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Give and get support around quitting

llehrer222
Member

Last Day As A Smoker !

Tomorrow is scary because my last cigarette is tonight. Help ! I hate the craving side effect but I have to quit.

16 Replies
YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking!  It is natural to have a fear of the unknown ...I think most of us felt uneasy as our quit day approached.  I personally pretty much chain smoked my day-before.

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. Here is a link to a free PDF version of it:

http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf

 

As well, read the sections on this site, and read the blogs, responses and pages of folks you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com and quitsmokingonline.com for the good information contained there.  I hope you have given some thought to the reasons you smoke each cigarette and come up with an alternative for when you quit?

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand. 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.

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.  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:

100 Things to Do Instead of Smoke

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

llehrer222
Member

Thank you Nancy. I feel I have no personal support of family and friends. Their all non smokers and they only give me negitive feedback. How can I educate them today?

0 Kudos
scha
Member

Welcome to the BecomeAnEX Community llehrer222‌! You may find some of Dr. Hays' blogs helpful on this topic: https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/community/expert-advice/blog/2017/02/02/what-you-can-do-to-show-s...  and https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/community/expert-advice/blog/2016/04/27/how-to-get-the-support-yo... 

It is difficult for non-smokers to understand what you are experiencing. Make sure to stay connected with the EX Community as there are many helpful members here who understand exactly what you are going through! Nancy gave you some great resources above, we suggest reading others' content (here's some posts that other members have identified as "best of the best": https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/content?filterID=all~tag%5Bbest_of_ex%5D) and posting on EX when you need some extra help and support!

Welcome again!

~ Sarah, EX Team

llehrer222
Member

Thank you......

0 Kudos

CONGRATULATIONS on your decision to quit! I know the fear you feel about tomorrow. I felt it too, but I was prepared. I remember when I smoked my last cigarette, I didn't even finish it. I put it out and actually smiled and managed to look forward to the next day rather than fear it.

 You're about to embark on a journey that though hard, is doable and so very worth it! If you can, spend some time here. Read, learn and get ready for a fight. But try to remember during that fight that what you do today will determine how your future will look. If you need support, we're here for you. 

 There's so much peace and freedom waiting for you so long as you take that first step! Go for it!

ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!

Chuck

llehrer222
Member

Thank you. Great advice to learn from. Im ready.

0 Kudos
TerrieQuit
Member

Hello and Welcome! Here are 2 links that you may find helpful!

My Welcome To New Members (10 Years Of Watching) 

/blogs/ShawnP-blog/2017/01/28/welcome-to-our-community?sr=search&searchId=d6f233bd-9faf-4ac7-b500-91... 

You have made a great choice to stop smoking!   ~Terrie~

elvan
Member

Welcome, we build it up so much before we quit that we tend to think it is going to be the worst thing we have ever gone through.  It's NOT.  I smoked for 47 years with breaks for pregnancy and short term quits, thanks to this site, I have been smoke free for over three years and I am embarrassed to tell people that I used to smoke.  Plan for what you will do instead of smoking and take this one day at a time, sometimes one minute at a time.  Remember that no crave ever killed anyone and it will pass whether you smoke or not.  We are here, stay as close to the site as you can.  Ask your family and friends to try to understand what a huge deal this is and to help you as much as possible by supporting you and cheering you on.  Warn them that you might be crabby for a while and ask, in advance, for their understanding.  You CAN do this.  

Ellen

llehrer222
Member

Thank you. These tips have given me more encentive to conquer this