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1 Post
Thu, 21st July 2011, 6:44pm
G'day,
Jim here, I've been a smoker for 30 of my 44 years and I want to stop. I've tried the patches, gum, lozenge and mintabs and these don't even slow me down.
I've used the Champix tablets and have success in stopping but after 6 months or so I find I can't resist the urge to smoke again.
If anyone has any helpful advice i'd be very grateful
Stay Strong
Jim
Order replies newest to oldest 
4 Posts
Thu, 21st July 2011, 10:15pm
Hey Jim
My daughter went to a 1 day seminar. She went cold turkey. Worth a try. Smoke busters or something.
Good Luck
1 Post
Fri, 22nd July 2011, 1:43pm
I broke my smoking addiction over 10 yrs back using a book titled the easy way to stop smoking, worked for me with no problems after 14 yrs smoking and trying all other avenues!
128 Posts
Sun, 24th July 2011, 2:53pm
Hi Jim,
I smoked for 26 years quite heavily. There were several factors in accepting the inevitable. My teeth were starting to fall out, I couldn't breath were fairly minor but the price and the fact you could no longer sit in the public bar and smoke were major concerns. The patches and gum etc didn't agree with me at all. I cut down at much as possible to about 10 or so a day. The missus went away for a few days so that was my chance - I knew I was going to go crazey so I needed to do that alone. Cold turkey is the only way to do it. I got rid of all smokes, ash trays butts etc and got up and went for a really long walk. That sort of got me into the head space that this was something I wanted to do. I had to concentrate 100% on not smoking. Find a non smoking activity to keep you busy. Mine was doing a really hard jigsaw. Something that you can really obsess over. I also got out several hours of video to watch, I think I watched all of Star Wars from memory. Day one in the doozey, (if they could bottle that it would be illegal). concentrate - whenever the urge happens get busy, or go for a walk, have a wank (I must of had about ten wanks on day one) get out of the space. But make sure you enjoy it because theoretically you'll never do it again. Over the next two days keep it up. Don't bother with work and don't drink on day one or two at all. I tried wine on day three and that went down ok but I didn't have a beer until day four. Just do it on your own - stay away from people (especially smokers). If you get on the hose - DON'T mix with tobacco. With each day it gets easier. I'm a year and a half off the durries now. Yeah sure every now and then I want one really bad but you get over it - think of all the money you've saved - smokes have gone up $5.00 a packet since I gave up. A mate of mine bought a car with the money he saved!
Anyway - COLD TURKEY - GIVE IT A GO!
Best of luck with it.
Al
Illegitimis Non Carborundum
3 Posts
Sun, 24th July 2011, 10:07pm
http://www.mobilesmokebusters.com.au/
Hi guys this is the website for smokebusters
6 Posts
Sun, 11th September 2011, 12:35pm
Better late than never eh? I smoked since I was 15 and at age 51, I went to the doctor for some reason and while I was there he brought out this chart and asked me a couple of questions. Did I smoke, yes - 20 a day, did I drink - yes moderately (3-4 glasses a day), was my blood pressure up, yes - moderately 140/90, was my cholesterol high - yes - moderately at about 6 and was I overweight - yes verging on obese going by BMI. So he started looking at the chart and come up with an answer that he showed me. The chart basically said I would be dead in about three years time. I was absolutely gob smacked to say the least. He said if I gave up smoking it would dramatically reduce my chances of dying by about 70%. Reducing weight, BP and cholerstorel would reduce it to about 15%. I thanked him and walked out of the office and never smoked another cigarette again. The next week I was in Phuket and smokes were about a dollar a pack and everyone was smoking. I never even considering having one. I was so frightened by this graph and the fact that I would be leaving my wife behind that I found it a very powerful aid towards quitting. I had tried quitting before with drugs, patches, etc but none worked. That graph certainly did. My advice, go to see a doctor and ask for help.
As an addendum, a year later I went to the doctor with a niggling cough, blocked ear and a lump in my neck. I had tonsil cancer (relatively rare) and a large tumour in my neck. I had a radical neck disection and now have severe nerve damage that affects my right sholder. I can't work anymore and the pain is so bad I take legal narcotics to get me through the day. I have some form of depression and often think about ending the pain but I like my wife too much. I am now doing a double degree in Law and Commerce to keep my brain active. But some days..
Stephen
2 Posts
Sun, 11th September 2011, 1:30pm
I used champix to stop smoking and if someone is smoking i just walk away. I dont want to smoke again as i feel so much better for not smoking. I wish you all the best
1,463 Posts
Sun, 11th September 2011, 3:40pm
Hi all,
I have been told that tobacco is one of the strongest addictive drugs for man (humans) to keep all the women happy.
