Diary of a smoker

[Peteaud]

i'm going to sticky this for a while as more inspiration for you and for other smokers thinking of giving up.
But please try keep it updated on a very regular basis.

Once ive done the full 7 days, i am going to keep it updated 1 - 2 times a week. If i have a bad day i will post.

The tip on drinking water helps a huge amount, ive not heard of it before, but it does help. I think its little things like that, and in particular ex smokers tips and advice that really helps. On Dec 31st 2012 i will be buying a £1000 bike, purely with the money saved from not smoking.

 

[TVC]

Didnt / dont know the RHR, but did have high blood pressure, not massive amount but over what it should be.

How do you get to 1.32, i will save £1000 a year approx on not buying baccy, papers, lighters and filters.

1.32 (roughly others might have other numbers) takes account of tax, NI, pension deductions etc that you see in your pay packet. So a £1300 pay rise from your boss would go down well - that effectively is just what you've rewarded yourself.

 

[ianrauk]

Once ive done the full 7 days, i am going to keep it updated 1 - 2 times a week. If i have a bad day i will post.
Good

On Dec 31st 2012 i will be buying a £1000 bike, purely with the money saved from not smoking.
Good

 

[Peteaud]

I remember that stuff

If you're hands are still a bit whiffy then try to nick some ex foliating scrub from any nearby female and give your fingers a good going over, it will help speed up the cleansing process.

Once again - well done!!!!

Oh JHC you have just reminded me.

This is going to sound vile, but i am being honest...

When i couldn't smoke, ie in the office at work, or the car with the family, i used to sniff my fingers (the 2 you hold a ciggy in) to get the smoke smell. The yellow skins gone away and so has the smell, thank god.

 

[Peteaud]

1.32 (roughly others might have other numbers) takes account of tax, NI, pension deductions etc that you see in your pay packet. So a £1300 pay rise from your boss would go down well - that effectively is just what you've rewarded yourself.

Cool, didnt think of the tax, NI etc.

 

[Pottsy]

Well done Peteaud.

Day 5 for me too and my first afternoon working in town and out in the pub afterwards. I managed fine :-)

Like you say, the smell of a smoker when they come back inside after popping out for a cig is so noticeable, and frankly unpleasant. I don't ever want to go back to that.

I've been coughing a bit, clearing all that gunk off my chest, but that's starting to peter out now. My skin looks clearer, eyes brighter and I'm sleeping better. All very positive stuff.

Also thanks for making it a sticky ianrauk.

 

[Peteaud]

Well done Peteaud.

Day 5 for me too and my first afternoon working in town and out in the pub afterwards. I managed fine :-)

Like you say, the smell of a smoker when they come back inside after popping out for a cig is so noticeable, and frankly unpleasant. I don't ever want to go back to that.

I've been coughing a bit, clearing all that gunk off my chest, but that's starting to peter out now. My skin looks clearer, eyes brighter and I'm sleeping better. All very positive stuff.

Also thanks for making it a sticky ianrauk.

Well done.

 

[slowmotion]

I was an enthusiastic smoker for decades. I stopped 15 months ago. I had just come to a point where, for the first time, I really wanted not to smoke. It was really easy after that. I'm not suggesting some kind of super-human will-power on my part. Far from it.

My tiny scrap of advice is this. In the days and weeks after you stop, every thought of a smoke may bring on thoughts of regret about a pleasure you can never have again. "Never" is a long time, isn't it? Well, don't worry. Those regrets will fade and disappear, and you will begin to appreciate the upside of not smoking. By the way, the upside takes a while to reveal itself. Be patient. It's worth it.

 

[swee'pea99]

I always found the facts about cancer and heart attacks and strokes kind of hard to get any real meaning from...those big things always seem so distant and nebulous. The one that really pays off, and quite soon, is:

• In 3 to 9 months coughing, wheezing, and breathing problems will dissipate.

I used to just take it as read that I'd spend most of every winter going from one cold to another - coughing, wheezing, sore throat, snotty nose, dragging on for weeks at a time...all that 'small' stuff that just makes every winter a drag.

