Any helpful advise for me as I'm planning to stop???

[Amanda]

Hi All

I have smoked on and off since I was 13, and I am now 35. I smoked through my first pregnancy 13 years ago (although only 1 or 2 a day), and I know that was wrong. I now want to stop, and for good this time.

Myself and my hubbie brought back loads of fags from Cyprus in June, and we now have 160 left. We have both decided to give them when these have gone.

Now the thing is that I work in a department of 12 people, and 8 of them smoke. And the place to discuss everything is in the fag room. Also, we do a lot of socialising ( okay, we go to the pub a lot!!), and every single one of our friends smokes. Unbelievably, there is not one person that we talk to in the pub who does not smoke. Now, what I do not want to do is to stop having a social life. We still want to carry on going out, but want to know if anyone has any helpful tips on how to handle this?? I know the easiest thing to do is to take us both away from situations where we will not be tempted, but what will happen then a few weeks down the line when we both think we have cracked it, and then go down the pub and are tempted. Would it be best to just carry on as normal and try to crack the temptation bit at the beginning???

Oo, lots of questions, but any help would really be apprectiated.

 

[Layla]

hey hun,

well done for wanting to stop.

i stopped at 6 weeks pregnant, it is hard and i still to this day (had one this morning) crave a ciggy.

the only advice i can give you is what i did and still do. i read up on all the affects smoking does to your baby, i was suprised to find out its not just while the baby is in the womb that you have to worry about, aparently, smoking while pregnant can cause cot death, learning difficulties asthma etc after birth and through out your childs life.

so every time i wanted and still want a ciggy, i think of everything i would be doing to my baby and it is enough to keep me going till the craving passes. eventualy the cravings do get less and less.

Also even tho i still crave, the smell of smokers really puts me off, so i keep that in mind too, that i used to smell like that, my OH isnt a smoker so i admire him for putting up with me smelling like that.

i dont mean for any of this to sound harsh, just saying what worked and still works for me.

good luck!!!!

xxxx

 

[tracyM]

I'll be giving up on saturday or sunday (whenever I run out) and have taken steps to make sure I have no money to buy any. The people in the corner shop have been told I'm not to buy any ciggies, dad will have my car keys and I can't walk further than the corner shop. The kids have also been warned to stay away from me!!!

I've been told the first three days is the hardest so I'm hibernating for three days. I've gathered together all the lighters, ciggie papers, ash trays (anything which will remind me of smoking) and they'll be going out for the binmen on sunday night.

I've smoked for 17 years and never really wanted to give up - I made a vain attempt on my 30th birthday which lasted a whole ten minutes (I smoked more on that day than I've done for a long time).

I'm going to do it cold turkey - I think if I make it easier by using patches or gum, I might end up starting again, because I know it's easier to stop. If I make myself go cold turkey, I definately won't want to go through it again so I won't start again (not sure if that makes any sense)

Here's wishing us both, and anyone else trying, the best of luck

Tracy xx

 

[Layla]

good luck Tracy!

xxx

 

[Amanda]

Thanks to you both for the replies and the advice.

Tracey - looks like we'll be giving up the same day, so we can support each other if you like?? We have 160-ish left, and both smoke about 20 a day, so that's about 4 days worth.

Sounds like we are both determined, so I am confident we can do it. After all, it's not just for us...

 

[SarahB]

Good luck Tankett!! I smoked for nearly 14 years and gave up in March of this year (about a month before I got pregnant). I haven't looked back since and I couldn't believe how healthier I felt. It is not easy to do, but with determination and will power it is possible, believe me, if I can do it then anyone can, as I never ever thought that I would stop and for a long time I didn't want to. But I did it cold turkey and now I have forgotten that I ever smoked.
The first couple of days are the worst but if you can get through them then you can get through the rest.

GOOD LUCK!!!!! xxxxx

 

[tracyM]

How long do the cravings last?

I can cope for a few days of really bad cravings by being a moody bint and hiding from everyone, but if I'm going to be thinking about cigarettes every minute of every day for the rest of my life arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

We should have listened as teenagers when all the grown ups DID know what they were talking about when they told us not to start.

