DAILY CHAT FRIDAY 29/06/2012

Good Morning

Friday already... Wowser! The summer months are upon us, schools will be breaking up and then we'll be seeing the 'back to school' adverts before we know it. September always seems to be another favourite month for people to stop smoking. I think it's because everybody starts planning to save pennies and pounds for Christmas. Whoa.... Am i talking about chriisrmas when its still only June?!... Stop me now!

It's grey here too Jillygirl, hopefully will brighten up later though. If you are out and about I'd suggest something light and a brolly just in case! nit sure you'll need wells though.

I had trouble getting on here last night, only to discover the broadband had been switched off by the wall!!

I have another day of training today but will pop on at lunch time. The training is for our new Stop Smoking Advisors. We like to make sure they are well armed and equipped with all the information and understanding they need so they can help people to stop smoking As you have all discovered for yourselves already, there is a lot to stopping smoking. A bit more than just deciding that you don't want to smoke anymore. There is both the psychological and physiological aspects (the mind and the body), then there is the planning towards becoming smoke free, we have smokers who decide that they just want to stop, without thinking about it. Then there are things that our Advisors need to know with regards to what therapies are available to use and how to use them. That's why this particular training is two full days

Speak to you all in a bit

Morning Emjay,

sound pretty good your training. I think you all do a fantastic job.

Given up on the weather, brolly at the ready.

Have a good day and see you later. xx

Good morning Jilly and everybody,

Yup, wet and windy down here too. (Just had my brekkie and am feeling a sudden urge! Deep breathing! ) Don't they just get you sometimes?

Busy today, got to find a window in the weather and try this run/walk out to test my calf. Also got a friend coming to stay for a few days so got work to do there. She's coming Saturday lunchtime so probably won't get on here much for a few days.

Will look in again later.

Good luck with the exercises etc. and the weather.

As for urges i`m not too bad , mainly get the urge when we are in traffic jams and having to wait. Got the mints in the car, at the ready now.

Enjoy the next few days with your friend. Suppose I`m on my own with Pete then. No back up! lol. take care of yourself. xx

Morning Emjay - my, you're depressing this morning - Christmas? when we haven't even had summer yet?! Mind you, they've just put the lights out down here so it might be wellies after all!

Morning everyone (except Emjay, thank you for reminding us Christmas is fast approaching!!)

I'm just catching up on all the blogs over the last few days; we’ve got lots of new information on here. How interesting is the Vivid Dreams blog? We learn all the time

I'll be popping in and out today, helping Mel out so long as she doesn’t mention Christmas again!!

Speak soon

Hi Claire, nice to see you back.

As for Emjay and Christmas! Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! can do without it.

Hope your ok. been a bit quiet last few days. xx

Blimey, don't know what's happening to me today - keep on having continuous cravings - perhaps I need to go and have a shout somewhere! (Haven't felt like that for weeks ) Keep on shoving in the mints and hope it dries up soon so I can get out!

Andi , you will have to run up the top of a hill and start singing sound of music, like julie andrews did. then shout!

Stay with it girl dont let those piggies near you. xx

Andi have a look at the useful tips I put on yesterdays post. Taken from tips from a hypnotist. Never know might help.

Morning All, I've forgotten what day I'm on, I think it's 24...Jilly can you tell me? Anyway I know that next week it will be a month...HURRAAHH!!! Of on hols on Monday and am NOT gonna give into temptation. Only going for a week so not too bad. Will come on later to say AU REVOIR to everyone - have a good day!

Dawn x

Hi Dawn, Yes your on day 24 . brilliant. Good feeling isnt it.

Bet you cant wait for your hols.

I have 6 days to go then I have reached 3 months. Yipee. It was 3 months tomorrow when I decided to give up , cos of chest infection, but tried the odd one . So officially gave up on my birthday 5th April.

Thanks Jilly, I thought it was 24. You are so good to remember the dates.

Thank you. Yes I am looking forward to my holiday, but will miss you guys. I'll post as soon as I get back.

Dawn x

Hi Dawn, Got to confess I am not that good remembering dates, I looked on the past blogs to check first.

Anyway enjoy that holiday. take care. xx

Hi Dawn, hope you have a fab holiday - don't forget, too much falling-down water MAY make you weaken! But I'm sure you're much too strong for that.

You'll be well into your second month when you get back! Yay!!!

Hi Andi, I know here will be vino in abundance but I really think I've cracked it this time. I've got my little best friend (inhalator) and he will get me through. Gonna say AU REVOIR to you all now. Will post again on the 9th when I'm back - still smoke free!!! And good luck and stay strong to you lot!

Dawn x

Hi andi22

Well done for coming back to us, it’s so easy to give in to temptation. It’s good you know there's lots of support on here by lots of lovely people.

There’s lots of information posted on various blogs about dealing with cravings, but I know it can take a while to look for it all.

Quitting smoking can be like losing a best friend, whether you’re happy, sad, stressed etc we turn to our friends. Is there something getting to you at the minute which is triggering this?

