stop smoking | update #9

This is my 9th update on my smoking cessation journey, and I can't believe it but it's been 6 months!

6 MONTHS

26 WEEKS

183 DAYS

That, my friends is definately something to be proud of. I can still remember the day I gave up, I was about 6 weeks into my Champix treatment and I woke up one morning and there was no cigarettes in the house and i thought "Oh well, I'll not have one and see how I go." Turns out, I could go over six months without so much of a puff. That's right, not even one little tiny drag of a fag.

I DO feel better for it...nicer breath, no tight chest, exercise is easier and I just feel rather free and liberated at the fact that I do not plan my life around having a cigarette. Tis may sound dramatic, but if you're a smoker, you will understand this. You literally plan your day around when you can have a fag and what places you can smoke etc. Crazy, but true.

The biggest achievement is that (according to me NHS Smokefree app) I have saved £1127.00. That alone, is enough to stop me from going back. People have been very supportive and the frequently ask if it was hard to give up. The absolute truth is, NO. I was totally ready to give up, i was in the right frame of mind and more than anything, i wanted to give up. So I did (and this is coming from someone with zero willpower) The only downside to this journey is that I have put on weight. I'm not sure how much but at a guess I'd say 10-14 lbs. I am obviously very upset and cross at myself at this but the truth is, it's so difficult not to out on weight whilst giving up smoking. This is my next challenge.

Cornish Beauty.

stoptober! #2

***Stoptober! Is a campaign running for people around the UK by the NHS. it's to encourage and support people to give up smoking for 28 days during October (and hopefully longer)


So, I'll explain to you how it came about that I've given up smoking. A couple of weeks ago it suddenly came into my head that I've got to stop smoking. I started going to the gym a couple of months ago but have had to stop for the moment due to health problems and the fact that i was finishing a brutal workout & worked so hard then having a cigarette was just ridiculous. And at £7.40 a pack, per day, smoking just WASN'T an option anymore.
It was a complete whim, but I picked up my phone, dialed my GP's number and booked a stop smoking appointment. A week later, I was in the waiting room and the nurse called me through. Georgie was lovely, very empathetic and encouraging. I explained the reasons why it was so important for me to stop smoking, she weighed me (eeeeeek) and took me through the options. I knew that I wasn't going to go for NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) as such but wanted medication. In a matter of minutes I had a shiny new prescription for Champix. A new medication routine designed to assist you stop smoking. So I paid for my new drugs and went on my merry way with a follow up appointment booked with Georgie in a weeks time!

The initial prescription for Champix is a two week course (see picture below) you choose a day to start taking the tablets and off you go! You start off with one 0.5mg tablet per day, usually in the morning. After three days, you start taking two a day; one am and one pm. Then on day 8 you start the week of 1mg tablets, twice a day. Also before this point you should have decided on an actual quit date. You smoke as normal on these tablets until your quit date. The day you choose to stop is recommended to be between day 8 and 14.

I stopped on day 4! I had run out of cigarettes and just thought 'fuck it' ill try and see how long I can without one. It actually ended up being quite a stressful day but still I resisted the urge to have a fag, also all day I was around smokers! I just took each hour as it came.

I must also add that I've been using an e-cigarette now and again to stop those nicotine cravings. I'm now on day 9 of Champix and day 6 of no smoking! I was a heavy smokers bad loved my fags, so I just can't believe I've actually quit for this long. I'm determined to do this now. I've got my follow up appointment tomorrow and I bet my nurse will be amazed, everyone is really proud of me and I've got really good support around me which is great. The NHS SmokeFree and Stoptober! App & twitter has been really useful and it's great keeping track of how much money you're saving (I feel a shopping spree coming on!)

To anyone hoping to give up; it IS possible, you CAN do it.

Ill keep you posted, but for now I'm enjoying a healthier lifestyle, a more filled wallet & calling myself a 'non-smoker!!!!!'

Cornish Beauty.