Suffering with the fags

[alldigging]

Don't give up now!
Keep going!

(Menthol chewing gum was helpful to me when I gave up, although it took me a year to wean myself off that)

[Bigmallly]

Why have you chosen now to stop red? Is it because you want to or because you feel you need to. If it's the latter it's gonna be a tough ride. I hope you can do it as I failed after stopping for 8 months......my reason?.......simple, I didn't want to stop, I did it to support someone else. Good luck & lots of will power to you.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Really well done and stick with it. My dad was a heavy smoker and suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by smoking. It was really distressing seeing him struggling just to breath and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I've never smoked but I do appreciate how hard it is for folks who have smoked to stop. It's a vile industry and tobacco just would not be licensed as a new product.

Use the vine for support. I'm certain you will get it and if we can distract you with the nonsense threads we will

[mothhawk]

Well done redser. fight it, fight it, fight it!

Why?
> it's nice to have two real legs, not one real and one prosthetic
> it's nice to be able to go upstairs without having to stop halfway to get your breath back
> It's nice to breathe with two lungs
> it's nice not to have a coughing fit when you wake up in the morning
> it's nice not to have to depend on blood pressure tablets
> it's nice not to worry about heart attack or stroke
> it's nice to have fresh breath and a clean tasting mouth - and MUCH nicer for other folk who kiss you!

Cigarettes contain more than 4,000 chemical compounds and at least 400 toxic substances.

[Newton]

My sister has a pic of her smoking on her face ache page.....stupid sister! I mean why?

[taff]

I gave up a year last october, and it was really really easy, but i can't take credit for that, i just read that alan carr book, it makes you stop lying to yourself that you like it and any other reason people [and myself] used to use as to why we kept doing it

Have a read if you can find it.

And well done !!

[bubblewrap]

Well done redser. fight it, fight it, fight it!

Why?
> it's nice to have two real legs, not one real and one prosthetic
> it's nice to be able to go upstairs without having to stop halfway to get your breath back
> It's nice to breathe with two lungs
> it's nice not to have a coughing fit when you wake up in the morning
> it's nice not to have to depend on blood pressure tablets
> it's nice not to worry about heart attack or stroke
> it's nice to have fresh breath and a clean tasting mouth - and MUCH nicer for other folk who kiss you!

Cigarettes contain more than 4,000 chemical compounds and at least 400 toxic substances.

> It's nice to be able to taste your food properly
> it's nice have some spare cash in your pocket.
> It's good that your clothes do smell of smoke.

[ladylottie]

My then OH and I both used to smoke 40 cigs a day and when they went up to 70p for a pack of 20 (yes, it was a long time ago) we decided that enough was enough and that we'd both give up. The first few weeks were absolute hell - I can still remember now after 30 years how I felt , that awful pathetic craving for a ciggie. We very nearly divorced then because we were both so desperate for a smoke and took it out on one another.

BUT - we both persevered - and I won't pretend it was easy - it was hard, very hard but we did both stop smoking and neither of us have smoked since. I actually hate the smell of cigarette smoke and am really pleased that smoking has been banned in various places. I certainly don't want to "passive smoke".

We both used to put the £1.40 we each spent every day on cigs into a pot and after a month we treated ourselves with the money saved. It soon added up and with the price of cigs nowadays you'll be able to afford a short holiday!

So - don't give up, think of how much better you will feel after a short time of no smoking. It's better for your health and the health of all your family.

As the others have said, come on the vine if you feel you need support.
And a big WELL DONE for staying strong up to now.

[Patchninja]

How's it going?

[piskieinboots]

As all the others have said - you are over the worst, stick with it!

I stopped in 1995 and have never wanted to return to it. When the 'need' would strike, I would drink a glass of water and if that wasn't enough, I'd munch on some cherry toms, by that time I'd have forgotten what I wanted anyway

For several years after I stopped I had a recurring dream that I was still smoking. I'd wake feeling distraught that I'd gone back to it after I'd cracked it - on realising it was just a dream, my day would be hugely improved

You haven't given anything up (smacks of deprivation) ... you have removed one very bad habit and therefore will gain so much, as has been mentioned above.

[redser]

Sorry, I didn't get a chance to log in at all yesterday. What a nice surprise this morning! Thanks for all the kind words of support, really appreciate it. So I'm still off them. I dont think the gargle helps with the cravings so might knock that on the head for a bit till I get over the worst of the hump. Saturday night was rough, even the cat was beginning to look like a cigarette.
I've done it cold turkey, and a week later I think I'm glad I went that way, best get the whole thing over as quickly as possible. Am going to start adding some new habits to replace the old one - this week I'm going to make sure I get my 3 litres of water a day, next week the 5-a-day, week after that start with a little exercise. And so on. This time next year I'll be superman
Thanks again for sharing

[veggiechicken]

Well done redser Why don't you join the http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...3-a_69273.html and take it one week at a time. We'll cheer you on along the way!!

[Two_Sheds]

So I'm on my knees looking for some moral support. ... after a bottle of strawberry and mango t bag wine I'm buckling big time.

So, you managed OK (it's hard, but you were strong) until you had (too much) wine.?

I love my wine, but it knackers your will power. One glass isn't enough, two is too many, then you start on the Doritoes, the kids' Easter Eggs, you eat a loaf of toast smothered in butter ... no wonder you can't resist a dirty old fag.

Giving up wine AND fags? Possibly too big an ask. Your brain (or the naughty little devil on your shoulder) tells you that you need SOME joys in life. But those joys give you cancers, headaches, bad breath, a belly, and they cost a lot in money too (obviously less if you make yer own).



So: avoid the wine until you're clear of fags.

Do you have a dog you can walk? Every time you get a craving, take a walk (or a bike ride, jog, anything physical). Tell yourself you can have that fag/wine, IF you do a 2 mile walk first. Most likely, the craving will pass and you won't even want a drag anyway, because your lungs are full of clean air and the exercise has got you buzzing.

It's true that they say you have to keep on giving up. Those cravings will come, for some while yet, maybe even for years. You need tactics and diversions in place to keep you strong, to keep your mind off the craving until it passes.

[Two_Sheds]

I'm going to make sure I get my 3 litres of water a day, next week the 5-a-day, week after that start with a little exercise.

Three litres ? To drink, or to bathe in? Crikey.

Exercise: do it today. Don't do the typical man-thing of having to do a triathlon all at once, in one go. Just walk round the block. Time yourself. Plug in your favourite music, or an audio book.
Next day, do the same route, and see if you can walk it quicker.

The hardest thing about exercise (and anything, I suppose) is just starting it. You hate it, you don't want to go, you haven't got time, it's raining, it's cold ...
Once you've made yourself do it, you feel SO good. And your cravings have gone.

Having a dog helps, because I have to get out and walk her (I could not bother, but that's not fair on her). First thing, after coffee & painkiller, we gets our coats on and go collect the paper: it's a one-mile (20 min) round trip, but if it's sunny and I have time we go further, to the beach, and do two miles. I've got an incentive: I pay my papers at the START of the week, so if I don't collect it, I'm losing money.


That's another incentive I heard about: write a cheque, a big one, to your worst cause. For me, that would be the BNP or Jeremy Clarkson. If you have a fag, you must post that cheque.

[redser]

Thanks VC, just posted in that thread Very good