Have you tried the breathing exercises Emjay posted? These are a really good way of dealing with cravings and can also aid relaxation. -_-

Try preparing your fruit and veg ready to pick at; it’s too easy to pick at rubbish if nothing is ready. Maybe try frozen grapes

Try having a little look at this page too, it may help stopsmoking.org.uk/content/...

Just remember your doing amazing, you’ve done 8 smokefree weeks. That’s an achievement.

Hiya Claire, yes thanks for all the tips.

I suppose we all get days like these now and again. Have been having a few starving days lately but this seemed a bit different today as instead of hunting for suitable food I kept thinking 'I could just go a fag now!!!' but then told myself that I don't do that any more!

Hey Jilly, Thanks for you messages. Looked at your tips yesterday and felt that they weren't for me (sorry ).

Diverted myself so forgot to go shouting somewhere and not allowed to do hills yet (so can't do the Julie Andrews impression!)

Anyway, the rain finally stopped so about 12.30 I chose a big flat park and went for the run/walk. It went very well, did 2 1/2 laps and felt I could keep on going for ages but was very good, stuck to instructions and actually ran for 13 minutes. Hardly got warmed up so I think I was doing something right and I don't want to do any more damage!

Bit late now but I'd better go and have my lunch as I'm now starving! (Yes - not craving!)

Hi andi well done with your run/walk, glad it went ok.

hope you enjoyed your lunch . see you later. xx

Good evening - what's with the green egg then?!?

Making sure your alert. gonna change it soon,

Afternoon all.

Hope everyone is well.. Have had a mad couple of days. However I did manage to go to my appointment at the chemist to pick up my next week of patches.I've officially been piggie free as you guys say for 7days!! Whooohooo. And blew a big fat 1 on my carbon monoxide reading which was a big difference to 17 last week.So I'm armed with another week of patches and he's given me some gum to try as well..

But during this week I have defo noticed a difference in how I'm feeling and also how my house smells. I have a room just for my clothes and every time I walk in there I'm feeling sick.. Even though I never smoked in there the smell has obviously seeped in!! I'm going to have to spend weeks washing clothes to get that horrid smell out!

I have also noticed how many of my smoking friends aren't very considerate!! My partner doesn't smoke he hates it and I would never smoke around him or at his house or around anyone else who didn't smoke. What amazes me is the majority of my friends smoke and they think even knowing how hard it's been so far to offer me a piggie!! The amount of times this week I've heard "go on just have one... Or one won't hurt" has been unreal. Also thinking if they stand by the back door to smoke is acceptable!! A lot of my friends have tried and failed in quitting smoking and it's almost like they don't want to see me succeed where they failed!! Actually had a neighbour tell me after I left the chemist yesterday ... "well done ...bet you feel like having a celebratory piggie now"!!! Kidding she was not!!!

Anyway enough ranting for now.. going to walk these mutts or in my case let the mutts walk me and get some fresh air!!

Hiya Lisa-Jane and congratulations on getting week 1 under your belt - Woo Hoo!!!

When I stopped I didn't tell anybody and as I don't get out too much (boohoo - get the violins out! ) I didn't have too much of a problem with being offered one all over the place. Amazingly though it doesn't seem to bother me if someone's smoking nearby - how weird is that?

You stay really strong now and think about the FREEDOM you must now be feeling.

Hi Lisa -jane, well done 7 days eh.

What a great feeling when you r e carbon monoxide reading drops. Bet its a big fat zero next. So I reckon your a non smoker now. I am sure you will feel the benefits. Like you say its amazing how cleaner the house smells.

I know Pete told us all a while ago , wash and clean all your clothes, its surprising how stale smoke lingers. Also the decorations stay clean , and white paint doesnt turn a mucky creamy colour.

As for your mates , I think they are jealous that you`ve got the willpower, they obviously havent. You show them how focused you are. Its your body not theirs.

Keep up the good work. and dont forget to bob in to see us all. xxx

Hi Lisa-Jane

Well done to you, you have done amazing and by the sounds of it you need a big pat on the back too putting up with people still offering you a cigarette!! It'll take a while for people to stop offering you one if it’s something you’ve done for years. They have to get their heads around the fact they shouldn't offer you one.

Your sense of smell and taste buds are one of the things to return, you may find things like coffee and curry really hit you now! Is this a good thing or bad

Keep slapping the patch on everyday and remember your doing a fabulous thing, whether your friends follow you or not.

Hi Dawn

I love how focused and positive you are, well done. Enjoy your holiday and speak soon.

