Stopping smoking support.
Dear all,
I'm currently thirteen days (who's counting?) into trying to break a 40+ a day habit which I've had for nearly 30 years. It's not easy going but I'm getting there - hour by hour, day by day. If anyone is thinking about kicking or trying to kick the habit - or would like to share tips on how they broke the habit - then please feel free to post. Please note - as per the mods - this is not a "smoking, good or bad?" thread it's somewhere for people to openly discuss their battle / planned / ongoing battle with "the weed" and hopefully help others in times where it might be needed. Let your battle commence. Mr A |
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As Mr A says, this is not to discuss whether smoking should be banned, how bad it is or isn't etc, it's purely for encouragement to those who are or trying to give up.
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I used this to help me http://www.theelectroniccigarette.co.uk/shop/
Had a couple of slips but soldiering on |
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Great news Mr A, I'm a manager in a (very successful ;)) stop smoking service and have 10 years experience in the game. Give me a holler if you need any help, assistance or just a general moan - there's nothing I haven't heard before :D
Are you using any therapy? Keep up the great work and you're doing exactly the right thing by taking each day as it comes :tu: |
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I gave up a month ago and now cycle 100 ish miles a week. It's surprising how much more energy you have.
Keep it up ol bean! |
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Well done. I know the cravings can feel all encompassing at times but it does get easier.
You'll get weak moments and that's when you've got to remind yourself that just one cigarette will set you back to the 40+ a day. Write down all the reasons why you have given up smoking and when you get a weak moment read it to remind yourself. I've had an eventful life but I still reckon that giving up my 40+ a day habit over is the most difficult thing I've ever done. It's also been the most rewarding: as Reedy says you'll find new energy levels, you'll also find out what food really tastes like ;). It's you against the weed. Are you really going to let that pathetic little ***** continue to beat you. Think of somebody you detest, hate or strongly dislike and when you think of a cigarette put a little mental image of their face on it. It is all mind games so use any trick you want to get over the worse. In moments of despair keep reminding yourself it does get easier. Keep it up. |
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I cant say how I stopped as the warning given by Russ forbids me to post my method. But I stopped 19 years ago and bever slipped up since
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Good to hear Mr A. :tu:
The hardest part is making up your mind that YOU want to stop. Once you manage that you are 75% home and dry. After 13 days I would say you are over the hump and on the downhill stretch. :) For encouragement get on the Net and look up all the lung and bodily damage caused by smoking that the body can repair quite quickly just by stopping. Keep it up. I know it's hard to believe but after a surprisingly short while you will forget all about smoking. |
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I used to smoke around 10 cigarettes per day.
Not a massive habit, but big enough, and expensive enough. I "tried" various times over the years to stop, but always fell back into it, using various excuses. Sometimes I'd manage a few weeks, or even a couple of months, other times I'd last a few days. Stopped again mid-December last year, & so far have managed to stay off the ciggies - 9 months now. I used willpower, combined with having a cold. I'd been in Berlin for Mrs D's birthday, & came back with a horrible cold & sore throat. Happened to have a few fags left over in a pack, & smoked them on the way to the pub. My throat did not thank me at all though, so I told myself I'd stop, at least until the cold had gone & my throat felt better. But once it cleared up, I just kept on not-smoking... For me it was always the habit that was the problem, & I never seemed to be able to break it. But this time, I've so far managed to break the habit, & resist the various triggers that used to set me off. I can walk to/from work without needing a fag, I can go to the pub without needing to nip outside for a fag, etc. |
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Good luck Mr. A. I'm afraid I can't be much help, as all I have managed is a 6 week break from my 20 a day. One thing that helped me during those 6 weeks though, was to go for for a walk when the cravings hit. Just get youself out of the house, walk around the block. It worked for me (for a while).
Incidentally, I'm in Spain at the moment, and even for a smoker, the number of people that smoke here (in bars and during fine dining) is absolutely disgusting. I find myself having a smoke outside, as it's too smokey inside... |
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I'm on Champix and my stop-day is Monday.Looking forward to it,it's a real bi..,but not impossible! :)
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I recommend getting fit! If someone said to me a month ago I'd be able to cycle 100 miles in a week I would have had the committed for insanity! |
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Just posting to give my support to you Mr A and any other of our members in the same boat. I have personal experience of how hard it can be breaking a habit which has such a strong hold on you in so many ways.
