Looking forward to a fag-free 2007? Join us here.

[imaginaryfriend]

New thread for old friends and for new quitters ...

Day 4. I only ever smoked a few a day, usually in the evenings after the kids are in bed but I'm still finding it hard. By around 7 or 8pm I find myself thinking about it. I've got gum and that helps. And my folks are here this week so really it's out of the question but I keep finding myself wondering about next week, when they're gone, will I keep it up or will I run straight out and buy some as soon as they're at the airport....

Ok, I've not had one for a whole week. But my folks are gone now and DH isn't back for 4 more days. Not a single person would know if I had one tonight and I'm not sure how I'm going to have the willpower to do it. I only have a few a day, never in the house, never around the kids. So someone please remind me why it would be so bad to have just 1 or 2 tonight?

OOH ... NMFT, did you do it?!

Miraculously, I'm almost 6 months in now!!!!! But I've had some serious wobbles during the moving house process. Especially as dp decided to have lots of fags around to 'calm his nerves' ...

CC, we've got a lovely little 1st floor flat, right by the Thames, 5 mins walk to dd's school. Lovely big lounge, gorgeous (although desperate to be painted, it's currently acidic yellow) kitchen. We spent a lot of time on dd's room - we went for a parque flooring effect in the end (her choice) so she's really chuffed and very proud - her old room was very dark and gloomy and down two flights of even darker and gloomier stairs ...

Sorry about that to all the newbies who don't have a clue what I'm on about. By way of introduction, I've been trying to quit on here for about 3 years now. I've succeeded for up to 9 months at one point and always gone back again. In the past I once succeeded for over 2 years and slipped back into smoking. So I'm sticking with the cc advice:

NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF

Or trying ... I do find myself sneakily inhaling over my smoking mate's shoulder now and then ...

Oh poo. Now I've returned and everyone else is gone!

How are you all doing?

CC ... Where are yoooouuuuuuu???

No, I didn't do it. I've thought about it every single day though and the only that's stopping me is the fact that by the time I really really want one I'm stuck in the house on my own with both kids and don't have any way to get one. It's good actually because it means I don't have to have willpower all night, only for the few minutes that I have to drive past the shops on my way home. I know if I can just make it home without buying any then that's me for the night.

DH is trying to quit as well. He's currently away for 2 weeks with his dad (who doesn't knwo he ever smoked) so we both figured this would be a good time to do it. The thing is, once he's back we've got to both stick with it or it won't work. I know if there's one in the house I would smoke it. Thanks for talking to me - it helps!

NMFT - is it a week you've managed now then? Are you finding it's getting easier?

I had major wobbly moments right up until about 2-3 weeks in then I really did find that I had long moments when I wasn't thinking about fags at all! Then I'd remember and feel lots of cravings, then I'd forget again.

Is this your first quit? Sorry if you've said all this earlier, I was out of action for a while and missed your story.

Hi there. This is day 10. The funny thing is, I only ever smoked 3-4 in the evening, never during the day (I know, I'm wierd!). So during the day I'm absolutely fine. But by about 6 or 7pm I start thinking about it. I've got some gum and that helps. And there's none in the house so that helps a lot! But I'm still finding it hard.

I quit both times I was pregnant, no problem. Hardly thought about it and didn't even care that DH was still smoking. But by the time DD and DS were a few months I was doing it again. I think DH and I both tried once before as well and I caved before him so that was the perfect excuse for him to start again. This time I'm determined to stick it out longer than him - hopefully his competitive streak will make him do the same!

I mean the truth of it is, I love that time of day when the kids have gone to bed and I can go sit outside for 5 minutes of total peace and quiet with my cigarette. And because I've always smoked so little I never really thought of myself as a "smoker" which has actually made giving up harder in a funny sort of way. But both my parents have successfully recovered from cancer (prostate and uterine) and I just have this bad feeling we wouldn't be so lucky the third time so why chance it. THAT is my motivation. Plus not wanting wrinkly skin .

It's really good to hear you found it easier after the first few weeks. I can't believe you've stayed strong even with cigarettes in the house! That's amazing. Well done. 6 months, well, that's something to work towards, isn't it.

Hello, I hope you dont mind me joining, but i gave up on sunday. DH and i have been planning it for ages and on Sunday destroyed all the cig's we had left and so far so good!

I am finding it a lot harder than he is, but when i get over the urge to have one, i feel so much better.

I'm not using and patches or gum right now, i'm just putting it out of my mind! Although the hardest thing is that the girls i work with all smoke and go out for a cig & chat - and when they come back in the smoke comes with them!

I'll keep up with this thread and let you know how i get on.

fingers crossed

Good Luck Nip!

Here's another VERY GOOD reason to give up:

It's in the news that Camilla is having a hysterectomy. And according to Dr. Hilary (expert and icon that he is) one very common reason for post-menopausal women to have a hysterectomy is because of a prolapse - weakend pelvic floor allows uterus to drop through, causes pain, discomfort, etc, etc. Kind of knew all this already (although I'll have you know I'm nowhere near post-menopausal yet!!!!). Anyway, what I didn't know is that this is much more common in women who smoke! Apparently the nicotine destroys collagen (which we all know causes wrinkles) but it also damages the elasticity of all those muscles & ligaments that keep everything in place down below!!!

