# Quitting!



## Tollers (12 Oct 2009)

OK. 

I spent the last week off the bike/gym with a nasty flu with the most disgusting cough on the side. So.......i think it time for another shot at going smoke free. 

I'm dreading it, but i've resolved to throw out the ashtrays and lighters as soon as the new bike arrives (tomorrow or weds hopefully).

This isn't a post for you lot really, but i'm just going to use it to vent my frustrations and publicly babble about stuff as the nicotine drains from my body.

Tollers


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## Dayvo (12 Oct 2009)

Good luck, Tollers!

Hopefully this will give you the push you need! 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lung+cancer&go=&form=QBIR#


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## Pottsy (12 Oct 2009)

Best of luck Tollers. Getting over a bit of illness and bad chest can be a good time to give stopping another go.


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## Twenty Inch (12 Oct 2009)

Day at a time, mate. I've been there.


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## ttcycle (12 Oct 2009)

Good luck mate!

May the positive side effects of not smoking bless you with increased endurance and the lung capacity of an amazon God....

I knew someone who said hynotism was useful for helping him quit.


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## Tollers (12 Oct 2009)

Thanks all, 

Dayvo....i think the link you meant was actually http://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/s...cancer&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-702

TT - I want more than just lung capacity of an amazon god, but you have to start somewhere. I'm not going to try hypnotism....patches to start with for first few days/weeks then cold turkey.

I'll keep you all updated, but please excuse me if any of my posts seem....."tense"

Tollers


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## MacB (12 Oct 2009)

ttcycle said:


> I knew someone who said hynotism was useful for helping him quit.



If it's any use I tried hypnotism and this is what I was told and how it went. I opted for individual therapy and it cost £300, I had a longish chat/consultation, about 45mins, where the therapist laid out the theory behind her methods and the goals. The treatment was 'guaranteed' in that a return to smoking would be met with further sessions free of charge. So:-

theory - she believed that smokers weren't addicted to nicotine but were addicted to a learned habit akin to an autonomous function. She explained this by asking if I'd enjoyed my first cigarette? obviously the answer was no. But, in order to become a smoker, you have to persevere. To do this you are overcoming your rational mind which is constantly sending signals telling you this isn't any fun. You want to do this, so those signals are ignored and your habit is formed. 

strength of addiction - she explained that there are no activities, other than blinking, breathing etc, that a person carries out with more frequency than the actions of a smoker. This was why rational arguements against smoking, and even acknowledgement of these by the smoker themselves, had so little impact. Because your subconcious mind overode the concious in this matter. You'd worked so hard to aquire the smoking habit, and repeated it so often, that it had ingrained as a subconcious mind routine. All attempts by your concious mind to overide your smoking habit were foiled by the subconcious. Because the deeper part of your mind knew that smoking was a good thing. Otherwise you'd not have worked so hard to aquire the habit, nor repeated the same actions so often.

treatment - the idea was that, in a hypnotic state, she'd be able to deal directly with your subconcious. The closest analogy I can give is re computing so kind of like rewriting the core programming. I was very sceptical around the idea of being 'put under', but it seemed to work. The only noticeable impact was the passage of time, an hour passed and I'd have sworn it was no more than 15 minutes.

results - I didn't smoke for 13 days, I felt no withdrawal, no mood changes and didn't resort to sweets or anything. I began smoking again because my subconcious sneaked up on me. After 13 days I decided that I was obviously not addicted, no withdrawal etc, and so I could choose to smoke occasionally. Big mistake!!!! one cigarette and I was straight back to previous habits. Returned for another session but the hypnosis didn't take.

follow up - this was several years ago and I haven't been back since.


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## ASC1951 (12 Oct 2009)

I can see why a hypnotist would take the "it's just a habit" line, but IIRC nicotine is actually extremely addictive.

What works for one person won't necessarily work for another, but I was lucky to be able to stop all at once without any outside assistance. I first had to go through a couple of years of kidding myself that I was giving up i.e. smoking a bit less during the week then making up for it in the pub, but once I had decided that I really did want to stop I found it surprisingly easy.

I tried hypnosis for weight control and found it expensive and useless, although it definitely works for some people.

You rant on as much as you want, Tollers. It all helps.


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## Tubbs (12 Oct 2009)

Good luck! I quit over a year ago now and have never looked back. I tried patches but used ones far too strong for me and they gave me a bad headache and made me feel drugged - I also had horrible nightmares! Anyway, I used them for a few days (smoking was the last thing I wanted to do), then I had to stop using them - cold turkey from patches was like something off Trainspotting - I didn't sleep and couldn't sit still for a minute. 

