• ā„¹ļø Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Has anyone here managed to quit smoking.

For me vaping isn't the same. Tried it. Hated it.

I've never been more than a 10 a day smoker but over the last few years have cut this down to social trips only...I.e. the pub.

Being nearly 40 this doesn't happen all that often now so I'm happy with it.

Also, the price now genuinely puts me off. Ā£15/Ā£16 for 20. Not like the good old days of Ā£2 for 10!
 
Was going to start a thread but glad there's already one here! I've been desperate to quit for ages but have precisely zero willpower. My medical cannabis prescription was partly meant to help bridge the gap but now I just vape that and smoke rollies like a degenerate. I've tried so many different types of smoking replacement vapes and never got along with them.

Recently tried to get a prescription for Champix - the only thing that's ever worked for me (went back on them at Pride a few years ago while hosting 3 shows across 8 hours...) - and it has been taken off the market.

Long story short, smoking is for mugs, DON'T SMOKE KIDS.

Can anyone vouch for hypnosis? I'm willing to try anything. :joycat:
 
My mum succeeded with acupuncture.
Trained to stimulate an earlobe button that took away the craving.
I'm still a smoker, but managed to give up tobacco twenty years ago.
Not touched the stuff since.
 
rob666 said:
My mum succeeded with acupuncture.
Trained to stimulate an earlobe button that took away the craving.
I'm still a smoker, but managed to give up tobacco twenty years ago.
Not touched the stuff since.
Click to expand...
Oh really? Was it a case of going in frequently or was it a one off appointment?!

Well done getting off the baccy, in't it rancid. I tried a tobacco alternative a few weeks back and it tasted how I imagine the inside of a hippies satchel would taste.
 
I own that satchel, be careful.
I think she went three times in total, and it was sort of combined hypnosis and acupuncture, with a second session for the earlobe thing, looked like a plain stud, then a follow up a month later.
Sadly, she left her last two hundred Silk Cut in the bottom drawer in her bedroom, and some fuckwit son smoked them up on her behalf.
Another addiction in the family.
 
rob666 said:
I own that satchel, be careful.
I think she went three times in total, and it was sort of combined hypnosis and acupuncture, with a second session for the earlobe thing, looked like a plain stud, then a follow up a month later.
Sadly, she left her last two hundred Silk Cut in the bottom drawer in her bedroom, and some fuckwit son smoked them up on her behalf.
Another addiction in the family.
Click to expand...
Oh ffs, its done on the earlobes? Mine have large holes through them. CURSE MY TEENAGE DECISIONS.

My ma used to smoke silk cut too and I gave off at her all my childhood about it. Cut to me in London aged 28, try a superking and think "this is like being stoned for 5 minutes at a time, how fun" followed 2 weeks down the line by "and now I'm addicted!". Silly.
 
cloudburster said:
Oh ffs, its done on the earlobes? Mine have large holes through them. CURSE MY TEENAGE DECISIONS.

My ma used to smoke silk cut too and I gave off at her all my childhood about it. Cut to me in London aged 28, try a superking and think "this is like being stoned for 5 minutes at a time, how fun" followed 2 weeks down the line by "and now I'm addicted!". Silly.
Click to expand...
Na, you can have it done on the top of the lobe as well.
And old gits with saggy old 'oles in their earoles.
Thirty year on new age traveller echoes...
 
cloudburster said:
Was going to start a thread but glad there's already one here! I've been desperate to quit for ages but have precisely zero willpower. My medical cannabis prescription was partly meant to help bridge the gap but now I just vape that and smoke rollies like a degenerate. I've tried so many different types of smoking replacement vapes and never got along with them.

Recently tried to get a prescription for Champix - the only thing that's ever worked for me (went back on them at Pride a few years ago while hosting 3 shows across 8 hours...) - and it has been taken off the market.

Long story short, smoking is for mugs, DON'T SMOKE KIDS.

Can anyone vouch for hypnosis? I'm willing to try anything. :joycat:
Click to expand...
Not going to lie, I was in your situation and I wish I could provide you with some comfort. I was over 30 a day at one point and tried for years. But my relationship with it is now quite complex.

