why do some find it hard, and others easy to stop

dollyk

why do some of us struggle to quit, when some find it a breeze, if its all down to nicotine addition, should we not all struggle the same way:(

Beruthiel

I don't believe anyone finds it a 'breeze'
I also believe it has to do with your frame of mind and how you mentally handle it.
Until you are 100% sure and desire to give up, it won't happen.

ali.c

+1 - IMHO how easy or hard it is is all in your frame of mind when you quit and how badly you want to stop

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

jsjbingxi

Beruthiel wrote: »

I don't believe anyone finds it a 'breeze'
I also believe it has to do with your frame of mind and how you mentally handle it.
Until you are 100% sure and desire to give up, it won't happen.

yes, i think so ,Insist on yours own is the most important.

jsjbingxi

and i think that you can buy a Electronic Cigarette to help you to give up smoking.

dollyk

hee hee bought that elec cig, god it was heavier than me:rolleyes: , didnt work. i think everyone is right. you really have to want to stop

Nothingbetter2d

you wont sucessfully quit until u have mentally and physically decided to quit

i tried many times in the past using various methods and failed......... eventually i was ready and i finally quit with no problems at all, sure i got withdrawls but that lasts about 2 weeks then its really psychosimatic withdrawls after that. by week 4 your free of all withdrawls.

im 2 and a half years off the smokes and dont miss them at all.

i hope ye all stick with it and for those thinking of quiting just set your first goal to get thru each day without one.... after the first day try setting a goal for going 2 days without one and then build it from there...

Orion

Beruthiel wrote: »

Until you are 100% sure and desire to give up, it won't happen.

+1

I'm now at that stage. Worked out recently I spend over €7k a year directly on cigs (never mind life insurance). Is that a good enough reason? No it isn't. I'm more likely to get cancer. Not good enough either. The smoker's cough - sure that's just a minor irritation.

So why won't I be a smoker in 2010? Because I'm sick of smoking. I don't enjoy it anymore. I've recognised that I smoke more from habit than addiction. For example, I'm in a cinema or a plane - I don't crave a cigarette. Or in my parents house I'll pop out to the garden once an hour for one. But when at home sitting right where I am now I'll go through twenty in just one session of Eve Online. Once I break that habit the rest is easy. I don't want to smoke anymore.

Twain

I'd advise anyone who wants to stop to read Allen Carr's book. He explains that although it is nicotine which addicts the smoker, the addiction is 1% physical and 99% psychological. There are loads of videos on You Tube of him on various talk shows discussing his method - just do a search.
I stopped last November with his method and found it so easy - the biggest revelation was - I don't HAVE to do it! My quality of life is the same, even though I'm not smoking and have nicotine withdrawal (which is so slight).

The slight feeling of nicotine withdrawal is what keeps the whole game going - if you don't understand it you think you are going to suffer it forever and fear and panic sets in. Once you recognise that you are getting rid of this feeling forever it becomes easy to stop.

Anyway, after 5 days I started again due to a very stressful event.. :mad:

I'm re-reading the book today and plan to stop finally tomorrow night and start on Thursday as a non-smoker.

Favourite quote from the book:
The craving for nicotine is an artificial hunger created in you by the first cigarette - it's not some weakness in you. Once you get rid of the craving for nicotine you will have no need or desire to smoke.

It's so easy once you get your mindset right, as I discovered. This time I am determined to succeed.

Twain

In a way, it would be easier to give up smoking if it involved going through a period of physical pain - you could brace yourself and know that at the end of it you would be free from smoking.
As it is, the only "pain" from nicotine withdrawal is a vague, restless insecure feeling and if you don't understand it it can lead to anxiety or depression and panic! The thing to remember is that any discomfort was caused by smoking, is TEMPORARY and will soon be gone forever.:D

At least take this leap of faith, give yourself this chance to get free.
Good luck to everyone who plans to stop for the New Year.

dollyk

The slight feeling of nicotine withdrawal is what keeps the whole game going - if you don't understand it you think you are going to suffer it forever and fear and panic sets in. Once you recognise that you are getting rid of this feeling forever it becomes easy



this is so true

dollyk

how do i quote only a bit of the whole paragraph thanks:P

Latchy

dollyk wrote: »

how do i quote only a bit of the whole paragraph thanks:P

Highlight then copy (right click) the line of text you want then press both ctrl x to post

wyldeflower

I have been trying to stop its not easy i have a dummy ciggarette but i have had a bad chest infection recently and thats certainly made me cut down.

discostick12

So true about the mind frame.

In our addiction study class in college our teacher was saying how he quit. He setted himself a day on which he was going to quit, and everyday up till then he would tell himself he would not need a smoke on that certain date.

