I think I will give up drinking whisky. It killed my brother, well ......not whisky, but brandy ....... alcohol ...... it kills, and it fattens, and it does other things to your body ...... so I think I must give it up. That way, I may live to be 120?

But will you be a happy 120?

With alcohol, it really depends on how much you drink. There's no need to give it up.

(But I'm sure you know that. I'm also sure you don't drink to excess as most alcoholics don't self-publicise the fact)

See, at least SC doesn't have that alcohol issue...

Rugby fClub xug

All rugby players have alcohol issues!

Unfortunatley not my first drunken thread on here.....and probably not the last.


One of the players has this t-shirt:


''My drinking club has a rugby problem''


Sums it up pretty well.

cheers
SC

Many alcoholics have a rugby issue.

Just to provide my own experience quitting cigaretts. I used to smoke casually throughout college and into law school. I also took up smoking more intensively when I started going out with my current girlfriend because she smoked.

Well I havent smoked for over 4 years now, I never was a heavy smoker (11 a week), but it did take me a couple of tries to kick the habit fully. I think the biggest factor in me quitting was the fact that NY passed legislation in 2007 increasing the tax on cigs to raise the price of a pack to around $10 so spending all of that money for us just was no longer an option. Secondly, I always liked to run or do cardiointensive exercises, I'm pretty bad at them, but I noticed immediately the difference when I was working out with "clean" or "dirty" lungs. So in order to get better at what I liked doing I had to quit. Third I'm a person who becomes bored easily and smoking was sometimes a nice distraction or a treat to make it through the day. So instead of smoking I took up coffee, probably a more addictive substance. Well all those factors together contributed to successfully quitting. A bit of luck, some determination, and just keeping at it.

I agree with some of the previous posters, in that it is impossible to quit on your first try. I didn't, you just have to keep trying until one day you don't even notice the fact that you have gone without one for a week or even a month. Also a big hinderance in quitting was being able to go outside with friends for a cig on a night out. I found that just going outside for some fresh air was just as good as going outside to have a smoke. Thats also a trick to keeping your "smoking mates" who you develop as a smoker.

Good Luck!

I have a cousin who went to an Allen Carr day. It worked for her. Pity they don't come here.

http://www.easyway.ch/en/

I went to an Allen Carr day on Friday, it was brilliant.... As a smoker for 18 years I was very sceptical as I have tried almsot everything to quit....


I am proud to say I am now a happy non - smoker Not a single urge to light a ciggy, no unbearable moods swings for my family to endure....


I would highly suggest it to any die-hard smokers who feel its impossible to quit!!

Congratulations Mary-Anna! I quit the hard way, so I'm very happy you are not experiencing the mood swings (I believe I was horrible to my husband the first two weeks, come to think of it, if you listen to him, I've been horrible to him for 15 years ).

It is worth it. Congrats again.

It's been just over a month and I am still going strong - not a single urge to smoke... I even managed to make it through a a drunken evening or two without wanting to light up....

Swiss Cheddar and Mary Anna:

First, I'd like to say Congratulations for kicking the habit! I know it's one of the hardest things to do. I quit 20 years ago (after multiple attempts) and haven't touched a cigarette since. (this from one who would leave the comfort of her home at 2:00 a.m in the middle of a snowstorm to buy cigarettes if she'd run out!) I used Nicorette for a few months, which helped take the edge off the withdrawal symptoms (I'd been a pack to pack-and-a-half a day smoker). Believe me, there were times in the first year or so that I badly craved a smoke, but the urge became easier to resist as time went on.

I had problems with insomnia initially. I consulted a nutritionist at the time (since I was revamping my diet as well) and learned that it's because of the chemical changes that the body goes through, particularly if you're a coffee (or other caffeinated beverage) drinker. The liver takes a longer time to metabolize the caffeine without the nicotine, and thus, the nicotine, remains in your system longer and gives you those "jitters." I switched to decaf and avoided tea and colas for awhile. Exercise was also a big help in minimizing the anxiety and tension I was feeling.

I also avoided going into bars, pubs or any venue where I knew I'd be surrounded by drinking and smoking for several months because I didn't want to be tempted to relapse. Instead, I went to places where smoking wasn't allowed or had friends round to my place and those who smoked were asked, politely, to go outside for a butt. Talking on the phone was another "trigger" I had to deal with. So I made myself a ball out of rubber bands and that gave my free hand something to do.

I had everything dry cleaned and had my apartment scrubbed from top to bottom to get rid of the stale smoky odor. After some initial problems with cystic acne, my skin cleared up, the dark circles disappeared from under my eyes, I didn't cough anymore, I caught less colds, and felt more energetic and alive. The downside was that I gained quite a bit of weight (around 10 kg), but I lost it all a couple of years later.

I ticked off each day on the calender, and gave myself small rewards at the end of each month. Finally, after the first year of being smoke free, I treated myself to a handbag I had long coveted with all the money I put aside that would have otherwise been spent on cigarettes.

There may be days where you're dying for a cigarette, but if you resist the urge, it'll pass. You can and will succeed. It sounds like you're both doing great so far and being kind to yourselves. Quitting is the best beauty treatment you can give yourself, too. Eventually you will find that you're repulsed just by the smell of cigarette smoke.

Best of luck, and don't hesitate to reach out and ask for support.