I'm Quitting!

[Frenchieboy]

For many men, me included, one of the hardest things to do is to admit that you are A FAILURE! Unfortunately this is what I now have to do!

As many of you will know that several years ago I quit smoking, going from well over 40 a day to none, and I was over the moon with this achievement! It helped me to feel better (Both physically and mentally) and saved me a small fortune. I really did feel a great sense of achievement for quitting smoking!

What some of you might not know is that after something like 15 months of being "Smoke Free" I started smoking again. I'm not going to try to "search" for any excuses for starting again as any that I came up with would be nothing more than lame excuses and would fool no-one! I will say have been beating myself up for starting again!

Anyhow, at long last I have decided to try quitting again! Really and honestly speaking I have no option! - I have a few various medical problems (Mainly to do with my heart and lungs which I do not want to discuss on an open forum). The general gist(sp) of the matter is that I now find myself in a position where I can not walk on most of my permissions (Which are to be fair quite hilly) for more than about 5 minutes without having to stop to take a 5 or more minute breather which is quite embarrassing when I have someone out with me! A recent test at the Asthma Clinic showed that my lung and breathing capacity are down by over 30% on what they were 12 months ago, and that really frightened me!

I know that smoking is steadily (And not so slowly) killing me "before my time"! I know that I am a total plonker (I was going to be more honest in this sentence but it would get sensored by the moderators) for starting again! I know it makes me, my car and my clothes smell! I know that it is a very "anti-social" habit and is unaceptable in many peoples eyes! I don't need anyone to tell me these things but if you feel like doing so then go ahead, it's no more than I deserve!

So, what am I doing about it? I had to go to the Asthma Clinic the other day and eventually asked/begged them to do something to help me to quit again. The outcome was that I have been put on a "One To One" Stop Smoking program using "Champix"!

I started on Tuesday with the lower dosage and have already managed to reduce my smoking by 50% - I'm pleased with that but I know that it is not enough, I have to try harder! I now have to name a "QUIT DAY" (The first day of the course that I will not smoke at all) which must fall within the first 14 days of starting the course of "Champix" so I am looking at Friday 27th January to be completely without a smoke (I can, if I want to, quit before that date, which I would dearly love to do)

I will follow up this post to let you know how I get on in days to come!

[tomhw100]

For many men, me included, one of the hardest things to do is to admit that you are A FAILURE! Unfortunately this is what I now have to do!

As many of you will know that several years ago I quit smoking, going from well over 40 a day to none, and I was over the moon with this achievement! It helped me to feel better (Both physically and mentally) and saved me a small fortune. I really did feel a great sense of achievement for quitting smoking!

What some of you might not know is that after something like 15 months of being "Smoke Free" I started smoking again. I'm not going to try to "search" for any excuses for starting again as any that I came up with would be nothing more than lame excuses and would fool no-one! I will say have been beating myself up for starting again!

Anyhow, at long last I have decided to try quitting again! Really and honestly speaking I have no option! - I have a few various medical problems (Mainly to do with my heart and lungs which I do not want to discuss on an open forum). The general gist(sp) of the matter is that I now find myself in a position where I can not walk on most of my permissions (Which are to be fair quite hilly) for more than about 5 minutes without having to stop to take a 5 or more minute breather which is quite embarrassing when I have someone out with me! A recent test at the Asthma Clinic showed that my lung and breathing capacity are down by over 30% on what they were 12 months ago, and that really frightened me!

I know that smoking is steadily (And not so slowly) killing me "before my time"! I know that I am a total plonker (I was going to be more honest in this sentence but it would get sensored by the moderators) for starting again! I know it makes me, my car and my clothes smell! I know that it is a very "anti-social" habit and is unaceptable in many peoples eyes! I don't need anyone to tell me these things but if you feel like doing so then go ahead, it's no more than I deserve!