I have never been a smoker although, I wouldn't say no to a good cigar at night, looking over the water, drinking a red, with a partner (she) who shares (first time smoker) the cigar.
I have two sons, neither smoke. However, the oldest, who suffers from sinus problems, has married twice...both heavy smokers. Figure that out.
I regularly visit an old friend (male) who has always been a heavy smoker. He is married to a woman who also is a heavy smoker. The wife has a daughter who lives there most times and she is a very heavy smoker, currently with a very bad case of lung infection which won't clear up (surprise, surprise). On some of my visits, there are 8 people round the table who smoke. I have to just get up and leave as its their right to smoke.
I suppose that if you firstly feel the need to smoke, then giving them up will always usually be difficult.
I can remember years ago, where I had to visit a doctor about an injury I sustained at work. The GP's door was open and he had a patient who he was lecturing about the need to give up smoking. The good old doc was puffing away while he was lecturing.
We all have our rights to smoke.
I really do take my hat off to those who give them up full time.
Robert
wines65ofMargate(Ex Silentio)
490 Posts
Mon, 12th September 2011, 1:28pm
My late wife smoked moderately for many years, and tried all the methods to stop; chewing gum, patches, hypnotherapy. cold turkey, etc. Nothing worked
Then one of the radio stations ran a prgram called 'Cool Turkey' The idea was to set a date to stop, and slowly reduce smoking until that date. Then you stopped. You didn't throw all your cigarretes away, but you stashed a packet in some remote location, so that it took a lot of time and inconvenience to get at them. For her it was in a top cupboard so she needed a step ladder (she was scared of heights), then she had to climb up and down, moving boxes out of the way to get to them. If she managed that, she then had to go right down the bottom of the garden, whatever the weather, to smoke.
Once you reach the stop day, you find an alternative to distract you. One method was to eat a carrot, cut into tiny strips. You don't prepare the carrot beforehand; when you get the urge, you then get a carrot, peel it, and cut it. This gives you something to do with your hands, and provides a distraction
One of the radio announcers was also going through the process, and people could phone a talkback line, and give their experiences of methods the used, and the various symptoms of withdrawal, peole whe felt they were loosing their resistance could also ring, and the announcer or another listener would offer words of encouragement. My wife never smoked again.
I realise that this program is not now available, and you may think it's a wasted post, but some of the techniques may still help.
35 Posts
Sun, 25th September 2011, 4:03pm
nedkelly0567 writes
--------------------------------------G'day,
Jim here, I've been a smoker for 30 of my 44 years and I want to stop. I've tried the patches, gum, lozenge and mintabs and these don't even slow me down.
I've used the Champix tablets and have success in stopping but after 6 months or so I find I can't resist the urge to smoke again.
If anyone has any helpful advice i'd be very grateful
Stay Strong
Jim
Hi Jim,
Try this . . Smokenders 1800 021 000 http://www.smokenders.com.au/
It is true that nicotine is more addictive than heroin. But your body will clear it from your system in 3 or 4 days if you go cold turkey. After that you are dealing with what's going on in your head . . the habituation. That's the hard part. Smokenders weans you off nicotine over a 5-week period and at the same time teaches you how to get rid of the habit. I was super skeptical when I started the program. But it worked for me after 50 years of smoking. The "freedom" they promise is freedom from even thinking about smoking.
