Any advice on giving up smoking
 

I've smoked for years. :smoke: I've got used to the odd cough and wheeze for the most part. But after smoking LM Blues in Thailand, light cigarettes. I've moved back to rolling baccy in the UK. Cigarettes are too expensive here for me so rolling baccy is the only choice.

Have to say I've really noticed the difference puffing away on Golden Virginia after the light cigarettes. Two months down the line - coughing and a bit of a wheeze has come back. Time to listen to the warning signs I think and pack it in.

Just wondering if there are any ex-smokers who could share any advice or tips on how they gave up ?

Seems to be a whole industry now of nicotine patches, medicines like Champix and Zyban etc. Just wondering what people used. I appreciate the will power has got to be there but I think some assistance could be useful in the initial transition stage.

Any ideas or suggestions you think I should try ?

:cheers:

do you smoke all the time or only when ur on the booze m8 ?

All the time Kev. I smoke a lot when I'm drinking as most smokers do. But first one of the day is ten minutes after waking up !

My old man used to be a heavy smoker and packed it in in the 80s before all the patches and gum and other aids to quitting were around. What worked for him was working out how much he spent on cigarettes in a year and then he spent close enough the exact amount on getting something he wanted for the family, a video recorder in his case. Any time he had serious cravings he just thought of how he'd better spent the money and used that thought to bolster his willpower.

Good luck with it bud :cheers:

I've been stopped for 4 months now and reckon I've just about got it cracked. I'd tried all sorts of ways to give up in the past, some of which didn't last a day. I just woke up one morning, coughed my guts up as normal and thought "This is fucking crazy!" I got hold of some Zyban (Queomem in LOS - costs around 2k Baht for 30 days) and started on that. The first week was a pain but I just kept reminding myself about the cough and wheezing and thought "there's no way I'm going back to that". Where I live has a good gym and 25m pool, so I've joined that recently and the difference in stamina is amazing from what it was while I was smoking. I cancelled a holiday to the very north of Vietnam that I had got flights for last Songkran simply because I realised that I wasn't fit enough to handle the itinerary. I'll rebook it for next April. The big motivator is that your health can only get worse if you continue.

I wish you the best in your attempts.

In general I believe the most important thing about giving up is that mentally, you must really want to. If you're only half hearted about it then you will not succeed. Each ex smoker has their own path to success and they will vary considerably.

For me it's the nicotine patches but I don't use them as directed. I simply use them to get me through the first five days and then it's cold turkey from then on. If I'm not mentally ready to quit I'll only make it to the second day before I'm back on them.

I'm also a firm believer in the 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months theory. I keep a spreadsheet (I know typical fucking bean counter !) and once I've made it to 3 days I then target 3 weeks and so on. I've found that if I can make it to three months I'm confident I can keep going, providing I stay clear of temptation.

And that's the kicker – Temptation - In Australia it's now easier to avoid the temptation with all the anti social smoking rules and I find that to succeed I need to keep away from places and friends that will expose me to smoking, especially in the first 3 weeks. I've lost count of the number of times I've been with a friend who smokes and said "Hey mate can I pinch a fag of you" thinking it will only be one!

It just doesn't work – If you were a 20+ a day person, you can't just have one because if you do you will be back on them before you know it. And don't try and kid yourself that an occasional cigar will be alright, before you know it you will be buying the small tins of 10 cigars and then be back on the fags.

For me tomorrow will mark the 24th week since I last had a cigarette and over the last 85 weeks I've fallen off the wagon 3 times - June 2010 (2 weeks Pattaya), November 2010 (2 weeks Philippines) and February/March 2011 (4 weeks Thailand & Cairns).

Mentally I'm confident I can stay off them when I'm home but I know I'm weak when I hit Thailand and will almost certainly be smoking within 2 hours of landing at swampy, however I also feel strong enough now to know that when I return home again I will leave then alone – It really is just a state of mind that you need to control.