 

[Layla]

the cravings for me last for about 5 mins, then i dont even think of a ciggy untill the next craving comes.

at first it was very hard, i thought about smoking all day everyday for about a week, i was moody as hell!!

but once you get past that point its so much easier, now i have a craving once every week or so, maybe not even that, the longer i go without one, the longer apart the cravings get.

hang in there, it will be tough at first, but im sure everyone on here will suport you and talk you through it, i defo will

xx

 

[Amanda]

SarahB - question......

Were you ttc long before you got pg? You have said that you stopped smoking about a month before you conceived, were you ttc long before this? The reason I am asking is I have just read on another site that smoking reduces the chance of conceiving. Apparantly the toxins put up some kind of barrier around the egg and the sperm struggle to get through.

I have almost cut out alcohol (most of the time I go out now I drink J2O, just have wine about once a week, oh and a pint last night with the football!), I am eating healthier, cut out caffeine, and using ovulation sticks, taking pregnacare tablets, and cough medicine. Wouldn't it be bloody typical if it was the fags that were stopping me get pregnant!!!

 

[SarahB]

Hi tankett,
I was extremely lucky in that I got pregnant as soon as we started trying, so I gave up smoking in March and then the next month we started to try. I thought it was going to take a bit longer to concieve, if I had known I would have left it for a while as I would have liked more than a month to get the toxins out of my system.
I have also heard that smoking can stop you getting pregnant, it also increases the chances of having a miscarriage if you do get pregnant, but it obviously didn't affect my ability to concieve.

It sounds like you are doing all the right things, so hopefully you will have a BFP really soon, and I will certainly give as much support as I can to you and everyone else here who is trying to stop. I know how hard it is!!

Love Sarah xx

 

[Amanda]

Thanks for the reply Sarah.

I think I must be getting my mind conditioned to the fact that I am going to stop. Twice I lit up last night, and both times it tasted foul and I didn't smoke the whole thing. Sounds good!!

How are you feeling Tracey??

xxx

 

[tracyM]

I've binned what I had left about two hours ago and am now munching my way through mint imperials and fruit shorties.

Didn't seem much point smoking what I had left for the sake of it.

One thing about the conceiving - we'd been trying with no luck since christmas. I left my job and cut down on smoking in April and conceived early May. I had put not conceiving down to stress from work, but the cut in smoking (from 30 a day down to 10 and from proper cigarettes to rollups) may have done it

Tracy xx

 

[Amanda]

Well done Tracy!!! Keep it up girl!

I wish I could be as strong as you, but as we have both set our minds on giving up when these have gone, that's what we're going to do. I know some people will say 'why not just stop now and throw them away?', but we have made the concious decision to quit when these are gone, so that is what we will be doing.

Quite looking forward to it is some sick sadistic way!!!

 

[lisa31]

Tankett

Sending loads of luck your way - think positive. I stopped on August 23rd - not that Im counting!! and I wont lie, some days are completely shit. I went Docs and he said I could use the patches, but I felt they may be too strong, and I'd heard a couple of girls on here say they used losenges - so I used them (and still am), I would try cold turkey as now I am finding it hard to cut down on the losenges and I know some Doctors dont reccomend them) but there was no way I would be able to do it any other way. But as it goes, they have made it easier (this is my 9th attempt in as many years - so I know exactly what your going through)

My advice would be

1. Type in 'Silkquit' in google - you can register for a counter to pop up when you put your PC on and it tells you how many you havent smoked, how much money you've saved, how many days of your life you have saved etc. I thought it wouldnt make any difference - cos I dont know about you, but when you want a fag - you want a fag! - but it really spurred me on.

2. Use the losenges / patches - go to your docs and get them on free on prescription. Im going to create a new topic in a minute that asks everyone what they used (if anything)

3. When a bad craving strikes (although I hate that 'saying' cos as far as Im concerned every minute of the day I would be thinking about them) just take yourself away - I used to get straight on here and just read the posts or send some - use it to get support - I did everyone was great on here.

4. Me and D/H both stopped in August - but our friends are still smoking -again, its bloody hard, but try thinking along the lines of "they are probably not wanting to smoke that cigarette, but they have to, they have no choice in it - and Ive decided not to) it may sound like your being a bit 'up yourself' if you know what I mean, but it does make you feel good - knowing that you having got to keep sticking one of those things in your mouth - you are free and youve made the right decision.

