EX-smokers - how did you quit?

[NMH]

If you used to smoke and successfully quit the habit
(i.e. not interested in smoking any more, no desire to light one up, now categorically a non-smoker), how did you do it?

What difficulties did you encounter at the time of quitting?

What advantages have you found you have now, against when you smoked?

What do you think about smoking, looking back at yourself as a smoker (not passing judgement on others, just yourself).

 

[surrey jim]

a mate of mine did hypnotheorapy (sp) about 2/3 years ago and is totally anti smoking, the treatment cost about £250 tho so not cheap

I listened to the alan carr book on cd, read the book and still smoke

 

[Happy Seagull]

I drink a bottle of JD a day instead

 

[Barry Izbak]

I went on holiday and didn't take any smokes with me. Couldn't buy any where I went and after a couple of days I was a non smoker. Got home a week later and have never smoked in the two years since.

This after smoking for 25 years, trying patches, tablets, gum, nagging missus.

 

[bhaexpress]

I just decided to give up one morning about 17 years ago. Never missed it.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I just decided now was the time to quit and did it. It was hard going and for about 5 years there were still times when I would desperately want a ciggie, but they becam fewer and fewer and now I don't really think about it. I think the key is waiting until you really want to quit before trying it. I've seen friends who were half hearted about it make loads of attempts and become discouraged and got into that it's too hard to quit state of mind.

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

Patches.

I put them over my eyes so I couldn't find my fags.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

As a kid i smoked but it was all for show, I never 'enjoyed'it.

When pocket money was tight, i had to decide between chocolate or fags. no real choice, now I'm a happy fat bastard!

 

[dougdeep]

As a kid i smoked but it was all for show, I never 'enjoyed'it.

When pocket money was tight, i had to decide between chocolate or fags. no real choice, now I'm a happy fat bastard!

Same here, apart from the fat bit.

 

[Alonso Moseley]

Hypnotherapy for me, or guided imagery as is the pc term. It was about 4 yrs ago and was £40, although now up to 4-5 times that per session. I chose that option as I was runnng a pub then and just trying will power was impossible. Quite strange though, suddenly not craving a smoke when all I'd done was close my eyes, relax and listen to someone speaking softly. The key of course is truly wanting to stop.

 

[Boroseagull]

1; You have to make the decision.

2; You have to have a reason.

In my case it was my 7 year old daughter [she's 35 now!], she had seen a film on lung cancer & the cigarrette connection - powerful persuation!

Never looked back & never been tempted. As a 'prop' found the citric acid in oranges took the craving away - possibly why I now live in Andalucia surrounded by oranges!!

 

[Lady Bracknell]

I'm probably too recent a non-smoker to qualify as a "successful" quitter, despite currently having no intention to take up the habit again. I'm not suffering cravings for a cigarette but it's occurred to me that I probably didn't want the majority of cigarettes I used to smoke anyway but lit them out of habit. I'm not saying that addiction doesn't come into things but most of my smoking was cause and effect stuff - you finish a meal therefore you light up a fag, for example.

Most ex-smokers I know have found these "habitual" cigarettes the hardest to give up and most of the failed ex-smokers I know have fallen foul of the "just this one after-breakfast fag and I won't want another one all day" school of reasoning. I was probably lucky in that particular circumstances meant that my former smoking habits went out of the window but I wouldn't actually recommend a perforated appendix as any way of taking your mind off wanting a fag....

 

[Gully]

My granny successfully gave up smoking by dying from emphasema.

 

[BensGrandad]

in May 1995 I was admitted to Royal Surrey Hospital with mouth cancer and told by the surgeon that I should pack up smoking as the form of cancer I had was entirely attributed to smoking and drinking neat brandy. I asked what the options were and he said dont book a holiday for after Christmas as you will lose the deposit. Havent smoked since and only had about a handful of shots of Remy Martin VSOP. From somebody who smoked 15 Bolivar No 1 ( same cigars as Churchill and Jimmy Saville) a day and drank a bottle of Remy neat that is some achievement but I did have a good incentive. I want to see BHA at Falmer.

 

[Eggmundo]

Decided one evening that I wasn't going to smoke again, that was January 07 and amazingly stuck to it. Main benefit for me was the fact I had a major R.T.A in September of that year and spent 5 days in intensive care. I remember how difficult it was to breathe and how I thought it was fate that made me give up when I did. And also my surgeon told me that smoking hinders bone growth so I had a better chance of healing. As it is I still get 'the urge' occasionally but can't see myself succumbing to temptation as I still have a few bones that are 'playing' up!

 

[hitony]

I used to smoke 80 ciggies a day, yes honestly it was 80 a day, and I gave up 3 and 1/2 years ago and i honestly dont miss it at all, i did use patches and the first 3 months were hard, but I am so glad I have given up, I always say I think I have sort of hypnotised myself into hating ciggies, my wife gave up a wek after I did and she was not even on a packet a day probably about 15 a day, but unlike myself she could still kill for a ciggie.

We both agree it was the best thing we have ever done.

 

[Gully]

80 a day, if you were awake for 16 hours that works out at 5 an hour...not sure how long it takes to smoke one cigarette, but that must be close to what is meant by chain smoking.

 

[Alonso Moseley]

A chap I work with smokes about that many. Have actually seen him light one up even before the previous one (unstubbed in an ashtray) has gone out. Luckily we are outside mostly.

 

[hitony]

80 a day, if you were awake for 16 hours that works out at 5 an hour...not sure how long it takes to smoke one cigarette, but that must be close to what is meant by chain smoking.

It was indeed chain smoking and I used to use the excuse that I had a stressfull job, but I still do the same job (well I am for the next couple of months until my redundancy finishes) and I have no desire to smoke at all, it was that bad, if I woke up to go to the toilet in the night, I would lite a ciggie up, I have always been an early riser and I am up, anything from 4.30am the first thing I did was lite a ciggie up.

It is just an addiction, no differance to any drug I suppose.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I gave up just over two years ago after my stag day/night which resulted in some 'severe illness' that I managed to persuade myself was down to 30 cigs and not about 15 pints and some chasers.

My wife really wanted me to stop, after 18-20 years smoking I knew I wanted to be healthier, and I also knew that a lot of the cigarettes I was smoking were unecessary and for the sake of it rather than because I really needed or even wanted them. I do a lot of driving, and was getting through loads in the car.

Also, I was made aware by colleagues at work who didn't smoke that they really hated going to the pub with us smokers because of how their clothes smelt.

Plus I saw the writing on the wall about the bans in pubs etc before they had actually been announced, and wanted to give up myself before that happened rather than have it imposed on me (which would have been far more annoying).

I didn't use any patches, gum or other aids, just decided. I've cracked in a very minor way twice, but on both occasions (at the same work event, a year apart) have smoked a couple over two days and then reverted to 'giving-up status' without a problem. So less than 10 in 25 months after 15-20 a day.

I do really miss it, especially after meals but am not tempted to start again; put on a lot of weight; to be honest, haven't noticed any huge financial effect on my bank account (expect it's all gone on petrol); and have appreciated doing some running/cycling that I just couldn't do two years ago.