Quitting is work 7/90

Blog Post created by PastTense on Dec 10, 2019

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Mark Twain said of smoking cigars “Quitting smoking is easy – I do it every day”.

That pretty much sums up my relationship to quitting smoking. I started new quits at least once a month for the past decade. If you’re counting, that multiplies out to over 100 quits. I have been in a perpetual state of withdrawal. I have wanted to be a non-smoker. I just didn’t want to go through the work it takes to actually quit smoking!

I took the prescription meds, and St. John’s wart, and patches, and gum, and hypnosis. You know what? NONE of those things will quit for you. None of those things will motivate you to stay away from cigarettes. All of those things can help you – but they can’t do it all. I had to take ownership of my quit and why my quits failed in the past.

Being on this site is the tool I am using to stay committed to quitting.

Keep the quit

Outcomes

7 Comments

YoungAtHeart Dec 10, 2019 12:14 PM
It is much easier to go through that first day, that first week ONCE. I was so uncomfortable that I vowed never to put myself through it again! I read, I planned, I prepared and I committed to never smoking another cigarette no matter what. I was fortunate to have found this site, its members and the education I needed. My forever quit started on that very first try.
And, everyone here promised me it would get easier as time passed. And - it DID! I learned the lesson of "never just one" and accepted that it was true.
And, here I am, 7+ years later. Loving my smoke free life!
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- PastTense @ YoungAtHeart on Dec 10, 2019 12:41 PM
  My hat is off to first time quitters. I admire your strength and determination, YoungAtHeart!
  I think the big diverence for me was planning and preparation. Having a written plan made me take this quit seriously.
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  - YoungAtHeart @ PastTense on Dec 10, 2019 12:53 PM
    I'm not so sure I was strong and determined. I think I was more terrified of ever having to go through those first days AGAIN! I was actually not sure I can ever make myself quit again if I had to start over.
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prissdoll Dec 10, 2019 5:51 PM
So PastTense.I figure if you can do 90 posts I can do 90 responses!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did much more planning and preparation with this quit than I ever did in the past . So much I did not know before and feel better with the knowledge I have now. Of course, the knowledge alone will not help if I am not using the suggestions So there is one more element present which wasn't before, and I would say that is willingness. Willing to do whatever it takes. Wish I could say it has been smooth sailing, but I struggle a lot. Maybe that is not all bad because when that addict starts the crap...I think I did not do all that work and coping to throw it away for a cigarette...I have done that before and it is a horrible place to be. I want to be kinder and more loving to me than that.

Enough rambling for now, Just a minute at a time for the remainder if this day with gratitude and humility for the gift given me today.
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jonimarie Dec 10, 2019 7:52 PM
PastTense fabulous post and spot on
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Babygirlstew Dec 11, 2019 4:49 PM
I quit for 5 years. I quit cold turkey the first time. A very stressful and traumatic life event was the excuse I used for starting this nasty habit again. I figured if I did it once, I could do it again. The lies we tell ourselves. This time is much harder but I am determined to keep my quit date at 12/22/2019.
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- YoungAtHeart @ Babygirlstew on Dec 11, 2019 5:16 PM
  Welcome to our community!
  
  You will HAVE to confess the secret behind your username sometime!
  
  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 easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware. I credit it in large part with my success at quitting. You can search for it online or at your local library.
  
  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
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Quitting is work 7/90

Outcomes

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