# My guilty secret...



## Scilly Suffolk (5 Oct 2011)

... is that I've started smoking again. After just a couple of weeks I can feel the effects.

I don't seem to be that bothered by a nicotine craving, but being out of work again I've too much time on my hands and it's just something to do.

It started innocently enough, cadging "just the one" and then buying some to return the "favour".

Apart from not being so pathetic and to HTFU, do any of you have some advice to help me knock this on the head?


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## MontyVeda (5 Oct 2011)

i've stopped and started so many times i've lost count. 


you need something to do... take up origami if you roll your own and enjoy 'rolling'

put a hurdle before each and every smoke. i.e. after the house is spotless, the bike has been serviced and the garden tidied, etc...

I guess you'd quit for a considerable time... so you can do it again.


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## chris-s (5 Oct 2011)

Have you considered the 'electronic cigs'? A number of friends adopted them and haven't looked back, mind you I think they are just as addicted to them as before. The way I understand it is they still contain the nicotine so you get the 'hit', but thats not the harmful part. 

Chris


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## Fab Foodie (5 Oct 2011)

Zyban.


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## subaqua (5 Oct 2011)

Fab Foodie said:


> Zyban.




and then you can murder people legitimately  



patches and some willpower is what finally worked for me. oh that and having my daughter say in a "im not scared of becky taylor" way , that she wasn't scared of anything except me dying from smoking . that sort of put the final coffin nail in.


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## YahudaMoon (5 Oct 2011)

Take up TT road racing :-D if you already dont.


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## VamP (5 Oct 2011)

You have to want to stop. Really really want to.


Then you will.


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## dan_bo (5 Oct 2011)

Fab Foodie said:


> Zyban.



F*** Zyban. My missus wasn't my missus on Zyban. Wasn't smoking- was scary.

Go and have a tug instead.


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## threebikesmcginty (5 Oct 2011)

dan_bo said:


> Go and have a tug instead.



Certainly cheaper and tax free, for now.


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## dan_bo (5 Oct 2011)

And certainly keeps your smoking hand busy. 

Might want a cig after though.


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## 4F (5 Oct 2011)

Jimmy, MTFU.  By the way nice meeting you on Sunday, that was a good ride out. 

Have to do it again soon


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## Fab Foodie (5 Oct 2011)

dan_bo said:


> F*** Zyban. My missus wasn't my missus on Zyban. Wasn't smoking- was scary.
> 
> Go and have a tug instead.



I tried that first, then I found I was soon up to 20 a day!


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## smokeysmoo (5 Oct 2011)

Fab Foodie said:


> I tried that first, then I found I was soon up to 20 a day!


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## Crankarm (5 Oct 2011)

I don't suppose a doctor telling you "Jimmy, you have lung cancer" would make you stop? Plus all the other bad effects it has on your organs - heart disease, stomach cancer, circulatory problems, teeth and smelling like an ash tray. Smoking is a disgusting habit.

How can you afford to smoke if you are unemployed?


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## steve52 (5 Oct 2011)

do what ever it takes to stop and if you must have one make sure u do a hill climb first


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## 4F (5 Oct 2011)

steve52 said:


> do what ever it takes to stop and if you must have one make sure u do a hill climb first



You missed the bit about Jimmy being based in Suffolk, no hill climbs round here


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## Zoiders (5 Oct 2011)

I did 30 hilly miles last night and then got home and had about half a dozen fags while I watched a DVD box set.

It felt great.

Hope this helps.


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## youngoldbloke (5 Oct 2011)

I used to smoke. I stopped before my first heart operation. I wish I had never started. If you don't stop you will die prematurely.


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## Fab Foodie (5 Oct 2011)

youngoldbloke said:


> I used to smoke. I stopped before my first heart operation. I wish I had never started. If you don't stop you will die prematurely.


I stopped *after* mine.


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## Scilly Suffolk (6 Oct 2011)

Thanks all.

Some er... interesting suggestions, some of which I've tried, some of which I will try and some of which bring a blush to my face.

It is good to now that I'm not the only (ex-) smoker on the road!


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## numbnuts (6 Oct 2011)

I have emphysema, if you came out for a ride with me you'll stop, there's slow and stop....


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## Scilly Suffolk (6 Oct 2011)

Damn! That's a cross to bear, but at least you're still riding: chapeau!


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## upsidedown (6 Oct 2011)

I left it as long as I could then I'd go out for a walk and light a cigarette , maybe put it in my mouth and maybe take a drag, but not inhale. I'd throw it away after one or two drags. That was enough. After a few days I stopped doing that. Then a week was over. Then you can count by the week , then by the month. I'm now on year 3. 

Good luck. 

Paul


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## trustysteed (7 Oct 2011)

Jimmy The Whiskers said:


> do any of you have some advice to help me knock this on the head?




if you don't give up, you will probably die a long, lingering, extremely painful, unpleasant, cancer-related death and you will selfishly put your family and friends through a traumatic, emotionally-draining experience watching it happen.