1 Post
Tue, 4th October 2011, 8:46pm
Hi. I've just discovered this forum and for what it's worth here is my tale. I'm 72, single and live alone and smoked for 55 years. In July this year I 'decided' that my cough was getting worse, I was feeling really low (not depressed ??) so went to my doctor- who incidentally had just about given up on my smoking. I suggested to him that maybe a psychologist may be able to explain my inability to quit. Three visits and I quit. Nothing dramatic, no pressure, just someone to listen to me and my smoking problem. I must admit that I have been using 1.5mg lozenges since as I decided that instead of a cigarette I would have a lozenge as soon as I felt like a smoke. From about 20 lozenges a day I am now down to 4 or 5 and that's when I remember to take one. I am amazed at the lack of withdrawl symptoms and incidentally, I'm not too impressed with the propoganda put out by 'everybody' re food tasting good, better smelling, look better etc, etc. I digress. I can only recommend a visit to a psychologist for a serious talk, use the lozenges until you really can go without them (forget all the dosage rubbish etc) and once you are comfortable with your non-smoking say to yourself every morning "NOT EVEN ONE". It works for me. Thank you and good luck. John
1,463 Posts
Wed, 5th October 2011, 9:19am
John O'Brien writes
--------------------------------------Hi. I've just discovered this forum and for what it's worth here is my tale. I'm 72, single and live alone and smoked for 55 years. In July this year I 'decided' that my cough was getting worse, I was feeling really low (not depressed ??) so went to my doctor- who incidentally had just about given up on my smoking. I suggested to him that maybe a psychologist may be able to explain my inability to quit. Three visits and I quit. Nothing dramatic, no pressure, just someone to listen to me and my smoking problem. I must admit that I have been using 1.5mg lozenges since as I decided that instead of a cigarette I would have a lozenge as soon as I felt like a smoke. From about 20 lozenges a day I am now down to 4 or 5 and that's when I remember to take one. I am amazed at the lack of withdrawl symptoms and incidentally, I'm not too impressed with the propoganda put out by 'everybody' re food tasting good, better smelling, look better etc, etc. I digress. I can only recommend a visit to a psychologist for a serious talk, use the lozenges until you really can go without them (forget all the dosage rubbish etc) and once you are comfortable with your non-smoking say to yourself every morning "NOT EVEN ONE". It works for me. Thank you and good luck. John
Good morning John and welcome to the Shed,
Thanks for your "feel good" successful story and I congratulate you for giving up the smokes.
I suppose that you will now have a few extra dollars in your pocket although I understand that wasn't the motivation.
How is the cough these days?
All the best John,
Robert
wines65ofMargate(Ex Silentio)
3 Posts
Mon, 14th November 2011, 1:32am
I to have been a smoker for most of my life & have tried everything to give up without success until i found something different, E-Cig now im whats called a Vape head this device can be used to eventually give up or you can just use it instead of Smoking Cigs no ashtrays no butts just Nicotine & flavours but without the loads of chemicals no 2nd hand smoke so you can vape indoors. you have to import the nicotine tho as not available in Australia?
1 Post
Tue, 27th December 2011, 11:26pm
First you have to accept - "Once a Smoker, always a Smoker" (same for all the vices).
I decided to not smoke at all, until I was too old - too old to worry about getting cancer, too old to care about frightening women away with foul breath, etc. That was 35 years ago. Now I am too old, but it is too expensive and I'm too old to have an oral fixation.
1,463 Posts
Wed, 28th December 2011, 8:09am
eftpos4u writes
--------------------------------------First you have to accept - "Once a Smoker, always a Smoker" (same for all the vices).
I decided to not smoke at all, until I was too old - too old to worry about getting cancer, too old to care about frightening women away with foul breath, etc. That was 35 years ago. Now I am too old, but it is too expensive and I'm too old to have an oral fixation.
Hi Eftpos,
Boy, you do seem to have a bit of a problem getting "too old". What age do you have to be to give up sex?
Bob
wines65ofMargate(Ex Silentio)
44 Posts
Fri, 30th December 2011, 3:08pm - updated - Fri, 30th December 2011, 3:23pm
Gave up 27 years ago. It is a gem in my self-worth cabinet. When I stuff up, I can say to myself: "At least I gave up smoking!" and I actually feel a joy in my core. After all these years!
I'm not even sure I gave up. It felt like I took an opportunity that 'came up':
Let's see...for say the final two years, I kept feeling stupid smoking, but could not use will power To Stop as that never works for me; it only multiplies the desire into a compulsion.
I did manage to get it down to 1-2 cigs a day, but never none.
Like a blind man looking for a hole in a wall, I stayed with the intention, frustrated that I always had to smoke 1 cig a day. (But, let's face it, down from 15/day, that is in fact a significant health benefit right there. Never, never give away the dream of not smoking. Failure or lapsing can feel bad but in the next two minutes you can be back on the bike, once again on the trail toward the dream.)
After a bad chest infection, a point of low desire came up mentally, like a portal: "I could take it or leave it, right here, right now.." .
I recognised that if I went through with it, that I would cross a line and the DESIRE to be smoking would be gone.
I would say it was like crossing a border where your Old Friend cannot go. You realise your Smoking is like a Friend that has been with you through thick and thin. Can you let go of him? Forever?
This I think is a reason why some people do not respond to programs and replacements that seem to work for others. They do not at heart want them to work, as they sense they would have to let go of something dear to them.
Ask yourself the Question: "What if it worked?"
"If, right now, I was offered the genie-wish to be like a person who had no desire to smoke, would I take it with both hands?"