I tried all the usual stuff like gum, and settled on vaping. It's not the same at all as it only feeds the nicotine addiction and not the other stuff. But it's that fact that ended up helping me. So I started looking in to why it's not the same. Tobacco companies employ scientists, academics, highly educated people. The kind of people that should really be using their talents for pharmaceuticals and medicine to benefit human health. But their job is to refine exact chemical mixtures to provide a desired hit in your brain every time you light up. That's pure evil in my book.

But it's quite a strange part of my personality. I always knew that tobacco companies were evil enterprises. In knew it was wrong from the start. The NHS and the media wouldn't tell me what to do! I know better and you only live once! That was the ridiculous view that I had as a youngster that I can't justify. So I tried to apply that rediclous "no one tells me what to do like a sheep" logic to quitting.

First I found out the above information and that put me off and I cut back but was still struggling. Then I started to get guilty about my 2 toddlers staring at me through the patio windows wondering what on earth I was doing. My partner was pregnant with our daughter and I thought wouldn't it be wonderful if she never saw me smoke and my toddlers (now teenagers) would hardly ever have any memories of it. If I can't do it for them then who can I do it for? Then a heavy chain smoker of 50 years in my family just dropped it and quit one day. I wasn't having that! He can just drop it like that whilst I'm fannying around with 10 packs like a sissy?

I'm not really good at many things in life. Failure at school. I'm clumsy. I make poor decisions. Miserable outlook on most things, glass is usually half empty. I struggle to get up some mornings, especially if it's raining and grey outside. I've never been good at sport. I miss the point of a lot of things and I'm a slow learner. But I'm Bipolar and there is a good side to it. Nothing gets me going in life like someone telling me I'm a looser. Teachers telling me I'm a waster who could only aspire to being a Tesco trolley boy? F*** you, after failing all but one GCSE I worked round the clock and managed to get a decent job eventually. Those memories that education wasn't for me? Sod 'em. Yes it's kind of taking over almost everything in my life right now and I have to put extra effort in, but I'm studying for a degree in my 40's, doing rather well and finally passed my maths 2 weeks ago (25 years late). Tough to loose weight? Lost 30% of my body weight a few years ago in 6 months (since put it back on like an idiot). The NHS telling me "awe poppet, it's hard to quit isn't it?". F*** off, this guy quit just like that so don't tell me it can't be done, it was my choice to start and it'll be my choice to quit.

It gets more complicated with my relationship with it now. After 2 weeks of being off the fags, I left my vape at home one day accidentally. After I stopped panicking I just got over it. 2 weeks in and I wasn't going to go back. But then I had a spell shall we say a few years ago where I wasn't too well. Someone offered me a fag and I almost started full time again. Went back on the vapes but can now smoke some fags and not touch them again for weeks. Gives me some sort of rewarding power in my strange mind that I can control that. I realise the irony that I've given back in to both again. Maybe this thread has spurred me to sort it out again?

I'm sorry if this is no help to you as I understand what I've just said is rather strange and I've kind of almost gone full circle. But something triggers me about being told I can't do something. But picture me as some idiot maybe and think "well if that extremely annoying guy on TST has quit fags a couple times, and he's a right tosser, then surely I can!". And you can, I promise you.
 
Matt.GC said:
Not going to lie, I was in your situation and I wish I could provide you with some comfort. I was over 30 a day at one point and tried for years. But my relationship with it is now quite complex.

I tried all the usual stuff like gum, and settled on vaping. It's not the same at all as it only feeds the nicotine addiction and not the other stuff. But it's that fact that ended up helping me. So I started looking in to why it's not the same. Tobacco companies employ scientists, academics, highly educated people. The kind of people that should really be using their talents for pharmaceuticals and medicine to benefit human health. But their job is to refine exact chemical mixtures to provide a desired hit in your brain every time you light up. That's pure evil in my book.

But it's quite a strange part of my personality. I always knew that tobacco companies were evil enterprises. In knew it was wrong from the start. The NHS and the media wouldn't tell me what to do! I know better and you only live once! That was the ridiculous view that I had as a youngster that I can't justify. So I tried to apply that rediclous "no one tells me what to do like a sheep" logic to quitting.

