Smoking and ME

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settoloki
settoloki Posts: 30 Member
in Motivation and Support
As I'm sure with anyone here to try and live a healthier lifestyle, if you are a smoker you are thinking of quitting. This is a battle I keep loosing.
I can last a few days and then the temptation takes over.

What tips and tricks do you use to help you keep the cigs off? And if you are a smoker trying to quit add me to friends we can spur each other on .

T
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Replies

  • leannehoggdodd
    leannehoggdodd Posts: 59
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    I personally went t total about 5 years ago and it worked for me - but stopping smoking is the reason i am now on here - i put on 28 pounds.......
  • leannehoggdodd
    leannehoggdodd Posts: 59
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    Really sorry - i just realised how un motivational my comment actually was!

    I stopped as a new years resoluation with a friend and it really worked for me, i do still have the odd one when i have had a drink but i have never been tempted to start again.

    I think the first two weeks are the hardest, have you tried gum etc? its supposed to be really good but i think the main and only thing that can stop you smoking is yourself!

    You can do it!

    x
  • settoloki
    settoloki Posts: 30 Member
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    Really sorry - i just realised how un motivational my comment actually was!

    I stopped as a new years resoluation with a friend and it really worked for me, i do still have the odd one when i have had a drink but i have never been tempted to start again.

    I think the first two weeks are the hardest, have you tried gum etc? its supposed to be really good but i think the main and only thing that can stop you smoking is yourself!

    You can do it!

    x

    I will, I have my kids for a full week whilst their on their summer holidays from school, I have strict rules about smoking around my kids, so I am going to use this as my first week of not smoking.

    I'm intent on doing it with willpower alone, I know there are many aids out there some more pricey than others - and others more pricey than smoking! but I don't want to swap the habit for another one, and a day without my patch makes me think I have to smoke.

    I've heard changing a cig for a glass of water is a good substitution, and I probably need to drink more water anyway. So this time that will be the trade-off, I am however seriously worried about weight gain and eating more because I stop. Is why I started my healthier eating a few days ago, to try and get into the swing of that first then let the smoking follow.

    When I quit it is usually after a night out or stressful work day that makes me but a pack again.
  • leannehoggdodd
    leannehoggdodd Posts: 59
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    Yeah I know the feeling, stressful days made me smoke more.

    You have a big motivation to stop in your kids and even though I put weight on I still am healthier than I was before.

    If eating a little packet of crisps here a.d there gets you through the first few hard weeks then I say let it happen, it will be better for you in the long run! Once you get past the craving stage you csn start concentrating on you diet again.
  • jtslim42
    jtslim42 Posts: 240
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    Hey there! I am on Day 57 of not smoking. It is extremely tough but you can do it! I paired mine with training for a 1/2 marathon so I really don't have a choice. I also tried to stay away from some of my triggers the first month. Good luck and feel free to add me. :drinker:
  • 2manyhats
    2manyhats Posts: 1,189 Member
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    Yoga helps me, I think it is the focus on breathing. I quit ( FOR THE LAST TIME!) in June. I do drink tons of water, also once a week I chop bunches of veggies so that I always have a healthy choice to grab and munch-doubles by getting supper on the table faster too! Also jump rope or do crunches every time you feel like you are slipping. Just things that have helped me the past month!
  • malabaugh
    malabaugh Posts: 130 Member
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    I was a yo-yo smoker for ages! I would quit for months (and once for years) and then start again...no will power! Last August I found this book at the library and decided to give it a whirl.

    http://www.amazon.com/Smoking-Today-Without-Gaining-Weight/dp/140276572X/ref=pd_sim_b_4/191-7453234-1310457

    I have been smoke-free for a year now and I do not miss it. I do not crave it. I do not feel like I am missing out on anything (I loved smoking!) The smell bothers me now and I have no desire to ever go back.

    Maybe see if your library has it. If now, it's worth every penny to buy it. It only costs 3 packs of cigarettes!

    Good luck, I know it's hard, but so worth it to be smoke free!
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    I quit cold turkey after 20 years of smoking after reading Allen Carr's Easy Way book.

    No willpower needed, after reading that it just de-programmed me and I didn't want to smoke.

    It's not magic, you do want to have to stop, but it's very popular.

    Good luck :)
  • settoloki
    settoloki Posts: 30 Member
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    From a psychological point of view I can see how any quit smoking book will help. whilst making the concious decision to sit and read the book you are also programming yourself to not smoke.

    The same way having friends and reading the forums regularly on here lead to a better success of weight loss - when you choose to actively do something positive to put off a negative you are programming yourself to work differently. The motivation it provides is enough to stamp out any urges. (think leaving the gym and craving and healthy meal instead of fatty)

    I suppose reading the books would keep me motivated. Just wish I had time to read, going to buy two books and leave them in two places I spend prolonged time with not much else to do (you know where they are!)

    I to love smoking, I love nipping for a smoke during the work day get myself out of the office for a few mins. I like the smokein the car on the way to work.

    What I don't like is
    the smell,
    the expense,
    the feeling of breathlessness,
    waking up feeling gunky,
    my inability to taste(something that improves just a few days after smoking),
    it's not great for the air or interior of my car

    When I have quit I have enjoyed all of these things and no idea why I keep going back. It's like there is an inner me telling me "gawan gawan one can't hurt" - I'm not sure why my inner me has the accent, need to stamp the little bugger out or bring him over to my way of thinking.