I got through this week of hell and thought - 'my god that can't have been for nothing - I definitely can't start smoking again now'. So overdosing on patches worked for me.  

I also spent a lot of time on websites for quitting smoking - treated it like a project. Study it and what it does to you, face all the things you try to shut your eyes to whilst still smoking. Watch all the anti-smoking YouTube clips and write down the pros and cons of smoking (there won't be many pros). Every time you feel weak look at your cons list - we have a habit of forgetting them when the craving is strong - remind yourself and remember that cravings don't last long. Keep yourself busy, treat yourself with lots of nice food and don't worry about weight - there's time later to sort that out. 

Best of luck - just do it.


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## Dayvo (12 Oct 2009)

Tollers!

Didn't mean to be nasty, but shock-treatment can sometimes work.

I remember at school we had a biology lesson and there were two sets of lungs there for us to look and prod at; one set belonged to someone who had died of lung cancer, and the other one didn't (he died of something healthier!).

Left a lasting impression on me (but I admit to having smoked a max. of 15 cigarettes in my life).


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## Tollers (12 Oct 2009)

Oh. Don't worry Dayvo. I just can't abide Bing links.....i work for Yahoo! Search.


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## ttcycle (12 Oct 2009)

Tollers said:


> TT - I want more than just lung capacity of an amazon god



You don't ask for much do you Tollers?

A few of my friends who smoke (I'm lucky that I don't) mention the stress relief that cigarettes bring - smoking cessation looks also at your ability to deal with stress - strategies of stress management might be worth looking into to help you cope with quitting. Ironically, the heightened level of arousal that cigarettes bring means that to return to that heightened state becomes normal rather than being baseline normal physiologically.

Cigarettes are very addictive -studies show that comparing cocaine with caffeine and nicotine under lab conditions - people often mistake the caffeine and nicotine rush with the coke...food for thought as to why it's very addictive but won't go into pharmacology here!

Post away if it helps...good luck!


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## jeltz (12 Oct 2009)

www.whyquit.com is worth a read, some scary stuff but also advice information and a great free E-book that can help you get your mind in the right place to get quit and stay quit.

Good luck


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## Scoosh (13 Oct 2009)

Bonne Chance ...
.... and any time you want a cig, come onto CC and rant a bit 

Simples *


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## Tollers (15 Oct 2009)

OK. Bike arrived yesterday and i put on my first patch. So 21 hour hours down  so far i threw myself in the deep end last night and ended up out in town witha few bottles of vino in my belly and managed to cope. Maybe it'd be a good idea to keep confronting situations where im tempted to smoke. Must be better long term than avoidance.

Tollers


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## Fab Foodie (15 Oct 2009)

Zyban. When you've tried everything else, Zyban definately works.


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## FazTheWookie (15 Oct 2009)

I've been a non-smoker since the late August Bank Holiday. No patches, gum, mints, will-power. I've been really surprised how I've gone from 25-30 a day to zero without it really bothering me. I wasn't motivated by cost, health issues, anything like that - just decided I didn't want to smoke anymore. Read the Allen Carr book and it did the trick. :-D


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## tyred (15 Oct 2009)

FazTheWookie said:


> I've been a non-smoker since the late August Bank Holiday. No patches, gum, mints, will-power. I've been really surprised how I've gone from 25-30 a day to zero without it really bothering me. I wasn't motivated by cost, health issues, anything like that - *just decided I didn't want to smoke anymore*. Read the Allen Carr book and it did the trick. :-D



That's the key I think. So long as you harbour the belief that you enjoy smoking or need to smoke, it will always be an uphill struggle, no matter what you use.


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## jeltz (15 Oct 2009)

tyred said:


> That's the key I think. So long as you harbour the belief that you enjoy smoking or need to smoke, it will always be an uphill struggle, no matter what you use.



The trouble is that the addiction is such an insidious thing that you tend to "think" you enjoy it when all you are doing is feeding the addiction in order to feel "normal". Accepting that part will make it easier to get away from the notion that smoking is a hugely pleasurable activity. 

I don't buy the Allen Carr philosophy that there is zero pleasure from smoking, after all nicotine is a stimulant, but I do think that the amount of enjoyment is so massively outweighed by negatives as to make it negligible. When I think back the planning I used to have to do as a smoker it was just daft. Making sure I didn't run out, trips to late night garages if I did. Building in 5 mins here and there to smoke before entering situations and areas where I couldn't smoke just to get my fix. None of that was a pleasure, but if I didn't do it the unpleasant cravings to top up the nicotine levels made me stressed, ratty, angry and basically I would be having a bad time.

