[maz]

I gave up smoking 11 years ago and it nearly killed me!! I went cold turkey with my husband after the funeral of a friend (from the US) aged 51 years died of lung cancer. I had tried to give up really since I started and having done 3 years 2 years an another 2 years on the gum (I loved the gum but as soon as I tried coming off it I started smoking again). I smoked from a very early age , reasearch shows that the teenage smoking experince can be very powerful and that this makes it more difficult to give up later in life. I started with a few puffs from my parents cigs around 10- 11 years then regular 10 a day by 13 like all my family (of 10 ) It is extremely hard to give up and the biggest achievement of my life.

It beats all I have achieved in education and my career and anything else I have done because it was so hard won. I know exactly the battle and members of my family are still struggling to achieve it. One with Champix (we call it in UK) the other with patches and the sniffer both struggling. All I can say is if you keep on trying you will get there in the end it took a year before I even smiled , I felt bereft and nothing could fill the void. It sounds dramatic but its so addictive to some people and those are the ones needing the most help.

I have a friend in her late 60's and she is using gum and does not intend to come off it. I dont blame her she knows she will smoke if she does. She tried Champix and felt suicidal and paranoid/ The gum doeds for her, its better than inhaling all those chemicals. Good luck to all of you who are trying I admire you and believe you will do it Maz