happy doing cold turkey. ANYTHING that makes you stop inhaling all those toxins is a good thing so stick with whatever works for you.
I am cold Turkey and am now quit 10 weeks this Friday (i think lol) and I can assure you, it definatley gets easier. Those cravings I got at the beginning that I could have killed for one have gone, I get the odd wee craving but they are easy to deal with and just a passing thought.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.