seriously smashed my collarbone up in summer and have been off the bike ever since, fitness is now none exsistent and smoked/drunk more than ever due to boredom and depression over the last 5mnths.
my collar bone hadnt calcified (just spongified) and the doc said smoking had a lot to do with it.
had my last smoke on thursday morning, chain smoked 3 before going for the operation to plate my collar bone.
woke up thursday afternoon, doc told me the op went better than planned, although it will never be the same again he said they had done all they could but it was up to me now, told me if i didnt pack in then i would probably have to go through all this again if it didnt heal (due to smoking) with the risks increasing the next time they had to operate ,,,,,,,,, NO,,,,,,XXXXING,,,,,,, CHANCE, its the best excuse ive ever had to finally stop for good
havnt touched one since and dont want to ever again, getting back on the bike is more important to me now,,, ive missed riding so much and now im counting down the months to when i can start to try and rebuild my fitness and my bottle again.
couple of things ive done to help me give up,
1, wrote a big list (think marker pen and A3) of all the things positive/negative about smoking, not one on the poz list,,, the negs not finished yet as i keep adding to it and stuck it to the bedroom door,, its the first thing i see every morning and i read it a couple of times as i get dressed
2, left post it notes saying ‘cigs are shit’ etc next to my trigger points aaround the home i.e the coffee jar, the beer cooler.
3, i watch people who smoke and take note how they react, i have never seen anybody yet who looks like they are actually enjoying it.
couple of things ive done to help keep my mind off them
1, eat lots of super strong cough sweets,,, feels like its clearing my airways out (placebo ?)
2, got a big bag of liquorice twigs (not the sweets the actual wooden twig thingys) from the chemist and chew on them,,,, taste a bit like cigs when you suck them and they keep my hands busy. i believe they are used in poorer countrys as a way of cleaning teeth which is a bonus as my teeth are tobacco yellow.
3, if i get a strong urge for a cig, i light one up, hold it for a bit then throw it away without taking a drag,,, im fooling myself into thinking ive had one by going through the motions,,, i think ?
ive packed in a few times over the years. longest i did wsa over 18mnths but started again after a drunken night out thinking i will just pack in again coz ive done it before(stupid or what). i hate smoking, i hate the smell and i hate the way it has such a powerfull hold over me, hopefully this time i will beat it
keep this thread going boys, if you fall off the wagon let people know im sure you will get the support/ribbing you need to give it another go.