New Year - What are you giving up?

slow_bot Results so far aren't good... I'm still smoking and wearing a patch... Apparently, this isn't good... :S

that is bad....

im 18 days without smokes now ...personally, though its harder i'd advise you just to try without patches or any of that crap ...its like a cigarette methadone.

can really tell the difference ...feels like ive been given a third lung

I'm really pathetic when it comes to fags, managed to give up for five years then started again about three years ago... I find it next to impossible to stop without chemical help... No willpower...
The patch has come off, goin' outside for a fag...

Still no booze since NY. Sad times. (No, last night's soft drink wasn't 50/50 vodka..)

When were you there Hippy?

There? Where? Hammersmith.. I left 9pm maybe? I dunno.

NY man NY.

edit. Ah. New Years not New York.
Ho ho.

New Year hehe not New York :)

They won't let me into USA. Something about my history of midget abuse..

Bump.

I'm trying to quit smoking. 4 days gone, no method other than HTFU. It hurts.

Anyone else suffering?

I have given up the social ciggies and my main resolution for 2009 is to get MUCH fitter and hit Herne Hill a lot more this year.

I also need to cut down on the booze as prior to Xmas I was getting pretty bad heart palpitations through over indulging and lack of sleep.

Smoking for me too. I just finished the Allen Carr book so am marvellously happy about being free of the nicotine monster and all that crap.

Is there any magic advice that Mr Carr can give, without me reading his book? He did die from lung cancer after all...

Good work Tom!

His book is bullshit. It's him basically telling you how he was more addicted than you could possibly be and he managed it so you can too.

Had a really heavy cold over new year and a cough, so havent smoked since new years eve, so far I've been ok - although I did mildly crave one after the chinese takeaway I had last night.
Gonna try and stick with it, although I'm not a heavy smoker I want to improve my cycling fitness this year..and it is a filthy habit..

Is there any magic advice that Mr Carr can give, without me reading his book? He did die from lung cancer after all...

Did he? I didn't know that. It basically just says the same things over and over again but it seems to work for a lot of people. Pretty much:
-that you aren't giving up anything, you are freeing yourself from a drug addiction that's killed more people than all wars ever
-don't focus on how long you can go without a cigarette because then you'll feel like you're depriving yourself of something, when you're not... every time you think you want a cigarette you're supposed to think 'hey, how fabulous! I am a non-smoker and I am free!'
-don't do nicotine replacement or avoid social situations - same reason as above
-don't ever think you're over the addiction and have just one cigarette because it will cost you £20,000 (or whatever the cost would be if you kept smoking for your whole life)

That's pretty much it.

I tried a nicotine patch on new years day and it made me feel awful, heart racing and dizzy. Horrible feeling. So I'm going to try without "help" I think. Starting tomorrow. Yeah.

Ain't giving up anything.

took up exercise when I stopped smoking joints and then i stopped drinking to help me give up smoking tobacco

Is there any magic advice...

Apparently each physiological craving lasts about 6 minutes. You just have to ride it out for that long, and then you get a fair bit of respite till the next one. And best not to think of them as concatenated. They're individual challenges.

I knew I'd cracked it when, on being offered a fag, I replied, "no thanks, I don't smoke," rather than, "no thanks, I've given up."

Is there any magic advice that Mr Carr can give, without me reading his book? He did die from lung cancer after all...

You gave up 4 days ago, if you had a cigarette now it would be 4 days wasted etc.
Good luck to all of you, it is well worth it.

I dont really believe in resolutions/giving things up.

I prefer a challenge, its more productive/progressive.

Ive challenged myself to enter an official sporting competition this year. For those who know anything about me, youll know thats a profound challenge.

1) after drinking 3 liters of diet coke a day for 10 odd years Ive given it up, took 2 weeks and alot of incredibly bad migraine pain and cravings but its gone ...next...

2) complete my new bike build

3) give up sugar- a big one for me

4) be more proactive and less reactive in situations I dont like

Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Seriously. Since I moved to London I have had at least one a day. So far so good. Im also hoping to run 1500 miles this year. I managed 1200 last year so hopefully I'll be able to reach my target.

I am going to drink and read more this year.

I am also going to stop drinking during the week (mostly), stop spending money on crap, relearn french and spanish, relearn the guitar and keyboard, start riding to work every day again, do the cycling bit of the London triathlon, do 5 spin classes a week, stop watching television, read the paper every day, start a political blog, get better at photography and close my facebook account.

If I have lots then I'm bound to achieve at least one of them, surely.

edit: and join the green party. and go to the cinema more. and sell at least one of my bikes.