I think I need help!

[nsd_user663_60856]

Hi everyone, I'm Liz and for about the 1000th time in my life, today was the first day of giving up. It lasted until 2pm and went to the shop to buy 10. Hum ho, 43 years old and still don't have the strength to do it. I thought joining a forum might help. I'm scared to give up :mad:l love Liz x

[nsd_user663_59305]

Hi Liz, welcome aboard. Have you gone to see your doctor/nurse about a structured quitting plan?

[AngryBear]

What scares you Lizzy? Welcome to the forum by the way

[nsd_user663_60856]

H Jenninegs, no I've not been to the docs recently. I did do years ago and it didn't help, they offered patches which I hated. I'd like to do it alone, although that isn't working so maybe I should consider it! As for the local groups, not many people know I smoke so I would be mortified if someone saw me. I'm making excuses aren't I?? xx

[nsd_user663_60856]

Hi AngryBear, and thank you. I'm scared of not being able to smoke! I love smoking but I am becoming increasingly anxious about my health. I picture tumours growing in my lungs and dying before my time. I'm a secret smoker, and it's my reward for finishing what I'm doing and rewarding myself with a cigarette. I honestly can't imagine life without smoking but in my head I know I have to, I have youngish children (15 and 7) and want to be around when they're my age! x

[nsd_user663_59305]

Hi AngryBear, and thank you. I'm scared of not being able to smoke! I love smoking

This statement worries me a little, my OH quit for 3 months, at my nagging allegedly :o, and is now smoking again as he says he enjoyed smoking and never really wanted to stop in the first place. Although I think you're kids are possibly strong motivation, you have to be the one that wants this for it to work.

[AngryBear]

For me the whole essence of fighting addiction (in this case, fags!!), is that the "forever" thing is far to scary to contemplate. I started out by just stopping a day (or in a few cases, the next hour) at a time. The days soon mounted up although the first month was rough.

I only gave up because I was ill, I had been considering it as something I "really should do" for ages, same as you. My health was suffering and being short of breath at the age of 40 was not where I wanted to be. I had no plan as such, just white-knuckled it and clung to this forum like glue, but I don't miss smoking now in any way.

Life without ciggies became a new way of life for me sooner than I expected; it can be done, just don't look too far ahead. The bad stuff, if you have some, passes, and the time racks up. It's do-able, don't let anything convince you otherwise!

[nsd_user663_59642]

Hello, Lizzy!

Please do not be scared of not smoking. The thought of never having another fag, ever, used to be terrifying to me. :eek: But here I am.....I survived! Actually, it is the thought of it which can be scary, but when you actually do it, it's not as terrifying as you might imagine. Ask anyone here and I bet they'd say the same! It's just taking that initial leap......

What I found useful was to have something else instead of the fags.....something which I could enjoy without feeling guilty, because whatever it was, it wouldn't be as bad as fags. I ate Maltesers and nuts, in vast quantities. Even if I put on a stone in weight, it wouldn't be as bad as smoking myself into an early grave (:() and the weight can be tackled later

Also, read this forum. There can be no quitting issues that have not been experienced and raised/discussed here.....it is an absolute treasure trove of help and comfort! If you feel down, angry, upset, frustrated, just post your feelings on here and some help will appear. The brilliant thing is that everyone here is at some stage of quitting, be it Day 1 or Year 3, so everyone knows what it's like.

Do you feel that you ought to quit or do you want to quit? Are you just fed up with the whole business of fags? Sorting out exactly what you want from your quit will help you to attain it, I am sure.

It can be done.....many of us here absolutely loved our fags and are now happy non-smokers. It's great to be free from the smell, the cost, the guilt and the constant wondering about when you could have the next one.

Val

[nsd_user663_57259]

Hi and welcome! I too was terrified and it felt like a bereavement when I quit previously (and several weeks into this quit too I guess). BUT THAT'S THE ADDICTION TALKING!!!! Once you are out of its spell you will hopefully realise that. I did anyway. Smoking is not pleasant, it is NOT your friend - quite the opposite. BUT you will only discover that once you have distanced yourself from it. Whether you go CT, use Champix, NRT or e cig (as a form of NRT) - hopefully the outcome will be the same. Get out of the smoky haze and you will look back in disgust rather than with desire.

Best of luck!! We are here for you every step of the way

Sarah

[nsd_user663_60856]

I's so great to see people reply! Thanks everyone. As to whether I want to quit or if I feel I ought to, I'm really not sure. I want to for all the reasons that smoking is wrong, health, smell, feeling "trapped" by my cigarettes and spending most of my waking hours trying to figure out when I can manage a swift cig, my husband switched to the elec cigs a couple of months ago and is doing well, but some of our friends have been on the electric ones for over a year so not sure swapping one addiction for another is a good thing. I tell myself I only smoke because I love it, but could give up whenever I want. Seems I can't. Tonight I will settle down and have a good scour through these forums, I suppose I just want reassurance that it's not just me who is failing. I am so jealous of "non smokers" - these doesn't seem to be a magic formula, so I'll have to muster up some inspiration and give it another go X

[austinlegro 11 Years Smoke Free]

We all loved smoking if we were ever asked to justify it yet in reality we all hated it.

