Giving up...again

rubic

Bearhunter wrote: »

I can honestly say that was so much easier than I thought it would be.

The first time I really gave up a couple of years ago that was the case for me and it was pretty much similar this time around, the difference this time is that I have understood that while it may be easy to give them up this only reinforces that it will be easy to start again, with that on board I still have my defences up.

Keep up the good work

turnsoutIwas

rubic wrote: »

The first time I really gave up a couple of years ago that was the case for me and it was pretty much similar this time around, the difference this time is that I have understood that while it may be easy to give them up this only reinforces that it will be easy to start again, with that on board I still have my defences up.

This is pretty much what happened to me last year: I got it into my head that I could just have one pack. It was so bloody hard to stop that I eneded up smoking more than before and I kept trying to stop but falling down on day one or day two.

Good to hear you're both doing well.

I have had a crappy week with work and some other stuff but I managed to not cave. This is far from easy for me at the moment to be completely honest.

Anyway I'm a month off them now:

My Quit Date

07/02/11

Days Smoke Free

28

Money Saved

€361.2

Janeboylan

To everyone who has stopped smoking well done and it great to see your posts with your updates on how your doing, it gives me some hope that one day I will finally stop smoking
I was wondering if you could help me.
I've been thinking of giving up over the last yr, but I always end up saying this is my last smoke before I go to bed and before I know it I'm smoking first thing in the morning or that I'll finish the packet off and then stop, but never do I'll last 3hrs and give in and smoke.
I was just wondering if its better to stop smoking half way through the day? I know smoking is stupied and horrible and I know if I did stop I would feel so much better but I can't seem to get started.

turnsoutIwas

Hi Jane,

Well done for wanting to stop, I think that is at least 50% of the battle.

I think that everyone is different but smoking the last one at night was my method. I was the same as yourself: tried a bunch of times over the last year but always caved after a few hours.

There is a wealth of info Here which really helped me. Also reading everyone's posts on this forum reinforced (and continues to reinforce) my resolve.

Finally: it is not as hard to stop as you think. Just get through the first 3 days and then one day at a time after that....

Good luck with it.

stiffler123

Going to quit on Friday when I move out. Living with 4 smokers atm so it would be a fools errand to quit now without killing them. Tried to quit 4 times last year. Tried the inhaler and patches(inhaler did nothing for me, patches were slightly better). It will be an uphill battle at the least. If unsuccessful this time, I think hypsosis is my last bet.

Bearhunter

Day 37. money saved: $529.10 (or 281.67 in yoyos.) That's enough for flights to Australia and a hotel. Wayhey.

rubic

Day 49 for me today, can't believe that I am 7 weeks quit, If i think about how I felt about 8 weeks ago I would never imagined been quit never mind 7 weeks.

It get's easier and you spend less and less time thinking of smoke's, the way I see it your trying to undo 20 odd years (or however long you smoked) of thinking you need/want them and once you get that clear in your head it can be more than half the battle.

@jane - the way I approached it was I read Alan Carr's book and despite him saying not to use NRT I bought 2 weeks worth of patches saying just use them and if you still want to smoke after 2 week's you've lost nothing, after 10 day's I ditched the patches and read the book again as a non smoker, as I said it was easy after that once the message in the book kicked in, as I also said my defences are still up but I am more confident by the day.

Keep up the good work as it is well worth it.

turnsoutIwas

I had a bit of a slip on Saturday night in Galway: I was a bit drunk and I got jealous of everyone smoking around me so I bought a pack. I smoked about 7 out of it over the course of a few hours. I didnt enjoy a single one of them and gave the rest away.
In the past this would have been the end of me giving up but its different this time. I have had no cravings since and I amnt missing them at all now. I was holding off from posting here until I knew what was going on but I can honestly say it has only strengthened my resolve to not smoke.
Hope everyone else is doing good.

Bearhunter

turnsoutIwas wrote: »

I had a bit of a slip on Saturday night in Galway: I was a bit drunk and I got jealous of everyone smoking around me so I bought a pack. I smoked about 7 out of it over the course of a few hours. I didnt enjoy a single one of them and gave the rest away.
In the past this would have been the end of me giving up but its different this time. I have had no cravings since and I amnt missing them at all now. I was holding off from posting here until I knew what was going on but I can honestly say it has only strengthened my resolve to not smoke.
Hope everyone else is doing good.

