My battle with nicotine

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merrywidow

merrywidow

mum with a dogdy tum
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Messages
3,024
my battle with nicotine

several people have asked about my battle with ciggys, so instead of having spread all over the forum i thought i would give its own thread,.

i quit on january 1st but this only lasted 3 days!!!
then when i got my son back to school i tried again jan 15th. this was hard at first as i needed tonnes of gum.
i did struggle but i join a local stop smoking club where the reward for stopping smoking is £30. you have to do a bearthalizer to prove that you havent had a ciggy all week. after 4 weeks ciggy free you get your money. being with other people in the same boat is really helpful though and the support is wonderfull.

i am rewardeding myself by buying a new voile (nets) for the conservatory each week. the bloody cat decided it was fun to climb up these though!!! cat stew anyone?
i have my sense of smell back now and my tasebubs are starting to work as well.
 
Thats fantastic news Sharon.

Keep us posted and we will support you each step of the way too!

Your news has made my day

((hugs))
 
*Great* job Sharon!!! I remember my Mom commenting about how different everything smelled and tasted when she quit. She also told my aunt how horrible her cigarettes smelled - I was like Mom - yours did too!! Ohhhhh, and something you all can appreciate! She was taking care of my Unlce when he was dying from cancer. She always thought her farts didn't stink (like always). Well, she would fart around him thinking he wouldn't know - and he would call her out on it! Now that she isn't smoking - she realizes that her farts DO stink - because she can smell them!!!
 
Good job Merry! I know it's hard and the urge will stay with you for a long time, but you're doing great!
 
having my sense of smell back is great when i smell flowers but not when the cat farts, the same as your mum peaches, i couldnt smell them before.
i still do have strong craving for a ciggy, but i say to myself, "do the washing up then go and buy a packet" but by the time i have done the washing up the craving has gone.
its definaltey easier with no ciggys in the house. the temptation just to "have one puff" would be too great.
 
Agent X20 said:
... and you could buy an awful lot of ciggies with that...

But seriously... you're doing really well, hope you keep it up
Click to expand...
lol steve. thats only 6 days worth of ciggys,
 
Merry I'm at almost a year now, and I think about it every once in a while, and miss some of the stuff I used to do while smoking ... but all in all I'm glad I quit and don't miss it. Keep up your good work, you'll get there!
 
congratulations Merry! I know how hard it is...it's been almost six years, and i still crave them sometimes! Actually, i had one at my bachelorette party, and almost puked....You can totally do it! And good for you for rewarding yourself, that's such a great plan. :)
 
They (studies) say that it takes 21 days to form a habit and 21 days to break one.
Hopefully you've got it licked now.
 
Awesome MerryW!
So you're not using the patch? Is your gum the nicotine one, or just general gum?
I remember you saying that you had no reason to quit when Jed started the other thread a year or so ago. What reason made you finally do it?
Proud of you - keep it up!
 
My Butt Hurts said:
Awesome MerryW!
So you're not using the patch? Is your gum the nicotine one, or just general gum?
I remember you saying that you had no reason to quit when Jed started the other thread a year or so ago. What reason made you finally do it?
Proud of you - keep it up!
Click to expand...
iwas buying the nicotine gum, but i get it free at the smoking club.
reasons for not smoking? my smoking room (conservatory) was going a horrid yellow colour, and i was shown how much tar was in my body, and my son is nagging me!!!
seriously smoking is now so antisocial that i felt like a leper when i had a smoke in the park.
i also felt mentally ready for quitting.
my son is encouraging me to quit, which is really helpful. he says mum go and do your knitting, you dont need a smoke.
 
my first breathlizer reading when i join the no smoking club was 21. it reads the carbon monoxide in your breath.
last week it was right down to 6.
it has to be below 5 to be classed as a non smoker. so i am nearly there. next reading on wednesday.
 
merrywidow said:
lol steve. thats only 6 days worth of ciggys,
Click to expand...

Never ceases to amaze me how much these things cost.

It will be quite a turning point when you are an official non-smoker, I think.

