Trying to stop smoking.

[Tattoo Bradley]

I smoked cigarettes for about 10 years. I'm only 26 now, so that is scary to me. I just decided one day that I wasn't going to smoke anymore. I haven't had one since that day. I also loved to smoke a pipe as well, I had to give it all up. I had been through spells before where I would quit the cigarettes and smoke the pipe. All that happened then was I would smoke the HELL out of the pipe. No good. Had to drop it all. I can honestly say, it was THE hardest damn thing EVER. EVER. I'm just too damned hard-headed to let something control me. I also gave up drinking for the same reasons. I wasn't as bad off on the drinking as I was the nicotine. But, it had a hold on me, and of course drinking made me do things tobacco did not. I live life straight edge now and I've never felt better.

[David Dalglish]

Hi there, I used to smoke, I started when I was 9 years old, you did that in Glasgow In the 50's & continued until 12 years ago. I thought that I would be a life long smoker, hopelessly adicted, but, my wife got this book, read it & managed to stop very quickly. I continued to smoke for another 2 years, then I decided to give the book a chance. I took it to work & read it, when I was on the night shift. In the morning when I got home I said to my wife "I am now a non smoker", she said " good for you son", & I have never smoked since, That was 12 years ago

The book is called " How to stop smoking" by Alan Carr.

I am not telling you any of the contents of the book, as you must buy it your self, Read it, & stop smoking as I think you will. Hope this will help.

[gilmore]

I smoked for a long time, like others here, and quit using the advice a book I can't put my hands on at the moment, but will try to summarize.

I cut down on the amount of nicotine I took in by smoking progressively milder and milder cigarettes until my Quit Day. I also stopped smoking in the house, so that I got out of the habit of smoking while talking on the phone, sitting at the table after eating, etc, and doing all the other things I associated with smoking. So, I had to go outside and purposefully smoke.

On the Quit Day I used everything possible. Some weren't so helpful, so I discontinued those, and some were, so I kept them up until I no longer needed to rely on them them.

One of the interesting things was putting on a nicotine patch on the night before my Quit day, so that I woke up not wanting a cigarette for the first time in years, since I had been dosing myself all night.

Things that helped were: giving up coffee. Not drinking alcohol. Removing all ashtrays, lighters and anything else that triggered the desire to smoke. Having something to do with my hands, such as mala beads to say mantras with, or Greek worry beads. Drinking water to flush out the nicotine from my body. Lollipop and Tootsie Roll suckers for oral gratification. After I had cut down on the strength of the patches until I quit using them, I had to rely on nicotine gum, (since you aren't supposed to use both at once) and tapered down on the dosage on that too until I had quit it.

Probably what helped most was that when I wanted to smoke, I remembered that that desire lasts for only no more than 5 minutes, and knowing that it would pass. I would breathe deeply and focus on the feel of pure, clean air filling my lungs, healing them and flushing out all the nicotine, formaldehyde, "tars" and gunk that I had been smoking.

Good luck. Persevere.

[JackK]

James,

You can quit, you just need to want to more than a smoke. You can 'sneak' up on it, when you want a smoke try waiting 5 or 10 minutes before lighting up and when ever you normally have a butt (like after you eat, etc) don't, if you usually sit in a certain chair to listen to music, read, watch TV - sit somewhere else and don't smoke. Do this for a couple days or so, then reach down grab a handful of b.... and go for it. Quitting is not easy, but what a reward when you can tell people you are and EX smoker ( as I was told 18 years ago - 'you are never a nonsmoker you are an exsmoker'). The nicotine is out of your system usually in 72 hours try to drink lots of orange juice and water to help flush things out. To help the "hand" habit try using Stim-U-Dents, they are good for your teeth and gums too.

GOOD LUCK

Jack

[Rab Gordon]

I smoked for over 20 years and stopped when we were expecting our son.
I also found that Alan Carr's book helped
Good luck
Rab

[McClef]

I really must try again too.

It's getting harder and harder to smoke in many situations as smoking bans advance all the time especially on modes of transport and in public places.

When you fly you have to build up your nicotine reserves well before your flight because of the need to get through security in time and when you land you have to go through passport/immigration controls (unless on a domestic flight) and then wait for your luggage at the carosel and maybe have to get through customs before you can head for the exit and try to light up with a match as you couldn't take your favourite lighter on the plane, even in the hold.

If you have an in flight meal that's one of the times you most want to finish off with a ciggie and on a long flight that can be frustrating.

You can't smoke on a train and in the UK that often includes a train station too even if the platforms are in the open air which does seem somewhat over the top. You can't smoke on a bus or a coach or inside on a ferry.

You can't smoke in a cinema, so you wait for the DVD to come out.

Soon you won't be able to smoke in a pub or club or any eating place in England or Wales (you already can't in Scotland).

There is no longer any balance between the rights of smokers and non-smokers.

So health and economic reasons are not the only ones, it's also being part of an increasingly oppressed minority.

[thescot]

And on top of everything else, I have discovered just how bad one smells when one smokes! LOL I never had enough olfactory nerves working to be aware of the stinch until I stopped.

Now, I do not frequent restaurants or bars that allow smoking. I don't think smoking should be outlawed, but I do think we should all vote with our feet.

[Jimmy the Celt]

Thanks for all the encouragement! I'll look into Alan Carr's book--I absorb things from books I cannot seem to grasp otherwise.

Oh yes, it does smell indeed! I always thought I smelled great when I smoked my pipe--and others agreed at times, but when I started smoking Half and Half specifically for the nicotine kick, whew! Even I knew I stank from here to Asgard.

[MacTavishOfJapan]

Good luck Dragon, I am so relieved I never got addicted when I was young.

[wsk]

Of course if you lived in Scotland you could have gotten the very latest smoking cure.