Giving up and staying that way

[bakeandfry]

Hi everyone, im on a short break from a working holiday, but when i started this work i decided to give smoking the flick (or a very goid attempt at it anyway)
I have been a smoker for over 20 years, so far tomorrow it will be 2 weeks since i had a smoke.
Funny enough i dont feel the "tounguing" need for a smoke but i feel as though i miss it at some compacity.
Im interested in how other former smokers handled the quiting and the weird missing smoking feeling (sorry that is the best way to describe it for written word, ive never been good at written word, speak it fine verbaly, spelling and writing not so much, but thats another story)

[enigmabear]

Wishing you all the best. I smoked for 18 years, a pack a day for about 10 years

Gave up four years ago last May, simply because I just could not afford to smoke any more (though I have been told I 'should' say I did it for the health reasons)

I do still get days were I have bad cravings (I used Champix to quit at first, but they made me sick so I stopped)

These days when I want a ciggie, I chew a couple of tins of Mentos NOW strawberry mints instead

I do admit, up til about a year ago, often 'followed' a smoker for a few steps, just to get a hit of second hand smoke  (sad but true)

[davidc4430]

ive never smoked, but i rekon you should work out how many $s you were spending each week on smokes, then multiply that by 4, then multiply that by 12.

if that doesnt make you never smoke again then your never likely to stay off them IMO

good luck with the fresh air smells BTW

i was just in the local supermarket standing behind an obvious heavy smoker..................the smell of yukky smoke was shocking.

why anyone would choose to smell like that beats me.

[bakeandfry]

I understand about the smell of smoke, i like the smell of it (but dont feel the urge to light up) and a guy i work for locally was a smoker and he told me he loves the smell to, which is strange, i know to a person who has not smoked the smell would not be pleasent to them.

[bakeandfry]

Yes the money i save is going to be put to good use!

And yes i understand how smoke smell to a non smoker is not nice.

Im trying to work out how someone can have a feeling of loss or missing something.

On a product that i know does you no good, it is very strange missing something i dont want but can easly access.

[davidc4430]

try aversion therapy

put a cigarette on a set moustrap, each time you try to get that smoke you get a whack!

reset the trap and wait for the next whack.

sounds like a sure fire way to quit, or lose a few fingers

[imastawka]

Bake, I gave up 10 1/2 years ago.  I smoked for 40 years - 20 a day

The best way to get over the 'what do I do now' feeling, is to do non-smoking activites.

That is, something you usually do, but can't while you're smoking.  I don't know

what that would be for you.  Maybe gardening?  

Anyway, a hobby to take your mind to a different place.

It was knitting for me.   And drinking water instead of having a smoke.

I was told scientists say a craving only lasts 3 minutes.  If you can take your mind off

it for 3 minutes, the feeling goes away.

If you have mastered the craving part, then you're better off than most.

Keeping busy is the key.  The feeling will go away at some stage.

It's now a huge relief that I don't have to plan or figure out a way to have

a ciggie when out at restaurants/movies/friends houses etc

I find my nose crinkling with disgust when I smell cigarettes now.

Good luck, keep busy  and stay strong.

[lurker172602]

I'd suggest turning that around and saying to yourself "How good am I! I know how easy it would be to start up again, but I also know that I'm stronger than that.  Good on me"  

Give yourself heaps of praise for resisting.  There's a lot of power in positive thoughts.

[imastawka]

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@davidc4430 wrote:

try aversion therapy

put a cigarette on a set moustrap, each time you try to get that smoke you get a whack!

reset the trap and wait for the next whack.

sounds like a sure fire way to quit, or lose a few fingers

---

 David, there's no quitting while there is even one cigarette in the house!

[not_for_sale2024]

I gave up smoking in the year 2000. I also coordinated a smoking cessation plan for my clients which was implemented a couple of moths ago. Part of the plan focused very carefully on the post cessation experiences that each person might go through.

Personally, I was lucky to have understood that the physical dependence passess after a couple of days. So I had to prepare for the psychological and mental stuff. For me, I felt like I lost a friend - something that I shared myself with while doing just about everything. Then I forced myself to lock it in that smoking was in fact my enemy and would probably end up killing me if I went back to it.

I started using nicorette inhalators, more to do something, because I wanted to fill that void and deal with that ill at ease feeling that something was missing. It worked for me.

I hope you never smoke again bakeandfry. Congratulations on what you've achieved.