Is it true that ex-smokers are always the worst when it comes to complaining about other people's smoke?
 
dont know about that yet agent, but i see people smoking and think "i was one of them"
my son is awful though. he goes up and tells them to go to the no smoking club. i tend to walk off and disown him then. lol
maybe he will be do the complaining for me.
 
kimberlie said:
I hate it when I see young kids smoking because the struggle to quit was soooo hard. They do not realize it now, but someday they will want to stop.
Click to expand...

I see kids who are probably about 12 years old smoking at bus stops, thinking they look so cool. It's sad really... good old peer pressure
 
Hi Sharon
congrats for getting this far, sooo jealous, I want to quit more than anything, but I think you've gotta be ready, and cos I'm off work and have cabin fever, and terrible pred munchies to boot, I just don't know how!
Well done!
 
kimberlie said:
It is great your son is so supportive.

Steve, I try to leave smokers alone. I hated when people would tell me to quit. Besides, they were wasting their breath. I quit when I was good and ready.

Now it smells gross and looks strange to me. I hate it when I see young kids smoking because the struggle to quit was soooo hard. They do not realize it now, but someday they will want to stop.

I am glad you are doing so well with it Sharon. I found I was really dizzy for a few weeks. I had to keep taking deep cleansing breaths. Then all of a sudden I was normal (well, as close to normal that I think I am) again.
Click to expand...

It breaks my heart when I see middle school age kids walking home smoking!
I wish kids would never even be tempted.
 
dont quit trying to quit erazer, does that make sense?
i take one day at a time, i will still do that until i get no cravings for a full week.
and when i get a craving i get up and do something, i.e the washing up or preparing the food, anything really. the craving only lasts a few minutes.
and DONT have any coggys in the home, the temptation will to great to "just have a puff"
good luck.
 
Finish it today... then you can still start again tomorrow.
I'm not the best person to lecture on will power... I don't drink or smoke, but my drugs are caffeine and chocolate!
 
I went caffeine-free about three years ago... came round from my hip operation and completely lost the taste for it. But for the last few months I've slipped, now I'm going into coffee shops every day and getting Americanos with three shots in it.
As for the choc... it makes the coffee taste nicer.
A shot of brandy in the coffee and a nice fat cigar would make it a perfect experience... but I don't drink or smoke, do I?
 
I alway's Justified my lack of will power to quit was anybody can quit.
But, The hard part is not starting again!
They really tore my stomach up when I had ulcers, smoked anyway!
Congratulations Sharon!
 
Hi Erazer
I'm convinced Preds have whizz in em! Cos I'm speeding and smoking more!
And eating everything that's not glued to the shelf (ie been there for years!)
So... cos I'm blowing up like a spacehopper, with a chipmunk face, I'm smoking more, hoovering like a maniac, then more cigs, bit of ironing, copious amounts of coffee, then more cigs, and so on and so on!
Sometimes I feel like I've been blowing balloons up all day and me teeth are stuck together!
LMFAO
 
Keep going Sharon you can do it!!!!!!! It is like an alcoholic just take one day at a time and quit quitting. You can't even have one, after awhile it will get easier. I dont have any friends who smoke any more but we all did at one time. So taboo now. Hang in there. This August I will be 9 years, and I still have NO desire to ever go back. Keep busy ok! Go for a walk, do something to take your mind of it and if you get an urge to smoke, just go brush your teeth, it worked for me. I used the patch for a couple of weeks but not at night. I got nightmares, and besides who smoke in the middle of their sleep?
 
Ha..ha.. erazer you are freaking funny mate... I didn't have issues while on Imuran with sleeping and it certainly didn't feel like I was on something!! :) But pred had that effect on me.. made me go crazy!
Erazer have you tried any quit programs or taking the tablets that you wean off smoking etc. My sister-in-law is trying now and so far she has made 3 weeks and doing great she even made a comment last night when someone was smoking around us how disgusting they smelt etc. Im like Toni that is how you smelt all the time.. he..he..
 
Agent X20 said:
and getting Americanos with three shots in it.
Click to expand...

Not sure what that means...But, over here that would mean the police would show up and do a ballistics report because some Latinos were packing. :)

I'm very happy to hear of this Sharon, I think your son is a good kid, and he wants what's best for his "mum" so that he can enjoy her presence longer. I think your plan seems sound, and I think if you hold yourself accountable with your group and us, and reward yourself, it should keep working with your willpower. And just think what you're able to do with the extra cash, too.

