Hi Everyone
Since coming on here to ask advice on quitting i'm sure you'll all be pleased to hear that its now 2 and a bit months since I flicked my last rollie out, not very long in the scheme of things but except for going through hell on certain days I'm still feeling ok.
I've been using patches and started off on the 25mg invisi which i stayed on for 6 weeks then dropped down to 15mg which i've been using for just over 2 weeks. I found the first 6 weeks a doddle, there were times when i felt edgy and tense but overall it was pretty easy the hard work really began when i dropped down to 15mg and 2 weeks into it i'm feeling slightly worse for wear, my body thought I was having a laugh when i first quit so it didn't take me to seriously and refrained from all out war but when i stepped down that was when the real fun started and the demons rolled up their sleeves and now take it in turns to give me a beating. Its tough and now more than ever there are times when i think is it all worth it when you have to put your body through this kind of stress but then i think maybe its just my body doing everything it can to trick me back into smoking again so we are locked horns at the moment. My resolve is still strong and as much as i feel like giving up sometimes i just think i've come to far now to turn back and i also keep thinking about how **** i felt when i was smoking 25 a day.
I would like to ask all the smokers who have quit for good how bad it got for them before it got better, i wont give up but it would be nice to hear from those further down the road from me and how long it took till you started to feel at one with your body?
Also just wanted to say that acupuncture played a big part in my withdrawal from smoking, in the past when i tried it was really difficult for me mostly because i just couldn't summon up the will-power and motivation and then a friend told me about a chinese doctor who might be able to help so i gave it a go and i was/still am amazed by what it has done. The doc told me the reason i found it hard to quit was toxins that built up in my system and energy channels blocking up which effects your mind. I had 3 sessions with him and it was worth every penny, apart from feeling great after it somehow just changed my mind and that was it i was off, feeling determined as ever and since i've had acupuncture which was when i gave up smoking (just over 2 months now) nothing has changed, i'm still feeling strong and not going to let this win.
I'm not there yet but i'm climbing ever higher up the mountain, the top isn't in view yet but hopefully one day soon i'll break through the blizzard and will finally see the blue sky and the sun beaming down on me.
Hi Asu
Well done for stubbing out that last roll up! After more false starts than I can count I haven't had a cigarette since December 23rd. Still not confident enough to call myself an ex smoker and get the odd urge to light up but less and less often these days.
It does get easier but we all seem to have our individual timetables. A friend said it reminded her of a bad teenage break up. You think you're going to die then suddenly you haven't thought about it for a few minutes or a day and realise the sun is out & you are beginning to recover.
My practical tips are around displacement. Know what your triggers are & avoid if possible. If not possible then think about what else to do. I cut back on coffee/alcohol & for some reason brushing my teeth when I wanted a cigarette got me through bad cravings. Also making a detailed list of why I wanted to stop & going through it helped when I felt really wobbly.
I promise it does get better. Just keep going, stay strong & you will feel the benefit.
Jx
Congratulations Asu! I gave up over 5 years ago. I just stopped. I ran out of tobacco and just didn't buy any more. At the time I was doing a crystal therapy course and in one lesson my friend prepared a layout to help me quit. I think she must have lookd up all the stones she could that would help with addictions and laid them around me - I was in the crystal grid for about 20 minutes. About a month later I quit. I haven't once fancied a rollie and I can't even stand the smell now! Hubby still smokes and I really notice when he has just had a smoke.
When I smoked I used to find that the times I really wanted one was following a meal or when we went out for a drink.
Keep up the good work!
It might be helpful too to read [url]these case reports [/url]where EFT has helped people to give up smoking.
