Smoking

System
System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
edited June 8 in AAT student discussion
Hi
I am on my third attempt to quit smoking in 6 months! I managed a week last time after really struggling from day one. So after failing in November I decided to pick a date, which happened to be 8th January to work up to. So Sunday I smoked my last pack and stopped. And I must admit I feel great! I am quite worried how easy Im finding it!
Anyway, I thought Id mention it, as if you see any posts from me ranting or seeming as though I need to rip out my hair, then this is the reason!!
Paul.
P.S It also adds more pressure the more people I tell, as I would feel more guilty if I ever did want one, as I would have to admit failure to many more people!!
ยซ13

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Good luck!

    I smoked when I was younger. I couldn't smoke during the day at work and crammed it all into the evenings.

    I reasoned with myself that if I could go all day without a cigarette, I wasn't addicted and therefore could stop.

    Once I had that thought in my mind, I stopped and never struggled.

    :wink:

    Helen
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Hey Paul good for you! My Boyfriend stopped smoking 2 months ago without any help and hes doing really well so fingers crossed for you! :D
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Cheers!

    Im off down the gym after work to see if it makes any difference!!

    :-)
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking


    And I'm going for a 7 mile run. Couldn't do that and smoke!

    :oops:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Coming for a pint after the gym Paul? :twisted:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    I will prob feel better just by not standing outside the gym afterwards to roll a fag before getting in the car!!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking
    CJC wrote:
    Coming for a pint after the gym Paul? :twisted:

    He he theres a plan!!

    Bit of a trek though Chris!!

    :lol:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Spooky, I've just logged on and was gonna PM you mate to see how the ciggie situation was going, I thought we were leaving this till Feb, but WELL DONE so far.
    I am going the "cutting down" route and am down from 20 a day to 3, don't feel able to go cold turkey as am trying to diet as well! Have just booked a holiday to Lapland for Dec 2007 and dont wanna look like a weeble in my oh so flattering ski suit!!
    So for the safety of my family I knew I couldnt totally deprive myself of my nicotine AND food :lol:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Thats a fair point!! I was going to wait until february but then it all changed, day three today, and my throat and chest are really horrible!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking


    Good luck Paul,I stopped during the World cup last June and I have never touched a fag since I was smoking 40 plus a day,a week on patches then gum for 2 months and that was that,never felt better.



    John
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Nice one. Im still worried that Im finding it so easy, I have always really struggled before. Maybe I just want it more now?? I have managed to push it straight out of my head if it has jumped in at any point.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    worst part is the pub if you can crack that then you
    are on your way,I stopped before for 4 months but couldn't go the distance but this time its been eaiser.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Thats good. Im avoiding alcohol for a while, just to take the pressure off. Im feeling confident though!!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Good Luck Paul, I am coming up to my 2nd year of being a non smoker on the 23rd of this month. I used the Allen Carr Easy Weigh, I am not sure how it works but I came out of that room and have never smoked since.Feel good too.
    Here is an incentive....I am off to New York next week with the freind I gave up with to celebrate our 2nd year and it is only costing a fraction of what we used to spend on cigarettes!!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking
    MummyBear wrote:
    I am not sure how it works but I came out of that room and have never smoked since.

    Maybe it was that room out of the old Stephen King movie "Cats Eye"?! Anyone else remember that?

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    You have completely lost me there- not much of a movie person really- what happened?
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    what did they say to you in that room then?
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Kind of. I remember a short story of his- Quitters, inc about people giving up smoking with a corporation's aid. IIRC, once you joined the program, you couldn't lapse. You were under surveillance and there were... punishments for failure. Is that the one?
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Yep. James Woods was trying to give up smoking and went to Quitters Inc. The room in question had an electrified floor which they demonstrated to him by chucking a cat in there and warning it would be his wife next if he had a lapse. Which he obviously does.

    Thus the wife got electrocuted with a further warning that the next lapse would be more severe. Eventually they threaten to cut off her fingers and much worse. It ends with him having given up and over for dinner at a friends house months later. The friends wife holds up her glass to toast his success or something and we see that she is missing some of her fingers!

    Nice!

