UPDATE!!
18.5 hours in and feeling pretty good. The test will be the drive into work and the 10:30 smoke break. I reckon if I can get to lunch then I'll be ok as that will be the magic 24 hour marker.
Camo - have you joined us yet? I'll still always be ahead of you 😉
Binners, how are you getting on?
motivation is varied for me.
- health (son, partner & family to live for)
- money (I smoked between 10 and 20 a day, but working on just 10, that's over £1300 a year = a lot of blingy bits)
- career . I'm back to uni next year, so need to be smoke free for the course (teaching) and my overdraft
- fitness. Self-explanatory...?
loads of others that aren't coming to me right now 🙂
Good luck folks. over two years cigarette free for me.
I'm doing very well at the moment..
I've been a regular smoker since before puberty and quit smoking last year for the first time in over 25 years..
I lasted six months before succumbing to an occasional smoke which led to full time smoking again very quickly..
I've quit again this year using patches to control the cravings for just the first few days..
I'm already feeling the benefits and it's now my muscles that complain before my lungs on the climbs..
😀 😀
Camo - have you joined us yet? I'll still always be ahead of you
Right behind you, kiddo!
Had my last one at 8ish last night, so I'm a little way past the 12 hour marker.
Okay, I was asleep most of the time, but it's still a marker. 😆
Good luck, morgs - you're sounding pretty chilled, considering.
EDIT: By the way, I've just avoided one of my smoke rituals - the pre-work huddlin' in the office doorways fag. Next one's about 10.30!
Well done all of you ! One day at a time...
Well done people. 🙂
So you're going to be hitting the 3 day mark on Friday? I'd recommend planning to do something differnet from your normal Friday routine... something that makes smoking harder to do... go out for a meal instead of down the pub for instance.
Keep it up quitters!
It isn't an easy thing giving up (and staying off them), but the benefits are huge.
I think that I am just over 19 months off them now - I gave up in March 2010, but I have forgotten the exact day, which is a good thing IMO.
From my own experience having stopped 5 years ago:
You need a very powerful, personal reason to stop. Summarise your heartfelt reason for stopping in a sentence or two and refer to it whenever you feel a craving.
Make it a personal experience. Don't turn it into a game by giving up with other people.
Don't hide the fact you're stopping but don't go on about it either. Do it quietly.
Don't replace the fags with anything else. Don't change any other part of your life.
Do not underestimate the power of your addiction. Never ever have even one fag ever, it'll be the thin end of a long wedge. For me this is the golden rule of stopping.
You will be amazed at how much fitter you become.
It's going to tough at times but well worth it.
I used to get chest infections every winter when I smoked. I think that (and mrshora) were enough motivation in the end.
My old GP was fantastic. She took her time and said to me 'one day you'll be permanently like this. Is this what you want'?
Hows everyone feeling this morning then?
[url= http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/iran-better-not-f*ck-me-around-today%2c-warns-cigarette%11free-obama-201111024493/ ]Like Obama?[/url]
Looks like we've got a high profile comrade* on board 😀
I've got a couple of fags left in my last packet. And it is the last packet! I'm going to have my last smoke with a pint this evening, then its game over! I asked my daughters if they wanted me to stop last night. I got a very enthusiastic reply. So now I'm threatened with all kind of sanctions should I waver. I'll never get another hug ever again apparently
*are you allowed to use 'that word' about an American President?
Well, next test passed! The 10:30 smoke break involved making a brew and some fresh air with some wordfeud (scrabble).
Roll on 1:30 and the 24 hour mark (although lunch is at 12:30....good job I brought my book!)
morgs, well done!
I've made it past my own 10.30 break habit so I'm pretty pleased with myself!
Off to make a coffee now...
Generally, I feel like this 🙂 about it, but occasionally I get all 😡 and, once or twice, 👿
Still, better than expected...
Like Hora said I used to get chest infections and bunged up nose, bad throats all the time, a few weeks ago I had my first cold for over two years which certainly would have developed into a chest infection for me before but only developed into a bad throat.
