Decision Made - It's Monday 24th March 2014

[ChrissieG]

Hi Everybody

I've made my decision. I've decided to join Louby by officially stopping smoking on Monday 24th March - Wey Hey!!!! Here we go, here we go, here we go girl! ha ha ha

Since joining the site on Sunday night I've already cut down quite a lot. I've stopped driving further down the bus route so I can have a cigarette in the car before and after work so I've completely stopped smoking in the car and I now take the bus from where I live (which makes the journey feel longer although my journey time is actually the same). To make sure I stick to this I leave my cigs at home.

I've reset my alarm to later than I was getting up (to give me time to smoke before I go to work) so I smoke less in the morning and I've naturally cut down in the evenings without even thinking about it.

SO when the e-cig arrives I am going to start using that intermittently so I again reduce the real cigs I'm smoking so hopefully over the weekend I will cut down dramatically, especially as the weekends are possibly my worse smoking times!.

By Sunday night if any cigs remain they will be destroyed and put in the bin so when I get up and follow the new routine of my plan I simply couldn't smoke if I wanted to!

If it all goes well over the weekend I might actually stop smoking a day or two earlier - but no matter what happens over the weekend, Monday is my official stop smoking day!

Phew - I just hope I can follow this plan through - I am feeling positive but a teeny bit scared!

xxxx

[Kaprin]

Well done Chrissie this will be the best decision you have ever made for your health I am wishing you well and you know you can pop on here anytime for moral support x

[ChrissieG in reply to Kaprin]

Thank you Kaprin. My reality is that I just know I'm going to need the support from people who really understand, in spite of all my planning and bravado. The success of the people on here really is motivational so I need to keep coming on here even if only to hear about people who are enjoying their non-smoking life! I want to be one of them!!!! xx

[Kaprin in reply to ChrissieG]

Oh me too I feel exactly the same one happy family here love it x

[Hidden]

Well done you Chrissie you sound very focused which is brilliant x

[jules56]

hi chrissie. well done on your plan it sound good. i gave up using the ecig, and basically just replaced one with the other. i must admit i didnt hv a plan (not very organised) it just happened. day one had a cig first thing, then none all day. second day just didnt hv the one in the morning and did my first day smoke free. thought, well if i can do it all day, full 24hrs, can do it again. and so it went on. not smoked since. strangely i never threw my cigs away!. i have a couple of thousand! just come back from spain when i did it and had just stocked up. it seemed to ease the pressure, could have one if i wanted but just didnt. in fact i had a packet on the fireplace, whenever i really wanted one, i just used to shout at the packet and then just vape. and the want one just passed. all this from someone who has no will power at all! i still want one, sometimes, and yes i still hv to just say no to myself , i still hv the fags about, but just last week i started giving some away! so must say something. i now enjoy being smoke free! no cough! big time bennefit. i dont

stink! mh house dosen't stink! my car does't stink, and i hv the freedom to go anywhere i like! whithout those nasty " i want a fag" feeling. good luck. you can suceed

[ChrissieG in reply to jules56]

Hi Jules - I'm really sorry but I'm absolutely sure I responded to you last night but I can't see it here now. I don't want you to think that I ignored you!!!! I totally agree about thinking one day at a time and that is kind of the way I'm going - when I stop for one day, I'll go for another and hopefully all those 1 days will add up! I am truly thinking of those benefits though. When I got home from work tonight as I walked in the door I could smell smoke - considering I've actually cut down this week, I was surprised. Then I realised that I hadn't had a cigarette since about 7.15 this morning and I used to smoke when I got back to my car, so maybe that is why I could smell it more. This actually motivated me - I don't want a house that stinks, I want a nice fresh home to come home to so that is one of the many things I am looking forward to. I am so so pleased for you, 4 months re is amazing! Those 1 days really do add up don't they? xx

[jules56 in reply to ChrissieG]

no worries chrissie, yes day by day adds up. on sunday i get to 5 months. for me thats unbelievable! addictive smoker for 40 yrs. abt 20/30 aday. i would go crazey if i hadnt got any cigs. years ago drove 20 miles in middle of night to nearest open garage to get some. (lived in devon then in middle of nowhere) so if i can do it i know u can. the ecig for me has been my salvation. i know without this invention i wd still be puffin and coughing away. got couple of wks off work now so i am cleaning carpets and puttin a full stop on my smokin life and enjoyin my smokefee life! for me its freedom! in just a few weeks you will be writing your smokefree story. you will i know it ! good luck for monday

[Pinkiezoom 26 Months Winner]

Chrissie woooooohooooo, well done for setting a date, and trust me i also gave up with the ecig, and hopefully it will arrive soon, so you can get cracking with it, and i would be amazed how much you cut back on the real fags.

