Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Quit smoking

I had a very close friend who was a manager of quite a large company. Something of a father figure for me as he was about 30 years older than me. He became interested in hypnotherapy when his daughter was unfortunately diagnosed with an incurable cancer. It started as meditation sessions with her and then progressed from there with some advice from his son who was a medical practitioner. Eventually in retirement he became a professional hypnotherapist. He discovered that he had particular success with some skin complaints and finished up with a specialist referring cases to him.

To return to the original topic.

Alis found herself with only one cigarette after an evening at home with guests. The next morning was market day and when she walked past the tobacconist she thought that since she does not smoke at the markets she would buy them on the way home. At that point she thought to herself that since she had managed for several hours perhaps the time had come to make a serious attempt to stop. Unknown to her I had bought a packet for her the day before but I did not say anything and was waiting till she asked. After a couple of days she announced to the family that she had decided to stop. At that point I got rid of the cigarettes because I was already contemplating begging her to start smoking again.

It took about a month for her to get over the cranky, bad temper, stage and several months to really stop coughing and clear the residue from her lungs. She did not use any aids but did, and still does, chew a lot of chewing gum and has put on some weight. It is now nearly 2 years and she has arrived at the point where even though she still occasionally desires a cigarette she can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke.

I myself tapered off when I was about 30 progressed from a packet a day, the a pipe, then about 5 cigarettes a day until a severe throat infection caused me to stop. I did have a very occasional small cigar after a meal with one of my friends who had that habit but stopped even that when I realised that the combination of red wine and a cigar always gave me a hang over

Here's my small contribution to your decision Heinz. I smoked from 16 to 23 years old. I found the "I'll never smoke another cigarette" approach didn't work for me. I noticed that when work colleagues tempted me in every way, lighting them ready for me etc. I found that my pride kicked in and the more they tempted me the stronger was my urge to refuse. But if I had no cigarettes on me I just continually focussed on wanting one. So I bought a packet and opened it. Put them in my pocket and whenever I wanted one I just decided to delay it for ten minutes. These delays got progressively longer and gradually the desires dropped away.Eventually I gave the unused open pack away. Delay, delay, that's how I did it.
But everyone is different........
Good luck Heinz. Not smoking is freedom from automatic, habitual desire.
Nick

I didnt no. My Mum did but it never worked for her.

Im sure hypnotherapy does work for some and helps as a supplement for people with the want to stop. However I firmly believe you will not stop smoking until you truly deep down believe in yourself you want to stop. When that happens, its easy.
For me it was like a light going on. Just one day I decided that was it, no more cancer sticks.

Exactly. That is what hypnotherapy will do, it will put that light on for you.

I stopped smoking about four years ago and started vaping. All indications and research shows vaping is 95% less harmful than cigarettes. I was on a half ounce of Old Holborn a day and I don't miss it at all. You can vary the nicotine content of the liquid from zero to eighteen mg. depending on what works for you. These things should be on the NHS. Forget patches and gum.
BTW - That's a vape pipe in the avatar.

I was a very heavy smoker - from my early teens to my 50's. I gave up overnight when I needed a heart operation and now use a vape.... the vape made it much easier to give up and I intend reducing the nicotine and then stopping that too.

I am very grateful for the large number of very helpful and valuable answers and recommendations. I just thought that here in the forum many participants have smoked in the past because it was just the mainstream. All you have to do is watch a movie from the 70s or 80s, just about every man and woman smokes. That's why I thought some of you might have quit in the meantime, otherwise some of you might not be as fit today as Morgan drivers.

I have always played down all health concerns and defiantly defended my smoking point of view. That was of course also a bit childish and unreasonable.
Since the middle of July I had two weeks of very unpleasant bronchitis. Almost on the threshold of COPD symptoms. That has now, strangely enough with a time lag, been one of the triggers to change something.

I will value all tips, strategies and help very seriously and think about what I can try out and what comes into consideration for me. The first step was definitely to tell you and also to my family that I want to reduce smoking. If it really is a complete stop, all the better. Today it was just one cigarette until now. But as some of you are saying here, I want to see the reduction as a success of my decision from cigarette to cigarette and not (too much) as a punishment and a ban. I will get you posted, let‘s say in 6 months from now.

Yes, I smoked from age 13 until I was 35 and then stopped. No patches, no pills, no needles / hypnosis. I just stopped. Not for the first time but for the last time. I had a bit of help - my wife lined up the kids t say "stop smoking daddy, we dont want you to die". And a few weeks later when I was weakening, on a buinsees trip and in the bar, a work colleague took a cigarette out of my mouth before I lit it. I have been grateful to him ever since.

I did get withdrawal sysmptoms. The shakes, sleepless nights, a streaming cold as the hairs in my nose grew back. Some friends werent addicted and stopped easily - I was addicted.

The key is the first few days. If you can make say 7 days then whenever you feel yourself weakening you can think of the pain you have already been through, and stopping becomes a sort of bandwagon. It also helps if people offer you cigarettes - the more you are tempted, the more you refuse, the stronger the will becomes. "I'll show the buggers!"

That might be me. Circumstances meant that I didnt have an alcoholic drink for a fortnight some 3 years ago, and before I knew it this mentality had kicked in and I havent had a drink since then. It sounds daft because I dont really want to be TT, but I know that I will be disappointed with myself if I give in and have a drink. So I go out for a meal determined to have a drink and fail to do so every time so far. After the first few days, it was the same with fags except that I didnt want to restart.

I guess what I am saying is that its all in the mind. You may well try to stop and fail. It may happen several times as it did with me. And then suddenly you will try again and succeed. When you do its vital that you regard yourself as in remission. Dont ever make the mistake of thinking " I've beaten it and can have a xmas cigar". I did that one and it was 20 cigarillos a day within a week.

My mother gave up smoking in her 80s and it made a big difference to her health.

P.S. I can relate to your car comments. When I was a heavy smoker, I never smoked when driving hard and never even noticed that I wasnt smoking. Same thing with exams, which I have always enjoyed doing. Concentation kills the desire to smoke.

I have given up drink, it has been many years since I had one and still feel good about not drinking!

A Doctor once said " if alcoholic drinks were invented today, they would never legalise it!"

Go into a City Centre any Saturday night or worse still A&E....and drink related incidents are a shockingly big % of injuries and crime....

Agree completely - spent about 8 years working as a doorman. Interestingly, once a month we'd have night that attracted lots of potheads - was always our quietest night....everyone too stoned to fight