I wrote this to another member on here because I was asked for advice. After I typed it out, I thought there's so many more that could benefit from this.
When I first decided I was going to quit, that thought of the quit date set me into a panic mode. What I ended up doing is reading, researching, learning more and more about the addiction. Go to my page and read some of my blogs. I just woke up one day and said this is it. I'm not enjoying it anymore. It's too expensive. Actually it's too hard to even find places to smoke anymore. Half the time I can't breathe when I'm doing something. I'm wheezing when I lay down to go to sleep. I wake myself up coughing.
Why do I keep putting the date off? that's it. I'm done. I emptied all ashtrays. And boy, did I have ashtrays in my house. I went to walmart and bought step 1 patches and told myself I'm done again. I tried to cut down. that didn't work. I tried to ration. that didn't work. I tried cold turkey. that didn't work. I tried wellbutrin. that didn't work. do you know what really finally worked for me? My mind and the patches. I had a lot of emotional ties to smoking and all negative. I chained smoked when I was nervous, frustrated, sad, angry. I never smoked when I was happy or enjoying something.
Fill out that part about your triggers while you're still smoking. figure out why and when you smoke. If it was simply a habit like biting your nails, we would have been done with it a long time ago. We use smoking for things, for emotions. Are you a stress smoker? then figure out other ways to relieve your stress. Deep breathing, exercising, a stress ball. Are you a depression smoker? Then talk to your doctor and maybe get on an antidepressant or antianxiety pill. Are you an anger/frustration smoker? Instead of taking the five or ten minutes inhaling that smoke, take five or ten minutes to stare out the window and do some relaxation techniques. quitting smoking can be done. you just have to be smart about it and use your head. only you know yourself the best and know what's best for you.
I wish there was a magic potion. I wish there was a timeline when you can expect to feel normal again and not even think about smoking. But think about it, you've done this for how many years? I think anyone can give it 6 months to unlearn it because it's a lifetime skill. This takes time. it's not done overnight. That's why they count by days here instead of months and years. it's definitely a day by day thing. In your first 30 days, you think about it constantly. The next 30, you have a few days in between there when it doesn't even come to mind. And every week it just seems to get easier. it's because you are creating a whole new routine for yourself that doesn't evolve around smoking. At 6 months or so, you have more days than not that you ever think about smoking anymore. it's just a faint memory. You can do this, really you can !!!!
