smoking

[vernon]

Hi all, Has anyone got any tips on stopping smoking? I have health anxiety and sure smoking cant help? I have developed a cough and breathlessness past few months and even though anxiety causes breathlessness a lot, surly smoking can’t help. I tried about 3 years ago to quit got to week 4 and started smoking again, I used patches for about 3 days but think these made me feel worst so stopped or the 4 weeks without patches. My doctor has said a few times cut down first then go on lover dose patches, but lately I seem to smoke more and really find it hard to think about quitting. I gave up drinking 2 years ago after drinking heavy and daily for 40 years, but cant imagine not smoking. At one time you couldn’t use patches of gum etc and still smoke, but read a web page and seen an add on TV that you can now cut down smoking and use gum at the same time to make it easier stop after a few weeks of cutting down with gum. Has anyone tried this? Or has anyone any good tips please. Thanks, Vernon

[meatybuddy]

hi there

what i would suggest is a course called new leaf they were very good help when i was quitting smoking, they give advice aswell as support to give up and they also can give you the help through patches gum or the puffer stick but i think they do more different 1's now .

the main advice i could say is DONT GIVE UP GIVING UP

best wishes on quiting smoking i know how hard it is ive been through it

all the best

darren

There is light at the end of the tunnel its just fiding it thats the hard part

[Meg]

HELP TO STOP SMOKING
Teaching
Giving up smoking!
Smoking increasing my Anxiety


Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[seh1980]

hi Vern,

Why not try one of those hypnosis courses, where they hypnotise you and tell your subconscious that you never want to smoke again? One of Ed's mates did it and even the thought of smoking a cigarette made him want to be sick..

Sarah

"If life were simple, word would have got around"

[Daniel]

Hi Vernon,

When I packed in the demon weed I first tried cold turkey which failed. I then tried the nicoteen patches which worked for me. While I was using the patches I was able to break the actual habit (smoking after meals and when I first woke up) and after a month I switched to smaller patches and dealt with the addiction. A few of my friends tried drinking water when they felt the cravings and it worked for them.
The one thing I would watch if/when you do try to quit is weight gain. I found that once I stopped the actual flavours of food were more intense, meals were 'tastier' (maybe it's just me). I put on a little bit of weight which I worked off later.
I used to save up the money I wasn't spending on cigarettes and every fortnight I used to treat myself to something and it also gave me a very graphic illustration of how much money I was literally burning on my habit. I've tried and failed several times but hopefully this time I wont fall back into my old ways and I can't believe how much better I feel.

Good luck if you do try to give up.

'After the rain comes the sun'

[vernon]

thanks all

[jill]

Hi Vernon

It is sooooo hard trying to give up the fags. This time last week I had my last fag [:P] 6 days without a fag [:P][:P]

Sorry I can't give much advice, I have just gone cold turky. I have put myself on Kalms, which seem to be helping.

I have to keep myself busy, I am always chewing gum, I think I've had about 20 packs in 6 days.
I have to Stay away from where I smoke the most fags, this is a big problem for me because the main 2 things are the phon, oh love to chat LOL and the PC [:O] I smoked over 20 fags a day :(

When I first tryed I told myself, just for today. I would not have a fag, just for today.
I have been smoking since I was 13 and I am now 41 years young LOL

I have tryed lots of times Vernon, the longest I've lasted is for about 6 years, in that time the only time I had a fag was when I went out for a drink, which was not that often.
People used to be amazed how I just had a fag when I went out for a drink, then stop. Not have anymore untill next time I went out.

What I found hard in the past was the what if's, the what if I have a fag. You know what I mean. I would beat myself up with my thoughts and I had not even had a fag.
At the moment I'm telling myself that I CAN have a fag if I want to.
I know this may sound strange Vernon, but I'm also telling myself that I don't want one.
Now that sounds silly [:P] I am playing mind games with myself. you know what I mean?

When you have done something for soooooo long, the habit is hard to braek.
As I've said at the moment I'm not using anything, but if it gets to hard I have got some inhalators. I use these on the phon or PC, times when you need to be doing something with your hands and need some nicotine.
You say you can't imagine not smoking, well start to think about it, how much money you will save, how healther you will feel.
Try the chewing gum, try anything, someting WILL work in the end Vern.
Its a shame you can't bye will power in a bottle LOL I could do with some of that.

Just want to say GOOD LUCK VERN keep tying, take one day at a time.

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILLXXX

[Mable]

Hi Vernon,
I suffer from health anxiety. I am a 40 year old female, and started smoking at the age of 12. I gave up when I was 27 as I wanted to get pregnant. I started again after the birth (at 30), gave up again for the second, then started again. I finally gave up at the age of 38, nearly 2 years ago and I can't tell you how totally worth the effort it was.
Giving up for pregnancy was easy as I was so anti-smoking and did not want to harm my babies. I started again because smoking is a devil, and will nag you and nag you, even though I had no physical addiction, I gave in. At this time most of my friends smoked - that was also a big reason.
My health anxiety has got worse over the years, and increasingly I have been worried about lung cancer (and all other cancers). I was getting chest pains (and thought I might have lung cancer). My GP sent me for a chest x-ray. This came back and said there was a slight shadow one side. Although the doctor reassured me it was nothing, I was convinced this was it. I panicked, couldn't sleep etc. I had a repeat x-ray 4 weeks later, which proved it was nothing, just overlying tissue which you sometimes get on a 2-d image.
It was this experience that made me pack it in. I have smoked maybe 10 cigs in the last 2 years, but the last one must be nearly a year ago now. I was (and still am) so frightened of dying of lung cancer that I can honestly say I don't ever want another cigarette. I can't believe I smoked for so long. I don't miss it. I have a slight cough now, and can't help thinking again, have I got lung cancer? I read the other day of a 49 year old woman who smoked from age 12 to age 28, and is dying of the worst type of lung cancer. This really scares me.
So my advice would be - go to the NHS Smokestop group, this was a good start for me. Ditch your friends that smoke, or at least avoid them for 12 months. Focus on the fact that the minute you give up, you reduce your risk of dying from serious smoking-related diseases.
It took me soooo long to give up, and really it wasn't that hard at the end of the day. Really think about what is important to you in life. For me I did not want to cut short the time I have to enjoy my children, and to be here for them. To enjoy all that is beautiful in this world, the countryside, animals, the sky, nature, people etc..... Is smoking really better than all that? I don't think so!!
Good luck - YOU CAN DO IT SO DO IT!

Mable

[vernon]

Hi mable welcome to the site and thank you for the advise. Take care. Vernon

[mumof4]

hi ver

i hope ur well.


i gave up smoking a few years bk and i woke up one day and just stopped felt like crap for a week but it did get better untill i went out and started bk up again but i did stay of for 10 weeks.