Quitting smoking

[OwlHoot]

Yes, I experienced the same symptoms, cleared up fairly quickly. Keep it up, you are doing well. When I get a cough now (4 years later) I think "oh, I've got a cough". When I used to smoke and got a cough I would think "that's it, I've got lung cancer and am on borrowed time".

It still could be lung cancer

[SallyAnne]

I think everyone who gives up smoking deserves an enormous pat on the back. It is a very difficult thing to do - not really the physical addiction (stick some patches on for a while to ween yourself off them) but it's the emotional addiction with smoking which is completely controlling.

I tried giving up a few times before I conquered it (about 18 months off now, and will never ever smoke again) and the difference this time was my mind set. I said goodbye to them this time, and I meant it. It wasn't for money reasons, or temporary health reasons, or some "new years resolution" or anything like that - it was a life style choice. I LOVED smoking when I did it, but it was time to say goodbye to those days (much like how I used to LOVE sh*gging around when I was young and single, and I said goodbye to those days too). I see it in the same light.

Good luck to everyone who's trying - you can all do this.

[SallyAnne]

I intend to increase my fag consumption to make up for you.

[Archangel]

Yes, I experienced the same symptoms, cleared up fairly quickly. Keep it up, you are doing well. When I get a cough now (4 years later) I think "oh, I've got a cough". When I used to smoke and got a cough I would think "that's it, I've got lung cancer and am on borrowed time".

[BoredBloke]

Been off the fags for 4 weeks now. I thought I would feel great but the last 4 weeks , my breathing has been worse, coughing up loads of phlegm and I still feel worse than I did when i smoked. Easing up now but I seriously thought I had fcked me breathers for good

Been told this is normal and can happen when you stop smoking 35+.

Anyway to extract the good from it, I have had a month taster what chronic brionchitis or emphysema woudl be like, so that shoudl be more than enough to keep off the sticks for the rest of my days

Anybody else experienced similar?

Sunny "Splutter and Spit" san

Well done so far - but I think I would have at least given it to the new year rather than having all those nights out and risking having a quick cig when your out having a beer. That was the link I found the hardest to break. I'm glad I gave up though (about 4 years now I think) but do miss a couple of things

1 - time out at work. The short time away from the desk was great for problem solving. Rather than hammer away at a problem I'd go for a thinking cig and solve it almost straight away

2 - beer tastes different

3 - i drinkl more because my cig is not in my hand meaning my pint is.

[Gonzo]

Anybody else experienced similar?

Sunny "Splutter and Spit" san

Yes, it is just your lungs starting to clear themselves out now that you have stopped pumping toxic gas into them.

Keep at it. I have stopped since the beginning of September (with only a few lapses ) I do like smoking but it is such a pain in the arse to keep having to go outside for a smoke whenever you are anywhere that I can't really be bothered any more.

[Platypus]

Stick with it and best of luck.

I will try on Jan 1st and this time it's got to work. I'm too feckin' old to smoke now

[dinker]

I intend to increase my fag consumption to make up for you.

[OwlHoot]

Been off the fags for 4 weeks now. I thought I would feel great but the last 4 weeks , my breathing has been worse, coughing up loads of phlegm and I still feel worse than I did when i smoked. ..

A few months ago I accidently bought a packet of Silk Cut blues, having asked the colour-blind cretin for purples, and found that despite having half the nicotine and tar of purples they were actually OK (although I tend to smoke a few more every day).

But Silk Cut Silvers are a bridge too far, as I have to draw so hard my ear drums pop, and last time I was on them it was costing a fortune in shirts. (They're more loosely packed, and lumps of ember would fall off the end and burn a hole in the front of my shirt! )

[sunnysan]

Heavy

Was about 7-10 or so a day, which is not particularly heavy

Have given up a few times before, never had this amount of grief.

Well they do say every time is different, so I am hoping this time was sufficiently sh1te to prevent me ever smoking again

Now... let me catch my breath after that bit of speed typing

[norrahe]

bear with it, it gets better after a short while, depends on how much you were smoking before you gave up.

[BlasterBates]

Yes apparently the hairs in the lung, which do the cleaning get covered in tar and die, when you stop smoking, they start to come back to life . Basically your lungs are cleaning themselves.

[Lockhouse]

Been off the fags for 4 weeks now. I thought I would feel great but the last 4 weeks , my breathing has been worse, coughing up loads of phlegm and I still feel worse than I did when i smoked. Easing up now but I seriously thought I had fcked me breathers for good

Been told this is normal and can happen when you stop smoking 35+.

Anyway to extract the good from it, I have had a month taster what chronic brionchitis or emphysema woudl be like, so that shoudl be more than enough to keep off the sticks for the rest of my days

Anybody else experienced similar?

Sunny "Splutter and Spit" san

Yep - All the cilia (small hairs in your breathing tubes) are all gummed up with tar from smoking which is sticky and that attracts bugs like flypaper. Now what's happening is that all that tar is starting to loosen up with you not smoking (hence the coughing) and all those germs which were stuck to that tar for years in relative safety are starting to trickle into your throat and lungs - hence the illnesses. Nothing you can do but to let it happen. It does go within 6 weeks or so.

[teclo]

I'm on patches at the moment and it is sometimes rough, sometimes easier. I wasn't a particularly heavy smoker though.

I miss my smoke breaks, what a fellow smoker and I used to call "Development meetings"

Good luck with it.

[sunnysan]

Been off the fags for 4 weeks now. I thought I would feel great but the last 4 weeks , my breathing has been worse, coughing up loads of phlegm and I still feel worse than I did when i smoked. Easing up now but I seriously thought I had fcked me breathers for good

Been told this is normal and can happen when you stop smoking 35+.

Anyway to extract the good from it, I have had a month taster what chronic brionchitis or emphysema woudl be like, so that shoudl be more than enough to keep off the sticks for the rest of my days

Anybody else experienced similar?

Sunny "Splutter and Spit" san