Quitting with other smokers around...

[Still winning]

There are a few of us I think (sarge and mason come to mind straight off).  Please chip in with your thoughts, these are just mine.

 

I think it can be easy to say it's too hard to quit whilst others around you smoke. I told myself that for 14 years :( That was just from my last quit. My other thing was quitting with one of them, however, this just meant much "good job, back thumping" when we "only smoked one" or something. I get the quit buddy thing can work, but it was tragic for me.

 

I used the fact that I COULD smoke but CHOSE not to. I asked for smoking outside (refused!) and I asked them to hide their cigs till I was comfortable. At it's core though the decision was made so I used the smokers to watch for why I wouldn't. So I would watch my Mum or partner smoke, and watch for the "catch" and the "cough" and think "THAT WILL NOT BE ME AGAIN". In a way I made it contribute to my quit!!  Do not doubt I could have snatched it out of their hands a million times!!  I didn't though. 

 

My quit showed them a quit was possible though. They are both quit now for their own reasons. 

 

I understand why my children wrinked their noses sometimes when I kissed or cuddled them. They LOVE the smoke free life :)  

 

It defo sucks at times, I will not lie and say it doesn't. BUT

-it does not suck 30-40 times a day.

-It does not suck the same as hell or heck week.

-It does not suck like no mans land.

-It's just thoughts, they make me mad, they make me grumpy for a few seconds - then I smash them back from whence they came. 

 

The other thing I did was say my life was too stressful! Duh, smoking caused me more stress more times a day then not smoking did. I lit 30-40 cigarettes a day. At my worst point my craves were about 10-15 a day, this diminished greatly with every week that past with a few random jumps.

 

It really is ok and it can absolutely be done!!

[JackiMac]

Marti my son is still smoking and is a heavy smoker, ranging from cigarettes to roll ups, I really thought that watching him and seeing him smoke would be a trigger for me, but it only re enforces my quit in that he absolutely STINKS!! no other words to describe it but STINKY, and I ask myself every day how the hell could I not realise that I smelt like that, he is not ready to quit yet, and says he does't want to, I remember being 22 and thinking smoking would not harm me!!  Some days are really bad and the thought of smoking overwhelms me but I stop and tell myself its only a thought and do I want to be back to that stage of smoking and wishing I didn't.  Being almost at 6 months is amazing and I am not going to lose it for anything at all xx

[El Bandito]

Right attitude Marti.

 

La Bandita carried on for a week when I quit, and I used it to reinforce.

 

A lot of guys at work smoke. We used to finalise a lot of stuff up at the smoking area. For a couple of days, I continued to go up. Then I said that I could not continue going up there.

 

"Oh sorry! Too tempting?"

 

"No. Just too gross" I replied....

[Still winning]

Sarge, Mason, Holski??  

 

I am trying to answer a question and my friend could use your help. x