How do I Quit Smoking ?

Darn it ! Disaster struck at the weekend - I smoked !

2008-01-06T23:57:00.000-08:00

I could almost feel it coming on Thursday night. I didn'tmake up my mind to smoke the but I did on Friday.

It's strange, I know it was the nicotine talking but I felt in full control, rather than it being a relapse (which I suppose it was).

I decided to buys some beers and smokes telling myself that it was the weekend and it was time to relax.

I felt guilty (a little bit but not that much) but I did enjoy the sense of freedom again and not caring.

Anyway, I'm off the ciggies again from today. I'll have to get through that nicotine urge barrier again but it wasn't too difficult last week in the end.

The biggest obstacle I now see is getting past a weekend. These have always traditionally been a couple of days of feeling carefree and doing whatever I choose.

Hmmm... I'm thinking about what I can do to overcome that weekend feeling.

Any ideas ?

Do I really need to quit drinking as well as cigarettes ?

2008-01-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Well, the nico urge aint too bad now but the beer urge is more like a SURGE. I feel desperate to get lagered up !

I don't know what all the fuss is about binge drinking, I think it's the only enjoyable way to drink :) Afterall, there's not much point in a single pint unless you're feeling thirsty. You need a minimum of 4 to make it worhwhile.

Anyway, I'm beginning to fantasize now ! It's Friday tomorrow which would usually have meant beers and fags. Not this weekend. Tomorrow I'm thrashing it out in my bedroom with my old weights - at least that's the plan.

Saturday will be another test because the outlaws are coming round :(

I haven't got a lot to look forward to this weekend really.

Day 4, no smoking and feelin' fine.

2008-01-03T00:11:00.000-08:00

Managed to last yesterday evening. It was my toughest test os far.

I woke up feeling pretty good, no nicotine urge so far. I have aching kidneys though ! I guess this is because I'm off the beers and my body is yearning for some because it usually gets 4 pints worth of strong lager every night.

Sorry kidney beans, you'll just have to wait for a while.

I'm off to work, thanks for reading.

Well, I've almost made it past my 1st day back at work without smoking

2008-01-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

Almost !

I say this because I am currently stuck on a platform having missed my train thanks to the London Underground.

Still, I'm adoptiong an old fashioned stiff upper lip approach as I mumble "don't let the ba$t@rds grind you down" in my head.

When I get back I will be having a boring salad rather than the usual 4/5 pint cans of Stella nd 7 or so fags (that's cigarettes if you're American !)

Then I'm going straight to bed because I have the urge to smoke in a big way and I just need to get over the next few days whatever it takes.

I found this little gem quit inspiring...

2008-01-02T04:28:00.000-08:00

A little something to remind myself, the cash I have saved and how much healthier I will be - although I'm more interested in the cash ! :)

http://www.quitsmokingcounter.com

No stress at work yet and further thoughts on why I want to quit smoking.

2008-01-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

Well, the working day has been tolerable so far, quite easy in fact. I'm writing this on my mobile in the toilet at work. Yes, even my bowels are moving again so there's no good reason to nip out and buy some smokes ! Horray.

I have been reading some other people's attempts to give up on websites and blogs online (I will try to remember to post the inspiring ones I find).

Some guy struck a cord with me. He said he didn't want to look like other smokers he saw.

Wierd and very hypocritical but that's how I feel too !

They say the best and worst of people smoke. I tend to focus on the worst and to be frank I don't want to be pigeon holed with them ! They probably think the same about me :)

Anyway, I've added it as another mental note of reasons to give up for good.

I'm feeling ok right now, I'm definitely in that slightly blurry surreal bubble of no nicotine slow motion. It's a bit unusual but nothing unmanageable, I just feel a bit dopey. There must be quite a few people feeling like this just after New Year.

Strewth, I'm getting the nicotine lust big time this morning.

2008-01-01T23:21:00.000-08:00

I'm holding out, just about. I could really use a smoke this morning though.

Today is the 1st 'normal' working day for me. I'm having to make some fairly big changes to my routine to steer clear of the weed.

I would usually have spent 15 minutes, a cup or 2 of tea and a couple of 'tabs' in the garden by now (my routine of the last 5 or so years.

Instead, I have spent the morning on some paper work and had some toast. I never usually bother with breakfast and I don't think I will continue with this toast in the morning business. It just seems to have added to how constipated I feel ! Grrr....

My next challenge awaits at work and whether or not I'll have some difficult characters to deal with.

I have successfully navigated New Years Day.

2008-01-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

Well I'm feeling reasonably pleased with myself. I thought about smoking a couple of times today but resisted the temptation.

All I did was tell myself I don't actually smoke anymore and the urge seemed to pass.

The only downside so far is I'm a bit constipated, hopefully that too will soon pass :)

Good night.

Day 1 - it starts here !

2008-01-01T03:05:00.000-08:00

I saw on the telly the other day that about 1 million people in the UK will try to give up smoking today and that 750,000 of them will be smoking again within a week.

I find this extremely compelling and it's further hardened my resolve. I like to think I have a bit of willpower and here's my chance to show it. I'm damned sure I can make it past a week (providing I don't drink).

I'm staying off the beers too, just to be sure.