What is whizz? We only have cheese whiz over here, but they don't put that in pills.
 
Whizz is wot us Brits call Amphetemines! As in Billy Whizz from a comic called the Beezer
or speed
 
Ah...I think we only call them narcotics or amphetamines or the likes, whatever applies. Never heard of the comic either, must be another difference. :)

Still, I think you guys would rather have Cheese Whiz. :)
 
Erazer said:
Riiiiiiiiiigggggggggghhhhhhhttttt!

whatever!! u dont drink or smoke..........in physicality! The DE - Nile is a long river!

well! I dont take drugs! I dont smoke anything! I am clean livvin..........

Next barge on the Nile departs NOW!
Click to expand...

I only ever have a beer and a cigar when I'm on holiday... usually sitting at a cafe on the banks of the Med somewhere... it works for me!

Don't Americans drink Americanos? It's an Expresso diluted with some hot water... milk is optional. Maybe you call them Europeanos or something...
 
Jettalady said:
Keep going Sharon you can do it!!!!!!! It is like an alcoholic just take one day at a time and quit quitting. You can't even have one, after awhile it will get easier. I dont have any friends who smoke any more but we all did at one time. So taboo now. Hang in there. This August I will be 9 years, and I still have NO desire to ever go back. Keep busy ok! Go for a walk, do something to take your mind of it and if you get an urge to smoke, just go brush your teeth, it worked for me. I used the patch for a couple of weeks but not at night. I got nightmares, and besides who smoke in the middle of their sleep?
Click to expand...
not using patches, using gum. and tomorrow i wouldve survivr the half term hoildays without a ciggy!! that was a major milestone for me. if i was gonna smoke i thought it would be during the hoildays. but i have made it (nearly). and i am still putting the ciggy money in a tin.
 
BWS1982 said:
Ah...I think we only call them narcotics or amphetamines or the likes, whatever applies. Never heard of the comic either, must be another difference. :)

Still, I think you guys would rather have Cheese Whiz. :)
Click to expand...
Speed.....
 
Peaches said:
Speed.....
Click to expand...
or bennies

You can kick the habit. I found it helped to kill the cravings by doing something constructive when they hit. I quit smoking cigarettes as the first of my vices around 17 years ago and never looked back. It was the easiest of them all.
 
No Erazer
Told ya
my husband is Roy Cropper! PMSL

can I ask, wot is this noctine you crave?
can I eat it?
 
Good luck, Sharon! Hang in there. Soon you will be a vigilent non-smoker who is nauseated by the smell of smoke!

And really, quitting is on of the best things you can do for your Crohn's, right?!

Congrats! You can do it!

- Amy
 
ameslouise said:
Good luck, Sharon! Hang in there. Soon you will be a vigilent non-smoker who is nauseated by the smell of smoke!

And really, quitting is on of the best things you can do for your Crohn's, right?!

Congrats! You can do it!

- Amy
Click to expand...
i have been told that, but havent seen any imprvenment in my syptoms yet. but i have a horrid cough, maybe my lungs are clearing out the rubbish?
 
am hoping to be a official non smoker on wednesday. my breathalizer has to be below 5. it was 6 last week.
 
everyweek we have to have a breathlizer test, this measures the carbon monoxide in our breath. the heavy the smoker the higher the reading. it takes a while for the readings to drop. when i started at the club my first reading was 21. last week it was 6. if it goes under 5 its a reading of a non smoker.
 
Peaches said:
Speed.....
Click to expand...

Ah, duh. I have heard of that one. I didn't know they called speed "whizz" elsewhere. I'd be so lost watching a cop show overseas (if it's native)..."tweak" is just a verb around where I live, like "I'm tweakin' right now man, I haven't had a smoke in 8 hours!"...

