Champix and my journey to being a non smoker

[Cinderbelly]

4 days 22 hours and 12 minutes since my last cigarette.

Day 12 of champix (stopped on day 8)

I have been trawling the net looking for people's experiences and tips to help me and thought I would start my own thread to help me be accountable and to look back on when I am struggling. If anyone wants to join me then that would be great. If not I will probably be here just talking to myself

still not smoking, that is 12d 22h 53m

Hi all I'm still about, not been very good at posting - but haven't had a cigarette for 24days and 20 hours.

jax you are doing fab- you did hypno therapy didn't you?
Also hoof sorry I've only just seen your posts. for your loss, good to know the vape is working for you.
I stopped taking the Champix last Sunday (last pill Saturday night- so not had one for a full week now)

I'm doing ok, had a few weaker points (mostly stress related) but haven't given into temptation.
Mainly as I know that if I even have one puff I will start right back up again.

I've decided to try and do something about my overall fitness levels- which are non existent and we're the main driver for me to give up. So yesterday I took the dc to a trampoline park. I am in so much pain today... I have got muscles aching that I didn't even know I had! Only managed 25 minutes of jumping before I had to sit down, but that was due to an aching back not breathlessness so I'm calling that a win!

that is a win! yes hypnotherapy

25 days 10 hours and 33 minutes... I've saved over £200 as well!

I genuinely can't believe I've made it this far!
Today I parked back in my usual space at the back of the building at work. I've noticed that my already fairly sedentary lifestyle has now got to extremely sedentary. Before I was clocking up between 7-9k steps without trying. Now it's between 4-5k steps.
So I will park at the back of the building and use the fire exit stairs. 4 flights up and this morning my thighs were burning a bit and I was feeling a bit breathless... not good. But still if I do them every day that will improve. Small steps!

No advice or tips I just wanted to say well done and you can do this!

My mum died of lung cancer after smoking for 50 years. I wish she'd had your strength to quit cinderbelly.

Hi hope you don't mind me jumping on.
I'm on day 9 of Champix today and haven't really felt any effect from them at all No funny taste, no sickness, nothing really., Really hope they start to kick in soon! My quit date is 20th Dec and at this rate looks like it's going to be pretty much cold turkey! 😂

Hi all, 9 months smoke free! I feel like I’ve really cracked it and can go for days now without thinking about smoking.
I’ve started a new job with much more responsibilities (and money) and I’m sure that Im more efficient now I’m not going for fag breaks every few hours. I still have wobbly days, but I’ve held strong and I’ve even inspired my best friend to stop (we were originally going to quit together, she finally quit in October).
for you adios sorry to hear about your mum

@BaileyBadger4 how are you getting on?

@Cinderbelly Thankyou for asking. I ended up coming off of the champix after about 3 weeks as I got some really undesirable side effects (low mood, increased anxiety, feeling quite depressed etc) I have never suffered from any of this before and my partner insisted I come off of the champix. Since I stopped taking them admittedly I have been feeling a lot better. I lasted 5 days cold turkey but then I smoked on Christmas Day and I've smoked every day since I have cut down dramatically from about 20 a day to about 5 a day but really quite disappointed in myself that I couldn't crack it tbh.

@Cinderbelly you have done AMAZINGLY well by the way! I wish I had your strength!

I am so thrilled for you! You must be so proud of yourself!

It will soon be six years since my last cigarette. I vape instead, but get fed up of people asking me when I am going to give up vaping. I am not planning to! Also get fed up of people who say, 'you haven't really stopped smoking, though, have you?' Yes I have!

@Aquamarine1029 Thankyou I am very proud

@Tangerinesandlemons Well done for switching to the vape that’s a great achievement. I think that quite often vapes are seen as a tool to stop smoking (I don’t think they are) and the assumption is that people will go from cigs to vape to nothing (like how you would step down using patches) certainly that was DHs original plan - which didn’t work he vaped for a week, then smoked and vaped for a month, then forgot to charge the vape one day and now he just smokes and I haven’t seen the vape for months. Of course he insisted at the time he had to buy himself a top of the range vape kit so the whole exercise has cost him a lot more than just smoking would have and he smokes the same amount now as he did before...

Hi @BaileyBadger4 don’t feel bad about your slip up, In your position I would think to myself that tomorrow is another day and stop again tomorrow. If it helps I think a big part of the reason I was so successful this time is because alongside the champix (which I only took for 3 weeks and never got to the cigs taste awful stage before I stopped taking it due to the weird dreams and sickness) I changed my mentality completely.
I didn’t think of myself as ‘giving up smoking’, instead I described it as ‘becoming a non smoker’ and rather than ‘Quitting smoking’ I used ‘overcoming a nicotine addiction’ I Was kind to myself and recognised that drug withdrawal is a real and powerful thing which is hard to overcome. I slept a lot the first month. I saved all my money from the first 50 days and had an expensive tattoo on my leg as a motivator and a permanent reminder for me not to smoke again. I also know that even one puff of a cig and I will be straight back to 20 a day so I haven’t allowed myself even one slip up.

Sorry @Tangerinesandlemons just read your post properly and 6 years wow! That’s fab, well done you!

Hi!

Has anyone recently started taking Champix? I’m on day 7, no major side effects, just a bit of nausea and headaches if I haven’t eaten enough before taking one. I’m still smoking my usual amount, not sure if I should set a quit date or wait and see what happens?
Well done to everyone who has stopped!