Diary of a smoker

[Rural halfwit]

I think it is to do with keeping the hands busy (fnar fnar)

 

[goo_mason]

At bedtime tomorrow night it'll have been 8 years since I gave up after 18 years of smoking. I had been telling people for around 6 months beforehand that I was going to quit in the New Year, and I think those 6 months of slowly talking myself into it were the trick. I quit stone-dead - no patches, no gum, no self-help books or DVDs (I once read Allen Carr's book and just thought it was the biggest pile of self-aggrandising crap I'd ever had the misfortune to clap eyes on - it was enough to drive me back to smoking!). I've never touched a cigarette since, and have no residual pangs (though strangely I still dream of finding myself smoking and being horrified that I'm doing so when I'm supposed to have stopped!).

The trick is never to give in or think that just one won't hurt - that was my downfall on previous quitting attempts. Sucking on mints helps at the times you'd normally have a cigarette in the early days of quitting.

Good luck and stick to it!

What's great for me now is that I quit when my daughter was 4 and she has no memory of me ever smoking. One of my reasons for quitting was that my ex has chronic pancreatitis which could, potentially, kill her at any time if she's unlucky (as well as hugely increasing her risk of pancreatic cancer). I wanted my daughter to hopefully have at least one parent who would still be alive when she was older, so cutting my risk of smoking-related illnesses was the least I could do for her!

 

[Titan yer tummy]

..........I still dream of finding myself smoking and being horrified that I'm doing so when I'm supposed to have stopped!).

Yep recognise that!

.........The trick is never to give in or think that just one won't hurt - that was my downfall on previous quitting attempts. Sucking on mints helps at the times you'd normally have a cigarette in the early days of quitting.

Good luck and stick to it!

Agreed

.........What's great for me now is that I quit when my daughter was 4 and she has no memory of me ever smoking. One of my reasons for quitting was that my ex has chronic pancreatitis which could, potentially, kill her at any time if she's unlucky (as well as hugely increasing her risk of pancreatic cancer). I wanted my daughter to hopefully have at least one parent who would still be alive when she was older, so cutting my risk of smoking-related illnesses was the least I could do for her!

Well done you

 

[goo_mason]

Ta! Watching my daughter being born & cutting the cord, quitting smoking & taking up cycling are the three best things I've ever done!

 

[Pedal pusher]

I stopped on 11th of Sept this year after smoking for the best part of 40+ years and because of that decided to start cycling. I lost my Mother and Father to lung cancer and I'm also in the medical profession so the health issue does not always work. You and only you can make the decision to stop and you have. My Uncle use to say about when he quit " today I choose not to smoke" I did stop for a while many tears ago and put the money I would spend every day on cigs in a glass jar. It soon mounts up and it looks good . 6 months and you have a new bike. Good luck

 

[vernon]

I still dream of finding myself smoking and being horrified that I'm doing so when I'm supposed to have stopped!

I don't think that will ever match the horror of waking up in bed next to a woman that you don't know and having no recollection of how you got into that situation, what preceded it and how are you ever going to tell your wife about it before realising that the woman in question is, indeed, your wife and that you are still disorientated having spent the previous three weeks solo cycle touring.

Fear? Horror? Shock? Shame?

I felt them all.

 

[Panter]

Best of luck Peteaud and anyone else. I gave up a few Years ago but then had "just the one" as a little treat after three years of freedom...
Obviously started smoking again and have been fighting it for the last Year, has my last smoke new Years eve so am also approaching 72 Hours smoke free.

i think the key thing is that by "just having one," you're committing to instant full time smoking again, it's certainly been my down fall.

 

[Pottsy]

I think this thread is really useful for those of us giving up at the moment. It's another support mechanism; something to look at during a moment of possible weakness.

I've been an occasional smoker for about 10 years. Mainly when drinking or with certain groups of friends. The self-loathing afterwards is huge as I also do a lot of exercise, but it's been really hard to quit. I've tried many times.

