Roy Quits Smoking!!!

What Dogbite said!

Oh, and happy birthday!

Yes, I'm still in quit status. I did cheat last night though. I had one of those $5 smokes. The one where you buy a pack and destroy it after lighting up. Had two, so that makes it 2-$2.50 smokes. My previous was towards the end of last week though. Not too bad.

Roy, you need to buy better tobacco. my smokes were costing my 5.10 when I quit. American Spirit yellow. yummy.

those cheater smokes will fade away Roy. you are doing fine.

I buy $10/lb. stuff for my pipes. One sort, called "The Best of the Rest," comes from a big Net vendor that dumps the leftovers of all sorts in a plastic bag at the end of the day and shakes it up. I call it "Suicide Tobacco," which is actually a good name for all of it. (But I'm thinking of the "suicides" mixed up from all the spigots at the soda fountain.) Only smoke them when I have time to enjoy them, which hadn't been much for a while, and have laid off completely for the past month and still am for a while longer till this gum transplant gets well established. Oral surgeon's instructions just said to wait 24 hours, but nicotine being a big vasoconstrictor I figured it couldn't be good for healing.

I smoked for about 4 years and to be honest was getting into a pretty bad habit. I was smoking about 10 a day, but you could double that figure at weekends (i.e., when beer was involved :roll: ). I was also getting a bit overweight and never exercised.

Several failed attempts to give up just resulted in me ending up at square one again. Then in August 2006, I was on holiday up on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, a place where the nearest shop was 13 miles away. I had a 4oz pack of rolling tobacco with me and 3 days left of my holiday. I decided there and then that at the end of the holiday I'd give up. When I got home, I cleared out any lighters, tobacco, rolling papers etc. and binned the lot. I've not had a single cigarette since.

I also for the last year or so have been increasingly doing regular exercise, running long runs 3 times a week, and now have joined the regional fell running club. I have lost two stone and feel a lot better too.

For those trying to give up, it isn't easy that's for sure. There's no hiding that fact and to go into it thinking it will be easy will only lead to a downfall because of false expectation. The trick is it decide it and be firm. Within a few weeks things will be better, and they'll get better. Try to avoid key smoking areas for a few weeks or months (my weakness was the pub on a Friday night, where I started smoking and where I was most used to it). I am lucky that there is now a smoking ban in pubs etc. in the UK so I can go to the pub now without temptation. It gets easier with time and now I can't remember the last time I was tempted.

I do encourage anyone thinking of giving up to sit down, think deeply and make that all important mental milestone that you shall not smoke again. It works. :) The effort pays off, food tastes better, no awkward "need to pop out for a smoke", no silly money on tobacco and non-smoking friends appreciate it too.:)

I hope this is of some encouragement to those thinking of giving up.

I'm not out of the woods yet, but I am very much on track. I'm still having the occasional cheater. This past week, it was 5 days between 'em. I went from about 25 a day to .25 a day. Many triggers are going away. The after meal, driving, other activity and morning coffee trigger don't bother me at all. Didn't even think of it until now and I'm about done with the pot. 1 more week and it will be 2 months.

At some point I will need to stop the cheaters too, but I am so not worried about them in the grand scheme of things right now.

I'm not out of the woods yet, but I am very much on track. I'm still having the occasional cheater. This past week, it was 5 days between 'em. I went from about 25 a day to .25 a day. Many triggers are going away. The after meal, driving, other activity and morning coffee trigger don't bother me at all. Didn't even think of it until now and I'm about done with the pot. 1 more week and it will be 2 months.

At some point I will need to stop the cheaters too, but I am so not worried about them in the grand scheme of things right now.

That's excellent progress. :) Like you say, the challenge now is to remove the cheaters. First step is to ensure there are no cigs in the house at all, and to tell neighbours/friends not to give you one if you ask for one. That way if you find yourself wanting one and there isn't one readily available, it gives you the time to think about it and change your mind before you have the chance to buy some.

Keep it up Roy! :)