The Stop Smoking Megathread [ including Champix]

[Bulgarian]

One's own gym, eh? Luck you!

 

I have to share it with the rest of the tennants, but most of them are old and don't use it

 

We have a steam room/sauna and pool too.

[Kazpa]

Hi All

Just felt the urge to come on here again and see how everyones doing, could be that as of last Monday I have been a non smoker for a year, which is something I never thought you would hear me saying. As I have said previously I loved smoking and did not want to stop, had never tried to stop in all 36 years of smoking but I now have to say that it is the best thing I have ever done. I feel so much better and love the fact that I am not ruled by cigarettes.

The reason it's taken until today to tell the world I have been stopped for a year is th\t I was on holiday and it was so different, I wasn't stood outside the airport until the last minute fitting my last fag in for who knows how long, I wasn't sat out on the terrace every morning smoking as many fags as I could before my husband woke up and realised just how many I did smoke ( he's never been a smoker ), didn't have to carry a handbag to keep my fags in and also the fact that before coming home I wasn't looking for the tobacconists and spending 2/3 hundred quid on fags.

Good luck to those of you starting out, well done for those of you who have quit and for those of you who are thinking about it go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pug206]

Im on my second attempt with nicorette patches.

 

On my 4th day. Still early days for me but i intend to stick to it this time.

My first attemp was let down by my willpower not kicking in when i was having a drink. Havent drunk this week, but going to a party tomorrow. Hope i dont crave one this for me will be the ultimate test! Any advise about quitting and drinking would be great x

[willm]

Im on my second attempt with nicorette patches.

 

On my 4th day. Still early days for me but i intend to stick to it this time.

My first attemp was let down by my willpower not kicking in when i was having a drink. Havent drunk this week, but going to a party tomorrow. Hope i dont crave one this for me will be the ultimate test! Any advise about quitting and drinking would be great x

 

This is where I keep failing tbh. Drink is deadly for trying to quit smoking. It reduces will power to zero. I was in the pub the other day and a friend of mine had one of those inhalator NRT things. Ny the end of the night she'd had a couple of rollies.

 

I think avoiding alcohol for at least a couple of weeks is the only way. Problem I find is though, most of my friends like a drink or two and I didn't want to exclude myself from outtings to the pub. But then I wouldn't sit in a pub and drink soft drinks all night - that just isn't me.

 

So it's a tough one, if you are fearing you might fall into the trap, it might be worth avoiding the situation where that trap lies.

[Lyn.]

Nice to see some of the "oldies" popping in . I'll have stopped for 2½ years now. I enjoyed smoking and didn't really want to stop. I didn't beleive that I was capable of stopping but with the help of Champix I did. Having smoked for well over 30 years, stopping is one of my proudest acheivments.

Good Luck everyone

x

[rothschild]

A nice post Lyn and quite inspirational as well. It sums me up I suppose.

 

I started on the champix on May 16th this year and smoked my last ciggy on May 30th.

That means that I've been smoke free for allmost 4 months and 3 weeks.

 

I didn't really want to stop either but my choices were limited. Mainly because I couldn't afford it but also because of health reasons...........and it had been on my list of things to do before I hit the big 60 as well.

 

So, I should feel really proud of myself but I don't.

 

On Thursday 6th of October I forgot to take my champix pill............so I stopped taking them from then on.

 

Now, I don't know if it's because of a lot of fairly traumatic things happening in my life recently, or because I'm aware that I'm not taking the champix........but my cravings have been slowly increasing to the point where I've cheated a bit.

I admit to having had a few puffs here and there. Nothing much but shamefull all the same.

I enjoyed the dizzy feelings (crackers or what?) but after just a puff or two I put the flippin thing out. That's all I needed........just a quick puff to test the ground if you like.

Most of the time I don't give the fags a second thought but on those couple of occasions I just needed to try it out. It satisfied the craving but also made me aware that all it was was a quick "hit". I was also aware of just how easy it would have been to slip back into old habits.

 

With this in mind I decided to buy one of those nicorette "quickmist" sprays.

It cost me £11.99 and to any of you who might feel the same then please let me tell you that it's a complete waste of money!

 

I honestly expected to have a fine mist spray hit my tongue and provide me with some sort of craving relief.

 

Huh.......total rubbish which doesn't work at all. To start with I can't get the gizmo to "spray"..........it says to prime the thing about 3 times until you get a fine mist. It was like shooting a stream of cash into the air! No mist at all.......just a clumsy spray of liquid which was anything but a "mist"!!!!

I tried to spray it onto my tongue and it made me feel violently ill! The strength of the stuff immediately caused me to feel sick and it took my breath away. I then felt the need to "burp" quite a lot and I had pains in my midriff as if I'd got trapped wind.

Very very unpleasant and I will be writing to the manufacturers.

Just trying to "prime" the thing in order to gain a fine mist would probably mean the whole contents of the thing ends up on the floor...............so for anybody considering one of these devices, then I would strongly advise against it.

 

I really don't want to go back on the champix tabs but I do think that I might benefit from some form of NRT.

 

I've got an electronic ciggy thing which has been quite helpful but I've run out of replacement cartridges now and can't get replacements.

I've ordered a different one now so hopefully that will help.

 

It just pee's me off to still be having these cravings allmost 5 months down the line. I want it to feel easier then it has been lately. Then again..........I have had to suffer the grief of losing my only brother to cancer, and other stuff besides.

 

On a good note though........my health is on the up since kicking the weed. I will either be discharged from the cardio vascular unit at my next appointment, or not be seen again for many months.

That alone tells me that I can't go back to being a filthy fagger............much as I might desire it at times.

 

I just need a quick fix for the times that I feel weak..............any suggestions?

[Lyn.]

Firstly don't beat yourself up over it. Don't see it that you started smoking again just that you had a little wobble lol.

Personally, I would strongly advise AGAINST any kind of NRT. You've been stopped for over 4 months now so are clear of Nicotine. Any NRT is feeding that craving. Speak to your doctor or quit nurse and see if the can offer any advice or let you have some more Champix. Have you any tablets left?

The first couple of days that I stopped I got to tea time and gave in. I lit up and it tasted so foul that I put it out again. It didn't stop me doing it again the next day

Ever since then I've told myself that the lovely taste and comfort that I crave doesn't exist any more. If I were to light up today then all I would get would be that foul taste which I hated - therefore there is no point in me lighting up.

I'm sure it's hard but it would be so sad to lose all your hard work if you did end up giving in to your cravings.

Good luck

xx

[taimah]

Rothschild just like to say I agree wth Lyn, dont beat yourself up about it but really dont go down the NRT route. You dont need nictotine as this would already have left your body. I would say its not cravings that you are feeling it is about missing an old friend. I must admit I was worried when I came off champix as I thought I would get the cravings again. It has been hard but take each day as it comes and trust me it does get to the point where you dont think about smoking.

 

Come on you know you can do it.

 

Becky

[rothschild]

Thanks Lyn and Becky.

 

Just what I needed to hear and I know you're both right as well.

I don't have a quit nurse nor is my doctor involved. I just need to ring for a repeat prescription and I get one.

I've got 12 champix left and I had thought about going back on them at perhaps half per day but I think it probably is just a case of holding my nerve and ignoring the monsters.

 

I might get some of those mint tic-tacs and get addicted to those.

 

I most certainly won't be using that vile spray thing again.

 

Thankyou both for your words of wisdom and support. It's very much appreciated.

[sand_dollars]

I just got up one morning threw them in the bin and never smoked again