Good job quitters! Don't quit quitting!
nice one camo!
It's going to be the hour long 12:30 - 1:30 break that'll be tough....so, I will nip to the supermarket for my lunch....something naughty and nice for a treat....followed by sitting at my desk with my book.
22 hours in and feel fine.....apart from the hot flushes that feel how I would expect those suffered my menopaulsal women to feel...
I'M A SMOKE FREE SWEATY BETTY! 🙂
Oh yeah - cut back on your coffee consumption. Nicotine blocks how your body deals with caffeine.
You need to re-build your tolerance.
I say 'cold turkey', but I did actually develop a serious Fruit Pastille habit for about 6 months - had to work to limit myself to one bag a day, especially as I was supposed to be writing my Masters thesis at the time, and found it really difficult to concentrate for the first few weeks.
Made me chuckle 😆
morgs, keep going mate, no personal experience but know lots of succesful quitters, and all of them did it by just going cold turkey. Patches, gum etc all failed as when they tried to then remove the new habit from their life, they craved nicotine so just sparked up a fag again!
Oh, and whilst tempting, DO NOT think "well I've got rid of one bad habit, it can't hurt if I indulge a little in something else"... Replacing nicotine for coffee will make you just as irritable, and you won't sleep. Replacing it with food will mean you just gain 3 stone overnight. If you need a habit, take TSY's advice, eat some fruit instead of smoking a fag. Healthiest thing for you, and I don't know anyone who's overweight cos they eat a lot of fruit!
Also, DEFINITELY worth giving up booze for a few weeks. Everyone I know who has quit, then had a couple of drinks inside the first month, has always ended up smoking again. Apparently the temptation is too great just to have a fag when you've had a beer, so just lay off the booze for a few weeks until you can trust yourself to have a few pints without wanting a fag. Good luck though, I'm sure you'll fare better than binners, who every new year whips up a mass frenzied support cos he's giving up the fags again, then when everything has gone quiet he slips back onto them seemingly... 😉
no personal experience
😆
You may have become my most favouritest STWer with that post.
schrickvr6 a month or so ago I had 24hrs of mad projectile vomiting.
Mrshora said to me 'I honestly can't remember a time when you were last ill'.
15 mins away from the magic 24 hours mark and feel fine (if not a little hot!)
TSY - i see what you mean about caffiene intake.....not good when I'm a hypertensive as well!
mboy - love your posts - always put a smile pn my face 🙂
good work morgs!!! keep it up 😀
Oooh, ooh, I must be back in time to celebrate your first day smoke free??
I was getting such bad shakes and sweats from sticking with 4 cups of black coffee a morning that I'd have to go for a walk outside to cool down before attempting the post work 5th cup.
Thankfully I now drink far less coffee too.
TSY - yup - I'm into day 2 now!
knock coffee on the head? is decaf ok?
thinking I may as well make all these changes at one.....cycle instead of drive, smoke-free and no coffee?
why not! 🙂
I drink, on average, 27 litres of coffee a day
Is this going to be a problem? Is my metabolism going to collapse? Am I going to be like Lemmy if he ever stops taking all the speed?
Personally I'd stick with some coffee, I've started subsituting some for green tea.
De-caf won't give you the hot flushes, but then it won't keep you awake either.
Cycling instead of driving would make the fag en route almost impossible though 🙂
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I'm into day 2 now!
Mucho respecto, Morgs! 😀
And if you haven't already NOW is the time to start dishing out mockery and pity indisciminately to anyone that smokes, revel in the fact you are a superior being.
Hora that reminds me of the only time I've eaten at Wagamamas and I managed to project myself out of the toilet onto my arse against the hallway wall about 6 foot away still spewing, ahhh good times.
Well done guys. 2 years here and feel very much better for it. I can honestly say I dont miss it one little bit. I do feel that there comes a time in your life when you are just ready to quit. I reached that time and to be honest didnt find it too hard.
