Just over 3 years ago I was a smoker as was my then girlfriend (now wife).
Despite what people say, it's safe to say everyone is at least a "20 a day" person - the amount of people who claim to not smoke a pack a day, as if getting to a full pack makes it a little worse than it actually is.
We both decided to quite for a couple of reasons.
Firstly we were about to move in together and looking around at places a lot of them were "non smokers only" so by being smokers we didn't have so many options open to use.
Also as we were both on a pack a day, look at it as £8 a day - at least £240 a month and that was going to go a fair way towards the rent we would need once we moved in.
So at midnight one Saturday evening we had our last cigarette, we destroyed what we had left in our packs and so we started the end game.
We both went for the "Cold Turkey" option.
No gum, no books, no CDs, No DVD's, no substitutes, no slowly cutting back.
We went from 20 a day smokers at midnight to waking up on the Sunday morning as ex-smokers.
3 Years later and we have neither smoked since.
My wife is actually one day up on me as at the end of the day on the Sunday (first day of us stopping) I found an old pack in my jacket pocket with a single cigarette in and I smoked it.
The first day was hell, the first week wasn't easy but as time passed it became easier and easier.
"Cold Turkey" will only work if you've got willpower and really do want to give up and those first few days are hell.
However I stand here now over three years later, occasionally tempted but never once (see above) having gone back to the cancer sticks and both the wife and myself are happy people.
We don't smell like we used to as smokers, we can go where we please to eat & drink (although since the smoking ban I guess everyone can).
We fell better for it and above all we are no longer throwing money away and killing ourselves.
Despite what people say, it's safe to say everyone is at least a "20 a day" person - the amount of people who claim to not smoke a pack a day, as if getting to a full pack makes it a little worse than it actually is.
We both decided to quite for a couple of reasons.
Firstly we were about to move in together and looking around at places a lot of them were "non smokers only" so by being smokers we didn't have so many options open to use.
Also as we were both on a pack a day, look at it as £8 a day - at least £240 a month and that was going to go a fair way towards the rent we would need once we moved in.
So at midnight one Saturday evening we had our last cigarette, we destroyed what we had left in our packs and so we started the end game.
We both went for the "Cold Turkey" option.
No gum, no books, no CDs, No DVD's, no substitutes, no slowly cutting back.
We went from 20 a day smokers at midnight to waking up on the Sunday morning as ex-smokers.
3 Years later and we have neither smoked since.
My wife is actually one day up on me as at the end of the day on the Sunday (first day of us stopping) I found an old pack in my jacket pocket with a single cigarette in and I smoked it.
The first day was hell, the first week wasn't easy but as time passed it became easier and easier.
"Cold Turkey" will only work if you've got willpower and really do want to give up and those first few days are hell.
However I stand here now over three years later, occasionally tempted but never once (see above) having gone back to the cancer sticks and both the wife and myself are happy people.
We don't smell like we used to as smokers, we can go where we please to eat & drink (although since the smoking ban I guess everyone can).
We fell better for it and above all we are no longer throwing money away and killing ourselves.
