ahhhh I hate fags

[Andy Hamilton]

Any American readers of this forum might be forgiven for thinking that the title of this post is homephobic nonsense. I am talking about the English english way of calling cigarettes - fags.

Over the last, well 5 years I have been trying to give up smoking. I would like to say that as from today it has been a week. Alas, I can't really I lit one well two .... ok I am in good company who won't tell anyone, three but only two whole ones.... up last night and this is where I fall down. Most ex smokers say how awful it tastes when they get to smoke again. I find these are the only cigarettes that I ever enjoy. The 4 (yep lets say 4 to stop me from starting again) that get you hooked again. The rush of nicoteen, amazing but deadly.

So any ex smokers of more than a week out there, how on earth do you do it? Quitting is not the hard part its the not smoking ever that I find difficult.

[Thurston Garden]

I thought you were having a dig at me there

My Dad quit at Christmas time many years ago. He started eating satsumas which mum had bought (why do people buy them at Christmas time?) and quickly became addicted. Mum made him go and see the Doc - apparently the vitamin C was washing Lady Nicotine out of his system more quickly than it would have done normally and as a reply, the body was craving vitamin C. He quit successfully and then weaned himself off oranges.

My OH successfully quit by becoming an orange addict too - worth a try and far healthier than fags....oops ciggies!

[9ball]

No help here I'm afraid, I've given up about 6 times over the last five weeks for a few days each time. Bastard things.

[Andy Hamilton]

you tried satsumas 9ball?

Sounds like a healthier addiction, mind you must have spent a few bob on toilet roll.

[Martin]

put an unopened pack of cigarettes/tobacco on the mantelpiece so you can "look it in the eye", then it's dead simple - you don't smoke! - every time you find a hand reaching out for them you say to yourself "perhaps tomorrow, but not today!" (tomorrow never comes )
I'm allowed to be smug - I had my last ciggy just before I was carted off to hospital in December - being stuck in there for a few weeks rendered it impossible to indulge, so it seemed daft to start again..........
It's now been around ten weeks, and I really don't notice it too badly - get the occasional "I could do with a smoke", but it soon passes......(perhaps tomorrow!)
Do forewarn any bystanders that it tends not to improve the temper, being without........(that passes too)

[red]

I thought you were having a dig at me there

[hoomin_erra]

Willpower, that's it. Plus, i tend to find i think less about having a cig when i'm busy, so just keep busy.

I'm up to 7 months without, and that is with the distraction of an OH who still smokes.

[Annpan]

Well done for quitting guys

I used to smoke, but never really got addicted (well not to the nicotine, just the hobby) I started to think about how much money I was wasting on this pastime (and that was when fags were alot cheaper!) I was wasting, easily £20 a week, I stopped because that is a damned expensive hobby.


I knew a man who from the deep south of america, when sharing a flat with a few brittish guys
one of them said "I am going down to the corner for some fags, anyone else want any"
another flatmate replied "I'd love some, but I am skint"
and the first one said "You can have one of mine"

[Shirley]

Different things work for different people. I did what Martin did and just had the packet there... and I didn't touch one.

This is the third time I've given up though - I stopped for 8 years and started again... foolish person that I am. I started again when I split up with my ex husband and I blamed the stress - stupidly. I found that it kept my weight down and suppressed my appetite and that was fine by me as I wanted to lose weight. Bit drastic though - there are much better ways of doing that.

Anyway - I quit again after a year, and it's been 6 years since I had a cigarette now. My daughter smokes, and I hate the way she smells when she comes inside after having a smoke.

Oh... and if someone offers you a cigarette say I Don't Smoke, or I don't need them, or I've given up..... never I'm giving up. Think positive - it really is so worth while to give them up.

[Silver Ether]

Think about the tax your not paying if you stop... thats what stopped my fella years ago. Not touched one since thank the Goddess as he stunk ...

Think on that too... how you and you place will smell much nicer also if your avatar is you ... nice looking fella ... smoking ages you and gives you those horrible little lines around your mouth ... yak

[Mydreamlife]

Try getting Pregnant!!! Stopped the minute I saw the blue line!! Wish my OH could get Preg' cos he stinks!!!! Never at home or in the car just at work. How doe that work? Very annoing!

[glenniedragon]

I gave up 8 years ago, It was hard and anyone who says its not is not telling the truth! I brushed my teeth every time I wanted a fag and kept my hands busy as that was the time I found the urge the strongest. Even to this day it feels odd having a drink without a fag but at least now the Pubs enforce it (controversial I know!)

This thread has turned into a bit of Smokers Anon

"Hello, my names Deb and I've been cloud free for 8 years......."

Kind thoughts
Deb

[gigglybug]

Keep going!!!! The first week is the worst!!!

I tried soooo many times, then I just woke up one morning and decided that I was sick of it, and I haven't smoked since.

I have to agree with keeping busy and when your not sleep lots! Then before you know it youve gone longer that you have before and that adds to the motivation!

Well done

[ina]

Try getting Pregnant!!! Stopped the minute I saw the blue line!!

Actually, it's bad for the baby, too, if the guy smokes when trying to get his OH pregnant...

glenniedragon:
"I gave up 8 years ago, It was hard and anyone who says its not is not telling the truth! I brushed my teeth every time I wanted a fag and kept my hands busy as that was the time I found the urge the strongest. Even to this day it feels odd having a drink without a fag but at least now the Pubs enforce it (controversial I know!) "

You know, it really is different for everybody. I had no problem to stop smoking. No withdrawal symptoms, no substitute addictions. Never craved one again. (That's more than 20 years now.) And I never wanted a fag with a drink, anyway - it was just the other way round with me: I'd smoke when I wasn't drinking; I think in pubs the atmosphere was so smoke laden anyway, that passive smoking was enough for me!

[MikeM]

I quit about 5 years ago (at 33, so had been smoking for about 18 years). It was incredibly hard, and TBH the craving has not yet totally gone away (and I'm told by friends that have been quit a much longer time that it never does).
It may sound like a cliche, but you really have to want to quit, and stay quit. My motivation was that I'd just been unfairly dismissed from a very stressful job, and I made the choice to get something positive out of the whole messy business. If you don't have a strong motivation then the whole thing will be much harder. That said, good luck, it will be worth it (if only to free yourself from the clutches of the man).