So over quitting!
Hi All,
For 40 years I've loved smoking while enjoying a few drinks - either with people or on my own. My husband does the same. The two go hand in hand for both of us. Oddly, we never even think of smoking at any other time, and actually hate walking into the wake of someone else's smoke in the street, or around buildings.
I smoke on average 6-8 cigarettes a night, and try to have smoke free days each week. But then again, I tend to binge more on weekends. My husband smokes every night.
For the past 14 years, I've nagged him about us both quitting, to varying degrees of success. I will often stop for a week or more (and once for 9 weeks - he did too), but then I always eventually give into temptation when I see him smoking, and bam! I'm back on the wheel again.
I'm so heartily sick of it, and have convinced him to give quitting a serious go this time. I can see he's struggling, and he won't use any aids other than cutting right back on alcohol, which we're both doing, although I can still enjoy 2 or 3 drinks without feeling the need to smoke. It's much harder for him.
Anyway, today is Day 5. So far so good, but the day is young. :-)
Good luck. I always wished i could just smoke socially but seeing people who do that also want to quit makes me re think that.
I hope you and your husband can support each other and quit for good.
Thanks Clare. Isn't it ironic though? Smoking used to be "social", but now you feel like a pariah everywhere!
Im the only one who smokes! so depressing. My main concern is the social situations when im out drinking. Always a big trigger for me. But my main one is when my sister comes to visit. She only smokes when shes with me and pretty much every time I've given up I have gotten together with her and end up starting again! Hopefully this time will be different
That used to be the case for me - being in a social situation, drinking and smoking - and loving doing both. But as it's become so unacceptable everywhere, I became resigned to that, and then only lit up when I got home. Now the most dangerous time for me is when my husband and I get home from work, as that's when we'd always go and sit outside and enjoy a few drinks and cigs before dinner. It's the habit breaking that's the hardest, and stupidly feels like a loss of sorts.
Know what you mean. I want to give up. I hate the cost the smell and it takes me away from my kids but there is still that part that feels like im losing something, or not sure how non smokers do it. how do they NOT smoke.
Im lucky my husband doesnt smoke but at the same time, he'swatch me try to quit so many times I'm really hoping I can do it this time.
Champix certainly helps (for a heavy smoker) but not reacting well on it this time so considering switching to NRT but feel like thats giving up
Clare - you and I started our smoking careers in a similar way. I was 14, but by 16, was allowed to smoke at home. Both of my parents smoked, and it just so happened that my father was a Senior Executive at Rothmans, so guess what our pantry was constantly stocked with? And as it was the 70's, parties at our place were great! Little glasses filled with free cigarettes placed on tables everywhere for everyone to help themselves! So how was I NOT to smoke? My brother is a smoker too. But I can't go on blaming my parents - that was a long, LONG time ago, and I should have gotten it under control by now. And you'd think that far from being a heavy smoker, it'd be a cynch, but it ain't, and as it's still holiday season, there's always that ever present late afternoon temptation.
But we WILL do it, won't we? :-)
Kaydee, your story sounds just like mine. The wife and I smoke together with a few drinks of an evening, the problem for us has been we've gone from 2 nights a weeks to 5-6. We’re both adamant to quit together this time (Champax for her cold turkey for me) and our last smoke was with our last drink NYE. This weekend will be a test. Can I have a beer without a smoke? What do we do if we don’t drink and smoke together? What’s on TV on a Friday night? :-). My 2 main reasons for quitting are fitness (struggling to breath during any form of exercise) and $$$ ($35 a pack). Good luck getting through the weekend, hopefully we can both report in on Monday that we didn’t give in.
Hi Paul, and thanks! Tonight will be a huge test as Fridays have always been our heaviest nights.
Happy to report in on Monday - good luck to us all!
Hello Kaydee, I hope you've been strong. Yolanda(wife) wasn't keen to have a drink due to possible temptation but I've had a few this arvo and there is no way I want a smoke. I read an article about the Ciigerette tax and it really confirmed I don't want to give extra tax if don't have to. I hope you can say you've made it.
Hi Paul - yep, so far so good. We were sorely tempted last night as we did our usual, which is sitting outside on a Friday night enjoying some drinks. Weren't quite as chatty tho as normal as we were both thinking about it. None tonight - not even a drink, as Peter (husband) isn't feeling too good. So a night of neither will be good for us both!
Keep up the good work! :)
Yolanda cant understand how I can have a drink without Smokes, But I'm stubborn, I'm doing this and I hope you can too
Hi Clare and Paul - how are you both going? Husband and I are doing well this time - so far. I actually don't want to smoke at the minute, and perhaps the heat is having something to do with it, but Hubby doesn't appear to be doing it too tough either.
Well done to you both. We're still smoke free. Last night Yolanda mentioned that she was hanging for one and she still isn't game to have a drink. The biggest thing for me is to support her and keep her off them (one in all in) so if that means changing our social/drinking habit’s for a while so be it. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Paul - and good on you two too. Wow! Yolanda's VERY strong, being able to give up both! I think I'd be pretty miserable and irritable if I wasn't able to have any wine as well!
problems? Friday night! I'm having a beer but Yolanda has got home from work ignoring me and watching "s--t" inside. I want to support her but surely this is a 2 way street.
Agh! The wheels are falling off here! Hubby's having a couple and I'm sorely tempted. He's promised me he's going to buy some sort of help tomorrow so I'm not going to get on his case, but am I going to join him???? Yolanda just obviously doesn't trust herself and yes it should be a 2 way street but I get that everyone has to handle quitting their own way. Not easy is an understatement!!!!
How did you go? Again I'm sitting here talking to myself, starting to question our relationship? We drank /smoked/bet. But now what? I want us to both quit but I also want a friend!! Not sure what to do.
Hi Paul - still doing ok. Quitting can be a lonely business even if you are doing it with a partner. We often sit in silence, each thinking about having a cigarette but not wanting to say it out loud for fear of pushing ourselves or each other off course. Hang in there - I know it does get easier with time because I've done it before - the first few weeks are the worst because it's all new, and you feel like you're missing out on something.
G'day Kaydee, it's that time of the week again, we've been strong again/still. Yolanda wants a smoke but I'm reminding her of the cost, $450 saved so far. How are you and hubby going?
Hiya Paul ... I'm in two minds about saying this on this forum, but as we've become quit buddies, I'm going to come clean and say that we're actually having a couple tonight! Agh!!!! That's not to say we're going to start up where we left off; we've done sooo well - esp hubby - but tonight is an exception, and we'll be back on the band wagon again tomorrow, when we realise, yet again, how well we've done, how much better we've felt, and like you, how much money we've saved!!! Do you hate me now? 😞
Hate you? I love you! Some of the things you've said have enabled me to be 20 Days free and $450 richer. I'm disappointed with myself for not having the words and being more inspirational to keep you going. Don't take this the wrong way but I hope to hear from you in the morning whinging about the taste in your mouth.
Ooooh yes! Always hate myself whenever I falter. BUT ... It's a long road, with hiccups along the way. The best thing is we've realised what we have to do. Quit. And I prefer to think of all those fags we HAVENT had, rather than the few we're having tonight after a very tough week. This week has sucked BIG time!
I'm thinking I won't be speaking to you soon. This sounds like you've given in. We've all had hard weeks that's called life!. Please hang in there. I need your positive thoughts. A couple on weekends Will end up full time, you know it I know it