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## banger (7 Oct 2011)

```
if you don't give up, you will probably die a long, lingering, extremely painful, unpleasant, cancer-related death and you will selfishly put your family and friends through a traumatic, emotionally-draining experience watching it happen.
```

But if you do give up, and ride your bike more, you will either live a long suffering lingering painfull life, or get run over by a bus and be cut down in your prime.

I dont buy all the anti smoting hype we all know it can cause you health problems if you are unlucky, but you never know whats going to happen so just be happy ride lots and at some point you will give up smoking because you want to and it wont be half as difficult as you expect.


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## twobiker (7 Oct 2011)

Can you afford to smoke and still buy lots of stuff for your bike you don't really need ?


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## Sara_H (7 Oct 2011)

trustysteed said:


> if you don't give up, you will probably die a long, lingering, extremely painful, unpleasant, cancer-related death and you will selfishly put your family and friends through a traumatic, emotionally-draining experience watching it happen.



Agreed.

My Dad died of cancer when I was 10 - he was 37. Twas horrible watching him die, horrible growing up without the best Dad in the world an I still miss him now 28yrs later.

My little boy hasn't got a grandad - and I know he would have been a fab Grandad.


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## accountantpete (7 Oct 2011)

I just packed it in - final time as I am 56 and the COPD was not making the hills any easier.

The patches are pretty crapola but the 4mg gum worked a treat - recommended.


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## Bay Runner (8 Oct 2011)

Two of my wife's four brothers have terminal cancer. 

One of them has lung cancer, he is refusing to be admitted into the hospice, he sleeps most of the day and when he is awake he is doubled with chest pains. 
They believe it's the tumour is pressing against is lung. 

He is still smoking but I guess he will be giving up soon!


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## the snail (8 Oct 2011)

If you can, go to the nhs stop smoking clinic, get some support/advice, and you can get pills or patches etc on prescription. If you're on benefits it will be free so you'll save a lot of money. I had patches plus inhaler - I thought the inhaler is good because it gives you something to do if you get the craving. Don't give up on giving up, like learning to ride a bike, if you come off dust yourself down and get back on.


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## The Jogger (8 Oct 2011)

Jimmy The Whiskers said:


> ... is that I've started smoking again. After just a couple of weeks I can feel the effects.
> 
> I don't seem to be that bothered by a nicotine craving, but being out of work again I've too much time on my hands and it's just something to do.
> 
> ...



I just visited my brother two weeks ago, he went to hospital with a minor complaint, he had an xray, lung cancer which has spread. Does he regret smoking? Would he give up if he had a second chance and realise quickly the seriousness of the addiction? Indirect advice I suppose.

Don't play with it just give up, now.............


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## Willo (8 Oct 2011)

As someone who really struggled to give up a few years back, all I can say is it's tough but giving up smoking is one of the best things I've ever done. I had to do it gradually and it took a while. What helped me was doing lots of exercise and then telling myself that the effort was pointless if I sparked up after. Plus, set yourself a goal and treat yourself with the money you save once you reach it. I wished I'd never smoked, but am so glad I did give up seeing my dad wheezing and not able to do oubt with copd.


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## wheres_my_beard (8 Oct 2011)

Having been smoke-free for over a year now, I can strongly recommend getting proper, planned help from an NHS Smoking Cessation clinic. You can self refer and will be directed to a local clinic possibly even at your own GP or somewhere convenient.

Something that helped me this time ( I have tried a few times before) was having the right motivation. 

I wasn't doing it to make my family happy.

I wasn't doing it because my gf was constantly moaning about the smoke smell in the house, even though I mostly smoked outside.

I was doing it for me.

Getting up a set of 6 steps and feeling out of breath was pissing me off. Feeling knackered as soon as I set off cycling was frustrating. Getting burns in my clothes was getting ridiculous. I didn't even enjoy the act of smoking either. And I didn't really fancy a slow cancerous death.

A combination of patches and inhalator was perfect for me. I hardly used the inhalator but it was a good boost to the patches. 

With the right motivation and the right combination of aids, and the support of people around anyone can quit.


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## ClichéGuevara (8 Oct 2011)

I stopped (again) in 2006, but during one of the many times I tried, i spoke to someone that had used hypnotherapy. I asked him what they said, and it's basically relaxation techniques.

Initially he was told to take some deep breaths and shown some breathing techniques and then some tactics aimed at removing tension from the body. Then the aim was to use these basic techniques to go into deep relaxation. 

He was told to imagine he was laid down in a comfortable, safe and secure place. People were there to cater for his every need. Around him were all his loved ones, telling him how wonderful he is, and how much they love him. 

He was encouraged to really relax and enjoy these feelings, and look deeply into the faces of the loving caring people around him and to imagine what it would be like if they weren't there. Then to realise that they were there because he was in a hospital bed, dying and that it was cigarettes that had put him there and was taking him from his loved ones...