Sometimes i still crave a real one ( had a pretty stressful couple of weeks ) but i just have a word with myself, and say....i am getting the nicotine i need from my ecig, and then have a puff, and i am fine.

So excited for you, i think coming on the site spurs you on to want to join the posse lol x

[ChrissieG in reply to Pinkiezoom]

ha ha ha, thank you Pinkie! I'm so so completely fed up that my e-cig hasn't arrived yet. I've got the day off tomorrow so if it doesn't arrive tomorrow then I'm going to a shop to buy one - I just wish I had done that in the first place instead of ordering one online! I'm actually amazed at how many e-cigs shops there are on my bus route alone! I had never noticed them before (I'm so unobservant and would never make a good witness to a crime, I'd never see it!) Anyway even if I have to buy another one tomorrow it should still be cheaper than 2 or 3 packs of cigs and when the others arrive at least I'll have a spare! I'm really really impressed that you carried on in spite of your stressful couple of weeks, well done sweetie, that is absolutely brilliant. xxx

[monky Administrator Cake sniffer outer]

Hi ya Chrissie, rite gal, you've gone and done it now you've set your quit date yippyyyyy flippin dippyyyyy doooooo and you've cut down too Your planning is paying off already, you see

Ermmmm, I've got a little job for you to do at the weekend, which will keep your mind busy and not thinking about the ciggies, and that is to valet the inside of your car it will not only look great, but it will smell great toooo, so when you get in it next time, you wont even think about having a smoke in it eh

See's ya later gal, ermm, Monky xx

[Kaprin in reply to monky]

You come out with such gems that's why we love you Pete x

[ChrissieG in reply to monky]

Monkey, Monkey, Monkey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I absolutely promise you that I responded to this message earlier - but I can't see the response now! How frustrating!!!!!!!!!

Now about valetting the car - not easy in my situation as I live in a first floor flat and the car is parked outside on the road about 30 feet away, I've got nowhere to plug in the vacuum so that is my excuse for never cleaning my car - sad but true!!!

Having said, I did put have the car valetted on my list of things to do so does that count?

In the meantime, I will clear out the rubbish and I will polish and clean the windows, but the professional job will have to wait I think!

So what do you think?

[oscarpeck04]

Iam going to try again tomorrow ,Iknow I need to stop why is it so hard ,When you know its no good for you .Ihave usually smoked about 12 cigs by now on a sunday .But today only 6 .Does anyone recommend clinics in chemist just rang Lloyds they do one on Tuesday ,so scared ,,

[ChrissieG in reply to oscarpeck04]

Oscar that is fantastic and well done you for making the decision and indeed for cutting back in preparation - tomorrow is going to be such an amazing day for all of us who are stopping tomorrow (that makes Oscar, Dave, Joolz, Louby and me!) - because we are doing something which is so amazingly positive FOR OURSELVES that we can truly feel proud of ourselves for doing it (how flipping exciting is that!!! )

I totally agree that it is a hard thing to do and the thought of going through it, especially if you have tried and failed in the past like me can feel overwhelming - but it is definitely not impossible, the wonderful people on here who have succeeded are testament to that and if you read how they love their non-smoking lives, it really is motivational. I want to be like that, I want to feel that good about myself.

Smoking is like my nemesis - it's dark cloud over my otherwise happy and contented life. I can feel the affect it is having on my physically, and I'm ashamed of myself for still being a smoker in this day and age!

So it's time to be brave!!!! We are doing a truly positive and absolutely brilliant thing and we are doing it because we KNOW it's the right thing to do for a zillion reasons.

After saying that, I can't actually think of one good reason to carry on smoking.

IF ANYONE ON THIS SITE CAN THINK OF ONE GOOD REASON WHY THE FIVE OF US SHOULD NOT STOP SMOKING TOMORROW - (MONDAY 24 MARCH 2014) - PLEASE SAY SO NOW

I've a feeling we are not going to get many responses to this!

Ha Ha ha

OK promise me you will be online tomorrow evening so we can catch up on how our first non smoking day has gone?

Masses of good luck and congratulations on making the decision - I'm so happy you are joining us!!!

Chrissie xx

[monky Administrator Cake sniffer outer in reply to ChrissieG]