Guess it’s finally time

[hattonc]

So this week I was out of work due to bronchitis.. I guess.. once we got that wave of African dust I came down with severe chest cold, congestion, wheezing.. it’s made me force myself to quit smoking .. I have broken the last 2 quit dates .. but I don’t give up on visiting this site and reading blogs.. cigarettes have been my go to for every time I’m angry or sad etc.. . so much going on in my life but it’s gotten to the point that it’s out of hand and has to stop !  I haven’t had a flare up like this in a couple of years so it’s scaring me enough to really want to.. I just need to practically live on this site for encouragement... last time I thought I was strong enough I quit for over 2 years then started back again .. so you all will be hearing from me frequently!!  Thanks for listening.. 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Be here all you want or need to be.  We get paid by the blog (jk!!!)!  Do, though, feel free to post whenever you have a question, are at your wit's end and just need company, or support.  It's what we do!

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. You can search for it online or at your local library. Here's a link to a video here on the site which describes nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

 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 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

[elvan]

PLEASE pay close attention to everything that YoungAtHeart‌ has told you and please read a blog by JonesCarpeDiem‌ that helped me greatly in the beginning of my quit.../blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months 

I made it a point to come to this site every morning and every evening and to read and comment and get to know our fellow travelers. 

We have all had to start at the beginning so we know what you are going through.  We all want you to succeed.  I kept smoking after getting sick and now I have had to have both upper lobes of my lungs removed because of emphysema, I am on oxygen at night and my COPD is so severe that I am always short of breath and always tired.   It was NOT WORTH IT.  Like you, I smoked to stuff uncomfortable feelings...it is okay to feel sad, angry, disappointed, all feelings are meant to be FELT and not stuffed.  When we stop smoking, we start growing emotionally.

We are here for you.

Ellen

[MarilynH]

Welcome to the community please read the recommended reading above me and keep reading everything you can about quitting smoking and remaining quit because there's a wealth of information here to strengthen your resolve to kick the nicotine poison to the curb and start living a life of Freedom, believe it deep breaths and be willing determined and totally committed to succeed and you can and will be successful and we're all here to help you in any way we can. 

[Giulia]

Truth?  Yes, I'd say it's finally time.  You've been a member here since March of  2014.  When I think about the fact that you could have a four-year quit under belt right now if you had stayed the course, it just makes me so sad.  How can we help you?  Somehow you need to find your commitment.  We can't give it to you.  God how I wish we could.  But it has to come from within YOU.  But you can't force yourself to quit smoking.  You need to really - I don't know what?  Come to terms with your relationship with the addiction.  Delve into the why you smoke, the why you relapse.  You say you haven't had a flare up like this in a couple of years so it's scaring you....   It SHOULD scare you.  You SHOULD pay attention to it.  But has it scared you enough? -  I guess would be my question.  Lots of people have flare ups and get scared and stop for a while, and then when the flare up flares back down, so does the commitment.  

What are you going to do differently this time around?  What steps will you take to ensure a strong ongoing commitment?  What plans have you made to keep yourself from relapsing?  These are all basic questions you need to ask and answer for yourself on this journey.  If you need to live on this site (like most successful long-term quitters here did at the beginning of their quits)  - then DO!  Do whatever it is you need to do to see yourself through to the Freedom you so desire.  Don't wait 'til the next "flare up."  Because you never know if that flare up is past the point of no return.  

[elvan]

Giulia‌ is telling you something really important...when you are in an acute phase of illness, it is quite a motivator...when you feel better, your addiction really starts talking and has very little difficulty convincing you that it wasn't to blame after all...that was MY experience.  Once I felt better, I was at much higher risk of smoking.  This time, I never really got better and I know that I never will.  Smoking does nothing FOR you but it does a whole lot TO you.  Freedom is NOT just another word for "nothing left to lose."  Freedom is amazing, it represents the opportunity for growth in so many ways that you would never have anticipated...your self confidence and self esteem increase and so does the desire to seek good health as opposed to instant gratification of an addiction.  No crave ever killed anyone...if you can find someone to tell you that smoking never killed anyone...well, you will have met a golden liar!

This is a journey and you cannot rush it, there are no shortcuts, you have to learn to deal with whatever life throws in your direction without trying to numb yourself with nicotine.

Ellen

[Barbscloud]

Welcome to the Ex.  We'll be happy to hear from as often as needed.

130 DOF

[Strudel]

Welcome back - you know the support here can make the difference - so please stick with your plan of staying close! I know you can do this!