I have been advised by my surgeon to quit smoking at least 2 weeks before my chest surgery. I am a heavy smoker and quitting smoking is stressing me out as much as worrying about the op and the more I am worrying about the op the more I seem to smoke. I know a lot of you will maybe think I am being a wimp and how lucky I am to be at this stage in my transition but I have quit smoking on numerous occasions in the past and failed. I do want to stop but have severe problems doing so especially as far as my work is concerned even when using nicotine replacements. I have used patches, gum, inhaler, even snuff for a brief period but I act that cranky even the guys I work with who wanted me to stop told me to get some cigs. I have got down from 60-80 a day to 40-50 a day since the smoking ban. I have asked a few people for advice and had varying responses such as lying to the surgeon down to quitting my job. I have worked at the same firm now for 20 years and would rather not quit as it is a small family company and they have been excellent in supporting me through my transition. Any help or advice, particularly from heavy smokers who have succeeded would be very much appreciated.

I have had my lungs checked out by a doctor (on more than 1 occasion) and she said she told my partner she desperately wanted to say they were suffering and that I had to stop smoking but could not find anything wrong with my lungs or breathing (she said she couldn't believe I smoke the amount I do) so the issue is more to do with the healing process after the op re oxygenation reduction in the blood caused by smoking.


What makes this whole situation more urgent is that I spoke with the hospital staff last week regarding a date when the surgery will be done and have been told it could be as soon as the next few weeks but can't give a solid date.

John

Hi John

I recommend the book Easyway To Give Up Smoking by Allen Carr. It addresses precisely the issues that you have raised.

I used to smoke 40 Marlboro a day when I was younger, 60 at weekends. I stopped three years ago and wild horses wouldn't drag me back to it.

Don't go running to the NHS and their will-power methods and above all, avoid nicotine replacement therapies. They're exactly what you're trying to leave alone!

The interesting thing about Allen Carr's method is that you continue to smoke while reading the book. You'll want to stop long before you reach the end of the book.

Buy online at Amazon

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Thanks for the quick reply Reenie. I will look into this as it is a method I have not tried before and I agree that the replacements just keep the (chemical) addiction running for much longer thus prolonging the agony. Is Allen Carr the comedian Allen Carr or someone else? Before you succeeded did you try the replacement optins and find them to be of no use and also, if you don't mind me asking, did you get any significant weight gain after quitting?

Not the comedian. This Allen Carr, sadly no longer with us, was an accountant who used to smoke 100 a day until he had a brainwave.

I had several attempts at stopping (it's easy to fall back into the trap), but during these times that I stopped I did not put on weight (the book deals with this any way). I have put on weight since, but that's accounted for by HRT.

I had tried cold turkey once before and went eighteen months before succumbing again.

At one point in the book, he asks you to concentrate on the taste of the smoke. Smokers learn to block this taste very early on. Try it and see what happens...

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My mum went to our GP and got some tablets. you set a date you want to stop smoking by take these tablets and carry on smoking by the time you get to the set day you should either have stopped or be ready to stop.

They do something that takes away the pleasure of smoking. my mum said that half way through she couldnt understand why she was doing it, and that it was nice at all. she hasn't smoked since lol
Can't for the life off me remember what it was called, but im pretty certain its not like nicotine patchs, they work differently.

Jess

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The two thinks I was going to suggest - Allen Carr's book and Champix - have already been suggested! However, I know people who have had good results from each of those.

Personally, I used sheer bloody-mindedness when I quit smoking, and at first it was just a case of saying to myself that I wasn't going to smoke TODAY, and that tomorrow could take care of itself when it happened. That gradually extended itself to this week, then this month, and now nothing would make me start again!

Good luck with it, and remember - you CAN do it!

Dave

One day at a time is a standard recipe for beating addiction, just as one foot in front of the other will get you up a mountain.

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Whoa whoa whoa!

Import message here!

DO NOT GO NEAR CHAMPIX aka Varenicline!
Depression, pychosis and suicide are real side effects of this drug. Many employers now insist that thier employees do not turn up to work under its effects too. Seriously hun, find another way. ANY other way and I dont mean Zyban.

Allan Carr I view with much sceptism because I did actualy buy his book but found it to do nothing but irritate me. That's my personal reaction, but you may have a different reaction to it. It's pretty cheap so you havent lost much.

As for NRT, they might be worth a try too. Remember, the NHS can prescribe these for free. I personaly recomend lozenges as they seemed to deal with most of my nicotine cravings. Just remember, you can deal with the nicotine cravings with NRT, but not the habits and also the pleasure you lose. That part is up to willpower if you need to quit.

Please please please do not go near those anti-smoking drugs though. They can really do a LOT more harm than good and there's currently over 3,000 cases of mental disturbances caused by Champix by Bupa and 9,000 on Zyban. It is a real risk. Nothing is worth losing your mind over!

I really do wish you the best of luck with this though. I'll be having my battle with my rollies at op time (I'll be damned if I give up for HRT!) so you're not the only one here who doesnt want to give up.

-Rachel

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I look back at most of my life and think "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!??"

would nicotine gum be a much safer option?

Just curious to know about it.

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I look back at most of my life and think "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!??"

ok thanks for letting me know

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Misery is my company, why do I stand out from the rest of the people around me.

Hi there,

i heard while ago that hypnosis can sometimes work as an alternative to going the patches/gum/champix route. I'm considering it recently as apparently if they cant help you in some situations, then you can get your money back.

hey its an alternative idea, may be stupid, but look at it this way, you either get your money back, or stop smoking

Aimee xx

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My auntie tried literally everything to quit smoking and none of it worked as she freely admits she has no willpower at all!

Then she had acupuncture which was a tiny weeny little pin in her earlobe and when she wanted to smoke she squeezed her earlobe (it didnt hurt btw) and the craving went away.

I can only speak as I find but I was blown away by how well it worked - and shes never smoked since

Lots of ideas from all of you, thanks. Never heard of E-Cigarettes before so looked them up on Wikipedia, they sound more promising than the other nicotine substitutes. They are expensive as you said Scaeme but I'm spending about £100 a week on cigs at the moment so should give up for financial reasons as well as health reasons. The thing with me is while I'm smoking (right now as it happens) I am completely pro giving up for all sorts of good reasons but once I stop my brain then seems to start working the other way and coming up with all sorts of reasons why I should start again (a lot of which are complete rubbish). I suppose this is how the addiction works.