Apart from the smell, cost and indignity of standing outside the office in winter months, what really got me to stop was the incessant moaning and pomposity of ex-smokers. In the end it was easier to join them! Nicotine lozenges filled the gap for a few weeks and definitely helped ease the habit-routine.
Dylan, UK

For 18 years I couldn't imagine having a glass of wine or going out for dinner without smoking. I used hypnotherapy but before we started treatment, my therapist told me to start breaking my association with wine/food and cigarettes by carrying on smoking, but going outside to smoke rather than doing it in the comfort of the pub or restaurant.
Sharon R, UK

It was not having something in my hand which caused stress and feelings that I was missing something. Chocolate fingers with cups of tea and a lump of Blu-tack to fiddle with, and 4 years later I'm still not smoking. Keep your hands busy and you won't notice that you don't have a cigarette.
CJ Anderson, UK

Go Jesse! You are welcome to my �50 if you can go without until 1 August. I am sponsoring Jesse and his girlfriend, and think more people should try to help their friends give up. Obviously we will drink the �50 together at the pub that night, which is far healthier... isn't it?
Guy, UK

I set up a screen saver on my PC so that whenever I stopped work and was having a craving, I'd be reminded of all the harmful chemicals in and diseases caused by smoking. The worst for me was a stat about how many smokers have to have limbs amputated. Also, when you have a craving repeat: "I do not actually want a cigarette. My body is craving nicotine because I am addicted. It will pass". Sounds cheesy but it worked for me.
Al, UK

I told every one I knew I was quitting. I then boasted that nothing would stop me quitting, and promised to pay for a slap-up meal for all of my friends if I failed... (I used 3 pieces of gum a day - broken in half - to get me through).
Patrick B, UK

A friend in South Africa wrote a book on how he gave up - imagine you're about to eat something revolting every time you want a cigarette (his was dog poo). He soon weaned himself off, as he was almost physically ill every time he wanted to light up.
Nick Holme, UK

Despite the possible risks, which I weighed up against smoking, I went on Zyban, and quit within 3 weeks of the 9-week course my GP prescribed me. I've been cigarette-free for almost 3 years, and cannot bear even a whiff of cigarette smoke. My husband did the same, and we feel fabulous - no more morning cough, no wheezing, and we no longer catch every bug doing the rounds.
Marina, Scotland, UK

I had a 30 a day habit and smoked for 14 years, which is really sad as I'm only 29. A heart scare, shortness of breath and a serious lack of cash drove me to give up. I chewed the gum at set times, so it almost replaced the actually smoking habit. It did get to the point when I was enjoying the gum almost as much as the fags, and I got quite anxious when it was time to give up chewing. But it was surprisingly easy.
Sarah, UK

An ex-colleague once said to me "don't refer to it as giving up". This implies loss, and stopping smoking is a gain in so many ways. I wish everyone success in terminating their relationship with Nic O'Tine.
Peter Wall, UK

I've installed a free quitmeter which shows how long you've quit for, how many cigarettes you haven't smoked, how much cash you've saved and how much you've extended your life. It's quite a good motivator.
Oliver Pyke, London, UK

I gave up using an aversion technique. You're allowed to smoke, but only if you smoke each cigarette down to the filter within one minute. You will then spend several hours feeling sick. Soon you will hate those little white sticks!
James S, UK

The biggest incentive I had was that my mum had just been told she had lung cancer. She died six months later. I've never smoked since.
Neil Brown, Scotland

What kept me quit was my 3-year-old daughter shouting "Daddy, don't smoke again" every time I was tempted, and the realisation that if something bad happened, why would I want to memorialise it for ever as the thing that started me smoking again?
Nick J, UK

Find your triggers (things you do that put the thought of a cigarette in your mind - mine was having coffee at work, and after a meal) and replace them with something more constructive.
Spence, UK

I avoided bars - and other smoking places - like the plague, and, most importantly, gave up alcohol for three months, because the two tend to be associated.
Val R, UK

I found nicotine replacement a must for the recommended three months - I took the gum, as it took care of the oral aspect of the addiction. Also drink lots of water to help flush the nicotine out of your system.
Reuben Thomas, London, UK

Peer support makes all the difference. I haven't smoked for six months by getting involved in a web community at quitnet.com. Congratulation and encouragement from others is priceless, as is having a chatroom to get support, distraction and a place to rant. It's US-based, but there's a club for Brits where you can write "fag" without causing confusion.
Paul Moynihan, UK

I'm a serial quitter doing much better this time, down to 2 things:
1) Instead of picking a date and having that oh so sad final cig before bed on the final day, I decided one morning that my final fag had been the one I'd had the night before. This meant no nervous build-up.
2) Some of you will think I'm a crank, but nevertheless... I was a lapsed Christian until fairly recently, and since I "came back" I've had a powerful sense that God wanted me to quit. So I prayed for help and have had none of the cravings. Whatever your method, all the best.
Ellie G, UK

Allen Carr's book didn't tell me how to quit smoking. What it did do was debunk all of my reasons for smoking. What also helped was playing squash three weeks after I'd stopped, and realising just how much energy I had left after playing. My biggest incentive is never wanting to go back to wheezing off the court after 30 mins.
Pete G, UK

I used patches and the netdoctor.co.uk smoking forum. I've had a couple of wobbles in the two-and-a-half years since, but the answer is to not give in to the huge feelings of guilt - you have to carry on the next day as if you are still a non-smoker, which you are. My other advice is to try everything and, once you have tried everything, try everything again - for me, a new brand of patches worked.
Catherine O, UK

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