Hi all.<br />Hola todos.<br /><br />I just decided this weekend to let my fellow multimadrid compa�eros know that just over one month ago I stopped smoking cigarettes forever.<br /><br />I want to share this good news with you, and perhaps give inspiration & encouragement to other mm board members who are smokers to join with me, give up and keep fit & healthy.<br /><br />I smoked as a teenager for a short while in the 1970�s, and then was introduced to a form of martial art and gave up cigarettes, but following some injuries to my spine and neck, I had to give it up. Unfortunately I started smoking again in the nineteen nineties, I was so stressed out.<br /><br />I thought the nineteen eighties were a nightmare, but the 90�s really knocked the stuffing out of me, and I had to fight back, tooth & nail, almost everything that could possibly go wrong did, I had to sell a lot of my things, got evicted a couple of times, lost a few jobs, you name it, I went through it, and smoking cigarettes was the least of my worries.<br /><br />But now, over the last several years, I have been sorting out my life, and making a lot of progress, even though I still have got problems of having pains in my lower back & neck and sometimes reduced mobility because of that, I continue to improve and do increasingly more of the right things in order to sort out my health & fitness, and generally get my life in order, I went back to college in 98/99 and achieved 3 new qualifications in I.T. & Admin, have worked in a department as an Administration officer for several years now, and I am particularly looking forwards to setting up my own business in España in due course, and have been working towards that for the last 7 years, making many trips to Madrid & Barcelona, about a dozen times in less than 3 years, and have put a lot of time & money in to my plans to be independent and successful in Spain.<br /><br />I like Antoni Gaudi and his works very much, and have learned a few things from him over the years, through the things that he left us to enjoy, and what he went through to achieve all that he wanted, and as much as he could, and I often like to remind myself of some of his words of wisdom, that I feel describe me a bit in a way, and that is;<br /> <br />�All my life I have made an effort to control my character; I am usually successful, but at times my character is stronger than I am�<br /> <br />And that�s what it is, a strong character, that is how you make it in this world, and how I have been able to pull myself out of the Pitts, and do things like packing up the smoking, and staying employed full time in a busy government office for several years, and all the many other things that I have done for myself, to get my life back in order etc.<br /><br />So there it is, one more achievement, one more success to add to my list of successes & achievements over the last several years.<br />It�s not easy, I am in a very high pressure/stress type of job, with great demands on me, and particularly mental energy, and my nerves aren�t in the very best of condition, but I have done it, I don�t even think about cigarettes now, I just feel ravenous in the middle of the night now instead, I get the midnight munchies now, so I�ll have to keep an eye on my weight, but that�s a small price to pay for a major success.<br /><br />If any other multimadrid members are smokers and want to join me now, and give up smoking, come on and let us know, and we will perhaps be able to at least give you some moral support, if not actually help you out in some way.<br /><br />Going cold turkey is not easy, that's for sure, you need loads of willpower & determination, but if you really do want to stop, you can & will, you've just got to go for it and give it your best shot, No, in fact give it 200% like you really mean it. That's what I�ve done<br /><br />Go for it.

Helloooooooooo and thank you Nigel!!

My record on smoking and quitting is not as interesting as yours, but I also work on a pressure environment, and I started to smoke just a couple of years ago because of that.

I know, it's quite silly starting at 27, but before that I used to smoke the occasional joint, and then I decided to switch to tobacco when I found myself smoking hash almost every night.

Anyway, I did quit some months ago, but now I've started again and I'm trying to find the way out again...

Just let you all know that I have a book (in Spanish) called "Dejar de fumar es f�cil si sabes c�mo" (It's easy to stop smoking if you know how to do it). I have a MS word version that a can send to you in case you want to give it a try. I haven't ready it myself - yet - but it is said to be quite helpful.

That's all for now. Thank you again Nigel for your post and "muchos animos" to all the people trying to quit smoking.

Besitos.

Hi Iberian!

Congratulations on your hard work and efforts! As you can see, they are really paying off! My husband, Chico ( :jeje: ), quit smoking cold turkey a few months after we got married (and no, I had nothing to do with it! ). Yes, his waistline increased, but he is much happier and healthier (despite the extra weight) now...

Here�s to hoping that you can keep your record and your waistline! :cheers:

Iberian,

First off congratulations. I applaud your determination and your willingness to help others.

Also, it is good to see another Gaudi pseudo-scholar out there.

In another life I was a health educator and one of my main areas of expertise was smoking cessation. I'd be pleased to help people quit in any way possible. One great thing about hanging out with mm'ers is that few of us smoke. We were at a party last night and there was only one smoker there. That kind of environment can be very helpful to those who want to quit, as being surrounded by smoke can be really hard to bear, and is hard to avoid in Spain!

