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Give and get support around quitting

McCarron
Member

How do I post and get replies?

I"m not sure how this whole thing works. It"s not like texting someone and having them text you back. When I am wanting someone to talk to, how do I go about it? what steps do I take? I KNOW that there will be many times that I will need to have someone respond to my crazies.

16 Replies
Jennifer-Quit
Member

Just where you did.  So April 1 is the big day! Congrats on making the decision.  Read, learn, and prepare - knowing what to expect and having a plan of what to do besides smoking will be a big help.  Others will be along shortly with lots of good advise.  Best wishes to you!

We're right here, McCarron! Welcome and Congratulations! You're making the Best Decision of your Life!

sweetplt
Member

You just posted and here is my reply ... Whoo Hoo to April 1st ...Happy Tuesday ~ Colleen 113 DOF 

Jessica5999
Member

What is DOF? And all of the other abbreviated things. Can you send a link or how get there?

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CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

DOF is Days of Freedom. You can see more abbreviations used here on EX on Abbreviations & Expressions Used in the EX Community

Mark
EX Community Manager

EX Community Admin Team
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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

You are in the right place!  Glad you found us!

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 do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site.

 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 .

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

Jessica5999
Member

Other things to distract your mind is thinking of ways to paint your nails or get your nails done and thinking of how will do them. If you get your nails done or are looking for ideas browse the internet or Pinterest. If you decide to take the coffee and tea way decide to add a cup of water. It is healthy for you and you probably need more water in your diet. Or you can decide to put water in hand instead. You are looking for a healthier you. 

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Beck37
Member

Just title it “help” and we will be right there for you. This site was really invaluable to my quit as everyone here has been thru the same thing. Different stories but same addiction.