Afternoon Everybody,

Phew, almost another working week over. Time flies when you are having fun

Dawn, enjoy your jollies. Have a fantabulous time and enjoy your first smokefree time away

Well done to you Lisa-Jane, you're doing fantastic. 1 week under your belt and already you can feel and notice the difference. You should be well made up with yourself As for your friend saying "One won't hurt"... Well, we just don't actually know whether it's just the one or maybe all of them that give us the lung cancer or the breathing problems. However, what we do know is that they are certainly not good for you and by stopping smoking it will lessen your chances of being killed off or having to live with a smoking related illness and having no quality of life. Stay strong and keep on doing what you are doing

How are you feeling now Andi? You are almost up to 2 months quit now and have been doing ever so well. Remember how I said that those nasty little demons will raise their ugly little heads from time to time? Well, I think this is one of those times and they are just trying to catch you out. Stay strong and smile politely Enjoy the company of your friend and we'll speak to you when you pop on

Jillygirl, I've had a fantastic time with our new Advisors and can't wait to see them working out in the community and watching how they grow in confidence once they start helping people to stop smoking. I really am blessed in that I love my job so much. There are so many different parts to it but I would say chatting to and helping people to move onto the next best step forward is my favourite part You've been a star in the advice and support that you have shown to our members on here, any newbies probably think that you work here Now there's a thought ha ha.

I have a few last bits to finish off here at the office before heading off home and then I'll pop back on later, hopefully will be able to catch up with Lenne and Pete too

Hi Emjay, realised it was one of those little demon days quite early on I think!

Am actually going out tonight - to a skittles evening - be fun not going out in the wind and rain with my friend.

Are your new advisors all ex-smokers? Cos I think that if they haven't become 'holier than thou' ex-smokers, they certainly have an understanding about what quitting can entail.

Hi Emjay, thanks for the compliment, If I were younger I might have taken you up on the work . However want to enjoy retirement. I used to be a community support assistant for the NHS. a bit of nursing, and lots of caring mainly for older people. So I`ve seen a lot of terminally ill patients , some with cancer, some with other ailments. Why I didnt pack in smoking then i will never know. Just stubborn and stupid I suppose.

As long as you dont mind me putting all these posts on, I enjoy trying to help,. It also helps take my mind off those piggies. xx

Hi Andi, not all of our Advisors have smoked but in their favour I must say that we have a cracking bunch, all of whom have been through never ending training and refresher training too. We have a mixed variety of ex-smokers and non-smokers. As long as they show a good decent understanding and have the empathy needed to help support our clients then thats what we are looking for. Although, quite often the first question asked by our Clients is "Have you ever smoked?" We have had some Advisors working for us for almost 20 years. Most who come here to work end up staying for ever... I'm still here ha ha

Enjoy your skittles evening, I'm going to just stay at home and chillax tonight

No Jilly, I preferred the egg and anything else!!!

OK I will find something suitable.

Now what! that's much better!

Okay will stick with that . ok boss!

You feelin' all right or are you having one of those mid-life crises? (or I know, you're trying to catch that Pete out! Have to go now or I'll be late. All will be in bed when I get home probably but I might check.

Have a good night. from the mad woman!

Come on Pete dont tell me that olympic torch made you late home, or was it the nasty weather. Anyway hope your day wasnt too tiring, and piggy free. Andi struggled a bit today but she stayed positive. What do you think of the new pic. Andi thinks i`ve gone mental, kept trying different pics but some of them weren`t the right size to crop down. Everyone seems to be getting ready for their hols. so might not be that busy on here next week.

Oh Well! us wrinklies will keep it going .

Will see you in a bit. get yourself a tinnie and something to eat, then yer ready for the weekend. yeah!

Aup Jillygirl what you been playing at then?? how many pics you tried then??

Dont know what the others looked like, but this one is great gal, a big smilley

Hey and what you saying !! telling Andi to go and ''sing'' gosh gal havnt we had enough rain !!!!

I wonder if she can sing

Pete

hi pete , the other pic was a big green smiley egg.

glad your ok. enjoy the rest of your night. going to watch tv now.

luv ya! see you tomorrow. nite nite. xxx

Hi Andi, I know what you mean about the piggies gettin at you, cus some days i dont notice them much, then others, like just, they keep nibbling at me, funny eh !!

You have a nice night out gal, and ENJOY yourself, and i hope it takes your mind off them piggies If i dont see you later, i will see you tmoz

Pete

Good night Jillygirl, Andi, and everybody, hope you all have nice dreams and a good nights sleep

Pete

Hey Pete, hope you're okay and not struggling at all Mister. Focus on the positive, you've been doing so well. What do you think is making you feel this way? Look at how far you have come down the line now

Night Jillygirl xx

I wonder if Andi has had a full strike yet?

Hiya, just got in - no-one got a full strike but amazingly enough I did get the highest score and won a bottle of wine! (Iusually come last )

I must confess, as we left we had to walk past the smoking shelter and I did try to get a whiff but everyone (all smokers) was telling me off. Just really felt I could do with a good whiff (hehehe)! Just for the record though I'm not going to actually smoke one.

That's me done, nite all and sleep well.

Aaaaah glad you had a good night Andi. I reckon if you managed to get up close enough, the smell wouldn't be that nice anyways

Good nightingtons Missus, bring on tomorrow as another clear day under your belt xx