on Jan 15, 2020If you're just joining EX, we'd love for you to get in the mix and tell us a little bit about you in a comment. Don't know what to say, tell us what you're up to right now. Then be sure to fill out your Community Profile and upload a picture and avatar(turn your phone sideways to see these image options).
If you're more brave and...
...ready to start your Quit Journey and share more you can Blog about it.
...have a question, you can ask it.
...or jump into the conversations or latest posts from across the site..
If you're not yet brave you can...
...learn about using the community on the getting started guide.
...read the info on My Quit Plan and Set a Quit Date.
...search the community site or click the magnifying glass in the upper right of every page (works just like Google).
...complete your EX Profile.
...read the Best of EX.
...browse others' quit journeys.
If you're joining us from QuitNet we have a welcome area for you QuitNet-ers: Introduce Yourself!
Mark
EX Community Manager
On the community it shows a randomly assigned email address on your community profile page. If you need to change your email address you can do so right here on your edit profile page however your community profile page will still show a randomly assigned email address. All notifications from the community will still be sent to your email address on file in your edit profile page.
Mark
EX Community Manager
I just saw today that QuitNet is no longer available. I went looking for it because for the first time in forever, I find I am thinking of cigarettes. I quit more than 11 years ago, but this pandemic/quarantine/etc. is kind of driving me around the bend. I have already gained about 15 pounds since March and honestly, I find myself thinking about smoking too. I am pretty confident I won't, but I confess I panicked a little when I saw QuitNet was gone! Anyhow, I am glad to discover this site and may start hanging around now and then! Nice to be here.
Glad you found us. Yes there are some that came over from QuitNet. You can probably find some familiar faces in QuitNet group that I formed for those displaced.
Thanks for introducing yourself!
Mark
EX Community Manager
Hi My name is Danny Lee I live in Dulut,MN and I have been a patient of Mayo for “Central Sensation “ and I have been asked by many medical professionals over the 4yrs I have had this stupid disease and the thing is smoking for me has been a “Comfort Blanket” like a child and his blanky if I get stressed,fight with my wife or tired of this disease and not to make excuses I have been house bound way before COVID it would be easier to quit if I could be busy or working then I don’t have to think about it I have not been to a restaurant,church “I am a drummer and played on our worship team” even simple walks or have played my drums now for about 4yrs because I am tempature sensitivitie,humidity,barometric sensitivitie so I live in one room most of the time but I am sick of smoking because I think it affects me to. Signed HELP
Hi! My name is Daniela, I am starting my journey, tomorrow will be my starting day. I thought I could this by myself and realized I was wrong, I need some help and support. I am glad I am here sharing this journey!
Welcome to you Danny Lee. I never heard of "Central Sensation" so looked it up on the Mayo site. Wow. Interesting. Can totally understand why smoking is a "comfort blanket" for you. You're not alone in that. MANY here also feel that was true for them also. I don't have any brilliant answers for you, other than the brilliant answers I got through communicating with people on this site and other quit sites. Support can open our eyes to our inner selves. If we put ourselves out there, which you just did. Working through an addiction takes delving into the deeper areas of ourselves, I think. Those places we tend to hide from emotionally. Being a part of a support group you will read many a blog of people in the same place you are and working through it for themselves. It gives us courage to face the truths of ourselves when we see others are doing the same. Stick around, read, learn and know that you CAN do this quitting thing. And even if you're stuck in one room, you can practice a paradiddle, can't you???? A boyfriend of mine taught me that in my 20's and sometimes, even now, I try to do it. Never did master it for more than about 20 seconds. At 71, it's no easier! lol
Welcome to Ex Daniela.daniv Educate yourself about nicotine addiction and create a quit plan. It's not to late. These two steps can put you on the path to success. Many people need support to quit--I was one of them. I was fortunate to find this site a the week before my quit date. We're here to support you. Just reach out anytime you need us.
Barb
Hi, My name is Rachel and I decided to quit smoking. I have tried in the past but I have failed. I'm not giving up! Maybe a little support from community of us will help me with the process. I've never tried this route before so here I go.
Glad you're here! rhope1979 The community offers so much. Read and come here often. There is a lot to soak in. Bookmark the community and come here every time you have a crave. There is even a one-click button on Newbie Quitters and Emergency Help (The Panic Button) to start a post when you need help.
Mark
EX Community Manager
Hi there, Rachel! Glad you've jumped in here. I tried to quit several times, myself, over many years and managed to get through three months here and there, but always went back. It was only when I discovered a support group that I was finally able to overcome this addiction. A lot of us have found that support makes all the difference in a successful quit. I heartily recommend putting up a blog so that the community can get to know you and your quit history. We're all on the same team, just in different stages of the journey. There's a lot of valuable information on this site. The more you read, the more you'll understand about the journey ahead. Yell if you need help.
Welcome to the Ex Rachel. We're here to support you on your journey. Read everything you can on this site and reach out if you need support.