Didn't stop me, but I thought it was an interesting technique.


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## MLC (11 Oct 2011)

I stopped with Hypnosis on the second attempt

I didn't stop with Hypnosis on the first attempt as they used the method described above and I was so appalled that I started researching the subject. Cut a long story short it led me to undertake various courses in Clinical Hypnotherapy and one of the first subjects (believe it or not because of its relative simplicity) was smoking cessation. I was the guinea pig and I stopped not only that I was so impressed with the ease with which I stopped I actually undertook the full professional course. All my fees were paid for from the money I saved from not smoking.

There are various trains of thought there is the shock treatment as described in the post above this works for some but is rather hit and miss. There is the clever version which takes a bit more skill and learning over and above a recital of a pre prepared stop smoking script . It is based loosly on Ericksonian hypnosis (metaphor and subtlety) and a few other methods. A simple cigarette addiction is quite easy to treat however when a Hypnotherapist is taking a case history he should be looking for other areas, as it is not always just the addiction. There may be tidy up areas that may need to be addressed to ensure a permanent stop.

I will not give too many further details as once you know how it works it kind of undermines it's usefulness. If anyone has a real genuine need to know more buy me a beer and I will hapilly explain further. It is too large a subject to explain on a forum.

I am not too keen on the NHS / NRT method as that is pharmaceutical company based. The companies are only interested in flogging you a drug regardless if it works or not. By using NRT therapy you are simply imbibing Nicotine in a different form. If you take it a step further that is similar logic to giving a Heroin addict heroin in a different form to cure a heroin addiction. I hear gasps...... true both are Polar opposites in terms of how the addiction is perceived by people but the same fundamental addiction principles apply to both.

I did spend some time practising and had good success but never went full time as I as was too lazy to work my day job as well nights and weekends on the hypnosis.

I have had a couple of slip ups myself but the whole appeal of smoking has gone totally and within a day or two I am not smoking again rather than the other way round.

So IMHO and having tried many, many methods over the years I would go Hypnosis provided it is with a good one I found it far more effective than NRT. The one key thing is that you have to really want to stop and only you can answer that.

(or possibly me but I would have to spend about an hour discussing the subject with you)


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## Peteaud (11 Oct 2011)

upsidedown said:


> I left it as long as I could then I'd go out for a walk and light a cigarette , maybe put it in my mouth and maybe take a drag, but not inhale. I'd throw it away after one or two drags. That was enough. After a few days I stopped doing that. Then a week was over. Then you can count by the week , then by the month. I'm now on year 3.
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> Paul




Have not tried that, will give it a go. 

I am cutting down & down, but just cant get to none.


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## paulw1969 (1 Jan 2012)

Jimmy The Whiskers said:


> ... is that I've started smoking again. After just a couple of weeks I can feel the effects.
> 
> I don't seem to be that bothered by a nicotine craving, but being out of work again I've too much time on my hands and it's just something to do.
> 
> ...


 
i have sent you a pm.


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## teletext45 (1 Jan 2012)

Alright- i may or may not be able to help..... I'm a very fortunate person and proud to say i survived leukemia when i was younger so obviously i make the most of every day.

Ok, I'm not looking for sympathy i just want to shock... this is what suffering from cancer looks likes and how it could affect you never mind your friends and family...







Fortunately i was only 3 so i don't remember much but i know i have to go hospital every year for the rest of my life, be careful with medication i take etc etc

Be strong and quit....

Andy


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## Garz (1 Jan 2012)

Sara_H said:


> Agreed.
> 
> My Dad died of cancer when I was 10 - he was 37. Twas horrible watching him die, horrible growing up without the best Dad in the world an I still miss him now 28yrs later.
> 
> My little boy hasn't got a grandad - and I know he would have been a fab Grandad.


 
This is so sad Sara, I lost my mother recently to cancer also. This should be enough of a motivator to quit Jimmy!


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## LouiseL (2 Jan 2012)

No advice to give, but I can tell you what made me give up many moons ago.
My gran (aged 70 odd at the time) had been a smoker since her teenage years. Unfortunately she lived at the top of a steep hill and didn't drive. This hill used to take her the best part of an hour to walk up, with at least 6 stops on the way to catch her breath. She stopped smoking on doctors advice. Within 3 months she could get up that hill with only one stop and at a fair old pace. Walking up that hill with her and seeing the amazing difference in a 70 + year old lady who had smoked most of her life did it for me. I never touched another cigarette from that day. Although I knew it was bad for me that physical demonstration showed me just how bad, bad was. Aside from the cost, why would you voluntarily do that to yourself?


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## BigonaBianchi (3 Jan 2012)

Life is full of choices...why choose to smoke when you can choose to do something else? Distraction is key methinks.


actually the same goes for alcohol...and any addiction I guess.


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