I had a couple of unsuccessful, and I'll admit now, halfhearted attempts to give up smoking many, many years ago mainly because other people wanted me to. Eventually I decided I had had enough, smoked my last cigarette and threw everything in the dustbin. It was difficult, and I would find myself reaching for a cigarette when I was stressed, or after a meal but it did get better, and easier. It's been over 20 years now but I can still remember how hard it was to give up. I think one thing that helped me was my money bottle. No matter what, no matter how broke I was, I religiously put my ciggy money in the bottle every day knowing that, had I still smoked, I would always have found the money for a couple of packets of cigarettes every day. Just looking at all the money I would have set fire to previously used to give me the boost to keep going. On my first anniversary as a none smoker that money paid for a 2 week holiday abroad for the two of us. |
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Mr A save the money in a jar and put it towards your boat :) You will be surprised how much money you will save though and hope you stick it out :)
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I used Champix, and have been smoke free for 19 months:)
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I've not had a smoke for the last 18 months or so. Do I miss it? Yes. Would I start again some point in the future? Probably. For now I just keep plodding along, acknowledging the fact that I'm an ex-smoker saving some money, not smelling as bad and quite possibly (who really knows?) extending my expected life just a little longer. My post might seem a little negative but once you realize that you have a nicotine habit and it will nag you every now and again, even months down the line, you'll still be able to resist it. I did and so will you. :tu:
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well done,mate!! Give's me hope! :Yes:
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The thing you have to remember with Champix is to complete the course - I can't stress how many people I see who stopped using it early as they thought they could cope, and couldn't. Good luck to you also, think of all that lovely mullah you'll be saving, not to mention the benefits to your health ;) |
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Good luck to everyone giving up tobacco in it's varying forms.
In fact I salute and support all those fighting an addiction whatever form it takes. And I think this is a brilliant idea for a help thread.;) |
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this time I'll go the whole nine yards and finish my champix therapy! Did you also get those crazy dreams? :erm: |
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Its my job, so i hear it every day :D I suffered vivid dreams with patches, quite frightening at times. But do keep to the plan and allow enough time to get your prescription in advance of running out. Are you using a local stop smoking service? |
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yeah,I'm using my local surgery.The nurse is quite good,and I already have my next appointment on the day I run out of crack,uhm champix :D |
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I mentioned this to the lady from the stop smoking clinic, and she said that there had been lots of complaints about my doctors doing this:mad:. I still have the occasional smoking dream, where I wake up in the morning with a tight chest, wondering if I did smoke the day before, and when out with mates who still smoke I do get tempted, but I just keep saying to myself "you have made it this far, don't go and do something stupid now":D |
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Back to you though, you are doing great. Be sure to speak to them in the stop smoking service if you feel as though you're slipping. Their job is as much about relapse prevention as it is about helping someone to quit ;) |
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Thanks to all for the input - I'll reply to you all individually. Will21st - here's the deal. If I can do it you can do it, no s**t. Since 1993 I've used the stress and supposed allure of my job as a reason to continue to smoke. I used this as a p*ss poor excuse for me to smoke and do you know what..? At about 2:32am last Saturday I realised that neither my job nor my clients give a flying one about Mr A. I "hang with" and represent a lot of "A list" musicians and I broker deals that transform kids into what they think they want to be. In the middle of all of this I had forgotten who I actually am and to whom I mean so much. Trappings of what I do aside I have a wife and three kids who want for nothing - except for their old man to be around when they make the big decisions in their lives. I have a ten year old (Angry most junior) who congratulates me every day on how well I'm doing whilst none of my clients would think to pick up the phone. I owe my wife and kids my giving it a shot. If I can help / support you in any way then drop me a line. |
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I gave up in 1986. Always used to feel bad when I had a cold, so didnt smoke much, and in Feb '86, I got a cold, so I chucked the packet in the corner, not to be touched, and havent smoked since. I still have the half used packet.
