Hi there. neuro told me today that my smoking will make my ms worse.its my only bad habit and i dont actually want to stop.i know its stupid but i enjoy my ciggys. just wondered what anyone else’s opinions were on this and how it may have affected anyone else. thanks spudz…
There is a growing amount of evidence to suggest smoking worsens MS, but since oilies are likely to lead to a slow and unpleasant death anyway, why worry about MS? Pop “smoking” in the Barts & London site for the details. http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com
My neuro gives me the quit smoking speak every time i see him, he tells me he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t tell me. When stressed its 40+ a day, when not stressed is 20 ish… Now when i used to love a drink it was great, always had an inbuilt button that switched when i couldnt drink anymore so i wouldnt get tooo sloshed… now 1 - 2 units a week or fortnight is all i can cope with.
I stopped about 6 months or so after my diagnosis, mainly due to my sister saying that i could never manage it! It’s not easy, and here i am 5 years on and occasionally i still miss it, (I remember my grandad telling me about how, 10 years after he stopped, he followed someone down the street very closely as they were smoking a fag and the smell was just so nice! So I suppose it never goes totally away. But you definitely feel better for it. I recommend reading Al\an Carr’s Easyway. While i ended up ignoring his advice and using patches. Its an interesting take on smoking and the pleasure of it.
hi there i have given up smoking for 6 months now and its really all about being in the right frame of mind. i was once in the right frame of mind two years ago and it has taken me two whole years to get into that frame of mind again so i was determined not to waste it this time. although i use nicotine gum i could never have done it without Alan Carr’s book. it actually educates your mind to things you knew all along but had denied in favour of smoking. for me the actual thought of giving up scared me silly but i knew if i could get past that fear i would be ok. Alan Carr’s book gives you examples of how you can change the way you think, he tells you not to give up smoking until you get to the end of the book. it really is good. once i had read the book i knew that everything he said made sense! when i’m stressed i tell myself that if i light up it will not make the stress go away, it will still be there when ive finished so its pointless really. :evil: i cant say that i feel any better because i dont, but there is the financial benefit and i know that i have the power over cigarettes now and not vice versa. i dont agree with naming a day to give up because it just puts more pressure on you as the dreaded day approaches, when i stopped i told no one purposely so that i didnt have to live up to anyone’s expectations. its amazing that no one really notices that you havent smoked! i am undiagnosed but have also heard that it makes ms worse. sorry that all this info is not what you asked for but it may just help someone 
best wishes mandy x
In a perfect world, you would not smoke. In a perfect world, you would not have MS either. Hell, I don’t know. I gave up because I felt like it. If people had been finger-wagging (they did not, thank Goodness) it might have been different story - I don’t respond well to that kind of influence. If you are like me the best advice would probably be, ‘Tell the busy-bodies to get stuffed and just stop some day because you’ve decided to, and damn them all.’ If you do decide to stop smoking, good luck. Alison x
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In a perfect world, you would not smoke. In a perfect world, you would not have MS either. Hell, I don’t know. I gave up because I felt like it. If people had been finger-wagging (they did not, thank Goodness) it might have been different story - I don’t respond well to that kind of influence. If you are like me the best advice would probably be, ‘Tell the busy-bodies to get stuffed and just stop some day because you’ve decided to, and damn them all.’ If you do decide to stop smoking, good luck. Alison x
Smoking gets blamed for anything from an ingrowing toenail to a hole in your roof! I don`t smoke, but hubby supports the tobacco industry well. luv Pollx
Everyone knows smoking is bad for you… with or without MS.
I smoke, I drink too much and have no intention of giving up either. Not sensible advice I suppose but suspect life without either would be rather grim.
i was quitting when i got my DX not supprisingly that didnt last. Last time my neuro came out with the whole quitting speach he took one look at my face and said well quitting’s not for evry one lol
There’s a lot of evidence that smoking is bad for MS - it also increases the chances of getting MS too apparently. Damn shame I didn’t know that when I was 12 and I snuck that first fag 
It’d be better if you gave up, but then, you know that 
Life’s all about choices… Karen x (an ex smoker for about 20 years now!)
My former husband died due to smoking aged 53 years. Upto the age of 45 he had been a fireman, at the age of his death he was a nurse. So fit enough not to feel worried by his habit and then knowledageable enough to know better. But he loved his ciggies and even if he had survived i think he would have been nipping out to the shed for a sly one…I am an ex-smoker of 8 years and still love the aroma. I have to avoid holidays where there are balconies as just the sight of balconies, the sea and a glass of vino has me pining for the whole cenario of smoking…ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…xx
I find that I’m really sensitive to cigarette smoke. I was very happy when the smoking ban came in as I’d hate going to pubs, I’d always feel much weaker. I can imagine how hard it must be to try & quit though, I don’t envy anyone who wants to quit an addiction. I know someone who uses one of those electric cigarettes that give you the nicotine hit, and he seems to find it helpful. Dan
if i ever gave up smoking i feel it would do me more harm than good because at the moment i have got nothing else i cant do nothing else b i cant walk i cant do nothing without falling over if the were to find me a cure i would
was a smoker from a young age but stopped for 16 years. i was depressed after my MS dx and started again. i think it helped me in a way but Ive given up again now (2 weeks) on and going well. all the time i was packed up i allways craved for a fag, more so when i was out in the pub for a pint or two…
I have never smoked, but I can understand how difficult it is to give my, husband used to smoke when we met, he gave up in early '90’s OMG he was like the hulk giving up, I used to keep out of his way, he did it cold turkey as there were no patches or gum or anything, one thing he noticed is his taste-buds woke up of all the thing which tasted nice was lettuce. Al x
Hiya, Please give up smoking or you will DIE. I smoked for many years before giving up the habit. I reckon that M.S gives us enough problems without adding to them by smoking. Plus the fact that I can now afford to have holidays and put petrol in my car. Please, please, please stop smoking. Live longer & prosper.
Hi, I’ve been a smoker for 44 years… but 6 days ago I started using e-cigarettes and haven’t smoked tobacco since. In fact I haven’t ‘smoked’ at all as it’s a vapour and not smoke. Too long and complicated to explain it all to you on here… so suggest you google ‘e cigarettes’. There’s LOADS of sites selling them now and forums and everything. My sense of smell has already returned and I’m not wheezing for first time in… god don’t even know how long. Take a look on internet. Starter kits are around £25 to £30. If you decide to do it, don’t get overwhelmed by the huge amount of info and different types. Just choose a starter kit and go with it. Pat x
That’s simply brilliant news Pat and I couldn’t be more pleased for you. Congratulations and make sure you buy something nice with all that spare cash.