In a puff of smoke.

Today officially marks four weeks since I quit smoking. Four weeks. Fuck!

I never imagined I’d actually achieve this, and I’m so proud of myself for doing it and managing this long. I think this is due to a lot of factors, me not wanting to feel like this all the time..

NEED TO SMOKE AHH

(I’m a babe I know). The support of my friends helped a lot, they haven’t tried to force me to smoke or take the piss, they’ve been really good and I couldn’t thank them enough. I also think the quit smoking kit from the NHS helped too, I know I keep going on about it but seriously, get it if you’re serious about quitting. It’s got loads of motivational things in it, on my diary, today it says “I did it! Be really proud of yourself. What you have achieved is amazing. Now you’ve reached this point you’re far less likely to return to smoking.” 🙂

I’ve saved money too, it’s been great not having to make the choice between eating and just having to have that packet of cigarettes. The withdrawal symptoms have gone and I’m just generally feeling loads healthier.

I’d recommend quitting to everyone and I’d always be happy to help out a friend if they were looking to quit.

Crave life.

As you may have read, I’ve quit smoking recently.

I didn’t think I’d be able to do it, I’ve tried a couple of times before and it’s not gone to plan. I’ve had a couple of stressful moments where I’ve felt like I needed one, but I didn’t. I never needed one.

maybe I miss the minty taste a little.

I did smoke menthols, which I definitely preferred to normal cigarettes, which probably made it a lot harder for me to quit. I started smoking them when regular cigarettes began to hurt my throat (that should have been a sign really..).  But anyway, I’ve managed it. It’s been three weeks smoke free and I’m really proud of myself.

A couple of people have asked me how I’ve managed it without the help of nicotine patches or anything else like that, and to be honest I’ve not been able to answer them, because I’m also amazed at myself.

But here is what goes through my head when I want a cigarette.

1. Oh my god I really need a fag.

2. I don’t have any though

3. You could so go and buy some, no one would know

4. But I don’t have any money..

5. You do if you don’t buy any food (this here is my brain going mad, I love food)

It continues after that, with me just resolving that I can’t be bothered and having something to eat. The fourth thought is the most important I feel, because if you think to yourself, ‘Well, I haven’t got any money for that’ then you’re less likely to go out and buy cigarettes. That’s how I see it anyway.

My cravings haven’t been too bad, and the withdrawal symptoms seems to have disappeared quite quickly, except my urge to eat everything that is edible under the sun. (I also seem to be replacing smoking with a ridiculous amount of alcohol..) I think my NHS quit smoking kit has helped loads too, it’s full of motivational things, like stickers and a day to day chart telling you what you’ve achieved and how quitting has benefited you. It also tells you how much money you’ve saved.

Did you know that if you smoke 20 a day, you’ll spend around £40,000 on cigarettes in a 20 year period. How scary is that? I’m glad I’ve quit, think of all the money I’ll save.

Good thing too, I’m awful with money, but that’s another post for another day.