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gunrunner1988
Posts: 6
I was a heavy smoker (20-40) a day for 11 years but a smoker in on shape or another for 13 years. I loved cigarettes. Like all smokers I was aware of the dangers that existed. Add to this how little I exercised and how much I drank and ate it was only a matter of time before I really felt it.
About five years ago I noticed that along with the usual smokers cough I'd developed I would wake up each morning choking. It didn't happen too often so I wasn't that worried but a year later it was happening every morning. Great way to start the day I know. My housemates were concerned about it but I joked and we moved on.
Like many smokers I've made half assed attempts at quitting throughout the course of my life. I tried
cold turkey(24 hours)
patches= Helped me cut down but I still smoked
Catching pneumonia= 10 days
I also followed in the footsteps of one of my housemates and tried the Alan Carrs (not the comedian) book .It managed to get me off cigarettes for a week. I made the silly mistake of giving in to an urge after a week and that put me back on them.
I celebrated my 29th birthday in July of this year. I decided I'd have a nap while my girlfriend got ready for the celebrations. When I woke she was looking at me straightening her hair " You stop breathing when you sleep. Then you gasp in air". I then spent the evening in the company of some of my friends, two of whom work in the medical profession who started listing off many problems that smokers have and people who are over weight have. One of them even told me that he would be surprised if I didn't already have a pulmonary disease of some kind.
But I kept thinking of what my girlfriend said. I knew what problem this was a symptom of and I didn't want to start sleeping with a sleeping mask.
I set myself two tasks the next day.
1) I would enjoy the upcoming week off on holidays. I would eat what I wanted, drink what I wanted smoke as much as I wanted and generally just indulge.
2) At the end of this week I was going to sit down and read the Allen Carr book again and quit smoking. I was also going to do my best to cut out the crap diet. I was also going to get by body back in shape.
The point of this was that I was going to give myself a healthy body for my 30th birthday next year.
I had a great week indulging and then I sat down and read the book. The first week was quite difficult and at the same point as the first time I'd tried this method I got an urge. Allow me to explain the urge. Sweat was pouring down my face, my heart was racing and I felt as though I was about to have a panic attack. If you've ever been around a smoker when they're down to their last cigarette and miles from getting a new one, that was the panic. It was like the nicotine in my body was launching one last attack on me. So I went to the shop and I bought myself a box. I unwrapped the plastic from the box. Then I put them in a drawer. I knew at that point I could quit. It was never going to be as difficult as it had been right then.
I'm off them four, **** nearly five weeks now. I could see the difference immediately. No more coughing waking up and I could take a massive breath of air without choking. I could also do a massive jovial laugh like I used to. There are still cravings but nothing like that final urge.
It feels good. I don't know if I'll ever smoke again but lets see how long I can keep this going.
If you want to quit you'll quit and if you fail you can always try again later. Remember that.
About five years ago I noticed that along with the usual smokers cough I'd developed I would wake up each morning choking. It didn't happen too often so I wasn't that worried but a year later it was happening every morning. Great way to start the day I know. My housemates were concerned about it but I joked and we moved on.
Like many smokers I've made half assed attempts at quitting throughout the course of my life. I tried
cold turkey(24 hours)
patches= Helped me cut down but I still smoked
Catching pneumonia= 10 days
I also followed in the footsteps of one of my housemates and tried the Alan Carrs (not the comedian) book .It managed to get me off cigarettes for a week. I made the silly mistake of giving in to an urge after a week and that put me back on them.
I celebrated my 29th birthday in July of this year. I decided I'd have a nap while my girlfriend got ready for the celebrations. When I woke she was looking at me straightening her hair " You stop breathing when you sleep. Then you gasp in air". I then spent the evening in the company of some of my friends, two of whom work in the medical profession who started listing off many problems that smokers have and people who are over weight have. One of them even told me that he would be surprised if I didn't already have a pulmonary disease of some kind.
But I kept thinking of what my girlfriend said. I knew what problem this was a symptom of and I didn't want to start sleeping with a sleeping mask.
I set myself two tasks the next day.
1) I would enjoy the upcoming week off on holidays. I would eat what I wanted, drink what I wanted smoke as much as I wanted and generally just indulge.
2) At the end of this week I was going to sit down and read the Allen Carr book again and quit smoking. I was also going to do my best to cut out the crap diet. I was also going to get by body back in shape.
The point of this was that I was going to give myself a healthy body for my 30th birthday next year.
I had a great week indulging and then I sat down and read the book. The first week was quite difficult and at the same point as the first time I'd tried this method I got an urge. Allow me to explain the urge. Sweat was pouring down my face, my heart was racing and I felt as though I was about to have a panic attack. If you've ever been around a smoker when they're down to their last cigarette and miles from getting a new one, that was the panic. It was like the nicotine in my body was launching one last attack on me. So I went to the shop and I bought myself a box. I unwrapped the plastic from the box. Then I put them in a drawer. I knew at that point I could quit. It was never going to be as difficult as it had been right then.
I'm off them four, **** nearly five weeks now. I could see the difference immediately. No more coughing waking up and I could take a massive breath of air without choking. I could also do a massive jovial laugh like I used to. There are still cravings but nothing like that final urge.
It feels good. I don't know if I'll ever smoke again but lets see how long I can keep this going.
If you want to quit you'll quit and if you fail you can always try again later. Remember that.
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Replies
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Congrats on your over 4 weeks smoke free! I was a smoker for 40 years! Dec. 28th of this year I will be 4 years smoke free. Alan Carrs book did help me to stay off the smokes when I did decide to quit. I used to drink gallons of water, take many long walks and move my mind in a different direction whenever the nicotine demon surfaced its ugly head. A lot of it is mindset. I hope you succeed in quiting for good. Don't wait until you are in your 50's like I did. They say it takes 10 years for the lungs to get back to normal after a smoker quits. Although I am very healthy, I still worry if I have done irrepairable damage to my body and it will surface some day.
But for now I breath better, I don't have a nasty cough, my clothes don't smell like tobacco and I always have extra $$ in my pocket because I am not spending $8.00 to $10.00 a day for smokes. And best of all I have lost weight and I excersise everyday and try to follow a diet plan. I feel great because I have changed my lifestyle ! Good luck!0
