Can anyone help me quit smoking?

[violetbloom]

I'm so keen to stop. All advice and tips very gratefully received.

Five weeks today! Is everyone else okay? I'm getting worried ...

Have you all started smoking again?

Hi DMFIB ... I am with you. I have just broken up my last six fags and put them in the bin. I have GOT to stop. I'm on, off, on, off all the time and hate myself for doing it. I find it really hard and rely on the gum too much as a substitute.

Can I join you all?

Still here, DMFIB! No fags today, a few bits of Nicorette. I am feeling emotional. Massive mood swings. Really snappy one minute, pissing myself laughing the next over really stupid things.

About to eat a disproportionately large supper. But OMG I am a stone and a half overweight (just stood on bloody scales) so am going to have to diet as well as stop the fags.

How are you?

(Can you tell I'm a bit mad today?)

Don't be daft, I wouldn't hit you with a stick! I've done it so many times myself, quit, started again, quit, started again.

Just keep going with it if you can.

I'm not strong. This all feels like a bit of a fluke to me. Six weeks on Friday. I still sometimes really fancy a fag but not desperately.

I wonder what's happened to travelling? I hope she's okay ...

Oh yes, and go for it Cregg!

DP fan, how are you doing?

I am going insane. Not in a climbing-the-walls-I-desperately-need-a-fag-NOW way, I'm just an emotional wreck. I just burst into tears all over DD 'because I love her so much'. I am having huge highs and lows.

It's weird. But I can't go back now. Has anyone got anything positive for me?!

I felt EXACTLY the same. My emotions were totally all over the place. But it really doesn't last, that feeling. those first few days were hugely intense for me too. And I was really irritable for a week, less so for the second week. Now I don't really feel anything like that at all. I do still occasionally think I'd really like a fag but it would taste yuck.

Stick with it. Trust me, it's worth it.

6 weeks tomorrow for me!

The mood swings are less to do with the nicotene and more the need for that 5 minutes total time out

Find another little treat, and have 20 of them a day. 20 times 5 minutes is nearly 2 hours a day spent solely on yourself, and you've just lost that. You need to find it again.

Hmmm ... yes. That 'little treat' yesterday took the form of two bags of Skittles and a creme egg. I'm also desperately trying not to go down the 'cram food in my mouth as compensation' route!

I agree stick with it there's no point in turning back now. I stopped 7 weeks yesterday and the emotional stuff does pass.I seem to have replaced my fags with cups of tea so I think I have gained another addiction! I found I was eating more too so started exercising as well. This has the knock on effect of sorting out my moods too so it's win win.

Strangely, I took to drinking tomato and veg cupasoups. Don't ask me why. Horrible things. But in the evenings in particular something about having a warm savoury drink appeased some of the cravings for me.

Remember that your blood sugar levels will be dipping and all over the place at this point, so you will crave sweet food. I think the recommendation is to try to drink sips of fruit juice regularly? I hate fruit juice so I opted for Sprite, not as healthy but it did stop those sugar falls.

I'm now very worried that both Ingles and travelling have fallen off the wagon.

"Remember that your blood sugar levels will be dipping and all over the place at this point, so you will crave sweet food. I think the recommendation is to try to drink sips of fruit juice regularly? I hate fruit juice so I opted for Sprite, not as healthy but it did stop those sugar falls."

Yeah I opted for pick and mix.

Whatever works! Nothing could be as bad for your health as those deathly smoking sticks.

I really do recommend Skittles, especially the sour ones. They last quite a long time and it's quite a blast in your mouth!

So how many days clear are you now, Cregg?

please please can I join in?

Have smoked 20 a day for 25yrs, had numerous botched giving up attempts.

stopped smoking on monday.

have 3 small children.

am climbing walls literally.

feeling okay now, but when they all a moaning/crying/complaining I can't tell you how desperate I feel.

shouting alot at dd

permanent empty scared feeling

does it get better?

Last ciggie on 20th Feb after reading Allen Carr's book. Never looked back, don't miss it, don't hate the smell or anything either. And DP is still smoking too

It does get better. This is when exercise helps if it's all getting too much go out for a walk with the children if there's no one else at home to leave them with. Also I have the Davina 3 X 30 minute workout DVD. The middle workout is fab when you feel fraught there's alot of punching and kicking. I find when I got wound up alot at the beginning that going and doing that after dp was in to look after the children really helped release the pent up anger/frustration. You also feel fab afterwards and also beocme amazed at how easy exercise has got now you are no longer smoking, seriously even after a few days.

The funny thing is there are moments when I quite enjoy the madness. Totally agree with the panicky, empty feeling, but there are also some real highs to be had if you just sit back and 'enjoy' the process instead of stressing about it.

Does that make sense? I'm feeling good because, this time, I know I'm going to get through it, that this craziness is for a good reason and it will be so worth it. I tried exercising a couple of months ago, but it went by the board because I was still smoking. Now I feel I could genuinely start it again and stand a much better chance of keeping it going, partly because I've got so much pent-up energy!

Have only been off the fags since Tuesday, so am still in the madness. It feels like at least a week. But it is such a revelation to have the odd moment when I am actually enjoying this process.

Keep going, everyone. And thanks so much for this thread, it is really, really helping.

(BTW I'm CJ, not Cregg!)

bloody bloody fags
bloody things

they were so much part of my identity

slightly bad ass

don't want to be a goody two shoes

really don't want to smoke

it's ALL i think about. It's exhausting.