other quitters experiences?

[Davi]

I came of the cigs at the end of Dec and went onto e-cigs, an easy swop! About 6-8 weeks ago now I also gave up the e-cigs - not so easy, but not as bad as I thought.

Right up till yesterday. Don't know of any reason, but feck me it's like I've been hit by a freight train! Seriously huge cravings coming every 30 seconds or so, I'm getting seriously wound up by the tiniest thing and generally want to hurt inanimate objects.

On top of that, since quitting (obviously because it's bad for you health...) I've had colds, constantly. one goes, next pops up. Hadn't had a cold in years. that's a really fking annoying thing when you're craving badly and only supposedly doing it for the health benefits.

God I'm in a fking st mood now.

[Tyre Smoke]

I went cold turkey on 4th Jan. The first couple of weeks were hell, but I hardly think about it now. Saying that it must be the weather, because yesterday afternoon I had a serious wall climbing moment that wouldn't go away for ages.

Fine this morning though.

Keep at it mate, it will get easier and yes very very occasionally in the future you will get a real hankering for a ciggy. Do you notice how much other smokers actually smell of smoke these days now you have given up? We must have wreaked!

[DamoLLb]

Keep going! You knew it was going to be tough. This is the final hurdle. Well done on getting this far, just keep busy. Good luck!!!!


As for my experience, I went cold turkey and never looked back. I relapsed once in 2 years and made myself feel really sick!

Edited by DamoLLb on Wednesday 22 April 11:16

[GTIR]

You gave up the e cigs quick!

I find going for a run or anything that gets the adrenalin going (try wking of a shark) will help with the side effects.

The force is strong in you my son.

ETA Once a smoker always a smoker. IMO

Edited by GTIR on Wednesday 22 April 11:16

[B3Svert]

I smoked my last one last Tuesday evening so just over a week for me now. Chewed nicorette gum for a few days then forgot to bring any with me when I came away on Monday and haven't really had any cravings despite being away on business which is when I usually smoke like a chimney anyway.

My OH still smokes although promised that she would quit by the time I get back home, we'll see about that! Bizarrely the smell of smoke on other people during/after they have smoked does not bother me half as much as it has other times I have stopped.

Hopefully this time will be the last!

[Davi]

Gave up the e-cig not by choice - one of the delightful bugs that my son brings home from nursery put me in bed for a week barely able to open my eyes let alone find a fresh cartridge and the battery charger sort of didn't see the point in going back to it after a 7 day break!

I'm considering getting some more zero nicotine juice for it just so I've got something to stop me wanting to hit walls with heavy implements but that feels like I'm failing. Which winds me up

As to noticing other smokers smell... yes I do, but unfortunately I don't sit there and think how badly they wreak, I think how wonderful the aroma is

[V8mate]

Davi said:

Seriously huge cravings coming every 30 seconds or so, I'm getting seriously wound up by the tiniest thing and generally want to hurt inanimate objects.

PMT? Sounds like giving up smoking has changed your gender.

[Davi]

V8mate said:

PMT? Sounds like giving up smoking has changed your gender.

I hadn't considered that before, I'll pop to the bogs and check I can pee without sitting down.

If it is, at least it's payback time for the wife

[1]

GTIR said:

ETA Once a smoker always a smoker. IMO

People told me this before I stopped, that was over 4 years ago. I can honestly say that I have not had any cravings in years.

To the op, just think of how you will feel in another 6 weeks, A/ If you start smoking again and B/ If you maintain when you have already done. It is very satisfying feeling once you get it under control.

Also wtf are E Cigs?

[bigTee]

E-Cig for two weeks now!

Lungs feel like they are about to explode though!

[Davi]

1 said:

Also wtf are E Cigs?

An electronic cigarette - basically an atomiser connected to a battery one end, a cartridge of liquid nicotine the other. Looks like smoke, tastes (sort of) like smoke, feels like smoke, but it isn't smoke so you can use it anywhere and it doesn't contain all the harmful crap that a normal cig does.