Anyways, Sharon, I think you would be really well off to stick to your milestone mindset, as that is the classic "one day at a time" mentality that will keep this whole thing from seeming overwhelming. You're more likely to want to last a few minutes/hours if you can just make it to that, instead of imagining the rest of your life without a smoke. One day at a time. :)
 
flowers, i will treat myself to flowers. they are great, they look lovely and i can smell them as well.
i am so determined to be a "non smoker", god i am gonna be disappointed if i "fail" the test on wednesday.
 
well i did , i got a reading of 2. i am so proud of myself. i am a officially non smoker
 
Good for you Sharon!!! Don't you even feel physically better? Never mind you can taste food without salt or sugar. Could't even better your health faster.

Go Girl!
 
i can smell things better pen, but when i said i dont "feel" any better , i meant in a crohns way i dont feel any better. i suppose that will come.
 
Quitting sucks after 3 years still miss them alittle, but feel alot better . Still like second hand smoke sometimes. I used chantix, it worked, but horrible nightmares, agresive attitude, deppresion . Remember if you have one cig, you might as well buy a carton.
 
MerryW, how long can you go to that support group? Even though you blew a 2, I would think it would still motivate you to stay off of them if you could continue going for a while and take the blow test every time.
Good job!
 
took me several months to feel better as my lungs tried to recover from the effects of smoking. But over 10 years later I can say I NEVER looked back.
 
When I first quit I also had a horrible hacking cough - I think it is the lungs clearing out. It will subside eventutually! It's been 3 years for me this May and like Kenny, I have never looked back - I don't miss it one bit!
 
My Butt Hurts said:
MerryW, how long can you go to that support group? Even though you blew a 2, I would think it would still motivate you to stay off of them if you could continue going for a while and take the blow test every time.
Good job!
Click to expand...
the group encorage you to attend every week for a miniunm of 3 months, then you can go as you feel the need.
the group is held in a doctors surgery,
whilst we were waiting for our breathalizer test we were chatting and talking about what treats we would get ourselves with our £30, whensomeone said, "i'm gonna buy ciggys" thjis comment made us all howl with laughter. the miserble woman on the recpiton shouted at us for laughing!!! this made us laugh more!
it did make me feel like a naughty school child though.
i so love that group and am gonna keep in touch with some of them, even if its just a phone call every now and then.
 
yesterday (sunday) was seriously hard. i had a full on hissy fit wanting a ciggy. i even search the car looking for a dog end (ciggy butt). i wasnt going down the village to buy a packet. 2 reasons, 1, it was chucking it down with rain and blowing a gale, and the 2nd is, the you cant buy 1 ciggy, and i wasnt gonna buy 10 ciggys.
anyway about 30 mins later i got over my hissy fit.
my son will now remind me of it forerever i think!!!
 
merrywidow said:
whilst we were waiting for our breathalizer test we were chatting and talking about what treats we would get ourselves with our £30, whensomeone said, "i'm gonna buy ciggys" thjis comment made us all howl with laughter. the miserble woman on the recpiton shouted at us for laughing!!! this made us laugh more!
it did make me feel like a naughty school child though.
Click to expand...
That's awesome! I love it when I am giggling at a time when I shoudn't be. I do it a lot during work meetings.

Good job on holding off yesterday when you wanted one too.
 
i blew a 2 again this morning. i have grab some of the guys phone numbers as well. its a bit of moral support through the week.
 
Poor Sharon, you gotta hang in there. My last time I quit 8 years ago, no it wasnt easy but I don't think I had the hard time you did. How much did you used to smoke?

Just take it one day at time. Keep busy... carry a bottle of water around so every time you get the habit not just the addiction, drink the water... it helps! Hang tight kiddo!
 
i started smoking when i was 9, but soon stopped because i got the cane at school. ouch. then i started again when i was 14years old and never stopped. so i was smoking for 26 years. omg thats awful. i smoked 20 a day. i have no idea how many ciggys that is.

by the way it is normal to have a score under 5. over 5 means your a light smoker. i asked last week if anyone could get a 1, and was told basically no. as there is so much pollution in the air.
i cant see myself smoking again now. i have got over the worse of the cravings. and it would just be stupid to start again.
anything under 5 and i am happy.
 
merrywidow said:
i blew a 2 again this morning. i have grab some of the guys phone numbers as well. its a bit of moral support through the week.
Click to expand...
I misread that as "I grabbed one of the guys phone numbers." I thought you had a date planned!!
Just keep going to that group as long as you need to. Every week you blow under 5, that is another step in the right direction. You've done a great job so far!

edit - 20 cigs a day for 26 years is 189,800 cigs.
 
