Off the smokes still - yay - I have to admit I walked to the shop a while ago and bought a little cigar, thought I deserved it with a coffee, my own little special treat for being off them for so long- what an assface - anyway good news is I never lit it and i'm still smoke free, nearly 5 months I think and guess what, I'm off coffee and tea as well. If anyone wants to know how, it was a matter of not doing the things I liked to do while smoking, for instance a smoke and coffee, don't drink coffee. That smoke after a meal or even a sandwich - don't eat so much, sitting out in the sun having a beer - give it a break. Eat an apple everytime you want a smoke and clean your teeth 5 or 6 times a day. You'll spend a fortune on apples and toothpaste but you'll spend umpteen times that on cigs. Also, for people already off them and are tempted to smoke - remember you're an ex-smoker the minute you've extinguished your last one - work out your own equation like this: work out your own US dollars, UK pounds etc 20 cigs per day = €7 - €300 per month, €3600 per annum - If I live another 40 years that's €144,000 not accounting for inflation and other prices increases. If I smoke one more cig - it will cost me €144 THOUSAND EURO because I'll be back smoking again. Keep that in mind fellow giver-uppers and keep going! If I can do it - so can you!
[MENTION=2124]Lemex[/MENTION]: I smoke more when I am stressed. My stress releasing mechanism is to go to a quite place and smoke until I could think clearly. It usually saved me from saying and doing things which i might regret later. So, I know my mission could easily derail when I am stressed. But there ought to be other ways to manage stresses. Let's see.
I have news for [MENTION=36360]killbill[/MENTION] its not the smoke that de-stresses you - it's getting out of that situation and clearing your head. A friend of mine was off the smokes for over a month, something stressed him out and without hardly a though bought a packet of cigs. Guess what, he was even more stressed because he undid a month's hard work resisting. Look for something else to do next time you get out of a stressful situation - I bet doing a crossword or having a shower or going to the library would do exactly the same without filling your lungs with shit, but you know this. As smokers we all know this, its just an excuse to inhale that lovely black smoke and breathe like a dragon
Orange peels, straws etc. didn't work for me.Its very important to take one craving at a time. They can be very intense especially when stress comes about. Barter with yourself. Do whatever you have to do to get your mind off of it. Remember to treat quitting as one urge at a time. Drink water until your running back and forth to the bathroom. This reduces the amount of nicotine in your system as well as reduces cravings. Don't place yourself in the situation. Mix it up and get out the habit. Smoking is very habitual so try to take a walk when you wake up. Avoid rolling down the window when driving. Take another way to work. Remember why you are doing this. Look up smoking cancer statistics if it helps. Possibly use your kids as pillars in your mind. Remember their health. Get out of your routine. Exercise is very important. The extra testosterone will temporarily help to fill that void and the part of your brain that screams for one. It will also rid of the current supply of nicotine so that cravings will become less intense and less frequent. If you slip up don't beat yourself to death. We all slip up. However as soon as you realized that you have slipped tear up the pack and throw it away. Good Luck
For me it worked to simply avoid anyone who was smoking. Don't go out to clubs or pubs, don't visit friends who smoke in their houses. My husband smoked for 2 years after I quit, but only a few a day and only outside. I maintained my ritual of having coffee/tea outside, but I made sure I couldn't smell any smoke. As you relax and drink your beverage, notice things around you, just be there, breathe fresh air and think. You'll see, in a few weeks time, it'll be even more pleasant than when you also had a cigarette.
This is not helping me because reading this description I could almost taste the "lovely" smoke Yes, you are right I always look for excuses to smoke. If I am a baby then cigs are my favorite toys. I use it to divert my mind when I am stressed, I use it as a small prize I give myself when I achieve small goals, I use it as a bait to make myself do something, I use it just to keep my fingers and mouth busy, and when I was young I use it just to assert authority over my friends and to simply show off. Gosh! hmmm when I think about it now my life kind of revolved around cigs way too much. No wonder it's so hard to get rid of now. I am on my seventh day without smoking and I know I have a long way to go. I'll keep updating here, it will give me another reason to keep on avoiding cigs. Thanks again guys. And I also invite others, who keep thinking about giving up smoking but never tried, to join me. Lets make the original poster of this thread really proud!
My dad quit smoking after 40 years of chain smoking (doctor's orders, as you can imagine). He stopped completely and hasn't smoked for 7 years now. At first it was hard. In fact, he had so many nerves we couldn't believe it. Everything got on his nerves, he was angry for no reason at all. He felt weird, but after a few months he was fine. Now, after all these years, he has seen all the benefits of quiting. He doesn't cough anymore, he is healthy, his loungs are in a great state... I know, however, that smoking is still on his mind, that he still has to struggle with the thought of just starting again, and that he has to fight it off daily. Like any addiction, I guess. Congratulations for quiting. Be strong and fight off the temptation, because it will not leave you any time soon. As far as I was concerned, as a daughter, I am so happy my dad doesn't smell like cigarettes anymore, because all my life that was the smell I had assosciated with him. You really don't want you child to have this impression of you.