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My mum (Angry most Snr) gave up in 1979 in similar circumstances. To this day she still carries the pack of 4 remaining Silk Cut around her handbag "just in case". |
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I take my hat off to anyone who decides to give up smoking, as I know just how difficult it is.:clap:
Although I didn't know it at the time, I smoked my last cigarette in the hospital car park on 8th January 1998. I was there to have doppler tests done on my neck. Previous results showed that I had suffered several minor strokes. But this time, both carotid arteries were so badly blocked the surgeon said he couldn't risk sending me home, I was heading for a major stroke! I was placed first on the operating list. Mr Tink was so shocked that he confiscated my cigarettes and lighter there and then on the spot. I was forced to go cold turkey, and I didn't want to give up the 20+ a day habit I'd 'enjoyed' for 38years. However, I'm happy to say that I'm still smoke free, but I know that if I was to have just one little puff, I'd be hooked again and doomed!:erm: Good luck to all who are trying to break the habit, one day at a time eh? |
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Well done Tinky.
As you say, it's the fear that just one puff can set you back so far. |
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The other half decided that we were going to stop smoking together a few years ago, aside from a few minor slips I haven't gone back to it - she has, quite recently in fact, but that's another story.
The trick is to remember that you're not 'giving up' anything (that implies loss), but that you're 'stopping smoking'. Good luck to all that embark upon this path, remember that all you need is yourself. Nice positive thread too, well done :tu: |
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The excuse 'I smoke when i'm stressed' is another widely used but widely inaccurate saying. Blood has to pump faster around your body, so in fact the cigarette in itself is stressing the smoker out. |
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But back on track, this thread is positive so far so lets keep it that way ;) :) |
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Thirded..
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Well done Mr A keep it up.
As an ex smoker myself I know just how hard it is to kick the evil weed, I gave up April 06. The only downside from kicking the habit for me was I put on about 2st, lost 1st and got 1 to go. |
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All my life I was a trim 11'ish stone. As a non smoker nowadays that's all gone out the window. :( I haven't weighed myself but I reckon I'm about 14 stone nowadays. :shocked: Geez that's enough to start me smoking again..only joking. :) |
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There are some steps you can take with regards to weight. How about using the money you're saving to join a gym? Find out if there are any healthy living initiatives in your area (these tend to be the more deprived areas) and you might get subsidised gym meberships or free swimming etc.
Or how about not buying any munchies because the hand-to-mouth action is a reinforced behaviour. If you think you probably take say 10 drags on each cig? That multiplied by 20 cigs a day means the behaviour is reinforced 200 times a day - what else do you do 200 times a day?!! The truth is its going to take a bit of time to get used to being a non-smoker and if you've got a packet of biccies there its going to be too easy to reach for them. My last tip is to buy lots of fruit, not only is it good for you but as your sense of taste returns you'll enjoy it more than ever ;) |
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I hadn't weighed myself since quitting, untill 3 months ago, I had put on 8 stones:shocked:.
I weighed myself on thursday, and I had lost two stones in three months:), if I keep that rate up, I'll be down to around my ideal weight in another 18 months;). |
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I have gone 15 days without a cigarette.I use patches and find them a great help. Strangely my breathing is a bit duff.
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Doctor tells him he's unhealthy and needs to lose weight. he says himself he was a lot fitter when he did smoke, which he was. not trying to put anyone off from giving up smoking, but I smoke and I've got a great body :) |
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I stopped 4 years ago and have never felt better. I used the stop smoking service run by the local NHS and they prescribe Zyban. It worked great for me and i now have gone from a 40 a day habit to a 0 a day habit. It does get easier as the days go on and if i feel a slip coming on i just think of all the money i have and am saving. :tu: and stick with it you will not regret it. |
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Pleased to "meet" you greyposter - well done, keep it up!! Cheers for the encouragement Sirius |
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Off-shore cruiser at £22k, you could probably beat them down to £20k
40 a day costs approx £12 x 365 = £4380, so in 5 years time you will have paid off your boat. Keep on keepin' on. |
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FW - That's exactly my train of thought (though I've sourced this for £19k cash). |
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Can I suggest if you want to avoid being thought of as out to cause trouble you think carefully what you post and also use the smileys so those of us who don't have the benefit of telepathy can cotton on...;) |
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Humour or not I need to know so I don't infract someone unfairly...use the smileys pretty please. |
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Nearly 6 years for me and like The Daddy you have to reach a point where YOU are ready to quit. I tried several times because I knew I should and various other reasons and failed because I didn't (at the time) really want to quit. 30 years with a 20 a day habit and I was finally ready and the help of patches and the nurse in our local Stop Smoking clinic succeeded.
