My quitting experience - Good bad and the ugly

[Heathlander]

Someone suggested I start a new thread so this doesn't get lost. I hop eit helps.

Hi guys, thanks for the positive comments. As I was asked for my experiences i thought it only fair to share them with you.

I decided to give up for various reasons. The main one being I had had enough. I thought I enjoyed smoking but the smell, the cost, the health implications, the stigma were begining to outweigh the pleasure. I was also fed up with being a slave to ciggerettes. I have two children and wanted to be around for their weddings, graduations, becoming a grand dad etc. I knew I had to give it up after 30 years. Everything you do is put on hold so you can have a smoke. Need one before a car journey, need one before going to the pictures, need one before going into the footy etc. Can you imagine anything else that would take precidence over any of that? Also with 20 Silk Cut costing around £7.50 a day i knew the time was right. I would also rather go without food then fags. i always had enough money for fags but sometimes made the decision to spend last bit of money on smokes and not food.

I decieded to give up on 1 January 2010. I made sure I did not have any ciggerettes to last me after the 31st December. Had I some left I would have probably smoked them. I also did not tell my family I was giving up. The reason for this was that I wanted it to be my decision and my success or failiure. Also if I failed after two days I only let myself down. Funnily enough a week went by and no one had noticed. So I had to tell them I had not smoked for a week I was seriously amazed they had not even noticed.

I also decided to get fitter at the time and set the goal of the Sport relief Mile in March of that year. I was seriously unfit and struggled to walk a mile let alone run it. So I started with walking, then walking running, then running. I did the mile without stopping and was so proud of myself.

I did not use patches, hypnosis, fake ciggerettes. Just good old fashioned will power. It worked for me. During the last two years I have gone through some very stressful times. These have included divorce, house purchase, work worries. All things that would have previously had me reaching for the smokes. I stayed strong and i am so glad I did. the divorce was not down to me becomming a right old grouch because I missed the fags so don't worry that will happen to you

I still keep up the excercise going to the gym three times a week, coach a football team, play squash and never felt more healthy. So glad the cough has gone. I could still smoke right now and if it was free, socially acceptable and healthy i would probably still smoke. But the benefits of giving up far far far outweigh the benefits (if there are any) of smoking.

It really all boils down to whether you want to smoke or you don't. I didn't. I hope me sharing this with you helps. My children are so pleased i have stopped. Pleased is a very weak word. They couldn't be more delighted. And I will hopefully be around for all their major milestones. It's amazing how bad people smell who have been smoking now. You really do notice.

I have since found a new partner, bought my house back and work is good. And I don't smoke!!!!! It's like a fairy tale

So good luck to all you guys on this tough journey and if any of this helps then i am glad.

Happy New Year.

Heathy

[nsd_user663_18145]

i just read it again and again it helped to reinforce my committment to never taking one puff ever again

when i read the posts of the people that are just starting out on there own journey through hell :eek:

it brings it all back and i never want to go back there again no matter what life throws at me as at the end of the day smoking isnt going to change what is happening in life its just because its what we normally have like a cup of tea/coffee/drink they always offer you one of those whenever something serious has happened and its just an association at the end of the day breaking that one is a big thing abit like the Matrix moment

do you take the blue pill and change your life forever or take the red pill to go back to what your life was (if i got the colours mixed up i apologise) ive taken the blue pill so my life is changed forever but i still get glimpses of what life used to be like :eek: i just choose to ignore them

[Heathlander]

thanks

thanks carol, glad you appreciated it. good luck to you too.

Heathy

[nsd_user663_40297]

Thank you

Thank you Heathlander for such an inspirational post. It is a great help to someone like me who hasn't quit yet but is preparing to. Makes me realise it is time for me to get my act together and go for it! Thank you again. This forum is so good.

Eddy

[nsd_user663_40832]

I went for a look in 1+ because it does worry me than in a years time do you still want to be thinking about it.

Is in the Penthouse free or is it Nic still out there?

I found your post excellent and many things i can relate to.

I am only on day 14 but I think it makes you look back in time and how if I am honest the fag completley controls you in everything you do.

My kids our 8 & 10, and when I think of how much time I have spent dodging off (I believe I have never smoked in front of them(reality not true)) it is frightening. I could not smoke for hours no probs, but in the background i was always going to find a plan/ploy/excuse to dissapear for those few precious minutes - my arse

Football (1 before you go, 1 as soon as back), Swimming (1 before u go, moan inside that we should get out, get changed quick and 1 outside while there still in), Holiday (several before the taxi, 1 in the airport smoking (hell on earth?),

and every other function sneaking off, thinking its cool to talk to strangers outside.

Its all so obvious but brain failure happens

I have Allen Carr on bedside and keep reading bits, but found your post as good as anything in there

Congrats/Well Done/Keep It up and good luck