What we hated even more was the thought of not smoking. We hated that so much we told everyone we loved smoking by way of balance.

It's easy to forget that your body, well your brain, is a lying, cheating, scumbag. It’s not something I gave a lot of thought to before I gave up smoking but you need something like quitting to focus your mind.

Your brain will introduce fear of quitting concepts even before you've quit. You can smoke your “last” cigarette and less than five minutes after finishing it start feeling the effects of withdrawal: achy muscles, anxiety, shaky hands, panic. That’s just after five minutes. While the nicotine from the last fag was still meandering around your bloodstream and ambling its way towards your brain.

People who happily sleep smoke-free for eight hours have trouble consciously not smoking for an hour. Real physical withdrawal symptoms manifest themselves without the body being deprived of the drug. It’s no wonder that quitting smoking can be difficult.

The first thing to do, and you can do it whilst you're still puffing away, is to have a look at your own smoking habit and spot the patterns in a nice honest way.

Learn how you smoke and why you smoke and it should quite quickly be obvious that your habit is actually lighting fags not smoking them and you light them to suit a clock and not relative to when you smoked the last one.

Compare weekday patterns to weekend patterns and holiday patterns.

It's a myth that quitting is hard. With the right tools it's a piece of cake. What's difficult is finding the right tools.

Statistically you're in a good place. This forum has a splendid success rate.

Welcome.

[nsd_user663_57259]

I's so great to see people reply! Thanks everyone. As to whether I want to quit or if I feel I ought to, I'm really not sure. I want to for all the reasons that smoking is wrong, health, smell, feeling "trapped" by my cigarettes and spending most of my waking hours trying to figure out when I can manage a swift cig, my husband switched to the elec cigs a couple of months ago and is doing well, but some of our friends have been on the electric ones for over a year so not sure swapping one addiction for another is a good thing. I tell myself I only smoke because I love it, but could give up whenever I want. Seems I can't. Tonight I will settle down and have a good scour through these forums, I suppose I just want reassurance that it's not just me who is failing. I am so jealous of "non smokers" - these doesn't seem to be a magic formula, so I'll have to muster up some inspiration and give it another go X

Hi again

You will see from an earlier thread today that e cigs are quite controversial on this site. I think I am one of the few supporters of them as my e cig worked for me. Used correctly I do think it can be used as a form of NRT. Used incorrectly I feel that it is just a less harmful way of smoking but you remain addicted. I gave up mine a few months ago now and am still happily quit. But hey - each to his/her own. Whatever you decide, you have come to the right place. We have all been where you are and therefore can relate.

Best of luck!

Sarah

[nsd_user663_60856]

Thanks Sarah x

[nsd_user663_60856]

And thanks Austin - I hope one day I'm in your position! x

[Hidden]

Be brave!

Hi!

I just wanted to say well done for posting. Next step is to be brave and go for the a quit. Use whatever you need to get you started - champix, nrt, ecig whatever!!

You sound very much like me - a very secret smoker with children similar ages.

I too spent most of my day planning when I could have a sneaky one, hiding in the garden, popping mints to cover the smell and then worrying about when the next opportunity will be! Very stressful!

Good luck to you!!!!

Xx

[nsd_user663_60655]

Hi Liz

Welcome to this website. It has been 3 weeks since I put out my last fag. This website has been my salvation.

Don't beat yourself for failing. It was not your time. Get into the right mindset and keep coming here. I didn't think I could do it, but coming here every evening, when I am at my lowest ebb (craving at its worst), I found the strength to make it to the next day.

Don't give up, be strong, good luck and don't under estimate yourself - you can do it!

Firefly

[nsd_user663_53649]

Welcome, it is so hard to take that first step, . I understand exactly what you are saying about being scared to quit, scared you will miss them, scared of that if you quit , you will have that awful feeling that comes with being stuck in a place where there is no way you can smoke and you think you will go off your head.

Would you consider champix? you do need to go to the GP for a prescription. For the first fourteen days you smoke, and at some point you decide ok enough I will try and quit now. I decided at 9.30 on a Monday night, that I would wait another hour for a smoke, then decided to test myself by waiting till morning, in the morning I said ok I have almost 12 hours done, lets see if I can wait that long, when I got to 12, I decided to see if I could get to 24, yes I had craves but I thought I may as well start now as any other time. I had a box of 19 in the drawer, and I threw them in the fire a few days ago. I have passed the fear and now I am more afraid of putting one in my mouth again. If I get a trigger moment , I think ohhhh sneaky nicotine trying to get me back but no way.