SPJ2011

Hang on in there ... when you get to 72 hours the worst of it is over ... Good Luck!

A non smoker is what I wish I was .... an ex smoker is what I am! I agree that a non smoker is somebody that never smoked.

I started to feel a bit sick from day 4 when the dose doubles to 1mg but to be honest it doesn't last very long and as long as you take the tablet with food it's not too bad at all. Have you had a look at whyquit.com? It's all about getting in the right mental state and then letting Champix do the rest. Probably you'll soon start to notice that when you are smoking you are not getting anything from the cigarette. They start to taste different and you do not get that 'hit' anymore. I started getting this from around day 10/11 but to be honest I think I fought it a bit and panicked that I was not ready to quit. I set a quit day as 12th June and just woke up and didn't smoke! Gave all my cigs away and that was the start of the journey. You have to kind of have a leap of faith and just do it. I have had difficult days but nothing that's not manageable and I keep telling myself that the craves are only thoughts and I'm in control of my mind! I feels good to win the battle against the dreaded monster. Honestly trust in the drug and you'll be fine .... it really is a wonder drug and I'm not sure I would have succeeded without it. You certainly sound motivated so the very best of luck to you .... you know you can do it and it will be SO worth it!

Hi Alan I quit with Champix on day 15. I'm now day 52 of being smoke free and apart from gaining a bit of weight I feel absolutely wonderful. Champix is a great drug and works a treat but you do need to use your mind as well to overcome the nicotine triggers. I was lucky as I only had a few mild side effects of mainly feeling sick (always take the tablet with food), a bit spaced out and a little bloated too. Nothing too serious and certainly worth it for the help they gave me in quitting. As soon as I actually quit all the side effects went way. I have actually reduced my dose down to 1mg daily in the morning now and am starting to think about reducing it more and stopping altogether soon. I smoked 25 a day for 33 years and had several failed attempts to quit behind me. This is now my longest quit and I intend to keep it that way! I'm not sure if I could have done it without Champix. I also read Allen Carr's book and use whyquit.com ... both of these put you totally in the right frame of mind and teach you about what nicotine addiction really means while Champix helps you overcome the physical withdrawal. I wish you the very best of luck Alan but with Champix you probably wont need it! You will feel so much better without that little nicotine monster ruling your life ... go for it!

Day 51 today and still smoke free. Still taking Champix but only 1mg a day in the morning and starting to think about reducing that with view to stopping altogether sooner rather than later. Started a diet today as I have put on 12lbs in the 7 weeks that I have quit and feel really uncomfortable. I don't want this to be a reason to start again! Feeling a lot better. The good days are getting far more and the bad days far less but still totally aware of how powerful nicotine addiction is and taking one day at a time. Good luck fellow quitters .... one day at a time and you'll succeed

I'm still here .... day 38 and still a quitter. A bit suprised that week 5 so far has been the hardest of all. I thought it would get easier not harder! Keep having junkie thoughts about just one smoke I know what that will lead to but just having a hard time fighting them off this week. I relasped on a previous quit on week 6 so maybe that's on my mind. Anyway I won't give up. Keep going everyone :)

Hi Stoman. I agree 6 weeks seems to be a bit tricky and I relapsed at this stage in a previous quit attempt. I am at nearly 4 weeks now so getting prepared for the 6 week mark. I have been reading lots of stuff on whyquit.com It's very useful especially the articles on maintaining your quit attempt ... it's very inspirational and gives some very good practical advise. Hang on in there .... it is so worth it and like you said smoking will not help anything. Good luck!

Hi Selphie. My quit day was June 12th too so congratulations on day 20 of being smoke free! I too read Allen Carr's book and constantly listen to his CD in my car. I'm also on Champix (day 35) which helped incredibly but if I had to say which has helped me the most I'd say Allen Carr. He really is brilliant and helps you to explode the myths about smoking and realise that you really do not need nor want it ... he is my guru and think his books should be available at NHS stop smoking clinics! Anyway well done to all you quitters out there .... one day at a time

Just thought I'd give a quick update on my quit! I had my last smoke at 11pm on Saturday night and started my quit on Sunday (day 15 of Champix). Sunday was a bit strange. I felt that time went really slowly. I kept looking at the clock adding up how many fags I would have smoked by then! I've got to say that the 2 weeks of reading Allen Carr and listening to hios CD in the car has stood me in good stead ... I certainly know how to change negative thoughts around and how to react to habit smoke triggers ... I think Allen Carr together with Champix has given me the best chance possible. It's day 4 smoke free today and I visited the NHS stop smoking clinic this morning. My Carbon Monoxide reading has dropped from 24 to 2 which I was advised is the same as a non smoker. The only reason it is 2 is because I live in a city and the 2 is down to background pollution. I feel really good and in control. Most of the champix side affects have gone since I actually quit. I know this is very early days but I feel positive ... after all there is only one person that can make me smoke again and I'm not going to let that happen! Good luck to all quitters out there ..... it's so worth it!

Thank you for your words of support ... it sounds like we have had a similar journey. I have set my quit date as Sunday and then that's it! I'll keep you updated. How long have you been stopped now?

Hi all I'm a newbie and this is my first post although I have spent several days on and off reading the mammouth amount of posts and have found it totally un-missable reading! I'm 47 and have been smoking since I was 14. I have tried a few times to give up and the most successful was in Nov 2009 following a health scare. I had hypnotherapy and it seemed to work for a while (8 weeks) but then my mind seemed to over-ride the message and because I thought I'd cracked it I just had to try one to prove to myself I could handle 'just one' ... the rest is history and I was back up to 25-30 a day within the month. The thing is that the original health scare has not gone away. I had a blocked artery that resulted in me having angioplasty. The consultant said he would not expect to see an artery blocked so badly in someone my age ... usually it happens in your 60's/70's. That combined with losing a father at 53 and brother at 49 to smoking related illnesses I have been told that I MUST stop. Despite that I have carried on after my last failure but with a constant black shadow hanging over me about giving up again. Well I made the decision that I'm NOT giving up ... I'm going to STOP forever (that's the Allen Carr way of looking at it!) I have signed up to my local quit clinic and have been prescribed Champix. I am now on day 9 but am still smoking. I have had various side affects including nausea, a vacant feeling, a few odd dreams, fealing like I'm going to faint and terrible bloating and wind! None of these are unbearable if they help me reach my goal I can tolerate them. Coffee tastes odd and some cigarettes do taste odd but not all of them. My main worry now is will I know if it's worked or do I need to just take a leap of faith and quit. I have a BIG fear that it wont work for me. My quit date is day 14 which is this coming Sunday. Any advice would be greatfully received and well done to all you quitters ... you are truly an inspiration!