You’re bang on bear! If I decided to have a fag while out for a beer tonight, i’d Be back on 20 a day from tomorrow onwards. It only took me 30 years and 6,743 attempts to pack in to make me fully appreciate this fact!

I am also a proper fat bastard having replaced fags with crisps and pies. I’m having a beer at the moment and i’ve just Eaten a massive bag of peanuts! Standard!

Just polished off a big bag of kettle chips too. I literally inhaled them. I never used to when I smoked. Hey ho! The climbs on tomorrow’s ride are easier even when full of kettle chips, having not smoked a full pack of B&H though!

Everything’s relative 🙂

Will be 9 years in Feb for me.

I was a very early adopter of e-cigs, in 2008 when they were witchcraft and actually looked like cigarettes.

Did the trick though. Stick at it!

2 weeks tomorrow 🙂

Think Ive spent a bit on nicotene mints…. But hey. Beat the temptations a few times now. (Marvin Gaye’s not impressed).

I gave up about 10 years ago, then slipped in to a low level habit again, just evenings and social smoking. I then stopped about 7 years ago due to the wife and since then I haven’t smoked, except for when drinking, if i’m doing any sustained drinking I tell myself I won’t but 5 mins later i’m there on it.

I wish I had the will power to stop that.

Incidentally I only smoke when drinking if the Mrs isn’t there.

Well done Aphex. Keep on keeping on!

Hows the new bike fund looking? 😀

Well done.

It’s amazing what the triggers can be. For me it was a BBQ. I’d been tipsy before but something about having friends around, a few beers and watching the embers die away.

Perhaps fortunately, the cigarette I did have had me hurling my guts up for 20 minutes.

2 things that held me back giving up were 1) I was very fit despite smoking 2) living in The Philippines, 20 Marlborough cost less than 40p. I kept going though.

It gets easier and easier.

After 7 (ish) years, I genuinely never miss it. Any temptation is a fraction of a second and easily overcome.

Bike fund is good…. $300 in the kitty. Need my forks and shock servicing and some new pads and discs. Maybe a new 2.6 front tyre to try out.

Good luck, it’s not easy. I was lucky in my timing, got together with Mrs Pondo 10 years ago and gave up on valentines on our second date (not, I hasten to add, under any pressure from her, she never brought it up), and it was the summer the smoking ban came in so all of a sudden no-one was smoking at work or in pubs any more. Didn’t vape or do patches (my rehabilitation was powered by love :D), I just relied on a little zenny mantra – all I had to do to give up was never smoke again. Time has made it seem easier than it was, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Keep going, giver uppers – you won’t regret it!

I gave up nearly 6 years ago by reading Allan Carr’s Easyway – basically neurolinguistic programming, but my god it worked. I never miss it. I never have cravings. I can stand next to someone who is smoking a rolly and enjoy the smell, but I’m never tempted.

Giving up was the best thing I ever did, hands down.

4 weeks now!

Well done!!!

That’s a great achievement, I know I’m 12 years off the cigarettes now and the first few weeks were a nightmare. Word to the wise though, beware of complacency. I was surprised how many times in the first 12 months a little voice would say “Oh well, you’ve cracked it now. I suppose that the odd one won’t hurt now and again.” Funny thing nicotine addiction.

As an aside, I also checked out the Ling’s cars as linked above. Wow. Just wow.

In to my last week on Champix today. It’s literally amazing – as in I could not believe how well it worked. Three days in to quitting I was on a big night out – the type where I’d be buying a second 20 deck from the barman at 3am – and I wasn’t fussed about smoking in the slightest. It was like flicking a switch and suddenly feeling the same as a non-smoker must do.

I actually forgot to take it the other day and I didn’t notice, so quietly optimistic for next week when the course is finished.

Has the Champix done the trick then?

14 years ago for me now and I was a heavy smoker ..I needed a strong reason to do so as I enjoyed them too much ..
That came in the form of my son when on his christening day and as an older dad I realised that I wouldn’t be around for him too long if I didn’t quit ..
Cold turkey for me..gave half a pack away and haven’t had one since.

Just over six months for me. Decided to try a vape and haven’t looked back. Still outside with the smokers but feel a hundred times better. Made me re-evaluate a number of other self-destructive habits I’d fallen into as well.

11 years now for me. Just smoked my last fag on Friday 13th October 06.
I found i couldn’t ride up a hill near me without retching. Within 2 weeks i was riding up ok, still hard work though due to the steepness.

Always get the odd craving but now don’t really think about. Can’t give up beer though…and don’t want to