[jasmine]

GTIR said:

You gave up the e cigs quick!

ETA Once a smoker always a smoker. IMO

Edited by GTIR on Wednesday 22 April 11:16

Not always and that kind of thiinking can make it difficult to stop

For me, after the first three days of stopping smoking it was really, really easy. After the first three weeks the cravings had stopped completely and now, not quite two years later, I only think about it when I'm reminded by someone and then I feel sorry for smokers and never envy them. I started smoking when I was 15 (36 when I stopped) and I was on at least 20 a day.

I read Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking and it worked for me.

Remember Davi you're not giving up anything, you're stopping and there's a big difference.

[Davi]

jasmine said:

I started smoking when I was 15 (36 when I stopped) and I was on at least 20 a day.

13-ish to 35 here

Funny thing is as I said, I haven't really found it very bad at all, just the last two days - it's like I'd built up a stock of nicotine or something over the last 20+ years and though I stopped a while back the nicotine supply only ran out yesterday

[1]

jasmine said:

I read Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking and it worked for me.

Forgot to mention that in my post, I was very sceptical at first but it work for me too.

[maxrider]

Was never really a big smoker, couple a day and about a dozen 'social' smokes at the weekend.

But, I'm an avid weightlifter and at 47 I started to notice squatting was getting difficult. Weights I took in my stride a couple of years ago left me gasping and dizzy, so I stopped just over a month ago.

Get cravings every so often, mainly when I've had a few I then immediately imagine myself on the squat rack making a tt of myself and suddenly the prospect doesn't seem so worthwhile

[Ganglandboss]

I gave up about 5 years ago by going cold turkey. I had tried for years but gave into temptation when pissed and all my mates were smoking. Plus, there was always one tt who would find it funny to smoke in front of me and make stupid fking 'mmmmmmmmm.....lovely fags' noises complete with a stupid grin. When I gave up, I was not intending to; all my mates decided to make a new year's resolution to quit so I decided as there was less temptation, I might as well give it a go.

It was hell for a fortnight and then I went through the black hockle phase. Once through that I was fine. None of my mates stuck with it though although some have managed since. All of them though are still addicted to gum or eating st loads of Polo mints.

Cold turkey is the way forward but it is very unpleasant at first. Once you have gone through a week or so of violently coughing up your guts every morning in the shower, you will feel fecking amazing!

[Davi]

Ganglandboss said:

Once you have gone through a week or so of violently coughing up your guts every morning in the shower, you will feel fecking amazing!

Every ex-smoker has said that to me - not had any of it. I've never felt so unhealthy as since I've quit, I catch everything going, I haven't improved in stamina or strength despite doing large amounts of hard manual work on the house. All in all a fairly extensive disappointment!

[jasmine]

My health also seemed to get worse when I gave up; it has improved now, I haven't had so much as a sniffle or cough for about a year. But what's really nice is being able to taste food properly. Oh and I've also only put on 5lbs since stopping (I weighed 8.5 stone at 5'9"), none of this ballooning out of control business.

It's probably different in some aspect for everyone.

[vxrandy]

I stopped 13 years ago. At first i gave up for a few weeks then went back on them, so i decides to wean myself off by changing to weaker brands which took about 6 weeks and i havent looked back since. One thing you will realise though is how intolerant of "smokers" you will become when this happens you will be cured. You will also wonder how the hell you ever got laid smelling of fag smoke.

[maxrider]

Davi said:

Every ex-smoker has said that to me - not had any of it. I've never felt so unhealthy as since I've quit, I catch everything going, I haven't improved in stamina or strength despite doing large amounts of hard manual work on the house. All in all a fairly extensive disappointment!

Oh come on, 22 years of smoking (how many a day?) and you expect to become a picture of health in a couple of months?
During those 20+ years did you do any sort of regular exercise?
Stick with it, it will get better, it's only because I could see my gym performance deteriorating that I decided to pack in, otherwise I would have known no different and carried on.