Lastly the encouragement of friends is also invaluable – I recall putting a post on the board a few years back about giving up smoking and received an awesome PM from Mack praising me for trying and encouraging me to keep going but not to beat myself up if I failed. To this day I still think about that PM.

So Gary the only advice I can offer you is to give it a go. If you don't succeed the first time, don't beat yourself up about it, just think about the future and give it another go when you feel you are ready – It really is all about your state of mind.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF - YOU CAN DO IT !

Thanks gonzo. Well done to your Dad going cold turkey and just stopping on will power alone. That must have been hard going at times. I'd like as much help as possible, just to kill the cravings off in the early days and then try and get out of the habit.

Thanks Tom. I've been googling Zyban since reading your post and it sounds like it would be a good help. I know one or two people who've taken Champix and that sounds a bit harsh. Making them feel ill some days.

For me it's not about saving money but my health. I can buy cheap rolling baccy at work. £75 for ten 50 gram pouches that would be nearly 17 quid each in the shops these days. I'm just sick of the chronic cough and wheeze that is turning into a shortness of breath. I work in a gym and I'm fine doing weights but stick me on a treadmill and I'm struggling. I'm 37 and I'm thinking if I keep smoking like this for another ten, fifteen years then I'm going to wreck myself.

Good luck staying off them and thanks for the Zyban tip.


Thanks for the advice John. Lots of good suggestions there. I've thought about stopping before but never really had the drive to go and see it through.

One or two things have happened in the last couple of years. I watched my aunt die slowly over a week, on oxygen, in hospital last November. That was a long lingering death to watch. The penny started to drop that if I don't change my lifestyle I could end up like that one day. So that's my motivation.

Temptation wise, I should be OK at home. I work in a gym/ health club so no smoking at work anyway. I don't go out much here. Just finish work and go home. So I'm not hanging about pubs. I can see how Thailand could be hard though. Drinking and smoking 'in your face' every night.

Thanks everyone for the ideas, I'll do a bit more research into nicotine patches and Zyban and see which option would suit me best and then go for it.

I have never smoked, so maybe not the right one to give advise.
However there is a guy here with a method were you start out by still smoking but not doing the other things. By that I mean that you can smoke and drink your tea or coffie but not together and so on.

Cold Turkey for me. Had my last tab on the last day before the smoking in pubs ban hit England (June 2007). Not smoked at all since. Oddly, my motivation was a determination not to be forced to go outside the pub to spark up.

Great for me as a kid, not only did we suddenly have this video recorder (He let me pick the first 2 films the day he bought it, Deathrace 2000 and The Wanderers :thumbsup: ), but every time he had a bad day with cravings he'd rent a load of films on his way home from work.

Whatever aids you use in the end you just have to tough it out.

I was smoking 40 Gold Leaf a day. I used to sound like a set of bagpipes being sat on when I woke up. I changed to Silk Cut in a effort to wean myself off the tabs. To get the same nicotine belt I ended up smoking 60 of them a day.

When I went back to the Gold Leaf I found I was now on 60 of them a day. That was the worlds worst attempt to stop smoking. In the end I did it cold turkey with my last half pack on the bedside table for the thick end of a year.

When I gave up I could get 20 fags and a Daily Mirror for less than a quid so it was a while ago.

Gold Leaf, they bring back some teenage memories. 60 a day and I would have been tarmacing the drive.

i used to be a full time smoker...never heavy but maybe 7-10 a day but gave it up for the boxing...i had an aim...and i had to do it ...now ive retired im back on em but only smoke when im drinkin.....as long as i keep myself busy through the week with work and the gym i dont think about it but as soon as i have a beer its game over and ive got to smoke....but i dont light one up in the mornin.........it works for me...i dont think i could give em up totally but just try smokin when u drink for starters cos thats when u crave the most.......as long as u keep it in your head its only when your drinkin an take it from there

goodluck

Exactly what I have always told people. When I gave up I found it easy to do as I REALLY had had enough of the fucking things!
Smoked 20 to 30 a day for over 10 years and had been a smoker for a few years before getting to that stage...... and I felt like shit because of it.
If you are only giving up because you think you ought to but actually still like smoking then it must be a real uphill struggle. Good luck.