Last edited:
dont worry mbh, you will be one of the first to know if i get a date!!!
thanks for the maths. that number looks horrid. and i bet you used a calculator
 
merrywidow said:
thanks for the maths. that number looks horrid. and i bet you used a calculator
Click to expand...
You bet wrong.
4403685519_a2dbaa57e2_m.jpg

My calculator has been out of batteries for a year now I think, and I figured by hand would be faster than online.
 
pen, i stole the ciggys of my parents, so yes they knew one of us kids were smoking. they was 5 of us kids. but they didnt think it was me, my sister got the blame. *holds head in shame*

mbh, your figures are wrong... you didnt add on leap year days!!!!
 
yesterday i went to the no smoking club and "blew" a 3. they gave me a free squashy ball!!!!
 
A free squashy ball??? Ok.... what is the next prize?? LOL... keep going, you can do it. Just be careful what else goes in your mouth, so easy to gain weight whilst trying to quit!
 
well todays breath was a 3. the bloke gave me some free post it notes!! this guy is weird, i will soon end up will a house full of free stuff that i dont want.
 
Hey dont knock post it notes, they are pricey.... and good reminders lol. Good you are hanging in there Sharon.
 
Just don't sell the "junk" for cigarette money Sharon. :)

Congrats, full steam (not smoke!)...ahead!!!
 
You can do it!!!

I quit 4 years ago. I basically procrastinated smoking. Its hard to quit something forever. Its easy to put off buying cigarettes to tomorrow. (Not that it was super easy to quit, I had to change the way I thought about it.) It does get easier, but I still get a craving once every few months.
 
Hey Sharon .. keep up your good work!!! Yesterday was my 1 year of quitting smoking. Sometimes I miss it, but not enough to want to start again. Good job on your quitting so far.
 
well done misscris, you must be so rich now!!! i still crave a ciggy, my neighbours both smoke and smelling their smoke is horrid and soon gets rid of my craving. i put a £5 in a tin ever day, this is the money i wouldve spent on ciggys. this week i brought my son a new bed. this is a flat pack bed, omg!!!!
there was nothing wrong with his old bed except the fact it wa a bunk bed, i think that at 12 yrs old he is too old to be in a bunk bed.
 
new problem now, i use nicotine gum to get of the ciggys. how do i get of the gum?
 
Sharon, I have forgotten about you quitting nicotine. It seems you are doing better. Could you take fewer pieces of gum and supplement the times that you would usually be chewing nicotine gum with regular gum until you are completely off. Good luck
 
Is there really a problem with nicotine gum? I mean - is it harmfull?
I know that people use coffee every day ( not the same, I know) and I don't think it's that big of a deal. (Could be wrong)
 
I didn't chew nicotine gum, didn't like it. But I went thru Juicy fruit (sugarless) yeah I know... but then I got that habit and now I haven't smoked in 9 years coming and no gum in over a year. We tend to get rid of one habit to develop another. Both my husband and I quit he has only been 3 years and a bit but we both don't miss it and we have NO friends or family that smoke. Makes it easier. Hang in there, the cravings do stop. If I go past someone smoking it is all I can do not to gag lol.
 
Last edited:
katiesue1506 said:
Normal gum? Or jelly beans :)
Click to expand...
its nicotine gum, it gives you the nicotine kick, but without the harmful stuff that is in ciggys.
i tried cutting down to a lower dose gum, but the cravings were creeping back again, and i dont want to start smoking again.
i can make 1 gum last about 3 hours.
i want to stop the gum as i seem to be constantly chewing and i feel like a cow that chews the cud.

stop sniggering at the back!!
 
Hi Sharon..

I think it's great you've come this far. Big hug. Keep going, don't give up.

Maybe try weaning off the chewing habit by switching to a nicotine lozenge? Maybe chewing is a habit in and of itself. You're already thinking of taking the next step.

You're already leaped over significant hurdles. Hang in there, you're headed for the homestretch! Trust me, it does get easier!
 

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