[Closed] Quitting smoking unaided.

I used gum for a couple of weeks.

Tried smoking again at the weekend... bloody disgusting. I'm cured.

Good Luck! 🙂

Gave up 7yrs ago for wedding. 30 a day to 0, cold turkey using Alan carrs (sp) book

I just stopped 14 years ago, I wanted to stop spending money on them and thought it was a pretty manky habit anyway. It seems to be working out OK.

I don't get cravings as such, but I know if I had one I'd like it so I'll never be one of these occasional smokers.

Went cold turkey last September, first 3 weeks were tough but not had a craving since. I've been tempted a few times when having a drink but nothing a quick word with myself didn't sort. Biggest help to me was having the right kind of people around.
Good luck with it, my fitness and recovery improved massively despite eating like a horse.

Used the Lozenges for a few days but didn't see the point in using them so stopped and have now been fag free for 19 months. Still get cravings though. 😕

Allen Carrs book is worth reading if you're finding it hard.

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It does get easier...

I only smoked when i had a beer, I ended up on 10 pints a night to justify the fags!! 😀 Stopped just like that, had a few weeks craving after stopping with a beer on the go, but now doesn't bother me in the slightest... also £6 a packet of 20 FFS!!!

I used a hug ted
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Whenever I needed a fag I would tell my teddy friend and he would give me a big big hug. It worked so well I take him everywhere now and he is always there to listen and give me a hug. He has been especially supported when I've been turned down at job interviews and double so when my wife left.

Closer to £7 now!

Have heard good things about that Allen Carr book...will check it out.

If you have an addictive personality, you'll need another addiction..

Triathlons seem pretty all consuming.

Friday the 13th October 2006 had my last smoke and haven't had one since. Found it easier than i thought i would to be honest. Still get the craving now and again, but it only lasts a few seconds. Feel a bit stupid when everyone goes out the pub for a fag and i'm left at the bar like Billy Nomates. Nice to ride up hills without your heart and lungs trying to burst out your chest.

LOL @ Roper

I managed a few weeks at the beginning of the year and have fallen back into it. Yesterday stopped again. But a new addiction you say TSY? Could be fun, I'd best choose wisely.

I just stopped about 15 years ago. For the first year I'd occasionally give in and have a sneaky fag, and once or twice since I've had a real desire to smoke. Buying a packet of 20 and chain-smoking them has tended to cure me of any desire to smoke for at least the next 5 years.

No book, patches, or self-help groups.

Have heard good things about that Allen Carr book...will check it out.

only ever smoked herbal cigs 😉 but fairly consistently at least 1 a day for 10 yrs anyway once the Missus was preggers was out in the garden and once Jr was here I stopped overnight still cravings with a beer but having a baby I just don't have the time

6 years ago to the month, unaided after 15+ years. Found it surprisingly easy after making the commitment to give up weed at the same time.

Beer gardens in the summer bought all kinds of nice smelling temptations after a pint or few, but I stuck to my guns and got through it.

Not too difficult if you really want it.

Whippersnapper...

Don't choose STW.. there are some dark hours on this place.

Can't offer any help, but good luck with giving up the evil weed!

I went cold turkey too, didn't bother with patches, books, gum, tapes etc.

If you've already done a week then you're almost in the clear already.

I must have been "clean" for about eight years now. It doesn't take long for smoking to just become somethign that other people do.

Yeti, I have been here far too long. This place is ingrained on the back of my eyelids. Smoking gives, sorry gave, me something else to do 😕

I read the Allan Carr book and went cold turkey nearly 4 years ago.Feel a lot better for it.

i gave up when i met my gf she is a lung cancer specialist nurse

off them for 10 years now althoughu =i have got a couple of king edwards hiding in my fishing bag 😉

If you [s]have an addictive personality,[/s] are weak willed, you'll need another addiction.

FTFY

Gave up with no help 4 years ago, just when my job changed so that all there was to do whilst on-shift was drink tea and smoke tabs. I think it helped that the public place cigarette ban came into force in Scotland around the same time. My tea intake has increased exponentially, but now I very rarely get the nicotine cravings. I might have a cigarette maybe twice a year now, and each time I do it reminds me why I stopped. Keep it up OP, it'll get easier.

