I am a little confused

[SandyV]

Hi all,  my therapist has advised me to move my quit date back and focus on the cigarettes or times of day that will be toughest to give up so that I will have small victories along the way.  Then pick a date to stop completely.  Does anyone have and feedback/experience with quitting with this strategy?  She is hoping it will lower the anxiety over quitting.

thanks,

SandyV

[Daniela2016]

Hi SandyV‌, I have not heard about this method, I heard from other quitters here they delayed the next cigarette as long as they could, so they cut back and eventually stopped all together.

I quit on my own, 2 weeks of patches, 40 days of e-cig, on day 41 I was free of Nicotine, and joined this support group.  And I received all the support I needed, and still do after more than 2 1/2 years.

Please do a lot of reading, and I am sure you will also get more answers to your question, prepare yourself the best you can, so your quit journey can be as easy as possible!  Reading Allan Carr's book "The easy way to quit smoking" was a stepping stone in my journey.  There are some free versions online, I preferred to have my own in Kindle format, only $7.00 on Amazon.

D

[marciem]

My personal experience is that delaying the quit date INCREASES anxiety, the anxiety of the anticipation of quitting is way far worse than the actual quit dynamic. 

YES, there will be antsiness and anxiety in the early part of the quit, but that is called withdrawal (this is an addiction, not just a bad habit) and there is no way around it, you can't go over it, under it... the only way out is to go through it.  It IS a good idea, while you smoke your final cigarettes, to make special note of the negative things about it... the harshness, the stink, going out in the cold, the eyes watering... anything else you notice that is NEGATIVE associated with smoking, so that when the addiction tries to call you back you can bring up those memories to help you keep strong in your quit.

I'm not a doctor but that has been my experience and also what I've read others have noticed.

Read and learn all you can about this addiction and what to expect.  There will also be psychological triggers that take a long time to get over, I don't think you can "pre-quit" those triggers by and large.  But that's just my opinion.

Best to you!!  Stick around, and let us know what you decide to do.

[avian3]

I agree. If I had to wait any more than the 5 days between the time I made the decision to quit and my quit date, I would have had a panic attack. 

[SaraCorinne]

It might help you identify your triggers.  I tried it and was told to write how I was feeling the moment I smoked so I could come up with an alternative once I finally quit.  I would try to go longer and longer between smokes.  When I thought I couldn't go another second, I tried to go a little longer.  So far I've made it 41 days without a cigarette.  Maybe it's because I logged my smokes, who knows.  I wish I could tell you that it's been easy but it hasn't.  I think it depends on how bad a person wants to quit.  All I know is, I feel better "healthwise" but I'm still having a hard time with my attitude and emotions.  I'm told that will pass, eventually, someday......hopefully soon.  My quit is still new and I'm still having to work pretty hard on it.  I'm told that will pass too.....  Good luck with whatever method you choose!  Putting it off doesn't make it any easier either  

Sara

[YoungAtHeart]

Even more important than delaying each cigarette or doing without is educating yourself on this addiction.  Then you can plan and then prepare for your quit as this site recommends, and then YOU supply the commitment.  Decide which route you think will work best for you by doing the reading I outline below.  Doing it will reduce your anxiety about quitting because you will know what it's all about!

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  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, quitsmoking.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 recommended here on the site.
 
 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

[JACKIE1-25-15]

If you have not set a date yet it would be good to do some activities to make you more aware of your triggers and track your cigarettes. Please review my quit plan to get you started. Here is the link Getting Ready to Quit | My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX 

[Bellegonia]

If you move around this site in all its fantastic, distracting peel off topic threads I think you will come to your own conclusions that answer your question.

None of which will be to continue smoking

You GOT THIS!

[Giulia]

You've gotten some wonderful responses here.  Re-read them.  Listen to them.  Think about them.  What do YOU think will work best for you?  You, after all, know yourself better than any of us.  

Small victories along the way are ever so important.  Just getting through Day One is an amazing victory.  Then we move on to getting through day 3 when the majority of the nicotine supposedly is out of our system.  Then we aim for our first smoke free week.  My God, a whole WEEK free.  Then we move to our first month victory.  And it goes on and on from there.  Our victories keep us motivated and EXCITED about our quits.  They give us strength and hope and pats on the back.  They whisper 'YES YOU CAN!" to us.  I've been quit for over 12 years and I still get excited about my victories.

Your therapist is giving you a plan that THEY think will be best for you.  But YOU have to decide what YOU think is best for you in this struggle to be free.  Ya know?  So my question to you is, what do YOU think will make this quit happen for you?  What in your heart of hearts that you know - will achieve this goal?  I think you know what it is.  I don't think you need someone else to tell you that. 

If you're afraid to fail, afraid to take the chance - if that will be a setback emotionally if you do fail, then move your quit date back.  YOU have the answer to this question within you.  Not your therapist.  What do YOU think?  These are the questions and answers we each have to come up with when we undertake this tough journey.

One thing you need to understand, perhaps, is that quitting IS anxiety producing.  Fact.  Just what's so.  We are in most anxious mode, I think, the couple of days before we quit.  That's the the worst. Once we jump into the water, it's easier.  But not easy.  We are still going to experience anxiety.  I think a question you need to ask yourself is:  Am I willing to experience the discomfort and anxiety that I will go through when I'm quitting?  And I mean through the ENTIRE process of that.  

If you can answer YES to that.  Then you will be on your way to conquering this addiction.  If you can't answer that with a resounding YES, then you need to spend more time in educating yourself about this addiction and gaining the excitement necessary from the support given here, to do so.  

I will tell you this, from my own experience and from reading the experiences of others who have quit - the journey is incredibly empowering.  You will discover things about yourself that you never considered before.  Some will not be good, some will be wonderful.  The bottom line is, you will grow emotionally from the process and discover that far from being the victim of this addiction, you are the champion of it.

Don't be confused, Sandy.  Embrace your choice and have heart!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

This is what I did. First time quit.

No stress.

No dwelling on smoking or how many I could have.

just getting off auto pilot.

Where Does It Come From? 

was your therapist a smoker?