Quitting The Smokes

[Jimbo2000]

hey all

i know theres already a thread on this in the wasteland but i thought i'd make this one for support and stuff

I quit smoking this morning (last night was my last)

i've NEVER quit before, wanted to do it right the first time i guess, smoking a little over 10 years

Stacey how are you going with it??

everyone feel free to give any tips and if others in the NSW community want to quit join in the thread.

i think i'm gonna go buy some patches and gum now

see ya's

[wilch]

Good on ya Jimbo

You should have a lot more disposable cash after awhile too

My g/f quit a few months ago, and it's been really hard on her. But she's doing great and is better off for it.

[S13Deviat]

Good luck buddy.... I have been on / off with the smokes for about a year now. Used to smoke a pack a day, but since been with g/f she hates it so I dont smoke around her. Good motivation to not smoke. The tough times are @ work, having a ciggie break is a great excuse to get away from the desk.... so i find that i smoke @ work, when i get pissed and thats it. So i normally have about 4 a day then non on the w/end unless im out on the town getting trolley'd!!

So in short... try and give urself a reason not to smoke that is around you in everyday life.... I know everyone will say your health is the best reason... which it is... but you need something there to motivate you day to day....

If you fail on your first go, just slowly try and wein yourself off them. Like i did, start with not having that after meal ciggie. Then move to trying to not smoke all afternon after work, stop the morning smoko and then try and last a w/end without one..... As said before i tried numerous times going from a pack a day to nothing.... didnt work FOR ME....

Which ever way! Good luck with it and will only make your health and life so so much better!

rant over/

[satanic]

Been trying to quit too; not an easy task I tell ya... with me it fluctuates, somedays just don't feel like smoking and others I'm on it like air

I'm in on the Quit game too... hope some of this advice will work

[evil_weevil]

good stuff mate!

Ive been off them for a year in July and the mrs just under 6 months.

We both went cold the sphincter of the universe, no gum,patches or anything!

My reason because Dad had a heart attack and was in ICU for a while, and asked me to quit! Even though he quit 12 years before, he didnt want me to end up in there later on in life. So that was my life changing moment - and for the better!

a tip - if you feel like a smoke, have a bottle of water with you and take little sips.

Good luck with it mate

Chris

[d00dz]

Great stuff...!!!!

[Jimbo2000]

alright!!!

just went a bought this inhaler thing. pretty good, was dying for a smoke now i'm feeling quite relaxed...

bought patches too but am in two minds as to whether to use them as they'll just keep me addicted for 18 hours whereas the inhaler thing is just a quick burst of nicotine when i'm feeling shit.

reason for quitting is general health plus we're thinking about maybe a bubby in the next year or so, so might as well get a jump start on quitting for then too

thanks for the feedback so far

Jimbo

[lastlineofdefence]

Where's amanda? How are you going, mate? Did you end up quitting?

[Duncan]

Good luck to you too Jimbo

But what was it that started this rush of quitters? does that world no tobacco day make you remember it was time to do something? Is it becuase the packs are pretty ugly now?

[satanic]

Well I've been meaning to quit for a while now, everyone in the family is against it... 2 relatives have died due to their smoking histories... etc etc.

And yes, the packs are absolutely disgusting these days

[Sinful]

Good luck with it

I have been smoking for awhile on and off again only really smoke when out on the weekend and drinking. Cant really help it get bored and need to do something with my hands..... I am seriously going to stop cause its starting to really effect my health. So I have stopped this week aswell lets see how we go....

So good luck with it and I hope you give up....

[TommO]

I have a problem where I LOVE to smoke, all my mates do, and I really enjoy it. I'd only like to quit for the extra $$$ !

[ECR033]

Thought I'd just add my 2 cents worth, not because I've ever smoked, but moreso because I work for the market leading Pharma company in the smoking cessation category and might be able to help point people who are thinking about quitting in the right direction (not intended to be a sales pitch though).

As most would know, there are 2 main products available to aid quit attempts:

1) Patches

2) Oral Dose - e.g Lozenges/Gum

Both forms are generally as effective as each other, the difference really lies in the approach you want to take in managing your quit attempt to make it most effective for you.

Patches deliver a steady dose of nicotine throughout the day, so they'd suit someone who prefers a 'once a day' type routine. The pattern of nicotine supply is different to what you'd experience with a cigarette as nicotine is absorbed slowly through the skin and into the blood stream. It doesn't give the type of hit you'd get from having a smoke which means that they're very safe and the risk of addiction is practically nil. Patches also have the benefit of being convenient and discreet, whilst also hitting off morning cravings (provided you use a 24hour patch and keep it applied throughout the night).