    T


    Edit: also, no I'm not insane the voices in my head tell me so!
  • apnovack
    apnovack Posts: 40
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    From a psychological point of view I can see how any quit smoking book will help. whilst making the concious decision to sit and read the book you are also programming yourself to not smoke.

    The same way having friends and reading the forums regularly on here lead to a better success of weight loss - when you choose to actively do something positive to put off a negative you are programming yourself to work differently. The motivation it provides is enough to stamp out any urges. (think leaving the gym and craving and healthy meal instead of fatty)

    I suppose reading the books would keep me motivated. Just wish I had time to read, going to buy two books and leave them in two places I spend prolonged time with not much else to do (you know where they are!)

    I to love smoking, I love nipping for a smoke during the work day get myself out of the office for a few mins. I like the smokein the car on the way to work.

    What I don't like is
    the smell,
    the expense,
    the feeling of breathlessness,
    waking up feeling gunky,
    my inability to taste(something that improves just a few days after smoking),
    it's not great for the air or interior of my car

    I'm in the same boat. I think about quitting every single day. Good Luck!
  • apnovack
    apnovack Posts: 40
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    Has anyone tried and been successful with hypnotization?
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
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    I have never smoked, so I don't know what it's like. But I do work in a nursing home and see people struggling every day to breathe, feeling like the are suffocating, even with oxygen on and I know that I would not want to end up that way. But it must be a strong addiction because lots of people who work with me smoke, and I just don't understand how they can, seeing what we see every day.
  • settoloki
    settoloki Posts: 30 Member
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    Has anyone tried and been successful with hypnotization?

    I would love to know this too.


    Also they need to move the report post button I almost clicked that instead of quote....almost!
  • dstov
    dstov Posts: 4 Member
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    I quit a year or maybe more ago. I don't remember the date. I used the gum when I was feeling like I wanted to kill someone. You have to use it right or the gum is not effective - chomp it 2-3 times and then park it between your gum and lower lip to let the nicotine slowly enter the blood stream. Don't chomp it again until you need another infusion of nicotine.

    I also made postcards/notes to look at when I felt that overwhelming urge to scream or yell. I would read them to remind myself how hard it is to quit, how much healthier I will be when I no longer smoke, how the world is not ganging up on me and trying to piss me off but instead that I have an addiction and I am going through withdraws.

    And last and certainly not least, I ran. If I was feeling like I was going to explode, I would get on the treadmill and run or walk until the urge/anger was gone.
  • Presleyforpresident
    Presleyforpresident Posts: 172
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    i started smoking when i hit 15 (i'm almost 19 now) and i quit cold turkey the day after my 17th birthday.
    i was smoking a pack a day and it was horrible.
    i did all kinds of ill things to get myself to quit. one of the tamer ones was snapping a rubber band around my wrist whenever i got the urge.
    i also didn't hide the facts of what the smoke was doing to my body.
    i watched a lot of documentaries on throat/lung cancer and personal documentaries on people who tried to quit but didn't.
    i basically had to 100% make up my mind that this was it.
    it was hell, not going to lie.
    but i did it and i'm free.
    and it as worth it. :)
  • vtachycardia
    vtachycardia Posts: 374
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    I've tried everything, I mean everything, now after my twelvety attempt I have been stopped for4 months. This was patches, and the new mist spray and if you go to a local cessation clinic in the UK you get the products on one prescription so the cost is not prohibitive plus they give you CBT style help when you attend the sessions. Actually, I used the local chemist this time and not the cessation clinics.

    Anyho', my top tip for either hunger craving or cigarette craving
    drum roll









    Frozen Grapes
    Frozen Peas - only one at a time of grape or pea. No real reason for this, but myself and countless others think it works.
  • vtachycardia
    vtachycardia Posts: 374
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    And the other mantra for dealing with addiction

    "I am not smoking today" or "sniffing glue" whatever.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Hubby and me are starting back on the patch next month. We love each other too much to go cold turkey.
  • 20ever
    20ever Posts: 125 Member
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    At some point you just have to realize that the decision is yours and you want to stay with it. I used tobacco for years in all forms and was an addict. When I succumbed to the draw of a cigarette or a rub of snuff, I felt as though I was ashamed. I snuck around, well thought I was sneaking around - but my wife and kids knew, and one say last fall as I hid in my truck with a rub of snuff in my mouth, I realized it was complete BS to keep this habit up if all it did was give me a simple pleasure versus embarrassment, shame and potential health concerns.

    As of September 15th 2011 I have been tobacco free. It's nothing more than a lifestyle decision or at least it was for me. You will make the decision when you are ready, but some people never make that decision.

    Nicotine is a powerful drug, but I have managed to drop the habit for the past 10+ months.

    Make the decision for yourself and for others who want you around for years to come.

    You yourself are more important than any form of tobacco.

    And if you fail to quit........quit again.

    Good Luck and God Bless
  • danabrash
    danabrash Posts: 67
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    Rolled my first cigarette in '78 at 8 years old and started buying smokes regularly in 1982 at the age of 12. I was a pack a day by age 15. I quit Dec 30, 2011 (at 11:53 AM Pacific time), cold turkey and a supportive understanding family.

    When the craving hit, I breathed deeply, said an affirmation and waited for it to pass. It always did. When the cravings started coming frequently, I'd go exercise. Nothing like a run uphill to remind you why you want to be smober.

    Also, not sure if this is your thing or not, but shooting a quick prayer up helped me relieve the cravings as well.

    hth, and best of luck to you. You can do it.

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