I've decided, after thinking about it for a while, to give up smoking tomorrow. Been smoking 20+ a day for about 20 years and it's really starting to affect me. coughing and wheezing mainly, but I seem incapable of laughing without it inducing a coughing fit.

I'm very concerned about putting weight on as I'm already carrying a bit of a gut. Anyone got any recommendations?

Anyone else tried recently? anyone giving up at the moment?

I was a dedicated smoker from age 12 to age 23...was smoking 2 packs unfiltered for the last several years.
I got a series of strep throats and even tried to smoke during the illness[wish I had recorded the coughs]. Finally, with the last strep throat, I stopped smoking for the duration and when I was well, 3 - 4 days or so, I said, "Why not quit smoking"...and I did...after I turned 30, I smoked 4 or 5 packs a year, usually in pub situations or finding a sunny spot in winter during a busy spell at work...never more; never a desire to smoke more.
With asthma, even that small amount is too much to I haven't had a smoke for 3 years or so.
With me, it was an illness that really made it unpleasant to smoke and that cleared my body of the nicotene and I resolved to stop.
best of luck; I felt a whole lot better and I bet you will too

I've tried umpteen times - I'm bloody hopeless.

Patches, gum, you name it, I still keep going back to 'em. :rolleyes:

Yes, beware of putting on weight. My grandfather gave up after an angina attack - he had smoked 60 a day for 40 odd years, but stopped as soon as the docs warned him off. He took up boiled sweets and ballooned. Mind you, he still died in a non-related road accident, so it makes you wonder... :unsure:

I didn't put on weight at all. I excercised more and burned the calories that way.
I can still wear clothes that I got 45+ years ago...my body shape just doesn't change and yours might not either....look to RM2: Long enjoyable walks

"I've triend umpteen times"....you're too healthy, that's the problem; I used my example to spot your problem right off...don't get a flu shot until you quit smoking; hang around migrant camps, etc

...followed by two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon a day...

:whistle: :D

The plan is to get really pissed tonight and smoke as many cigs as I want, guilt free for the first time in years, then smash all my ashtrays and, hopefully, wake up tomorrow and not want to smoke.

I have plenty of willpower, I think :)

When I think of how much money I've spent over the years, It makes me ashamed. Probably something between 30 and 40 grand in today's money:(

I should really join the gym as well. That way, I might be able to avoid the inevitable weight gain.

Watch this space.

I'm bloody not - I'm two stone overweight, still coughing my guts up every morning, I s'pose I'll end up learning the hard way... :unsure:

I'm probably 20 to 30 pounds overweight. I KNOW I'll learn the hard way if I don't quit.

Plus all those long wet trecks to the shop when I run out at night, with weasels, chavs and drunken psychos ready to pounce on every corner :(

I've just bought back from my holiday 1kg of baccy for me and 600 fags for herself. Guess the giving up's on hold here for a bit. :banghead:

exercise & stretch...want a smoke, do some physical activity...might work; hope it does

That's good advice and I know anything I do that keeps me busy will be better than sitting around procrastinating, which is what I'm likely to do otherwise.

Gonna make a list of jobs that need doing around the house and work my way through that.

Even though i come from a long line of chain-smoking drunks, i never touched the death sticks.

Dated a smoker once and kissing an ashtray is quite a turn-off...

Nicotine free ten years. For me it was the scare of my dentist noticing a pre-cancerous lesion. But going cold turkey was too difficult. I was older, and with that many more stressors had entered into my life.

My doctor prescribed Wellbutrin, which is actually an anti-depressant but was prescribed because it has a secondary benefit as an effective agent for curbing nicotine cravings. Essentially you don't quit at once, but the regimen provides for gradual dampening of your appetite for nicotine. It didn't take very long for it to lick my nicking as I recall.

Given that it is an anti-depressant I was also hoping it would dampen my dysthymia, but no, it didn't nick my feeblest efforts to suck the life out of even the smallest of life's pleasures. Stupid weak tea anti-depressant.

The part you really need to prepare for is the subsequent psychological craving . That's where I needed to keep my focus sharp. But, if you are truly serious about quitting you'll find it won't be very difficult to resist the temptation; once that nicotine craving was gone, I found it was not so hard to distract myself from the thought of relaxing with tobacco. And it wasn't all about food as a substitute. You can more seriously appreciate not only how better you feel, but what a waste it is to be a slave to something that eats significantly at your income and ruins your health or kills you. You see more clearly the faces of all the people who you love and love you.

Good luck, Sven! It's worth the trouble to keep at it.

I gave up tobacco a couple of years ago. I had a bad cold that made smoking unpleasant, and I realised I'd been smoking for half my life, so I used the cold as an opportunity to quit. I don't respond well to absolute ultimatums so I decided that I'd still have the occasional cigar.

