Setting my quit day and date

[MelodyEve]

Hi everyone! I am new to the community and of course being the addict I am I want things done right NOW. I am still deciding which day and date to start my smoke free life because I have smoked for 43 years. I tried many times to quit but can't stay quit. I have also used patches which seemed to help with the withdrawal symptoms so I will go with the patches again. I do have some expired patches that I want to start with because I will have to put my start date way out there just so I can order some patches. I live about 30 mins from the closest pharmacy and don't drive so I will have to order them. Would love to get some feedback on the expired patches I have and what others think.

[elvan]

I really don't know anything about expired patches, I do know that SOME medications become stronger when they are past their expiration date...others basically do nothing, they lose their potency.  I don't know what to advise you about the patches.  I CAN tell you that I smoked for 47 years and I had many failed quits...I did not use anything to quit this time, I don't have anything AGAINST using nicotine replacement, I just waited so long that I got seriously ill and I HAD to quit.  By the time I began to feel withdrawal, it was all psychological and I refused to put any nicotine back into my body.  

Please PREPARE for your quit...do all of the reading you can about this addiction....read Allen Carr's "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking"...you should be able to get it from your local library or order it for a very nominal fee on line.  Have you tried calling your state quit line?  Many states offer free patches.  Read blogs here on this site...as many as you can, you will see that there are a lot of us who smoked for over 40 years and we are recovering from this addiction.  I have not smoked in over 4 1/2 years and I don't miss it, quitting smoking was the best thing I ever did for myself.  I suggest that you make a plan here is a link to give you a start My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX .  Track your cigarettes and identify what your triggers are, plan for what to do INSTEAD of smoking when those triggers occur...they WILL occur.  Quitting is not an event, it is a journey and that's a very important thing to remember.  It is also important to remember that there will be good days and bad days...just like there are when you are still smoking.  I suggest that you read a blog written by JonesCarpeDiem‌ some time ago...I read it over and over again when I quit /blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months there are MANY more that I recommend, one is by JACKIE1-25-15‌  https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/newbie-quitters/blog/2017/10/01/plan-prepare-practice-to-p... and there is one posted by YoungAtHeart‌ that always makes me laugh in addition to giving ideas to new quitters...101 Things to Do Instead of Smoke.  You CANNOT be too educated about this addiction and you cannot spend too much time on this site preparing and then staying quit.  You will meet people in all stages of their quits, some with days or weeks or months, some with many years.  Welcome to EX, you are about to take steps to improve your life and to make yourself stronger emotionally as well as physically.  When we smoke, we stuff our feelings down and when we STOP smoking...those feelings start to surface and sometimes they seem incredibly intense.  Your addiction will tell you that you will feel better if you smoke.  Your addiction LIES...you do not have to listen.  Smoking does not make ANYTHING better, it does not relieve pain whether it is physical or emotional, it does not solve anger issues or sadness...when we quit, we begin the journey of GROWING UP...a journey that people who never smoked learned gradually as THEY grew up normally.

Spend as much time as you can on EX, READ, blog, ask for advice and TAKE it, believe that people here really want you to be successful because we all started at the beginning and we all remember what it was like.

Best to you,

Ellen

[AnnetteMM]

All I'm going to add to what Ellen said is that if patches failed before (and they did fail, because you smoked again), then why do it again?  Try something else.

[Barbscloud]

No expert on nicotine patches, but from what I've read they wouldn't hurt you, but may have lost potency.  Anyway, some states will give you free ones to start out.   Might want to do some more reading as to what's available if you choose to use something or talk with you doctor about it--  Welutrin, Chantix, Nicotine patches, lozenges, gum, inhaler, etc.   I used Welbutrin and inhalers this time in conjunction with smoking cessation and this site.  Can honestly say, the support on this site has made all the difference this time.  There really is no right or wrong way.  There is plenty of good advice, but you have to take away from that what works for you.  It helped me to pick a quit date one week in advance an entered it on this site.  If you choose, you can receive text message from the Ex leading up to your date.  I found those messages very useful in preparing for my quit.   Look forward to hearing from you when you've picked a day.

102DOF

[ShawnP]

When i did the patch for a few days, i could feel the nicotine on my skin. Maybe you will be able to tell that way. Prepare for your quit. Learn and read everything about quitting. Preparing helps tremendously. /blogs/ShawnP-blog/2017/01/28/welcome-to-our-community  I think July 4 would be a perfect day to remember. Its also independence day  of course you can choose any day you would like. Welcome to our site.

[YoungAtHeart]

July 4th is MY quit anniversary - so I think it's a great date!  It's kind of fun to pretend the parades and picnics and fireworks are to celebrate your quit!!!

[constanceclum]

I tried expired patches once when they were all I had without any relief. Just because patches didn't work before does not mean they won't work this time. For 1 thing, you have this site now. Just don't be too quick in lowering the steps with the patches. Some people need to be on them longer than others. And, depending on how much you smoke, Several organizations, including the American Cancer Assoc. and the I Quit program, recommend using gum or lozenges (nicotine) with the patches. You can contact the I Quit or Quit Now (I can't remember) program in your state and they will send you a free month of patches plus have their own support. 

Connie

[crazymama_Lori]

I wouldn't go with the expired patches.  But I'll give you my spiel here in a minute.  It seems you know how to quit but just can't seem to maintain it.  Well, you are certainly in the right place and one reason why I talk up this site as much as I do.  The trigger tracker tool helps you to understand when and why you smoke and really makes you take a second to think of why you're lighting up.  I also smoked for 43 years and just basically lit one after the other after the other without really thinking about the why.  The most important also is filling out the section about what I plan to do to separate section.  Here is where you design your quit plan.  For example, do you smoke more in the mornings while drinking coffee?  Switch up to tea or a smoothie.  so here it goes:  

Welcome aboard.  Once you've completed Smoking Trigger Tracker Tool | Guides & Tools | BecomeAnEX  , please visit Newbie Quitters‌ and read some there and also Best of EX‌.  Therein contains some very useful and timeless knowledge saved to share with those that are serious about quitting smoking and also understanding how nicotine works inside our brains and bodies, How Nicotine Addiction takes over (and what to do about it!) .  Be sure to use the search feature on the right-hand side of your screen to find answers to questions you may have along the way.  I can guarantee you that at some point or another someone at sometime has or had the same feelings you are questioning.  We're just a bunch of former smokers helping other smokers quit and stay quit !!!! 

Be sure to poke around on other people's profiles and read what they have written back when they first quit.  To do that, go to their profile by clicking on their name, go to content and filter by Date Created:  Oldest first.  That really helped me a great deal when I started to see I wasn't going crazy, this was completely normal, and also gave me a preview of things to come.  Try to keep your spirits up and enjoy each day you're quit.  Again, glad to have you here with us and look forward to walking your journey with you..........

[shashort]

You got a lot of great bit of information above, nothing to really add, just read, read, and read.  Welcome to the community. Its great place to be as you don't have to go it alone. We are here for you and looking forward to following your journey.