Anyway, it's day 1 and everything is going ok so far. I don't have too much of an urge to smoke, it's there in the background but not too strong. I gave up on New Year's Eve so I'm kind of a day ahead of schedule. I did notice how I ate more than usual yesterday which I think was replacement for the smokes, hopefully this will ease up a bit.

The only downside is I feel slightly constipated today but I'm topping up on sugary tea which usually does the business for me :)

Happy New Year !

I started or rather Stopped a day early !

2007-12-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

I woke up late today, very late actually (11am - ouch !)

Anyway, I was feeling quite excited about my resolution to quit smoking tomorrow so, I decided to quit today instead !

Yep, this is day 1, it's 18.36 and I haven't had a fag. In fact bizarrely I don't want one. How wierd is that ?! I'm already feeling like a bit of a non smoker - although the real test will come next time I have a drink or am constipated :)

I'm thinking of buying some Nicorette gum - just in case !

2007-12-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

It's 2am on 30th December which means I have 22 hours left before I quit.

I'm thinking I might be able to 'tough it out' for a while but I really might need some kind of backup.

I'll let you know what I decide. My only other idea right now is to smoke so much over the next 22 hours that I never want to see the site of a ciggie again.

Why I have smoked

2007-12-30T11:03:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking exactly why I smoke.

The bottom line is I am addicted to it. I got there by occassionally smoking at weekends when I went drinking with friends and while on summer holidays when I was in my late teens and early twenties.

There are however som other reasons that I will need to find a way around.

1) Smoking helps my morning movements - if you know what I mean ;)

Yep, there's no two ways about it, smoking helps me go to the loo, as do a few pints the night before. I even met a girl once who never smoked except when she was constipated. So, I can't be the only one !

Well, I will be trying a diet of lots of salad, vegetables, fruit and liquids to try to make sure I don;t have any morning "trouble". I see this as quite a challenge because I do NOT like feeling blocked up. The last time I quit, I actually found that everything returned to normal within 48 hours so hopefully my plan will work out ok.

2) There are times when I genuinely enjoy smoking both socially and on my own.

When at work I usually smoke with a friend, unfortunately, I don't think he has any plans to quit.

Anyway, he's a good friend and I know he won't invite me for a smoke if I tell him that I've stopped so I don't anticipate any unwanted temptations as a result of our friendship.

3) Smoking while drinking is a given and can be a genuine pleasure sometimes.

The only way I have around this is to make sure I don't drink for a while to stiffen my resolve the next time I do drink. Also, I have friends and relatives who can't stand smoking so the first time I do drink will be with them so I am less tempted to join in with the smoking.

4) Habit, not nicotine addiction but real habit.

We all have some routines I guess and smoking is one of mine. While waiting for a bus for instance or when I crack open a can of lager at home in the summer, or while barbequeing. I smoke on the way to work, just before I arrive (outide the building) and on my way to lunch.

I am going to try a few new routes into work, take sandwiches and generally disrupt my usual routine to try and get around this.

So, why do I want to stop smoking ?

2007-12-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

I have a LOT of reasons. It's nothing to do with the anti-smoking police who are making smoking life in the UK a misery, in fact they made me smoke for longer in sheer defiance !

Nope, here are my reasons which might sound familiar to some other smokers...

1) I want my freedom back and I'm sick of the inconvenience.

Nipping down to the shop before it closes to make sure I have some smokes. Sitting in my garden to smoke in the rain, snow, cold. Popping out at work to smoke (no smoking rooms anymore, or in fact anywhere undercover that I can light up). Finding time to light up in anti-smoking company (I assume everyone is now anti-smoking so make myself scarce when I want to light up).

2) I don't want to feel like a loser anymore

Our nanny-state has well and truly made us smokers feel like lepers. I felt quite defiant about all their anti-smoking fascism for quite sometime. The media simply propogate all the "THIS is how you will live" bully boy tactics which comes out of these government sponsored health reports.

I have tried to ignore it as much as possible but, to be frank, it's really becoming an effort now. I feel like I've been ground down, everyone thinks you're a moron now if you smoke and it starts to rub off on you after a while.

3) It's bloody expensive in the UK

Enough said.

4) I don't want to feel so slobbish

It never used to affect me but nowadays smoking kind of makes me feel tired. I can have a smoke on a Saturday morning and end up back in bed for a kip !

5) I don't want as many hangovers

They say you can't have a drink without a smoke and I agree, it's not easy to drink without smoking. I have developed such a close association between the two that I now find it difficult to smoke without drinking. Yep drinking is another vice of mine. Anyway, I figure stopping smoking should also significantly reduce my alcohol intake. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love drinking or "binge drinking" as they call it nowdays. The problem is, I now find that the after effects outweight the previous evening's enjoyment. I'll never manage to stop drinking... ever ! but I would like to reduce the frequency and reclaim some of my mornings :)

6) Health reasons (I suppose !)

This is the one I am supposed to be most concerned with but to be frank it's the last on my list. I don't particularly have a death wish but I don't think that smoking is the killer they keep saying. It's dangerous in the long term for sure but they make out it's like playing with dynamite and if you smoke you will have a horrible painful death years before your time.