Page 1 of I finally did it!

After 14 years of smoking, I have finally managed to quit! 

2 weeks ago today and the most of the unpleasant side effects are slowly easing, but were certainly enough to never smoke again...ulcerated tonsils being the first that spring to mind (ouch).  I`ve also managed to put back on half a stone of the stone that I really struggled to loose, but I already feel healthier and can breathe more easily  :D

I didn`t think I`d ever manage it, so I`m very pleased :)

well done you :)

as a non smoker, i`ve never understood why people need to smoke, but congratulate
those who have the will power to give up.

i lost my dad 5 years ago to illness brought on by cigarettes (he was only 69 too). my mom
managed to give up 18 months ago after smoking for the best part of 60 years... so if she
can do it after smoking for such a long time, anyone can.

just think of the extra money you`ll have at your disposal too.

Ste
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Wow, very well done fluff!

My next door neighbours and some friends of mine all managed to give up over the last few years, but I also know a few who keep failing to, over and over again. So it`s clearly not easy!


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Well done Fluff!

Well done! Gonna save loads of money :)


IN MADNESS YOU DWELL

I have never smoked, but before I was my own self employed boss, I had to suffer years working for hellish bosses, so I used to carry a packet of fags and a lighter, Why?

Well I could never suffer being eight hours solid in an office, so as a `smoker` I could go out 10 minutes each side of the lunch break, so got out the office for an extra 20 minutes a day, compaired to non-smokers.

One downside was in one job I had, the boss used to come out as well for a smoke, and soon caught on I was fake smoking (not breathing in), but said "never mind I know what your up to, but it gets us out of the office for a while, yeh, he was one boss that was not a tyrant

Few points from someone who has successfully quit:

1) Money: Unless you intend to take the same as you spent on ciggies per day and put it in a jar somewhere and not touch it until it`s huge, forget the money saving aspects. You find other ways to spend it and it never seems to make much of a difference but if you think "I`ll have much more money" then the lack of it forthcoming tends to put the kaibosh(sp?) on your plans.

2) Time factors. This is an absolute BUGGER to get past and after talking to some others when I quit they all hit the same walls and periods which were:
3 weeks... it goes away quite quick.
6 weeks... again can go quickly
3 months... harder but does go
6 months.. not too difficult
12 months... again not difficult but a very easy to "just have a quick puff" one
about 18 months... very slight cravings, more like a memory but can make you fall off again.

After 2 years I found my cravings had all but gone, 7/8 years later I DGAF even if someone is smoking in my company, I just don`t want to have one.
You WILL start to notice the smells when someone else has had one (you`ll notice it now but jeez, wait til 6 months or a year has gone and you`ll know why all those moany non-smokers moaned about the smell when you came in lol) and your taste and palate will change.

Downside you`ve mentioned is metabolism change and you do get a bit heavier but you can exercise that back off if you don`t drive a taxi ;)

There will be loads of times you`ll think you want or need a quick puff to get past something, if you can ignore it you will get past those cravings within a few minutes but sometimes they come back quick, just keep trying to ignore them and they do go away.

For me it was the Nicorette inhalators that helped, supposed to use them for 3 months I used them for just under a year, advice from Doc about extended use was that they were better than ciggies so keep using them.

I also ate a lot of chewing gum.

Another thing you need is someone reasonably close, that person who will say "have one if you want" but with THAT tone that you know they don`t mean it and are on their high horse that you won`t manage it... the one person where in your head you say "Oh fook you, I`m not having one cos I`m gonna wipe that smug grin off your mush" ;)

Last one: The "Oh I can only have one, it`s to help with stress/night out/drinking/headache/whatever other B$ excuse you can think of", DON`T.
I`ve known people to get to over a year then have "just one" or the night out fag and within a month or two they`re back on them heavier than they were before.

I smoked from age 13 to around 36, I tried a few times to stop but my heart was never really in it. It`s a hard slog but if you can just keep going you WILL manage it, make sure you really do want to quit though as the time I did it I was really getting to that point of hating myself for smoking and not enjoying ciggies any more but the habit kept me going back.

Like I said, over 7 years now and wouldn`t go back, I have scheitte will power so if I can do it you can smash it too :)


Jimbo : oÞ

"There`s that word again... is there a problem with the Earth`s gravitational pull in the future?"

Congrats.
You can stay off it, I gave up about 25 years ago, took me three attempts but it`s possible.

What they said. You`ll start noticing how much you niffed when you were smoking and, as Jimbo said, don`t take up cabbing if you want to shift the weight and if you don`t, hey Mars bars are way cheaper than fags.

Snaps

Every Third Car

Oh, aye, I forgot... you`re gonna get a million people coming out of the woodwork with the "Oh I think it`s brilliant, I`ve tried so many times but ah just keep going back. Then ah think what`s the point of stopping " etc etc etc.

Just tell them politely to exit your company or ignore them completely ;)

Jimbo : oÞ

"There`s that word again... is there a problem with the Earth`s gravitational pull in the future?"

well done... i was a social smoker at college, over 20 years ago, but not smoked since!  You may have to give up drinking as well, as when you have had a vino or two with your friends, when they light up, they will try to tempt you back!