My kids made my life hell though when I was a smoker. I was very smug when I told them I had quit. They were over the moon!
If there's ever a week when I don't say anything can someone pop round and make sure Binners hasn't killed me in a 'post stopage' rage....cheers
I picked him up a leaflet about it today just to infuriate him I'll let you know how it goes. And, no its not me making him stop....
You may have become my most favouritest STWer with that post.
Haha, does one have to have suffered oneself to pass comment, or merely have observed many peers suffering and make comments based upon observation?
Anyway, wouldn't normally have posted, but knowing morgs personally and knowing he could do with some moral support, I did.
What's worrying me at the moment TSY is I've only just spotted your alter ego for the first time (maybe I've been asleep or just not on here all that much of late). Are you actually my sister, for her name is actually Samantha Louise!!! 😕
WooHoo, go quitters!
Oranges / satsumers are great for fagr breaks while giving up the pealing replaces the rolling and if you eat it a segment at a time you get the hand to mouth movement. The vit c is good too as nicoteine blocks it and most smoker are a bit defficient.
Anyway, wouldn't normally have posted, but knowing morgs personally and knowing he could do with some moral support, I did.
Yup - and could need it! Must admit, after a not so good meeting with the Boss last night, I was ready to spark up. Managed to hold off though and now I'm 42 hours in!
Its sooo classy. Notice how the lowlife ALWAYS smoke? Link to [img] 
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intelligence and smoking?
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Smoking is sooo cool.
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I stopped smoking on Monday so it's day 4 for me.
Cold turkey no nicotine replacement.
Tried before and thought I'd cracked it but not so. This time it's for good.
Well done us lot, keep it up.
Try the fresh OJ - I read somewhere (at the time I quit) that it leaches nicotine out of your system quicker. I wasn't sure if it was a placebo but it worked (and distracted me).
Edit found this at the top of the google search- http://www.livestrong.com/article/278617-how-to-quit-smoking-by-eating-oranges/
I think I drank circa 2litres+ a day! I admit I was a wee bit of addicted to OJ (proper pulp stuff)- sort of temporarily transferred my addictive personality over and craved the taste.
Good on you, morgs and cheese@4p!
36.5 hours in myself ...
A couple of homicide fantasies aside, I'm doing pretty nicely.
In fact, yesterday was my first clear day without nicotine IN ANY FORM WHATSOEVER for more years than I care to remember.
Well done chaps... keep it up.
Right! I am now smoke free. Yay! Had my last one last night. And I've actually quite enjoyed not having a fag and a coffee as the first thing of the day.
Hora - you're really not helping at all. In fact, there's nothing more annoying than a sanctimonious born-again non-smoker. When we can be sanctimonious and preachy with you that'll be fine. Until then. Stop it!
I'm going to get a big bag of tangerines I think
36.5 hours in myself ...
Hahahahaaa... I think I was signing off every post with my cumulative smoke free hours at the beginning of this year.
Keep it up all of you. Especially Binners.
Nice one gents! All this mutual support is getting bro-sexual*
Still gettings these bloody sweats though 🙁
*i am suffering from withdrawl symptoms, please excuse this outburst!
bro-sexual
Well I wouldn't have kissed you if you still stunk of fags.
Mwah 😉
36.5 hours in myself ...Hahahahaaa... I think I was signing off every post with my cumulative smoke free hours at the beginning of this year.
I'll stop when I get to about 200 hours... until then, the hours are mounting up nicely and I feel all warm and achievement-y. 😆
So, now I'm 37.25 hours in...
EDIT: No chills here, but I realise how I've naturally punctuated my life over the years. I'm going to have to remember how to live without taking so many time-outs. Smooth living is tricky - how do non-smokers do it?
camo - great going! I'm up to 44hours (near as makes any difference).
I feel I have the not smoking at work thing pretty much beat! The problem is going to be the not smoking when stood outside the front of the pub working my door shift tomorrow night!
