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Give and get support around quitting

Beck37
Member

4 days quit and can't remember why?

Smoker for 37 years.... obviously the decision to quit was not made lightly. Along with everything else in my life I had my quit date planned out. Am at my moms house for the holidays. Figured not only would it be the bestest Christmas present for her but everyone always pigs out for the holidays so if I gained weight it would be expected! 

I am 4 days in now and my mind/body kind of feels like a kaleidoscope inside! I am doing this cold turkey cause of course that's how I do things.  Was a HUGE drinker but walked away from that 14 years ago and never looked back. Knew this was going to be the toughest thing I ever did, but don't know if what I am experiencing is normal. I am actually in a pretty good mood. My head feels kind of cloudy and my heart feels like it's going to pound out of my chest. My body aches and I'm trying to remember why I wanted to quit cause is smoking really that bad?????

20 Replies
gregp136
Member

The nicotine bully will use all sorts of tricks to get you back.  One of them is to convince you that smoking was not that bad, and that you did not have a good reason to quit today.  List all the good reasons to quit to fight him.

Beck37
Member

I know.... It's nice to get the feedback. I am currently surrounded by non smokers and although that's a good thing they have no clue what I am going thru right now.... 37 years of smoking is huge! Quitting this is HUGE!!!

JACKIE1-25-15
Member

Congratulations on making the decision to quit smoking.  You are 4 days in and you will have the push and pull.  However, it is important that you commit to the quit that you will not smoke no matter what NOPE.  It would be great if you made a list of why you are quitting to keep with you as a reminder of why.   Know that quitting is doable.  You have only just begun to live 4 days in.  Keep stacking those days. 

AnnetteMM
Member

Hello and Hurray for you! Sounds all pretty normal to me. You'll feel weird for awhile, and nicotine will be yelling in your ear to COME BACK. We have name for it...Nicodemon, Ol' Nic, etc. Aches are normal, too. You can do it!

Beck37
Member

Thanks so much for emailing me... So feeling like a kaleidoscope is normal? I've tried going in and looking at articles of what to expect and I know everyone is different..... Right now I have a pounding in my ears. I am in a surprisingly good mood though and wasn't expecting that at all.

Next week though I return to reality. Back to work and my "real" life... Now that is when the SCARY really starts.

Sent from my iPad

YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Yes - smoking IS that bad.  Read around the site and you will discover ALL the things it will do to you...gum disease, osteoporosis earlier and worse, acid reflux leading to esophageal cancer, COPD and more - not even including the big C.  Here's a link to a blog that outlines early withdrawal symptoms https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex/blog/2018/01/04/early-withdrawal-symptoms.

The 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, 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.


 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

Giulia
Member

Totally understandable what you're feeling on Day 4.  This is a journey, not an event.  And the journey changes from day to day.  It's GOOD that you're in a good mood.  Hang onto it!

Can't remember why your quitting?  Because cigarettes kill us.  Nice and slowly.  A little bit at a time, almost imperceptibly.  Until one day we turn around and can't go up stairs without getting out of breath, have developed COPD, or emphysema, or lung cancer.  The wise person believes that it can indeed happen to them.  Just look around this site and read the stories of those who suffer from the effects of smoking.  Yes, cigarettes really ARE that bad.  Believe it.

Kudos on Day 4.  Most of the nicotine is now out of your body.  From here on it's just a head game.

/blogs/jonescarp.aka.dale.Jan_2007-blog/2011/06/26/what-to-expect-in-the-first-four-months 

Expectations, Timelines and the Reality YOU Create 

YoungAtHeart
Member

I told myself I would quit smoking when it impacted my breathing when I swam laps.  It happened so gradually that I only noticed how much BETTER my breathing was after I quit.

It is insidious - and so low key you won't realize what it's done until it's too late.  Don't wait!!!!

Sandy-9-17-17
Member

All that you are feeling is very normal, and so far all the advice given, along with the informational note from Nancy aka, YoungAtHeart‌ is the best advice you can get, and there will be more coming, believe me! 

Just keep reading, keep on working through everything you are feeling, and you will conquer your quit.  Keep setting goals, find an app to put on your phone, such as MLC (My Last Cigarette) and watch your numbers grow, and your arrows move!  All of my arrows are in the green except for one, and that is of my lung health!  This one will take time, but it is my goal to see it get to the green right along with the other 4.

You have made a great choice to quit, and you are giving yourself a gift, The gift of life!  I could never imagine giving myself anything better than the gift of life, but I did!  

Welcome to EX!