The first two weeks seem to be the biggest hurdle so if you manage that work towards a month, after which time you should look back & say I don't want to waste all that hard work. Also being overweight is less harmful than smoking unless you are menopausal then stress is worse than smoking apparently. :dozey: So you have no excuses Gary L ;) A friend quit after 50+ years of smoking 2 years ago because of the smoking ban in pubs as when he was home he had to smoke outside and was dammed if he was going to do the same when he went to the pub so he quit. :D More successes I have seen have occurred with people who quit at times other than New Year :shrug: |
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I have to agree with the not giving up at New Year resolutions.I know of very few people who have managed to change anything at that time of year especially if it's a miserable winter and to give up an ingrained habit of many years must seem a hundred times harder than say in the Spring or Summer.
However good luck Mr A.I'm rooting for you and everyone else who has given up.Even my husband whom has made himself ill through his habit.He's given up three times now the longest being 2 years..He's trying again now because he is in such pain from blocked veins in his legs.:( |
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We see three times the amount of smokers wanting to quit throughout January, than any other time of the year (hence no leave allowed between January-April). Some people need a date to remember and it works for a lot of them, some people want to do it quietly without the added pressure of others' knowing. Its all about what suits the person, the more comfortable they feel about the quit attempt - the more likely they will be successful :) |
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Anyway if your struggling Mr A or anyone else for that matter there is a link in the adds at the top of this thread to Allen Carr, I know several people who gave up after reading his book, several out of millions worldwide apparently. Only 99p from Amerzon to. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Allen-Carrs-.../dp/0140277633 |
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Anyhoo, back to the support thing......
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Well done Mr A. Bet all the mini angries are really proud.
Does that mean I have to quit to get a boat trip? :erm: Gimme a shout some time. |
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I was not the original poster so why have a go at me, may i suggest you have a go at them instead ??? |
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Right everyone BACK on topic which is being supportive of Mr A and others in trying to give up smoking.The very next post that is off topic or non supportive will be deleted.
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Keep going Mr A best thing you will ever do I wish I could.
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Jules - let me tell you if I can try it anyone can.
Today was TERRIBLE - real cravings for the fist time - left the office early and went home for fear of stabbing someone or throwing someone out of a window. Secretly I have staff whom I'd previously considered these options for as a viable option - even when I was smoking. I must really be starting to detox now (15 days in) as the point where my patch was looks like a square "love bite". My GP's receptionist advised me to stop with the chewing gum and mints as they were not helping since they too were a habit I had in tandem with smoking. She recommends brandyballs - who am I to argue? |
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Keep at it, Mr Angry! :)
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Come on you can do better than 15 days..just try one more day.
One day at a time.. Have you set a reward for the first month?Like a day trip or a show or a film.Setting small goals of time and then rewarding yourself for getting there is one way to keep going.:) |
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Guys...still going strong. Thanks for the support & encouragement.
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I found using a stress-ball helped with the murderous thoughts.
Keep up keeping up :) |
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They do help in times of weakness :) |
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Powerballs are quite good for stress relief, as you have to concentrate to make them work
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2009/09/2.jpg |
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Concentration releaving stress. never heard that before.
They give you a strong wrist too. ---------- Post added at 22:34 ---------- Previous post was at 22:31 ---------- Quote:
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It takes your mind off the craving, as you are concentrating on doing something else.....
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Oh, craving relief then. I'd sooner relieve my stress by playing with Superbiatch's balls
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Back on track now...... how is everyone doing? MR A - you've gone quiet :) |
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SB,
Got through yesterday - eventually!! Horrible night sleep but back for another day today!! |
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You appear to be punishing yourself more than the cigarettes ever did Mr A.
