Hi. My name's David, i am 42 yrs old and have smoked since i was about 22. About ten years ago I moved from regular cigs to roll ups. And I'm sorry to say that in the past few years especially I have gone from being a smoker to a n almost chain smoker.
I have never tried to give up, the thought of it terrifies me. My life is quite stressful at the moment and the very thought of giving up fills me with dread. In the past year especially I have grown increasingly worried about my health, my energy is low and I sometimes feel tight chested. I think that I am at the stage now where I am well and truly sick of being a smoker. I have to stop. I am so worried that I have already done irreversible damage to my body.
I know what my options are, am aware of all the schemes etc so am not really here to seek advice as such, but I think that I will benefit from the support that a forum can give.
I haven't picked a date yet to quit……it's lurking very close though. I want so much to stop and be able to put it all behind me.
Thanks for reading.
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I echo everything Max has said. You've already taken the first step on your road to freedom by joining the forum and you'll get all the support, advice and help you could wish for from all these lovely people.
If I sound a wee bit evangelical I don't mean to (and hope I haven't put you off). Thing is, it's absolutely true that we all felt like you do when we contemplated quitting BUT the positives so far outweigh the pain that I would personally have gone through twice as much to get to where I am now and it will be the same for you I'm sure. It's a cliche I know, but if I can do it you can do it. Honestly.
Do you have an NHS smoking cessation service you can easily access? If so, I can thoroughly recommend it. I've found my local one invaluable.
Good luck and will look forward to hearing how your journey goes.
Welcome David, I know the date of the actual quit can seem daunting. Once the new year was passed I allowed myself to smoke everything in the house but not to buy anymore...I found I was smoking less each day to spread them out further and delay the quit :rolleyes: Anyway I finished them all (except one, which my partner held on to for me, he doesn't smoke by the way) and started on the 5th Jan.
Do you have a plan about how you are going to do this? Some find the best way is to go cold turkey others use nicotine replacement. Once you actually make the commitment and start the quit you will feel so much better
ps I haven't smoked that 'emergency' cigarette, infact it was deposited in the bucket (broken) at the end of the second week
This will be the best thing you have ever done for yourself, you will get great support here, everyone is so supportive - very best of luck for your day 1
Hi David, nice to meet you, good for you taking the decision to quit, there's plenty of info on here about different NRT and also lots of posts from cold turkey quitters so hopefully that will help you make a decision on what method to use, if you have any other queries or questions even before you quit there are loads of people that will be happy answer and help you if they can, including me good luck with it, I shall keep my eye out for your posts when u feel the time is right to go for it
Wow! Firstly……Thanks so much for the warm welcome, comments and encouragement……I'm sorry that it's taken me a while to reply.
I can relate to a lot of what's already been said here. In all the time I have smoked I have never actually ever tried to give up….I don't think I was ready, it's only in the past year or so that my attitude to smoking has changed and I have gone from 'enjoying' it to hating it and feeling like a slave to it…..it's really started to distress me and I'm worried that I've already damaged my body.
I did try champix last year for a few weeks, this may seem strange but I had no intention of stopping. I was intrigued to see how it made me feel. I had read that champix can have undesirable side effects and witnessed it with my Mum when she tried using it. She became very down on champix, it affected her badly and I was curious to see what effect it would have on me. I'm happy to say that it didn't have any negative effect on me. It took away the cravings, almost made me forget about the need for a fag every 30 minutes, and even when i did smoke, the satisfaction wasn't there. I used it for about 2 weeks. I know that this probably sounds completely crazy and that you may be wondering why I just didn't continue……I don't think I was ready to quit then, it was more about testing the water to see if Champix would be something I could use when I did make the decision to stop.
So to Max, and others that have asked….I will have a plan, and I will need to plan it out carefully. Choose a date…..get the champix and then jump in with the support of this brilliant forum.
I also don't really want to tell anyone, I don't want my attempt to stop to turn into a big drama in my life, I'd like to be like a swan about it…..gliding along on the surface while the feet paddle away under the water doing all the work. I feel that by announcing to my family and friends that I am quitting places a lot of pressure on myself, so I think that I will keep it quiet.
I have had several copies of Alan Carrs 'Easy Way'……several of these I have given away to friends/family, but I have always kept a copy for myself and I have always realised what a powerful tool it is. I have dipped in and out of it and always have it close to hand. I think it's time to read it in it's entirety again.
So what now?…….I guess it's about picking a date, and preparing/planning for it in advance. I'd appreciate any advice as to how I can help my body with the change. I have read that fruit juices are good to keep sugar levels balanced?
I have ordered a NHS quit kit and will definitely be using this forum to report my progress. Thanks so much to all of you who have already made me feel welcome, for your understanding and support, and a HUGE well done to those of who I see who have recently quit…..it's inspiring!
I think you're quite right not to tell anyone David. I told only those I really had to tell until I felt my quit was properly established for exactly the same reasons.
Like you, I had never seriously tried to quit before either (a few half-hearted attempts to cut down, which lasted a few months and one quit which lasted all of 48 hours I seem to recall) and like you, I reached the stage where suddenly it all felt wrong (I used to lie awake at night worrying about smoking). It sounds to me like you've experienced the same light-bulb moment that I did, and on that basis I think your quit has an excellent chance of being successful.
Do please keep us posted on when and how you decide to go about it and we'll be here to offer support every step of the way.