For me quitting was about regaining control and improving my health or at least reducing the risks to it, and also about not wasting so much money which could otherwise be spent on bike stuff


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## chillyuk (16 Oct 2009)

After being a heavy smoker for 45 years and many, many failed attempts to quit, nearly two years ago I was advised to try Champix. it was an amazing experience. The quit just happened at about day 5 of taking the tablets. No side effects, no cravings, nothing. One day I was a heavy smoker, the next I just felt I wasn't a smoker. I am so glad it worked for me, and really regret the years I ruined by smoking.


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## phil_hg_uk (16 Oct 2009)

Good luck Tollers, I quit smoking on Jan 2008 and havent smoked since. 

I used to be able to cycle about 5 miles when I smoked before I was knackered, this year I have cycled nearly 2000 miles and done two 100 mile rides and I feel much better so good luck and dont give up.


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## Davidc (16 Oct 2009)

Had a heart attack in Aug 2008.

If I hadn't stopped smoking 5 years earlier I wouldn't be annoying people by posting on CC.

I wouldn't be riding my bike 2500 miles a year.

I'd be dead.


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## Tollers (16 Oct 2009)

Am doing ok so far. Doesn't seem so hard, but there are times when i'm glad i dont have any fags to hand as i knew i'd yield if they were close. 

The nicotine pathces seem to be helping pretty well, but last night i suffered the side affect of bad dreams....which strangely i remember. Thats very unusual for me.

The basic theme was that id borrowed my mothers car for some reason and when i returned it had been stripped down then burnt out. For some reason my car had also been nicked. The rest of the dream was dealing with the surreal fallout. 

Any psychologists in? It probably means i need nicotine. Hahaha

Tollers


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## Tollers (16 Oct 2009)

p.s Thanks everyone for the advice and tips. Im taking it slowly. I know it won't be easy, but i want to rely on my own willpower as much as possible rather than zyban/champix etc. Can't wait to stop the patches. Im going to try to move from highest strenght to lowest strength in 2 weeks time, then hopefully go unassisted a few weeks later.


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## Fab Foodie (16 Oct 2009)

Davidc said:


> Had a heart attack in Aug 2008.
> 
> If I hadn't stopped smoking 5 years earlier I wouldn't be annoying people by posting on CC.
> 
> ...


I stopped after mine, but it still took Zyban to nail the bastards...


I'm gonna start again when I'm 90...


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## Davidc (16 Oct 2009)

Fab Foodie said:


> I stopped after mine, but it still took Zyban to nail the bastards...
> 
> 
> I'm gonna start again when I'm 90...



I'll join you - then! Over a couple of pints with whisky chasers...


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## jeltz (16 Oct 2009)

Tollers said:


> The nicotine pathces seem to be helping pretty well, but last night i suffered the side affect of bad dreams....which strangely i remember. Thats very unusual for me.



Vivid, strange dreams are all part of the process, perfectly normal. You'll probably get the smoking dream as well sooner or later. The one when you dream you've been smoking and wake up all angry with yourself for having given in, then realise it was just a dream.

Well done and keep up the good work.


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## Tubbs (17 Oct 2009)

jeltz said:


> Vivid, strange dreams are all part of the process, perfectly normal. You'll probably get the smoking dream as well sooner or later. The one when you dream you've been smoking and wake up all angry with yourself for having given in, then realise it was just a dream.
> 
> Well done and keep up the good work.



I still do that 16 months later! I wake up with a sinking feeling for a minute or so before realising it was just a dream. 

I had horrendous dreams with the patches - much more grisly and gruesome than the ones you describe Tollers. Quite disturbing actually.


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## phil_hg_uk (17 Oct 2009)

Well done so far Tollers  since I stopped smoking I find that I dont end up staying up all night on the computer. I used to chain smoke when I was on the PC and I would endup staying up till the small hours of the morning, but now because the stimulant effect of the nicotine isnt there I get tired and I am usually in bed by 11:00. 

I also enjoy my food more, just today I realised that I almost always finish my meal whereas when I was smoking I would leave some and spark up a fag straight away, of course the down side is I put on more weight so need to exercise more but I suppose it is better to be fat and alive than thin and dead.

Anyway well done and do not give up it is worth it in the end take it from us.

