My Quit Log_GastroBoy

GastroBoy

DAY 1

Okay, so its high time to quit this stupid habit,
I am sick of;

Failing health because of crappy lungs.
Spending a fortune on the little devils.
Smelling like an ashtray.
Dooming myself to an early death!!

I've tried before and did okay, went back after a week

This time I am just completely fed up with them, I haven't enjoyed smoking for a few months now.
I smoked the last of my packet today at 11am and by any means i am finished with them I hope.
I'm starting this log to have somewhere to go and vent if it gets tough,
and I would appreciate any tips you guys might have.

Here goes:D

GastroBoy

So far so good, slight pangs of craving every now and then, but just wait for them to subside and get on with things.
Thats the hardest part of the day for me, during work hours, I wouldent usualy smoke much in the evenings.
So out for a long walk tonight and have at it tomorrow again!!!

Vizzy

Well here's my story.
Went from 25 a day for the last 30 years to cold turkey on 5th March this year.Haven't touched one since.
Still love the smell of them but no urge to smoke.
You say in your post that you haven't enjoyed them for the last few months and I think this is the key to it.
If you still want to smoke then you probably will smoke again(IMO),but if you want to give up(really want to give up) then that is half the battle.

I won't lie to you,the next few days will probably be tough and you will probably have weird dreams and a few other side effects for a couple of weeks but stick with it,you will get through it.
One tip when you get cravings,just do something to take your mind off it for just a few seconds and the craving will pass(I used to get up and walk around the chair).
Best of luck and keep posting
are just

GastroBoy

Vizzy wrote: »

Well here's my story.
Went from 25 a day for the last 30 years to cold turkey on 5th March this year.Haven't touched one since.
Still love the smell of them but no urge to smoke.
You say in your post that you haven't enjoyed them for the last few months and I think this is the key to it.
If you still want to smoke then you probably will smoke again(IMO),but if you want to give up(really want to give up) then that is half the battle.

I won't lie to you,the next few days will probably be tough and you will probably have weird dreams and a few other side effects for a couple of weeks but stick with it,you will get through it.
One tip when you get cravings,just do something to take your mind off it for just a few seconds and the craving will pass(I used to get up and walk around the chair).
Best of luck and keep posting
are just

Thank you Vizzy. Sounds like your doing well and over the worst of it.
Evening time isn't my enemy, although there are key times where I would always have a cig, after dinner etc.
Daytime at work is the time I'll miss them most, so for that reason I'm only taking €4 with me so I won't crack even if I want to.

GastroBoy

DAY 2

So roughly at the 24 hour mark now, feeling pretty good to be honest.
Strange night's sleep last night.
Fell asleep around 12:45am, woke up again at 2am feeling as if I'd had a full nights sleep, woke again at 6am. Slightly vivid dreaming going on.

In general im feeling okay, slight cravings from time to time, but im trying to combat that with plenty of tea and water.
I decide against using any patches etc...
Some small things I've begun to notice, which id be lying if I said I wasn't kind of enjoying,

Tingling sensations in my arms and hands, and up behind my neck.
Feeling like my tongue is coming back to normal, dinner should be good later!!
Slight giddiness and light headedness.
General warmth throughout body, on my face, arms etc..

Some bad points,
Routine is the hardest part, coffee breaks, travelling to work in the car, all times when i would have a smoke.

Anyhow, onwards and upwards:)
GB

GastroBoy

Another day of work finished, which means im basically good until tomorrow again.
Cravings are feeling a little stronger then earlier, but perhaps that's because im hungry.
I little thing ive started doing, if i get a bad craving, a large slug of ice cold water, brings on a slight brain freeze and the craving disappears.

Anyhow, off home and a nice long walk,:pac:
GB

GastroBoy

DAY 3

Well, the start of another day.
To be honest, this morning was a bit brutal. Woke up in the middle of the night, wide awake at 03:30am, with some cramps & nausea.
Got back to sleep but woke up this morning feeling crappy.
Not exactly madly craving a cigarette, but just moody & grumpy.
Anyway, got a coffee in me and in better form now.

Purposely only took enough money with me today to cover a sandwhich at lunchtime.
Today will be harder I feel. The next 24 hours will be crucial.

Stefan_Cork

keep it up, i admire your willpower!

quaalude

Congrats on deciding to stop smoking GastroBoy - it sounds like you're in the perfect frame of mind to do it.
I stopped almost 6 months ago - reading loads of posts on this very forum gave me the push I needed. I only posted here a little bit, but it really did help.

It was a bit hard in the early days, mostly when I saw my friends and family smoking, but now I'm so happy I made the decision to stop, and I don't miss them at all - I'm just a bit embarrassed that I smoked for as long as I did.

