Christmas Present: I've been lurking on these... - No Smoking Day

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Christmas Present

nsd_user663_54305 profile image
15 Replies

I've been lurking on these forums on and off for quite a while now and I'm probably a bit of a fraud posting here as I haven't stopped yet! I thought now would be a good time to post however, as the journey started yesterday.

I decided to give myself a Christmas present this year; I started taking Champix (again) with my quit date set for Christmas Day. I'm 46 and have been smoking for about 30 years; I used Champix in 2007 and stopped for ten months, so I've seen the benefits and inner peace of life on the 'other side' and it's a place a long to get back to. My previous attempt resulted in a complete change in lifestyle and a loss of around five stone in weight (about half of which has gone back on) so I really did feel a very different person - the myth that you'll gain weight when you stop certainly wasn't true in my case. I remember very clearly what Allen Carr describes as the Moment of Revelation, about two months into the quit, I was driving along on a warm spring day and suddenly thought 'I've got this cracked' - and so I had for the next eight months until, having been for a business meeting in London which finished early, and with a couple of hours to kill, I thought I'd buy a packet of cigarettes and 'just have one' - great idea (not). No further cigarettes for a couple of weeks, then I thought I'll 'just have (another) one' - well I'm sure a lot of you know where this (well trodden) path is leading - another couple of weeks and I was right back to square one.

This time I've bought the Champix online - over £200 for six weeks supply:eek:, which sounds like a lot but is less than I'd spend in a month on cigarettes (scary thought month in, month out). Feeling very positive this time - I've had a few half-hearted attempts since 2007 but looking back I never approached them with confidence or conviction; I think these attempts were doomed from the start. The only quit that counts is the quit that lasts, so roll on Christmas:D

Enough of my rambling for now; I look forward to reporting success next week;)

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15 Replies
nsd_user663_53202 profile image
nsd_user663_53202

HI Egg, and welcome.

You clearly have a lot of experience with quitting, and that coupled with the confident tone of your post suggests that things will go well for you. Good luck.

nsd_user663_18145 profile image
nsd_user663_18145

Welcome to the forum

:D

There isnt many people that have quit the first time and stayed quit

You just put it down as a learning curve and concentrate on this one by taking each day as it comes

There is a champix group you can join if you want to

Looking forward to reading your progress

:)

Regards

Carol

nsd_user663_52845 profile image
nsd_user663_52845

Hi Egg

You really have seen the good side and your post is inspirational to me actually. Thank you for that. :)

Wish you loads of strength this time as my old bacon butty Biggrin said, you sound like you are in the right place to make this stick :)

Really hope this is the one for you

Keep us posted

Cheers

Greg

nsd_user663_42390 profile image
nsd_user663_42390

welcome

Hello egg and welcome to the forum, as the others have said you know how to quit and hopefully your past experience will help you to stay quit.:)

I have a question though. Why did you pay 200 pounds for Champix off the Internet when you could have got them for 14 quid off the doctor?

nsd_user663_54305 profile image
nsd_user663_54305

Thanks for the replies - just writing that down earlier and reading it back has made me wonder why I've left it four years before trying again:)

As to why I bought the pills online, three reasons:

- doctor very unwilling to prescribe again.

- even if he had been willing, he won't prescribe directly, you have to go to a smokestop clinic every two weeks who then recommend him to prescribe, then go and collect the prescription from the surgery, then take to the chemist. I remember this was a complete and utter pain the first time around; clinic and sugery opening times meant having to leave work early etc. No idea if this is standard practice everywhere or if it varies from region to region, but that's the way it is here. They really did seem to make you jump through hoops for no benefit whatsoever.

- Finally, I just feel that making the outlay myself will help me keep me focused on the end goal. It sounds a lot - it is a lot - but still less than a month on the tabs, and if it helps me beat this then it's a small price to pay.

nsd_user663_51711 profile image
nsd_user663_51711

Hello there. Welcome to this lovely forum with equally lovely people. Good for you for having another go. I am on my second quit, 5 months in. My first quit, cold turkey, lasted about 15 years or so and I , like you, thought I'd just have one on holiday. Fatal. I was back on 20/day within a few weeks for the next 15 years.

I am following the NOPE principle, Not One Puff Ever and I used Champix for about 8 weeks on half dose for most of that time cos it made me very sick. I am also wondering why you have bought your own as mine was free from a clinic.

nsd_user663_53753 profile image
nsd_user663_53753

Hi Egg.

Welcome to the forum and all the best with your quit.

Looking forward to reading your posts and following your journey to a smoke free life.

Love May x

nsd_user663_53617 profile image
nsd_user663_53617

Hello Egg, welcome to the forum! You definitely have given yourself the best Christmas present you could by not smoking! Good luck with your journey

Karen :-)

nsd_user663_54305 profile image
nsd_user663_54305

Four days in to the Champix. Up to 2 x 0.5mg per day.

The side effects are just starting to surface : mild nausea (been there before and expect it to get worse), vivid dreams last night (marvellous :)) and increased gas (farting in the face of fags - again, marvellous). But most of all, no pleasure from smoking today - will I manage to keep going until Christmas Day, or be forced to change my plans and stop before:rolleyes:

nsd_user663_42471 profile image
nsd_user663_42471

Hi Egg.

Congrats, and as already been said, best prezzie ever. Welcome to the forum, a wonderful and inspiring place to be. I completely understand your reasoning behind buying the Champix yourself, gives you that added incentive to quit as you have made the effort and the outlay, kind of making an investment in yourself.

Just a note on quitting earlier than expected, my wife, who is on day 7 none smoking is using Champix also. She planned on the tenth day to stop smoking, but found also by day 4 that she was still smoking out of habit, not enjoying it one bit but carried on (I'm sure every smoker/ex-smoker can relate to this). I would say that if this is the same in your case quit now, you have already paid out for the Champix, why pay out more on the fags if you have no pleasure from them. Arguably have we ever got any pleasure from them in the first place.

Good Luck friend and keep posting.

Don

nsd_user663_54312 profile image
nsd_user663_54312

Wow!!!

I have to say I absolutely love this line,

"The only quit that counts is the quit that lasts".

Awesome and speaks volumes.

Good luck with the quit.

Foz

nsd_user663_54305 profile image
nsd_user663_54305

Last smoke at 23:45 on Christmas Eve.

Day 1 is over; into day 2!!

nsd_user663_53202 profile image
nsd_user663_53202

Nice going Egg, keep us informed.

AngryBear profile image
AngryBear

Hope you're still with it Egg, let us know!!!

nsd_user663_54305 profile image
nsd_user663_54305

Oh yes, still here, will be slipping into day 4 in half an hour!

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