I'm now a NON-SMOKER!!

[GPfounder]

Who would have thought it??

Mind you, the choice was kinda taken away from me when I became ill with Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease.

It's rather difficult to smoke when you can't even breathe I now have inhalers to keep me going.

I wasn't able to go 'cold turkey' but I found another way which I found much easier. It took 3 or 4 weeks but it worked in the end.

I used to roll my own as it was much cheaper than buying ready made cigs.
I went to my local health shop who sold a HERB MIXTURE which I mixed with the tobacco. By gradually decreasing the amount of tobacco I used, I soon found that I was off tobacco altogether and as the Herb Mixture is not addictive, I came off that almost as soon as I came off the tobacco.

It may sound a strange way to do it, but it WORKED!!

The other night, someone stopped me in the street and asked for a light for their cig, it was great to answer, SORRY, I DON'T SMOKE!!

I thank God for my second chance, many others don't get that.

 

[BabyandMe]

Congrads on becoming a non smoker! I have to agree it is so wonderful after 24 years of smoking and smelling like a funky ole dirty ashtray it is wonderful to say..........I don't smoke.

 

[Evie1980]

Congragulations! My thoughts and prayers are with you. It doesn't really matter how you did it but I am glad that you did. A lot of the people here have approached quitting differently but that doesn't mean it is right or wrong. If it works for you that is all that counts. Keep us up to date with how you are going and if you need support just send us a line.

God bless

 

[ThunderStormGirl]

WOW, GPfounder, GOOD for you!! Great job. It is so difficult to quit.
The herb mixture thing sounds like a great idea that I might have to try.

~Sarah

 

[GPfounder]

Hi thunderstormgirl

I would suggest that you start with a ratio of 3 parts tobbaco / 1 herbal, especially if you don't like the taste of the herbal, I didn't initially, but found I developed at least a tolerance of it as I increased it's ratio. You may be lucky and find you like the taste of it, in which case you may be able to add more right at the start.

One of the good things with this system is that you can work at your own pace and every little bit of tobbaco that you can cut out means less of the addictive substances.

Another thing is that because you are actually still smoking, you don't struggle with the 'habit' part of giving up. For the main part, nothing changes OUTWARDLY, but of course, the more you exchange tobbaco for herbal, the bigger the change INWARDLY.

The biggest benefit, I think, is that you don't have the 'STRESS' of trying to get through each day without lighting up and the feeling of failure if you do lapse. I think it is the stress that causes a lot of the difficulty in giving up.

Anyway, I hope this helps and that you will succeed as I did.

The illness I mentioned above was in the WINTER of 2003. I tried other methods of giving up before I got onto the herbal stuff, so it was the early part of 2004 (can't remember the month) when I finally kicked it, which means I have been a NON-SMOKER FOR APPROX 18 MONTHS.

BEST WISHES and don't forget to tell us WHEN you have won.

 

[cajunlady]

Great job on quitting smoking. WHATEVER WORKS...God is good ALL THE TIME....God bless....

 

[StarryEyedPea]

Well done mate!
Good news to hear

I have had a poor day today! Only had the one mind, but am cross with myself for having just that one!

I think everyone has their own methods. Mine was to go cold turkey and on the whole has worked. Have had one or two setbacks, but they have just been the odd one, like today, for example.

And its been well over 5 weeks for me now, and its great not to always have that lighter in the bag, and to say i dont smoke!

my big trial is going to be going home to visit in the next few weeks as alot of my friends smoke and i havnt seen them since i stopped smoking.

starry x

 

[Willseeker]

my big trial is going to be going home to visit in the next few weeks as alot of my friends smoke and i havnt seen them since i stopped smoking.

I can really empathise with this fear, since the same one came over me when i went to visit my best friend from varsity (with whom smoking was one of our major activities together with chatting and loads of coffee...)

It was her birthday, so i couldn't really avoid her and it was only 8 days after quitting... What worked?

PRAYER!!! I was praying most of the trip to her home, to be protected from the obvious temptation that lied ahead... And i promise you, i was with her while she smoked and i ended up feeling more pity for her still being hooked than the thought that this might be tempting for myself!

And, don't be so hard on yourself for that one smoke. Just make the decision to stop all over again... (otherwise you might give up on yourself completely). Rather see it as an opportunity which showed you where one of your weaknesses lie, and then choose differently and ask for protection in such moments through prayer!!

 

[white knight]

the point is you no longer smoke congratulations