I mentioned this in an earlier thread: there's a whole industry dedicated to convincing you that giving up is extremely difficult and cannot be done without the aid of gum, patches etc. This is all LIES. If you really want to quit it's EASY. The worst thing that happens is you get cravings, which only last for a few seconds. They're uncomfortable, but all you need is the will-power to grit your teeth through them, remembering that that feeling is your body ridding itself of a harmful addiction. And if you crack and have a smoke, it'll make things more difficult for you, but it's not an excuse to call the endeavour a failure and go back on them again. In a few days, you won't want to smoke anymore. If you miss it, remember that not smoking can't kill you, but smoking can, and you'll also very quickly start to feel physically way better. Being able to run for the bus without needing a five-minute recovery period afterwards is a plus. And this desperate need that is such a big deal to you right now will very quickly cease to exist.

I used to tend to have a couple of cigars when I was drinking, but I only do that rarely now. I did put on a lot of weight, but it's important not to use that as an excuse not to quit. I'm anything but disciplined, so if I can do it you can.

Gave up about 5 years ago. It was easy, really, if I'm honest, and I smoked an absolute shit load. Allen Carr's book helped me, I think. No patches or nothing. What Worthless Recluse says is true.

I put on a bit of weight but not very much and I'm not entirely sure that was the fags- my weight was on an upwards trajectory anyway from being stupidly thin. I do eat more- I used to miss lunch sometimes, when I smoked, and I just can't do that now- but on the other hand I have more energy and exercise more.

I could never date a smoker. They're worse than Hitler.

Hitler hated smoking, too.
I never quite trust anyone who's never smoked - like loving The Beatles, it's a sure sign of a dweeb.

Cast out the bait and reel him in....

I smoked for years, dearie. :sick:

Obviously that last post was secretly all about you, you, you. Glad you spotted it. :applaud:

Well, it was a reply to me, me, me.

I gave up cold turkey, Sven, and didn't have too much problems with cravings. The psychological ones are the worst. You have to find things to do to take your mind off it. Hobbies and such...
Good for you, though. You don't want to end up like Elvis, whose so in hock to the tobacco companies that he actually believes smoking cancer sticks is a sign of intelligence. :(

gave up smoking a few years ago (couldn't laugh without coughing, that did it for me

i had tried before but it didn't work

part of the difficulty was that i didnt smoke cigarettes, only joints (having brought all other psych and opiate activities to a close over a period of years). smoked 10 or more a day, single skin or three depending on the humour and the company. fortunately, my annoyance with general health deterioration came at the same time as compelte boredom with hash and impatience with hash smokers (Burroughs is right: hash smokers are the scourge of the world: its a ridiculous habit and its adherents are ridiculous too, me included

but, what really did it (i think) was giving up coffee at the same time!

i always had the two together

(all the same, happiest memories of childhood: grass, a few lines of sulphate, good company and good music...not on a mission to stop these acitivities lol

Good luck!

The weight thing is a problem, as you feel you need 'something' and end up snacking on sweets and the like. You could stock up on celery and carrots, they're a good snack item, don't eat too many buts though as they can be very fattening.

I think it's all about will power. If you really want to do this then you'll succeed.

The problem can be just the habits you follow. Like if you are used to having a morning break at work with a fag - sitting at your desk you may not miss the nicotine but miss the break. So it's a good thing to try and give up when you have a week off - go somewhere and do things you don't normally do and it will break up the routine.

He's the healthiest pisshead in Britain. :)

Sven, the advice of Worthless Recluse is very good indeed. You WILL have cravings, and they're tough, but they don't last for more than a minute at the most. If you find yourself giving in to the craving, DO NOT smoke a whole cigarette, just take a drag or two then stub it out. DO NOT buy a packet, thinking 'That's it, I've failed.' It's very easy to RESUME being a non-smoker.

When I gave up, I was appalled when I smelled the tobacco odour on my friends who smoked. It wasn't nice to realise that I'd smelled like that for 20 years.

Thanks to everyone for their support and good advice.

This is a great post :applaud:

I have to do this. Really fed up of relying on cigarettes to feel better when i know in reality they are just making me feel worse :(

I'm actually worrying more about putting weight on than actually giving up, as I feel I have plenty of willpower.

I know how much the people I care about want me to give up. Nobody lectures me any more but I can see the concern in their faces every time a fit of giggles turns into a red-faced choking fit.

I want to be around for the next 50 Fall albums at least :thumbsup:

Read this Sven - make smoking not only easy, but enjoyable also. I appreciate you might have trouble believing that claim, but well, a pack of 20 costs £6, this book costs about £8 - what do you have to lose?

In brief, it offers an alternative to the (extraordinarily hard) willpower method. If someone told you that you didn't need willpower to quit, would you believe them? I didn't at first. I do now.

Lots of good advice here.

I smoked from about the age of 13 to about the age of 40. Too bloody long and I've been clean for a good few years now.

To be honest, I was just getting bored of smoking...

Best thing I did to motivate myself was...

1. Look at your pack of fags and find out how much tar they have in.
2. Calculate how many fags you've smoked.
3. Calculate how much shit your body is having to cope with. For me, it was working out in kilograms which I was horrified with.