Good man. Don't get disheartened by a moment's weakness. Taking the odd drag isn't the end of it.

rubic

turnsoutIwas wrote: »

I didnt enjoy a single one of them

Good to see your back on track, I hope the slip reinforced at least 1 thing (how terrible they are) just use that the next time you are tempted, it can be easy to forget the reasons you gave up when your head is in the middle of a meltdown.

still going strong today is day 60 (tomorrow will be 2 months) and I can honestly say it is much easier now, only think about smoking once or twice a day now and it's very easy to surpress the feeling.

keep up the good work I know it's not easy.

k.p.h

Hi everyone

I'm smoking as I write this :mad: I really need some advice. I until last thursday I was smoke free for 3 weeks was not doing to bad as will power got me through the major physical withdrawal but I really had some trouble last weekend.I had a sever bout of depression and unreal lack of concentration.I know it's to be expected but the problem is I am studying computer science at the moment and its effecting my ability to work. Badly ! I poxed through an exam two weeks ago with no proper study but I'v end of semester exams coming up soon and will have to put in some serious work fully concentrated(boolean algebra,calculus ect..). I don't know what to do really. I'm in the gym or training nearly every evening now and in great physical shape but my lungs are a weak point. I noticed the my capacity increase immediately after giving up and its a great motivator buy alas my ability to concentrate properly is extremely important at the moment. Aghhh if you have read this far you obviously see my dilemma. The depression was killing me too it was genuinely bad. I'm not sure now am I rationalizing smoking or am I really in genuine situation. Guys thats all I can say really any advice or even someone telling me I am not the only one that had this dilemma.:cool:

antiskeptic

k.p.h wrote: »

Hi everyone

I'm smoking as I write this :mad: I really need some advice. I until last thursday I was smoke free for 3 weeks was not doing to bad as will power got me through the major physical withdrawal but I really had some trouble last weekend.I had a sever bout of depression and unreal lack of concentration.I know it's to be expected but the problem is I am studying computer science at the moment and its effecting my ability to work. Badly ! I poxed through an exam two weeks ago with no proper study but I'v end of semester exams coming up soon and will have to put in some serious work fully concentrated(boolean algebra,calculus ect..). I don't know what to do really. I'm in the gym or training nearly every evening now and in great physical shape but my lungs are a weak point. I noticed the my capacity increase immediately after giving up and its a great motivator buy alas my ability to concentrate properly is extremely important at the moment. Aghhh if you have read this far you obviously see my dilemma. The depression was killing me too it was genuinely bad. I'm not sure now am I rationalizing smoking or am I really in genuine situation. Guys thats all I can say really any advice or even someone telling me I am not the only one that had this dilemma.:cool:

What can I do but recommend Allen Carr's book "The easyway to stop smoking"? There are any number of positive things that can be said about his method (and few if any negatives) but the one most relevant to you at this moment is that you can continue your smoking whilst reading it. And that his method doesn't rely on your (ongoing) application of willpower.

If you do read it, take it slow and steady - but read consistantly. You should be a happy, depression-free non-smoker in a week to 10 days.

RJunior

I went back smoking heavily a few months ago having given up for about a year. Within a few weeks, my sleep was all messed up, I'd no energy during the day, I was f*cked playing football and couldn't run anymore. Would go on hikes with mates and couldn't enjoy the day cause my lungs were so shot. When I read Alan Carr before, I never got the whole "you're not giving up anything, you're gaining everything" concept but it's starting to gain some traction for me now. Been off them a few weeks now, using patches. Feel much better. Have a had few a slips on weekends when out for a few pints but I'm not being too hard on myself. I wake up the next morning and the last thing I want is to start into it again. So by and large not smoking during the week. Smoking the occasional weekend, maybe 1 or 2. I know some people will say it's a slippery slope but it's kinda working for me at the moment. The difficulty for me giving up before is the finality of saying that's your last cigarette. Soon as I say that, I'm guaranteed to want one. I'm hoping I'll eventually get to the stage where it won't even occur to me to have one when I'm out in the pub. It'll just slowly melt away.

antiskeptic

RJunior wrote: »

When I read Alan Carr before, I never got the whole "you're not giving up anything, you're gaining everything" concept but it's starting to gain some traction for me now. Been off them a few weeks now, using patches.

As an enthusiastic 'evangelist' for Allen's method I feel compelled to point out that you're acting 180 degrees contrary to the few, easy-to-follow instructions he insists upon (in your using of nicotine patches).

If you don't find his instructions on that matter easy to follow then his method hasn't gained anything like the traction he intends (his method is called The Easy Way to Stop Smoking so if it's not easy then it's not his method you're applying.

His instruction in that case is that you go back and re-read whatever element of the method you've not quite understood. Failure to do that is too, failing to follow his instructions.


Wishing you well all the same though

RJunior

antiskeptic wrote: »

As an enthusiastic 'evangelist' for Allen's method I feel compelling to point out that you're acting 180 degrees contrary to the few, easy-to-follow instructions he insists upon (in your using of nicotine patches).

If you don't find his instructions on that matter easy to follow then his method hasn't gained anything like the traction he intends (his method is called The Easy Way to Stop Smoking so if it's not easy then it's not his method you're applying.

His instruction in that case is that you go back and re-read whatever element of the method you've not quite understood. Failure to do that is too, failing to follow his instructions.


Wishing you well all the same though

Each to their own. I find patches helpful with cravings and minimising the inevitable grouchiness that comes with nicotine withdrawal. Am at the stage now where I forget to put them on some days and then not really noticing that I'm not using one. Eventually will not be using them at all. Am weening myself off them without even realising it.