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    We were allowed to smoke all the way through the session, in fact the guy that took the session emptied a carrier bag full of cigarettes (all kinds) in the middle of the floor and tyold us to help ourselves. I was a little gutted about that as I had bought a pack earlier!
    We had to talk about the cigarettes that we would find hard to give up eg. whilst having a drink,using the phone, driving after a meal etc I think that was so we could identify the difficult times. He also spoke about the advertising campaigns that had been used in the past (when it was legal) The barbed wire on the Silk Cut adverts could be interprated that smoke us and you will get hooked...each advert sent different messages.
    We were also told that we are only addicted to nicatine for a few hours - I have forgotten all the hard facts now it was quite a while ago - it is the habit that is the problem. He spoke about a 'nicatine monster' that is in all smokers, making them light up again to satisfy the monster, sounds odd but now everytime I see somebody smoking I imagine a little monster in them saying gimmee, gimmee, gimmee!! It makes me smile every time. :D
    The session lasted 3 hours and at the end, we were not hypnotised but we had to relax and listen for 5 minutes and then we were told we had smoked our last cigarette!
    I came out thinking I had just wasted a load of money but I have not smoked since. The only thing which was a problem to me was that for the next few months I constantly felt like I had forgotten to do something :?
    I was smoking 20 a day + and had smoked for more years than I care to remember. (Quick calc. of savings over 2 years @ 20 per day =14,600 cigarettes @ ร‚ยฃ5 per pack = ร‚ยฃ3650 :shock: )
    GJP104 - I don't think I am under surveillance and I don't think I have been punished (no more than normal anyway)
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Thats amazing, and you really never had another drag after that?
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    No, never ! :D In fact now I find the smell of cigarette smoke quite disgusting now and if somebody comes into my office who has been smoking it makes me feel ill!! And I inflicted that smell and smoke on my family and people around me for more years than I care to admit too, I feel ashamed now.

    Good Luck, you can do this, you have now been a non smoker for three days, just keep thinking of that nicotine monster!!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Oh, it is the Allen Carr Easy Way not Weigh :oops: - that's the dieting one - haven't done that
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    :lol:

    I have read loads of places that third day supposed to be hardest, and after four days it gets easier, and after three weeks, the cravings are not hardly noticeable.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    My husband (with zero will power) gave up using Allen Carr's book. The best thing is you are supposed to smoke whilst you are reading it!

    He's now in his 4th year of not smoking and I'm in my 10th!!

    Annette
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Thats dead good, cant wait to have a week under my belt, then I can go for a month, then six and so on! Will be great not to have that crappy feeling every morning!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    I gave up on August 20th 2005 after years of on and off smoking. I had long periods of giving up but somehow ended up just having one off a friend and then the old habit kicked in again.

    I remember having a very bad coughing fit just before I gave up and my children bursting into tears, thinking I was dying. That really affected me, seeing how scared they all were that their daddy was going to cough to death in front of them.

    I didn't stop immediately but one day soon after I made the decision that the pack I was currently on was going to be my last. And it was. I didn't use patches or anything, I just gave up. Oh, and going through packets and packets of extra strong mints.

    I've had probably about five fags in the time since but have never felt the urge to restart. Getting over that "three day hurdle" is great since nicotine is only in your body less than 24 hours anyway and you feel you've really achieved something!

    Good luck Paul!

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    Best of luck with giving up Paul - if you really want to you can do it.

    I gave up 18 years ago after smoking from the age of 9 (bad I know)because I didn't want to have children while I was smoking. Really hard but worth it. Strange though even after all this time I still get the occasional craving.

    Best wishes
    Eva :D
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking
    EvaG wrote:
    Strange though even after all this time I still get the occasional craving.

    Thats scary! really?

    Do they last as long or is it just like a passing thought?
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 ๐Ÿค– Admin ๐Ÿค–
    Re:Smoking

    I can honestly say that for the past 2 years I have not had any cravings whatsoever. My husband occasionally gets one after a good meal but not anything he has to fight too hard! Just reading this back and ooo errr this is about smoking obviously.

    I would thoroughly recommend the Allen Carr book, the most you lose is ร‚ยฃ5.99 - the only people I have found it doesn't work for are those whose partners smoke too, it's too easy to be able to get hold of a ciggie then!

    Good luck to all that try!!

    Annette

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