If you are a smoker

[SK1NT]

nothing i can check on the poll to suit me... i gave up on new years eve and havent smoked since... 23 days and counting and it is not as hard as i thought... u get hard moments but the cravings stops if you get over those few mins... glad i stopped... eating a lot more though to compensate.

 

[pauli cee]

been trying to give up this weekend, restarted about 6pm today, just ordered E-cig off internet, HELP ME!!!!!!

 

[pauli cee]

I got down to smoking when in the pub having a pint and fortunately there is no pub culture here and I only go on a Friday night.
I had my last cigerette about the end of July last year, I really fancy one on a Friday when but have so far resisted.

no pub culture in perth?
northbridge was always 7 days a week as i remember!

 

[dexter]

i quit 3 years ago i am now 52 i started when i was about 15 (properly) but my first smoke was around 8 years old (dreadfull!) i never ever thought i could quit but i found it so easy it was unreal (by the way i used to smoke at least 30 roll ups a day!) the alan carr book helped me a lot , if you want to quit give it a go

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I gave up on Christmas Day 1997. I did at the most difficult time of year as I knew that if I got past that it would be a breeze.

If you're really serious, forget patches. They reinforce the message that nicotine is hard to give up, when the truth is that nicotine cravings leave your body after three days. Do yourself a favour, buy Alan Carr's "The Only Way to Definitely Give Up Smoking." I read it, and lent it to four mates. All five of us gave up after reading it.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

i quit 3 years ago i am now 52 i started when i was about 15 (properly) but my first smoke was around 8 years old (dreadfull!) i never ever thought i could quit but i found it so easy it was unreal (by the way i used to smoke at least 30 roll ups a day!) the alan carr book helped me a lot , if you want to quit give it a go

Alan Carr again. As you say, I found it very easy - and it was down to that book

 

[Driver8]

I gave up five years ago having smoked since I was 15 or so

I ran my first marathon last year (at 45) and am running for REMF this year. There is no way I would be doing so as a smoker. My lung capacity is back to almost the level of a non smoker and I feel 100 times fitter.

If you can give up do so.

 

[redneb]

I would love to not love smoking, but I do.

It's an expensive and unhealthy habit, but I enjoy it.

I love to have a cigarette in the morning with a cup of tea, after a meal, when driving, after sex, before the football, after the football, when stressed, when relaxing, with a pint, after several pints, before bed....

I DO plan to quit, or at least cut down, but it's very difficult to quit something that you genuinely enjoy.

I used to smoke 20 x Camels a day and now smoke one a day which is on the way to work with a Coffeenation coffee purchased from the a23/a27 BP. Get yourself in a place where smoking is just a treat you do now and again.

It f***ing pisses me off being tarred with the smoker tag. Surely if I make a pack of 10 last well over a week I'm that much nearer to being a non smoker than a 20 a day smoker.

Smokers should be allowed to smoke. Fair enough non-smokers should be given the opportunity to not breath in smoke (eg segregation in pubs) but those who see smokers as the devils chidren can f*** off.

 

[Meade's Ball]

As i've blathered on about before, i gave up when in a coma for a fortnight with a giantly swelled brain, instead of ego, and forgetting who i was when awaking. I wouldn't advise that course of action despite its obvious perks.
My work offered smokers a day of hypnosis and oversmoking under the guidance of some expert a couple of weeks ago and pretty much all have them have stuck to their word of not tarring up their lungs too much since. Even if they don't hang on they repaired themselves briefly and for the future told themselves it might be possible to give it up.

 

[GreersElbow]

Beginning to play more football now, and really regret starting. Cutting down though to a few a day, but it's bloody hard.

 

[The Wookiee]

I always have a packet of 10 on me. If I want one I will have one. Never feel the need to smoke the whole packet in one night/day. Normally have 1 or 2 when at home on my own with a bottle of red.

 

[sparky999]

good thread...

i was a heavy smoker for the past 10 years. i started when i was 16, which seems quite late compared to some posters on here....

for the past 6 months, i have really wanted to quit.... i loved smoking, and it was a part of my every day... morning, noon and night....

decided at the end of november to quit new year, and kept banging on about how i was gonna do it.... was out for a meal with a few mates and whilst saying 'yea, im quitting new year', going outside for a smoke...

so the next day, decided to give up... that was the 5th december and havent had a fag since... i feel 110 times better, i can honestly say its one of the best things i have ever done... its only been 6/7 weeks but feel like im over the worst...

having joined the gym and swim every other day, im on top of the world.... lol....

 

[BadFish]

I gave up gradually over the course of about 15 years. I basically just kept stopping the first one of the day, Soon i wasn't smoking in the morning, then I could go all day at work without one. Eventually i was only smoking when I was drinking (admittedly his lasted for about 10 years). It wasn't really till i moved to Australia that I gave up the drinking cigarette mainly because no-one else smoked. I still smoke on the odd night out now if someone else is.

I think you need to try different ways of giving up and see what is best for you. I tried cold turkey many times and just found it too hard so i weaned myself off them. I also used to find that actually having a pack in the house worked well. Otherwise i would rush out and buy a pack, then my addiction would tell me that "you've bought them now, all that effort....you may as well enjoy one.

 

[The Wookiee]

I always have a packet of 10 on me. If I want one I will have one. Never feel the need to smoke the whole packet in one night/day. Normally have 1 or 2 when at home on my own with a bottle of red.

Forgot to add I used to smoke 20+ a day since I was 19 am now 40 and have changed my habits over the last 6 months. It's a lot easier to deal with saying I am an occasional smoker that to say I have quit totally. You take something away from somebody they often want it more ! For me this works eventually the gaps I don't smoke will get bigger, but I will never say I have stopped totally, I just choose not to smoke most days !

 

[marshy68]

gave up on 10th october - no reason for the date - had a fag on New Years Eve to celebrate nothing since - get in!

 

[OzMike]

no pub culture in perth?
northbridge was always 7 days a week as i remember!

I'm in the sticks, they still drink hooch from milk bottles here!

 

[Johnny Crumplin Football]

If you want to quit smoking buy Allen carr's easy way to stop smoking book. That is all

 

[banjo]

I gave up 4 years ago, I used the patches wasn't to bad. You need to want to give up which will helps. I saw My 7 year old son pretending to smoke which was good enough for me to give em up.

 

[loz]

I am quite lucky (i think) I love a fag with a drink and sometimes just to chill out to. But can take it or leave it any other time. I had 1 on Sunday and 4 on saturday. Last year I had a hip operation and went fagless for about 2 weeks without even thinking about it....but as soon as I had a pint the fags came out and every one of them was bloody lovely!!

On average I smoke about 2/3 a day. I have looked into the Ecigs but TBH they would probebly get me more addicted ?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I smoke occasionally with a pint of the black stuff. People forget about all these 80 and 90 year olds and older who are still going strong and who lived through the years when 'smoking was good for you' getting through three packs of Woodbines a day and there were only artery-clogging lard sandwiches on the table for dinner. Life's a lottery - you've either got a loaded chamber in your gun or you haven't.