I used the sipping water method also - worked perfectly for me.

GastroBoy

Stefan_Cork wrote: »

keep it up, i admire your willpower!

Thank you!!!

quaalude wrote: »

Congrats on deciding to stop smoking GastroBoy - it sounds like you're in the perfect frame of mind to do it.
I stopped almost 6 months ago - reading loads of posts on this very forum gave me the push I needed. I only posted here a little bit, but it really did help..

Cheers!

This is defiantly the hardest part so far, but it's not as bad as thought it would be.
I was picturing a scene from from "Trainspotting"

The positives are already to beginning to outweigh the negatives,
feeling better, better sense of smell & taste, I smell better, more energy and already 20euro in the savings jar.

I believe the walking in the evenings is also helping me enormously. I'll also be avoiding alcohol for a few weeks to give myself a better chance, after all, I was smoking before I ever had a drink so the two go hand in hand in my book.

GastroBoy

Another day completed, as I have said, as long as I can make my workday without cracking, i feel im okay till the next day.

Ill hit the 72 hour mark tomorrow, so im proud of that.

Cravings come now mostly when i forget that ive stopped and find myself, out of habit, getting out of my seat to go outside for one. Then I get a longing for one, but off to the water cooler I go and horse a pint of water into me

GastroBoy

DAY 4

Better today then yesterday morning, yikes that was tough. Though sleep patterns are way out of whack, I can put up with it.
I can go to sleep easier at night, but waking up at all sorts of times is a bit odd.

A little perk so far, going to the shop to get a few things always cost me around 20-30 Euro because i would have to buy cigarettes with them.
Nice to go to the shop, get dinner in and have change from a tenner.
Its little things like that that im appreciating and are making it worthwhile.

Dont get me wrong though and think that this is a walk in the park for me, it's tough and its a struggle, but a struggle that I firmly believe i must get through now because im just starting to see the rewards, and if I can see these rewards after just 4 days, then surely in a few weeks it'll be infinitely better

ezryder

GastroBoy wrote: »

DAY 4

A little perk so far, going to the shop to get a few things always cost me around 20-30 Euro because i would have to buy cigarettes with them.
Nice to go to the shop, get dinner in and have change from a tenner.
Its little things like that that im appreciating and are making it worthwhile.

Thats exactly how I felt after quitting...all of a sudden you get lots of change!

You're doing really well, past day 3 so over the worst one. It does get easier

GastroBoy

GOOD POINT
A big difference today is my sense of taste & smell. Coffee is tasting good, cooking is almost a different experience, and I love to cook! Food is just taken to another level. Cant wait to have a glass of wine, after a week or two off the cigs of course
When I was out walking yesterday evening, I could actually smell all the trees and plants as I passed them, I know that may sound corny but hell, I enjoyed it.

BAD POINT
Increasingly hard trying to find more things to do as a distraction. This means my tea & water intake has gone up which isn't a bad thing.
Couldn't really sit and watch TV for the last few days.
Maybe its because im getting more energy?
Its okay now but if the weather turns crappy I don't know what ill do!

Vizzy

Gastroboy,
I've been in the background(monitoring) for the last couple of days.
Keeping an eye on you so to speak:)

Fair play so far.
After 3 days the Nicotine is gone but it will be tough for a while yet.
The side effects will last for a couple of weeks,particularly the weird sleeping patterns.No matter what side effects you get don't give up on yourself.
It gets easier and easier as time passes but be careful you don't get complacent cos your brain will be telling you "aw shure one won't do any harm" but for me anyway,one would have me back to square 1.

As regards things to do to occupy yourself,you will get very inventive.
In fact just thinking of what to do will break the craving for the vital few seconds.
Hang tough.

GastroBoy

Vizzy wrote: »

Gastroboy,
I've been in the background(monitoring) for the last couple of days.
Keeping an eye on you so to speak:)

DAY 5

Thanks @Vizzy!!

Well last night was freaking tough, I think I hit the climax of my withdrawal symptoms, I think I must have been getting it easy for the last few days.
It was strange, I wasnt even thinking about going and getting any cigarettes, just in a foul mood and snappy. Had another strange night of sleeping, but just felt more exhausted this morning then any other morning.
Times like that I suppose it doesn't help when your going cold turkey

I've been trying to keep myself busy this last few days, perhaps the result of all that activity just made me crash last night, I mean, in the last few days ive gone on a 10k walk, went swimming in the ocean, donated blood and been up each morning at around 6am, bound to take its toll.

I wont be having the usual glass of wine tonight, I wont tempt fate, think I might just hit the cinema.
Anyway, still haven't caved in to any cravings, I hope last night was the worst of it, the final push you could say. :pac:

And @Vizzy, thanks again for your supportive words, its good to know that I've got support from people like yourself on here!!

