THE Quit Smoking Thread

[andy8758]

im sorry but I have to say this, some of the comments being made by ex smokers on this thread are innacurate and unhelpfull

nrt has been proven to be the best method to give up and does work, hypnosis and self help books have a poor success rate, smokera are aware that they are killing themselves but the addiction is stronger and over rides any attempts to sshock them out of smoking, smoking is an addiction not a habit and is now recognised as such and is being treated as an addiction

the cost of dealing with smoking in the uk costs the country nothing, in fact in the long run it will cost the treasury income asthe tax revenue collected from smokers more than covers the cost of dealing with smoking related illnesses and the cost of providing free support for those giving up

a packet of cigarette costs less that a pound to produce and distribute and with the mark up for the retailer still comes in at less than a pound, a fiver on each pack goes to the treasury

I asked at the clinic why they dont just ban it from sale and be done with it and got a detailed answer

its been considered but with the ease of importing tobacco into the country tobacco would be the new cocaine,it would be sought after and sold on the blackmarket cheaper than buying it today and would cost the govt billions in lost revenue and the nhs will still have to deal with tobacco related illnesses. the plan is to mmake this country a non smoking country by encouraging smokers to give up, these are the govt proposals

1 it will be an offence for retailers to display tobacco products, smokers will have to ask or them

2 tobacco products will come in plain wrappers

3 a universal smoking ban in all public areas

4 an offence to smoke in charge of a vehicle, thats not just driving thats having the keys in your pocket so you cant pull up in a layby and smoke, you wont be able to anyway as its a public area

5 an offence to smoke in front of a minor.a non smoker and if two smokers are together they cant smoke in front of each other

not all of these propasals are law yet but thats their intention, but before they do that they need to set up a scheme to help people stop smoking which is what they are in the process of doing

so please ex smokers keep this thread positive and supportive of those wishing to give up and those in the process of giving up

anyone wishing to give up will get all the advice and products foc from their gp as well as support

well done everyone who has given up , ignore the knockers and negative ex smokers , it is hard but with the help available we will all succeed together

OK Mike - we need to keep this positive lol.

Interesting that I was prescribed nicorette to give up smoking in 1990. It worked for about 2 years. The first time I had a personal problem - I started smoking again! I now know that it was because I believed all the social gumf that smoking helps reduce stress, makes you feel better about yourself, helps you cope with problems..... When I finally gave up again it was because I stopped believing this. I have seen many others struggle with patches and gum, only to succomb within weeks of "giving up" - which is another key issue - there is nothing to "give up" just say no!

 

[mikethetile]

I hear what you are saying - but that misses the point. You will not break the habit until you realise that there is no habit to break. The trouble with nicotine replacement is that you continue to feed the nicotine addiction without tackling the main effect of the addiction - the pyschological issues.

you are right Andy nrt replaces the nicotine in your system while you give upand thats the whole point of it and why it works, there are 3 issues with giving up

1 routine - you need to change this as smokers have trigger points in the day where they need to smoke

2 addiction - there are over a hundred chemicals in a cigarette a lot of them addictive, so you need to break the bodies craving for these

3 nicotine- this is the worst offender and screams the loudest at you,

so by replacing the nicotine with a background supply you deal with the first two points in that order and break them while all the time getting your nicotine fix, then after a period you reduce the strength of the nrt and gradually cut down till you stop

you need to remember that smoking is a chemical addiction and the recepters in your brain cry out for it even though its damaging to us

the routine is the easy part to break and you can have fruit or raw veg or whatever to to take when you would normally be smoking, I found driving the hardest and chewed on no end of carrots, this gives your handss something to do insteaad of smoking. after a few weeks your hand dont reach to the dashboard for your smokes.the cheemicals added to cigarettes are the next to go, its surpising how quick your body gets used to not taking in arsenic, carbon monoxide and other poisons

everyone without exception has nicotine senssors but if your sensors dont recieve it then you never crave it, and thats the whole point , the longer you dont smoke the less demanding your nicotine sensors are

phsycology doesnt come into it, its a straight forward chemical addiction that you need to wean your body off

 

[andy8758]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one! Habits are just routines of behavior, and whilst I agree there is an element of psychology to this there is still a physical element to overcome.

This is turning into the kind of event you see in University "debating societies". We all believe we are right, and the only right one! Oh well, I guess I have lectured enough on this one. lol,,

 

[Scott]

The comments are neither unhelpful nor inaccurate, have you even read the book Mike?

 

[mikethetile]

OK Mike - we need to keep this positive lol.

Interesting that I was prescribed nicorette to give up smoking in 1990. It worked for about 2 years. The first time I had a personal problem - I started smoking again! I now know that it was because I believed all the social gumf that smoking helps reduce stress, makes you feel better about yourself, helps you cope with problems..... When I finally gave up again it was because I stopped believing this. I have seen many others struggle with patches and gum, only to succomb within weeks of "giving up" - which is another key issue - there is nothing to "give up" just say no!

believe me there is plenty to give up , I should know

you went back to smoking as a crutch when you were low , it happens , it was you returning to a happier time when nothing mattered


cigarettes are not your friend but you do mourn their passing,they dont calm you at all in fact they speed up your heart, its the first intake of air that calms you and the nicotine hits your sensors 7 seconds later

 

[mikethetile]

The comments are neither unhelpful nor inaccurate, have you even read the book Mike?

if its the one by the hypnotist yes

 

[Scott]

The easy way by Allen Carr (not the comedian)

He quotes all sorts of facts and figures in the book regarding the success of NRT and other methods, obviuosly he is always going to champion his idea bit IMO because he is right. Of the 30 or so people i have either bought the book for or lent it to one has failed and i knew she would....she was my ex

 

[mikethetile]

it was the paul mckenna book

but quoting facts at an addict doesnt work, but nrt does if its used right and that has been the problem with it, I was outside a cafe in the town a while ago and two women were talking and smoking

one said I thought you were on patches to give up and the other replied I am , I have one on now and they dont work

I felt like saying to her it will never work while you smoke but couldnt be bothered

I wasnt allowed nrt or champix due to my heart condition so I had to do it the hard way , but I got there

 

[Deleted member 9966]

The easy way by Allen Carr (not the comedian)

He quotes all sorts of facts and figures in the book regarding the success of NRT and other methods, obviuosly he is always going to champion his idea bit IMO because he is right. Of the 30 or so people i have either bought the book for or lent it to one has failed and i knew she would....she was my ex

a girl I used to work with used this book to quit. the book simply detailed all the reasons why you smoked, why you had taken up smoking in the first place, and made you analyse why you were still doing it. the book basically counselled you into coming to a conclusion about why you smoked and what you wanted to do about it.

for some it's about addiction, some it's routine, some it's boredom. as soon as the girl I worked with figured out what it was that was keeping her smoking, she was able to change it and move on.

 

[Scott]

Its like an awakening!