Wife got me the Allan Carr book about 6 years ago and I realy didn't feel like stopping smoking at the time, so first book went missing second book got chewed up by the dog when the third book turned up I thought ffs just read the damn book as it Say's not to stop smoking while reading it !!! So use to read it when I went out for a smoke, last chapter says something along the lines of now smoke your last cigarette and enjoy the rest of your smoke free life and so I had a smoke put the book and the remaining ciggies on the shelf went to bed and I've never had a ciggy since !!!!!! I still have the packet of ciggies with 16 left in the pack !!!! Don't know how or why the book works but it was the best money the wife has ever spent tbh, worst thing about stopping was that I didn't do it years ago ! Oh and notice I never call it "giving up" because because trust me your not giving anything up, your gaining loads ! 😀

I quit 3 years ago only thing I did was read the Allan Carr book.

trust me your not giving anything up, your gaining loads !

So true.

🙂

I used NRT for 6 months. Now 18 months smoke free. The Allan Carr book just irritated me and made me want to punch his face in. Load of bolloxs psychobabble.

I still get bad cravings now

Been off them just over two weeks, after 3 days i felt fine apart from feeling angry a lot more than i usually do.

Have found that i want to cycle more for some reason but that may be down to trying to keep my mind occupied

Load of bolloxs psychobabble.

Psychobabble, yes.
But you have to suspend your cynicism to get the best out if the book. Doesn't. Surprise me that someone who has a tendency to always think hes right had trouble working with the psychology of the Carr book.

but you can't dismiss it

Have you met TJ before? 🙂

In fact I think tj's post rather neatly illustrates his "unique" character nicely.

All it shows is different things work for different people. I found it impossible to suspend my cynicism about his methods so it didn't work for me. Just a load of irritating twaddle. Loads of STUFF IN CAPITALS! And stock self help phrases.

Gave up for 5 years or thereabouts until I found myself sat outside a bar in Santiago de Chile a couple of years ago and couldn't help myself. Smoked on and off since then, at the moment I give up at weekends and when I run out in the week. Seem to spend a lot of time angry for some reason 🙂

Filthy habit but there you go. As soon as I get my arse into gear and start training properly again I'll knock it on the head when I realise I can't breathe.

OP - in my experience it doesn't matter what method you use, if you don't REALLY WANT to quit you won't. Trying to force yourself to quit for anything other than purely selfish reasons will result in torture and a wife that hates you 🙂

Has anyone here achieved lasting success through the 'just stopping' method ... ?

Yes, me. Six years and counting, from ~20-a-day. No NRT, no pharmaceuticals, no Allen Carr, no hypnotherapy, nuffink. You need to be really, really bloody minded and stubborn. Promise yourself rewards (you're saving the cost of a very shiny new bike every year, after all), and feel as smug as you like for doing it the hard way. It can be done. Stick with it. Good luck.

TJ - agree completely. I read Alan Carr's book and it just made me want to smoke even more to prove what a load of tosh it was. He makes some good points about the brainwashing we receive from a very early age, but on the whole IMO it is psychobabble in the extreme.

sorry, forgot who i was talking to for a minute. 🙄
allen carr's book works for a lot of people. the data shows that it does. if you didn't read it all the way through....
well. it didn't work for my sister, or rather, i think she read it, but couldn't stay on the wagon. as you say. different things work for different people, and i will certainly agree on that.

Stopped - no books, no patches, no touchyfeelyness, just cold turkey. You're hitting the 6 week barrier, get through it and you're pretty much there. I did avoid places I associated with smoking so didn't go to the pub for a month or so. When I did, I found I had to do something with my hands. Fortunately, the pub had started selling pistachios which worked a treat.

I tried the Allan Carr book on Del's recommendation and thought that it was quite funny but it didn't help me to stop smoking.

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Keep it up bravohotel8er sounds like you are doing really well at the moment.

I stopped cold turkey about 13 months ago now. Mind you, I was psyched up for it mentally though.

I hardly ever get cravings now, but when I did I just kept telling myself they would pass and they did and things went back to normal.

If you have an addictive personality, you'll need another addiction..

+1. I have to replace cigarette addiction with exercise addition

you do look really buff in that swimsuit and glasses though.
oooello!

Yeah, I did it. Eventually you will get it into your head that you don't smoke anymore. Do whatever it takes to get you through the early stages and it gets easier later. Four years on for me and the idea of fancying a cigarette occurs once every few months [although I don't drink]. The whim has a gone a few seconds later. Whatever you do, don't fall into the fallacy of just having one. Why bother?

There's no such thing as an addictive personality, at least not in the sense that it's predetermined that an individual requires addictive states. A person may [u]develop[/u] a personality whereby they repeatedly become addicted/obsessed/dependent on experiences, chemicals or behaviour, but that's all it is: a development.