GastroBoy

Another day done at work. To be honest its been tough.
Completely unable to concentrate on anything.
Hoping that I'll get through the weekend now safe and sound.

On the upside im feeling healthier then I have done in a long time, time to start jogging perhaps!!!

GB

GastroBoy

DAY 8

Can't believe I've made it to this stage.
It's been tough but i've gotten through the worst of it now and glad i made the decision, best choice EVER!!!

Made it through the weekend okay, a bit of hill walking on Saturday helped.
I even had a few beers which I told myself I wasn't going to do but did anyway.
And honestly, it was grand. Didn't feel like I wanted a smoke at all.
Thought to myself when I had a pint of Guinness, "why on earth would I want to pollute my mouth with horrible smoke taste when I can taste this pint instead?"

Onwards and upwards.

If someone is reading this and wanting to give up cigarettes, JUST DO IT!!!
It's the single best thing you can do to improve your life from multiple angles.

Love2love

Well done GB!

One week down! It's gets easier from here

Keep up the good work!

quaalude

GastroBoy wrote: »

DAY 8

Can't believe I've made it to this stage.
It's been tough but i've gotten through the worst of it now and glad i made the decision, best choice EVER!!!

Made it through the weekend okay, a bit of hill walking on Saturday helped.
I even had a few beers which I told myself I wasn't going to do but did anyway.
And honestly, it was grand. Didn't feel like I wanted a smoke at all.
Thought to myself when I had a pint of Guinness, "why on earth would I want to pollute my mouth with horrible smoke taste when I can taste this pint instead?"

Onwards and upwards.

If someone is reading this and wanting to give up cigarettes, JUST DO IT!!!
It's the single best thing you can do to improve your life from multiple angles.

Nice one GastroBoy - you sound just like I did, when I gave up 6 months ago.
I haven't wanted to smoke once since I got past that first week.

People talk about how hard giving up is, but they don't really tell you about how enjoyable it is to not smoke! Life is way better without fags.

GastroBoy

Love2love wrote: »

Well done GB!

One week down! It's gets easier from here

Keep up the good work!

Thanks!!!!

quaalude wrote: »

Nice one GastroBoy - you sound just like I did, when I gave up 6 months ago.
I haven't wanted to smoke once since I got past that first week.

People talk about how hard giving up is, but they don't really tell you about how enjoyable it is to not smoke! Life is way better without fags.

I agree 100%!! It's like getting a new lease of life, its tough but the reward is amazing.
Also, the money jar is filling up nicely, I'll have enough for a new flat screen TV at the end of July. imagine!!

GastroBoy

DAY 10

I'm still well off them.
The worst of the cravings are gone now.
The challenge I see now will be dealing with normal times when i would be smoking,
like going out for meals, drinks etc...

But the difference I feel that it has made to my health is immense, I've been exercising fairly regularly since I stopped.
My taste buds have reawoken and food is a total joy once again.

A summary, I suppose, of the good points after 10 days:

Its 10 days!!!
My health is FAR better, this encompasses everything from walking to sleeping and eating, and also my mood in general.
Money is not disappearing as fast.
Open to trying out new things, I can see that I am trying to distract myself by doing new things but hey, it feels good too.
I'm not paranoid about smelling like an ashtray after smoking, especially in this wet weather.

I hope someone reading this who is thinking about giving up the fags can gain some encouragement, and PLEASE give it a shot, it may well be the best decision you've made, ever.
That certainly has been the case for me.
And use the boards here as a crutch, its been a wealth of help for me, both for advice and just for killing a few minutes.

Gastroboy

Cheeky_gal

I've just read every comment in this thread, congrats Gastroboy your log is great fun to read.

May I suggest downloading the "giving up smoking" app. It's amazing and it's what motivated me to give up. It shows a daily picture of the damage smoking does to your insides, it gives a motivational quote every day, it also shows the nicotine levels going down and it also shows your lung improvement. It will also tell you how many cigarettes you would have smoked as well as the exact amount you are saving. Definately worth downloading!

Also I totally agree with you on the walking. I started walking when I gave up (3/4 months ago) and I walk every single night now and I really look forward to the walks and the scent of the trees etc (corny is right!) :P

Keep up the good work, looking forward to reading tomorrows progress!

WhichWay

"If someone is reading this and wanting to give up cigarettes, JUST DO IT!!!"

GastroBoy, thanks for your thread, keep it up.
I'm going to do it. I hate every one of the 20 a day i'm consuming. Hypnotherapy booked for this Saturday.

quaalude

Cheeky_gal wrote: »

Also I totally agree with you on the walking. I started walking when I gave up (3/4 months ago) and I walk every single night now and I really look forward to the walks and the scent of the trees etc (corny is right!) :P

Same here, Cheeky_gal - my sense of smell has improved enormously.
I walked by a load of lilacs the other day and I just stopped and breathed deeply for a few moments, and it was gorgeous.

