Day 1 - I can do this!

[My2Girl]

I absolutely hate smoking! It stinks, it's expensive, (I'd save around £200 a month by not smoking!!) leaves a nasty taste in my mouth, bad for my health etc but I have tried so many times to quit and failed! I'm ok when at home and don't get cravings much, over the weekend for example I only had 5 cigarettes. My husband smokes and I think it's part of my weak willpower, they're always there on the kitchen side! I've tried to get him to quit with me so many times and it falls on deaf ears!!
When I'm at work I'm alone travelling to and from peoples houses often with big gaps in between, so I tend to smoke more.
Is there anyone else starting on this wonderful smoke free journey? Or anyone here to tell me breaking the habit does get easier over time?

Hi, it definitely does! Please don't feel as though you have to rely solely on willpower, there's lots of support out there. It's a bit rotten of your husband to mention you having weak will power when he is still smoking too! You can do this, I quit 16 weeks ago today and physically I am all right, but I am constantly hungry! You can do it!

I will join you. I stopped on 2nd Nov and went for 16 days smoke free then had a hugely stressful situation last week and started again. Only 5/6 per day since but will stop again from NOW! It's massively tough I know and I did cold turkey. Are you using any NRT or going cold turkey? You can do this and so can I so lets do it together and support each other

I smoked from the age of about 15, by the time I was in my 20s I was firmly on 15-20 a day. After one failed attempt that lasted a year or so, I finally gave up 4 years ago, in my 40s, using nicotine patches and vapes. I still vape (but v low nicotine now), but I can truly say I will never ever ever smoke again. If I can do it you absolutely definitely can. I used to have three fags before work, I was properly addicted for over 20 years! The thing that worked for me was knowing I actually did want to give up - not because I thought I 'should' (obv everyone who smokes know they should stop!), or because of anyone else - if you genuinely want to stop, having fags in the house shouldn't matter. You've got to really want to stop imo. If you're not ready, don't beat yourself up if you lapse.

Also, it may not be the purists' way to do it, but using a crutch like nrt or vaping is great if it stops you actually smoking.

Having gone 4 years I don't miss it anymore at all. My sense of taste came back, my skin was amazing, I had freshness and colour again, I've not had a bad hangover since (despite still having the odd heavy night!), and just knowing your lungs, heart, blood pressure are all improving and the risk of all sorts of cancer is reducing every day is a great incentive. Good luck!

Well yesterday was a fail from the word go and I thought to myself "I'll just have one last smoke" which led to having 4 throughout the day! Today though I have none so can't be tempted, am out pretty much all day at work, school runs, food shopping etc so can't sneak one of my husbands!

Right now is the hardest, usually I'd be parked up standing outside the car with a Costa and a fag. Instead I'm sitting inside the car with my Costa still, but no fag and writing on here instead 😂

I'm going cold turkey, I feel like it's not necessarily the nicotine I need but the habit of having one! Well done to all you fabulous people for being able to do it, I'm excited to be in the non smokers club and already thinking about what shiny things I can buy with the money I will be saving!!

@skira

I will join you. I stopped on 2nd Nov and went for 16 days smoke free then had a hugely stressful situation last week and started again. Only 5/6 per day since but will stop again from NOW! It's massively tough I know and I did cold turkey. Are you using any NRT or going cold turkey? You can do this and so can I so lets do it together and support each other

Yes join me! I understand the feeling when something awful happens and even after you've not smoked for weeks or months you automatically want one! That's happened to me too 😔 Hope you're ok, we can do this together ❤️

@Phoenixrising2020

Hi, it definitely does! Please don't feel as though you have to rely solely on willpower, there's lots of support out there. It's a bit rotten of your husband to mention you having weak will power when he is still smoking too! You can do this, I quit 16 weeks ago today and physically I am all right, but I am constantly hungry! You can do it!

Thank you, it's good to hear from previous smokers that it does get easier! It was me that said about the willpower, not him! It's easy when he goes outside for a fag in the evening to say "I'll come join you" and he doesn't stop me cos he likes the company! I told him this morning if I ask for one he is to tell me no, and put them away somewhere where I can't see them!

Didn't do very well yesterday and had 6. Today I will have none. I think my problem is that I don't really want to stop but know that I should and this is why I struggle so much. I have to find a way of turning the should into want. I can't see a life of sneaking out of the house to smoke so no one knows which is what I'm currently doing!

The whyquit.com pages on Google and YouTube are really good and are designed to help cold turkey quitters. They explain that although your choice is hardest at the beginning it's also the most effective. Everyone is doing so well. I nearly succumbed to temptation today. I got some really good news financially and I felt that I could justify smoking. I mentioned it to my husband, who reminded me that even if I had one and it tasted as good as I had hoped, it wouldn't just be one, but all the others that go along with it. I haven't done it anyway, it's just me and my inhalator! It works though and at least it's a much safer option. Please keep going everyone, there is strength in numbers.