Now, how to get through that one!
The problem is going to be the not smoking when stood outside the front of the pub working my door shift tomorrow night!Now, how to get through that one!
Randomly punch people? 😉
The problem is going to be the not smoking when stood outside the front of the pub working my door shift tomorrow night!
Surely you'll be too busy dealing drugs and touching very drunk girls to notice? 😉
The problem is going to be the not smoking when stood outside the front of the pub working my door shift tomorrow night!
So is that a boredom thing then?
How long's the shift?
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"Can you 'ear me?"
"I can see you ya daft bastard!"
😀
BRILLIANT!!!
Its a 5 hours shift, on the door to a proper live music 'boozer' (in fact, its an ace place!).
Binners, more chance of that during the day job (more stressful!)
Hora - Careful, or I may take Binners up on his suggestion 👿
Okay, you need something to (1) keep your brain busy and (2) keep those hands under control.
Might I recommend:
Hand Exercise BallsIndividual hand therapy balls, in two different strengths, enabling you to start at whichever level you require. Ideal for wrist strengthening Also good for stress relief.
Pack of two - one soft, one firm.
Offers the double benefit of distraction and powering up your * cough cough * love hand...
Just a thought. 😆
binners thats just reminded me of the great bit of max n paddy - where Paddy has the big LCD screen up with porn on in the camper and is bashing one out when Max catches him.
Class.
Best bit of Phoenix nights is the visit to the Ponderosa (Jim Bowen and his Ji-cutzy)
whoooop - an into day 3. How're the others gettnig on?
You da man!
So far, symptoms of withdrawal are not as strong as they were yesterday... but I'm expecting a killer urge any moment now. 😯
More gum, I think!
Good on you, morgs - have you worked out a strategy for tomorrow night yet?
good work chaps. Hopefully the weekend will be a breeze.
Keep it up. You are inspiring me to join the ranks....!
tomorrow night will involvole lots of sweets, lots of games (on the mobile) and a lot of time spent inside the pub rather thean outside the door.
May also get the better half to offer some encouragement. 😉
Come on WS - get on it!
give me 'till monday, mental preparation is important 😉
This thread is inspiring me to have a bash again. I keep getting to the magic 3 month mark and then something or someone at work winds me up and I'm back on them.
Really do need to give up tho, smoking and Hypertension aren't a good combination.
May the power of AnteCig be with whippersnapper and bwfc4eva868 !
😆
43.5 hours and counting...
Come on guys! Go for it, no excuses just do it!
I've just topped the 50 hour mark!
Come on guys! Go for it, no excuses just do it!
I've just topped the 50 hour mark!
I'm way too excited about this (so forgive me)...
... I have just missed my 3.30pm smoke break. I FORGOT about it!
Wow! I worked through a smoke break. Been a while since I last did that!
Life, as Jeff Goldblum says, will find a way...
camo - good on ya!
I still go out side, but there are no other smokers. just me, my thoughts and [b][u]FRESH[/u][/b] air.
BLISS!
You guys are growing in pure unadulterated awesomeness by the hour!
You guys are growing in pure unadulterated awesomeness by the hour!
in my nictotine rejecting grumpyness.....do I hear the hint of sarcasm?
WELL DO I?????????????
Sorry......attach of a grumpy morgs there.....
...and I pass the two day mark, right on morgs' heels...
Not achieved with unadulterated style and panache (I have chewed out a couple of people 😳 I admit it), but all in all it's been good.
... 48 hrs 42 minutes and counting...
excellent!
Camo - i'm quite loving the way this thread has turned into you and me shouting each other on....and binners is nowhere to be seen 😆
What's your support medication of choice, morgs?I'll be getting those über strong patches (again) I suppose...
