Quitting smoking?

[misscheery]

Right. So as cliche as it might be, I am planning to give up smoking from the 1st of January. (yep I know)

I don’t feel like I have a strong motivation. I smoke one pack a day, which is ridiculous. Been smoking for 10 years. Not always this much, but still 10 years.

So far my reasons would be:

1. Money- it obviously costs me a shitload of money even though I’m not in the UK, they still cost the world.
2. I smell of cigarettes and that’s not exactly sexy.
3. I only smoke in the kitchen with the window open but that obviously stinks as well.
4. I have to sneak out at work for a smoke which makes me feel like the ultimate drug addict.

So I guess my questions are: how did you quit smoking and most importantly how did you do it so you don’t start again?
What was your strongest motivation? How did you feel in the first few weeks and what were your tricks to overcome the stress?

Thanks everyone!

I’m going to try patches - I’ve quit before but stupidly started again.

I had hypnosis. It’s no magical cure but if you want to give up it strengthens your resolve (at least it did for me!)

One thing I found was that thinking about the fact that I could never have one again filled me with panic and made me want one. However, telling myself that I wasn’t going to smoke for the next 15 minutes worked. By the end of 15 minutes I’d decide I could do it again, and again, then suddenly the evening was gone and I was through to the next day. Days, weeks and months are all made up of 15 minutes!
As the time lengthens the cravings are less frequent. I was in the pub this week and everyone else was going out for a cigarette. I’d actually forgotten I used to smoke it seemed so alien!

Yes actually Champix. My family memebrs who smoked gave up easier and first time with Champix but the side effect are severe so If you have any history of Depression even Post natal they will not be prescribed to you.

My dm was on forty a day for about 30 years. One night she chain smoked every last cig she had in the house. When she got up the next morning she didn’t have any cigs to smoke.
She hasn’t put a cig in her mouth for 3 years.
She puts her success down to not having that first one in the morning.

I went cold turkey on a random day. That was 12 years ago. I think it helped that I never really thought of myself as a non-smoker: I just told myself I was having a break for a while and didn't make it forbidden.

I've probably fallen off the wagon about 10 times but never allowed it to escalate beyond a few fags each time. Booze was a bit of a killer but I was fine not going back to it as I always felt rancid afterwards. The last time I had a fag was about 3/4 years ago and it was SO disgusting that I realised I was well and truly over it.

So nearly 10 years to be totally free of cravings! I find it really horrid now.

I smoked 20 a day for 10 years before giving up.

I got pregnant. Extreme but VERY effective

Champix worked great for me. Only side effects were the utterly bizarre dreams. Not scary in the slightest - just ludicrous but very very vivid.
One particular dream was of me lying in bed wearing an A Line type ball gown made of white fur and on my feet were (wait for it) blue Volkswagen Beetles. Hahahaha my feet were wedged in through the sunroof. When I woke up I was so sure it had happened because the dream was so real that I couldn't wrench the duvet off quick enough to see if I was still wearing the outfit.
Wasn't drinking the night before either!

E Cig. Ridiculously easy once I tried it.

I spent 3 years quitting by other methods. Cold turkey, started again after 3 months. Stopped with patches, started again after 6 months. Then read the Alan Carr book and stopped for 3 months again, then started again

I spent more of those 3 years not smoking than smoking but I had awful withdrawal every time and found it really hard and obviously kept falling off the wagon...plus NRT products gave me horrendous night terrors.

I got an e cig 3 years ago and quit. I still craved a cigarette for a couple of days but after that it passed and I was craving the e cig which I didn't have to deny myself. I spent 2 years cutting down the nicotine level to 0mg gradually and then my e cig usage naturally stopped with no effort at all.

I still 'fall off the wagon' sometimes...only my fall now consists of furiously puffing on my nicotine free e cig for a few minutes (so obviously it's a mental need not physical).

I give up then social smoke again regularly.
My biggest motivator aside from the cost is seeing the lines on my mouth from pursing my lips around a cig for all these years. Google pics of smokers and see what it does to age you.
Good luck. You can do it

Champix made me high so I had to stop! At the time the area pharmacist was keeping an eye on me (he used to phone at odd times, like 8pm Sunday), really works though.

Good luck OP :)