Well, it's something like seven or eight years since I stopped smoking and guess what. I really can't remember the last time I had a cold.

I do miss the enjoyable side of smoking. I just don't believe anyone who says they don't miss the smoke with a pint or with an espresso after a good meal. But I sure as hell don't miss feeling like crap every winter, without fail, for weeks on end. And there is all the cancer and heart attacks and strokes good stuff too....

Hang on in there. You're doing great. And it really, really is worth it

 

[Panter]

Good man Pete, keep it up

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

I'm in!

Surprised at the volume of response to my own thread and inspired by Pete's efforts I am now a non-smoker (last one, last night).

I will be relying on a combination of snobbery and sheer bloodymindedness to see me through.

Keeping occupied and away from beer will be the keys to success for me, so it's ironic that one of the activities I have lined-up is tackling the homebrew kit that has been gathering dust in the cupboard.

I also happen to know that another CC user is about to give up: come on in, the water's lovely!

 

[upsidedown]

Well done everyone !!

Another incentive, if it were needed. The Which ? website reckons you can reduce your mortgage life insurance cover by 46% by declaring yourself an ex-smoker:


Life insurance companies have criteria that they will apply to individuals in order to ascertain whether they can be classified as non-smokers.
In order to qualify as a non-smoker, you usually have to have given up smoking at least 12 months ago – and you shouldn’t have used any nicotine replacement products during that time either.
According to Sainsbury’s Finance, the average smoker’s yearly life insurance premium is £209.75, compared with £111.88 for a non-smoker’s. Therefore, it’s possible you could save as much as £95 on life cover annually if you’ve successfully stopped smoking within the past year or so.

​

 

[BSRU]

I always found the facts about cancer and heart attacks and strokes kind of hard to get any real meaning from...those big things always seem so distant and nebulous. The one that really pays off, and quite soon, is:

• In 3 to 9 months coughing, wheezing, and breathing problems will dissipate.

I used to just take it as read that I'd spend most of every winter going from one cold to another - coughing, wheezing, sore throat, snotty nose, dragging on for weeks at a time...all that 'small' stuff that just makes every winter a drag.

Well, it's something like seven or eight years since I stopped smoking and guess what. I really can't remember the last time I had a cold.

There was research, the government tried to ignore, that states when you give up smoking you body starts to recover straight away and within ten years your lungs will be as healthy as they would have been if you had never started.
The government tried to ignore it as it basically implied, smoke when your young, give up and you'll be fine.

 

[wiggydiggy]

..........., any advice, however small will be gratefully recieved.

........

Unless someone has already said:

1) Call the Quitline, they'll put you in touch with your local stop-smoking group (you dont need to be referred by your GP) and they will offer help, support and most imporently prescription drugs such as inhalers, patches etc without needing your GP. Prescription charges still apply but to get 1 months worth of patches for £7 is pretty good. They will also follow up on you, pre christmas I had a phone call from them 12 months after quitting to see how I was getting on (short version - not smoking at home/work, occasional social smoke letting me down)
2) Don't hang around with smokers. I can happily spend weeks at a time not needing/wanting a smoke, then the second someone lights up in front of me bang I want one. I can cope with pubs/clubs reasonably well as its out of site of mind but its at someones home or other situations that let me down, my tip here would be to become a hermit or at least just hang around with your wife sorry (lol joke! )

 

[MontyVeda]

10 years ago i gave up, as a birthday present to myself. It was easy as I was in the right frame of mind at the time. My house was spotless all of the time because ididn;t sit around smoking instead, and lots of other things just 'came together', then i got bored after 3 weeks and started again... like a fool!

then about 6 years ago i stopped again and told the forum i frequented at the time. Like here there was lots of encouragement and I'd post every couple of hours on my progress as a non smoker (again) ... unfortunately at 8pm that same day I posted "sorry guys... I just couldn't hack it"

one day I'll give up, again.