Addictions come in two parts: chemical and behavioural/emotional/psychological (I know, that's kind of three parts in itself). They need to be eliminated separately, but with an understanding of how they are related. It's as simple as saying no to one's self, no to the thing that the habit if focussed on and being able to unravel the excuses one comes up with to carry on with a habit or behaviour. It can be an extremely complicated process, so it's no surprise that many people jump from addiction to addiction.

Here's a one from left-field: refined carbohydrates are the gateway drug. Especially refined (white) sugar, refined carbs are enormously addictive and create, from a very early age, an emotional acceptance of the high/crash cycle that we need to be able to be aware of and restrain ourselves from perpetuating if we are to remain free from chemical addictions, and the behavioural/emotional/psychological habits we tend to build on top of them.

I like that idea 3F.

Refined carb highs and crashes I'm addicted to when I go to london once a week for work. All that prets, bento, noodly bready smacktastic skankiness!

Away from home I'm a whore to it.

Three Fish - surely you must accept certain individuals have a tendency to be come 'addicted' to things...?

Three Fish... so being addicted to exercise?

damo2576 - you're also Awesome!!! I see.

Good post three fish: concise, coherent and informative.

How would that model deal with something like internet MTB forum addiction? Would there be a "chemical" component or would it be dealt with purely in behavioural terms?

I swapped fags for salty food myself. Just read a study the other day saying salty snacks produce the hormone oxytocin - giving a similar satisifed feeling to breastfeeding or shooting heroin.

Giving up bad food (to lower my cholesterol) has been harder than fags.

Three Fish - surely you must accept certain individuals have a tendency to be come 'addicted' to things...?

Yes; but that's not the same thing as saying that an individual is predisposed (and thus unable to be otherwise). The tendency comes from something else, which could be any one (or more) of a number of things from a life experience (or lack of) to a chemical addiction.

Three Fish... so being addicted to exercise?

Absolutely. The first thing that comes into my mind when I see a runner, or when I set off for a run myself, is "what are you running from?". That's not to say that everyone who takes exercise is running from something - other than poor health/fitness, of course - is running from their demons, but it's not uncommon for people to become [u]obsessive[/u] about training. Of course, it's not something that can be explained in the same way for everyone; but from just doing a task that means they're not left alone with themselves to having a full-blown craving for endorphins, there are people who exercise as means of escape from something. Please don't think that I'm asserting this to be right or wrong - I just value the importance of understanding just why it is we do something.

How would that model deal with something like internet MTB forum addiction?

Depends what they're using the experience/scenario for, and, of course, what they believe they're using the experience/scenario for.

Not all habits are harmful, and I suppose that it could be argued that not all addictions are harmful. Structure, repetition, consistency and security are important to everyone, just to different degrees. The world is a pretty overwhelming place, whether we like to admit it or not, and it's in human nature to want to simplify the experience of existence. Addictions can be a successful way of creating a reassuring illusion of simplicity. The problem is that the emotional self continues to experience the overwhelming stuff regardless.

Yes; but that's not the same thing as saying that an individual is predisposed

I said predisposed, not predestined. Predisposition is simply having a tendency, surely?

what are you running from?

You were doing so well until this point 🙂 Silly idea... very few runners are in that category imo.

Depends what they're using the experience/scenario for, and, of course, what they believe they're using the experience/scenario for

I'm addicted here. It's because work is so god damn boring!

I said predisposed.

You didn't. You also missed my point.

You were doing so well until this point.

The point where you missed the point. Again. There's another habit we could discuss if I didn't find your tendency for nonsense to be so extraordinarily tedious.

Ok, so confused. But anyway, fact is that predisposed = having a tendency.

You were doing so well until this point.

This was supposed to be light hearted banter, sorry if I sounded arsey. Your posts have been well written, thoughtful and interesting.

However with respect for you position personally I do think that genetically we can have a predisposition for psychological addition (not a predestination) and that most runners are not running to escape something 🙂

and that >>>>[b]most[/b]<<<< runners are not running to escape something.

If most do not, it means that >>>>[b]some[/b]<<<< do. Now do you get it? I was giving an example of a possibility, not describing a universal example. The confusion is most certainly not mine.

Hmm, if I listen to parents, my own and others, it sounds as if some children are predisposed to routine and some are not.

Same parents... same intended routine for all children. Some children act like clockwork others don't.

This predisposition for routine would seem inherent in some people, part of their nature before external factors have had a chance to influence their behaviour.

Although experiences within the womb could be have an effect of course.

yes.i stopped both smoking and drinking back in 2004,without any help/aids e.t.c.i found it pretty easy after a few weeks (sorry to sound smug,i know that i am lucky)haven't touched either since.good luck to you and everyone trying to quit.