So, what am I doing about it? I had to go to the Asthma Clinic the other day and eventually asked/begged them to do something to help me to quit again. The outcome was that I have been put on a "One To One" Stop Smoking program using "Champix"!

I started on Tuesday with the lower dosage and have already managed to reduce my smoking by 50% - I'm pleased with that but I know that it is not enough, I have to try harder! I now have to name a "QUIT DAY" (The first day of the course that I will not smoke at all) which must fall within the first 14 days of starting the course of "Champix" so I am looking at Friday 27th January to be completely without a smoke (I can, if I want to, quit before that date, which I would dearly love to do)

I will follow up this post to let you know how I get on in days to come!

 

good luck mate i know how you feel! I've tried quitting a few times and the longest was for six months all though now i have cut right down to a few a day.

Hope it all goes well for you just think of the money you'll save and what new gun you could buy!

 

ATB

 

Tom

[Medic1281]

Well done Frenchieboy. It takes alot of will power to quit, and takes some balls to be so open about it all too. Wish you the best of luck.

ATB

Phil

[Radar_uk]

Good luck to you mate, I quit for 8 years and started again a couple of years ago and regret that more than I can say. Keep us informed on how you get on with Champix as I was considering that as my next option.

[AlistairB]

Go for it Frenchie, I've got friends who've had great results with Champix, so much so that it's on my list of things to do his year.

 

AB

[scotland rifles]

go for it mate.and the best of luck too.

 

i got up one morning 7 years ago, had a fag cup of tea and that was it,

 

the bit i found the hardest was after dinner i loved to have a fag, so i filled that gap with a no fat yogurt, it worked.

 

7 and bit years later.

 

im still off them, and i have all that fag money to spend on rifles and ammo.

 

bob.

[WGD]

Good luck mate, it's tough. I have been on and off for years but with me and my kids now getting a bit older, I am aware of my own mortality and wanting to be around for them as they grow up. I am also now aware that I will not be a retired millionaire by the time I am 30 (passed) or 40 (coming up) so I would like to be around to enjoy retirement and its a long way off.

 

In the past I have stopped for months at a time and like you have little in the way of excuses for starting again.

 

Three weeks ago today I had what I am determined will be my last cigarette.

 

Best of luck!

Edited January 19, 2012 by WGD

[semiautolee]

good luck pete iv tried and tried to stop, its very hard, as its a habit thats stuck up stairs and the craveings are terrible!! any one can stop if they have THE WILL POWER!! champix is also on my list of must do's aswell for this year! good luck and keep us posted

Edited January 19, 2012 by semiautolee

[Frenchieboy]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys, I appreciate it!

Maybe I ought to add that until I made the decision to quit (Again) my smoking had gone up to between 30 and 40 a day again! By this time in the morning I would normally have had at least half a dozen, so far I have had 2 - Mind you, the bowl of Imperial Mints on my desk has taken a bit of a hiding over the last couple of days, but if I put on a bit more weight I can work on that problem when have quit - It's a matter of prioritising and the quitting smoking takes priority over the excess weight issues!

[vulpicide]

I quit 17 years ago when I was smoking 80 a day patches for one week then finnished,with the heart problems I've now got I would have been dead if I had'nt chucked it. So best of luck keep letting us know how you get on cos we'll all help if we can

[Alpha Mule]

Keep at it mate!

I'm a quitter and have been for 3.5 years now. My daughter (3 at the time) got up one morning and pleaded with me to stop trying to kill myself.

 

I didn't stand a chance

[landrover]

it's the easiest thing in the world to do

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IT' KEEPING STOPPED THAT'S THE HARD BIT

Edited January 19, 2012 by landrover

[Dekers]

I gave up smoking just over 6 years ago and haven't touched one since, I have put on 3 stone in weight which I have yet to shift.

 

I had smoked all my life and given up several times before, the logest period was 13 months.

 

I still think about starting again!

 

Best of luck!