So there you go girls. If you don't want your inside bits hanging out, then stop smoking.

Hi Nip, how are you doing?

Well, I gave in and had 1 last night. And a very expensive one at that because I threw the whole rest of the pack away! So that was over £5 for a single cigarette which I didn't even enjoy that much. I'm kind of glad I did it though because now maybe tonight I won't feel like I'm missing out.

Still going strong - although i could kill for one. My DH is coping so much better than me, but last night said "lets be strong, we want to be around for when DS is older!" This puts it into perspective i guess!

Expensive cig for you though! (I've done that before!!!) Luckily it didnt taste nice!

We are on 5 weeks now. Got to admit DH is finding it harder than me & said last week (when he had forgot to put on his patch) that he could start smoking again very easily! I mentioned all the good points of giving up & after we chatted he was ok.
But he has had the odd cigar when he's gone out playing darts!
When we were at the non-smoking clinic he had to admit to it too,as it showed up on the machine that you blow into! I was a 4, as a non-smoker, he was 21 with just one cigar the night before. She said he may aswell have had 20 fags!
Its now put him off!

5 weeks - Well Done!

Well my resolve was strengthened again today when I was driving to pick DS up from nursery. I saw a woman in her car, lighting up a cigarette, horrible wrinkly skin, too much makeup, straw-like hair. And I just thought - Wow, I really don't want to be that woman.

Have you all used the patches etc - i've just trying to do it by willpower alone... AARRGGHHH

i still havent.....

Im still using patches (21mg) on my 5th week, droppping to 14mg next week.
I'm like a bear with a sore head if I dont have one on. Ratty & impatient to put it bluntly. DH is just as bad too.
So we are staying on them till the course is finished. Think its 10 weeks altogether.

hello, sorry am too lazy to look through the whole thread but can I join in.

I am on day 3 today and am using the inhalator at how well you are doing and how far along some of you are, i'm still in mourning

for you mosschops.

Well Done, you have done 3 days, wait till you have done 3 weeks, you will be so proud of yourself. Keep up the good work.

It does get hard at times, but I find the patches really do curb them cravings. They last seconds rather than minutes.

The best thing for me is loosing the craving after food, I dont get them anymore.
I was on the phone the other morning & wondered why I was wanting a cig, then I realised I had not got my patch on.

The thing to remember is though, take them off an hour before going to bed/sleep. Thats if they are the 24hr ones. They really affect your sleep. You dream like mad! Its bizzare!

thanks I have tried the patches before but they dont seem to work for me which is why I am trying the inhalator. I'm finding it better because when I get that urge to smoke I can just puff on that and I dont seem to be having a really bad time but the thought of never having another fag feels awful, i'm really sad about it, does that sound crazy?

not at all mosschops. I actually miss smoking at times, which does sound crazy, but its the good points that keep me going. The missing smoking will pass, believe me.

I'm just glad of the smell that has gone out of my home.

Also, you will be able to smell fags in the street when someone walks by, although you may think now, oooh I could murder one, soon you will think, my Gosh that smells horrid!

Hi all,

I went cold turkey. I tried lots of different methods in the past and personally I found that all the various 'crutches' you could use like patches etc. just got in the way of the really horrible act of just quitting. Because it is a horrible act. And hard. But the so-called 'aids' just put a plaster over the addiction and you still have to quit them afterwards.

Some people seem to have found them helpful though so that's just my opinion.

mosschops I know that feeling so well. All the paraphernalia attached to smoking made me feel melancholy when I thought about quitting. My lighter, the 'special' moments I had a fag, the very 'me-ness' of being a smoker. Ridiculous as it is. I still, occasionally, feel that sadness but really truly you have to remember all the things you've hated about being a nicotine addict. And that this is your only life - do you want to surrender it to such a ridiculous habit? Within a few months of being totally quit you will find yourself looking at smokers and wondering why / how they keep doing it. And you'll find that you just don't think about it any more. That a weight of worry and guilt is off your shoulders.

Trust me. Stick with it. It's the best gift you can give your body, your family. It's the best decision, you've got to do it some time or you'll die horribly and unecessarily, chances are.

Don't leave it until it's too late.

And remember that you weren't born a smoker. You were still you before you became an addict and you can be that you again.

Lecture over.

(I'm pep-talking myself here too of course)

what a great post imaginaryfriend, I will come back to this in my moments of weakness. I do try and think of all the horrible things I see in the hospital and of my babies every time I want one

Oh good, mosschops, I thought my preaching had scared everybody off!

I was thinking also that although you miss smoking when you quit, when you're smoking you miss that vague memory of being someone who doesn't smoke or even think of cigarettes. I used to look at non-smokers, especially those who've never ever smoked, and really envy them.

I have just spent a boozy afternoon with 2 friends = one of whom has chainsmoked throughout. I didn't feel any pang, just slight repulsion at the smell! (am off for a shower now )

Though I have had an emotional 2 or 3 days, I haven't wavered. Just want to share the smuggery I'm feeling

very good!!

it stinks now,doesnt it? (smug face here too)