diskmandave -vs- nicotine **WON**

[diskmandave]

I thought i'ld already posted this but it seems to have "disappeared"...?

 

Right...! Here goes then... I'm posting this so that others who got it bad... Can see that it's never a lost cause...!

 

I'm sure you all know me by now then...??

 

This is a heavily cut down version btw!

 

At the age of 15 (1980) I found an unopened packet of 20 fags on my way to school... Sweet I thought, you know how it is at that age? Opened, smoked, rest is history!

 

By the age of 17 and leaving Sixth Form I was a light smoker of about 10 a day...

 

By the age of 19, and to being 22(ish) with money coming in, it kinda gradually rose to the 20/30 a day mark...

 

At 22 I started my current job (i'm 43 now), £90/week in 1987 was a lot of money!

 

At 23 I was promoted to Full LGV Driver (7 years earlier than most of my current colleagues!), an instant rise to £174.50/week basic. But because of the commitment shown to gain the promotion I was also working upto 20 hours a week overtime and regularly drawing in excess of £300/week... It's at this point that the drinking/smoking/spliffing gets out of hand!!

 

At 24 I started my D.J. life!

 

And by the age of 27 I was working the normal 39 hours a week, + upto 30 hours a week overtime and running a successful DJ business with 3 evening residencies a week and 3 professional bookings a week... The SMOKING and drinking is out of hand now, the spliffs given up though because of bad effects..

 

By the age of 29 I was doing 2 residencies and 5 professional bookings a week as well as the day job and extensive overtime... I was completely out of control and on top of the drinking was smoking a minimum of 60 a day.

 

At the age of 30 I had a complete mental and behavioural breakdown and went into complete meltdown, and just before being 31 my family and closest friends stepped in and forced me to take a harsh look at myself..

The D.J. stuff went, I was banned from drinking at home, and forced into starting save for the future..

 

By the age of 33 with few friends left but otherwise a sense of normallity returning, the drinking was going down, but the smoking was the same or worse and upto 70-80/day...

 

At the age of 34 after a long fight with my Doctor over the side effects of Zyban, said Doctor retired and the new Doctor immediately gave me Zyban, which worked and I actually gave up for 7 months... Yet for no good reason one Tuesday morning when I was having problems at work I found myself outside a newsagents shop and just walked in and bought 10 fags... Within 2 weeks I was back to where I left off..

 

At the age of 36 (October 2001) Niquitin CQ Lozenges were launched and I managed to get off the fags again... But these things are just nicotine in a different disguise and I got hooked on them... OK i'm not smoking cigs and ingesting TAR... Lesser of 2 evils...

 

Late 2003 (39), My Dear Dad's now very ill, terminal cancer, going back to meltdown and looking after Mum and keeping a 3 month hospital vigil on top of work... Back to the fags bigtime, 100/day now and the lozenges on top...

 

Upto June 2007... Still smoking 100/day and.. Getting through a full box of lozenges a day! - £220 a week!!!

 

Friday June 22nd 2007 - I found myself in a complete emotional mess at the rear of Piccadilly Station Manchester, having gone out in an emotional state, with no money, no fags and no lozenges... In a sheer state of panic I managed to get enough for a packet of patches from Boots on the Station... Applied the first patch there and then, got home and actually read the instructions...!!! And by Tuesday 26th June 2007 developed a backbone and gave up Cold Turkey.

 

So, Dear Friends... From Tuesday 26th June 2007 I have been TOTALLY nicotine free. And to this day... It's now 16 months since I became totally nicotine free, I have not partaken of the weed or the lozenge since..!!

 

The moral of this story...?

 

Read MY STORY and just give up. It's a mind thing and it's not really that hard when you actually knuckle down to it because you have to!!

 

Well... That's what i've gone through to give up the weed... It's 16 months now, and I swear on the Memory of my Dad, and on the promise i've made to both my Mum and myself that i'll never smoke again.

 

It's working good for me...

 

Good luck and best wishes to everyone thinking of stopping smoking!

 

Regards to all... Dave - DMD.

 

Please don't forget to make a donation... However small!

 

[sea-sidelady]

Glad to see your still off them Dave. Well done

[Lula]

I always wondered why you were such a nutcase Dave lol, I am joking, seriously well done, cold turkey!!!, you are a bigger man than I am lol

[**Tilly**]

Well done dave :grin:

[Goldlady]

Well done you. One of these days I might join you - although I have to say I have never smoked 100 a day - maybe 40 - but I did patches, and chewing gum and still smoked the last time I tried to give up:eek:

 

I didn't even manage to give up through four pregnancies - although I did cut down!

