Stopping smoking

[Buttercup]

Hi guys,
I see that quite a few of us are wanting to quit smoking so I thought it might be an idea to start a thread for us nicotine junkies. Maybe we could post our stories here, look for and give each other support with it. I think the fact that we are even thinking about stopping is positive so we should all pat ourselves on the back and go for a fag ;)

So, some questions :)
- when and why did you start?
- what are your smoking habits?
- what positives have you found from smoking and what negatives?
- what are you going to do to try and stop?

I'm off to work in a mo but will add to this thread later.

[raggamuffin]

First started cos my 2nd girlfriend smoked and she introduced me to it and smoking weed.

I smoked weed/tobacco joints and hardly every smoked rolled cigarettes

Varied between 1-3 a night on weekdays and anywhere between 3-8 per day on weekends

Had 2 panic attacks when stoned and couldn't enjoy it anymore so I quit for 6 months. Relapsed again and since then i've been weed and tobacco free for just over 3 months. I quit cold turkey every time.

Ed

[Chiliphil1]

Started because a friend have me one.

Been smoking for about 12 years now, as far as positives... I guess there really aren't any, it gives me something to do but that's about it.

Negatives, that's a long list. Headaches, heartburn, cough, feeling like crap, burning in my chest when I try to exercise, bad odor, nicotine stains Al over my house, and on and on.

I really do want to quit, but my attempt last week shows me it's going to be even harder than I anticipated, anxiety spiked and I just felt rough. I will try again eventually, but I am going to have to do some more mental prep before I give that another go.

[FedUp]

I started about 19 yrs ago because of my best friend in High School. I smoke about a pack a day. I stopped about 10 years ago cold turkey for 3 years but ended up starting again. I could just kick myself.
The only positive I see is that it's an excuse to take a break from whatever I may be doing (such as cleaning, working, etc).
Negatives are sooo numerous. Makes my anxiety worse sometimes, that feeling of needing ine when u r in a situation where u can have one, smelling like an ash tray, health... Well u guys all know.
Anyways, I would love to quit but don't know if I have the willpower this time around.

[Buttercup]

When I was young the thought of smoking was disgusting to me, my mum, big brother and sister all smoked and I hated it but then I became a silly teenager! I had my first cigarette when I was 15 (am now almost 33) at the train station with my friends when we were bunking off school. Stupidly I just did it because everyone else did it. After that I would have the odd cigarette at parties and then when I turned 17 and got my driving licence I smoked a bit more- I thought i was the coolest girl ever driving a car with the tunes blaring and smoking a fag, lol. It progressed from there and by the time I was at uni I was smoking about ten a day but on nights out I could easily get through a full pack (that was back in the day when you were allowed to smoke in pubs, clubs, restaurants in the UK). It just went from there and i moved on to about 20 a day which is what I smoke now.

I have a cigarette and a coffee within 10 minutes of getting up in the morning and the problem is I love a fag when I have my coffee! I tend not to smoke in my car but happily smoke in my flat which is something I should stop. I like a fag before I eat, after I eat, if I am on the phone, when I am on the computer etc. At work I can go out for smoke breaks pretty much whenever I want but I am trying to get it to just one in the morning, one at lunch and one in the afternoon.

I have to admit that I enjoy smoking most of the time and if I am anxious I always reach for a fag. I try to make sure I never run out becuase if i do I start to feel all fidgety and worried. There are of course all the usual negatives- it smells, my clothes smell, it costs a fortune and god knows what damage I have done to myself already. But as of yet I don't have nicotine stained fingers and teeth and I don't have a cough but that will no doubt come with time if i don't stop.

A couple of years ago i went on a smoking cessation programme where you go to classes each week and they help you stop. But my heart wasn't in it. Also i was the youngest there by at least 30 years and was surrounded by very ill people who been sent by their doctor's to give up as they had lung disease and other smoking related illneses. You'd think that would have been incentive enough to give up but it just made me not want to go back to the classes.

I recently bought an e-cig with the hope that would help as it helped my brother quit "real" fags. He went from around 40 fags a day to using the e-cig and that was 3 years ago and he hasn't had a proper ciggie since. I did try patches awhile ago but my skin came out in a sore, itchy rash from them so that idea when down the pan. Anyway, I reckon I will make a stop smoking date and work from there- try cutting down at first and also putting the money i would use for fags in a piggy bank and treat myself to something nice when i have managed to stop- which will be soon.... I hope.... but as I type i am smoking and really enjoying my wee menthol ciggie!

[laurandisorder]

I always hated the fact that my Mum smoked when I was younger. She would only have one or two in the evening, but she smoked inside and the smoke would waft down the hall to my bedroom and I just couldn't stand it. My Mum stopped cold turkey when she had a bad case of bronchitis at about age 40.

I started when I was 16 - no peer pressure, I had a dream that I smoked and I liked it. I looked a lot older than my age back then, I thought I'd try to buy a pack (legal age in Aus is 16) and I was successful. My first cigarette was smoked all by myself in a local park. I didn't look back.

I successfully quit for a while when I moved in with my partner - he didn't smoke cigarettes - but we went on holidays and I bought one pack. I thought that would be it, but I'm still smoking 8 years later. Sadly enough my partner now smokes too.

Things I like about it - well I just like the action of smoking. I have a bit of an oral fixation and can usually be found nibbling the end of a pen or pencil. I also find it very relaxing. It's nice to have a cigarette on a warm day or evening. I also feel like smoking after a drink or two. The vast majority of my friends smoke to some extent, but recently my little sister and my best friend have quit - so I'm hopeful I can too.

Another major hang up is that I also like the weight loss benefits of smoking. I often use cigarettes as a substitute for food and I know that they help keep my weight low. I used to have Eating Disorders, so this aspect of smoking is quite important to me. Even though I am technically recovered, I am quite fearful of getting over a certain weight.

I smoke between 5-15 cigarettes a day depending on whether it's a weekday (less) or weekend (more).

I'd really like to quit smoking so that I can improve my fitness. I love to run, but I can't run far. Not because of my physical capabilities, but because I get puffed out quickly. I can run about 800m before I struggle to breathe - sometimes verging on hyperventilation. I'd love to do a 5k one day!! I also wanted to quit by the time I turned 30 and I'm now 30 years old.

So that's my smoking story. I plan to quit for my new years resolution. I am quite good with making and sticking to resolutions, so I'm thinking that I'll sort myself out with an e-cigarette and go from there.

[laurandisorder]

Oops. Legal age to buy cigarettes in Aus is 18, not 16!!

(and I think that the sticky is a great idea, Kev!)

[kim75]

I am attempting soon also. I quit for 6 months last year. A friend of mine has tried all the e cigs and the one that stuck is from a website called ourfreedomsmokes Dotcom.The five star rating one that is about $55 dollars is the one he is using. He has not had a cigarette and loves this product. Good luck!

[ananxiousgirl]

I have quitted for 5 years.

[justme24]

The one good thing that has come out of this anxiety, Im too much of a mess to smoke and quit cold turkey and amazed at the fact I dont even actually want one anymore... what helped me was having a pack but knowing I didnt want one, if that makes sence. when you cant get your hands on one you crave it more, but if you knew they were close it easer to not give in...