AIBU.....

[IthinkIamsinking]

.... to ask that in my late 40's is it too late to even try and quit smoking?
Is it really just down to will power?
Am failing miserably and despise my lack of will power and ability to cave at the drop of a hat.

Read the Allen Carr book. It's the only way to stop imo. Good luck and of course it's worth it! You're only young. You could have 30 to 40 years as a non-smoker.

Try vaping. It's half a cop out, I know, but it worked for me. I feel so much better, and I don't stink of fags now.

Lelly can I ask what you use and where to get it?
I feel utterly pathetic that I can't do this

If you're happy to vape instead of giving up nicotine altogether, then it's very, very easy to give up actual smoking and you absolutely, most definitely, can give up smoking.

I haven't had a cigarette since January and I don't miss it in the slightest.

There's a stop smoking forum in the Health topic and there are some lovely women on there who can advise you on what to buy if you want to try vaping.

Thanks Saucy will go take a look

Good luck!

My own advice would be to buy the most powerful e-cig you can afford.

I've tried and failed vaping a couple of times using cheaper ones that don't really have the oomph behind them needed to really replace actual fags.

Or you could always start with a basic one, and then upgrade once you've worked your head around it all? It can be a bit daunting to start with- but you'll soon get a handle on it.

I stopped age 40 (62 now) so it is absolutely not too late. The health benefits begin almost immediately with smoking-related cancer risk reducing every year you don't smoke. Agree with others, keep nicotine levels up by other means - vaping wasn't available for me 20 years ago but I'd definitely give it a go now. Good luck.

I found it really quite easy to stop with vaping. Pop over to the board there for some help. It only took about a week for me to get to the stage of preferring the taste of "vanilla creme" to "ashtray".. During that week I just bought 10 in the morning and if I felt I really needed one, I'd have one. Then I just stopped feeling like I needed one.

Much easier than I expected tbh

My parents stopped in their late forties so it can be done. I don't understand how people actually start as anytime I've had a ciggie it was rank. My mum swore by the Nicorette tablets and she smoked 30-40 a day for many years.

I tried vaping but found it shit, I think because I used a cheapo one. In a way I'm glad I did because I stopped completely instead. As a pp said, it's just nice not to stink anymore, whether you vape or stop completely

I agree with whatdolget The Allen Carr booked worked for me to

Phew, thought it was just me TheNaze! I don't know anyone who vapes, everyone I know who's stopped has read AC. There's obviously more than one way to skin a cat!

My dad gave up in his 60's, so definitely not too late. And I'm sure I've read that there are health benefits whenever you give up. You will certainly feel some benefits too e.g. not getting puffed out, less sore throats and coughs etc. Also, think of the spare cash.

The thing that worked for me was not being absolutely absolute about it. So if I lapsed and gave in and just had one, I didn't then think I'd wrecked the day and would try not to have any more that day. So there might be the odd bad day when I'd have a few but then I'd start afresh the next day. In my head I was saying to myself that I was cutting down not giving up and somehow that helped me not see it as a life sentence of never being allowed to smoke again.

I'm not sure whether this will be the best advice for you. A lot of people recommend being more definite and determined and committed to giving up but that felt too drastic and long term for me so this was the way I did it. I've been a non smoker for 26 years now.

Champix is the only thing that worked for me. It's prescribed by the doctor and requires no will power whatsoever. You take a pill everyday with the dosage increasing gradually and after a few days, the tate of cigarettes will disgust you and you will naturally quit. There are some side effects - eat before you take it as can make you nauseous. If you suffer from depression, it can trigger that. I noticed my temper was very short when taking it but, I acknowledged that so was able to watch it. I think the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

I found a combination of the Allen Carr book and Nicorette lozenges worked best. Champix sadly didn't - it gave me awful ringing in my ears and stomach ache. Late 40s is definitely not too late - my Grandfather smoked 40 a day and only gave up in his 60s - he's in his 80s now and is still in rude health. Good luck - you CAN do it, you just need to find out which method works best for you personally!

YABU. I smoked 40 a day for over 10 years which was all my adult life.

You think it's impossible because you listen to all the whining by people who can't do it. Not smoking is as easy as not putting a cigarette in your mouth. Actually it doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.

I loved the Allen Carr book, also read Paul McKenna's. A family member has used Champion with success.

Stop listening to all the hype about how impossible it is to quit. In the words of Yoda

"Do or do not. There is no try."

I gave up at 39 and I'm two years smoke free now. Tried an ecig but didn't like it so I just went cold turkey. It was very very hard but I'm so glad I stuck at it. Tried reading AC but it wasn't for me, could not get into it at all.

That was my third attempt to quit, you really have to be determined, the previous times it was half hearted and more for other people than for me.

Good luck OP.

It's never too late.

"Phew, thought it was just me TheNaze! I don't know anyone who vapes, everyone I know who's stopped has read AC. There's obviously more than one way to skin a cat!"

Interestingly (or not!) I don't really think of myself as a non-smoker although I haven't had an actual cigarette since January. I dunno if it's the same for other vapers, but after the first week or so of adjusting to vaping it doesn't really feel any different to me than smoking. Just less stinky, and I don't cough up radioactive phlegm every morning.

Of course, that's no help at all for anyone who wants to quit a nicotine habit full-stop.

If you want to quit using an e-cig and then quit vaping altogether, you can cut down on the strength of nicotine over time/cut it with non-nicotine liquid. That's the patch/gum principle as well, you start on a reasonable dose to prevent a horrible withdrawal sending you right back to smoking, once you are stable on that, you can then taper down if you want.

Obviously some vapers never want to quit, but I just wanted you to know you can quit vaping if you want as well, but it would be amazing to get the health benefits of quitting straight away- such as lowered heart attack and stroke risk.

Please read Allen Carr and be free of nicotine. Of all the people I know who've quit, the ones who stay quit do it by stopping nicotine, not by replacing it with a different form of nicotine. At least try AC first, you continue to smoke while you read the book, then if its not for you then then you could try e-cigs. I say this as an ex smoker, I've been quit several years now. I have a friend who quit by using e-cigs and she now uses it constantly, far more than she smoked, she still has to go outside on nights out, she still can't function without nicotine or enjoy life without nicotine. I'm sure it does work for some people, but that wouldn't work for me.