Hello,
I have decided to quit smoking but I am insure of what to do to help myself. Whether I should go it alone or to seek advice from a pharmacy to advise me about patches etc. I have no idea what is available to help me quit.
I smoked 4-5 a day which isn't a great deal but it has recently crept up from 1-2 a day so I have a huge fear that this may keep creeping up if I don't stop now! If you have any suggestions or advise on what would help then I would really appreciate it.
Thanks 
Hi Pinky, good luck in trying to quit, everyone has there way of doing it, I just stopped myself after smoking 20 a day for 40 years, I bought myself an e-cig to help and I,ve had no trouble with cravings at all, were all different.As you only smoked a few anyway I think you will find it very easy, hope so. See how you feel yourself and take it from there, you might need some help and if you do then ask for it.
Hi ya Pinky, a massive welcome to our lovely online quit support site
I myself would go to your pharmacy because you can get patches etc on proscription and wont cost you anywhere near as much as they are over the counter
Good luck on your quit please keep us posted on how you are getting on cos you've made the first vital decision, and that is that you want to quit
Pete
Hi Pinky, like Pete I would recommend getting some help from a stop smoking adviser. You could ask at your local pharmacy to see if they offer support with stopping smoking, I would have thought a Lloyds chemist definitely would. Or contact your own GP's Surgery. They may have their own Stop smoking service or more likely is the case now that they offer the service through an NHS adviser who may well come to your own health centre once per week as mine does. They are the best people to tell you everything you need to know about what is available to help you stop and they offer support through a weekly appointment for the first 4 weeks and then I think that's it. If you work for a large public service company they may well have their own stop smoking groups but if that was the case I suppose you would already know about it.
Its very unusual for a smoker to only smoke 2 a day. Perhaps you are very young and haven't been smoking long? Or maybe you've cut down in the past? I cut down to 2 per day after Christmas with the intention of stopping. I've managed to do it, with the odd day having 3 but its been extremely difficult to stick to just two, to be honest it was a relief to finally decide to give up the last two. I've not had one since yesterday morning and am feeling OK. Whatever you decide good luck.
Thank you very much for your help and advise.
I have recently moved out of my parents house and they did not and still do not know that I smoked so I smoked wherever and whenever I had the opportunity. This does make me feel that I am some what in control but on the many occasions that I have tried to quit I always go back to just having the one and then it gradually increases albeit to 5 its still more than I'd like
As I said earlier 4-5 a day isn't many at all and I can go odd days without having a one but at social events when alcohol is involved that can go up to nearly 15 or even 20. I just want to kick the habit completely.
Anyway I am wittering on now ha ha!
Thanks again and a huge well done to the three of you for doing so well. Keep it up!
Well good luck pinky whatever you decide but just to mention something that may be a bit of an incentive to give up. Like you I've only been smoking just a couple of cigarettes a day recently. When you go to a stop smoking adviser they do a carbon monoxide test. I had my test about 11.00am and had not had a cigarette since 8.30am and the one before that was at around 6.00pm the previous day. Both weeks that I've done the test it comes out at 14. I have no idea what an average 20 per day smoker has in their system but I was quite shocked at the 14. Just my point being that even just 2 cigarettes a day is harmful, and honestly as you suspect, now you've moved out of your mum and dad's there's nothing really to stop you smoking when ever you want, I'm pretty certain that it would increase with time. Once again, good luck, it may not be too difficult for you as its not too much of an ingrained habit yet and you will be so glad you quit in years to come.
Hi Pinky I think all of the above is really good advice and over the years when I've tried to give up I have tried most of those ideas. If you are only smoking a few a day maybe they are just 'habit'. Maybe changing routine or having 1 of the lozenges or gum when you would normally light up might help. I always got up at 7am and lite my 1st cig, now I get out of bed at 7.10am just that little change has stopped me craving that 1st one. Good Luck anyway
I smoked from age 13 to 41. I was on about 3 packs of 20 a week so smoked about the same as you. I have tried many times to stop but always felt the mad crave for nicotine too much and could only manage about 2 weeks fag free, last year I was on facebook and a page for a man called Allen Carr came up. I had never heard of him and wondered if it was Alan Carr Chatty Man. Anyway I read the page and then went on Ebay, searched for a book called Allen Carrs Easyway to stop smoking, I bought the book second hand and it came the week later.
When I started reading the book I thought this is never going to work, but by the end of the book, that was it, I put my fags down (nearly a full packet) and stopped, I read the book again in the first week of stopping as this was my habit being replaced as it was pretty scary not having fags and a lighter in my handbag and I really wanted the message to sink in. It did. It gave me an understanding of why I started and why usually it is hard to stop, it was a different and very positive way of stopping, it is a method a little bit like hypnosis but I'd call it anti brainwashing back to being a non smoker.
I have been free from nicotine since Feb last year and feel so happy too and do not miss having a smoke either.
Good luck with your decision to stop, and we are all in the same boat or have been.
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