First I found out the above information and that put me off and I cut back but was still struggling. Then I started to get guilty about my 2 toddlers staring at me through the patio windows wondering what on earth I was doing. My partner was pregnant with our daughter and I thought wouldn't it be wonderful if she never saw me smoke and my toddlers (now teenagers) would hardly ever have any memories of it. If I can't do it for them then who can I do it for? Then a heavy chain smoker of 50 years in my family just dropped it and quit one day. I wasn't having that! He can just drop it like that whilst I'm fannying around with 10 packs like a sissy?

I'm not really good at many things in life. Failure at school. I'm clumsy. I make poor decisions. Miserable outlook on most things, glass is usually half empty. I struggle to get up some mornings, especially if it's raining and grey outside. I've never been good at sport. I miss the point of a lot of things and I'm a slow learner. But I'm Bipolar and there is a good side to it. Nothing gets me going in life like someone telling me I'm a looser. Teachers telling me I'm a waster who could only aspire to being a Tesco trolley boy? F*** you, after failing all but one GCSE I worked round the clock and managed to get a decent job eventually. Those memories that education wasn't for me? Sod 'em. Yes it's kind of taking over almost everything in my life right now and I have to put extra effort in, but I'm studying for a degree in my 40's, doing rather well and finally passed my maths 2 weeks ago (25 years late). Tough to loose weight? Lost 30% of my body weight a few years ago in 6 months (since put it back on like an idiot). The NHS telling me "awe poppet, it's hard to quit isn't it?". F*** off, this guy quit just like that so don't tell me it can't be done, it was my choice to start and it'll be my choice to quit.

It gets more complicated with my relationship with it now. After 2 weeks of being off the fags, I left my vape at home one day accidentally. After I stopped panicking I just got over it. 2 weeks in and I wasn't going to go back. But then I had a spell shall we say a few years ago where I wasn't too well. Someone offered me a fag and I almost started full time again. Went back on the vapes but can now smoke some fags and not touch them again for weeks. Gives me some sort of rewarding power in my strange mind that I can control that. I realise the irony that I've given back in to both again. Maybe this thread has spurred me to sort it out again?

I'm sorry if this is no help to you as I understand what I've just said is rather strange and I've kind of almost gone full circle. But something triggers me about being told I can't do something. But picture me as some idiot maybe and think "well if that extremely annoying guy on TST has quit fags a couple times, and he's a right tosser, then surely I can!". And you can, I promise you.
Click to expand...
Not remotely strange and definitely very helpful! I could listen to people sharing their perspectives all day everyday, and it's helpful to hear your honesty about it. The 'and I just got over it' part is so relatable - I did just that last time I quit. It seems to get harder and harder the older I get ooooh matron as my motivation and determination disappear into oblivion. I can't wrap my head around vapes - theres so many varieties and coils and ampage and I just get lost, but even at that I've never had one that I've thought 'yes, this will do'. I was medically retired from work last year which meant I had so much more time on my hands which in turn increased my feg intake.

I will get there eventually! I've just found out I can get Champix off label via a Ā£120 prescription, so might just bite the bullet and do that since I know it works for me. Private is our new normal I guess. Thank you for taking the time to share!
 
I managed to quit years ago, probably in 2007 I think, and havenā€™t smoked since, never even been tempted in fact.

I first tried to quit using Nicorette gum but what really worked for me was reading that book Alan Carrā€™s Easy Way To Stop Smoking (no, not by the Chatty Man but a well known author of stopping smoking books). Itā€™s a fantastic book as it breaks the physiological bonds you have to smoking which is such an important component of stopping smoking and is arguably just as important as the physical addiction you have to smoking as well. The book promises that if you start reading it and carry on all the way through to the end youā€™ll successfully quit smoking an that was indeed my experience with it.
 
Shaggy_Dog_ said:
I managed to quit years ago, probably in 2007 I think, and havenā€™t smoked since, never even been tempted in fact.

I first tried to quit using Nicorette gum but what really worked for me was reading that book Alan Carrā€™s Easy Way To Stop Smoking (no, not by the Chatty Man but a well known author of stopping smoking books). Itā€™s a fantastic book as it breaks the physiological bonds you have to smoking which is such an important component of stopping smoking and is arguably just as important as the physical addiction you have to smoking as well. The book promises that if you start reading it and carry on all the way through to the end youā€™ll successfully quit smoking an that was indeed my experience with it.
Click to expand...
I've had a copy sitting on my bedside cabinet for 3 months now, I should probably read it before I spend Ā£120 on meds haha.
 