Seriously, think about your language - "Got through yesterday - eventually!!". I know it sounds trite, but try not to think of yesterday in negative terms. You didn't 'survive', you won! Yesterday was one more day where you defeated the evil weed. Yesterday was one more day where you proved that cigarettes don't have any hold on you. Yesterday was one more day where you didn't destroy your health any further. Yesterday was one more day where you didn't finish it smelling like an ashtray. I know it's tough (I've been there, and a few years on I still find myself going through what you're going through when things get really hard), but you must try to relate to these daily victories in positive terms. Because each time you do you reinforce the positive benefits of stopping (not 'giving up', deliberate use of that word) smoking, rather than reinforcing the negative effects of doing so. Keep it up, you really are doing well. |
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Have you tried exercising just before bed, to try and physically tire yourself out - even if it is just up/down the stairs 30 times, then 3x10 push-ups, and 3x10 sit-ups. You're doing great.:) |
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Fantastic advice though :tu: ---------- Post added at 09:42 ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 ---------- Quote:
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Keep going Mr A you are doing so well :tu:
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Another success story here.
Packed in earlier this year with help from the chemist (patches and gum). If I'd known how easy it was to go from 20/30 Lambert & Butler a day to zero, I'd have quit years ago, it was the fear of the craving and letting people down by failing that put me off stopping (if that makes sense). I'm not counting the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds any more. If your heart's in kicking the habit and it's 100% your decision to do so, you've every chance in succeeding. However, if you're doing it through family/peer pressure and/or don't feel fully ready, you'll have trouble. It gets easier, there'll still be times when you're tempted and really fancy one, but they get fewer and further between as time goes on. Good luck. |
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In 35 years I've never smoked and never will so I don't know what it's like. I'm usually anti-smoking but in the essence of this thread I'll share a story.
Up until 5 years ago my mother was on 60 a day for more than 40 years. She'd tried to give up here and there but it never worked. Then one day in work she felt unwell and came home. I popped around there and she told me of the symptoms, chest pains...and pain running down her left arm. I got on to the hospital for her who advised bringing her in. To cut a long story short she'd suffered (but survived) a heart attack. She stayed in for 10 days but afterwards the doctor told her she should either quit or expect another attack that she'd more than likely not recover from. She never had another cigarette. She very much went cold turkey. Returning to her house after her stay in hospital the first thing she noticed was the smell of nicotine as she walked through the door. It wasn't easy but she managed to quit. I never thought she'd ever manage it but she has quit for good. I won't insult anyone by pretending I know how hard it is but if she can give up then anyone can, I firmly believe that. |
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Russ, very pleased to hear your mum gave up - good on her.
Unfortunately, my mum's story was the opposite - ever since I can remember, she smoked 60 a day (Senior Service full strength untipped), and I used to wake up every morning to hear hear coughing and hacking, then the sound of the first fag of the day. This led to bronchitis and emphysema, requiring inhalers and frequent stays in hospitals (leading to the extremely dangerous situation of her trying to light up whilst attached to an oxygen mask!). Unfortunately, in early 2003, she suffered from a twisted bowel, and they couldn't operate because it was unlikely she could take/recover from the anaesthetic - she died the next day, whilst I was travelling up to Glasgow to see her. If by giving up smoking, anyone can prevent something like this happening to them or their family, I have the greatest admiration for them. |
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Thank you to you all - each and every one of you - and congratulations to those who have managed to kick the habit and survive.
To those who have shared details of losses / near losses I sympathise with you all. Rob - your advice rings particularly true. Today was a "sail through" compared to yesterday. glam-racket, I know where you're coming from mate. Today I have mostly now been stopped smoking for longer than any other previous (half hearted) attempt. |
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Mr A. good luck with it all mate.
main advice I've got for you now is in the coming weeks dont go for a bender in the pub cuz before you know it you drank 1 pint too many and the fag is in the hand very quickly. I've managed the longest 3 months and gone back onto it again ( I know silly me) |
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true about the pub,one thing leads to another... thank god I don't drink,I would find it really hard to be wasted and not smoke! :mad: :erm: |
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Proud of you Mr A!
Keep up the hard work big lad, no stabbing people though. Just a btw... seen your bro-in-law the other day, said hi. :) |
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He's off them as well - so I'm told. I've been asked up to his for a few fizzy pops to celebrate his 40th hiccy burpday on Friday. Assuming that he didn't, I must ask why he neglected to punch you violently and stab you like I asked him to. Bang goes his present. |
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You`re doing so good Mr A! One of the guys i work with was on, maybe 30 a day and he tried Champix i think it`s called. He`s not had a fag for nearly 3 weeks now!! I think i`ll try them meself.,:smokin:;):)
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