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Give and get support around quitting

Tim611
Member

Tim's Photo

me Timmy.jpg

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6 Replies
indingrl
Member

 Tim and nice photo thanks for sharing and I hope you STAY nicotine free with ALL of us here - Conversation is where WE are on this site - education is ONE of the keys offered here to read and read and read the blogs by EX team and Dr Hays and Dr Hurt blogs and also blogs from those called elders here with years of SUGGESTIONS to cope with life on lifes terms and STAY a non smoker while living ONE breath at a time - I am glad you CHOOSE life without nicotine - WAY TO GO - Yahhoooooooo - please blog before you take that first puff over you- thank you so much for sharing your pic

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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to the community  Tim611 !

You don't say if you want to quit smoking or vaping, so I will assume smoking for the purpose of my response.  I'm glad you found us!  We are a community of people either thinking about quitting, in the process, or have been quit for awhile and stay here to help others.  I quit over 8 years ago and love helping others achieve freedom from addiction.  It is glorious to be free!

 

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 obvious reasons.

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-instea...


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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Giulia
Member

Well howdy, Tim.  Welcome to our quit family!  Now that we know what you look like, why not tell us a little about yourself.  This the first time you've attempted to quit?  I tried several times, but it wasn't until I discovered a support site that I finally "got it."  And once I did I wanted to pass it on.  Freedom from this addiction is AMAZING!  Here's a little primer that may help:  /blogs/Giulia-blog/2018/03/01/quitting-is-a-skill-that-can-be-learned?sr=search&searchId=9760d8ef-d7...‌  We're all on the same journey, just in different stages.  And we'll walk this walk with you.  Glad you've joined us.  

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sweetplt
Member

HI Tim and Welcome to Ex’s Tim611 

Glad you found our quit site...be sure to read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX and set your quit date...then plan for that day like no other...become knowledgable in addiction and read the posts here to help you in this journey.  Keep busy and listen to your body...we are here to help, keep close to the support site...Colleen 706 DOF 

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Barbscloud
Member

Welcome to the Ex Tim.

Barb

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MarilynH
Member

How are you doing Tim611

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