P.S. I am now also trying to give up caffeine


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## aka0019 (17 Oct 2009)

Best of luck Tollers! I am down to one a day at the min and yes 1 a day sounds pointless but I still feel the need for that one. I am planning on stopping altogether over the next week or so and am dreading it. I feel like I could commit murder when I crave one! 

If it wasn't for cycling and the thought of racing I wouldn't be as keen to quit. 

Anyway sorry I didn't want to hijack the thread, just thought i'd share my story. So again best of luck and don't give up!


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## ttcycle (17 Oct 2009)

Tollers said:
 

> The basic theme was that id borrowed my mothers car for some reason and when i returned it had been stripped down then burnt out. For some reason my car had also been nicked. The rest of the dream was dealing with the surreal fallout.
> 
> Any psychologists in? It probably means i need nicotine. Hahaha
> 
> Tollers



Tollers

do you have issues with your mother? 

Though seriously..keep up the good work!!


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## plantfit (18 Oct 2009)

Keep it up Tollers you're doing really well, I smoked for forty years and a year last April I told the wife "not to buy me any cigs from the Tesco this week as I don't fancy any" any way not bothered since and last month I treated myself to a brand new Trice Q 26 out of the money I saved from not buying any fags alright I have put on a stone and a half in weight but thats my next goal, try to lose it, remember, Don't give up giving up

Roger


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## mickle (18 Oct 2009)

I gave up a few weeks ago just after my mates funeral. A hightened sense of my own mortality I suppose.

I have absolutely no doubt that it's for good this time. No withdrawals to speak of. 
and I've noticed that folk at work now smoke less, since I was the worst of us. Which is nice.

I've also stopped drinking, since the two vices always went hand in hand it was just easier to stop both at the same time. Chuffed.

Keep it up Tollers, it's great on the other side.


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## Garz (18 Oct 2009)

Good luck tollers, we'l be backing you every step of the way!


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## hackbike 666 (18 Oct 2009)

I quit on 31/12/1999 after smoking on and off for about 15 years and I haven't looked back since.It can be done.Good luck.


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## mds101 (19 Oct 2009)

You're doing well. 

I still smoke when I have a pint and reading this has made me thnk that it is about time I knocked that on the head as well.

I really wish you all the best.


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## Malcolm44 (20 Oct 2009)

keep it up Tollers. I stopped 18 months ago after 30 years and 30/day. I used the mints which helped but not as much as wanting to stop.

best of luck


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## Corvette chic (21 Oct 2009)

Well done Tollers - one thing to remember if anyone offers you a cigarette is to say "no thanks I don't smoke" never say you've given up as they'll badger the life out of you to have one.... well I found that but I've been stopped 16 years now no gum/patches etc just decorated the house top to bottom and NEVER LET ANYONE SMOKE IN MY HOME not even my mum

so pat on the back m8


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## jeltz (21 Oct 2009)

Must be a week now, hows it going?


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## Banjo (21 Oct 2009)

Good Luck Tollers and anyone else quitting the deadly weed. I quit nearly 20 years ago and now cant understand how I could have been so stupid to smoke for so long.

If you feel the urge go for a ride or polish your bike,you will soon be superfit and have a sparkly bike :-) Put the money you save towards something for yourself (maybe a new bike )


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## XmisterIS (26 Oct 2009)

Good luck and well done Tollers!

I quit 8 1/2 years ago after a chest infection where I almost couldn't breathe.

Today, I absolutely hate the smell of tobacco smoke.

Here are some tips that I found INCREDIBLY useful to help me keep on keeping stopped in the early days:

1) When someone offers you a cigarette, don't say, "No thanks, I'm trying to give up" - that is FAILURE language! Instead say, "No thanks, I'm a non-smoker". That kind of language lays down the law with them and is also a good self-affirmation.

2) Cravings only get bad for seven minutes (on average) and they WILL PASS!

3) Eventually you will stop craving - you will notice one day that you've gone a whole day without even thinking about a cigarette.

4) Remember that points 2 and 3 are absolutely guaranteed. Point 1 is your choice.


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## Matty (5 Nov 2009)

Wish you every luck in quitting Tollers.

However hard it gets it'll be worth it. The only experience I have of this was the premature death of my old man due to smoking. He was 56 and his body was wrecked from 40 odd years of fags. The stench put me off even trying it..........


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## Keith Oates (6 Nov 2009)

As others have said it will be the best thing you can do for yourself,. If you are like most peple it will not be easy but it will be very worthwhile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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