The Stop Smoking Megathread [ including Champix]

[DorisT]

Hi All

 

I'm new to this forum - came across it last Friday (my official 1st day of quitting whilst using Champix) and thought it would help me in my first week of not smoking - and it has!

 

I'm now on Day 8 of not smoking and although the first couple of days were a bit tough, the cravings and frequency of cravings were not half as bad as I thought they would be - I think the actual fear of giving up was worse!

[sjwilliams]

hi peeps hope everyone is doing great and still smoke free

i am hitting my 9th week of no smoking and i feel absolutely fantastic champoix has really helped i have infact stopped taking them due to feeling a bit icky at night but i still dont want a ciggie.

Im a lot more active than i was before although the weight has piled on tbh thats the only down side but im putting a stop to that and working out now hope everyone is ok and well done to the newbies

[diggerd]

Hi all, just thought I would log in and take a peek, is wonderfull to see some newbies starting out ....to you all I say all the best in this journey it really is worth the ride...

Use each other for support and friendship, I dont think I would have been as successfull with out this form so again I say thanks to Jabbers for starting this thread.

Also to all the "oldies" that jump in and encourage regurally you are treasures ........I only come back every few months just on a whim but I will never forget this place

For those that remember I will update you my daughter Ree is still smoking my husband also is still smoking, It bother me but I dont say any thing to either of them any more as I know we all have to make that decision.

 

Love you all

Trish

 

Never give up giving up xx

[sheffgrow]

ive just had to trawl back through this thread to see when i stopped, it was about 3 months ago and apart from getting drunk once [and forgetting id stopped smoking] all is well i only took the tablets for about 6 weeks as i didnt feel the need once i had gotten over the initial cravings, i cant say i dont think about smoking because i do, but will i ever go in a shop again and buy any? NO what a mugs game that is [but you dont realise it at the time]

[Gemini65]

ive just had to trawl back through this thread to see when i stopped, it was about 3 months ago and apart from getting drunk once [and forgetting id stopped smoking] all is well i only took the tablets for about 6 weeks as i didnt feel the need once i had gotten over the initial cravings, i cant say i dont think about smoking because i do, but will i ever go in a shop again and buy any? NO what a mugs game that is [but you dont realise it at the time]

 

Well done to you, and I agree with what you say, you just don't realise a lot of things about smoking while you are doing it.

 

Well folks its the second time for me BUT TODAY I HAVE NOT SMOKED FOR A YEAR

 

I would never have been able to do it without Champix, but mainly from all the support from everybody on here, so thanks to you ALL.

[absynthfairy]

Hey folks - I have read quite a bit of the thread - will confess not all but just wanted to add my experience...

 

I am also a Champix quitter - 4 weeks today smoke free. I seem to have followed a similar path to a lot of you on here. This is my third attempt. First attempt was last year (I took my first champix pill on the anniversary of my first quit attempt) using patches, managed 6 weeks then fell off the wagon spectacularly on a hen do in Spain with 8 smokers and one ex smoker who lit up within half hour of landing. Upon my return, I then convinced myself I could just be a social smoker...and discovered that I in fact couldn't (an important lesson to learn though). I tried half heartedly again in the summer but couldn't even really call it an attempt really.

 

I researched Champix thoroughly before making the decision to take it and my only regret now is that I didn't take it sooner. It has been remarkably "easy" - but I know I am not out of the woods yet. I stopped on Day 8, having had my usual 20 on the first day, then dropped to 8 for a few days, then 3...then 2 then 1. I just totally lost interest. I also seem to have survived a lot of my stressers so far - windscreen broke on the car, I have survived almost half a school term successfully (lol), boy trouble, drinking (although I will admit I seem to have turned into a bit of a lightweight but equally accept I might be drinking more on a night out because I am not chatting outside for half hour at a time), long drives in the car (Car smoking was a big thing for me - now I think my car smells of smoke and needs valeting)...and not once has smoking crossed my mind.

 

Side effects - absolutely wacky vivid dreams - not nightmares...just utter weirdness. Had a dream about my mom who died 10 years ago and have never dreamt about her before - dreamt she was alive and living in Cardiff (which did upset me a bit to be honest when I woke up and realised it wasn't real), I do feel a bit sick in the morning but thats my own fault for not eating with it - passes within 20 mins. I have been beating habit cravings with liquorice - old school hard sticks, keep them in the car and just hold them sometimes.

 

My other big motivator is money - I finally set up internet banking and I move £8 a day into a savings account (I rounded up from £7.35 for a pack of Marlborough lights) and I am off to London in May with my sister and the money I have saved will be paying for the hotel and to see 2 shows. This makes me very happy indeed!!

 

So well done to all you other quitters out there - long may our victory last and if you are here looking for inspiration I hope I helped!

[Inger]

Well done to you, and I agree with what you say, you just don't realise a lot of things about smoking while you are doing it.

 

Well folks its the second time for me BUT TODAY I HAVE NOT SMOKED FOR A YEAR

 

I would never have been able to do it without Champix, but mainly from all the support from everybody on here, so thanks to you ALL.

 

that is fantastic Gemini - congratulation!!! It is 87th smokefree day today and I am so happy. I am still taking the pills, but only once a day at lunch. Works for me

[Co-co]

Well, I'm on day 8 of being smoke free and so far I have been amazed at my lack of cravings. I do think about smoking but it tends to be that I will suddenly remember I smoked 20 a day this time 2 weeks ago! Long may it continue x x

[Gemini65]

Well done Coco and Inger, you have done really well. What's happened to everyone lately - hope you are all ok ........ I'm really sorry I've forgotten your name, but what happened to the lady with the electronic ciggie? I miss your posts! Have a good weekend everyone x

[rothschild]

Hello all you wonderful quitters.

I've joined the champix brigade now.......I've just completed day 10.

I've got very mixed feelings just now to be honest.

 

I've read a lot of these posts but not all. I followed jabbers progress from when he first started this thread and in some ways it put me off going to the docs because I was scared of any ill effects I might suffer.

I've also read loads of the posative threads as well where the pills have really helped people.

 

Right.....here's my experience so far. Apart from feeling rather calm (that alone is alian to me) I've had no ill effects whatsoever. No nausea or vivid dreams or any of the other side effects mentioned on here. I actually wish that cigs tasted vile to me now but they don't. I'm not smoking quite as many because I don't seem to think about them as often. When I do though I want one and usually give in. I just wish that each puff would leave me feeling really ill.......but it doesn't.

 

Besides wishing I'd never started smoking all those years ago (about 40 now), and wishing I could stop now, the choice is being removed from me because I have to stop for health reasons.

A hospital appointment today probably came at a bad time given that I'm just into week two of the champix, but there we go. It knocked my duck off a bit but I'm not going to give up trying.

I'm still hoping and praying that tomorrow will be the day that I get up and find cigs totally revolting.

Maybe I'm more of a habitual smoker rather than a nicotine craving addict? I can hope can't I? lol.

I've got one of those electronic fags and I've tried it and I have to say it's good. It does help to replace the habit side of smoking because you can inhale and exhale smoke except that it's vapour and not smoke.

Maybe I should be concentrating more on making efforts to address the craving and only have a cig when I actually crave one?

I suppose I've been waiting for the champix to kick in and it doesn't seem to have done so yet.

 

Maybe I'm going to be one of those people where it doesn't help at all?

Hellllllp.......am I a lost cause?