Go for it Gaz, but repeating what Baggy said, don't get downhearted if you fail first time.

I smoked, albeit when younger, one day I realised it was stupid, and quit, but I hadn't been on them for 20 years (but hearing about Glasgee and knowing you are 37, probably 30 years for you ;o) ) I gave up on the spot.

My old man used to smoke 60 B&H a day, had a cancer scare, he gave up on the spot, I never, ever thought that would happen, he used to light up all the time even when feeling rough as a badgers arse.

My ex-stepfather used to smoke 80 a day, he was a hard working, fit builder, never ill, he ended up with Hodgkins Lymphona, he was rotten for a year, he gave up on the spot too.

Don't let it get to those stages mate, it's not pretty.

Remember too, it does affect others, as you have mentioned already with your family member.

There is a guy I used to work with who has just given up, he is using patches and an electronic cigarette, he swears by them.

Don't get down if one way doesn't work, try another, until you find one that suits you.

Oh yeah, and remember, giving up will allow you to extend your trip by another 2 weeks or more every year mate, everyone's a winner!

Good luck mate, I reckon you can do it :thumbsup:

I stopped for 5 years I'd smoked for 20 years and said when I get back from my next holiday i'm quitting and being a man of my word the day I got back from my holiday I had about 10 smokes left in my pack chucked them to one of the lads and never touched one for 5 year

Yeah I hear what you're saying. I'm thinking of it in two stages. Stage one - stop and beat the initial cravings. Stage two - get out of the routine. Any aids would just be to get me through stage one.

Maybe I should try and set a target, like doing a 10k run or something like that to train for. That might give me an added focus to stopping smoking and help the lung function. That might be a goal. Will give it some thought.

Everyone I've spoken to who has stopped says, drinking is the hardest bit. Not smoking when drinking. That's why I never drink alcohol on long haul flights. Because I know I'd want a smoke. Oh well, cross that bridge when I come to it...

Thanks Bill, I'll give stopping a good go. I've been smoking properly since I was 18. So that's nineteen years of heavy smoking ! You can get away with it when you're young but it's catching up with me now. I know it's time to jack it in.

Heh heh I do actually enjoy smoking. Just the wheeze/ cough that has crept in is pissing me off. Just need to think about that when I want a fag. Cheers.

Good luck Gary.

You gave me some diet tips fella and for sure I can help you with this smoking shit.

I was a heavy smoker for years, loved it. Used to have about 5 before I got to work. Loved the first one in the morning with a coffee. B&H were my thing.

I used to work in Amsterdam. That's what ended my smoking days. Of course I was on the weed big time. We smoked it 24/7 at work as well. In reality we probably smoked 20 fags a day plus 10 joints. It all got a bit much. My throat started burning everytime I had a fag. I had a cough then my foreman died from lung cancer.

As an aircraft painter it hit me that smoking plus breathing in shit paint is going to kill you double fast.

I'd tried giving up millions of times. Been through the old scenario of chucking out half a packet of fags and saying that's it.

One day I really wanted to give up. I'd had enough.

And just did.

Maybe it's not now but one day YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU WANT TO STOP. When that time comes it's easy.

Same as dieting. I tried this and that loads of times. One day my mum had a shocked look on her face and said I looked so fat she couldnt believe it.

Again, I WANTED to be thin so did it.

Have a good think. Do you really want to stop? If the answer is yes it will be a bastard but you can do it. Trouble is you will scoff your head off. That's how I got fat in the first place. Before I was like a rake.

I stopped for 5 years totally. Even got to the stage I thought smoking was dirty.