You know, I think the patch people are guilty of cranking up the volume a bit, if you know what I mean. When I was trying to give up (and I tried many times) I followed the recommendations on the packet: so many weeks at the highest strength, so many weeks at medium, so many weeks (months actually) on the lowest.....I never really broke the back of the craving because I was still giving my body nicotine, although of course I wasn't poisoning my lungs any more. It always worked but for one reason or another I always started smoking again. Then I was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease and I simply had to give up. I used hgh strength patches for just one week and then couldn't be bothered to pay out for any more. Well, I stayed stopped (over eight years now.) I'm not saying that you should get yourself diagnosed with a disease(!) but what I am saying is that I think the patches, after helping initially to break the habit of putting something comforting in your mouth (it's a child's dummy of course), don't need to go on being applied for months and months as I think they just keep the nicotine addiction alive. I read somewhere that once you have not smoked (or presumably worn a patch) for four days you have broken the physical addiction. The rest is psychological. So my advice would be to drop down to the lowest dose of patch and only use it for a week, then let go of your crutch and tell yourself how wonderful and brave and healthy you are. And how much richer you will be too. Please don't start again, smoking really is a mug's game.
xxx
[COLOR="Blue"]Also just wanted to say that acupuncture played a big part in my withdrawal from smoking, in the past when i tried it was really difficult for me mostly because i just couldn't summon up the will-power
Sorry to sound harsh but in this day and age I just don't know how anyone can even think about putting these vile smelling cancer sticks to their mouths...Maybe a better/cheaper method to accupuncture would be to take a trip to a hospital, look at people dying from smoke related diseases, having their tongues removed etc., etc.,
Jeannie your right that is kind of harsh and I'll tell you the reason why. I started smoking at 15 so of course I was naive and very impressionable, like must kids at that age. If I knew then what I know now then my life would be completely different and I'd have never taken up smoking. Leading on to people who are in hospital having their various body parts removed due to smoking i'm sure if you were to ask them about why they started smoking they would tell you a similar thing to my circumstances and millions of others.
What I am trying to get across is that maybe if you were to observe some of the terrible smoke related diseases, you would not hesitate to give up and not pussy foot around having to spend money on accupuncture etc., I am sure it does not matter how or when people started smoking and those now suffering would love to be given a second chance. You have that chance, just thank your lucky stars you are not one of them and say goodbye to any cravings.
By the way my dad gave me my first cancer stick at 15 years old, I smoked for 3 years. I also watched him die in agony from lung cancer. 🙁
What I am trying to get across is that maybe if you were to observe some of the terrible smoke related diseases, you would not hesitate to give up and not pussy foot around having to spend money on accupuncture etc.,
I respect your opinion, but I got one of those terrible smoking related diseases and I still couldn't stop. I ended up preparing for my death so my children will be looked after. Then finally, I was helped to give up smoking. It is wonderful for all those people who can give up smoking by willpower or by facing the facts. The rest of us need a little help, and there is nothing wrong with that 🙂 We all spend money on something or other. Spending money on health is surely a good thing. I am worth it, and so are all the clients that I and the many excellent stop-smoking practitioners that I know have helped to quit.
Just my point of view 🙂
Congrats on giving up! I have never been a smoker but I have friends who have really struggled to give up. Fortunately, in the end, they all did manage to kick the habit, but it isn't easy.
I often think how hard it would be to give up on some of the things that I enjoy the most and I know I would find it really hard.
I would say to those who are thinking about quitting to try and think of all the benefits that you gain from stopping. You'll save a whole bunch of money, which could be put to much more productive use. Quitting will also massively improve your health and lifespan, which will give you much more possibility in terms of the things you can do.
So many good reasons to quit!
I hope you manage to stay off the cigarettes and that it gets easier from here!
Matt
Good work asu!
I've been cigarette free for about 6 years now. I have to admit, I just stopped one day because I said I was going to as a new years resolution, but I got tonsilitis before the new year, so figured it was as good a time as any. That was it, no more smoking!
Being completely honest, I found it very easy. I can't explain why. I think it is a mindset thing. I kind of challenged myself to see how long I could go for, so after the first day I was amazed, and challenged myself for another and so on. Maybe I'm just very competitive 🙂
Unfortunately, I am guessing with patches it's not quite the same as you are still receiving nicotine. I understand that it eases things, but it can be too much of a crutch, and crutches can slow you down 😀 Maybe you should take that leap soon, and go patch free? Just an idea, but the way I see it is that you have broken the actual smoking habit, and that is the tough bit.
Good luck, and stay strong 🙂