GastroBoy

Cheeky_gal wrote: »

I've just read every comment in this thread, congrats Gastroboy your log is great fun to read.

Thank you, its been great writing it, seems to have helped me along the way!!!

WhichWay wrote: »

"If someone is reading this and wanting to give up cigarettes, JUST DO IT!!!"

GastroBoy, thanks for your thread, keep it up.
I'm going to do it. I hate every one of the 20 a day i'm consuming. Hypnotherapy booked for this Saturday.

Good on you, I wish you all the best of luck and don't be shy about coming on to boards for help, start you own log even!!!!!!

GastroBoy

2 WEEKS

Well two weeks today I stopped, and I'm still off them:)
It certainly has not been easy, buy so seriously worth the hard work.

In two weeks I have saved nearly E100!!!
My health is better, I can smell & taste better then ever before.

I had a few nights out with a couple of drinks over the weekend, and with several people who are smokers.
I must say that I'm shocked at how little I wanted a cigarette, I just enjoyed my drink. I think that even the smell from people who went out for one was enough to put me off. The most foul, ashtray-like odor, I cant believe I used to smell like that and be talking to people.
But I don't want to sound like I'm belittling people who still smoke, I was never aware of the smell until I stopped, but thats what cigarettes do to your sense of smell.

So anyway, I think I'm going to do this this time, I feel really positive about the whole thing, Im not in the clear yet but the way I feel now, after two weeks off them, I cant see myself going back to them in a hurry!!!

And good luck to everyone else out there who is in the process of quitting, keep it up, it's really worth it isn't it?!

daltonmd

GastroBoy wrote: »

2 WEEKS

Well two weeks today I stopped, and I'm still off them:)
It certainly has not been easy, buy so seriously worth the hard work.

In two weeks I have saved nearly E100!!!
My health is better, I can smell & taste better then ever before.

I had a few nights out with a couple of drinks over the weekend, and with several people who are smokers.
I must say that I'm shocked at how little I wanted a cigarette, I just enjoyed my drink. I think that even the smell from people who went out for one was enough to put me off. The most foul, ashtray-like odor, I cant believe I used to smell like that and be talking to people.
But I don't want to sound like I'm belittling people who still smoke, I was never aware of the smell until I stopped, but thats what cigarettes do to your sense of smell.

So anyway, I think I'm going to do this this time, I feel really positive about the whole thing, Im not in the clear yet but the way I feel now, after two weeks off them, I cant see myself going back to them in a hurry!!!

And good luck to everyone else out there who is in the process of quitting, keep it up, it's really worth it isn't it?!

Well good for you! Thanks for posting. I started today and it's nice to read others experience.

GastroBoy

daltonmd wrote: »

GastroBoy wrote: »

2 WEEKS

Well two weeks today I stopped, and I'm still off them:)
It certainly has not been easy, buy so seriously worth the hard work.

In two weeks I have saved nearly E100!!!
My health is better, I can smell & taste better then ever before.

I had a few nights out with a couple of drinks over the weekend, and with several people who are smokers.
I must say that I'm shocked at how little I wanted a cigarette, I just enjoyed my drink. I think that even the smell from people who went out for one was enough to put me off. The most foul, ashtray-like odor, I cant believe I used to smell like that and be talking to people.
But I don't want to sound like I'm belittling people who still smoke, I was never aware of the smell until I stopped, but thats what cigarettes do to your sense of smell.

So anyway, I think I'm going to do this this time, I feel really positive about the whole thing, Im not in the clear yet but the way I feel now, after two weeks off them, I cant see myself going back to them in a hurry!!!

And good luck to everyone else out there who is in the process of quitting, keep it up, it's really worth it isn't it?!

Well good for you! Thanks for posting. I started today and it's nice to read others experience.

Well done, I hope you succeed, good luck!!

W0bble5

Today was set to be my quit day but woke up yesterday with a manky hangover and just didn't bother smoking.

I'm 28, been smoking since I'm 12.... I cut down a while ago from 25 or so to about 15 a day. Been through 3 collapsed lungs and 2 serious lung operations and never stayed off them more than a few weeks.

I'm using an electronic cigarette to take the edge off it. So far so good. Day 2 over!

My wife started her quit day today and broke in the evening and had one so I gave her one of my electronic cigarettes to see if that'll help her out!

Vizzy

GastroBoy,you can't go back on them now !!
Shure you're an inspiration to others:D

I told you it would get easier( and better) as time went on.

How are you getting on with the dreams or have you any other side effects?

Well done so far