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Give and get support around quitting

5AlarmFire
Member

Helpful ex plan tools to use?

Hi everyone, I'm back. Had a good run at being smoke free but... well.... here i am again. Last time, I filled out the tools in a different looking website and never looked at them again. Wondering if I should use them more regularly this time around? I'm going to stop smoking next Friday... Any of the My Plan stuff I should use before or during my next quit?


Thanks - want to do it differently this time.

Dale

0 Kudos
4 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

I'm glad you're back.  The most important thing for you to do right now is read, read, and read some more as you prepare and plan to quit.  You will find what you think will work for you.  AFTER you quit, stay close to us ad continue to participate.  There is a  wealth of good information and support here.

 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

AnnetteMM
Member

Something worked for you for awhile...what was it?

Something did not work, since you smoked again.  What was that?

Giulia
Member

"Any of the My Plan stuff I should use before or during my next quit?"  Well yes.  That's what it's there for - to be used.  If you never looked at the tools last time and you want to do things differently this time - look at the tools!  Also might not be a bad idea to follow the advice given on your blog from last year:  I'm new. What's the best way to use this site to help me cut down on my smoking?   

elvan
Member

Welcome back...looks like you have gotten some really good advice.  You have to follow it for it to work...we all want you to succeed and please remember that this site is for quitting, not cutting down.  Cutting down is keeping the addiction alive and well and will do nothing for you.  Maybe you just want to cut down and not quit?  Is that it?  I identified my triggers and rated them according to how strong they were and then I made plans for what I would do instead of smoking.  It could be exercising, brushing my teeth, taking a shower, cleaning out a cupboard or drawer, calling someone on the phone, getting on EX, remembering why I wanted to quit, why I want to stay quit. My reasons were and are pretty clear...I wanted to be able to breathe for as long as possible and I knew I was killing myself.

I came here every day, twice a day, in the morning and in the evening and I read blogs and commented and asked for help and I listened to the advice I was given.  Every person here wants you to succeed...we all had to start at the beginning and we had to be really honest with ourselves.

Ellen