Recommend going onto maximum strength nicotine salt vapes. Maximum quality (and cost) not the vape shop crap.

After I stopped smoking I went onto the myBlu blueberry salt vapes. The nicotine combined with the sourness made them way more addictive than cigarettes ever were, and it kept me off them. During lockdown I ended up using the vape basically 16 hours a day and then it affected my sleep so I gave it up cold turkey. I'd recommend the approach as daft as it sounds, put yourself clear of tobacco with a new addiction and then build yourself to a sense of relief by stopping vaping instantly when it feels right. For me it took about 3 years post cigarettes, but the benefits are immediate once tobacco is given up.

So, just brought myself up to date and looks like blu is nicotine salt by default now - what a surprised these people are in the business of addiction.

Good luck, it can be done.
 
Tom said:
Recommend going onto maximum strength nicotine salt vapes. Maximum quality (and cost) not the vape shop crap.

After I stopped smoking I went onto the myBlu blueberry salt vapes. The nicotine combined with the sourness made them way more addictive than cigarettes ever were, and it kept me off them. During lockdown I ended up using the vape basically 16 hours a day and then it affected my sleep so I gave it up cold turkey. I'd recommend the approach as daft as it sounds, put yourself clear of tobacco with a new addiction and then build yourself to a sense of relief by stopping vaping instantly when it feels right. For me it took about 3 years post cigarettes, but the benefits are immediate once tobacco is given up.

So, just brought myself up to date and looks like blu is nicotine salt by default now - what a surprised these people are in the business of addiction.

Good luck, it can be done.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the delay in responding but this is v helpful! I've tried a bunch of different vapes and only ever got on with one type, I think it was a cartridge/pod system, Logic Pro. I bought one again 2 years ago and it was like inhaling razorblades! Also tried a tank style vape and found the same and tbh alot of the coil stuff baffles me even now! I remember trying the Blu vapes back in like 2018 or so and they were alright. Might bite the bullet and order one to see how I get on...I'm building a collection of useless vape tech now haha.

I really just need something to replace smoking for a few weeks. I feel like once I kick the addiction side I can carry on using my dry herb vape to scratch that itch. Starting smoking was absolutely 100% the dumbest thing I've ever done. Imagine getting addicted near 30 years old, madness! Thanks again for your input, will update if I get one of the Blu vapes!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tom
After a trip to the dentist yesterday where I was treated to a 3d scan of my teeth in all their cosmic, existential horror, I've decided to go cold turkey today when my tobacco runs out. The fear is real and my wallet is crying with dental dread and anticipation in the corner as we speak. It was like looking at a rotating 3d preview of some awful, haunted cave level in a Sega Saturn game, only the horrors are in yer own gob. I was zooming in and out, it was extremely odd, like being able to look behind your own eyes or something. But, it worked. I'm armed with the audiobook and physical copy of Alan Carr's method and the knowledge that being a smoker involves forever making excuses for stopping (but the cravings, but my vape isn't great, but stress, but i dont understand vapes, but etc), so here we are. Wish me luck. :sweatsmile:
 
cloudburster said:
After a trip to the dentist yesterday where I was treated to a 3d scan of my teeth in all their cosmic, existential horror, I've decided to go cold turkey today when my tobacco runs out. The fear is real and my wallet is crying with dental dread and anticipation in the corner as we speak. It was like looking at a rotating 3d preview of some awful, haunted cave level in a Sega Saturn game, only the horrors are in yer own gob. I was zooming in and out, it was extremely odd, like being able to look behind your own eyes or something. But, it worked. I'm armed with the audiobook and physical copy of Alan Carr's method and the knowledge that being a smoker involves forever making excuses for stopping (but the cravings, but my vape isn't great, but stress, but i dont understand vapes, but etc), so here we are. Wish me luck. :sweatsmile:
Click to expand...
Good luck. John Lennon on repeat. Kick the vape too.
 
Keep on keeping on brother.
My three week sicknote for benign lump removal in my neck runs out today.
Twin warthins...absolute standard for smokers...eight times more likely in smokers than non smokers.
There endeth todays lesson.
Still smoking, but far far less, and I've not done tobacco in decades.
Keep it up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top