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Give and get support around quitting

gregp136
Member

Failures

I am 59 years old and have smoked since I was 19, with a two year quit when I was in my 30's.  I have tried to quit many times, and failed.  I will not fail this time because I will used what I have leaned in my last failures, and succeed.

So this is what I know, for me, that I will use to become a forever ex-smoker:

1. I need to quit for me.  No one else.  

2. In the first week, I will want a cigarette a lot. My brain will fixate on it.

3. Time goes slower for me without cigarettes.  I will clean the kitchen and bathroom, start a load of laundry, cook dinner, and read a bit of a book and 6 minutes will have passed (and I will have craved a cigarette 17 times in that period).

4. I need to ask for help when I need it (This one is hard for me).

5. One puff is too much.  I am addicted to nicotine, and any smoking at all will erase all my success.

6. Not one day at a time, 5 minutes at a time.

7.  And my biggest, do not allow my brain to make deals with myself.  My craving brain comes up will all sorts of deals and demands in order to get more nicotine.

8.  Throughout the night I will sleep about an hour at a time.  

9.  Be aware that 20 new things will pop up that I have not experienced before.  Every quit is both old and new.  Have my amour on for the old, but have a club ready for anything new.

My quit day is March 18th, 2017, and from then on I will be a non smoker!

21 Replies
Jennifer-Quit
Member

Welcome to EX.  This support system helped me more than anything.  Stay close and become active.  Here is a link to a blog of mine that might have some helpful information for you. 

Freedom!

wlh
Member

I "double like" your comment.  This support has also helped me immensely!!  Most importantly STAYING CLOSE to this site and read, read, read!!  

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Jennifer-Quit
Member

I am happy to hear that you are doing well wlh‌  Read, read, read!  The more you know, the better equipped you are to handle it!

wlh
Member

Jennifer, this place is like a second home to me.  Always finding something here that is very helpful.  Especially the people!!  We are all in it for the long haul!!

Lynne

Most of this is correct, Greg. However, you haven't given yourself enough credit for the Control you do have over how your Quit Journey goes. For EXample, science has shown that what you believe about your Quit Journey is how it will go! There's a lot of empowerment in that statement! 

You can decide to believe that you will sleep just fine - and you will! But you have to be 100% in! You can also decide to see the "cravings" as simple discomfort caused by a memory of smoking - and that's what you will feel! You can expect that time will go quickly - voila! 

My concern for the 5 minutes at a time scenario is again, you give too much power to the Addiction! Treat it like a 2-year-old throwing a temper tantrum! Don't give it your full attention! Find some passions to think about! Ever go hours without a Sickerette and not really missing it because you were enchanted with what you were doing? Music, art, writing, anything creative. Don't let your Withdrawal torture you!

Actions speak louder than thoughts and feelings! So https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/message/72767-step-over?sr=search&searchId=e5b2273b-e09e-4528-a3b...‌those thoughts and feelings and get on with your smoke FREE Life!

It's not about deprivation, self-discipline, denial! It's more about riding the wave! https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/message/72021-the-push-and-pull?sr=search&searchId=ec6e0604-2738-...‌.

DO holler as you need help!

JACKIE1-25-15
Member

Welcoime to EX. pastedImage_1.jpg 

You have come to the right place for a new day and a rebirth.  This is all about you and what you are willing to do to be smokefree.

 Start First, by educating yourself about nicotine addiction.  Education is the key to a successful quit.

Read: Freedom from Nicotine My Journey Home and Nicotine Addiction 101         

Here are the links      http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html   and http://whyquit.com/ffn/

Also Read   Allen Carr’s book, “Easy Easier Way to Quit Smoking”.       

The link is here:  http://media.wix.com/ugd/74fa87_2010cc5496521431188f905b7234a829.pdf

 Go to http://www.becomeanex.org/how-to-quit-smoking.php#thl and get started. We will support you. You are in your journey for freedom

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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Sounds to me like you have given this quit some good thinking and you are off to a great start!

The next step I recommend is to do the recommended reading  You might think it's a waste of time - but I can tell you it has helped a lot of folks here (including me) understand what they are up against and inform the journey.

Please spend a bit of time, too, understanding your triggers and associations and making plans for what you will do instead.

Stay close and blog away! I promise we won't get sick of you!

Nancy

elvan
Member

Welcome to EX, you have gotten some fine advice and support above, stick around, there is never any shortage of support here.  I smoked for 47 years with some quits for pregnancies and some short term failed quits...when I came here and read people describing their "forever" quits, I knew I wanted that.  I have not smoked in over three years now, I will not say it has always been easy, the beginning was challenging, to say the least.  It DOES get easier, it is amazing how much we learn about ourselves when we are no longer stuffing our feelings into cigarettes.  You can do this and it sounds to me like you have given this some great thought already.  Do the reading that is recommended...we are here for you and would love to help you stick with your quit.

Ellen

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bonniebee
Member

I quit many times before this my final quit,  also called by some my forever quit  and each quit was different ,very different only 2 other times did I make it for more then 2 months . I learned from each relapse  things that would help me in my next attempt . I always new  I needed more support and it  was missing I even tried calling one of the toll free numbers they give on the pkg of the NRT's for support that was a joke ,the person that answered acted as though they had no idea why I would call them  ..... !

Try to think positive thoughts about quitting be prepared but don't have to many negative expectations with so much support on EX it may be easier then you anticipate it sure was for me  . Are you using an NRT ? I used the Patch and found the  gradual withdrawal  much easier for me .welcome glad you are here.jpg