As an occasional smoker I also get the committed smokers saying, "I wish I only smoked x cigs a day like you", but that doesn't really help me of course!

So I've quit on NY day. Determined to stick with it this time so I'm off the booze for a month too, mainly for the sake of making this work.

So good luck to everyone else trying and well done to those who have succeeded so far. Bah humbug to the negative ones.

My tip - I've listed on a notes page on my iPhone all the reasons I really want to stop - fitness, smell, sore eyes, bad breath, increased chance of horrible and tortuous death at an early age etc. At a moment of temptation, I'll always have my phone on me and I can have a read of my personal list.

 

[Hacienda71]

I gave up about five years ago. Have had the occasional slip up while drunk but have never gone back. I consider myself a smoker who has decided to abstain. As others have said you soon start to notice the smell on others and it isn't pleasant.
When I was giving up I didn't use subtitutes containing nicotine as you are not breaking that addiction. Tips I found useful were to drink orange juice and eat sunflower seeds if I felt that I wanted to smoke, they apparently help the cravings, don't know if it is true but it is a healthy option and helped me.

Good luck and if you slip up don't give up giving up

 

[Shaun]

So how's it going today Peteaud?

 

[Peteaud]

So how's it going today Peteaud?

Well, like the poster above, 3rd day and the first back at work so i knew it would it would be tough.

But, still smoke free, not tempted for a quick puff and luckily the bad weather meant that i could stay inside in the dry as i would normally have to go outside and huddle against a wall.

Going home was probably the worst part, as its the time i have a relax fag.

The bad news, everything tastes sour for soome reason, maybe its the niccorrette spray but i am not using it that much, and for some reason my chest / lungs feel tight.

All in all, the day went well, not as bad as i feared, but difficult all the same.

 

[Peteaud]

Best of luck Peteaud and anyone else. I gave up a few Years ago but then had "just the one" as a little treat after three years of freedom...
Obviously started smoking again and have been fighting it for the last Year, has my last smoke new Years eve so am also approaching 72 Hours smoke free.

i think the key thing is that by "just having one," you're committing to instant full time smoking again, it's certainly been my down fall.

Well done, feel free to post on this thread if you want, the more of us that support each other the better.

 

[Peteaud]

I think this thread is really useful for those of us giving up at the moment. It's another support mechanism; something to look at during a moment of possible weakness.

I've been an occasional smoker for about 10 years. Mainly when drinking or with certain groups of friends. The self-loathing afterwards is huge as I also do a lot of exercise, but it's been really hard to quit. I've tried many times.

As an occasional smoker I also get the committed smokers saying, "I wish I only smoked x cigs a day like you", but that doesn't really help me of course!

So I've quit on NY day. Determined to stick with it this time so I'm off the booze for a month too, mainly for the sake of making this work.

So good luck to everyone else trying and well done to those who have succeeded so far. Bah humbug to the negative ones.

My tip - I've listed on a notes page on my iPhone all the reasons I really want to stop - fitness, smell, sore eyes, bad breath, increased chance of horrible and tortuous death at an early age etc. At a moment of temptation, I'll always have my phone on me and I can have a read of my personal list.

And another, join the club. well done

 

[TVC]

The chest tightening can be a symptom of quitting, it should soon turn into a hacking cough as your lungs finally have a chance to reject all the tar and gunk that have been clogging them up.

Two positive things to look out for in the coming weeks. You may find after a while that if you cut yourself this free flowing bright red fluid spills out as opposed to the maroon sludge that seeps out now. Don't worry, that's normal for non smokers.

The other thing that you (or someone else ) might notice is that with improved circulation then certain 'hydraulic' processes in the male body also improve leading to slightly more pleasing results - so to speak

 

[Peteaud]

The other thing that you (or someone else ) might notice is that with improved circulation then certain 'hydraulic' processes in the male body also improve leading to slightly more pleasing results - so to speak

The return of the pink steel, oo er mrs,