Thumbs Up bar has mucked me up. I got on those apple mint pipes and now have one in home. I have a puff quite a bit now but have it under control. It's great if you can get to this stage but it will take years. I'd never go back on the fags but always get on the blow in Amsterdam. I love being able to take it or leave it.

Always handy having a nurse on board :doctor:

Ah yes......... forgot to mention that I put 2 stone on when I gave up, but lost it eventually.
prepare to be a temporary fat cunt.

Thanks Tom. Still smoking... but getting closer to stopping !

Thanks for the advice Mirkwood. I love smoking, and blasted a fair bit of ganga in my time... I gave that up no problem. In all honesty I reckon I puffed half an ounce of hash/ black/ low grade every week. From 18 -30, and it was only going to Thailand. And not going near 'drugs' when I was there that got me off it. Thing is with that it was never a decision to stop. I just sort of lost interest in it for a variety of reasons to lengthy to list. If I was still smoking like that plus fags I'd be fucked now. Feel ten times better without that shite, (especially mentally) and no desire to even take a pass of joint now. Not my scene any more. That's over.

But... I still love my fags. Just the cough/ wheeze factor is making me think now. I do want to stop. I'm just putting off the battle. I know I'll need to do it. Like the Bomb had his goal for his training/ boxing. I need a goal to aim for that stopping smoking will help. I'm thinking some sort of sport related goal will help and I'll be able to get into that. Just need to make a decision, when to stop and go for it.

Thanks again everyone for the encouragement. Good to think so many people have stopped smoking and I'm coming closer to the day when I'll have a crack at it.

I stopped yesterday , only 24 hours gone but not had the urge to go and buy a pack yet :smoke:

how are you boys getting on with the fags ??

I'm still smoking. Not really made any progress on stopping or had a crack at it. I want to, just laziness and comfortable routine keeping me going.

Been thinking about electronic cigarettes to help stop. So I could 'smoke' but not get all the tar/ bad crap.

These electric fags look alright.


Brand called Green Smoke sound like one of the best. 70 quid for a starter pack. I've smoked for 18 years and think this would help me keep the smoking routine but minimise harm.

Speaking to a guy in the gym who stopped in four days using Champix. Said it made him feel ill when he was smoking so had to chuck the fags away. It's electric fags or Champix. Just need to pick one. Champix is free. No prescription charges in Scotland so that might swing it.

At the end of the day, I have to do it. It's just hard picking a date and saying that's it all over.

I have never smoked in my life so find it really hard to understand how hard it is to give up ?? Is it that hard ??

i'm 7 days in & not touched one also just spent my first full night in the pub , no problem really if i want to do it i will it's not about the cigarettes it's down to me :smoke:

Try the free stuff first if it works then you don't need to to pay for the other stuff.

That's what I was thinking, if it saves 70 quid got to be worth a bash first.

OK thanks, will get back on the case this week and try get the focus back on why I want to stop.

:cheers:

have you been to see your doctor gaz i know a few of my work mates in doom have stopped with help from there gp. they have tests ect for breathing and patches or little plastic fags and check in for breath/lung tests once a week for the first couple of months might be a programme similar up your way costs nothing to ask. and good luck with it hope you make a difference for yer sen

2 weeks done now and my chest has cleared up been on the piss all week and not been tempted to :smoke: reckon i've cracked it now

If you can go without when on the piss, you have cracked it. Well done.

Now you are at the stage where you find that food and ale really taste better. You need to be disciplined or you will watch the belly start to grow day by day.

4 weeks done no bother really although a day doesn't go by without me wanting a :smoke: .. ran 7k this morning and can't believe the difference in my breathing chest has totally cleared

wish i could run 7k ha ha but well done reg keep it up

9 weeks now & still on top of it , running 10k twice a week no problem and pretty sure I ain't put an ounce on since stopping in fact I'd say I've lost weight due to the running :falloff: ....

Well done mate – Just remember – 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months – You only have 3 more weeks to go!