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Okay, I am not used to sharing online but here it goes. I set this quit day about 2 weeks ago, so I could gradually get ready to quit. I was so pumped. Yet now that the day is coming I feel so sad, anxious and full of doubt???
Thank you sooo much!!!
Please pay attention to what YoungAtHeart has shared with you. You CAN do this. Education about the addiction, support from others who know what you are going through, and your own commitment not to smoke, no matter what will get you through ANYTHING.
Welcome to EX,
Ellen
Big welcome to the Ex. I've never shared online before either. That first day is scary for most of us. I overcame the fear when I realized it was my choice. I can smoke tomorrow if I want to. It's not about forever; it's one day at a time. I'm glad you set a quit date and I hope during that time you educated yourself about nicotine addiction and prepared a plan. It makes it so possible. We're here for you, so just reach out if and when you need support. The people on this site have proven that you can also do this. So ready to celebrate your quit date with you.
Barb
Netty03 I remember that last day and that last night before my quit day
Am I good enough, am I strong enough, will I fail ...on and on
That is because you are focusing on the future
But than tomorrow you will be focusing on the day and not the future
At the end of tomorrow you will be able to say I DID IT and you truly begin to believe in yourself
That is a big part of this journey....focusing on today not the future
Glad you have joined us
Thank you so much! I really needed to hear that and your absolutely correct. I should focus on today/here and now. One day at a time ❤️
Gee, I thought I just said that. Whatever.
My apology Barbscloud. I did not intend to offend you but as I said I am new to this site. I have to go through multiple emails to see my responses and I tried to respond to all. Please do not take it personal if I did not respond to you. Unfortunately this is exactly what I was afraid would happen when all I was trying to do if find some support .
There was a first day for all of us. Whether it was quitting or sharing on line. Sharing the journey can really make a big difference. Support is what got me through. (Love your avatar, by the way, you look like you're about to take flight!) Tomorrow is lift off day. Day before misgivings are quite common. When they start creeping in, turn them off, turn around and charge in the other direction. Make short-term goals for yourself and celebrate each one when you achieve it. Glad you've joined us. Have heart!
Welcome and thank you for sharing YOUR courage and self honesty - no worries - YOUR not ALONE - SUGGESTED to ME in MY early RECOVERY from using MY DRUG NICOTINE - was to write a letter of divorce between MY lover and best friend - MY DRUG NICOTINE and ME - it seems silly - I took the SUGGESTION and it HELPED ME - severe ties with MY OLD feeling victim thinking and learn NEW mindsets to keep growing healthy in choosing MY NEW ideas and MY NEW thinking and MY NEW NON SMOKER LIFE STYLE and continuing to live in the present moments spiritually healed and grown up inside and outside of ME - living MY age 62 NOT 4yrs old victim in MY adult body and for ME only by God's grace and in HIS love and joy and peace in MY Lord Jesus name amen - please take what HELPS and let go of the rest - to be helpful is MY only aim - thank you - gentle hug❤
WOW!!! Thank you soo much for sharing that. I love to write and I am going do exactly what you said and write a letter letting go...I’ll make sure to re read it in times of my weakness. I can’t thank all of you enough. When I write my post I was feeling doubtful and sad. But honestly after reading all you guys suggestions I feel motivated and determine!!!!!
Stay away from the shellfish at the buffet
Can't add much to what's been said, but most of us were just like you at the beginning. And don't worry about not being as pumped as you were 2 weeks ago, because all of us here are super excited for your Day Won tomorrow!
Thank you!!
I'm just a voice in the wilderness.
Most people give up in the first four months.
It's the most critical time of a quit.
Stay close.
https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/thread/6040-my-welcome-to-new-members-12-years-of-watching
What you described is totally normal! For
me, getting past that fear was the hardest part - once I took the plunge and did it - I found out how doable it was! Forty years of smoking - after doing the reading mentioned above and getting the support here, I quit! That was 9 years ago. You can do this - stay close!
Thank you ❤️! I am sooo proud of you as I know how hard it was to quit. You give me inspiration...I hope to get where you are at one day.
Hi and Welcome to Ex’s Netty03 Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking...listen to the great advice above me...it will help you so much...also, be sure to keep close to the support site...and quitting never killed anyone...try and think of ... “just tomorrow...” get through one day at a time...we are here for you...~ Colleen 230 DOF
Thank you so much for your word of encouragement! It’s greatly appreciated. I am ready to get rid of this crutch once and for all ❤️❤️
Seems like reaching out helped you Netty03! Ex is here 365. You can do this--one day at a time. In Ex, always take what you can use and let go of the rest.
PS I hated to quit for real--which hit me as my day drew near. But it turned out better than OK for me. Keep working your quit.
Congratulations on quit day today! How is it going. There is so much help here, you can't go wrong!
Welcome to our community!
Your feelings are perfectly normal. However long you smoked, it was an integral part of your life. When you weren't smoking, you were probably thinking of when/how you were going to get your next fix, checking to see if you have enough to get through the time to go get more, how you were going to fit that into your schedule................... I don't what you have found to read or how you have prepared, so I will give you my normal reading and prep recommendations.
The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind.To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read.
You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.
After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract. I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another. You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them.. For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum. For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire and 4) you can become addicted to that and it has not yet been proven safe .
It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit. If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
You need to distract yourself through any craves. You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game. Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time. You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits. Get busy! Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?" Then DO it. You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!
Nancy