The main benefit of Oral Dose (i.e Lozenges etc) is that it gives people active control over their quit attempt by allowing them to take a dose whenever they have a craving. Effectively the idea is that you pop a lozenge each time you feel like a smoke. I think this method of quitting is pretty effective for the type of person who needs to replace the routine of having a cigarette with something else (i.e someone who isn't necessarily addicted, but smokes out of habit). The lozenges also have some weight control claims, so they're also good for people who are concerned that they may put on weight if they quit the fags. Also, when choosing a form of oral dose, it's generally accepted that lozenges are more effective than gum mainly due to the fact that there's supposedly a particular method for chewing the gum and also because you don't get the full dose with gum (due to the fact the gum doesn't dissolve in your mouth).

At the end of the day, the above methods will only aid your quit attempt, but they won't help you quit on their own. The rest of the job is up to the individual.

Anyway, hope that helps. If anyone wants anymore info, let me know.

(and for those that are interested, Wendy's a real person - strange but true).

[hanyou]

i foudn wen i was trying to quit, i used patches.. they make u feel like shit and not ever want to have a smoke again (its liek shots of nicotine to ur blood every 5 seconds lol)... but then i stopped using them, then a week after was back on smokes

so if u can take feeling like shit for a while it would really help in the quitting process

but seriously patches make u think twice about smoking lol..

[vuey28]

Good to hear people are trying to get off the smokes.. good luck to everyone.. atleast you are trying and stuff its hard but your gradually get there..

Unlike my lil sis who just smokes and constantly looks at the scary ass pics of the yukky stuff on the packets! while saying YUKKKK and buffing at the same time LOL..

Luck to all of ya's you can do it!!! cut his f&*^ head off! hehehe

sorry had to add that!

[Jimbo2000]

okey dokey...

one day down and actually feeling pretty good

the inhaler is great if you ask me, go get one if you're thinking of quiting

only use it when you feel you must (unlike patches) which i have bought but dont think i'll use

bring on day 2!!!! HOOOOYEAH

/flexes muscles

[dacow]

im with most people here.. when i first quit after smoking for about 8 years.. i needed a form of motivation! I used the thinking "If I quit, maybe my friends will quit with me".. so I did.. I did the cold the sphincter of the universe thing but deliberately went out when people smoked and challenged myself not to smoke..

after a while it just didn't interest me anymore.. although 1.5 years later i went through a trough(sp?) and started up again >< damn you cigarettes!

personally I think those yucky pictures on the packs help. I dun like carrying them around

[Swiper the Fox]

Stacey how are you going with it??

yeah Jimbo Good on you, I'm good thanks. Goin' great guns staying off the darts. Only had 3 pieces of gum today. I feel like I've really given up.

The worst thing is the smell of smoke on people. Had a frend at my place on Sat and she would go outside for a smoke.......when she came back inside it would stink the house out....................Think it will take me a long time to get over that.

I really feel sorry for my family now, that I made them put up with my selfish habit for so long.

I think I need to buy a new handbag, as evertime I open it the old stale tobacco smell hits me in the face......YUK!

Remember....."SMOKING IS THE DEVIL"

STACE

[GoldZilla]

Good on you Jimbo and Stacey!

I've never smoked, so I'm not going to pretend to know how hard it is to quit, but it IS motivating to hear someone taking up a challenge like this (or any challenge) to help others to give up and/or change habits of our own, whatever they may be.

I have to say that getting in a lift with a bunch of smokers after a morning or lunch break is not a pleasant experience, and coming home from a pub, club, restaurant or whatever and smelling your clothes and hair is enough to make me happy I never took up the habit.

Carrying a bottle of water or some fruit is a good idea. One of my workmates has an apple and a mandarin each morning break now, since he quit smoking early this year. At least that way if you choose to snack instead of smoke, then you are putting something healthy into your body.

[1q2w3e4r]

It's hard to quit unless you REALLY want to quit.

There is a difference between thinking I should quit and I want to quit, to being totally dedicated to quitting.

Smoking is a lifestyle, and to totally drop it from your life takes a huge commitment. Plenty of strong willed people have trouble quitting and then staying away from the darts, I think the main thing you take away from it is how much it stinks.

Everyone has different methods or tricks to quit be it gum or patches etc. One of the strongest message's you can possibly witness first hand is to take a trip to the onocology wing of your nearest hospital. Lung cancer is a terrible disease that destroys lives, the 5 year survivial rate for non-small cell lung cancer (the one you get from smoking) is 10%.

Edited June 5, 2006 by 1q2w3e4r