Share your quitting journey
I believe many people think that by cutting down a certain number of smokes per day to ZERO is a good way to get to the start of not smoking. What do you think?
Eventually in that process, you are going to come across the day when the nicotine receptors in your brain are going to say "NOT ENOUGH" and then YOU'RE IN WITHDRAWAL. You start looking at how many you've had that day and then you are focused on what you are giving up, what you can't have. Then if you give in and go over your alottment, you feel like you failed yourself and your plan before you've even quit. So consider DENIAL MAY NOT BE A GOOD WAY TO GET STARTED. It can put you in a weakened place before you even quit..
VS
Delaying Smoking
Delaying smoking is not supposed to be hard. You never let it get to the place where you feel you are denying yourself. In other words you let it happen, you don't force it. Just put the thought in your head "I'll wait a little longer" and don't let yourself get desperate.
It's a much more relaxing way to enter a quit. The plus is learning you actually don't need to smoke every time you thought you needed to. You don't build fear and anxiety about a quit date because you are learning about your addiction and habit by putting a little control on it. This builds confidence, knowing you do have some control and, ,it sets you up for a better beginning.
When you get down to around 5 cigarettes a day might be the point to either quit all together and start your NRT aid or just get through those first three days when the physical withdrawal symptoms are the most difficult.
Remember, the first 2-3 weeks are the most difficult for EVERYONE no matter how you get to your start because your mind and body go through the greatest readjusting. \
It's not such a mountain if you don't make it one.
PS I did this over a 4 week time period before I quit and I was never thinking about a quit date.I never built any fear or anxiety. The only way I actually knew it was working was because I started going to the store less and less over those 4 weeks.
You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.