Good plan to not tell anyone, as you say it puts immense pressure on the whole situation,I wish I could of done that but because I was such a disgusting smoker... First thing in the morning, 40 on a night out, regular fag breaks at work even if I had the flu then I couldn't of got away with it, I was a chain smoker in the end and never missed an opportunity to have one no matter how bad I felt, I love the swan theory, that's a very good way of putting it sounds like your plan is coming together nicely, will look forward to your first post in day 1 if you choose to share your quit experience on here, good luck! xx
Well….sorry to say that I have nothing to report just yet, but I do want to use this thread to share how I am feeling before I take the plunge. It's an excuse I know but I am having the busiest time at work and home so don't feel that I have had the time to develop a plan yet. My first step is to get to the doctors and get a prescription for champix. I'll have to sort that out next week. My NHS Quit Kit arrived yesterday and I have sat and looked through it, I think it will be useful. One thing that is interesting is Alan Carr's EASYWAY book. I have owned a copy for a few years now and have dipped in and out of it several times. I am re reading it at the moment…..but this time around I think I really am understanding the message of the book much more clearly. The EASYWAY seems to work by getting in the mindset that there is no sacrifice made by giving up smoking, that you're not actually giving anything up and that you should simply stop smoking and rejoice in the fact that you no longer smoke. Every day that passes smoking is more and more on my mind, it's making me utterly miserable and I am so worried for my health.
Thanks for reading. I'll post again soon and hope to be posting in the day one thread before long.
I think all of us on here felt scared of trying to stop - stopping something we enjoyed so much - even though at the same time it worried us, made us smell, made us cough, made us spend so much money, made us feel like a pariah in company :eek::eek:
I told myself other people lived fulfilling lives never smoking :rolleyes: I lived a normal life before I started (many, many years ago) :rolleyes: so what was smoking adding, honestly it was taking things from me (my life for instance :mad
I told noone I was stopping, and that worked well for me. After a month had passed I told a few people, but I did tell everyone on here. :D
Go for it. It will be the best thing you have ever done, I promise you. Loads on here to give you support. bb x
Hi David and welcome to the forum It sounds like you're getting a good plan together in your mind (and I hear that champix can work wonders), so now it's just about convincing yourself that now is the time!
Have you thought about using Alan Carr to quit, as well as the champix? I found the book interesting and inspiring, but I began reading it after I had already quit. I think the idea of Easyway is to continue smoking while reading, and then by the end of the book he helps you to put out that last stinky cigarette!
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck! It sounds as though you're quite concerned for your health (understandably) so it could be a good idea, when you visit your GP, to make an appointment with a smoking cessation nurse. I think, though I didn't do this myself, you visit the nurse a few days after quitting and they test carbon monoxide levels and talk with you about benefits etc. This might help you to stay encouraged throughout the beginning of your quit?
I was in the same position as you before xmas desperately worried about littl chest pains and scared to go to the doctors or try quitting because I was so afraid of failing so I kept putting off the date. I even tried to blame my chest pains on my bra being too tight..... I'm guessing you're not using that one
The good news is that when I took the plunge I felt nothing but relief, yes I craved a cigarrette but not smoking. I never once doubted my decision and bad days were got through by reading this forum. I didn't post for the first 6 weeks as I was too scared to even tell people on here that I was quitting but reading other peoples' stories helped and I hope they forgive me for being so selfish.
I am using nrt lozengers and it has really worked for me. I also read Alllen Carr and was inspired by him which is a real contradiction as he quite clearly says no nicotine. I discovered that I knew I was addicted to nicotine and not smoking but I needed the nicotine to get me through the mental addiction. When I had a craving I would tell myself to stop being so stupid you're getting the nicotine. what's your problem.
There is only one way to quit NOPE (Not One Puff Ever) but there are lots of ways to get you through the first few months You'll find your way.
I'm now cutting down the nicotine slowly and going great.
I hope you decide to join us soon, it is such a huge relief to be free of all that stress, worry and guilt.
By the way the chest pains stopped totally after 3 days. Guess the bra was Ok after all
On the first few pages write how smoking makes you feel,how much it costs,to your health as well as pocket.
Talk to yourself in it,telling yourself why you want to stop.
And when you do stop write in it every day same as before how your getting through each day.
On my first page After I wrote how I was feeling ie;chest pains and smokedried and ashamed...I wrote that I always wanted to remember how I was feeling that day,so when times got tough,my thoughts and reasons were there for me to see.:)I called my self a fool and that I must like withdrawel to keep putting myself through it.
It has helped me enormously and Maybe will help you too.
Also as the days tick by,it's nice to see how far youv come....don't let fear stop you from quitting,just...do it
On the first few pages write how smoking makes you feel,how much it costs,to your health as well as pocket.
Talk to yourself in it,telling yourself why you want to stop.
And when you do stop write in it every day same as before how your getting through each day.
On my first page After I wrote how I was feeling ie;chest pains and smokedried and ashamed...I wrote that I always wanted to remember how I was feeling that day,so when times got tough,my thoughts and reasons were there for me to see.:)I called my self a fool and that I must like withdrawel to keep putting myself through it.
It has helped me enormously and Maybe will help you too.
Also as the days tick by,it's nice to see how far youv come....don't let fear stop you from quitting,just...do it
Great advice here^^
I also wrote in a diary for as long as I needed to which it turns out was Day 66.. Champix was amazing for me...looking forward to seeing you post in Day 1 when your time comes
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- even though at the same time it worried us, made us smell, made us cough, made us spend so much money, made us feel like a pariah in company :eek::eek:
Hello everyone