Meds of choice: Nicorette 25mg/16hr patch, combined with Nicorette Quickmist oral spray. No disturbed sleep (seen in 24hr patch use) and low risk of adverse side effects compared to Champix/Tabex/Zyban. Far better efficacy than other meds avaiable too. 12 week course available from your GP (total prescription cost = £59.20)
Apply above with a strong commitment to stop and stay stopped, combined with positive reinforcement regarding your motives to stop, and you're good to go.
Apply above with a strong commitment to stop and stay stopped, combined with positive reinforcement regarding your motives to stop, and you're good to go.
unless you are man and you go cold turkey. like me. 
...or me! 8)
Camo - i'm quite loving the way this thread has turned into you and me shouting each other on....and binners is nowhere to be seen
Binners is obviously THE man - not only can he quit cold turkey, but he doesn't even need someone to talk to about it.
😆
Personally, I'm with Bob Hoskins. It's good to talk.
So, how ya doing this morning, morgs? Are the sweats gone yet?
Morning all. How are we doing chaps?
Well.... two days in and I'm quite surprised. There's only been one tempestuous outburst (on the sexism thread - and they deserved it). I got through last night ok. Watched a fillum, stayed off the beer. Slept ok. I think avoiding the pub is the way forward
This morning my body is enthusiastically setting about clearing itself out of crap. I've been coughing up what appear to be slimy tennis balls. Eeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
Oh... and I've a big bag of satsumas on my desk. Otherwise I'll be eating 14 packets of crisps a day. No question about it. As I was geting them this morning. A quite 'sturdy' lass was buying 2 Kit Kats for her breakfast. That'd be me, that would!
You sure you can't make it out next Thursday morgs? we could do jointly victorious?
Camo - not even touched them. They are in the car ready for tonight 🙂
just been down for my 10:30 constitutional and instead of even thinking about it, i had a look in the back of my car where I found [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/69216972@N07/6294454828/in/photostream/ ]this[/url] waiting to go to the shop this afternoon.
Binners, I would love to....but I'm in Llandudno. Think it would be great to arrange a STW social though....thoughts?
Sounds like a plan to me fella.
We all revelling in our awsomeness then? 😀
Cautiously, I'm waiting until the weekend's passed.
Then - presuming I have not been undone by a mischievous bifta – I shall revel in the power of Awesome to the Max!
A STW social sounds sweet - I'm in the 'pool, you're in Manchester by the looks of it, so maybe one day we could be horribly smug and self-righteous ex-smokers together!
Don't panic and carry on!
The timing here has been bang on. So cheers for starting this thread.
At work this week, instead of being on the Mac trying to hit mad deadlines, I've been lucky enough to have a brief for 15 hand drawn illustrations. As in; pens, pencils, ruler, paper. Like they used to in the olden days. Got the tongue out the corner of my mouth, concentrating, and everything.... Its incredibly therapeutic and is helping immensely 😀
An ex smokers festival of awesomeness is definitely in order. Lets do it when we all hit a month smoke free maybe?
An ex smokers festival of awesomeness is definitely in order. Lets do it when we all hit a month smoke free maybe?
I think, less than a month from now, there's every chance that our Awesomeness may well be off the scale.
Which officially makes us a danger to the general public.
Day 5 for me and the cravings are baaaad, not sure if the Tabex pills are making any difference or not although I haven't been sticking to the proscribed dosages.
Good luck to all you newly quit smokers... keep going, it only gets easier. If you do have any doubts just ask yourself if you want to be a smoker again. If the answer is no (which it bloody should be) then don't smoke. In fact, congratulate yourself on your strength of mind and sheer awesomeness.
I gave up 4 months ago now and it is great. Will never go back.
Day 5 for me and the cravings are baaaad, not sure if the Tabex pills are making any difference or not although I haven't been sticking to the proscribed dosages.
Keep the faith, dude.
I tried the pills/patches loads of times. This time it's cold turkey. I have to say, for me it's working better.
Now I have to go outside to find somebody to kill. 😈
Keep going Bimbler!! Its...
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for me. Tried the patches and pills and stuff and this time I'm doing it through pure [s]willpower[/s] peer pressure 😉