Giving up smoking

[Bagpuss]

"IMHO the best way to give up is not cold turkey"

Worked for me - the benefits of cold turkey are that it cuts the addiction. I tried reducing the number, but when you go from say 20 a day and get to say 5, those 5 are really hard to give up because you tend to look forward to them more. I figured that stopping dead and not buying any was the best option. Pubs are hard though as beer and cigs go well together and they sell both in one place.

I thought you used patches?

[SallyAnne]

"IMHO the best way to give up is not cold turkey"

Worked for me - the benefits of cold turkey are that it cuts the addiction. I tried reducing the number, but when you go from say 20 a day and get to say 5, those 5 are really hard to give up because you tend to look forward to them more. I figured that stopping dead and not buying any was the best option. Pubs are hard though as beer and cigs go well together and they sell both in one place.

Yeah every time I've ever started up again it's been in the pub. Will power seems to vanish when you're p*ssed.

I'll just see how it goes.

Cheers x

[Diestl]

It's banned up here to smoke in pubs and the weather is tulipe, so you dont have that problem.

[wendigo100]

I thought you used patches?

He said his wife used patches, he went cold turkey.

I was told by someone who studied the subject that absolutely the worst way to give up is gradual reduction, because you are always watching the time in anticipation of your next fag.

Using nicorettes is probably best, gum or whatever, because you still get the nicotine but without the tulipe that causes all the diseases.

[Bagpuss]

I was told by someone who studied the subject that absolutely the worst way to give up is gradual reduction, because you are always watching the time in anticipation of your next fag.

Using nicorettes is probably best, gum or whatever, because you still get the nicotine but without the tulipe that causes all the diseases.

Using nicorettes is gradual reduction. The most effective way to give up any drug is tapering of dose, be it antidepressants, heroin, nicoteen. Of course everyone has an opinion, Alan Carr says cold turkey (which is least effective but some can do it), the medical profession will get you on patches or gum (which is dose-reduction), some say hypnosis.

But the most important thing is wanting to give up.

[BoredBloke]

"Using nicorettes is gradual reduction"

It is a reduction in the nicotine, but you stop smoking there and then. It is the not picking up the cig bit - as I said when I did it cold turkey, you get trigger points and it's about breaking the habit. For me, my hand would literally itch. If you use a patch you break the picking up the cig bit while your body gets a reduced hit of nicotine. As I said earlier, as you reduce the number of cigs, each reduction becomes harder to do and eventually you get to the point when you look forward to your fix.

It's best to simply stop buying them - if that means a patch then so be it - or never start!

[Bagpuss]

Has sally gone out for a fag :-)

[BrilloPad]

I gave up 22nd DEcember 1989. And still occasionally miss them.

Took about 10 attempts to give up. Thought I could just have 1 cigarette. Theres no such thing as 1 cigarette.

I do wish SA all the very very best though.

[BrilloPad]

Has sally gone out for a fag :-)

American or British?

[swissmike]

I pretty much need to smoke after about 6 pints, but only have one or two and thats only once a week or so, and I never buy them

Dunno how much the smoking ban will help out - maybe if places don't smell smoky you'll be less tempted to have one