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Quit Date Tomorrow
I have smoked since I was 14. I've tried to quit, and failed three times in the past so I don't have a whole lot of faith in myself. My husband and I both decided we would quit together. We are doing it for our son and ourselves. We have a one year old, and we don't smoke in the house or car because of him but, we find ourselves outside so much it seems like he usually just has one of us with him at a time. On top of that we easily spend over two hundred dollars a month on both of our pack a day habit. I know this is the right thing to do, and I really want it. I've reached a point where I don't even enjoy smoking anymore, I just feel guilty about it. We set our quit date and I was actually really excited and couldn't wait for it to get here. However, now that it's tomorrow, I'm so anxious I'm sick to my stomach. You'd think I was going in for surgery or something. I'm not sure how to get back my resolve. With all my previous failed attempts part of me is worried this is just going to be a another failure. I still desperately want to quit but, I suddenly feel like I'm not going to be able to and for some reason I'm completely terrified.
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I am not sure what preparation you did but there are many things that you can do that will help with your resolve. You need to read everything you can get your hands on about nicotine addiction. You can start with Allen Carr's book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking." I am not going to tell you that it is easy because, I don't really think it is. It's work...it's also a journey and not an event. I can offer you some links from other members that I think you should read...JonesCarpeDiem wrote many amazing blogs but I suggest that you start with these two: My Welcome To New Members (10 Years Of Watching) and /blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months I also suggest reading two blogs written by JACKIE1-25-15 /blogs/JACKIE1-25-15-blog/2017/08/07/plan-prepare-practice-to-protect and https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/newbie-quitters/blog/2017/07/20/are-you-new-here Those are just some suggestions...YoungAtHeart has a great welcome she offers to newbies...that's what we call new people. I would suggest looking at becomeanex.org ...THIS site you are on right now and clicking at the top of the screen on "My Quit Plan"...it will help you to put together a quit kit for dealing with triggers without smoking. Triggers will come and you need to know how you are going to handle them. Stay close to the site, come here as often as you possibly can and read blogs, comment, and write blogs...you will learn things from members at the beginning of their quits as well as those who have been quit for YEARS. There are some great little sayings that help...my go to was NOPE, Not One Puff Ever and "I don't do that any more." It really is one step at a time and baby steps count. One day at a time...sometimes one hour or one minute. What works for one may not work for all, the biggest thing is not to smoke. Having failed quits behind you can actually strengthen your quit..figure out what went wrong so you are ready to face something that might happen again.
Remember that we are here and that we welcome you with open arms, we WANT you to succeed and we will listen to anything you have to say.
Welcome to EX,
Ellen
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Welcome to our community!
Don't look at the past - you aren't going that way! THIS time you will be better prepared (if you take advantage of the readings linked for you!) and you will have lots of support and encouragement here. The Allen Carr book has been credited with many a successful quit - including mine - so start with that. Don't think about failing before you even start - if you think you can or think you can't- you are right.
The most 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. Here is a link to a free PDF version of it:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf
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, quitsmokingonline.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.
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. 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. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for three 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, and 3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire. . But – any method that you think will work well for you will be best for you.
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. 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. 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:
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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Welcome. Deciding to quit is a part of quitting. If you are terrified of tomorrows quit date and the prospect of not having your nicotine, now might be a good time to immerse yourself in Ex and info on quitting.
I guess just before I quit, I was a little distressed that I would not be true to my intentions, my word. I worried that I would double cross myself, but I had a no turning back plan in place that I'd hatched over a period of almost three weeks. I read and watched quit videos (not the easy way to quit stuff, but the solid stuff.)
Please do not cram yourself into --a yes I'll quit for good or no just I can't quit--corner. Ex is here to help you face the early stuff of quitting. This is your quit, your desire. Focus at this, not on your fears.
a few links you might find something of use in:
Quitting Smoking Encouragement - YouTube
Quit Smoking Success Stories - YouTube
Robert Proctor: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition (lecture) - YouTube
Robert Proctor is such a good speaker...and he has so much to say about the smoking mess...his talk might help you to look at the bigger picture
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Welcome ValhallanFury , take a deep breath and please do the recommended reading above me because it'll help strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb and start living a life of Freedom, you can and will be successful, believe it and be willing, determined and totally committed to succeed because you can and will be successful one precious smoke free day at a time or one minute or even one second at a time but you must start your Day One so you can start stacking up your Days WON and start reaping the benefits of an Ex Smoker so choose to quit smoking because it's absolutely Doable and and definitely worth it to be FREE!
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Welcome to EX. If you hang around you will find that quitting is doable, many of us have. Look forward to a new day and a new way. It is up to you. You have to relearn your thinking and believe that you can do this. It is great that you and your husband have decided to quit together but remember your quit and his quit are not the same. You can help each other. You have come to the right place for a new day and a rebirth. This is all about you and what you are willing to do to be smoke free. Quitting smoking requires hard work. It can be challenging at times but you will learn that it is doable if you adhere to NOPE not one puff ever no matter what. Start first, by educating yourself about nicotine addiction. Education is the key to a successful quit. Read: Freedom from Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101
Here are the links: http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html and http://whyquit.com/ffn/
I also encourage you to read. Allen Carr’s book, “Easy Easier Way to Quit Smoking”.
The link is here: http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf
Go to http://www.becomeanex.org/how-to-quit-smoking.php#thl and get started.
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You should be feeling the love from this site now...we really are here for you.
Ellen
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You're right - it's not surgery, it's just not putting a cigarette in your mouth. One day at a time. Attitude. It's all about attitude. We have several hundred people here who have been quit for over a year. /blogs/Giulia-blog/2017/06/18/elders-list-ao-december-7-2016 Perhaps reading some of their early blogs will help strengthen yours. The more you know, the more prepared you'll be for the journey. Don't be afraid to embrace it. The discomfort of quitting isn't nearly as hard to deal with as the discomfort of not being able to breathe. Chin up and have heart!
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It's funny. The same people who posted here posted to me on my quit day. I felt like everyone here WANTED me to success but knew they couldn't do it for me. I had to do it for myself. I also had been smoking since I was 14 and knew I need to quit for me and my children. I am smiling because I did the reading and now I am here 96 days later. We call that FREEDOM.....DOF - days of freedom and now I couldn't think of turning back.
The one thing that helped me most and still help me today are what we call our Elders. Those are the folks who just posted to you above and have at least one year of being free. Listen to what they have to tell you. They all worked hard for their Elder title and know what they are talking about.
Listen and read read read. We are here for you. Keep this site close to you. You can do this.
A wise Elder told me turn your Day One into a Day WON!
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