Day 2 of stopping smoking after reading Allen Carr

[Mooogles]

Anyone else stopping who wants to chat / support each other? I read the Allen Carr book over the past couple of weeks and have now stopped. So far so good. I have stopped before (when pregnant mostly) but always ended up starting again when having a glass of wine, gradually smoking more and more and yet again I am hooked.

This time I want to never take another drag on a cigarette. As I am getting older, I am scared of the health implications and fed up with the cost. I find it much easier in the week as I don't smoke during the working day. Evenings are hard and weekends will be harder. DH is a heavy smoker so there is no avoiding thinking about it. That said, and I know it has only been 1 day, but I am actually not finding it too bad - feeling very positive so far as really am sick of being a smoker.

Day 8 here. Kind of the opposite to you as I never smoke outside of work. I guess it'll be tough with your husband smoking lots, though maybe it'll make you more determined? I'm quite lucky as there isn't anyone I NEED to be around that smokes. Good luck!

Congratulations on day 8 rb32 - that's amazing. How do you feel? Is it getting any easier? Are you using NRT?

Last night was hard for me - I was really irritable and had to apologise to DH this morning. But now I feel fine again. I am thinking about smoking pretty much constantly though, even though I would never normally smoke at this time...

Nervous about facing tonight and the weekend but I feel optimistic I can do it.

According to my app I should be nictine free sometime today!!

Morning Mooogles. Nope going cold turkey (never understood that phrase!). I just want the nicotine to be out of my system long enough so I never crave it again. Sick of needing nicotine.

Yes it's getting a bit easier, mostly because the thought of having to go through this again is off putting enough. And that's the ting, I know if I smoked some then I'd need to do it all again in the future because I don't want to keep smoking.

I hope your husband is being understanding, though it's a shame he won't join you in quitting. The irritablitlity is one of the more annoying things and I'm getting it quite a bit. Still, we both know if we just stick with it long enough it WILL go away. It's inevitable, we WILL stop craving eventually. Deep breaths (of fresh air!) and keep going!

Cold turkey here too... I feel exactly the same - sick of needing it.

I keep reminding myself why I am doing this. Lots of reasons like not enjoying doing certain things with my kids as I am trying to sneak out for a cigarette instead, or not enjoying being out to dinner with non-smoking friends as am embarrassed to head outside for a cigarette. As well as the obvious money, health reasons. What was your main driver?

I think my husband feels like he is losing his partner in crime! He is generally understanding but he did snap back at me last night - but frankly I wasn't being very nice! Heyho - onwards and upwards..

I am reading through the link you put on your other thread which actually is quite helpful.

Most of the stuff I have read says that the cravings will go by 2-3 weeks but should be significantly reduced by the 2nd week so hopefully the worst is over for you and you will start to feel properly like a non-smoker :)

A nice way to incentivise yourself would be to put all the money you would have spent on fags into a jar & watch it mount up. Then when you've got a fair bit, spend it on something really nice like a day out, a spa treatment or clothes/shoes - some indulgence for you and you alone!

Good luck OP, you sound positive you want to stop which is a great start. Those that give up for others feel they have been forced to give up something they love so it doesn't work - that was me the first time.

I am on almost 21 weeks now and the positives now are really noticeable.

Good luck to all of you who have decided to stop smoking.

Allergictoironing - that is a good idea

Jayne - how did you do it - cold turkey? What kinds of positives have you noticed? 21 weeks is fantastic btw! Congratulations.

Moogles, main driver was health. If it had no adverse effects I'd probably still be at it! Yep, 2-3 weeks apparently, so not too long. Just got to keep with it for a while.

Jayne, 21 weeks nice one :)

Thanks for the congrats - It feels like a big achievement as I started smoking at a young age and was smoking for around 26 years!

Moogles - I did start off using a low nicotine ecig, then a zero one but to be honest as I was a roll up smoker I didn't really like the size of the e cig so only used it on nights out with smokers for the first 4 weeks or so then just cold turkey after that.

The first thing I noticed was my hair was softer and my skin is too, slightly less wrinkly looking and I have had people say I look younger. Teeth are much whiter and my nails are stronger. Massive lung improvement now, I recently had to run to clock in on time at work and I could still speak when I got there! Almost no craves now either and when I do get one it's easy to ignore.

It hasn't been plain sailing though, it's been quite hard and there have been adverse effects also. Sleepless nights, Bleeding Gums, oh and on drinking my usual amount on a night out I was stupidly drunk - apparently smokers process the contents of their stomachs slower, including alcohol, resulting in being better able to hold their drink! Who knew!

Still even with the problems, which have now settled, it's worth it. You don't realise until after you stop how much time you spend smoking or thinking about/planning smoking. I can now laugh at the horror of arriving somewhere to be confronted with no smoking signs.

I have never heard that re the alcohol Jayne!

I actually drank lots of wine on Friday and ended up smoking. Really annoyed with myself. But haven't had a cigarette since and am determined not to mess up again. Need to avoid alcohol for a few weeks.

Slightly scared about the mention of bleeding gums! But soft hair and less wrinkles, yes please.

You still going strong rb32?

I am on day 3 now (after messing up on Friday). Brought my running kit into work and am goign to try to get fit again which I think will help me with the smoking.. I used to be a decent runner at one point!

