Smokeless Man

Wahey!

After two or three weeks of cutting down, with accidental mistakes and sometimes a loss of willpower taking me back up a pack a day, I've finally made it through a whole 24 hours without smoking!

I'm definitely getting there. Recently when I've faltered and had a cigarette, it's been nowhere near as enjoyable as it used to be - it's started to taste really bad!

I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel!

Giving up smoking is incredibly tough. People compare it to giving up hard drugs like heroin, and there's certainly a huge psychological aspect to being successful.

But one easy way to help yourself is to remove temptation as much as possible. Make sure you're thrown away any cigarettes, and any lighters. If you have to keep a lighter or matches in case of a power outage, then put them away out of sight (but obviously somewhere you could find in an emergency).

It might be worth giving social gatherings a miss for a week or two if you know there will be smokers around - and definitely don't hang around the smoking area/room at work!

If you share a house with a smoker, or someone else who is also trying to give up, and they're still smoking, get them to hide their cigarettes, and persuade them to try not to mention cigarettes, and to just say they're going for a walk, for example.

And watch out for films. Although most cigarette advertising has now been banned, most films still feature a lot of people lighting up...


One recommended tool to help you is: Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Be a Happy Non-smoker for the Rest of Your Life (Allen Carrs Easy Way), which several people have recommended to me!

So I got back down to two a day.

Then I went on a business trip, and thought 'To Hell With It'. And majorly screwed up. I'm talking a full pack of Marlboro Reds each day, for two days.

*sigh*

It's times like this when I question my motivation for giving up the evil weed. In all honesty, it's not for me. It's for my family - their health, and their financial situation. I'm slightly motivated by the possibility of improving my health, and I'm more aware of the reality of an increased risk of death, but it really is for them.

Which makes it a lot harder when I'm apart from them - as soon as I got back, I managed to get back on the lozenges and back down to 2 a day again.

It also means, I'm making sure I keep a picture of my family on my phone, and in my wallet in a more prominent place - so when I go to pay for ciggies, for example, I can see them and remember why I'm doing this...

And I'm back down to about 4 a day.

Tomorrow it's down to 2 a day

And by the end of the week I'll have quit for good. I can't keep mucking around!

Incidentally, I've started researching the comparative prices and tastes of nicotine lozenges. For cost effectiveness, Morrison Supermarkets in the UK produce 'own brand' lozengers which are tolerable and cheap, but Niquitin branded versions taste slightly more bearable.

And it was all going so well. :(

To cut a long story short, I was ecstatic to have cut down from around 20 a day, to 1 a day. I was in a routine with nicotine lozenges getting me through to around 10pm, and then having one cigarette (the last one of the day is the hardest one for me to stop - it's something I look forward to!).

And then I was in a rush to get somewhere, I forgot my lozenges, and didn't have time to find somewhere that stocked them. Next thing I knew I was in a newsagents, and back up to half a pack by the end of the day. And the other half went the following day, with the justification that I'd already spent the money, so I might as well smoke them.


Idiot!




But this doesn't mean I've given up on giving up. I've now stocked up on enough lozenges to last me weeks, and made sure I have ample supplies at home, at work, and in the jacket I wear every day.
And from tomorrow it's back to 1 or less a day.

Well, it's Sunday night, and the third day of my attempts to become a smoke free zone.

It's been tough, but so far I've had just one cigarette today. And I'm planning on going to bed within the next hour, so might be able to conquer the craving I currently have!

The nicotine lozenges I'm using seem to be doing the job as far as the physical cravings are concerned.

The main problem I've had today has been terrible weather stopping me from doing anything outside and getting any fresh air. Being cooped up has meant that I found it hard to focus on anything long enough to really distract myself.

Although, on the bright side, writing this is helping. So you can expect lots more blog posts as I get more time in my day from not smoking!



Anyone got any good tips for distractions from smoking?

Well, my attempt to cut down and give up on smoking and nicotine is well underway. But it's not easy.
Yesterday was Day 1: 4 cigarettes (Usally 20). 11 smoke free hours.

And today was Day 2: 4 cigarettes again (Dammit). 9 smoke free hours.

I found today much harder because I was at home, and unable to do anything to distract myself effectively. I'd have liked to have spent the day playing videogames or watching films etc to keep my mind occupied, but it just wasn't possible. And the bad weather ruled out going out and getting some free exercise...

But it's early days. I'm aiming to cut down tomorrow as a minimum, and then Monday is the day for stopping completely.

I've currently got a number of blogs and websites. Most are hosted websites and blogs, and I've got a couple that are just for fun on Blogger, including an honest appraisal of the advertising widgets I use, and one of the family cars.

I like using blogger for personal fun stuff, because it's quick and easy.

And quitting smoking is definitely a personal quest. And I want to use this to keep track of my progress above all else. If anyone reads it and finds it helpful, that's a bonus. If anyone happens to click on an advert, or finds helpful books or material on here, that's also a bonus.

But mainly this is just for me, and whatever helps me cut down and quit.

So why do it?

1. I'm a dad and by smoking, I'm harming my child. As an adult, I had the choice to smoke. My child doesn't
2. As I get older, I realise I'm not immortal, and the idea of dying becomes less and less attractive and more and more real.
3. When I was younger I could play sport, smoke, go to the gym, and not feel badly affected. Now I'm not as athletic as I was, smoking seems to be having more and more of an effect.
4. It's more and more expensive.
5. It's not as much fun when I can't sit in a pub and smoke.
6. It's Winter, and if the cigarettes don't kill me, it will be pneumonia from having to go outside to smoke.
7. I'm tired of constantly running out of cigarettes or losing lighters and then running round trying to find them.
8. Despite my best efforts, there are always cigarettes all over the yard.

So that's why. I started today, and so far I've had three cigarettes, and I estimate one more before I go to sleep.

Not a bad start considering I usually average a pack a day. So far my only aid has been nicotine lozenges, which seem to have done the job for a total of 11 hours without smoking today, although I did get a bit of a headache and feel a bit rubbish towards the end of the day.

So:


Day 1. 4 cigarettes (Usally 20). 11 smoke free hours. And the cost of the nicotine lozenges means I've spent about £1 more than normal, but should make that back and more within the next couple of days