[diskmandave]

I always wondered why you were such a nutcase Dave lol, I am joking, seriously well done, cold turkey!!!, you are a bigger man than I am lol

 

Joke Ye Not Lula!!

 

It's been a long hard fight to get where I am today...

 

My Doctor told me in later months of 2000 that I would die within 5 years if I didn't change my lifestyle... The same Doctor examined me 6 months ago and had to double check his records when he examined me and my breathing was as clear as a 20 year old...

 

All of the above doesn't include what happened as to how I arrived at the CAG... That's a story inbetween and on top!

 

But to re-iterate, i've posted this so that others can see that it's not a lost cause..!

 

Love/all - Dave..

[diskmandave]

you are a bigger man than I am lol

 

There's a hundred and one things I could say about that......

 

But I won't!

[Conniff]

Bless you Dave and congratulations.

 

A couple of questions.

 

Was it fear that stopped you or did you 'want' to give them up?

 

I am desperate to give up but fear that I wont have the strength to do it.

 

(Oxymoron) I enjoy it and don't really want to give up, and I can count a million benefits to not smoking and none to continue.

 

I think I would have the strength to do so once I started.

Would you say that the patches helped you, did they stop you hunting around all the ashtrays and bins looking for a big dogend you might have thrown away?

 

Although I am desperate on the one hand, I feel that I need a push or some strong encouragement to call it a day.

[postggj]

also dave

 

you say its a mind thing

 

how long was it for the cravings to stop

how did you beat them

[diskmandave]

Was it fear that stopped you or did you 'want' to give them up?

 

I'd always known the risks, but after losing 2 cousins in their late 40's and

cancer seeming to be a family thing all round, and then losing my Dear Dad,

a lifelong non smoker to lung cancer it was something that I was going to

do even if I was going to suffer a breakdown getting there! And re-reading

the story, I very nearly did!!

 

As for patches/lozenges they're just nicotine in a different form and can be

just as addictive, knowing what I know now I'ld only recommend them

short term along with a lot of bloody minded will power.

 

Good luck with it! I wish you well!!

[diskmandave]

you say its a mind thing

 

how long was it for the cravings to stop

 

The reason I'm quick to say that's a mind thing is because the cravings

only actually lasted for 3 days when I developed the backbone!

[diskmandave]

2 years on Friday..... :D :D :D

[Conniff]

 

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S.

[diskmandave]

Thank you old friend!

[diskmandave]

Still off the fag's!

 

I'm winning the weight battle now too...

 

In the last month I've finally managed to start losing

weight since stopping smoking. Slowly but surely I

managed to top 16 Stone, which isn't grossly obese

for me, being 6' 2" and having an extremely heavy job..

 

But nonetheless, this last month I've managed a 7LB

drop to 15st 7lb, my ideal weight being 13st 4lb. This

just by cutting down on JUNK items..

 

Here's to keeping on winning the battle...

[Conniff]

This is real brilliant news - all we got to do now is get you off the drink

[postggj]

Hi Dave

 

Eight Months For Me Since My Last Cig

 

Weight Is A Problem Though

 

Two Stone Excess Baggage

[Conniff]

Hi Dave

 

 

Two Stone Excess Baggage

 

Your supposed to stop buying them as well.

[postggj]

Thats The Chocolate Fags

[manf]

My god DMD what a man you are and what a brill post you wrote last year I have just read it and I have just posted a new thread on stop smoking Iam going to make you my inspiration for stopping well its been 2 weeks today

thank you and take care

sam

xxx

Edited November 3, 2009 by manf

[Conniff]

Just rounding the figures off, dd has saved £3,650 and ggj £1,200 at 1 pack per day.

 

You boys will be on that cruise before you know it.

[diskmandave]

Just thought I'ld come and update this, 3 years and 3 months now..

 

Can safely say the weight battle is being won too now, back into the 14's..

 

It's never a lost cause.

[Conniff]

Well done Dave - let's hope the new clothing costs don't outweigh the savings on the ciggies.

[diskmandave]

5 years for me this year guys!! Can't believe it!!

[huggys boss]

5 years for me this year guys!! Can't believe it!!

 

Your a star (but did you have to make me cry in post 1?)