I keep getting the urge to smoke so much until I give in at times, what can I do to

[Sonie]

 get them to stop,?

[marciem]

Hi there Sonie‌ ,   Welcome!!!

There will be others along soon with lots of great advice.  

I just wanted to say to you, that the only way to make those feelings stop permanently is to NOT SMOKE. 

Smoking feeds your addiction and keeps it alive, even if you smoke fewer and further between.  You would be well served to educate yourself with many of the resources here, including things you can do during a craving that will distract your mind and help get you to move along away from your last smoke.  Time and distance are needed.

Education and attitude are keys,  Knowing what to expect and how to deal with it, as well keeping up your "I can do this" attitude will carry you far.

Best wishes going forward!

[JACKIE1-25-15]

# 1.  Make quitting smoking your number one priority. Get rid of all smoking paraphernalia...ashtrays, lighters, etc.  The main thing is to make "the" (your own from within) commitment that whatever you have to go through not to smoke you will.  Know that it is not easy but doable if you NOPE never take another puff.  When you continue to say NOPE you get stronger.  Never give up, Never give in  If you are feeling and urge come here and talk about it.  We will help. /blogs/JACKIE1-25-15-blog/2015/10/21/stay-connected?sr=search&searchId=2c29e2ce-cdb7-4801-aad4-5be41...  Educate yourself about nicotine addiction. Read Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking, may help Have a plan and adhere to it.   My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX   Quitting takes work, you have to work your quit. 

[Barbscloud]

I don't think you can just make them stop.   It's important to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and the stages you go through on this journey to become a non-smoker.  It's learning and having the tools ready when those urges occur to work through them.   They will lesson with time, but we have to stay vigilant forever.   It's not easy, but believe you can do it. We're to support you along the way.  

Barb

[PastTense]

Good morning, Sonie!!

Craves are your body's way of telling you that nicotine is a powerful chemical and you should stay far away from it.

I hear you about how strong and URGENT a crave feels.  There are times when the only thought I have in my head is about smoking.

Here is what has worked for me:

I made a plan on what I would do.  I wrote down the plan (helps me remember).

Check in to this site: read, post, respond

I do 3x3 breathing (inhale in count of 3, hold count of 3, exhale count of 3)

If that doesn't stop it, I take a walk around the inside of the building

Repeat as necessary

PT

12 DOF

[sweetplt]

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s

I think Barb is so right Barbscloud I don’t think you can stop an urge or crave, but you can work through them...by focusing on another thing ... and riding through the wave...it eventually goes away...I hope you read and prepared at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX if not ... go there and work the page, it will help in your quit, urges and craves...keep close to this support to help others and to get help...we are in this journey together...You can do it...nice deep breaths...keep us posted, gotcha in my thoughts ~ Colleen 252 DOF

Here is a great list to help.../blogs/Maggie_quit_8-1-2010-blog/2012/03/19/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoking?sr=search&searchId=1... 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Understanding what causes those craves will go a long way to understanding how to beat them.  Hint:  you need to distract, breathe through those strong urges to smoke.  May feel longer, but most only last about three minutes.  The more you get past, the weaker they will become.  Give in and their strength will not.  This is a two pronged addiction:  physical and psychological.  I hope you will avail yourself of the reading I will recommend to better understand it.

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. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read.

 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. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

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 after you have tried to delay and distract.   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.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time.  I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four 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,  3) the batteries can spontaneously catch on fire and 4) you can become addicted to that and it has not yet been proven safe .
 

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

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]

/blogs/Giulia-blog/2015/02/23/expectations-timelines-and-the-reality-you-create?sr=search&searchId=0...‌  

What you do is you try to re-focus:  https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/thread/1846-craving-buster-techniques   Your job is just to get through one craving at a time.  And each time you get through one, you'll get better at it.  It becomes easier to dismiss them.  Although it may seem so, cravings are not commands.  YOU are in command.  You don't have to act on a craving by running to the nearest store.  You can choose to do something else.  Each time you choose to re-focus you add some more mortar to the bricks of the quit house you're building.  The more you read, the more you'll know.  Read much here.

[maryfreecig]

When I quit, I came face to face with my dependency on nicotine and it was hard to cut through the delusion that I needed my smoking life. That that life was me. Ending it meant ending me. Boy, how wrong I was. Quitting didn't end me, it just took time for me to remember how to live without smoking.

Nicotine addiction is all consuming so in learning to deal with the desire to smoke without smoking you manage that emotional pain by replacing the cigarette with something else--like walking--anything. At first the substitute activity may feel like junk compared to a nicotine fix--but you work through it. As you allow yourself to succeed, you gain more confidence. Time will get you to the freedom you are looking for--and support might help you accept your quit more comfortably--all one day at a time.

There may additional support available to you right in your community--take a look.

Please know that Ex is here for you 365. Up days. Down days. All of them.

[jonimarie]

The urge & craves. 

Acknowledge them do not fight them.

By Acknowledge them, I mean develop self-talk such as:

No I do not do that anymore, N.O.P.E (not one puff ever), this feeling will pass, etc etc

Than move...go for a walk, get up from your desk at work and walk to the end of the hall and back, brush your teeth, do what ever you need to after you give yourself a positive affirmation and move on

I know easier said than done......postitive self-talk is so important