He said he worked for him and his friend, so I decided to do the same.

My dates for tomorrow, see how it goes :P

Twain

Wyldeflower,
Does this "dummy cigarette" contain nicotine?
If so, you are just keeping yourself addicted.
The craving to smoke is craving for nicotine.

The one thing that will not cure the craving for nicotine is more nicotine, whatever the delivery method. Nicotine just perpetuates the craving.

Anyway,Best of luck with your attempt.

Just think, imagine it is 31 Dec 2010, and we are thinking about giving up smoking for the New Year...Does the thought of smoking for all of 2010 fill you with depression or horror? What would be the point? Now is the time!

antiskeptic

dollyk wrote: »

why do some of us struggle to quit, when some find it a breeze, if its all down to nicotine addition, should we not all struggle the same way:(

Having quit via Allen Carr I'd understand his method to revolve around two core factors

1) Physical addiction to nicotine, though very quick to occur once you begin to imbibe it, is pretty benign when it comes to withdrawal pangs. Their not much different than hunger pangs

2) The difficulty arises from the psychological addiction which builds up in conjunction with the physical addiction

His way is easy because he effectively destroys the psychological addiction (through examining how it works). So, I imagine that any way that provides a stronger incentive to quit than the usual temporary reasons (which begin to diminish as incentives once you quit) such as health, wasted money, inconvenience, etc. will cancel out the psychological addiction.

For example, when folk get on a long plane journey, they seldom suffer anything like as severely as they do when trying to abstain under conditions where they are permitted to smoke. Why? Because they know they can't smoke on a plane; no way, no how ... and there's no option but to turn your mind to other things. And so, all they 'suffer' is the mild physical withdrawal pangs.

In my own case, an impending marriage gave me the motivation to quit (although I took the easy route of Allen Carr). I felt it just wouldn't be right to carry that burden into a permanent relationship - which would involve her shouldering the load of money wastage, my declining health, my early death, her health affected. How well that motivation would have held out had I not known of Allen Carr is another discussion however.

the GALL

Hey Dolly
It's me the Gall and Im still off them
I see your still tryin to quit, Keep at it you'll get there
Best of luck and keep at it

dollyk

thanks the gall. :eek: you are still off them wow. does it really get easier if you march on through the withdrawel bit:(

Joycey

Just gave up today. Second time trying. The key (for me anyway) is to wait till you are so sick that you feel like you physically cant smoke a cigarrette. I have asthma and a sick chest infection/flu at the moment, same as when I gave up last time. Once you have one day under your belt you just say "i didnt smoke yesterday and i was grand, might as well just not smoke today either".

It works for me anyway. Has to be completely spontaneous IMO, cant say "il give up tomorrow night", or "il give up for New years", because all you are saying is "I dont really want to give up, otherwise I would stop right now".

My 0.02$ anyway. Ive been eating like mad all day as well, 4 full on meals now and just had tea and a load of biscuits. Crazy

Joycey

Gah, smoked last night. Had a few pints and you know what the excuse I made was? I read it on here somewhere the other day and it stuck with me: "i'd like to give up but I just cant imagine never having another cigarette ever again".

Evil person whoever wrote it . Nah, clearly I didnt want to quit enough, I didnt really get any cravings, just kept thinking "id love a fag". I could have resisted (probably) but I just didnt see the point because as I said above I cant imagine never smoking again, so if Im gonna start smoking again some time I might as well not bother giving up now. How stupid can you get :pac:

Miss Fluff

Joycey wrote: »

Gah, smoked last night. Had a few pints and you know what the excuse I made was? I read it on here somewhere the other day and it stuck with me: "i'd like to give up but I just cant imagine never having another cigarette ever again".

Evil person whoever wrote it . Nah, clearly I didnt want to quit enough, I didnt really get any cravings, just kept thinking "id love a fag". I could have resisted (probably) but I just didnt see the point because as I said above I cant imagine never smoking again, so if Im gonna start smoking again some time I might as well not bother giving up now. How stupid can you get :pac:

Of course you're not going to succeed if you tell yourself that.

I'm off them six months and it's still a day-by-day thing. Tell yourself you are not going to smoke TODAY and that will roll in to tomorrow etc. Way easier to take baby steps.

davy7

was on about 15 a day when i quit. just got so fed up i coulldnt smoke another one. in order to stay off them i had to keep myself completely occupied all day everyday for about a good 3-4 months! mainly sports did the trick. basically had to spend all my energy every day. not easy but worth it!!

Janine87

I can confirm with you that it is a "breeze" to stop smoking!
I have done it like that. Easiest thing ever. Gave up April 2009. Never started again since.