5. when your feeling like your 'missing out' ask yourself "where you 100% happy being a smoker?" chances are your not, so think to yourself at least you are now recovering from this addiction and you have to go through this to come out the other side.

I know Im waffling on a bit - but I just totally understand where your coming from - be prepared for the shit days, weeks etc - but sometimes it really aint that bad (honest). I actaully made myself very ill trying to quit a few years ago. I had it in my head that I would do it, but everyday I failed, so I would kick myself about it, and believe it or not, I ended up going into depression and being on tablets because of it. I actaully went to an adiction counsellor in the end, who was great (it took 8 months to get me back into the right frame of mind to try again) and touch wood and month and half later Im still doing it.

If I can do it - YOU CAN!!!!!

You can always PM me and I will support you 100% of the way - and I tell you, all the support you can get really really helps.

L x

 

[rach]

good luck all who are giving up this weekend wishing you all the best be strong girls im sure you can all do it xxxxxxxx

 

[Amanda]

Lisa - wow, thanks for the advise, and well done on giving up! Everything you have said makes complete sense, especially point 4. I have given up before and that is how I did it. I think you have to get a bit 'up yourself'!! I can look at people who do smoke and think 'I'm stronger/bigger/better than you are cause I don't need those'. Like you said, it works.

Tracy - how was your weekend? Still ready to kill?????? lol

I am counting today as day 2, although technically it's not! But hell, it;s my count so I'll do what I want with it!! When we woke up yesterday morning, we had 22 fags left between us. I smoked the last one out of the pack just before 7 oclock last night. Then at about 10-ish, DH said he was gagging. He disappeared upstairs and came down with one that he had hidden. So I told him that he would have to smoke it outside. He opened the back door, and stood in the opening. I was folding some washing in the living room and had to shut the door because I could smell the smoke. And it wasn't that I liked it, I hated it. He has promised me that there are no more hidden anywhere. This morning I have come to work, and don't feel like I need one at all. One of my colleagues went for a fag about an hour ago, and the smell in the office was awful when he came back. I smelt like that!!! Yuk.

Wayhay - non smoker, here I am!!!!

 

[LouisecH]

Well done Tankett. It isn't easy but I found you really have to change the way you think about smoking - ie you don't need to smoking it's the adiction trying to keep you as a smoker, it doesn't help stress it's just that nicotine adicts have higher levels of stress. Just as Lisa said in the previous post, it does help (quit 18 months ago after 11 years of smoking).

My husband (non-smoker) told me that he was going to stub a cigarette out on his arm. When I got upset he said that that was what it was like watching me smoke except I was effectively stubbing them out on the inside of my lungs. Extreme but really gave me an image I couldn't forget.

I wasn't prepared for how miserable I would get for the first 10 days or so. I actually sat in the bath and cried on day 4 about not ever having a cigarette again and felt a bit foolish afterwards.

Anyway, as I said before it's been 18 months now and I can't believe I was ever a smoker. I hate the smell and sight of cigarettes and thought of smoking makes me feel sick.

There are lots of nice things about being a non-smoker. You don't need to plan lunch out, evenings out, long journeys including plane flights around having a cigarette. I can take in a full breath of fresh air without feeling the need to cough for 10 minutes afterwards, my skin looks better, I get far less sore throats and colds and my energy levels are a million times higher.

By the way, I painted my nails 5 times a day and took several baths a day in the first week. I found it helped

Anyway, good luck with your journey and when you feel a craving coming on, come here and post a message!!!

 

[tracyM]

I'm on day 4 now and it's getting too much - I'm stopping in the house but I know as soon as I get out I'll buy some. Stu has popped out to get some patches or gum for me

Tracy xx

 

[Amanda]

Tracy - don't break now. You have lasted 4 days so the nicotine craving has now gone. It is the habit you have to break now.

Believe me, I know how hard this is, but re-read these posts every time you fancy one. They are doing me the world of good and I've not strayed yet. I know it's early days, but I really believe I am strong enough to kick this. And if I am, anyone is.

Keep strong hun.
xx

 

[Layla]

you can do it guys!

dont give up
xxx