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Give and get support around quitting

Alicia0207
Member

How will I feel when i start my first day without a cigarrete

How will i feel when i don't smoke a cigarrete in the morning

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12 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

If you do the reading, the preparation and planning, I hope you will feel FREE on the first morning of your quit.  You will feel anxious if you aren't prepared - so please get started on that!

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. You should also do the tracking and separation exercises suggested in My Quit Plan http://www.becomeanex.org/my-quit-plan.php

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:

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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Roller831
Member

I certainly won't be able to tell you how you will feel, but Nancy has provided some great information which will give you an idea of how others may have felt and what they went through.  Read and prepare.  We will be here on that first day if things get rough.  Reach out for support.  Good luck and I agree that the best feeling in the world is that of FREEDOM!

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ahkhippiechic
Member

The information Nancy has given you is AWESOME. The first couple of days after my quit I did nothing but READ READ READ to encourage myself and give myself the knowledge and power I needed to my this my last quit (and IT IS!).

I can tell you what I FEEL like when I am going through craves/withdrawal.  

Hungry

Like something isn’t right but I am not sure what it is. 

Not sure what to do with myself, seem to have extra time on my hands

A tad edgy or anxious, OCCASIONALLY

A sense of freedom that is so wonderful! 

It took me TOO MANY QUITS to learn the things that are written in the links that Nancy has given you.  You can make this your first and last quit!  

Nicotine withdrawal is NOT painful, if you go smart turkey is generally over in 3 days, and YOU CAN DO IT.

Peace and grace! 

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Bree19
Member

Hi Alicia0207

Welcome!

I can't tell you how you will feel your first morning; can only tell you I felt....

Surreal – I’d been reading and preparing so much, I thought I’d never reach my quit date

Cautious – I didn’t want to get my hopes up – didn’t know if I could trust myself to persevere

Amazed – That I’d made this commitment after 40+ years of smoking, finally

Anxious – Would my quit kit/tool kit be sufficiently helpful when I needed it

Resolute – Oh yes I can do this

Worried – Would my family and friends support me  

Excited – Just excited – can’t even describe how excited.

You can;t go wrong if you read what everyone is going through every day, educate yourself daily, participate, blog, read how the Elders reached each milestone, pledge your commitment every day - BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

I look forward to following your progress.  

Blessings

Bree 

elvan
Member

I cannot tell you how you will feel, you might feel a little lost, you might feel exhilarated, however you feel, the better prepared you are, the better you will do. I strongly recommend doing the reading that YoungAtHeart‌ has recommended and I also recommend reading JonesCarpeDiem‌'s  blogs My Welcome To New Members (10 Years Of Watching)  and What To Expect In The First Four Months.  Stay close to this site, read blogs, comment, ask questions...know that we are here for you and that we have all been where you are.

Welcome to EX.

Ellen

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don't know.  Quitting is a very personalized, individual plan that each of us has to set out for ourselves.  That's what makes quitting so hard because there is no script.  There is a generalized outline of what may or may not happen.  The best advice out there is to take it one day at a time, COMMIT yourself to not ever pick up another cigarette again and just wake up each and every day with 

I will not smoke today......... that's not part of who I am anymore

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/blogs/Thomas3.20.2010-blog/2012/01/03/nicotine-addiction-101 

Day one quit smoking videos 

What motivates you to ask this question? Are you curious? worried? afraid? concerned? Please share more about what you need to hear and what you need in the way of support. 

We're here for you!

Some folks have reported a rather uneventful Day One - others have actually had an enthusiastic Day One - and some have had a super challenging Day One while there are folks who have had a disastrous Day One. 

What makes the difference? Attitude and preparation. I could say that Day One will be as hard or as easy as you expect it to be. Create a vision and pack it with positives. Also build in plenty of good self care and you will be just fine! READ READ READ!

JACKIE1-25-15
Member

As you can see, no one can really tell you how you are going to feel.  Only you will know when that day comes.  You have been offered a wealth of information to help prepare you.  How you use it may help to determine how you will feel and what to expect. https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/community/expert-advice/blog/2016/01/22/what-to-expect-when-stopp... 

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Sandy-9-17-17
Member

What everyone has posted and I have read them all, is exactly right!  I am fresh into this too, 

(not sure when your quit date is)  I keep coming back for support and offering up my own a

little here and there when I can.  It is a great place to come if you are struggling, or just to see 

what you might be relating to with others on this site!  

All I know is  you CAN do this!  All you have to do is commit yourself 100%.  and please read 

Allen Carr's  Easiest Way to Quit Smoking!  Do everything you can to support your quit!  

Best wishes!  Hope to see you here often! 

Sandy 16 DOF