(if you can't do the calculation send me a pack of fags and I'll do it for you :lol: )


I failed to give up many time using patches etc...The only thing that really matters is willpower. Make sure you keep yourself busy and focus on getting through an hour at a time - they'll soon add up.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

Don't be overly focused on your weight.
Keep a pair of trousers that fit well right now....you'll need them later
then, find some activity that you like and burns calories. If you can work up to running a few miles, that's the best because it burns calories the quickest.
If you have the time, walking is easier on the joints.
If you like other people, then organized fitness routines at a gym might be the ticket for you.
If you have the room and money, an in-home treadmill or stair-climber would really be good because you can listen to The Fall while you burn calories.
Varying activities is always a plus: Have two or three or four ploys for when you crave that smoke and don't rely on one.
Try yiouur old trousers on from time to time to see if they are getting loose or tightening up on you....you don't need a scale.
You can do it and stay the same weight; hell, you can be like some of us and bore the pants off people blabbing about our workout routines.
One thing about losing weight: if you don't lift weights while dieting you will lose as much muscle as you will fat so you need a weight bearing exercise while you're trying to lose weight or you will end up much weaker than you are now and the femininas will stop coming to your doorstep.

Mr Grumpy said all anyone needs to know in just a few words - great!

Just a technical query:- them joints were they tobacco-incorporating joints?

Not always

Sometimes I prefer Merlot

;)

But seriously, hey Sven, you could do worse that get out in the fresh air whilst you try to give up. Stick some music in your ears and trudge around. Might be just what you need to take your mind off, and control the weight gain.

It'll be harder in the coming months cos of the dark and the weather.

If you don't fancy dodging the rain, you could spend the fag money on a gym membership. As a minimum, you can do gentle walking exercises there on controllable treadmills and build up your stamina.

You'll get a great big feel good endorphine rush after every time.

Can't really help about coping mechanisms for the actual nicotine addiction.

The trudging idea definitely suits me. I enjoy trudging, especially in a huge coat. The best thing about trudging when you're a bit stressed is you can brood as well :thumbsup: Brooding and trudging are great.

It's important when trudging to make sure you don't end up at a shop though. There is a tendancy to buy food/sweets that you don't really need and this will exacerbate the weight issue.

Plus there's the added risk of temptation to buy cigarettes.

I'm smoking like a chimney as a type. Will destroy any cigarettes/ash trays etc at midnight and that will be it.

I'm determined to make it work. Just watched the Python Documentary. Long time Pipe smoker Graham Chapman died of cancer at the age of 48...

Think of all the music you'll listen to aswell.

:thumbsup:

Walking will make you feel good even if you set off in a not so good mood. It's the endorphins; the purpose - i.e. walking from a to b - you are in control of that - you decide if you succeed noone else; the fresh air; and the music too if you ipod

For the record, Graham Chapman died of spinal cancer.
The medical jury's still out on lung cancer and pipe smoking - much of course depends on if someone inhales or not, of course - but most studies have shown it's dramatically less harmful than smoking cigarettes, and some say the difference in lung cancer rates between non-smokers and pipe smokers is negligible; some have even shown pipe smokers do better!
I tried switching to a pipe a few years ago, but 1. Didn't get a "hit" off it (almost certainly doing it wrong), and 2. I looked like a berk smoking one at bus-stops and so on.

Anyway this is all irrelevant... good on you for giving up and good luck, sir.

Gave up cold turkey the day I met the missus who don't like smoke (but doesn't mind spliff).
I guess if one REALLY wants to give up one will

tried several times before-motivated more by the stupidity of it like when you get a glimpse of self reflected in window with a smoke stick hanging out yer face
yet, its enjoyable no doubt so I figured if if give up fags what am i gonna do with my berets

a little tip from motivational counseling: draw up a cross-quadrants if you will, list in each quadrant-pros of giving up and pros of smoking and do the same for the cons

weigh em up

the way to do it is to think, before you light up, "this will definately make me feel sick".

Started smoking when I was 14, smoked until I was 48, am 49 now, this Monday the 5th though will mark the one year anniversary of NOT SMOKING. :beer: No real secrets or methods, everyone here has given good tips, went to the doctors said if I wanted to quit he would prescribe something for me, can't recall what it was, took it for about 3 months, guess it worked. Gained a bit, not much say 10 pounds, no big deal. Good luck, helps do have a thread like this, you'll need to rant a bit if you you're successful. B)

Yeah I have been prescribed three months worth of the anti depressant, nortiptaline twice for smkoing but have'net completed a course yet because it works so well, first time it worked for a year and recently worked for a month. The good thing about it for me is it sucks out the craving panic, and it gets me to the point I really can't be arsed with it. I chose nortiiptaline cause it was free. There is a more effective one available that costs a bit more here and I'll try that next if my resolve falters again. (just bought the first pack for a few months yesterday).

When you stop, the nicotine has left your system after two days. Anything else is down to you. I'm another one who says it's easy to stop.

That guy in "upsize me" talking about "the three day hump" for nicotine was about right.