Barb
Hello, This is My first postMy name is Marilyn and I am currently preparing to start my quit journey for what seems like the millionth time. In actuality, I have quit/slacked off about 4 times over the last 38 years. I've done the quit plan with the realization it is never complete, it constantly needs modifying. I'm still searching for methods to handle the cravings as well as what to do with My hands to combat the urge to reach...My quit date is August 10, just 5 short days away. I've shared the news with family and friends. I visited my doctor yesterday to discuss my plan. She gave me a prescription for wellbutrin and NRT's in the form of patches. My insurance will not cover the cost of the patches but I discovered that GoodRX will cover nearly 50 percent of the cost. Any advice or suggestions from others in the community would be appreciated.
Good to know about GoodRX. Welcome Marigene6266 Way to work to prepare yourself about your upcoming quit date.
Mark
EX Community Manager
Welcome to the Ex Marilyn. Many of us have attempted to quit multiple times. Having a quit plan and understanding this addiction, made the difference for me. I also used Welbutrin along with nicotrol inhalers. I was fortunate to find this site a week before my quit and
having the support from other quitters contributed to my success. There are many techniques used by quitters here to handle cravings and to keep themselves busy. Read posts and search the site for more ideas. I had to keep busy, walked a lot and played video games. Sour Patch Kids and chewing on straws were my crave busters. And coming to this site many times early on, saved my quit.
It's important to learn new behaviors that you had previously associated with smoking so that you're prepared in advance.
We're here to support you. Just reach out if you need encouragement or want to share your journey.
You got this one day at a time.
Looking forward to celebrating with you on the 10th.
Barb
Hello everyone I am just starting my journey. My quit day is the 23rd.
Good morning Kandy77 Welcome to the Ex and congrats on you upcoming quit date. If you haven't done so already, read posts on the site to educate yourself nicotine addiction and create your quit plan. My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX These two steps made quitting possible for me. We're here to support you on your journey, so just reach out anytime you need support or just want to share your experience.
If your interested, "Post to My Blog" and introduce yourself. More of the community will see your post there and you'll receive lots of support.
Looking forward to celebrating with you on the 23rd!
Barb
Today is the day! How is going Marilyn?
Barb
Hello. My name is Corie. My husband and I quit smoking on August 7. We've tried many times to quit. We want this to be our last. We found this website on an ad while watching an obscure movie with our daughter that she borrowed from the library. I thought that was odd. But, I'm glad to have found this site. I hope it helps us stay quit for good! I am 47 years old and have been smoking off and on since I was a teenager. I was a full-time smoker until my pregnancies. I quit completely while pregnant and since, mostly only smoked in the evenings or when drinking alcohol. It seems weird to me to not have any cravings during the day. Once "happy hour" time hit is when I want to have some drinks and smokes. Or, when we hang out with neighbors and play cards and have drinks. One of them smokes so I think I will need to avoid that situation for a while. I sure wish I never smoked so I never would crave the evil things. I think it will help me to check in on this site and the text messages and emails have been helping keep me focused. On one hand, I don't like to talk about cigarettes and quitting because it brings it to mind too much. On the other hand, I do like the encouragement from this site.
Welcome to the Ex and congrats on the success for you and your husband. Feel free to participated as much as you like. We're here to support you if you need encouagement.
Barb
Good Evening Barbscloud, thank you for asking. It is not going so well, although not as bad as it could be. I had trouble sleeping last night, so did not start the day well. I did smoke two before 11 am (after putting on the patch), it is now nearly 7 pm and I have had to fight a couple of serious bouts of craving. I had a stressful afternoon that could not be avoided but was made worse by family members who do not understand withdrawall. I'm actually more desperate for some chocolate than I am the nicotine at the present time. I just have to be careful due to my diabetes. My sugar is running high anyway due to the stress. The main thing I am noticing is a need to be moving ,sitting still seems to increase the anxiety.
Yes I have found the contact information for Ohio which is where I live however Ohio does not offer free smoking cessation help in regards to gum, patches, etc. I searched the state governments website and they do have a few programs that offer free supplies but I do not fit any of the required criteria. If you know of a program that does and is active in Ohio please share the information. I will call the phone number you provided tomorrow and see what I can find out. Thank you for the number.
Don't know if this will help, but here's a letter to share with your family. If someone never smoked, they really don't know how hard it is quit this addiction. Remember it's one day at a time and reach out before you smoke. Do you still have cigarettes around? That makes it really tempting.
We're here for you.
Barb
Letter to a Loved One
Hi thanks for the helps on how to navigate thru this site. I am almost 60, began smoking age 14. I quit for ten years before. Currently have been smoking for 15 yrs. I hate it. I feel ridiculous. I have lung disease. I had been smoking 1.5 to 2 packs per day.
I am helping raise my 3 grandkids. I am the main caretaker and they live with me, ages 7 yrs boy, and 4 yrs twin girls. I would love to see them graduate HS. I dont want myself or any of us sick.
I had quit date of August 6. I was doing ok but then bargaining set in because of stress. I am using a patch but it is not enough. So i am Restarting tomorrow. I will be back on here, reading and learning. I have not failed. I am not giving up. Thanks for listening. Hope you all have a great night.