Quitting smoking or have you quit?

[dennismcc]

I started smoking when I was about 16 years old, and thoroughly enjoyed it, back then everyone I knew smoked, you could smoke on buses, at the cinema, in restaurants, on aircraft, just about anywhere that you wanted too.

When I started work I worked in an oil refinery, the rules were simple you could only smoke in designated areas, not a great hardship but it cut down the number of ciggies that you could smoke.

Fast forward quite a few years and early retirement is looming, the places that you can smoke are now severly restricted, we are living abroad and the cost of cigarettes is not that much, but back in the UK cigarettes now cost a fortune, my wife decides that when we return to the UK and I retire we must try to pack it in, for financial and health reasons.

When we returned to the UK, we renovated the whole house, and bought a new car, we decided that we would not smoke inside the house or the car, this alone must have reduced the amount that we smoked and set us up for the attempt to pack the habit in, plus my wife hates the smell of stale gigarette smoke.

I was not convinced though as I really enjoyed smoking, and over the years I used smoke breaks to sort out all sorts of problems at work and at home, my wife was a dedicated smoker who smoked more than I did (20 per day for me 30 for her) so the plan was that she would give up first and then if she was successful I would give it a go, as I did not want to give up this sounded good to me.

My wife's first attempt at packing it in lasted 4 hours, in fact I lasted longer than her !

But not daunted by this my wife then enrolled us with the local NHS "smoking nurse" who talked us through several options, the route that we chose was using Champix tablets, so once again my wife made the first attempt, despite short feelings of nausea she persevered and in Feb 2009 she suceeded and it was my turn.

I have always thought that to give up you really have to want too, so I was not very confident as I did not really want to pack it in, but it worked, and in June 2009 I completed the course and have not smoked since, and do not intend to again.

 

The key thing for us was getting professional help, over the years I had tried a few times to break the habit but failed, with the help of the "smoking" it worked very easily for both of us.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[LSP_K2]

I regret to say that I have not yet taken the plunge, but perhaps I shall this year still.

[Blitzen]

Both my girlfriend and I got hypnosis to quit smoking over 2 weeks ago. It cost is about $400 each for 3 sessions, but so far I haven't smoked once, or had any cravings...

[Slartibartfast]

Hypgnosis, patch, cold-turkey, whatever. Just do it, you will not regret it,

[LSP_K2]

Kevin, whats the hang up, buddy ? You need to stop sometime, right ? My own struggles continue. Been 3 months,and even though its getting better, I do slip now and then but its been 3 months, and I am proud of my self........Harv

I have no idea, I just keep putting it off for some reason.

[smithery]

I have no idea, I just keep putting it off for some reason.

 

You can't stop until you're ready Kevin. You're not putting it off.......you're just not ready............yet.

 

I'm about to start my 16th week of being ready.

 

Today, I'm not smoking.

[Slartibartfast]

 

You can't stop until you're ready Kevin. You're not putting it off.......you're just not ready............yet.

Quoted for truth.

[LSP_Kevin]

Just wanted to bump this one and check out how you quitters are going. Sound off guys!

 

Kev

[LSP_K2]

Still puffing away here I'm afraid. Yet another new years resolution that foundered.

[Magic Mike]

On February 13, 2014 it will be five years without a cigarette for me. I quit cold turkey and smoked over a pack a day, sometimes two, for over twenty years. I woke up that morning and was out of smokes so that was it.

 

You can want to quit, but you have to WANT to quit before you will be successful. I'm in stage five kidney failure now so I had a pretty good incentive to quit.

 

Try this. Pick a cigarette you smoke, like the first one when you get up in the morning and eliminate it. After you don't miss it anymore, eliminate another one, like the one on your lunch break or something, and so on. After a while, you will have eliminated all of them. I had kind of done it that way when I quit. I had stopped smoking at work and that got rid of probably four or five a day.

 

Good luck.... You can do it!!

 

MM

[LSP_Ron]

You can quit if you want to quit. I am proof. A pac a day smoker for over 15 years.  Damn near chewed my arm off doing it but it's done. You will always crave it but it's not that bad as when you first quit, more of a micro crave and it's gone (for days). Do it, it's hard but it's worth it.

[dennismcc]

Still not smoking, though I still like the smell of a freshly lit ciggie I could not see myself ever starting again, the wife is still off them as well.

The UK NHS "smoking nurse" did a good job for us, my last smoke was in June 2009, though I have give up I have not turned into an anti smoking crusader, they used to drive me nuts, the way I look at it I took over 40 years to get round to quitting  so I have nothing much to crow about !

 

Cheers

 

Den

[SinuheH]

I admire you guys that quit - nicotine is incredibly addictive - it is on par with the opiates.

 

I'm glad I never got around to trying…..

[Zero77]

I've started electronic cigarette a few months ago. I know it's not really quitting smoking, but at least it is quitting inhalating harmful smoke with arsenic, burnt paper, tar, and other disgusting stuff.

I recon i am still smoking some real cigarettes from time to time, but 95% i am smoking only E-cig, and i love the different tastes, chocolate, vanilla, chestnut/honey...

Any other Electronic cigarette users?

[BradG]

I use to smoke after sex, so I slowed down.