h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I gave it up over three ago now and i honestly believe that i will never smoke or touch another ciggarette again in my life.I gave it all up smoking,drinking,party food and i can tell you that smoking is by far the hardest thing of all.I gave up smoking twice before in my life,once for 9 months and once for 15,but i started again so it wasn't really giving it up was it?.
FOR ME GIVING UP SMOKING WAS A PROCESS.
1)Understand that you are addicted,you are a ciggarette junkie,it's no use being soft on yourself because you are the only one you are fooling,understand this and start to dislike the fact that you are so weak.
2)Decide then and there that you are the master of your own destiny and you are not going to be ruled by this ridiculous little white thing.
3)Start off by smelling your own breath,breathe into your hand and guide it up your nostril,do this often especially in the morning.Try smelling your clothes and car.get close to people who don't smoke and chat into their face and watch closely for there reaction,even if they love you dearly it will be there.
4)listen to that cough that you do occaisionally,try running up some stairs.Now ask yourself how much you like life and if you want to maintain a good quality as you grow old.
5)Get the idea?...you have to learn to hate the fact that this disgusting little habit has you by the goolies or whatever.
6)From here,i personally spent quite a few months preparing myself mentally for task ahead.By now there was absolutely no question in my mind that i Was going to succeed,i was psyched,it was just a question of choosing the right day.I chose an anniversary in november,i wanted to remember the exact day that i did it and i also wanted to be well on my way to achieving my new years resolution well before new years eve...they fail too often.
7)I went on holiday for the first 5 days,i wanted to get away from any stress and the everyday grind.
8)during those five days i realised that there are two things to deal with,one is the physical withdrawing of nicotine and the other is the habit of lighting up and doing something with your hands.In an effort to take one at a time i bought some patches,seven days worth which i stretched out to fourteen days.This definately helped with the craving while i dealt with the habit.This involves a lot of talking to yourself,congratulating yourself and counting each day proudly that i was a nonsmoker.Every morning for the first few months i literally used to sing out loudly to myself as i drove along I'm a non smoker i'm a non smoker to the tune of i'm a lumberjack.I did buy a second batch of patches for standby but i am proud to say that i didn't need them.I also used to look at other people smoking and tell myself how happy i was that i wasn't one of them any more.
9)Also for the first two months i avoided smokers as much as i possibly could,pubs and clubs were absolutely out,in fact for a while i became quite unsociable.I had to remain focused.
10)As time goes by it gets easier and easier.Be warned though,for a few months afterwards you will find yourself coughing a bit as all the crap inside your lungs starts breaking up,you may break out in spots,i did.However i just used these things to reinforce my convictions.
11)keep yourself busy,read,cook,exercise whatever turns you on.
12)Lastly,as time goes on,start speaking in those same peoples faces again,you will be delighted to see a distinct lack of reaction.Run up those stairs again and see how much more breath you have.From here you can just start enjoying the fact that you are a nonsmoker.
PS..put the cost of a packet of ciggarettes into a jar every day or according to the amount that you smoke ,you will be pleasantly astounded at how much there is at the end of the year.Personally i spent it all on a holiday.
I hope you find something here that helps smokers,i wish you all well in your efforts to give it up.remember one thing,these bodies of ours are amazing things,they will recover....its never too late.As the man said...concieve it,believe it,dream it,achieve it.Good luck.

I'd agree whole-heartedly with points nine and eleven. You need to change your lifestyle - you're never going to give up if you carry on going down the pub with smoking friends. You need to find something else to do for a while until you feel confident that you can get back into your old habits without them having to include smoking.

I gave up after eight years of smoking within a month of moving into a house with a bunch of non-smokers, and started again almost immediately a year later when I moved into a house with smokers. Now I've stopped again, but it was shocking how easy it was to slip back into, even after a year.

Absolutely,as far as i am concerned it is the hardest habit of all to stop.I think that the fact that it is legal lulls people into thinking that it is ok,which compounds the addiction.Glad to hear that you've managed to stop again Jasegroom,here's hoping it doesn't get you again.

I gave up on Tuesday.
Sadly I coughed up an enormous blob of phlegm in the middle of an important business meeting today.
Managed to stumble out with mouth closed - my colleagues asking "what's the matter" which was so frustrating as I couldn't open my mouth at the time.
Apart from that its been fine.

ROTFLMFAO

I know the feeling old boy...i know it well.
I hope you take it as another good reason for giving it up rather than saying ---k this and starting again.
Still laughing...
Be strong
regards
Noname

Thanks for your support
To be fair though I have discovered the easiest way of giving up is to use your dark side (at the risk of sounding like Darth Vader)
In other words give up out of spite.
Simply find a smoker you dislike intensely and then piss them off by giving up and telling them how easy it is and how much better you feel for it.
It works for me, one week on & I really don't fancy one at all!

ROTFLMAO...

Excellant idea..i wish i had thought of that ,it could of made it all so much easier.There is no way you dare fail either...imagine the grief you will be catching...lol
Later Lord