Giving up smoking!

[Andrea_Shapiro]

I've set a date for the weekend, and I'm already pulling out my hair thinking about it. I managed it for 3 weeks in April, and it wasn't actually that difficult, but then I foolishly went away on a caravan holiday with the kids. Having been holed up in a Peugeot in a bank holiday tailback with Tom Jones on CD & a sausage roll to spare, I reached Asda Pwllheli with murder on my mind. I need tips on staying off my fagarettes.

[Hidden]

I am currently giving up smoking. I started on 23 May and so far have managed fine. Andrea, what are you using to aid you giving up? I am going to smoking cessation clinic once a week to get nicorette patches and niquitin minty nicotine pills for when I need a quick 'fix' when a fag is on my mind constantly.

You will only manage this if you want to truly give up, in the next few days leading up to your start date (pick a day when the kids arent there all day - I would start on the monday to give yourself a better chance of coping) think about each ciggie you have and why you are having it. How you feel when you are smoking it and how you feel once you are finished. This was something my smoking advisor asked me to do and it actually worked quite well. You need to be prepared mentally and in the right feame of mind to quit.

I have smoked for 39 years (I am 48) and with help I am doing ok. Get help, give yourself the best chance you can and accept all the help you can too.

I wish you the best of luck. It might be hard to do, but it will be totally worth the initial struggle. Good luck honey xx

Petra xx

[Hidden]

great advice above!!. there are a huge variety of products on the market.. some nhs trusts are doing free patch issue via some local pharmacies as patient group directive!

There are one stop smoking health shops nhs! or your local gp.. I have a smoking cessation qual as part of my pharmacy bundle..

you must have the desire to give up as ciggies more addictive than morphine!

patches work well for most people and this can be topped up with if need with gum or a nicorette inhalato!some thing in hand therapy.!!

prescription drug zyban(varenacycline) another option would have to look carefully at a it and your ra meds incase of interaction effect.

hypnotherapy, accupunture are the two altern options!!. people cant usually give up on will power alone as said before cigarette addiction is a powerful as that of a class A drug

congrats on your decision good luck!!. best not try giving up in a time of stress though.

to help you with the decision cigs can accentuate ra pain. and make you more prone to ra related lung problems this is unfortunate medical fact, but I CAN understand at times of stress the ciggie calls out loudly xxx

Alison

[Hidden]

Good on you Andrea. Like others have said, you have better chance with the right help. I gave up on 3rd March 1983 when I was smoking about 80 a day! non stop at work, all the time, had a fag on... I can hardly believe it was me... but it was. I had acupuncture. I nipped out during my lunch hour. It cost me about £10 which then was almost a weeks wages!!! but worth every penny. If you are determined to give up, which I think is the most important, then you find what works for you with regard to support. I hope you find it. Your purse and your body will thank you! Good luck, I know it's hard

Take care Julie xxx

[helixhelix]

I finally successfully gave up 18 months ago after 40+years of smoking and I can't count how many failed attempts. And now I have absolutely no desire to smoke, and can even hang around people smoking without a problem. I'd tried patches, and gum and Alan Carr approach and so on without success. Strangely the thing that tipped me over the edge was the Paul McKenna stop smoking book & CD which I got out of the library. I am not a believer in alternative medicine or even really in hypnosis but it worked for me. I had real problems listening to it first time (bah humbug etc!), but then had a walkman with CD in that I made myself listen to - or at least stick on my head and play as I didn't really concentrate too much on it. But it worked! The first day without cigs was hard, but after that it was fine. And after a week I had no problems at all. I still can't believe I did it...and neither can my friends who thought I'd be the last person smoking in the world. But shows that if you want to give up you can. You just have to find the thing that works for you. Keep trying & good luck. Polly

[eve5]

Smoking is highly addictive, a very pleasurable and sociable thing to do (for the smoker) and stops you eating so much - there are no calories in a cigarette, but that's about all it has going for it. You must keep repeating the negative things about smoking to yourself to keep on track, smokers smell awful no matter how many times they brush their teeth, their clothes and hair stink, fingers and teeth are stained with nicotine and kissing a smoker is like kissing an ashtray and that is before you even start to factor in the more important benefits to your health of quitting.

I found the first three weeks the hardest and if you can avoid the activities where you enjoy a ciggie in this early period, so much the better but nonetheless I still had quite a few false starts before success. I found cold turkey worked the best for me, failed attempts resulted mostly from trying to cut down. Put all that dosh you save in a pot and after a month or two buy yourself something completely indulgent.

It is hard but if you truly want to do it you will succeed.

very best of luck

.....eve

[Tiasteph]

I gave up 5 yrs ago on my own with no aids, it was my time. I really think if your ready, your ready!

I did Alan Carr when I was twenty odd, I did the patches at thirty odd...Approaching 40 was when I just decided to do it. Enough was enough, it's a horrid habit & we all know it.

Believe me if I can, you can I did also stop drinking too, which did help. I can now have a drink with no association what so ever. I really wish I'd never smoked.

Giving up is the best thing you could ever do for your health…wishing you all the best…You can do it :)))

[Hidden]

wow people giving up with just will power amazing stuff . congrats.. yes my day hypontism didnt work for him but work for some people

[Gina_K]

Very Inspirational - am thinking hard - oh the kissing an ashtray - so true! The waste of money - oh god, my health -

Keep inspiringme, I loathe myself for smoking!

Gina.

[Hidden]

Good luck Andrea, hope it isn't too difficult for you. Lots of seemingly good advice though so hope it helps

Lyn x

[Philip]

easiest thing in the world lol I gave thousands of times lol but the last time I had was 11 years ago , and the amount of money I saved is quite a lot lol and I dont stink anymore.

All the best with giving up , you know it is the right thing to do , plus we are all here to make sure your ok, you can rant at us instead of the family.