How do I stop smoking?

[realityhack]

Mrs RH said something that resonated with me, something like:
"If you think about it, it's just not natural to smoke. I mean, you don't pop out of the womb having a tab, do you? So you'll be returning to a more natural state of affairs, even though you think it's 'normal' for you to have a smoke right now, it's not".

[interested]

Cheers for the responses so far.

I have the Allen Carr book, I have an unopened packet of Champix at home, I have gum, I have the reasons to quit - but I'm not looking forward to the experience. Last time I tried I was an utter b'stard to be around and felt gnarly for about 2 weeks. Also - I had 'brain fog' for a few days, couldn't really focus on anything, felt like I was stoned at it's worst.

Maybe I should read the book. Ironically I lent it to someone who actually read it and quit that day onwards (and is still on the wagon after 5 years).

I thought the book was badly written and hard to read. I also didn't really want to read it. The good thing about the session was that you had to actually listen to the bloke - and he was up for arguing as well. I told him I loved smoking and he successfully pointed out that I actually didn't.

[PRC1964]

Good luck RH, it's worth sticking at it.

I just stopped about two years back and haven't been tempted since.

I did make sure to keep the money I saved and use that to buy toys that I'd always wanted but never got around to buying.

[grey_lady]

I used this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Smoking...0419369&sr=8-2
its based on cognative behavioural therapy techniques.

Worked for me (3+ years ago) but I was pretty grumpy for the first few weeks and even now still have the odd craving.

[blacjac]

Cheers for the responses so far.

I have the Allen Carr book, I have an unopened packet of Champix at home, I have gum, I have the reasons to quit - but I'm not looking forward to the experience. Last time I tried I was an utter b'stard to be around and felt gnarly for about 2 weeks. Also - I had 'brain fog' for a few days, couldn't really focus on anything, felt like I was stoned at it's worst.

Maybe I should read the book. Ironically I lent it to someone who actually read it and quit that day onwards (and is still on the wagon after 5 years).

The thing that I most remember about the books is them helping me to realise that I was scared of not being a smoker.
Sounds really strange now, but every time I had tried to quit before, it wasn't the actual cravings that got me, it was the fear. I.e. fear of not being able to enjoy a pint without a cig, fear of getting angry and irritable, fear of not having fun with my mates as they all smoked, stuff like that.

Once I got my head round that, quitting was easy.


However......
After about 3 - 4 weeks I relapsed and bought some fags, smoked one and nearly threw up so threw the rest away.
This happened again about another 2 weeks later and that's when I knew I would never smoke again, I physically couldn't without feeling really ill.

Which is another point made in the book that clicked with me. Starting smoking as actually really hard for some people as your body rejects the poisons in the fags, it's only perseverence that gets your body tollerant to them. When I started smoking I actually threw up a few times from fags, but I was 17, all my mates smoked and my Dad said it I would never keep it up . Why put myself through that again?

[Jubber]

What's worked for you?
Cold Turkey
Do you still get cravings?
Physical - No, Mental - occasionally on the rare occasion I get angry
What's keeping you stopped?
Wisdom
Did you set a date and do it?
No - just thought one day ...this is stupid and stopped
Did you plan, and/or cut down gradually?
Nope - after quitting drinking I've learned that the only way to stop abusing a drug is to quit it totally.
Did you just stop on impulse one day? If so, what was it that gave you such resolve?
Yes - getting honest.
Did you make it public and thus put pressure on yourself, or quit quietly?
Quit quietly - but people did notice.

Go for it - smoking will do nothing but kill you.

[Churchill]

Ok folks, top tips here please. I'm sick of it. Last time I tried I was an absolute nightmare to be around (apparently).

What's worked for you?
Do you still get cravings?
What's keeping you stopped?
Did you set a date and do it?
Did you plan, and/or cut down gradually?
Did you just stop on impulse one day? If so, what was it that gave you such resolve?
Did you make it public and thus put pressure on yourself, or quit quietly?


Thanks in advance.

It's simple, just understand that you've become addicted to a drug that is controlling your life. You're a bigger and better person to let that control your life. Take stock and sort it!

Simples!

[Sockpuppet]

Ok folks, top tips here please. I'm sick of it. Last time I tried I was an absolute nightmare to be around (apparently).

Just get your mrs to withhold wifely duties if you have a puff. 1 fag = 1 week on the sofa.

You'll soon kick the habit

[Gonzo]

Cheers for the responses so far.

I have the Allen Carr book, I have an unopened packet of Champix at home, I have gum, I have the reasons to quit - but I'm not looking forward to the experience. Last time I tried I was an utter b'stard to be around and felt gnarly for about 2 weeks. Also - I had 'brain fog' for a few days, couldn't really focus on anything, felt like I was stoned at it's worst.

Maybe I should read the book. Ironically I lent it to someone who actually read it and quit that day onwards (and is still on the wagon after 5 years).

If you are determined to stop but need to find away to overcome the foul moods that you will be in for a couple of weeks, I found the lozenges more effective than the gum although I can't think of a logical reason why that should be.

I would need to take a few a day at the start to keep the nicotine levels in my body up a little so that I could cope with ordinary situations like going to the supermarket without turning into a monster and demanding a divorce, but within a few days it gets easier to reduce them down to none.

I never tried the champix.

I have read the book and I couldn't help but get the feeling that I was being manipulated which automatically made me resist the message. The book won't improve your foul moods though - it encourages you to embrace them as being part of the quitting process.

Everybody is different though and different things will work for different people, but I recognise your description of the 'brain fog' and have found the nicotine lozenges to be the best way around that for me.

[shoes]

Forget books and gum and patches. Just stop. It's that simple. If you really wanted to you would have stopped already. The reason you haven't is that you don't actually want to. If you did you would have.

Do you want to stop?

Then stop. Done. You are now a non-smoker.