Just my 2p worth on this topic. I doubt anyone on here has smoked more cigs than I have. I started at 13 or 14 years old and I'm now 63. Up to being 60, I'd never even tried to stop and for many, many years had been on 30 a day minimum. Any cigs would do, £20 a sleeves from Thailand, anything!
In early 2011, I had cause to take someone dear to me to the local cancer hospital for radiation therapy. Every day for 15 days we went and saw some right sights!
Cop a load of this. Both of us were having a smoke outside the hospital before going in, and having another smoke as soon as we got back out again. Now just tell me how daft you can get.
We both decided to quit, but the time was not right. We set April 1st as our stoping day and used the NHS local stop smoking centre, who provided patches, mints, just about whatever you wanted. Neither of us has had a cig since that date.
It can be done, and it was not as bad as I thought. BUT, you have got to want to stop. Don't **** about fooling yourself and wasting your time and possibly other people's as well. YOU HAVE TO WANT TO STOP!!
Never is a big word, but I have finished with the cigs. It was not about money, a smoker will always find that from somewhere. It was about well being.
There were people at the Stop Smoking sessions who had tried time after time and were still smoking. As far as I'm concerned, they should not have been there. They always found a good excuse for still smoking. There was even one guy ther who had lost one lung to lung cancer and he was STILL smoking.
The strange thing is that I'm not anti-smoking. If the lads at work are having a fag break I still go and stand with them to get a bit of passive, it probably never leaves you.
Another thing I didn't know was this. We only have 1 guy at our pub table now who has a smoke. When he comes back in the pub from smoking, HE STINKS. I must have smelled like him for 40 odd years.
I ofter make a statement which I believe to be true, although the staff at the Stop Smoking sessions told it wasn't. Every smoker, if they could wake up tomorrow and be a non smoker, would! The staff told me it is only 70% but I don't believe them, I think it is 100%
Last comment. When I knew I was going to stop somehow, I went to the first session, which was just to see how things worked. There was a guy there who had stopped smoking about 6 months previously and who popped in periodically to touch base. He was a bit younger than me, but had a similar sized habit/addiction. He inspired me! I saw no reason why he and I were really different, if he could crack it - I could (and did) I now go back there periodically on the off chance that someone could be inspired by me.
Steve