My first ever memory is of the first puff of smoke as my dad lights a cigarette. For a long time, it was my favourite smell in the entire world.
[MENTION=36360]killbill[/MENTION] - Still going strong? I found after 3 days that was that but 5 months later I get the odd "hmmm, I fancy a cig" but it only lasts a minute. This weekend will be a test, I have 3 DJ gigs in a club in Jersey, smokers and drinkers in abundance - no sweat!
[MENTION=52161]erebh[/MENTION], I am still smoke free. In my second week and I am now not always thinking about smoking. I am yet to feel the energy back in my body which many ex smokers say they feel after quiting, i wonder when that will happen. Again, thanks for the support and advice.
[MENTION=36360]killbill[/MENTION]: it depends, but usually it takes 3-6 months until you start feeling much more energetic, calm etc. It depends on various factors, including how fit you were before you quit and stuff like that.
Had a health check some months back and the level of oxygen intake per breath was 97-98% and should be 100%. So I guest I'll have to wait for 6 months. Right now I will stick with my regular morning walk and after 3 weeks or so I'll consult a doc before I do rigorous exercise. At least thats the plan.
Well, that wagon should move a little faster since I fell off. Been taking a lot of road trips and bought a pack.....and another....
[MENTION=36360]killbill[/MENTION], partied last night, everyone smoked except I - woohooo, DJing tonight - don't think it will be a problem. Regards feeling fit again - It was my OP here, seems I was a little impatient, a 2 mile walk 3 months ago would have killed me, it gets easier everyday and will start jogging when I get back home after this weekend. Keep going man - strength in unity - c'mon [MENTION=53984]Garball[/MENTION] back on the wagon!
Congrates! I was on my way to work yesterday and when I reach the place I used to buy cigarettes I was in a duel mind- to stop and buy or just drive on. In the end I didnt buy it. I remind my myself of my wife, son, and surprisingly... you [MENTION=52161]erebh[/MENTION] and this thread [MENTION=53984]Garball[/MENTION] the wagon is almost empty at the moment. Hop in.
[MENTION=52161]erebh[/MENTION] and [MENTION=36360]killbill[/MENTION]: Well done guys! I'm so happy for you [MENTION=53984]Garball[/MENTION]: Oscar Wilde said once (or was it Mark Twain? Can't be bothered looking it up now but) "Quitting smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I've done it a million times."
That's really good progress guys. Nice to read this. I have been smoking irregularly since I was 16 -- picked up the bad habit in Italy. I do like smoking, and I've always smoked 2-6 a day, sometimes 10 on some bad days. It's been about 3 months now that I smoke only when I go out drinking. I don't even feel the urge outside of those social situations. However, I do worry about relapsing. What I have noticed is that since I started exercising about 2 months ago, I feel guilty for smoking and setting back any progress I've made at the gym, playing sports, or swimming (whether real or in my mind). Might be a good mentality to have in hopes of warding off a relapse.
Wow [MENTION=33540]Foxe[/MENTION] how do you smoke like that? I had a pull from a cig on Sunday after a few pints, I thought my head was going to explode, nearly puked and my mouth tasted like a full, wet ashtray - totally sickened me - I was so happy! Now on a health buzz/detox - 1/4 melon, 1/4 cucumber, 1/2 lemon and mint leaves, leave overnight in water, drink water for breakfast and blend up the rest into an ice smoothie - tastes like shit but you get used to it. Might not be a miracle cure-all but it can't be bad huh? I got the recipe off the net somewhere (so it might be some crap fad) if anyone knows a proper regime for a week or so please feel free to share.
[MENTION=52161]erebh[/MENTION]: eww, overnight melon water! I don't think there's a 'proper regime' but drinking fruit water is excellent for detox, I do it every day anyway instead of drinking juices. But you should leave it only up to a couple of hours, otherwise the fruit starts to ferment in the water and that gives it yucky taste. Did you try freezing small cubes of cut fruit (banana, melon, blueberries, etc) and blend them in the morning with a bit of yoghurt and honey (or just by themselves). Or just make fruit, ice and herb water when you want to drink it. Use Evian or similar clean water (we keep having pollution "in acceptable limits" so I avoid tap whenever I can). Make sure you lightly crush the herbs before you put them in, and mix everything with a chopstick. You can experiment with combinations but watermelon and rosemary is great, blueberry and sage, lemon and basil, raspberry and lime, lemon, cucumber and mint. Just a few slices/pieces is plenty to flavour the water in minutes.
[MENTION=35110]jazzabel[/MENTION] A French magazine has tested almost 50 brands of bottled water and found 10 to include traces of pesticides and prescription drugs include breast cancer treatments - how fucked up is that? http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/25/french-bottled-waters-contaminated-brands Anyway, I'm new to this detox business so looking for a week's worth of detox, breakfast lunch and dinner just out of curiosity. Why stir with a chopstick? Does a metal spoon react with the fruit?