[krugerandsmith]

For many men, me included, one of the hardest things to do is to admit that you are A FAILURE! Unfortunately this is what I now have to do!

As many of you will know that several years ago I quit smoking, going from well over 40 a day to none, and I was over the moon with this achievement! It helped me to feel better (Both physically and mentally) and saved me a small fortune. I really did feel a great sense of achievement for quitting smoking!

What some of you might not know is that after something like 15 months of being "Smoke Free" I started smoking again. I'm not going to try to "search" for any excuses for starting again as any that I came up with would be nothing more than lame excuses and would fool no-one! I will say have been beating myself up for starting again!

Anyhow, at long last I have decided to try quitting again! Really and honestly speaking I have no option! - I have a few various medical problems (Mainly to do with my heart and lungs which I do not want to discuss on an open forum). The general gist(sp) of the matter is that I now find myself in a position where I can not walk on most of my permissions (Which are to be fair quite hilly) for more than about 5 minutes without having to stop to take a 5 or more minute breather which is quite embarrassing when I have someone out with me! A recent test at the Asthma Clinic showed that my lung and breathing capacity are down by over 30% on what they were 12 months ago, and that really frightened me!

I know that smoking is steadily (And not so slowly) killing me "before my time"! I know that I am a total plonker (I was going to be more honest in this sentence but it would get sensored by the moderators) for starting again! I know it makes me, my car and my clothes smell! I know that it is a very "anti-social" habit and is unaceptable in many peoples eyes! I don't need anyone to tell me these things but if you feel like doing so then go ahead, it's no more than I deserve!

So, what am I doing about it? I had to go to the Asthma Clinic the other day and eventually asked/begged them to do something to help me to quit again. The outcome was that I have been put on a "One To One" Stop Smoking program using "Champix"!

I started on Tuesday with the lower dosage and have already managed to reduce my smoking by 50% - I'm pleased with that but I know that it is not enough, I have to try harder! I now have to name a "QUIT DAY" (The first day of the course that I will not smoke at all) which must fall within the first 14 days of starting the course of "Champix" so I am looking at Friday 27th January to be completely without a smoke (I can, if I want to, quit before that date, which I would dearly love to do)

I will follow up this post to let you know how I get on in days to come!

 

Frenchieboy.

If you only smoke one cigarette a day ....You will never pack in ....you know what you have to do and ....YOU can do it! ...Don't bother with patches ....unless you can get them to stick on your mouth.

[yates]

You are not a failure, you have an addiction, it is exceptionally difficult to refrain from doing something that you have enjoyed and done for years. Your starting point must be that you really want to quit. You have already done it once so you have the strength to do it again. I like you used to smoke 40 plus cigarettes a day, i used to love smoking to the extent that i would not eat or drink if it got in the way of my cigarettes. I knew i should stop, ignored the warnings, and very selfishly ignored the concerns of my family. I tried the chamix, inhalators and nicorette patches over a two year period with no success. Even being diagnosed with a benign tumor in my throat did not stop me. I was lucky as i met someone who pointed out that my addiction my totally selfish. It was pointed out very bluntly how the effect of my death would affect my family. I have three kids, the youngest being ten. Was it fair to them to slowly kill myself. How would my absensce affect their lives. A harsh lesson but a no brainer really. My last cigarette was 16th September 2010, the first six months of quitting were easy but even now i still get the urge to have the odd drag. I can resist and feel totally relieved later that i did not give in. Like you my health deteriorated but improved since refraing, i now walk up hills without stopping to catch my breath, sex life has improved(won't explain further), the tumor hasn't grown and is stable. I can't believe how bad i must have smelled as the smokers i know stink awful. Frenchie i hope my experience helps you to quit, good luck- Tim. Remember, think of your family.ps I hope that you'll be making the video's for many more years to come.