If you get something other than "Hellyeah!!", any 'yes-but-I...' 'It's not that simple' or other squirming, you may know something about why things that work for others do not work for you. You may not want them to work.
38 Posts
Sat, 7th January 2012, 12:28pm
I gave up 16 years back this Australia day coming.
My advice is simple.
- Don't ever give up giving up, you will eventually break its hold.
- Don't rely on any outside influences to help you stop, it all comes from you.
- When you attempt to give up, take mental notes and recognise the pattern that makes you start it up again. Because everyone has some level of success, they just fail to capitlise on it.
- Realise that you belong in the fight, fighting addiction or anything nasty for that matter is not a foriegn thing to humans. We strive, we fail, we try again, always.
- Think of you 10 years from now still smoking. Let the 44 year old Jim give the 54 year old Jim a gift. That'll be you 10 years from now thanking your younger self for giving up.
14 Posts
Sat, 7th January 2012, 9:54pm
Jeremy76 Like you mate I smoked for 40 odd years and failed many times to give it up.I now have not had a smoke for some 20 years.If you are like most blokes when you started smoking you did it gradualy until you are now at your present rate.
What I found was that I had a chance to succeed if I quit the same way that I started,gradualy, until I weened my self off them
I used to have my first fag at about 6am after I got out of bed and my last oneat about 10 pm.I would go through about a packet a day and some time more if the day was stressful.So what I did for a start was not have my first until about a half hour later than usual.Then I would have my last a bit earlier.This took some time to get used to and then I found that I was often smoking about two less a day.This took quite a few months to start getting the numbers down but it started to work where I would only smoke about 15 a day as the body got used to less nicotine.
It is the same now if your body only needs perhaps forty a day and you tried to push 60 into your system you would probably be quite ill.
I started smoking when I joined the army,in fact it was almost compolsory,I was even issued with tobbacco and papers.I ended up in a managerial position with a staff of 32 blokes and kidded my self that I could not give it up.But every day that Icut it back I would take the equivilent money and put it in a jam tin.If I fell over and exceeded my limit I would take the equivilent out.It was quite some time where I could say that I was only smoking three a day so I did the "cruet"and chucked the lot away.
Keep trying mate as you know you can beat the bastards. Signed Sergeant
Sergeant
7 Posts
Sat, 14th January 2012, 2:50pm
I tried all Champix,lozengers ect.Some worked for a few weeks,some a few months.
My 4th go around I went onto rolling tabacco (mild,not strong).Then after a few months of tabacoo I just gave up slowly with Mints and chewing gum to help the edge.
I still keep chewing gum around the house,better to chew gum or mints than go back to smoking.
Gez
5 Posts
Tue, 17th January 2012, 5:56pm
Hypnotism worked for me (30 yrs ago) , but also add patches or lozenges. Avoid smoking areas, groups and minimise alcohol. Go for it!
Cheers Gerry
Gday & Smile, Gerry
"A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew." - Herb Caen
23 Posts
Tue, 17th January 2012, 8:30pm
Hello Nedkelly 0567 and all smokers,
one thing smoking does is repress feelings. This is not mentioned by the Quit Line or Govt Brochures.
So many do well as the addictive effect is relatively brief (usuyally 1-3 days) but what unhinges them is that old unpleasant feelings start to resurface from the unconscious (called the 'shadow') & so many immediately reach for the nicotine again not due to addiction but due to desire to avoid painful repressed feeling.
BTW those who say nicotine is the hardest to give up are just plain wrong! It's not. Ask yr Dr. how quickly nicotine is out of the bloodstream.
So if you are struggling to remain non smoking may I suggest you find someone skilled with helping people contact difficult feelings ... which can go back all the way to infancy so often have no verbal content making them harder to accept. Just as once you've eaten a pear you know what pears taste like so too with feelings ... once you really feel them then their job is done and you are free of that particular feeling.
If there's no one near by to get help then carry a notepad and every time you smoke write down:
1.Time _______ 2.Smoke because (habit/urge/social factors like the pub/association ...with coffee ) and then 3. I feel______________ At bottom each night write the total for the day.
If you do this honestly it will bring awareness to yr smoking & the total will come down by itself. Try this ... light up and pay close attention .. smell and taste it as you draw in ... feel it in yr lungs ... stay with it ... bloody horrible isn't it when you really pay attention.
And it's like climbing a mountain ... if you have to go back to base camp and try again that's fine.
won't wish you good luck men as I know you can do it without luck ... just pay close attention and don't resist those unpleasant feelings ... let them out, let them go.
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