Nothing to report really. Just sort of lingering (and perusing) the site when I can. Reached out to Quit 4 Life yesterday as an additional resource through my employer. Hanging onto music as an outlet.
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Nothing to report really. Just sort of lingering (and perusing) the site when I can. Reached out to Quit 4 Life yesterday as an additional resource through my employer. Hanging onto music as an outlet.
Me, too, Hovercraft !
I hang around, blog my experience, and in general stay anchored to my quit here.
What did you think about Quit 4 Life? I haven't heard of that one.
PT
I have my first "coaching" session today via phone. I'll let you know.
I'll be interested to hear about that also. I did attend a smoking cessation class prior to quitting. Sometimes I think it's just about accountability!
Barb
Sorry for the extremely late response, Barb. Happy Wednesday! I finally received my nicotine gum through Quit 4 Life...4 boxes to be exact. Tried it...it's not as harsh in my opinion as the lozenges in terms of the scratchiness factor...but I'm planning on going cold turkey after more thought rather than keeping the nicotine addiction going if possible. Didn't actually end up getting a return call from Quit4Life. I may call them again to take advantage of their coaching, not sure yet. When I called back to inquire about the status of the gum, the phone just rang and rang and rang and rang once or twice, so I'm not sure how many people they have on staff.
However you decide to quit is what's best for you. Don't forget we're always here to support you. I believe some of the state quit lines have persons to speak with?
Barb
Yes, they do. When I utilized them previously, they were actual people which was nice.
Welcome to our community!
I am sorry I missed your earlier messages....but I will correct that now! I hope you are healing well from your dental surgery.
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, 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
If used properly, lozenges are a fine NRT, 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. Be sure the mg in the lozenges you use do not exceed the nicotine you got when smoking. As an estimate, each cigarette you smoked was about 1 mg. You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time.
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
This is a good place to linger. You can never have too much knowledge about the journey ahead and there are many good sources out there. Keep reading!
Right on, hovering is better than sinking. You keep on setting yourself up for success like this, you'll be successful.
Congratulations on following up with us and on looking over the site. I think a lot of us started that way. You are doing great, it WILL get easier.
Pay attention to YoungAtHeart's advice, it will really help you.
Ellen
Welcome and CONGRATS NICOTINE FREEDOM
On 100 Days of Freedom...Welcome to the Triple Digit Club...You are rocking the quit...~ Colleen 296 DOF
I did the same early in my quit.......I would come to the site constantly......just reading others comments and getting to know the regulars was a HUGE help to me. I know this community should receive 99% of the credit for my quit (I am leaving myself 1%!!!!)
GOOD JOB ! STAY STRONG!
Just coming to the site to check-in is great support. I know how much it helped me, especially early on. Good to hear you're doing well. Yes for music!
Barb