[Lord Geordie]

Good luck chap! I sincerely hope you manage to boot it again. My old man had no option either. He was sat in a hospital waiting room when my mums mum was in hospital and the nurse passed on the message to him she had passed away. When Mum got to the Hospital He had to tell her! He did so then imediatley collapsed himself. He was rushed into ICU and Mum was a wreck We had to take her home. When Dad made it out of ICU he was put on a ward full of people whe had smoked and after seeing what state it had left them in He quit and NEVER touched a cigarette again. The chaps in the ward were a mix of people who couldn't even go to the toilet without oxygen, Non stop coughing with emphasima, You knew some would never get back out.

 

Mum smoked for a further 10+ years and was rushed to hospital after an episode of breathing difficulty. She quit and now has chronic emphasima. COPD and it's painful to watch her dying as it's now at the stage she gasps for small bits if air and struggles to walk even a few yards on a bad day.

 

It's not something I understand the need for a cigarette as I never smoked and out of ALL my family "brothers sisters uncles aunts etc I am the only one who does not smoke"

 

I really hope you manage to Quit and get to a point where you cab run up your permission hills not just walk

[danddo]

Good on you for being so honest. You said you had been put on Champix, PLEASE go on the internet and look at the side effect of Champix or speak to your Dr about the side effects. I have a good reason for saying this, a very close friend of mine was on this and with out going into to much detail was and still is badly affected in his daily life. Good Luck FB

[Piebob]

Good luck!

 

On of the guys in my office uses one of the electronic cigarette things for his nicotine fix. He has a little bottle of liquid that he tops up every so often and I see him having the odd drag on the device. Maybe an option? You still get the fix, but none of the smoke, tar, whatever.

[paddywack12]

After smoking 30/40 fags a day for over 30 years I stopped 18 months ago.

 

I read the book "The Easy way to stop smoking" by Allan Carr. Brilliant book and I stopped just like that.

 

I really can not recommend this book enough to anyone who wants to quit smoking, no need for patches,champix,gum or willpower it really is Easy.

 

Good luck Frenchie in whatever method you choose.It sounds like you want to stop and you know deep down you must stop so get a copy of this book it will make it a piece of cake. Costs about a tenner from Amazon.

 

Feel free to PM me if you need any encouragement

[Fisherman Mike]

Good Luck….Although in my experience the only way to effectively quit is to go cold turkey and totally eliminate the brains dependency on Nicotine.

My brother was a very heavy smoker (40 plus a day for over 15 years ) until 5 years ago when he went to the Doctor aged 50. His Doctor is brutally blunt, bit like Doc Holliday in the TV series..

He said “either Give up now, completely or I guarantee the next time I see you will be at your funeral. He diagnosed him with COPD and said “if he continued to smoke and lived long enough he would definitely contract Lung Cancer and/ or have heart failure”

The DOC didn’t offer any NHS aid at the time as he didn’t think it worked…It was the shock of reality that he needed and he screwed up a packet of cigarettes in front of me and has never had one since.

[M.I.A]

Good luck Pete, I tryed to quit a few months ago but its just so damm hard.

 

I have gone from 20 a day to less than 10 so im happy with that, just need to find that extra bit of will power to just stop all together

 

All the very best

[deny essex]

Good luck with that , I,m on my 3rd time of quitting, been off them for 7 months now and past the wanting after food and 1st thing in the morning stage.

Also not been warned lately for closely following someone smokeing down the road and sniffing their smoke

Now ive finished with work I make the money side also a very important issue for not smokeing, supriseing how quickly it adds up even with roll your own.

Only down side is I can now taste the wifes cooking

[M.I.A]

Only down side is I can now taste the wifes cooking

 

 

hahaha

[Aled]

Good Luck Frenchieboy, you were a shining example to us in the past, be so again.

Cheers

Aled

[JR1960]

I gave up a few times but finally gave up 16 years ago. Never even think about it any more and the smell of smoke is quite disgusting now and trust me i iused to love a fag! If I can do it mate, so can you. Good luck to you.