Smoking? What to do?

Question

I have smoked for the past 15 years (no I know its not clever or cool) BUT am now well and truly addicted.

I do not smoke in the house, in the car or around my children.

My husband wants me to give up but I would rather wait 3 weeks and then give up as at the moment I am looking for a new job, running the office on my own (boss on holiday) moving house this friday, about to say goodbye to husband who is due to go back to iraq tuesday next week and my eldest is starting school in two weeks.

I would like to get all of the above out the way before attempting to kick the evil habit - am I being unreasonable?
And any tips for quitting would be great!

Answer 1

No you're right not to give up smoking just yet (although the sooner the better) but don't try and do it with all the additional stress you are currently under. If you try and then fail - you will feel even worse. As you say wait until the pressure eases.

I gave up 13 years ago - I had no choice I was anchored to a hospital bed with a drip on one arm and an oxygen cylinder connected to a mask on the other side. (oh and I had over 60 cigarettes in my pocket when I was brought into the hospital - I just couldn't reach them!!!).

The doctors brought round a supply of nicotine patches - they worked for me.

If you want a sympathetic ear and councellor - I'm here. ([e-mail])

Answer 2

After fifteen years, three more weeks probably won't matter. What is important is to set a date and then STICK TO IT no matter what else happens that day. There will never be a day completely without stress, but there is no point in setting yourself up for failure by trying to stop at a time you know is going to be especially stress-laden. Good luck! Think about how much better life is going to be when you're free of the addiction! I agree with those who suggest consulting with a doctor, but if you have to wait as long as most of us in HMOs to get an appointment, go ahead on your own.

Answer 3

I smoked for 10 years and I am now smoke free for 3 years. First step to quit smoking is to really want to quit smoking. It seems like your giving excuses. Who cares about running the office or moving, those are just excuses. IF YOU WANT TO QUIT. THEN PICK A QUIT DAY AND STICK TO IT.

Second, choose a method that will help you, patch, gum, pill, or thearpy.

Third, ask your family and friends for support.

I am from NJ and I went to a doctor for help. I have included the website so you can find someone in your area that can offer you the same help. Aslo try the American Cancer Society. They have tons of information and can find support groups in your state.

GOOD LUCK & YOU CAN DO THIS.

Answer 4

I have been a non smoker now for about 9 years. The first time i tried to quit was like you because my husband wanted me to give up. I felt under pressure and not ready so only lasted 5 months.. Give yourself time and when you feel ready you will suceed.

The best thing for you to do would be to set yourself a date to quit and stick to it.

Then just take each day as it comes.

You need to keep your self busy when you would normally have a ciggi. I used to love a cig after a meal so i'd busy myself straight away with the washing up.

I can assure you it really does get easier..

Good Luck ,but i'm sure you won't need it. x

Answer 5

Try using Easyway method.

Nicotine is highly addictive, however the drug itself does not have the effects that other drugs have, when smokers stop smoking the cravings are not serious enough to cause physical withdrawal as other drugs can, smokers can go all night without being woken up with a craving for a cigarette. The addiction from cigarettes comes primarily from the mental addiction, we live in an anti-smoking culture now more than ever where smokers are taught that their addiction is very serious and that quitting is something hard to do that requires will power, quitting aids, depriving yourself for the rest of your life of cigarettes and being miserable quitting.

We live in an anti-smoking society, you will see a plethora of advertisements for nicotine replacement therapy as a result, and this is not successful for curing nicotine addiction because it deals with the mild physical addiction rather than large mental addiction. All these advertisements really do is remind people – smokers are idiots – this is nothing new to smokers, they know they were stupid for smoking and believe they are stupid for continuing to smoke – you are not, you are smart, bypass that attitude and know you are trapped in an addiction and why you are trapped. This social attitude does not help smokers at all, it does however give non-smokers more ammunition to try to pressure smokers into quitting, rather than help smokers quit on reasonable terms where they have better success – it is a combination of government rolling in cigarette taxation and ignorance about the problem of nicotine addiction.

I have went off on a half rant here, the main point is that the anti-smoking rather than pro-quitting culture makes smokers seem stupid, it makes smokers believe they have to suffer not just for smoking but also in quitting smoking by using either nicotine replacement therapy or willpower, neither of which deal with the real problem of smoking.

Easyway addresses these issues, it deals specifically with the mental addiction that is at the core of smoking addiction – because of this it makes quitting smoking easy, thus the name, the reason being is that it reverses the anti-smoking attitude enforced by society, and points out that in fact quitting smoking is a good thing to be happy about rather than it being something where you have to be miserable and deny yourself for the rest of your life.

Easyway boasts a 90%+ success rate at it's clinics, it offers a money-back guarantee and I will tell you now that this is the only method I have ever seen where people who have quit have actually stayed non-smokers and actually felt happy about quitting because it was so easy and they were made aware of the benefits without a niggling little nicotine monster or other people trying to argue otherwise. Even by some freak chance Easyway does not help you quit smoking and remain a non-smoker it will still arm you with some very valuable information about your addiction and how society views the addiction that will help you in the future – nicotine is half the addiction, the mental is the other half most people ignore when quitting.

There are many books by the founder of Easyway, Allen Carr, a man who went from 100 cigarettes a day to none happily without ever being tempted to smoke again – yes, many people say 'smug git' and dismiss him without giving him a try, please don’t be one of those people. The book will cost you around £4 from Amazon, which is less than a packet of cigarettes – the book gives you money off clinic treatment if you still need it and the clinics give a money back guarantee if they fail to cure you of your addiction. I think it is a good deal. As a side note as well, Allen Carr also encourages you to continue smoking while reading the book, it's not until about half way through you stop smoking because simply you don't want to smoke any more.

The book can be found here : http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141026898/202-2911417-2461432?v=glance&n=266239&s=gateway&v=glance

The web site for Easyway can be found here : http://www.allencarrseasyway.com

A quick review:

Easyway is EASY.
Easyway is enjoyable and pleasurable.
Easyway lets you carry on smoking through treatment.
Easyway keeps you as a non-smoker for life.
Easyway book will cost you less than a pack of cigarettes.
Easyway book offers you money off clinic treatment.
Easyway clinics offer a money back guarantee.
Easyway doesn't make you deny yourself anything.
Easyway has no side-effects or weight gain.
Easyway doesn't patronise or makes you suffer.

Answer 6

well i guess if you aren't just putting it off because you don't want to and using all of these things for excuses then it would be alright to wait 3 weeks.. but seeing as how quitting smoking isnt something thats time consuming [i wouldn't think] i really would reccomend going ahead and getting a start on it... it may even be better to try to stop during this busy time in your life because all of these events may help keep your mind off of smoking a cigarette. if you do it when nothing is going on you are most likely going to be thinking about it all the time!... good luck!! =)

Answer 7

i have tried and tried, kept saying just gotta get over this or once such and such has settled down.. Now i have been told, they cannot treat my chest infections any more as anti-bio-tics wont work, i had pleurisy last winter and if i don't stop before another winter, it will be the beginning of the end, if it isn't already.. so i have set a date, done the cycle of change theory and all set for sheer hell for weeks, but hope for longer life, better teeth and more money..

Answer 8

I had my first cigarette of the day later each day until I thought I could cope without any... this way means you can cut down over the next three weeks and start your new job as a "none smoker"

Answer 9

I think it's fair to say that you should deal with all the other stresses going on at the moment before you give up. It will just make everything harder.

When you're ready, see your doctor. I'm not convinved about the support groups available but they will be able to give you patches on prescription, thus making it cheaper for you.

Answer 10

Quit