Allen Carr helped when I packed in 3 years ago. I do feel guilty though, I torrented a PDF of it 😳

Stopped because Deadly and Yeti told me to.

Haven't smoked in months now, don't get cravings, but do have weired dreams where I'm convinced I'm smoking again. Do still have funny ciggies though. 😳 cut down loads in my defence.

[i]If you have an addictive personality, you'll need another addiction..[/i]

Running. 8)

I cold turkeyed it quite a few years ago after smoking for about ten years, had a Yorkie bar habit for a while but stopped them too, luckily I was young and doing a physical job so just burnt all the calories off.

No craving for years but still have some of the physical tics like putting a pencil in my mouth like a ciggy when I want both hands free.

Very interesting post from Three Fish, I never had a very sweet tooth, now I really can't take anything with a lot of sugar, including most cakes and high class stuff like Lindt Chocolate. Maybe there's a connection.

Went cold turkey about 10 years ago, difficult at first to go to the pub as most of my mates still smoked, now I'd say a minority of them smoke.

It just got to the point where I didn't want another cigarette, didn't want them controlling me and stopped. I would puke if I had one now.

emsz I did tell you about the early twenties life crisis too didn't I?

Now do you get it? I was giving an example of a possibility, not describing a universal example.

Well yes I understand that.

If we agree why the aggro? Can we keep it nice? It's all I was ever intending to do - sorry.

Yeti, yeah you did...

*checks passport*

Cool, just checking. I'm stopping in Ross-on-Wye on Easter Monday... any good for you? 😀

Hey I'm from near there.

😯

The Mid life crisis won't be happening until the end of May!

Spoke to Sara about...y'know, with boys... 😳

ARRRRGGHHHHHHH

Molgrips - you're not due any sort of life crisis for a few years, but I'm more than happy to be part of your sordid break down.

S'ok emsz, I'll be back from Scotland by then.

The Southern Yeti - Member
Molgrips - you're not due any sort of life crisis for a few years, but I'm more than happy to be part of your sordid break down.

S'ok emsz, I'll be back from Scotland by then.

Where are you going in Scotland and when?

Just being nosey.

....and when Ho hum found out when TSY was away in Scotland, he donned his best house-breaking gear and headed around to pay his house a little visit

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TSY is coming to scotland?

*gets suede jacket out*

Has anyone here achieved lasting success through the 'just stopping' method or am I destined to end up back on the fags AND fat too?!

yep. 1997 was when I quit, cold turkey, going from about 15 a day to zero "just because I wanted to"

I'm fatter now than I was then, but that's probably more to do with the beer, the desk job & not enough exercise, than the not smoking. there's a lesson here somewhere...

I'll be up there a couple of times in the coming months...

First off I'll be travelling the length of it passing through Edinburgh, Pitlochry, Invergarry, Invergorden, Wick, JOG, Thurso.

If anyone fancies some roadmiles let me know, could help ease the invetible infighting 🙂
If anyone lives in Thurso and can give me a bike sized box that'd be absolutely fantastic 🙂

Molgrips - you're not due any sort of life crisis for a few years

I've been having one since July 1998. That replaced the previous one.

*wonders what emsz and Yeti are getting up to...*

Gave up the ciggies 31st Jan this year after smoking all my adult life, 46 now ( 20+ a day ). Got in very muddy after a ride home from work and only a couple of fags in the house.

Really couldn't be bothered to get showered then drive to cashpoint then shops for some more so decided to see if I could pack them in. I had never even tried to pack it in before that, suppose I just liked smoking. I pretty much saw it as a dare to myself to see if I could do it. Tempted many times since and could quite easily have got away with a few crafty ones but then I would have failed my dare. Just use one of those inhalator thingies now and again.

Definitely been eating more but then again been out on the bike more too. Saved quite a bit of cash too so far so paying for the biking holiday up the west coast of Scotland for the mrs and I will be easier.

I should have done it years ago 🙁

Good luck to anyone else trying to pack them in.

I think running may now be my new addiction...

I'm doing 5K every other day and my 'relaxation' days start with that 3 minute brisk walk/2 minute walk/1 minute sprint thing (repeat x5 = 30 mins).

JD Sports are doing a half price deal on snazzy New Balance running gear at the moment so I've managed to get all colour coordinated too.

[i]*wonders what emsz and Yeti are getting up to...*[/i]

Long story. Moral: never post drunk 😳

yeah, yeah, say you were drunk, upset a Yeti. I'm doing you a favour remember!

Jeez, some people.

I'll be in Scotland in May too 😀