EX-smokers - how did you quit?

[eastie]

willpower is the only way as kidding yourself is a waste of time

 

[cheshunt seagull]

In 1982, I was getting £12.00 a week supplementary benefit and simply didn't have the cash so I stopped, nothing to do with my health. The only time that I really found it difficult was craving a cigarette after a meal, curries were the worst, but that didn't last long.

Although I am not a heavy drinker, I think I would find giving up booze would be much more difficult.

 

[Zed Seagull]

Just will power for me

Disadvantages was weight gain but did eventually lose it again!

Advantages was probably more money but didn't really notice that much difference? 20 a day habit as well!

Still like the smell of a struck match!

Younger days probably felt cool to smoke!

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

Did it with a CD - Stop Smoking In 1 Hour (Amazon.co.uk: Stop Smoking in One Hour: Play the CD...Just Once...and Never Smoke Again!: Susan E. Hepburn: Books). Just "forgot" to smoke, and not had even a twinge since. Lent the CD to many friends who also stopped there and then, including one bloke who had just come back from a foreign posting with 20,000 fags... I don't doubt that I was in the right frame of mind to stop when I played it, but I had tried tablets, fake fags, patches, cold turkey, hypnosis, etc, etc, etc before and none of them worked.

The day after I gave up I went to a party in a pub in Millwall. You could barely see the other wall for smoke, and I didn't do the usual "go on, just the one" or "I'll just buy 10". Nothing at all.

 

[wehatepalace]

Champix tablets, The best thing I have ever done. I never once even got a craving to smoke !

 

[Ding Dong !]

Pure will power and that underlying fact that it's expensive and obviously for the fact it's not good for you.

And the kids nagging me to stop !!!!!!!!

Gave up July last year and feel good.

 

[coventrygull]

My mrs is trying acupuncture.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

1) Scared myself ... convinced myself that if I didnt stop I'd get cancer.

2) When we talked about having kids just couldnt stand the idea of smokimg round my children so made sure I stopped before we had kids.

 

[Superphil]

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

Seems very expensive, I did Hypnotherapy 16 months ago, cost about £80, and it has worked. I really feel like I'll never light up again.

I had previously stopped and started many times, but now I feel it's out of my system for good.

 

[Johnny Crumplin Football]

Read Allen Carr's Easyway To Stop Smoking about 18 months ago. Quit overnight and have not had so much as single pang since. Highly recommend this book and his methods for any form of addiction. Don't know how it works but it does.

 

[tinx]

THe last tiem I smoked was the day Danny Cullip scored that goal against Chesterfield to win the championship, I cam down with Glandular fever the next day and wa sunable to smoke for about 3 weeks due to my throat being so painful so I stopped alltogether after that. Not looked back one of the best decisions I ever made I reckon.

 

[Hannibal smith]

I stopped after reading Alan Carrs easy way to stop smoking (its like low level brain washing). I was on about 30 a day at the time. In it, he suggests setting a date and time getting rid of all fags from the house and having a last fag to say goodbye to the habit. After setting a date to stop I lasted until 17:00 the next day when I got through 20 in an evening and realised another attempt to stop has failed miserably. 2 Weeks later, I woke up with a sore throat and didn’t smoke all day. I’ve never smoked since. Not smoking while drinking was the hardest. I decided to go on an all day bender a week after I quit. I reasoned that if I could not smoke all day whilst on that, anything else would be a walk in the park. The reverse logic worked for me but isn’t for everyone.

Its 7 years since I stopped. The health benefits are obvious (no hacking cough, not getting out of breath easily). Believe it or not it helps concentration (not always thinking about having my next cigarette) which is useful in my line of work, I’m sure it saves money although I’ve never really felt any better off but most of all it’s a release from an addiction. Best decision I ever made was to give up. I’d never go back. Those who are always wistful about smoking are the ones who trend to struggle – If you feel better off for not smoking its easier to quit. It only takes 3 weeks for release from the physical addiction. The psychological bit is the one you have to work on.

 

[British Bulldog]

Fair play to those who have quit, I gave it a good go last year but in the end it became too much on top of other things and my will power deserted me.

 

[Simster]

Cold turkey - 4th time lucky.

 

[Buttinhams]

Say, for arguments sake that you spend £10.00 a day on fags - that's £3,650 per annum. Go out and buy something that you really want, for around that amount of money. This is the incentive to give up and you will have to give up to make the repayments. Make sure that you are mentally prepared so that the incentive outweighs the habit.

Me and my other half gave up, one night, 8 years ago, with the incentive being driving lessons for her and a new car to boot. 3 months later she was zipping about in her new Toyota Yaris and we have been fag free ever since.

 

[The Grub]

Just did it. Decided I wanted to give up and then stopped. It's been 8 months now and i'm not bothered about it. Ocasionally fancy one and have had the occasional one in that time but i'm talking 4 max. The first few weeks and months are awful but each day you know that you are getting nearer to the time when it will get better. Then it does get better. So cold turkey was my method but you need to want to do it.

 

[countrygull]

I set myself a date months ahead to be the day to quit: and started smoking fewer and fewer cigarettes leading up to it: cutting down by one a day each week. Finally by the time the date came, I was down to 2 a day. Never looked back or even wanted one since.

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

I had many unsuccessful tries with patches / NHS stop smoking courses etc but the eventual winner was stop, don't really tell anyone about stopping, try to forget about it. The thing that I wanted to avoid was the ATTENTION given to you by yourself and others when giving up, that you made you think more about smoking. You know, "How's the giving up going?" and all the patches palaver just made me want to SMOKE. And ignoring it all worked. Nearly four years now.

 

[supaseagull]

I stopped smoking 20 a day after 15 years...Used Nicquitine patches and Allan Car's Easy Way to stop smoking.

The only advice I'd give is

- give up when YOU want to and not when someone else does
- If you use patches, finish the course...Don't get too cocky and think you don't need to use all the patches.
- remember you're not going to smell like an ashtray anymore
- keep doing the things and going to the places you've always gone (i.e. drinking)

My favourite ciggy was the first one of the day...for the first few weeks, I just ate loads of shreddies in the morning!!!

Good luck!

 

[supaseagull]

I stopped smoking 20 a day after 15 years...Used Nicquitine patches and Allan Car's Easy Way to stop smoking.

The only advice I'd give is

- give up when YOU want to and not when someone else does
- If you use patches, finish the course...Don't get too cocky and think you don't need to use all the patches.
- remember you're not going to smell like an ashtray anymore
- keep doing the things and going to the places you've always gone (i.e. drinking)

My favourite ciggy was the first one of the day...for the first few weeks, I just ate loads of shreddies in the morning!!!

Good luck!

Oh - I gave up 2 & half years ago!