Had night sweats last night - not sure if that is related to nicotine withdrawel??

Morning Moogles...yes still smoke free. Massive, well kind of, cravings this morning though. Needed petrol so tested my resolve at the petrol station counter!

Impressed you kept going after smoking on Friday. Just remember, the quickest way to get rid of the cravings in simply not smoking! Smoking, patches e-cigs and all that just starts those cravings up again.

Be fair rb32 - e-cigs only start the cravings again if you use liquid that contains nicotine. I'll admit it does nothing to break the habit aspect (which is a big advantage of the Allen Carr book if it works for you), but no nicotine addiction cravings.

Allergic, I meant NRT in general. Still 100x better than smoking though!

Sorry rb, I'm a bit sensitive about much of the crap that's put about by e-cigs so tend to jump on anything that seems negative! I've seen too many reports in papers, & been told by too many health worker types, that "e-cigs are addictive" without them even considering that there's nicotine free liquids available - on it's own the habit is no worse for you than constantly chewing on sugar free gum which for some reason is OK?

I'm completely with you that nothing at all is the best option, but for some of us this is the only method that's worked . I do wish Allen Carr had worked for me, but I failed miserably when I tried; I think I'm too pig-headed!

No Worries allergic. I do wonder how many people have become addicted to nicotine through e-cigs rather than cigerettes. I bet the number is negligable compared to those that don't now smoke fags because of them. An I understand why people switch to them so they don't have to kick the nicotine habit, it really is tough! It's like wading slowly through mud starting in the deepest part of the massive puddle and working your way out. It takes so much effort just to get going but it does get easier in time.

All the current studies have said negligible, I think one that covered over 40k people came up with single figures! What has also come out of this kind of research is a number of young people who use e-cigs (whether with or without nicotine) who say they would otherwise have taken up smoking.

I think my problem was that I never really wanted to give up - so now I have what's in my view the best of both worlds .

Moogles - don't worry I think side effects (like bleeding gums) only affect some people, not most.

Well done all of you for keeping at it. E cigs are definitely worth using if you need to as much better than tobacco.

rb32 - well done for resisting the petrol station cravings!

Allergic - I can completely understand why Allen carr dosn't work for some people - I found the book quite irritating in places but am just trying to hang on to the parts of it that I could relate to.

Well I have made it to day 4 this time and am feeling fine. Few cravings last night but was ok - although I do seem to be replacing cigarettes with chocolate in the evenings..

Big challenge will be on Friday when we have friends over for food / drinks for Halloween.. don't think I will be able to join them in a glass of wine or two as my resolve not to smoke seems to disappear.

I keep sneezing - all the time - not sure if I am getting a cold or it is some sort of symptom of stopping. Have done a bit of googling and apparently does exist as a symptom - very strange!

Well done moogles! Every day is one step closer to freedom. I haven't really had many symptoms of stoppig, only that I'm getting to sleep much easier. Not sneezing thos everyone is different!

Thank rb32. How many days are you up to now?

Sneezing seems to happen all morning and stop in the evening - maybe I just have a cold!

Everyone's symptoms are different. rb32 and I sleep better, others have reported a short period of insomnia. Some get constipation for a while, others don't. Nearly everyone gets a chesty cough after a week or two that can take months to clear - this is your body getting rid of the crap in your lungs. Some get bleeding gums some don't - these are usually because smoking tends to mask any signs of gum disease, and stopping allows these symptoms to show from this existing condition. Many find their skin & hair get oiler for a while or sometimes forever - a great thing in my case, as my skin & hair were very dry before.

Putting on weight is a mixture of no longer having the appetite suppressant effects of the nicotine if you don't use NRT, and having something to fiddle with plus the hand to mouth habit kicking in causing snacking & nibbling.

There's probably quite a few more, but those seem to be the most common side effects.

Well done moogles and rb

My gums were dreadful when I stopped but I knew they would be. One of the major impetuses (is that a word?) for me quitting was that I had aggressive gum disease, had to have some teeth out as a consequence and was told I couldn't have implants because there wasn't enough bone left I was stunned because my gums had never bled.

I think stopping smoking is generally a massive shock to your system - expect the unexpected, including more coughs and colds this winter. Your body's working hard to get rid of all the shite.

Nicotine on its own is an odd one. Lots of people want rid of the dependency altogether and it's great if they can do that. I've come to the conclusion though that some people, including me, actually function better with nicotine in our systems (I have sciency links if anybody's interested but am past my ears in work atm so might not be able to post them until thursday). The trick is to find a way to ingest it without the harm. I'm quite confident I've found that with ecigs and have no more intention of giving it up than I do with caffeine.

Plenty. Interesting post. Sorry to hear about your gums/ teeth ??. Losing teeth is one of my worst fears having had him problems in the past. I am a regular visitor to the hygienist.

I am still cold turkey and feeling good. Day 6 today. Nervous about tomorrow as have smoking friends over for the afternoon and evening...

Morning moogles! Well done, we're going to beat it aren't we?? I'd tell your smoking friends you've quit as soon as you see them. Get it out the way and they might even refrain from smoking while their with you. Keep up the good work!