Stopping Smoking 29th April 2009

Layla231

I am quitting smoking today after many unsuccessful attempts. I have smoked for the past 9 years about 10-15 per day. I have recently tried patches and the inhaler but in a moment of weakness I smoked yesterday. I want to give up for my health and to live a long happy healthy life.....I know the damage smoking does, I watched my grandad dying but still looking for a cigarette up to the end. I dont want to feel this guilt that I feel, anymore. I am constantly down on myself because I really do want to give up but if a stressful situation comes I reach for a cigarette....

If any of you have already given up, any tips or support would be welcome

Blazer

Layla231 wrote: »

I am quitting smoking today after many unsuccessful attempts. I have smoked for the past 9 years about 10-15 per day. I have recently tried patches and the inhaler but in a moment of weakness I smoked yesterday. I want to give up for my health and to live a long happy healthy life.....I know the damage smoking does, I watched my grandad dying but still looking for a cigarette up to the end. I dont want to feel this guilt that I feel, anymore. I am constantly down on myself because I really do want to give up but if a stressful situation comes I reach for a cigarette....

If any of you have already given up, any tips or support would be welcome

hiya..I'm in the same boat but I used Hypnosis to get off them.
Relapsed about 4 years later but not as bad..was originally smoking 60 a day.
When I went back on them I was only smoking 20 a day.
Wanted to go off them again as I did the NY marathon last year and play soccer regularly.
Best thing is every time you get a craving..immediately think of the benefits of giving up the cigs..such as health or extra money or your grandfather etc.
I still get a craving now and then due to work pressures but I focus on the improvements in my soccer game and my overall fitness.

And best of luck without them

Pal

I'm not an expert by any means but did stop 3 months ago and so far so good.

My only advice is go cold turkey.
It has the highest success rate and gets you to the finishing line quickest.

the website whyquit.com helped me a lot.

Good luck.

That_Guy

I'm cutting down myself. Been smoking for nearly 3 years now.

I have good days when I'll only smoke 3 or 4 a day. If I've got something to distract me it really helps. My hobbies would be films. Watching, writing scripts etc. I watched four films in a row there on Saturday night and had 2 cigarettes that night.

I want to give them up something fierce but sometimes the cravings get really really bad and I give in. I don't want to try patches because I think I've got enough mental strength to get rid of the cravings.

Cold turkey is the way for me I think. Going to find some new hobbies to keep me occupied all day, every day... with any luck.

antiskeptic

Layla231 wrote: »

I am quitting smoking today after many unsuccessful attempts. I have smoked for the past 9 years about 10-15 per day. I have recently tried patches and the inhaler but in a moment of weakness I smoked yesterday. I want to give up for my health and to live a long happy healthy life.....I know the damage smoking does, I watched my grandad dying but still looking for a cigarette up to the end. I dont want to feel this guilt that I feel, anymore. I am constantly down on myself because I really do want to give up but if a stressful situation comes I reach for a cigarette....

If any of you have already given up, any tips or support would be welcome

Allen Carr's "The Easyway to Stop Smoking". The book form is a slim volume and an easy read. No willpower required, withdrawal symptions are mild (if noticeable at all) and don't last more than a few days. Don't bother with his other volume "The Only way to Stop Smoking" at this point.

So long as you follow (as he says you must for his method to work) the simple instructions he gives you book it should work for you. If you do give it a whirl read it slowly, methodically and carefully. Don't lets is simple language fool you into thinking you can skim through it.


Success!

Blazer

Pal wrote: »

I'm not an expert by any means but did stop 3 months ago and so far so good.

My only advice is go cold turkey.
It has the highest success rate and gets you to the finishing line quickest.

the website whyquit.com helped me a lot.

Good luck.

Cold turkey?
It has the worst success rate. Check any smoking study and they all prove this.
Going rate's about 20-40% for cold turkey.

Pal

Mathew Reilly wrote: »

Cold turkey?
It has the worst success rate. Check any smoking study and they all prove this.
Going rate's about 20-40% for cold turkey.

Worst success rate ?
Not true.
The opposite happens to be the fact.
COLD TURKEY is the most successful method.

20-40% succeed ?
Not true either !
If only it was that easy, all smokers would be quit after a maximum of 5 attempts.

Here's the fact of the matter.
Only about 4% to 7% of people are able to quit smoking on any given attempt.
Go ahead. check it out.

For those who do quit, take a look at how COLD TURKEY holds up;

The actual success percentages for COLD TURKEY amongst all those that do quit is 82.4% to 91.4% according to factual study by the American Cancer Society.
WTF !
Go back and read that again !
Don't believe me.
here . page 24
http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2003PWSecured.pdf

The Australians got the same answer.
A whopping 80% to 92% for them.
Conventional thinking gone wrong here ?
No.
COLD TURKEY is the most successful method.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16137834

Here's another fact.
COLD TURKEY is overwhelmingly more successful than any other method.
Actually, its overwhelmingly more successful than all other methods combined.
(Allen Carr's excellent book is a COLD TURKEY variant ).

still doubt,
have a look at http://www.whyquit.com/joel/Joel_03_31_is_cold_turkey_the_only_way.htm
who actually know what they are talking about .

or you could always
'Take your own poll. What you will discover is that nearly
90% of all long-term ex-smokers quit cold turkey.'
but I don't expect you will.
so here you go
page 2
http://whyquit.com/Tips2007.pdf

Quitting is a serious subject and the health stakes are very high.
Correct information should be given to those reading this board looking for help.
Please be careful when posting facts.
Thank you.

No point arguing over statistics. Different things work for different people.

When I quit smoking I read Allan Carr twice, stuck on a nicotine patch every day for two weeks and brought the inhalator thing around with me for a month.
I also took up running and yoga.

It worked for me, that was 6 years ago.
So to anyone contemplating quitting, if it stops you putting a cig in your mouth and smoking it, do it.
You have NO idea how good it feels to be a non smoker until you are one, stick with it!

michcar

Smoking is the worst habit a person can have as it is not only affecting the person but also affecting people around. Chantix is one of those medicines which help in getting over smoking habit, but this medicine has some side effects as well. Person using chantix mainly encounter sleeplessness, change of taste and headache. So people should consult there physician before going for this medicine. You can have all the information on chantix here http://www.chantixhome.com/ There is one thing which I would like to share and which helped me a lot initially, try having a glass of water when you feel craving the most. It a tough road but it's worth so best luck to all those who want to give up smoking.

Pal

michcar wrote: »

Smoking is the worst habit a person can have

Its not a habit.
Its an addiction.

loctite

Hey Layla,

I agree with the cold turkey too....

After several attempts of using gum or patches, which I think is just replacing one addiction with another, it didn't work.

Everybody is different. The only advice that I can give is that you need to look at when the craving to smoke is at its worst and tackle it from there.

For me it was when I went to the pub. First couple of drinks were fine but after that, gagging! So when I'd finally made the decision that I was seriously goin to quit, I stopped drinking/going to pub for a few weeks and it definitely helped. So whatever causes you that urge, be it socialising, habit (e.g. having one after a meal or on the phone) thats where I think you need to start, as in break that habit or cycle...

I wasn't a "social" smoker either. I was smoking @20 a day and I have been off em for 2 years now..... (but I'll always be a smoker).

Best of Luck
You can do it:)