Hi again, and many thanks to you; Holaaaaaaaaaa, Chica, elguapodelcamino & Juliette.<br /><br />Yes, I have finally nailed it, and am getting better with each day, and everybody at the office tells me they can see the difference in my face, I have more natural color in my face now, and am starting to look noticeably healthier.<br /><br />Smoking really is very bad for the health, and I am so glad that I have finally stopped, and can start really enjoying my time in Spain, and look forward to travelling all over the country and appreciating what it really means to have ones health, because without it, you have got nothing.<br /><br />And Holaaaaaaaaaa, you can and must throw them away right now and forget about them, literally just forget that you ever smoked before, you can do it, it's easier than you think, if I can do it after all that I have been through, you can surely do it. So make this day the last day that you smoke, before you get any older, and in ten years from now, you will look in the mirror, and see that you don't look one day older than you do now. Now that's got to be worth the effort don't you think?<br /><br />Hey elguapodelcamino, fellow "Fan" of the great maestro "Gaudi" thanks to you too, and yes I am a BIG fan of Gaudian Arquetectura, and I love all the stories of what he went through for so many years, struggling to achieve the completion of his great designs, and at first they thought he was crazy, with his outlandish Gothic themes, but ever since his death, the world has been Awestruck by his works of wonder & amazement.<br /><br />I go very often to Barcelona, was there last September to see the opening of the new rack railway at Montserrat, called "El Cremallera" and will be there again this september for a week, and there is still plenty of his works yet to see in the flesh, as well as visiting my other favorite places.<br /><br />Anyway, not to go too far off topic, I'll leave it there. Thanks once again to all, and lets see if we can encourage a few others to give up smoking.<br /><br /> Sagrada familia - Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia <br /><br /> Home page of Antoni Gaudi <br /><br /> [b] El Cremallera de Montserrat

hmm.. right now?

Can't it wait till tomorrow?

At the moment I'm trying to smoke just three or four a day...

But thank you for your support, guys! :ks:

holaaaaaaaaaa, venga, come on and tell me, tell us, have you done it yet? have you thrown them away yet and stopped smoking?<br /><br />If you have not yet, I must encourage you to keep trying, you have to force yourself a little bit.<br /><br />There are increasingly more & more people in the world who like me have given up, stopped, kicked the habit, because like me they too realised eventually that it is no good.<br /><br />You have to get rid of your addiction to Nicotine, and the habit of thinking that you need to smoke something in order to calm down, relax, be less nervous, or whatever you think it is that a cigarette does for you, it does not, it just makes things much worse in years to come, when you can no longer breath properly, or walk up many stairs without feeling pain in your legs, this is what smoking would do to you eventually.<br /><br />Anyway, please let us know how you are getting on.<br /><br />Hala Madrid.<br /><br />

I can't. No yet... :cry:

Que pena mi amiga, que pena, pero no te preocupes.<br /><br />You will be able to before the end of this year, of this I am quite sure. Until then, just relax and take your time, you will make it, believe me. Saludos

I am no expert on these things, (I have asthma, and regular cigarette smoking would kill me within a week) but this thread strikes me as kinda eerie...

My daughter Libby has struggled with smoking, and it's almost always been Spain-related. She took up the habit two years ago, during her Junior year abroad in Caceres -- all the other kids were doing it. (cigs as well as other assorted imports from Morocco!)
She quit -- kinda -- when she came home. But in January, when she went back to University at Alcala de Henares, well. Ms. Fumar struck it up again. Smoking seems to be a real Spain thing for her.
But she came back to the USA May 7, and she has not smoked a cigarette since. Hallelujah!

But since then I've heard at least TEN people say they've given up the cigs this spring and they're sticking with it this time. Nigel makes 11! It must be the moon..or maybe the rising cost of nicotine? But if you've thought of quitting, this seems to be the time!

And if the evangelical ex-smokers and the Moon Phase doesn't convince you, just think of the swine who are getting filthy rich keeping you addicted and exposing you to cancer fumes! If you can't do it out of respect for yourself and love for your family, quit for the sake of blowing off the bums who run HJ Reynolds Tobacco.
(and yes, i think anyone who smokes is within his rights.)
self-righteously
Rebekah

I gave smoking up more than two years ago, and I am getting richer..........

WELL AS I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ABSORB AS MUCH ABOUT THE SPANISH CULTURE AS POSSIBLE ,I DID START TO NOTE THAT SMOKING SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY POPULAR.I PERSONALLY HAVE NEVER SMOKED. I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL WHEN SOMEONE CAN QUIT. I JUST HOPE IF I EVER MAKE IT TO SPAIN THAT THIS DOES NOT BOTHER ME TOO MUCH. AS SOON AS I HAVE SMOKE AROUND ME IT JUST KILLS ME. AND I DON'T HAVE ASTMA . I JUST FEEL LIKE I CAN'T BREATHE. I KNOW THAT ALOT OF PUBLICITY IS PUT OUT THERE TO MAKE SMOKING LOOK COOL. BUT IT IS SO NOT COOL. MOST ARE DOING IT BECAUSE THEY GET SO ADDICTED TO IT . BEING ADDICTED TO ANYTHING IS NO FUN. WELL I APPLAUD ALL THOSE WITH THE WILLPOWER TO QUIT.I HAVE LOTS OF RESPECT FOR THEM. HOPE MORE WILL FOLLOW.BUT OF COURSE IT IS A PERSONAL DECISION.

hey all, happy new year!!!

with the new anti-tabacco law, i have started a new thread where people can post restaurants and bars that are no-smoking, smoking or mixed.

it is open to list places all over spain, not just in madrid.

check it out HERE.

saludos,
jer...

It sure is interesting hearing all the talk in the bars right now. The smoking topic sure is OPEN for discussion, which is a big first step in making progress.